Surviving winter in Canada
Helping newcomers to not just endure, but also enjoy, the winter season
You may have heard the expression “Canada only has two seasons: winter and construction,” or heard horror stories of people getting trapped in their houses by snowstorms. Canadians love to warn all newcomers about the harsh winter they’re about to experience.
Here are the top four ways to not only survive, but also enjoy winter in Canada.
Invest in warm clothing
When Renata Cressoni moved to Canada from Brazil, she feared her family wouldn’t survive their first winter. So, she set out on a mission to find the right gear. “I would talk to other moms at the park, trying to figure out what kind of clothing would keep my five-year-old son alive,” she says with a laugh. “We bought snowsuits, coats, mittens, hats, scarves, neck warmers and boots.”
Finding the right cold weather gear is essential to getting through the colder months. But beware of dressing too warm. While the outside may be freezing, inside is heated. The best approach is to dress in in layers and invest in good quality outerwear such as a down-filled jacket.
READ MORE: Stay Warm Winter Guide for Canadian Newcomers
Appreciate winter’s beauty
Although winter brings a lot of nuisances, from snow days to ice on your windshield that takes 10 minutes to scrape off (wear gloves while doing this task or your fingers will freeze into icicles!), there’s also a peaceful beauty to this season.
When she came from the U.K. to Ontario, Rosie McKinley thought Canadian winter would be just like her home country; damp and drizzly. While it’s more like that on the west coast of Canada, she was pleasantly surprised to find winter in Ontario is bright and crisp. “There’s something very special about the bright sunny cold winter days,” she says.
Cressoni, too, appreciates the beauty of winter. “I realized I loved the feeling of stepping outside when everything was white and covered with snow and listening to the silence of it. It’s so quiet and it’s like the city disappears, like you’re in the middle of nowhere and there’s only houses, but no roads.”
Be careful of winter hazards
But, beware, not all snow is the same. There’s the beautiful fluffy stuff you can make snowmen out of. Then there’s the crunchy snow and ice that can be very slippery and the slushy snow that just makes a mess when you trample on it.
Step carefully when outside, be careful when shovelling snow and invest in a winter mat to save your floors.
And, if driving, make sure to invest in good snow tires to keep you safe on the road!
READ MORE: 10 tips for safe winter driving in Canada
Get active outdoors
Hockey dad Karl Subban. Photo by Alessandro Shinoda.
Getting involved in winter activities can help you to enjoy the colder months. Karl Subban, dad to NHL hockey stars PJ, Malcolm and Jordan Subban, says hockey helped make him Canadian.
Subban’s family immigrated to Sudbury, Ontario, from Jamaica in 1970 when he was just 12 years. “After the first snowfall, the boards went up, the ice went in, the skates went on and the game was on,” he says. Subban purchased a pair of skates from the Salvation Army and joined the neighbourhood kids.
Subban, an RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant of 2018, not only credits hockey with helping him to enjoy Canadian winter, he says hockey was what helped him transition to his new life in Canada. “I was able to make friends and learn about Canada,” he says. “We looked a bit different, but it wasn’t really a problem because there I was playing hockey with all these kids. [Hockey] took us off the sidelines of new Canadians and helped us to become Canadians.”
Besides hockey, there are many fun winter activities you can try. Some Canadian favourites include skiing, tobogganing, ice fishing, skating and snowshoeing.
Before heading outdoors, be sure to obsess over the weather forecast like Canadians do as the forecast can change very quickly; five centimetres of snow can make a big difference in how you enjoy your day!