The City of Terrace closed its warming centre the morning of Jan. 19 once Arctic outflow winds which had dropped temperatures to -20C to -30C with windchill had subsided.
It opened the centre in rented space in the downstairs area of the Zion Baptist Church on Sparks. St. on the Southside Jan. 11 once the outflow warning had been issued by Environment Canada.
Those without shelter from the cold were welcome from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. each day. The one exception was Jan. 16 when not enough staff could be secured to manage the overnight operation.
“Warming centre availability is dependent on staff capacity, and partners continue to work closely to connect those in need of overnight warming with shelter or warming supports as appropriate to their needs,” the city said in a statement about the centre when it first opened Jan. 11.
The provincial emergency management and climate readiness ministry allocated $9,100 to the city for rent, amenities and wages. It was meant to cover the period from Jan. 11 to Jan. 18.
Warming centre staffers came from three of the city’s primary non-profit social services providers — Ksan Society, Terrace and District Community Services Society, and the Kermode Friendship Society.
During the Jan. 16 warming centre closure, those needing shelter were directed to Joe’s Place, the Ksan Society’s permanent shelter located nearby on Tetrault St.
As part of plans to deal with extreme cold weather, the province has said local governments and First Nations can set their own temperature ranges in which to open warming centres or they can use Environment Canada forecasting and definitions.
For coastal British Columbia, including the Terrace area, “an Arctic Outflow Warning is issued when there is any combination of wind speed and temperature giving a wind chill of -20 or lower for six hours or more,” the federal forecaster says on its website. “A separate wind warning is not required.”