Canmore Approves Four-Year Extension for Scout Hall Winter Shelter

Canmore council has unanimously approved a four-year extension allowing the Homelessness Society of the Bow Valley (HSBV) to continue operating its emergency winter shelter out of Scout Hall through 2030.

Council voted June 2 to allow HSBV to continue using Scout Hall for overnight shelter operations between Oct. 1 and May 1 through May 1, 2030. The agreement allows the Homelessness Society to continue using Scout Hall free of charge overnight between 10 p.m. and 9 a.m. during the winter shelter season.

The extension follows a record 2025-26 winter season and comes less than a month after HSBV presented council with data showing shelter use has increased dramatically over the past five years.

According to figures presented to council in May, the shelter operated for 151 nights during the 2025-26 season, serving 56 unique individuals, providing 1,302 hot meals and recording zero turnaways.

The shelter exceeded capacity on 24 nights despite increasing capacity from eight beds to 10 beds for the 2025-26 season. HSBV said the town's overnight use of Scout Hall saved the organization $36,542 this past winter, helping it operate the shelter for the full season.

Mayor Sean Krausert described the shelter as an essential community service.

“It is obviously serving a need in our community and, depending on the winter, it can be life-saving,” Krausert said.

During HSBV's May presentation to council, executive director Jessica Klaric said more shelter guests than ever before were employed, recently unemployed or actively seeking work while relying on emergency shelter services.

“Five survey respondents indicated that they were employed on a full-time basis while using the emergency winter shelter,” Klaric told council.

She said shelter users worked in sectors ranging from tourism and manual labour to education, with many reporting they had lost housing or could no longer afford local accommodation.

“Most of the individuals who were employed did note that they were struggling to find affordable housing, recently lost their housing and/or could not afford local hotel or hostel rates,” she said.

Coun. Jeff Mah tied the extension to broader housing pressures facing the community.

“I feel that maintaining the support is helpful as we continue to navigate our way through the housing crisis,” said Mah.

HSBV has not yet secured a permanent shelter location. During the May presentation to council, Klaric said the organization's biggest barriers remain finding suitable space and securing funding.

“Determining a space first would be step one so that we can then develop a fund development strategy around that to raise funds to go towards establishing this solution,” she said.

Until then, the organization will continue operating its emergency winter shelter from Scout Hall under the newly approved agreement.