Polar temperatures will hit Quebec from Sunday evening to Wednesday. Initiatives are being taken throughout the province to ensure the health and safety of citizens.
• Also read: The polar vortex has arrived: up to -45 felt in some regions tomorrow
• Also read: Initiatives to help the homeless during the cold snap
• Also read: Polar cold: Hydro-Québec ready, but recommends turning down the heating
It is during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday that the mercury will be at its lowest, notably in Montreal (-23°C), Quebec (-30°C), Sherbrooke (-28°C) and Trois-Rivières (-27°C), to which will be added a wind factor.
An extreme cold warning is already in effect for the Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Lac-Saint-Jean sectors in particular, where wind chills could drop to -42°C in Roberval or even -45°C in Rouyn-Noranda, for example, from Monday until Wednesday.
Environment Canada therefore recommends taking great precautions when going outside, as the risk of frostbite will be high.
“If it’s too cold for you outside, so is your pet,” it says.
The meteorologist at Environment Canada, Gina Ressler, considers this cold episode to be the worst to affect Quebec “in two years”.
Initiatives to help vulnerable people
Additional temporary shelters and special measures will be put in place, particularly in Montreal and Quebec.
-A drop-in center located at the downtown YMCA and another located at UQAM will both open their doors on Sunday evening.
A third will accommodate people experiencing homelessness in the Lucien-Saulnier building (in Old Montreal). Supervision by stakeholders from the Mobile Mediation and Social Intervention Team is planned, confirmed the mayor of Montreal in a publication.
In Quebec, the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale plans in particular to come to the aid of the Répit Basse-Ville to allow the opening of a second stop in the basement of the Saint-Roch church, where it will be able to accommodate approximately 150 people on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights.
The Regroupement pour l’aide aux itinérants de Québec has also published the directory of heat spaces in the Capitale-Nationale for winter 2024-2025 in order to inform the homeless of all the places where it is possible for them to eat, sleep or warm up for free or at low cost in the region.
The Lauberivière organization also plans to increase its services at the start of the week.
“Monday and Tuesday morning, we are going to offer breakfast to people, even to those who do not sleep within our walls,” explains Éric Boulay, director of the organization.
Energy consumption
During severe cold spells, the population heats up more, thus increasing their electricity consumption. According to Hydro-Québec predictions, we can expect consumption of 41,500 MW on Tuesday and Wednesday, which will constitute the annual and winter peak.
“We have all the tools on hand to manage demand,” says Mr. Bouchard.
However, if people want to help, they could, for example, turn down their heating by a degree or even half a degree, which would ease pressure on the network, the spokesperson gave as an example.
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