B.C.’s Housing Minister says the province will respond, if Kamloops adopts a notice of motion calling for the extreme weather shelter threshold to be changed from -10 C to 0 C.

Ravi Kahlon says that response will include engaging with the City of Kamloops to see how to address the issues being raised by Councillor Dale Bass.

“There are implications on the city if they were to go in that direction. There are resources required and other things they’ll need to do,” Kahlon said on NL Newsday. “The emergency shelters, they are important but they are temporary in nature, and we need to have more permanent solutions.”

“I think if Kamloops council does pass that motion and they are interested in something more permanent, I’m happy to talk to them about locations and really that is the tough part, finding out where you want to put the housing.”

Bass told Radio NL Tuesday that the current -10 C threshold in Kamloops should be brought in line with a number of other municipalities on the coast, where the extreme weather shelters open when temperatures hit between 0 C and 2 C, depending on the community.

“I don’t know whether its the government that thinks that people down in Vancouver feel the cold faster than we do up here, but I just think we should have some equality in the trigger temperatures,” Bass said on NL Newsday.

“We can’t really change it, all we can do is lobby.”

That move, Bass said, would also put the province in line with recommendations from the BC Centre for Disease Control.

“I’m supportive of the need to get people inside when its cold, and if council does pass this motion, then of course we’ll have BC Housing look at what their policies are,” Kahlon added.

“Nothing has changed from our policies in 20 years and maybe its time to look at that conversation but I haven’t had that request come in yet and so when it does, we’ll certainly have that conversation.”

If Bass’ notice of motion is presented on Jan. 23 as planned, it is expected to be debated by Kamloops City Council on Feb 6.