Cold weather resources
The City and our many community agencies and partners work together to ensure options are available for people to come in from the cold and access services. Ottawa Public Health issues Frostbite Advisories (-25 windchill or colder) and Warnings (-35 C windchill or colder) via social media and by email to community agencies that assist people at risk during cold weather to alert them when Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) forecasts windchill values at or below these thresholds.
Resources
Ottawa Public Health’s (OPH) cold weather website has information about preventing frostbite and hypothermia during cold weather in Ottawa, including links to resources in our community that help people access warm spaces, winter clothing, hot meals and food, assistance with home heating costs, finding emergency shelter (and transportation to shelter), and the locations of free public places to warm up.
Our 2-1-1 provider, Community Navigation of Eastern Ontario, updates its 2022/23 Out of the Cold Information with local service and support information.
A new interactive map of places to warm up in Ottawa, that will be available on the OPH Cold Weather website in January 2023, will complement information already available in print about day programs, free meals, drop-in centres, as well as library and community centre locations that provide heated spaces people can spend time.
The City of Ottawa has a minimum heat requirement by-law that requires landlords who normally cover heating expenses, to maintain adequate and suitable heat at all times (i.e. not less than 16.67 degrees Celsius at night and not less than 20 degrees Celsius during the daytime).
In addition to the above, OPH and the City’s Community and Social Services Department work with the City’s Office of Emergency Management to plan for conditions that may require an enhanced, coordinated emergency response (for example, extreme cold in combination with a power outage). If required, the City can mobilize its Emergency Operations Centre to support any escalated response coordination.
Be winter ready!
Sign up for Environment and Climate Change Canada ‘EC Alert me’ emails or download the WeatherCAN app for extreme weather warnings. Environment and Climate Change Canada issues an Extreme Cold Warning in Ottawa when the temperature or wind chill is expected to reach -35° or colder for at least 2 hours.
Get advice and support
Call 2-1-1 for social services assistance (e.g., accessing warm clothing, contacts for community outreach services)
Call 3-1-1 for information and assistance on helping someone get out of the cold including transportation
Call 8-1-1 Health Connect Ontario for nonemergency medical advice or 9-1-1 for medical emergency such as frostbite or hypothermia.