EDMONTON—Edmonton councillors hope a new official policy for supporting vulnerable citizens in extreme weather will help keep homeless people safe during stretches of hazardous conditions.

The policy, called Supporting Vulnerable People During Extreme Weather Conditions, will involve the city creating a formal process for how Edmonton would support homeless and other vulnerable residents during spells of extreme cold, heat and poor air quality, in partnership with community agencies.

The policy, approved Tuesday, is even more crucial as climate change affects cities around the world, said Councillor Aaron Paquette, who originally asked for a report on what the city can do for vulnerable residents in extreme weather at a Feb. 5 city council meeting.

Back in February, the city opened the Central LRT Station from Feb. 6 to March 7 as a temporary shelter during a prolonged cold spell where overnight temperatures dipped to -29 C, and after a man was found dead near Commonwealth Stadium on Feb. 3. Police said he had died as a result of the extreme cold.

Paquette said supporting vulnerable residents during extreme weather is not just the right thing to do from a humanitarian standpoint, but is also fiscally responsible.

“It actually costs us a lot more to not deal with problems than to just deal with them while we can, when we can,” Paquette said.

“Those hospital visits, that costs a lot of money. If police are involved, every layer of organization that gets involved is another layer of cost,” he added. “Meanwhile, we can do with one layer and that’s just to take care of folks who need our help.”

Currently, the city’s Winter Emergency Response Committee produces an updated Winter Emergency Plan from year to year. Based on factors like temperature and the capacity at shelters, it recommends emergency actions, such as extending opening hours at shelters and drop-in centres, temporarily lifting bans at respite centres so no one is turned away, and — as a last resort — opening Central LRT Station to provide shelter, noting that it’s not necessarily equipped to do so.

As it stands, Edmonton does not have a similar city-based response for extreme heat or poor air quality. The primary health concern for vulnerable residents during the summer is dehydration.

In a report provided to council, city administration says the new policy will address this gap.

Some extreme heat strategies other cities have implemented include misting stations, opening public spaces (such as recreation centres) for respite, and distributing water bottles, which is currently done by Homeward Trust, an Edmonton organization that co-ordinates homelessness and affordable housing initiatives.

The current winter emergency response plan says an extreme cold emergency should be called when temperatures are at or below -20 C with wind chill and when shelters reach 90 per cent capacity.

The new policy will not include a specific temperature for when emergency actions are warranted, as it notes that there are a wide range of factors that can put a person at risk in the cold, including their overall health and the presence of precipitation.

Aidan Inglis, director of programs at Boyle Street Community Services, noted that shelter capacity is not always an accurate reflection of how much need there is among vulnerable citizens, because some homeless people choose not to sleep in shelters.

“Just because there’s capacity, doesn’t mean that people will go there,” he said.

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The report to council said none of the cities reviewed in Alberta have a formalized policy for responding to vulnerable residents in extreme weather. Paquette said he expects that to change as wildfires and heavy rain become more frequent.

“Things are only going to get more extreme, more severe, we know that. So I think it won’t be long before every municipality starts developing their own plan.”

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