Caring for our city’s most vulnerable becomes especially critical in extreme weather conditions. Updates will be posted here when the winter extreme weather response is activated.
Extreme Weather Alert
The extreme weather response has been activated due to the cold weather. An update will be provided by Friday December 19, 2025 at 9am.
The City and its partners work together to ensure that no one is left without the help they need during the harsh winter months.
We provide overnight shuttles to emergency shelters and offer City recreation facilities and libraries as places to warm up all winter long. We're here to help keep you safe through the cold months.
During Cold Temperatures
Learn to recognize the signs of hypothermia:
- Uncontrollable shivering
- Drowsiness or exhaustion
- Confusion
- Fumbling hands
- Memory loss
- Slurred speech
Note: A person with severe hypothermia may be unconscious and may not seem to have a pulse or to be breathing.
Find a Place to Warm Up at City Facilities
Open City facilities and libraries are available to anyone needing a place to warm up.
Note: Edmonton Transit Service’s transit centres and LRT stations are not safe or appropriate for sheltering.
Any Edmonton Public Library: Find your location.
ACT Aquatic and Recreation Centre
Bonnie Doon Leisure Centre
Booster Juice Recreation Centre in Terwillegar
Central Lions Recreation Centre
Clareview Community Recreation Centre
Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre
Confederation Leisure Centre
Dr. Anne Anderson Community Centre
Eastglen Leisure Centre
Grand Trunk Fitness and Leisure Centre
Hardisty Fitness and Leisure Centre
Jasper Place Leisure Centre
Kinsmen Sports Centre
Londonderry Fitness and Leisure Centre
Mill Woods Senior and Multicultural Centre
Northgate Lions Seniors Recreation Centre
O’Leary Fitness and Leisure Centre
Mill Woods Recreation Centre
The Meadows Community Recreation Centre
Emergency Shelter
The City of Edmonton is a part of a broader, sector-wide response ensuring the safety of our community - including vulnerable Edmontonians - during the harsh winter months.
While shelter provision and healthcare are the responsibility of the Government of Alberta, the City works closely with the Province and community partners to fill in gaps and address immediate needs. Primarily, this includes providing expanded transportation options to help individuals access shelter and support services.
Find an Emergency Shelter
With winter’s extreme cold, anyone sheltering outside is in an urgent situation. Shelters remain the safest option for protection from life-threatening risks such as frostbite, hypothermia, and even death. There are emergency shelter spaces available in Edmonton for a diverse range of people.
Winter Resource Card
The Winter Resource Card, carried by frontline City staff, offers essential information for vulnerable Edmontonians to help them access critical services like shelters and health services during the winter months and extreme cold weather conditions.
Winter Shelter Shuttle Service
Shuttles will operate all winter regardless of temperature to help Edmontonians that need transportation to emergency shelters.
November 3, 2025-March 31, 2026
- 24/7 Hope Mission Shuttle - route starts from Kingsway to downtown and provides shelters, support services and healthcare facilities.
November 1, 2025-March 31, 2026
Overnight Shelter Shuttles - operating from 10pm-6am
- North route starts from Northgate Transit Centre to downtown
North Route Map - South route starts from Century Park Transit Centre to downtown
South Route Map
Note: From 12:45am-3:30am, the North and South winter shelter shuttles will focus on transporting people from transit stations to shelters based on need and are not on a set route.
Support staff will be on each bus to help passengers access available shelters and for referrals to other services.
Day Spaces
In addition to 24/7 shelter sites, day spaces where people can meet basic needs are also available at the following locations:
Address:10024 82 Avenue NW (upstairs)
Days and Times of Operation: Tuesdays: 11am-3pm
Website: AAWEAR Reconnects
Address: 10327 97 Street NW
Days and Times of Operation: 7 days a week 8:30am-7:30pm
Evening and weekend hours to be operational in mid-December.
Address: 9908 106 Avenue NW
Days and Times of Operation: 7 days a week 7:30am-5:30pm
Website: Hope Mission, Bruce Reith Centre
Address: 10014 105A Avenue NW
Days and Times of Operation: Monday-Friday 9am-4pm
Website: Herb Jamieson Centre
Address: 9635 102A Avenue NW
Days and Times of Operation: 7 days a week 11am-9pm
Evening and weekend hours to be operational in mid-December
Website: iHuman Youth Society
Address: 16114 100A Avenue NW
Days and Times of Operation:
- Mondays and Wednesdays 9am-3pm
- Thursdays and Fridays 1-3 pm
Website: Jasper Place Wellness Centre, Community Health Centre
Website: The Mustard Seed
Canora Community Impact Centre
Address: 15740 Stony Plain Road NW
Days and Times of Operation: Hours to be extended by mid-December to:
- Monday - Friday 9am-7pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am-4pm
Mosaic Centre
Address: 6504 132 Avenue NW
Days and Times of Operation:
- Mondays and Wednesdays 9am-noon, 1-3pm
- Tuesdays 11am-3pm
Thursdays and Fridays 10am-4pm
Strathcona Baptist Church Community Impact Centre
Address: 8318 104 Street NW (back entrance)
Days and Times of Operation: Hours to be extended by mid-December to Monday-Friday: 9:30am-6pm
Frostbite: Stay Safe in the Cold
Anyone outside for long periods in cold weather is at risk of getting frostbite, especially without proper shelter or warm, dry clothing.
- Numb, hard, or waxy skin that looks grey, yellow, purple or brown
- Frostbite can cause lasting damage if not treated quickly
- Go indoors and warm your skin in lukewarm water - don’t rub
- Avoid direct heat, such as heat pads or radiators
- Go to the hospital if the skin looks or feels different after warming.
- Wear layers, winter boots, a hat and mittens
- Check on others
It’s harder to feel or react to being cold. Try to stay indoors or with someone who can help you stay safe.
How Can I Help
If you are concerned about someone outside, you can help by calling:
- 911 for someone in serious distress or in cases of emergency.
- 211 and press 3 for the 24/7 Crisis Diversion team, if you see someone who:
- Is sheltering outside
- Does not have clothing to protect them from the weather
- Is intoxicated or otherwise impaired
- Is confused, disoriented or may be experiencing mental health concerns
- Sleeping in a lobby or an unsafe place
This 24/7 service can help connect vulnerable individuals to safe transportation, shelter and the support they need. By making that call, you could be protecting someone from harm and potentially saving a life.
The City is ready to activate an extreme weather response once forecasts indicate conditions of -20 degrees Celsius with wind chill for a minimum of 3 days in a row, typically accompanied by an Environment Canada alert for extreme cold.
The extreme weather response implements City Policy C620 to ensure a coordinated and urgent response to protect vulnerable Edmontonians from life-threatening winter conditions.
During an extreme weather response, the following measures will be activated:
- A third bus will be added to the overnight Winter Shelter Shuttle service on the North route to ensure additional capacity is available for transporting people to available shelters
- Al Rashid Mosque will open an overnight shelter to provide up to 50 spaces, funded by the City as a part of its extreme weather response
- The Winter Resource Card carried by frontline City staff, offers essential information on shelter locations and emergency services
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.