Yellowknife's day shelter moves operations temporarily due to building issues

For the time being, anyone needing to access services at the Yellowknife day shelter will need to head to the city's sobering centre instead.

The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority said Monday the day shelter's operations had to be relocated "due to a lack of water" at its usual facility.

The shelter is usually run out of the old visitors centre on 49 Street.

The health authority said day shelter and sobering centre services will be "co-located" until the water issues are resolved. The sobering centre is on 50 Street and 51st Ave — where the shelter used to be located before moving to the visitors centre.

"Staff are on site at both locations to redirect and welcome clients and partners and stakeholders have been informed," the health authority stated.

The relocation comes as facilities in Yellowknife continue to be affected by extreme cold temperatures. Last week, both the Yellowknife Primary Care Centre and the Frame Lake Community Health Clinic closed on different days due to facility issues.

As of Monday, both of those facilities had reopened, though the Primary Care Centre's outpatient lab operations are still closed.

In its statement, the health authority said staff had made "significant efforts" to manage through these issues, adjusting services and operations as needed.

It also thanked residents for patience, noting it expects demand for services to be high "for a period of time."