It’s been a year since Bob Allen passed away on the streets of downtown St. Catharines, Ont., from hypothermia in -8 C temperatures.
Allen was homeless when he died on Jan. 26, 2025.
His family, friends, and the substance use support group Niagara Advocates with Lived/Living Experience (NALE) held a vigil last week to honor him and others who faced similar fates in the brutal cold.
The vigil took place just as a Niagara Region council meeting was starting in Thorold, Ont. At that meeting, a local councillor was proposing changes to enhance winter support for those experiencing homelessness and adjust the temperature threshold that would trigger the region’s winter emergency protocol.
Bob’s sister Elizabeth Allen drove six hours from her home in Temiskaming Shores, Ont., to attend the vigil and speak at the meeting advocating for these changes.
Elizabeth Allen, far left, joins the vigil in front of Niagara Region’s council headquarters to honor her brother Bob Allen and others who died during winter while facing homelessness. ( )
“I’m not usually one to speak up, but I feel this is important,” Elizabeth told . “My brother doesn’t have a voice anymore.”
St. Catharines regional councillor Haley Bateman introduced a motion aimed at revising the region’s winter weather emergency protocol so it would activate when temperatures, including wind chill, reach 0 C instead of -10 C.
Council noted that this threshold had already been lowered from -15 C to -10 C earlier this winter.
When this current protocol is activated, Niagara Region claims it informs its network of shelters, outreach teams, transit services, homeless agencies, emergency health services, Niagara regional police and partners to reach out and assist those without housing. It also leads to more beds being opened.
However, Bateman feels that even -10 C is still too cold.
“After speaking with residents over the last three years, they believe that’s too cold,” she stated. “[Allen]’s death was absolutely preventable.”
Scott Neufeld, an assistant professor of community psychology at Brock University and co-chair of NALE believes that this current temperature marker was chosen without proper consideration.
“It’s not tied to actual risk for people who can easily develop frostbite or suffer from cold-related injuries leading to hypothermia and even death like we saw with Bob,” said Neufeld.
“If [the proposed protocol] had been in effect a year ago maybe my brother would still be here instead of dying in such a tragic way,” said Allen.
WATCH | Elizabeth Allen remembers her brother:
Homeless advocate Elizabeth Allen on her fight for more policies and support during winter cold
St. Catharines regional councillor Haley Bateman introduces a motion proposing changes to Niagara Region’s winter emergency response at Jan. 29’s regional council meeting. The motion has been deferred until Feb. 10’s public health meeting. (Niagara Region)
“That worries me greatly because they’re so vulnerable,” said Bateman. “They have literally no food or shelter or money.” Councillor Laura Ip expressed concerns about how many resources would be needed to support such an initiative.
“Missing people are categorized as ‘Priority 1’ responses which means many resources need deployment even if someone chooses not stay in shelters or interact with police,” Ip explained during the Jan. 29 meeting.
Batemans’s proposal has now been postponed until a public health and social services committee meeting scheduled for Feb. 10.
This issue also affects local healthcare providers as pointed out by Bateman during an interview with CBC.
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“The cold season increases pressure on our region’s emergency departments since hospitals become last resorts for those without homes when shelters are full,” according to information shared by Niagara Health. This past winter season saw Niagara Health’s hospitals receive about 5,097 visits from patients identifying as homeless upon check-in-a nearly fifty-two percent rise compared to previous years.............
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Homeless advocate Elizabeth Allen on her fight for more policies and support during winter cold
The motion postponed until Feb. 10 public health meeting
The motion presented by Coun. Bateman seeks to establish a new winter protocol that “provides for rapid outreach,” treating any known unhoused individual who cannot be found during cold alerts “as missing and endangered.” This would prompt outreach groups along with emergency services to help locate individuals who checked into shelters but went outside without returning. Bateman has worked with women’s shelters before; she mentioned it’s common for individuals leaving their belongings behind without being formally released indicating they might be missing.St. Catharines regional councillor Haley Bateman introduces a motion proposing changes to Niagara Region’s winter emergency response at Jan. 29’s regional council meeting. The motion has been deferred until Feb. 10’s public health meeting. (Niagara Region)“That worries me greatly because they’re so vulnerable,” said Bateman. “They have literally no food or shelter or money.” Councillor Laura Ip expressed concerns about how many resources would be needed to support such an initiative.
“Missing people are categorized as ‘Priority 1’ responses which means many resources need deployment even if someone chooses not stay in shelters or interact with police,” Ip explained during the Jan. 29 meeting.
Batemans’s proposal has now been postponed until a public health and social services committee meeting scheduled for Feb. 10.
This issue also affects local healthcare providers as pointed out by Bateman during an interview with CBC.
</back
“The cold season increases pressure on our region’s emergency departments since hospitals become last resorts for those without homes when shelters are full,” according to information shared by Niagara Health. This past winter season saw Niagara Health’s hospitals receive about 5,097 visits from patients identifying as homeless upon check-in-a nearly fifty-two percent rise compared to previous years.............
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