Kamloops City Council has reviewed the 2025 Cold Weather Response Plan, outlining how the city and its partners will protect vulnerable residents during extreme cold this winter — and reignited the debate over when emergency shelters should open.

During the October 21st meeting, Emergency Preparedness Manager Ty Helgason presented the City’s updated plan, which details expanded shelter services, outreach supports, and coordination between local agencies, BC Housing, and provincial ministries. “Extreme cold poses a significant risk for those who are unsheltered,” Helgason told Council. “This plan ensures we can respond quickly, collaboratively, and effectively when the temperature drops.”

Expanded Shelter and Outreach Supports

The city’s existing year-round shelters currently provide 258 spaces, but that capacity will expand through BC Housing’s Temporary Winter Shelter Program and Extreme Weather Response Program.

For the 2025–26 season:

• 20 additional beds will open at the Kamloops Yacht Club (The Mustard Seed)
• 10 beds at the West End Shelter (The Mustard Seed)
• 10 beds through the Olive Branch Program at Stuart Wood (Out of the Cold)
• Up to 35 more beds can be added at CMHA Kamloops sites when temperatures meet activation thresholds.

Temporary winter shelters will operate 24/7 throughout the season, while extreme weather response beds are activated only when the City issues an alert.

Under the new plan, an extreme weather alert is triggered when:

• Environment Canada forecasts a low of –5°C or colder (including wind chill) within 24 hours, or
• The forecast calls for 0°C or colder with a weather warning in effect.

“We’ve simplified the wording from last year,” Helgason explained. “The intent remains the same — to act when conditions threaten the health and safety of those who are unsheltered.”

Two Streams of Provincial Support

Helgason outlined that the City can access funding from two provincial programs during extreme cold:

• The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, which supports outreach activities such as transportation, warming supplies, and wellness checks.
• BC Housing, which funds direct shelter operations like staffing, food, and cleaning.

“Think of it this way,” Helgason said. “EMCR supports everything outside the shelters; BC Housing supports what happens inside.”

The City’s Envision Outreach Shuttle, operated by CMHA Kamloops, will continue running 16 hours per day, seven days a week, transporting individuals to shelter and support services. The shuttle’s hours and capacity may expand during cold emergencies.

Challenges Around Daytime Warming Spaces

While the City has bolstered overnight capacity, Council members raised concerns about what happens during the day when some shelters close.

Councillor Dale Bass asked whether individuals would have to leave shelters each morning. “All of the temporary winter shelters will allow people to stay during the day,” said Social, Housing, and Community Development Manager Natasha Hartson. “However, the 35 extreme weather beds do require individuals to leave in the morning. We continue to work on options for daytime warming spaces, but it remains a challenge.”

Hartson noted that Kamloops currently has no permanent daytime warming centre, and that provincial funding for such facilities does not exist — a gap shared by many communities.

Council Renews Push for 0°C Shelter Threshold

Much of the discussion centered on when shelters should open.

Currently, Kamloops activates its cold weather plan at –5°C, compared to 0°C in the Lower Mainland. Councillor Nancy Bepple renewed a motion first passed in February 2024 to ask the Province to lower Kamloops’ activation threshold to 0°C. “Zero degrees in Kamloops is just as cold as zero degrees in Vancouver,” Bepple said. “We shouldn’t be leaving people outside in those temperatures.”

Council unanimously supported Bepple’s motion to send a follow-up letter to Christine Boyle, B.C.’s Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, requesting a meeting with City staff to revisit the threshold policy.

Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson backed the motion, adding, “Nobody should be out in the cold — even at zero degrees, it’s cold too.”

Funding and Capacity Concerns

City staff cautioned, however, that moving to a 0°C threshold would effectively mean the cold weather plan would be activated for most of the winter. “If we set the threshold at zero, we’d essentially be in activation all season long,” Hartson explained. “Our operators simply don’t have the capacity to sustain that 24/7 without additional provincial funding or a new shelter site.”

Several councillors, including Councillor Kelly Hall, suggested that pursuing another temporary winter shelter might be a more realistic way to expand access without overextending existing providers.

Advocacy Continues

The presentation concluded with acknowledgment that while Kamloops’ coordination has improved — with agencies, RCMP, and Kamloops Fire Rescue working together through an Extreme Weather Response Table — long-term solutions still depend on provincial support.

“We’ve made great progress in being ready early this year,” Councillor Bill Sarai noted. “But the lack of a permanent daytime warming space and sustainable funding continues to be a concern.”

Helgason and Hartson both emphasized that advocacy to the Province remains critical. “We’ll continue to work with BC Housing and the Ministry to make sure our community’s needs are met,” Helgason said. “This plan is about safety, collaboration, and compassion — ensuring no one is left behind when the temperatures drop.”