Homeless man found 'frozen to death' in downtown Ottawa, councillor says

 A homeless man has been found in downtown Ottawa "frozen to death," according to Elmhurst District Councilor Ariel Trester. The incident happened around 5:15 a.m. on Monday, when a man was found in an emergency on Allegan Street. He died after being taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Trester wrote in a post on social media that the man died as a result of extreme cold. Last night, the temperature reached minus 17 degrees Celsius and it felt as cold as minus 24 degrees Celsius. "This is exactly the scenario the city was trying to prevent from happening, but the failure is on all of us," he added.

He stressed that "ending homelessness is our immediate crisis" and vowed to continue to call on governments to do better.

According to the Salvation Army, about 300 people are currently living on the streets of Ottawa. The agency's spokesperson, Mikia Takilauskas, noted that given the relatively mild temperatures over the Christmas holidays, homeless people's gear was wet, increasing the risk in cold and wet weather.

This incident drew more attention to the crisis of homelessness and the need for social support and housing for homeless people.

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