The City of Victoria is frustrated by the province’s response over two official requests for emergency support to help keep people safe overnight amid freezing temperatures, that are putting a strain on local resources.
“We’ve got good people that are doing everything they can and we’re holding on by our fingernails,” says Victoria Fire Chief Dan Atkinson. “We are working with limited resources. We are a struggling city. And we need the province to step up and do better.”
The city is preparing to open emergency warming services at the Cook Street Village Activity Centre for the ninth night during a cold snap.
“And that only kicks in, as you know, when all the other existing shelters are full,” says Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto.
A team has been working in shifts of three from 8:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. so people have somewhere to go during the darkest hours.
“Any time the province has called for us in the past and asked us to support (whether it be a response for wildfires in the Interior or to assist with flooding on the North Island), the City of Victoria has always stepped up and supported the province and shared those resources. It’s really frustrating now that we’re asking for help that we’re not receiving any,” says Atkinson.
The chief, who’s responsible for emergency support services, says the city will keep the warming centre open as long as necessary. The city has twice asked for provincial resources and support – and it’s frustrated the answer has been to work with non-government partners.
“All of our non-government organizations that have sheltering and housing experience locally are all at capacity and beyond capacity. We’re all struggling from a staffing perspective to make this work,” he says.
“There’s no excuse as far as I’m concerned that we should be open this long providing this much service to 30-plus people every night for the duration of this cold,” says Atkinson.
Victoria’s mayor is renewing a call that more housing options can’t be built soon enough.
“It clearly indicates that as the weather continues to be very, very cold that there’s not enough space for people who don’t have permanent housing,” says Alto.
According to Island Health, four people visited emergency departments for hypothermia and three visited for cold injury or frostbite between February 1 and 10.
“The risk is very real,” says Atkinson. “We actually had a member of our community that was delivered by ambulance to the warming centre who’s experiencing symptoms of extreme cold. We had to get blankets and heat pads to warm the individual up. This is a breakdown on many levels of government.”
A statement received by the provincial ministries responsible for housing and emergency management said the province, through BC Housing, has overnight shelter and Emergency Weather Response (EWR) shelter funding available for more spaces through April 15.
It is “always willing to work with municipalities should they wish to move forward with the necessary approvals that would allow these sites in their community,” it said.
“When extreme cold is forecasted, the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (EMCR) works proactively with communities by providing guidance and reimbursing expenses to open and run emergency warming centres, ensuring people have a safe space to stay warm,” the statement said.
Those eligible expenses may include wages or overtime cost coverage for organizations that are contracted by First Nations and local governments to operate the warming centres.
