The bitter cold in Toronto, the GTA, and beyond exposed the severity of Ontario’s ongoing housing and homelessness crisis.
Extreme cold weather conditions across Toronto and the GTA
On January 24th, 2026, Toronto hit –22°C, cold enough to pose a high risk of frostbite, which begins at around –18°C. The Weather Network’s forecast for that day illustrates just how severe the conditions were:
Morning: Clear Skies, Bitter Cold at -22°C, Light Winds
The morning starts off with clear skies and frigid temperatures around -22°C, feeling like -28°C due to light winds at 8 km/h with gusts up to 17 km/h. The low chance of precipitation keeps the air crisp and fresh, setting a cold but calm tone for the start of the day.
Afternoon: Cloudy Skies, Temperatures Rise Slightly to -13°C
Cloud cover increases in the afternoon with temperatures climbing to around -13°C, feeling like -19°C. Winds remain light at 11 km/h with gusts up to 18 km/h. There is a slight increase in precipitation chance, but conditions remain generally dry and cold.
Evening: Cloudy with Flurries, Temperatures Near -14°C
Evening brings continued cloudiness with a 30% chance of light snow flurries. Temperatures hover around -14°C with light winds at 8 km/h and gusts up to 15 km/h. The cold and snowy conditions create a classic winter night atmosphere.
These conditions made it extremely difficult for anyone without stable housing to remain safe outdoors for extended periods.
Weather advisories were issued for the intense cold. As per City News:
Similar orange warnings are in effect for Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Burlington, Oakville, Pickering and Oshawa.
These dangerously low temperatures created life‑threatening conditions for Toronto’s homeless population, highlighting long‑standing gaps in shelter capacity and emergency services.
Shock over lack of care for homeless residents in Toronto
The extreme cold drew international attention, including from newcomers and students potentially unfamiliar with Canada’s strained shelter system.
In a now-deleted post on Xiaohongshu/Rednote (小红书), a Chinese international student now living in Toronto expressed shock at the lack of care provided to the homeless. She remarked, “Won’t people freeze to death on the streets of Toronto like this?”1
Advocates warn of worsening homelessness across Ontario
Concerns regarding the homeless were previously voiced by advocates, as reported by CBC:
There is “an insurmountable” homelessness problem in Toronto and across the province, meaning there may not be enough space for everyone needing help during the cold snap, community worker Diana Chan McNally said on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning Friday.
While the city works to scale up services, such as warming centres and shelter spaces, McNally said it’s nowhere near enough to meet the growing demand of people experiencing homelessness.
In China, public rental housing with lower rent and of the same quality as others in the same market and location is provided to those who need it in order to help solve “the housing difficulties of eligible new citizens, young people, and older groups.”
International models such as these highlight just how far Ontario’s systems and governance have fallen behind in meeting the masses’ basic needs of food, water, shelter, and clothing.
Original: 多伦多街头这样真的不会冻死吗？
so many migrants are shocked by the way canada and the U.S. treats its homeless, while canadians and americans express confusion when they travel to supposed third world countries and don’t see homeless people on the streets
“Frozen Ontario Residents Highlight Capitalism Failure to Work for Humans” ;)