1 carried, 1 recorded otherwise. Every motion below is printed as the minutes print it.
WHEREAS exposure to temperatures at or below 0°C, including wind chill, presents an immediate and life-threatening risk to unhoused individuals; WHEREAS the Missing Persons Act, 2018 authorizes urgent, non-criminal judicial orders to obtain records necessary to locate missing persons whose safety is at risk; WHEREAS the Missing Persons Amendment Act, 2023 establishes a framework for Vulnerable Persons Alerts for individuals at heightened risk due to care needs or precarious living conditions; WHEREAS unhoused individuals during extreme cold events may reasonably be considered vulnerable persons whose safety is in jeopardy; and WHEREAS Niagara Region, in partnership with Niagara Assertive Street Outreach (NASO) and Welcoming Streets, provides outreach and emergency supports but lacks a unified regional protocol for extreme cold responses. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: 1. That Regional staff BE DIRECTED to immediately develop a Winter Weather Emergency Procedure, to be activated when temperatures, including wind chill, are forecast to reach 0°C or below, which shall: a) Treat any known unhoused individual who cannot be located during an activated event as a missing and endangered person for coordination and response purposes; b) Require immediate notification and coordination among NASO, Welcoming Streets, municipal outreach and housing staff, and emergency services as appropriate; c) Provide for rapid outreach, wellness checks, and transportation to shelters, warming centres,
Moved by Councillor Whalen, seconded by Councillor Seaborn
Defeated
That the following items BE RECEIVED for information: PHD-C 2-2026 Response to the Ontario Measles Outbreak PHD-C 3-2026 Emergency Management 2025 Annual Report PHD-C 4-2026 March Break Vaccination Clinics PHD-C 5-2026 Declaration of Commitment with Niagara School Boards PHD-C 6-2026 Amendments to the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMPCA) COM 2-2026 Seniors Services Quality Improvement Report - October to December 2025 COM-C 3-2026 Emergency Social Services Response – Welland Incident COM 3-2026 Council Motion – Winter Plan COM-C 8-2026 Correspondence – Town of Fort Erie – Niagara Region’s Winter Cold Weather Response Plan Review
Moved by Councillor Witteveen, seconded by Councillor Foster
Carried