Etobicoke had no warming centres this winter, leaving many residents without access to emergency indoor relief during extreme cold.
In an email statement to Humber ETC, Mississauga-Etobicoke Ward 3 Coun. and Deputy Mayor Amber Morley said she continues to raise the lack of west-end warming centres with city staff. Her office is looking to get a clearer understanding of what a realistic plan could look like ahead of winters to come.
Morley said discussions about potential warming centre locations three years ago identified several barriers, including zoning restrictions, building size and the availability of suitable spaces that could be centres quickly. While the city secured temporary, multi-year leases, no permanent sites were established.
“In 2024, efforts largely shifted toward advancing the City’s broader shelter strategy, which limited the ability to move new warming centre sites forward,” she said in her email. “As a result, there is still no dedicated warming centre activation site in South Etobicoke.”
A report done in 2024 from Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada found shelter system capacity across Canada had increased by six per cent in 2024 compared with 2023. A total of 21,861 permanent beds were available in 2024, up from 20,676 the previous year.
She said that while this was overlooked nationwide, it still does not take away from what is needed in Etobicoke.
“While it helps save lives, it does not replace the need for local west-end options, which remains a concern,” she said in her email.
She added the city’s 2025-2026 Winter Services plans included additional shelter and warming centre spaces across Toronto, which includes Etobicoke. Outreach teams and TTC-based support were also in place to connect people in the west-end with available shelter spaces elsewhere in the city.
In January, Morley said in an email response that she recognizes that this does not change the reality people are facing right now, but she will continue to press for solutions and share updates as more information becomes available.
City of Toronto communications advisor Elisa Von Schell said staff continue to assess potential properties across Toronto, focusing on areas with service gaps. Sites must meet municipal shelter bylaw requirements, minimum size standards, and budget constraints to be included in the winter services plan.
“It has not been possible to date to secure a location that meets these criteria in Etobicoke,” she said. “However, the city is investing in three new shelters in the area as part of the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy. This is in addition to seven existing shelter programs across Etobicoke’s three wards.”
Von Scheel said the strategy has plans to build up to 20 permanent, purpose-built shelters by 2033, with a focus on expanding services outside the downtown cores.
Michelle Row-Jardine, communications specialist with North York Harvest Food Bank, said the organization's 2025 survey found the number of clients experiencing homelessness increased by 19 per cent compared with last year. The number of people sleeping rough or living in places not intended for habitation has more than doubled between 2019 and 2025.
“Refugee claimants are disproportionately affected,” she said. “Though they made up 16 per cent of survey respondents, they accounted for one-third of those experiencing homelessness.”
She added the findings align with Toronto’s recent Street Needs Assessment, which estimated the city's unhoused population has more than doubled in the past three years, reaching approximately 15,400 last fall.
Rowe-Jardine said the provincial auditor general estimates 16 people out of every 10,000 are experiencing homelessness, due to housing affordability and supportive housing, as well as low social assistance rates.
“Policy changes, such as coupling the housing and basic needs portions of social assistance, would better support those at risk of housing instability, help prevent homelessness, and address the growing encampment crisis across Ontario," she said.
St. Catharines Coun. Haley Bateman said it is disappointing Etobicoke has yet to establish a permanent warming centre.
It’s a problem Bateman said she is familiar with from her experience in her own city. She introduced a winter weather emergency procedure for unhoused residents living in the Niagara Region, although her motion was later defeated. The proposal would have classified any known unhoused individual who cannot be located during an activated emergency as a missing and endangered person. The motion was defeated due to the costs associated with supporting the motion.
She said that residents are left to fend for themselves and rely on their own knowledge of what is availble in their area.
“One thing we are seeing in municipalities is a move away from providing warming centres and similar supports, leaving people who are unhoused to rely on their own resources,” she said.
Bateman also criticized provincial policy, saying it is not doing enough to address the issue.
“The decisions being made are changing rent control and increasing vulnerability to poverty, while social assistance rates such as the Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works are not increasing,” she said. “Even with subsidized childcare, losing a job in many municipalities can mean losing that support within three months. All of this contributes to the housing crisis and homelessness.”
She said support systems have eroded over time.
“Historically, we opened dedicated spaces and provided basic items such as gloves, warm food and drinks,” she said.
Bateman said non-profit organizations are filling gaps left by the government.
“The number of non-profits providing essential service is significant," she said. “These are supports that governments should be providing.”
