Extreme cold warnings blanketed Saskatchewan nearly two weeks ago, making for brutally frigid conditions. Those most severely impacted were Regina’s unhoused population – as temperatures fell below the -40 C mark for days in a row.
Good Trouble Network YQR, a community organization that helps to serve the city’s homeless, posted a photo on social media of a man’s severely swollen fingers that were frostbitten.
“He was outside for you know a day or two, he just couldn’t escape is. Now he’s got fingers that are, I mean, if you see the picture, he needs medical attention to a pretty extreme degree,” said Mandla Mthembu, a member with the group.
The photo is just one example of what can happen during cold snaps.
“It’s another extreme when people are out here for days, weeks on end or the entire winter and have very few moments of reprieve to actually take care of themselves, get better, get treatment that they need,” Mthembu explained.
Good Trouble isn’t the only group in Regina trying to bring awareness to the issue. The HAWK Principle said the issue surrounding homelessness needs to be top of mind year-round.
“It’s really hard to watch because it’s inhumane. That’s the kind of messaging that we want to get out is that it’s inhumane. Everybody should have a right to housing,” Co-Director and Education Coordinator with the HAWK Principle, Shawn Koch, explained.
“I’ve seen a lot of the stuff up close for a decade that I’ve been in this fight and the problems quadrupled.”
According to the Saskatchewan Coroners Service, 305 people have died in the province between 2007 and January 2025 due to hypothermia or exposure.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) does track amputations due to frostbite, but does not have numbers from the recent cold snap.
“The Ministry of Social Services works closely with community and Indigenous partners to keep people safe and ensure everyone in need of a warm place to stay has access to shelter and services,” Government of Saskatchewan said in a statement to CTV News.
However, those closer to the issue say the government needs to step up.
“I think the provincial government, the province needs to fund health care, housing and actually put resources into the people in the community instead of into their pockets at the top,” said Madi Massier, co-director and social director at the HAWK Principle.
Anyone who is in need of shelter or a safe place can contact their local income assistance service centre for help.
