Service offers:

• activation of an extreme weather response once forecasts indicate conditions of extreme heat or cold or poor air quality
• water bottle filling stations available all summer long across the city to ensure everyone has access to clean and safe drinking water

Extreme weather response activations occur for:

• extreme cold: forecasts with temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius with wind chill for at least 3 days in a row, typically accompanied by an Environment Canada alert for extreme cold
• extreme heat: forecasts with peak temperatures of 29 degrees Celsius during the days and lows of 14 degrees Celsius during the nights for at least 3 consecutive days, typically accompanied by an Environment Canada alert for extreme heat
• high risk air quality conditions: 2 consecutive days of a score of 7 or higher on the Air Quality Health Index

Activations typically (depending on the season) include:

• ETS Extreme Weather Bus Routes - Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) will operate 1 additional overnight route for their shelter shuttle service to transport vulnerable people to available shelters
• Al Rashid Mosque will open up to 50 overnight spaces to help expand shelter capacity during activations; Extreme Weather Bus will include Al Rashid on their route
• encampment response teams will conduct wellness checks and only address high risk encampments during this activation
• all City of Edmonton recreation facilities will be open to the public during operating hours for respite from extreme weather
• N95 masks available to people in need of protection from smoke during high risk air quality conditions

The City also considers other factors when activating a response, such as the numbers of shelter spaces available and information from key stakeholders about the health risks and impacts of weather on vulnerable Edmontonians.