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Temperatures are set to reach a high of 2 C next week — signalling an end to Edmonton’s extreme weather response on Monday.

The City of Edmonton activated their extreme weather response on Jan. 8 as temperatures hit -30 C and was set to end Jan. 18 but was extended as cold weather persisted. The response will be deactivated at 8 a.m., on Jan. 22.

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“The deactivation of the extreme weather response is being announced today to give individuals time to adjust their plans for accessing shelter,” said Saturday’s press release.

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The city and the Edmonton Police Service have accelerated their removals of “high-risk” encampments, but with the extreme cold weather response in place, encampment removals can only occur if there is a serious danger.

The threshold for activating the response is a temperature of -20 C with wind chill for at least three consecutive nights. Open city spaces are opened to the public such as recreation centres and libraries but the LRT system and stations are not a part of the extreme weather response.

Until the response is deactivated Edmonton Transit Service will continue to operate their Winter Shelter Shuttle Service on the north and south routes to help vulnerable Edmontonians stay warm — the service runs daily from 11 p.m., to 5 p.m., until March 31. The service’s west route which was added during extreme weather activations will be suspended on Monday morning.

“The City of Edmonton thanks all our external partner agencies, outreach staff and internal partners who came together to ensure those experiencing homelessness have access to a safe and warm place—and Al Rashid Mosque for providing 50 additional overnight shelter spaces to protect vulnerable Edmontonians during the activation,” said the press release.

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