All of N.B. under cold warning for Saturday into Sunday, some shelters adjusting hours

All of New Brunswick is under a cold warning from Environment Canada, with wind chills as low as -37 expected on Saturday and into Sunday.

According to the warning, a prolonged period of cold wind chills is expected from Saturday morning until Sunday morning. 

The coldest wind chills — between -30 and -37 — are expected for the northwestern areas of the province.

The warning is coded as yellow, the most common type of warning, which means hazardous weather might cause damage, disruption or health impacts.

Cold warnings are issued when temperatures or wind chills elevate the risk of frostbite or hypothermia, Environment Canada says. 

According to the agency’s warning, the wind chills are expected to moderate a bit on Sunday afternoon. 

Fredericton, Edmundston shelters switch to 24-hour

With the cold temperatures on the way, Warren Maddox, the executive director of Fredericton Homeless Shelters, started chatting with the Department of Social Development on Thursday about the forecast.

He said there isn't a hard threshold for when the city's 12-hour shelter turns into a 24-hour one, but the temperatures were looking "pretty brutal," so he made the call.

The low-barrier shelter on Smythe Street will open at its normal time, 8 p.m. on Friday, and then stay open until Monday morning, when temperatures will be more reasonable.

A low-barrier shelter is focused on getting people inside and doesn't require that they follow a program, Maddox said. He said there are two main rules for the low-barrier shelter: no violence and no drugs inside.

Maddox said he had to staff up for the weekend and inform the shelter's security provider.

He said the shelter had to offer 24-hour service for a couple of days in the summer, because it has air conditioning. And it normally happens once or twice a winter — this weekend being the first switch to 24-hour service so far this winter.

There will still be people who decide not to come inside, said Maddox, but he said the John Howard Society always has clothing available in case people need it to bundle up.

"If they want to come in, then they're welcome to come in to any of the shelters, really — all of them tend to lower any barriers that might be in the way on really cold or really hot days."

In the northwest city of Edmundston, in the part of the province expected to get the coldest wind chills this weekend, the out-of-the-cold shelter is also adapting.

Isabelle Laplante, the city's housing co-ordinator, said the emergency out-of-the-cold shelter, which has been operating since Dec. 1, is usually only open at night. But this Saturday and Sunday, it will operate day and night.

She said this was also the case for a few days in December.

Emma Pelham, program facilitator at the Coverdale Centre for Women in Saint John, said in an email that since the shelter is already round-the-clock service, she doesn't expect any changes for the weekend.

The shelter may increase capacity on a case-by-case basis during extreme cold, she said.

Pelham also noted there is a nearby 24/7 warming hub and an out-of-the-cold shelter that stays open during the day in cold weather.

But she said if there appears to be a large increase in need over the weekend, "we will do our best to accommodate the influx so we can ensure everyone's safety."

N.B. Power confident it can meet load requirements

The rest of Canada will also see cold temperatures this weekend. And Hydro-Québec, which N.B. Power imports electricity from, has already warned that the low temperatures will lead to an increase in electricity demands.

But Nicole Poirier, vice-president of customer and strategy at N.B. Power, said the utility has contingency plans and is confident it will be able to meet load requirements this weekend even if Hydro-Québec can't meet the load requirements.

She said N.B. Power has a diverse asset mix of generation, and unless something happens to one of its assets, she doesn't forsee having to buy power from elsewhere over the weekend.

She also said the utility has been watching the weather all week and the wind causes no reason for concern, but the cold temperatures will put a strain on the system.

"We have trained crews, obviously, in place to respond quickly to changing conditions or unexpected issues," Poirier said.