Extreme cold weather chills Quebecers from Hudson Bay down to Montreal area
Old Brewery Mission preparing for influx of homeless people needing food, accommodations
Quebecers are facing bitter cold in the next few days as temperatures will feel like –42 with the wind chill in some parts of the province.
Environment Canada issued an extreme cold weather warning for northwestern Quebec.
The arctic air was expected to push its way down to southeastern parts of the province overnight and into Wednesday morning.
The extreme cold affects areas from Hudson Bay toward the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, about 600 kilometres northwest of Montreal.
Overnight, it is expected to move toward Saguenay, through to Mont-Tremblant, about 120 kilometres northwest of Montreal.
The extreme cold warning will also affect the northern suburbs of Montreal overnight Wednesday, according to Environment Canada.
A high of –19 C is expected Wednesday, with wind chill making it feel like –34.
Temperatures in Montreal are expected to be that cold for at least the rest of the week.
Looking out for homeless people in Montreal
At the Old Brewery Mission, a team worked through the night to prepare for the increased demands on the shelter during the cold snap.
Alexandre Desjardins is one of the people working to ensure everyone's needs are met.
"If we can't find any place for them to stay overnight, we bring them back here so they can stay here for the entire night," he said.
Volunteers are also helping prepare the space.
Gina Cortina is helping in the cafeteria which offers meals 24 hours per day.
"We can't ignore, we can't just sweep it under the rug. That's why we're here. Because we want to make a change and we want to feed as many people as possible," Cortina said.
Montreal announced earlier in December that it was investing almost $800,000 into measures to help protect homeless people.
With files from Jaela Bernstien