Residents of Kelowna’s tent city say recent fire highlights have to activate warming tent – Okanagan

A tent fire at Kelowna, BC’s outdoor shelter site once again highlights safety concerns during the coldest weeks of the year.

Fire crews responded to the tent city along the Okanagan Rail Trail Sunday afternoon to put out a fire that broke out in or near one of the tents.

Although an exact cause is not known, the Kelowna Fire Department confirmed that fires along that section of railroad track are a regular occurrence as those outside try to stay warm.

“You just make do with what you have,” said Aaron, who lives in the tent city. “I mean, some people run propane just to keep warm, you know. Some people have to use candles.”

But this year, for the first time, among dozens of tents along the Okanagan Rail Trail, there is a new tent, a much larger one, erected in early December.

It is a warming tent to keep people safe during the bitter cold.

But apart from being used to serve breakfast and dinner, the tent is closed off.

“It’s definitely not being used as a warming tent,” Aaron told Global News.

That’s because there’s a temperature threshold to activate it, and so far this season it hasn’t been cold enough.

“Not yet,” said Nick Bonnett, bylaw service manager for the city of Kelowna. “Luckily the weather has held out so we haven’t had to use it as a warming shelter yet.”

The heating tent can accommodate up to 50 people and is a level two in the city’s cold weather strategy.

It is activated when temperatures reach minus 10 for a continuous period.

“We’re looking for continuous temperatures of minus 10 or colder to achieve any of our extreme weather protocols,” Bonnett said. “And that’s because what we’re doing here is really an emergency intervention, and so it’s only in these extreme cases that we offer something to those who are in need and vulnerable outside.”

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The warming tent is a partnership between BC Housing, the city and the Gospel Mission, which it says is an important part of the extreme weather response.

“I think the warming tent also shows the community down there that there are people looking after them in the colder months,” said Asna Memon, outreach services manager for the Gospel Mission.

“So not only does it add a benefit to their physical health, but I think it also speaks to the mental health and the isolation.”

While the heat tent is ready to be activated at any time, those in the tent city feel that it should not be left empty while people struggle outside.

“That’s the idea behind it when they set it up was to be for the people who don’t have any kind of heat sources, you know, people who need to be warm,” Aaron said.

The heating tent is a pilot project and will be reviewed at the end of the winter season.

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