Let it snow

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by Angela MacKenzie

The weather outside is frightful ...
Have you been complaining about the recent bout of ice and snow? Well, let me tell you, when I was a teenager, I walked seven blocks during heavy snowfall and icy temperatures to get to the bus stop, where I got on the first of two buses I had to take to get to school. I obediently wore the kilt that was part of my school uniform and had nothing more than woolly stockings to protect my legs from the freezing, winter winds blasting through Toronto. Once, I even had a hole in my shoe that scooped in the white stuff every time I took a step. I almost got frostbite on my big toe, but the sleet and snow never stopped me.
You may groan at my story, but that's my best (and truest) "walked to school in the snow both ways uphill" story. I tell it so you'll know I'm no cold-weather wimp. But lately, even I find myself wondering what has happened to the West Coast's mild winters.
While walking through the snow with my son the other day, I realized that I might (eek) actually have to buy a pair of warm, winter boots.
Last year, Greater Vancouver was drowned in record amounts of rain and some snow, but no icy winds   to wreak havoc on our power and heat.
When I first moved to B.C. in '92, winter was a sprinkling of light snow, if that, in January. I actually missed the snowy Christmas seasons of my childhood.
Meanwhile, there were news reports that Canadians in Ontario and Quebec are going through an identity crisis over their exceptionally mild winter. Ski hill and tourist operators complained they've lost money from the lack of snow. The Rideau Canal, known as the world's longest skating rink, remained unfrozen. Central Canada just got a blast of the usual, deep freeze earlier this week.
The federal environment minister blamed all this weird weather on global warming, while touring the wind-damaged areas of Stanley Park earlier this month. Anyone who has watched Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth will find it difficult not to link recent extreme weather to global warming.
Health officials are warning that climate change means Canadians will likely have to deal with increases in the spread of West Nile Virus, Lyme disease and possibly tropical diseases not usually found in the north.
Closer to home, Greater Vancouver may have to look at upgrading infrastructure to be able to deal with flooding and other water-related issues like the one faced last November when hundreds of residents were forced to boil their water after heavy rainfall.
Climate change and the environment are becoming (pardon the pun) the hot topic of decade, particularly for Canadians, who love to talk about the weather. As a country, we'll have to start discussing our long-term response to all these weather woes.
In the meantime, if you must venture out, remember to bundle up and check for holes in your boots. But if you've no place to go, stay inside where the fire is so delightful.

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