Lloydminster council has earmarked up to $120,000 to keep unhoused residents safe through the winter, extending its cold-weather response program for a second year.
The City of Lloydminster and the Lloydminster & Vermilion for Equity Foundation (LVE) are again partnering on the Warming Van project for the 2025-26 winter season.
The renewed program will activate when temperatures drop to –30 C with wind chill, operating nightly from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. It will run two hours longer than last winter. Each activation will be staffed by a driver, security guard, and LVE outreach worker, providing warmth and safety for residents without shelter.
Last winter, the van ran 28 nights, serving an average of 27 people each night. The longest stretch ran 19 consecutive days in February, and no cold-related deaths were reported.
The city spent $61,924 of its $99,950 budget last year, leaving about $37,000 unspent. The new allocation of $120,000 is intended to fund up to 45 activations this winter, covering longer hours and higher operating costs.
Councillor Justin Vance said that while the cost looks high on paper, it is money well spent.
“You divide that into the 30 users that use the bus over a course of 45 days, that’s roughly $90 a day – for a hotel,” said Vance. “And these days, you can’t find a hotel for that. It’s a pretty good bang for your buck for the number of residents you’re serving.”
In a follow-up interview after the meeting, Vance added that the city’s threshold of –30 C remains controversial but necessary.
“It is a very cold temperature, I’ll agree with you,” he said. “But at least it’s something. We felt that was the point where it becomes a life-and-death situation – when we have to get people off the streets and into a warm vehicle. It’s the city taking action while we’ve felt kind of left out from the provinces.”
LVE co-founder Tigra-Lee Campbell said her organization’s lived experience gives it a deeper understanding of what’s at stake.
“Over the last five years, we at Lloydminster & Vermilion for Equity Foundation have served the unhoused and vulnerable population of Lloydminster,” said Campbell.
Residents seeking more information about the Warming Van program can contact 639-840-3833.
Those wishing to volunteer or donate to support Lloydminster & Vermilion for Equity’s ongoing work can visit lvefoundation.com/donating-to-lve-foundation or email lloydminstervermilionforequity@gmail.com.
