Toronto city officials have unveiled their plans to steel the city’s overstrained shelter system against the coming cold — with plans to open up warming centres, squeeze more beds into existing shelters and, in especially biting cold, shelter people in surge spaces like meeting rooms.

The winter shelter plan, unveiled on Friday afternoon in advance of this weekend’s forecasted snowfall , promises to add “close to” 490 extra spaces via respites and existing shelters, with space for 175 more people in “contingency” spaces such as shelters’ meeting rooms when temperatures drop below -15 C.

The winter plan includes three 24-hour respites opening on Nov. 15, at 20 Gerrard St. E, 502 Spadina Ave. and 22 Metropolitan Rd., plus another respite at the Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place sl

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