Extreme weather shelter (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

COLD WEATHER SHELTER

Extreme weather shelter on North Shore provides 310 warm nights

Feb 1, 2023 | 4:21 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Mustard Seed, along with Kamloops Alliance Church and B.C. Housing have opened the extreme weather response shelter for a total of 13 days since the shelter first opened in the middle of December. The extreme weather shelter opens when the temperature drops to -10 C.

The shelter can support up to 30 people each night it’s open, with the Mustard Seed announcing more than 300 visits to the shelter in the 13 nights it has been operational for.

Managing Director of the Mustard Seed in Kamloops Kelly Thomson said the intent of the shelter was to supplement the other two winter shelters in town during dangerously cold nights.

“It’s been busy, and that was kind of, when it gets that cold this is the whole intent, get people off the streets. (At) -10, it’s not pleasant to be out there. Since we opened it on December 14, we have had 13 nights when it was open and it has been well received,” said Thomson.

CFJC-TV

Kamloops born-and-raised Dylana Kneeshaw to succeed Bill O'Donovan as CFJC-TV lead anchor

22h ago

TWO & OUT

PETERS: Boyle's supportive housing move is data-driven decision-making gone wrong

Dec 12, 2025

Looped In

LOOPED IN WITH NIKKI OMEN: December 11, 2025

Dec 11, 2025

This is the first year that the Mustard Seed has operated an extreme weather shelter on the North Shore of Kamloops, and while the winter isn’t yet over, Thomson isn’t ruling out running a similar shelters again next year.

“This was kind of us dipping our toe into the North Shore and the Alliance Church as well. It has gone well from what I can gather to this point. We work well together. They have given us 275 volunteer hours, and that is everything from sitting down talking to guests and getting to know them to serving meals, cleaning up and helping set up the cots and various things,” stated Thomson.

The extreme weather shelter will continue to run at the Alliance Church until Spring.