As Omicron blows through the province, so too will a snowstorm tomorrow afternoon – leaving many Nova Scotians scrambling to find shelter without any help from the Houston government.

“Addressing homelessness has to be part of the Houston government’s pandemic response,” says Maguire. “People are being left in the cold during a pandemic because of Premier Houston’s oversight on this issue.”

A COVID-19 outbreak was reported at a Halifax shelter earlier this week, leaving a significant number of beds vacant until the middle of January.

A combination of rising case numbers and exposures to the virus are not only leaving beds vacant, but also causing severe staffing shortages at several shelters.

“Once again, the Houston government is waiting until the last minute to provide supports to those in need,” says Liberal Homelessness critic, Brendan Maguire. “We knew winter was coming, and we knew there was a possibility for another wave of COVID-19. Where’s the plan?”