Extreme Weather Response

Main page content begins here

The Extreme Weather Response has been deactivated.

On January 27, 2023, the City of Edmonton activated its extreme weather response to help keep vulnerable Edmontonians safe.

Edmonton Transit Service has been operating a dedicated overnight transportation service on three routes to transport people to shelters with capacity. Beyond the extreme weather response, ETS will continue to operate a shuttle bus to help vulnerable people find a warm, safe place to go each night. The shuttle runs daily from 10pm-6am and will remain operational as long as temperatures remain colder than -10 degrees Celsius.

In addition, with support from the City the Boyle Street Community Services Warming Bus will continue to operate throughout the winter regardless of temperature from 12:30-11pm.

Other Sector Initiatives

The City supports the Winter Warming Bus operated by Boyle Street Community Services, which provides food, winter clothing, blankets and transportation to warming centres and shelters.

The Encampment Response Team will conduct wellness checks and only addresses high risk encampments during activations to ensure the safety of people experiencing homelessness.

All Edmonton Public Library locations and recreation facilities will be open to the public for warming purposes during regular operating hours.

Agencies serving people experiencing homelessness are accepting monetary donations, as well as donations of warm clothing and winter gear. For a list of places to donate, please see Homeward Trust's Sector Emergency Response.

Sector Emergency Response

The City actively participates in the Sector Emergency Response, a collaboration between the City, Homeward Trust and more than 25 system and partner agencies working together to keep our vulnerable citizens safe and warm every night. The City and partners determine when it’s appropriate to activate the City’s extreme weather response considering weather conditions and existing capacity within community spaces for people experiencing homelessness to safely shelter.

Any activation is part of the Sector Emergency Response. The response runs every year from November 30 to April 1 and provides expanded shelter and services to those experiencing homelessness. In 2019, City Council approved a policy that formalizes and clarifies the City’s role in the system-wide response to supporting vulnerable Edmontonians during extreme weather conditions.

What People Can Do

Learn to recognize the signs of hypothermia: uncontrollable shivering, drowsiness or exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, or slurred speech; and a person with severe hypothermia may be unconscious and may not seem to have a pulse or to be breathing
Call 911 for someone in serious distress or in cases of emergency
Call 211, press 3 for 24/7 Crisis Diversion non-emergency support for shelter, intoxication and mental health
Our quick reference has steps you can take to help someone during the winter months.

For More Information

311 Contact Centre

Online	Contact 311 Online

If you are calling from outside of Edmonton: 780-442-5311

Telephone	311
TTY	711