Since September of last year, when Sidney’s municipal council shot down a proposed emergency weather response (EWR) shelter, there has been mounting pressure to find an alternative.
Back in January 2025, Town of Sidney staff identified the need for a shelter space that could be used during occurrences of severe weather.
Council selected the option to establish a BC Housing EWR shelter in partnership with a qualified non-government organization (NGO) to lead a community-based shelter space during periods of extreme cold weather that threatened the life and safety of un-housed persons.
Wakefield Manor was identified as the most ideal site and Beacon Community Services was selected as the NGO, as they are already the operators of the space.
After a lengthy and highly contentious effort to approve Wakefield Manor as an EWR shelter, an overwhelmingly negative community response to the location swayed councillors to deny the motion.
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Since that time, Town staff have been working with Beacon Community Services to identify an alternate site.
As an interim measure, “Stay Warm / Stay Dry Kits” were distributed to unhoused community members when the temperature is forecasted to be below 0°C, and are carried by the RCMP, Sidney Fire and St. Andrews Church.
According to a Town staff report, St. Andrew’s Church has been identified as a potential candidate for a EWR shelter since the denial of Wakefield Manor, but the process to analyze its feasibility is still underway.
In the meantime, council has opted to establish an interim warming centre in the Nell Horth Room adjacent to the Sidney/North Saanich Library for the remaining winter months of 2026.
According to the Town of Sidney, the nighttime hours of operation for the warming centre would not overlap with library services.
Though this initiative has now been approved by council, the proposal is still subject to approval by the Beacon Community Services Board. They will make their decision on January 22nd.
If given the final stamp of approval from Beacon Community Services, the warming centre could be ready for activation as early as February.
“The warming centre would provide a safe space with seating, access to washrooms, and light refreshments during extreme cold events, with eligible costs reimbursed by the Province,” wrote a Sidney spokesperson in a media release.
“A temporary storage container may also be installed on site to allow individuals to securely store personal belongings while using the facility.”
Though this interim warming centre would provide a place to stay warm to the unhoused community, it will not provide overnight sleeping mats.
