PACE provides relief for the most vulnerable as the hot, smoky weather continues in Thunder Bay

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

That is where support organizations such as People Advocating for Change through Empowerment (PACE) play a particularly important role.

PACE, a charitable organization, opened its cold storage center on June 19. It started as a heating center for the winter months, but has now shifted to a cooling facility, providing people with food and water to avoid the heat.

Kyle Arnold and Georgina McKinnon help run the center.

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

“Whether we’re helping with detox, we’re helping advocate for a lot of different conditions — just being able to support and lift them, essentially.”

Getting resources for people in need

McKinnon said it’s important for Thunder Bay to provide a space they can turn to for help.

“We want to give people a place to get off the streets, to feel like they have a place where they belong and where they are welcome.”

McKinnon said their members call PACE “the homeless shelter.”

“They feel at home and comfortable, and they can come to us with just about any problem they face. And I or one of my associates will give them the resources they need or give them the hug they need to have .”

In addition to supporting PACE, the organization hires customers to work in the cooling center.

McKinnon said anyone she hires must have a lived experience of mental health or addiction.

“They know we’ve all been where they are, maybe not at the level and degrees they’re at, but we have a good understanding of just about every issue that comes in.”

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

“I try to give them hope and a glimpse of 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 reach out and help people and stop judging them, because it’s been proven time and time again that it can happen to someone’s family.”

McKinnon added that she is grateful to people in Thunder Bay who have supported PACE.

“It’s really nice to see the community coming together and acknowledging that our vulnerable population are human too and need help.”

How the urban heat island effect works

Arnold said PACE sees an average of 80 people in the cooling center. While temperatures are expected to be in the mid-20s this week, the region has been experiencing hot and smoky weather as wildfires burn, and the city has a special air quality statement due to smoke from wildfires.

People who live in a city center are especially susceptible to what is called the urban heat island effecta 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 with as much as 12 C. Vulnerable people without access to air conditioning often bear the brunt of this effect.

Stephanie Charles is an environmental health health promoter at the Northwestern Health Unit in Kenora. She said people who are homeless are some of the vulnerable groups at greater risk of heat illness during heat warnings.

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

“The most important thing is to make sure you stay hydrated and cool,” said Charles. “There are some options for finding shade when you’re outside, but you can also find places where it’s cool inside. So it could be like going to a library, visiting a recreation center, things like that.”

While Charles said the health unit does not currently have a cooling center, it is working to raise awareness among community partners of vulnerable groups during heat warnings.

She said some common symptoms of heat illness include dizziness, fainting, nausea, headache, rapid breathing or heartbeat, and extreme thirst.

“That’s when you need to 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, you should seek medical attention.”

Charles said she encourages people, especially children and older adults, to move outdoor activities to cooler parts of the day or move 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 who wants to support the cooling center can donate items such as summer clothing, water and non-perishable snacks.