Coroner to probe second death this month of Montreal homeless person in frigid cold

MONTREAL – A second person experiencing homelessness in Montreal has died this month after spending the night outside in frigid temperatures.

Ambulance service spokesperson Sébastien Coulombe says a 911 call alerted paramedics to a woman in her 60s early Thursday morning in downtown Montreal.

Medics found the woman in cardiopulmonary arrest near a metro station and she was pronounced dead shortly after.

Coulombe says the woman was wearing several layers of clothing for protection against the extreme temperature, which had dropped to colder than -20 C with the wind chill.

The coroner’s office will investigate her death and is also investigating the death earlier this month of another person experiencing homelessness.

A 74-year-old man on Jan. 10 was found in a makeshift camp under a city overpass and died later in hospital.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2022.