PACE offers cooling centre for most vulnerable as hot, smoky weather continues in Thunder Bay

As the hot, smoky conditions continue in Thunder Bay with months of summer remaining, people are looking for places to cool down and escape the harsh weather — something especially important for vulnerable populations.

That's where support organizations like People Advocating for Change through Empowerment (PACE) play an especially important role.

PACE, a charitable organization, opened its cooling centre June 19. It started as a warming centre for the winter months, but has now shifted to being a cooling facility, offering food and water for people to avoid the heat.

Kyle Arnold and Georgina McKinnon help run the centre.

Arnold said it gives people a safe place to go to cool off, with mental health services available.

"Whether it's we help with detox, we help advocate under many different circumstances — just being able to support them and lift them up, essentially."

Getting resources to those in need

McKinnon said it's important for Thunder Bay to offer a space where they can go for assistance.

"We want to give people a place to come to get off the streets, to feel like they have a place that they belong in and that they're welcome in."

McKinnon said their members call PACE "the home for the homeless."

"They feel at home and comfortable, and they can come to us with just about any issues that they're dealing with. And either me or one of my staff will get them the resources that they need or give them the hug that they need."

In addition to receiving support from PACE, the organization hires clients to work at the cooling centre.

McKinnon said everyone she hires has to have a lived experience with mental health or addiction.

"They know that all of us have been where they are, maybe not to the levels and degrees that they're at, but we have a good understanding of just about every problem that comes in the door."

For many, McKinnon said, this is the first job they've ever had.

"I try to give them hope and a glimpse at what they can be, and that life can be better and you can get out of it."

Arnold said it's important to remember that mental health and addiction are not a choice.

"The best thing we can do is really put our hands out to help people and stop judging them, because it's proven time and time again it can happen to anybody's family."

McKinnon added she's thankful for people in Thunder Bay who have supported PACE.

"It really is nice to see the community come together and recognize that our vulnerable population are people too and they need help."

How the urban heat island effect works

Arnold said PACE sees an average of 80 people at the cooling centre. Though temperatures are expected to be in the mid-20s this week, the region has seen hot and smoky weather as forest fires burn, and the city is under a special air quality statement due to wildfire smoke.

People who live in a downtown core are extra susceptible to what is called the urban heat island effect, a phenomenon that has been studied in Canada and around the world.

Essentially, the way cities are built means they trap and radiate heat, making them several degrees warmer than the surrounding countryside, sometimes by as much as 12 C. Vulnerable people without access to air conditioning often bear the full brunt of this effect.

Stephanie Charles is a health promoter for environmental health at the Northwestern Health Unit in Kenora. She said people experiencing homelessness are some of the vulnerable groups at greater risk of heat illnesses during heat warnings.

She said the best ways to support the most vulnerable are to know ways to cool down.

"The main thing is to make sure that you're staying hydrated and cool," said Charles. "There are some options for finding shade if you're outside, but also you can find places with indoor coolness. So it could be like going to a library, checking out a rec centre, those types of things."

While Charles said the health unit doesn't currently have a cooling centre, it's working on bringing awareness to community partners to check on vulnerable groups during heat warnings.

She said some common heat illness symptoms are dizziness, fainting, nausea, headache, rapid breathing or pulse, and extreme thirst.

"That's when you should take some steps to get out of the heat and work on hydrating yourself and monitoring the situation," said Charles. "And if it gets worse, that's when you should look at seeking some medical help."

Charles said she encourages people, especially children and older adults, to either reschedule outdoor activities for cooler parts of the day or consider moving events indoors.

PACE is located at 512 Victoria Ave. E. and open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone wanting to support the cooling centre can donate items such as summer clothing, water and non-perishable snacks.