Cobourg grants ECE exemption for warming room

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By Cecilia Nasmith

The warming room Northumberland County will set up for the winter of 2026-2027 can proceed, thanks to the Town of Cobourg approving an amendment to its Emergency Care Centre bylaw for a second winter in a row.

Appearing before council's Wednesday meeting to answer questions, County Chief Administrative Officer Dan Borowec announced a different location for this year's warming room, which will be open Nov. 1, 2026, through April 15, 2027.

Set up last year in a committee room of the county building at 555 Courthouse Rd., it will be located in a board room at another county building at 600 William St. - the former Kraft research building.

“This location gives us a greater degree of what we feel is control and security,” Borowec said.

Again, he added, this will be a warming room, not a sleeping room. And it's not considered the county's final solution, the selection of which should have some element of public consultation.

Municipal Clerk Brent Larmer reminded council that the ECE Bylaw limits to two the number of licensed establishments there can be at any one time, those two being the Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre shelter and the higher-barrier shelter owned by Northumberland County at 310 Division St.

What the county is getting is a limited-time exemption that takes effect Nov. 1 and expires April 15.

Last year's exemption expired March 31, Larmer added, and the county had to come back to the town and request an exemption to keep the warming room open until April 15.