The Canadian Federation of University Women Muskoka is urging local politicians to provide warming centres for the most vulnerable population.
Their resolution, which they say will be presented to local councils, is calling on 24-hour warming centres when temperatures hit 0 degrees celsius.
Club Advocacy/Resolutions Committee Chair Martha Davis said the District of Muskoka website indicates that municipalities ‘may’ open warming centres when temperatures reach -35 degrees Celsius. Davis called that shocking and said, “That needs to change to -5 or O degrees celsius.”
District of Muskoka Chair Jeff Lehman said, “Do we really have to wait till it’s -35 to get people out of the cold? Of course not.” Lehman, who met with the group, said, “The District will bring anybody in out of the cold and give them a place to stay; anybody who wants to and needs to and doesn’t have a home.” Lehman said there is no temperature requirement for that. He said the District does that all the time in the winter.
Doppler spoke to the chair in late January, and he said there were about 80 people being housed through its emergency shelter program, which provides vouchers for accommodations in the area, and the previous year, that number was over 100 at times. He said it’s not the perfect solution but it works, said Lehman.
“What we want to do is get people into safe and stable housing and that is a real shortage.” Lehman said that is part of the housing crisis that the District is trying to address. “I do think the permanent solution is supportive housing… and help them with the reasons they have become homeless.”
Lehman also noted that opening warming cetres during cold spells is a function of the lower-tier municipalities, and that directive is usually in municipal emergency management plans.
He said that declaring an emergency like the Town of Gravenhurst recently did is a call for the lower-tier municipalities to make. He said more severe storms are causing more significant damage and power outages, and it’s something that everyone will probably have to consider across the province.
Huntsville CAO Denise Corry said the municipality does not have a written policy outside of its Emergency Management Plan (EMP) to deal with severe temperatures.
“Within the EMP, should an emergency be declared, we have a set protocol which we follow that deals with warming/cooling centers etc.,” she stated via email correspondence.
“If an emergency is not declared, we would ensure that members of the public are aware that they can visit our Canada Summit Centre, which is open for extended periods of time,” added Corry.
The Canada Summit Centre in Huntsville lists its hours of operation as being open between 6:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m.
Founding Executive Director of the Table Soup Kitchen Foundation, Heather Cassie, said she attends homelessness-sharing table meetings with other service providers and said there are conversations currently taking place regarding the need for warming and cooling centers in Muskoka. She said no one has pursued it at this time, but ideas have been circulating.
Davis said the Canadian Federation of University Women in Muskoka plans on attending Huntsville Council in March or April and present their resolution. You can find their resolution HERE.
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What would it cost per taxpayer to provide adequate housing and food for people who now are living through bad weather outside? Surely we can do better! Judy Lewis