Ottawa shelters already full as winter cold sets in

Homeless shelters in Ottawa say they’re entering the winter season already at capacity, even with the city’s plans to manage overflow.

At the Ottawa Mission, CEO Peter Tilley says they’re already feeling the pressure.

"Winter is going to be challenging," he told CBC, adding that it’s going to be more difficult without any city-run overnight warming centres.

According to a recent integrated transition to housing strategy (ITHS) report to Ottawa’s community services committee, permanent shelter and transitional housing capacity has expanded over the past two years, with about 100 beds available system-wide.

Tilley said this additional space is helpful, but the Mission has operated over capacity since the pandemic — and that hasn’t changed.

"There's no light at the end of the tunnel," he