Downtown Medicine Hat saw temperatures dip to minus 29 early Tuesday afternoon (Tiffany Goodwein CHAT NEWS)

By Tiffany Goodwein

Hatters bear the bone-chilling cold

Dec 28, 2021 | 10:45 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – As cold air grips much of the province, one man has pulled out all the stops to get his SUV to start.

“It’s frozen, it’s just so cold. It is not starting up. We’ve tried boosting it with someone’s help, we’ve tried putting a heater under it, it’s just not warming up,” one man said.

An extreme cold warning has been in place for several days now with temperatures dipping to as low as -34 C on some days and sinking further with the wind chill, leading many people to do what they can to manage the frigid temperatures.

Not too far from the Esso on Division, one man was out in just a hoodie despite the temperatures nearing -25 C.

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“Oh you know keeping warm. I find that when you are walking out with your body heat it actually helps out a lot,” he said noting he lives right next door to the gas station.

Over at The Mustard Seed in Medicine Hat, Allan Sharp is warming up. He spent nearly an hour walking in the cold just so he could get a warm meal.

“It was good for about the first half an hour because it takes me an hour to get here. For the last half an hour I was just pushing it. I was practically running to get here in time,” he said.

Sharp knows how to survive the elements well. He spent nine years homeless on the streets of Calgary.

“Bundle up. Even bank machine lobbies. Just go in there to warm up and then just walk, and then try to get where you are going as quickly as possible,” he said.

Sharp said he is grateful for services like the Mustard Seed for allowing him a place to eat and stay warm.

“Well after spending nine years homeless believe me you really appreciate a roof over your head and a place to stay and you fight like mad not to let that happen to you again which is pretty much what I have been doing for the last 14, 15 years,” he said.

Colette Eirich, managing director of the Mustard Seed, said winter is often a time when they are needed most.

Since opening their new community centre on Allowance Avenue, the Mustard Seed’s clothing centre has been busy supplying everything from warm winter coats, to hand warmers, to boots and bus tickets. Blankets and sleeping bags are also distributed during their morning meal every day.

“When they come for a meal, our clothing room is open. So we run down and get what they need and find whatever size it is and make sure that by the time they leave they are bundled up and warm,” Eirich said.

Eirich said they are just one of many great organizations in the city doing what they can to ensure everyone can survive Mother Nature’s wrath, which is expected to bring even more chills this winter.