The winter season is a misery for some Canadians, a joy to others. During the short summer Canadians enjoy the outdoors, holidays, beaches, cottages or family visits. In the winter it's back to work - and winter sports.
Some say global warming is unleashing weather changes. Others assert that it is just the Canadian winter. This November and December brought balmy weather and no trace of snow in Ottawa. Then the skies opened up and dumped the white stuff, especially in the Atlantic provinces and even in Alberta and the west coast.
Canada and the cold weather are long-time pals. The Inuit built snow houses, igloos, for shelter, clad themselves in animal hides and went hunting for food. Now homes, offices, buildings, shopping centers, cars, buses, trains are all heated. Instead of hunting for animals, you go to the grocery stores and buy whatever food you fancy.
This year's winter froze people as well as water and pipes. The City of Ottawa reported more than 250 cases of frozen and shattered pipes in February alone. The city provides bottled water to households without drinking water. It advised people to keep the cold water running around the clock, when it's very cold, so the pipes do not freeze and snap.
Other perils lurk elsewhere. With portable heaters and central heating going full blast, the overloaded circuits sometimes produce sparks that burn down a dry building in minutes. One needs to be careful with cords and other electrical equipment.
The Technical Standards and Safety Authority alerts people to the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning, fireplaces, wood stoves and portable space heaters. They caution people not to overheat cooking oil and not to leave cooking or ironing boards unattended and to keep children away from fireplaces. They recommend having fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in working order. They warn people that shoveling snow is strenuous and can sometimes lead to heart attacks.
Normally, February in Ottawa produces a high of minus 3 degrees Centigrade. This year it was closer to minus 12. The low temperature has been way lower. Normally Ulan Bator, the capital of Outer Mongolia, is the world's coldest capital. This year Ottawa was much colder but, to be fair, it is far better equipped for winter than Ulan Bator.
Many Canadians envy bears and birds. Bears gorge on berries, leaves and whatever food they can forage and then sleep in their dens till the winter is over. The birds fly south and return only in the spring. Canadians try to emulate the birds - some go south to Florida or Caribbean islands and stay there as long as possible.
But Canadians also enjoy winter through skiing, cross-country skiing, skating, tobogganing and sledding. Ottawa has the world's longest skating rink, about eight kilometers from the frozen Rideau Canal to Dow's Lake. Thousands skate together and enjoy the crisp air. Ottawa wasn't built near Lake Ontario. So it's hotter in the summer and much colder in the winter.
The City of Ottawa also arranges Winterlude which features games and activities. It was created in 1979 in Ottawa-Gatineau and runs from January 29 to February 15. Those not enjoying skating can try ice sculptures or frolic in North America's largest snow playground. Some 600,000 visitors attend Winterlude each year. Quebec City's winter carnival also draws admirers from around the world.
Each competitor is given seven blocks of ice and 26 hours over three days to carve his piece. The ice sculptures last only as long as it is very cold. Even a slight thaw melts them away. But they are masterpieces of human ingenuity and a joy to behold.
Evher Coronel came from Peru in 2003 to compete in ice-sculpting at the Winterlude. Totally captivated, he settled in Ottawa and builds a sculpture every year. This year he carved a lovely fairy.
Stephan Kock of the United States won in the solo category this year. He carved the “Joie de Vivre.” Japan's Kogi Kareki won the second prize for his “Fairy on the Ice” while Sebastien Sanchez of France received the third prize for “Crazy Juggler.” The winners in the pairs category were Egor Stepanov and Alexey Andreev of Russia for “Northern Cowboys,” Ross and Antoni Baisas from the Philippines grabbed the second prize for “Eagle Hand Shadow” and Samuel Girault of France and Mical Mizula of Poland got the third prize for “Life.”
Not all Canadians enjoy the winter. Some are too poor to have their own place. Public shelters open up for them and efforts are made to provide them subsidized housing. Last year Toronto provided close to 4,000 hotel beds per night, but the demand for shelters was slightly higher. Meanwhile, 168,972 people are on the waiting list for affordable housing in Toronto. Winter can be especially tough when you do not have a family or a home you can call your own. But it is on Aboriginal reserves that Canada's First Nations really suffer in winter as they endure conditions that are as bad as those in the Third World.
— Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan is a retired Canadian journalist, civil servant and refugee judge.
