Number of people using station as warming centre doubles

The city’s Central LRT station was a place of warmth for 45 people overnight Thursday — almost double the previous two nights as a deep freeze continues to shiver over Edmonton.

It was decided Tuesday during a city council meeting that the downtown station will remain open 24-7 for seven days to provide shelter from the brutal cold for those with nowhere else to go.

A total of 24 people stayed overnight both Tuesday and Wednesday, but jumped to 45 on Thursday, city spokesman Rowan Anderson said in an email.

Council also passed a motion on Tuesday for the city to prepare a policy on how to assist vulnerable people during extreme weather.

Extra security and custodial staff have been added to work in the station around the clock, Anderson said. The city’s 24/7 crisis diversion team, co-ordinated by Homeward Trust, also has checked in on those spending the night.

Edmonton EMS responded to three cold exposure-related calls Thursday, two of which required transport to hospital, Alberta Health Services spokesman Kerry Williamson said in a statement Friday afternoon. This is an increase from the two calls received on Wednesday.

Emergency crews responded to 29 calls for assistance related to the cold weather since last Friday, when the mercury began to drop.

There were four more visits to the emergency department Thursday related to hypothermia or frostbite, the most in the past week.

The AHS telephone line Health Link also took five calls related to cold weather conditions Thursday in comparison to an average of one call the week prior, Jan. 27-Feb. 2.

During a typical winter day without an extreme cold warning, EMS responds to one or two calls for cold exposure, Williamson said.

At the beginning of the cool down last weekend, emergency departments at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and the University of Alberta Hospital treated about 10 patients who experienced chest pain or cardiac arrest while shovelling snow, Williamson said.