'Without it, I would have frozen:' Barrie man relieved warming stations are open
The City of Barrie's homeless community has been given a bit of a lifeline, with two warming stations now open.
"Without it, I would have frozen this morning from nine until it warmed up with cold feet and frozen feet from walking around from seven in the morning," said Derek Booker as he pushed his cart of belongings in -12C weather.
"I've already been kicked out of this parking garage for sleeping in the stairway," he added.
Booker was one of several people warming up at the Trinity Anglican Church downtown Wednesday morning.
The Catholic Family Services building at Dunlop and Anne streets is being used to keep people warm in the overnight hours.
Suzanna McCarthy with the John Howard Society said the facility had plenty of traffic through both warming centres during the day and night.
"We launched on Friday, so we've had 52 in that time. That is a big number. It is a lot of people that are not sleeping on the streets during the day or night."
Both facilities will remain open until the end of March, and that deadline could be extended if necessary.
The County of Simcoe has started its bi-annual enumeration to gauge what services are needed.
"It's a count of people experiencing homelessness, and it helps us understand the volume of need in the community, and it helps plan for services locally and deliver those services," said Irena Pozgaj-Jones, with the County.
The last count was conducted two years ago and revealed about 500 people were living on the streets.
"Having a snapshot of the issue of homelessness is critical information," Pozgaj-Jones said.
The official count started Tuesday night and will continue over the next two nights.
The County said it would take roughly one month to analyze the data before any decision can be made on what changes need to happen.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.