New threshold for cold weather alerts in Timmins

The City of Timmins has adjusted the threshold for when it announces ‘Extreme Cold Weather Alerts.’ The pilot project will now see the alerts called when the temperature hits minus 20 degrees Celsius or colder. Prior to February 2026, the threshold was for minus 25 or colder.

“So, we had to ensure that if we were going to lower that threshold to from -20 to -24, that we would do this as a pilot project to ensure that we have staffing,” said Meagan Baranyk, the city’s community programs manager.

“We can’t have individuals or calling a cold weather alert, having individuals attend and then have no staff there.”

Baranyk told CTV News that changing the temperature threshold is also a preventative measure against cold weather injury.

“We are looking at some injuries definitely when it comes to cold weather alerts and that’s why it’s really important that decisions like timing is a huge piece and capacity is a huge piece and this is why right now we actually have overnight space for many individuals and we have not reached the capacity,” she said.

Baranyk said anyone requiring emergency shelter is asked to attend Living Space on Spruce Street South where workers will work with clients to determine which location is best: Living Space or the former safe injection site on Cedar Street North. Baranyk said 21 Cedar Street North is now run by Mushkegowuk Council. She said with the two locations, around 95 people can be helped when the weather is extreme.

Baranyk stressed that the Cedar Street North location is not a shelter – it’s just an overflow location for when cold weather alerts are called.