Lifestyle and Leisure
Slush, snow and shivers in Nova Scotia
Having married a Canadian in September 2007, Lissy Rutherfurd is currently clocking up her third winter in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Here's what she has to say about Canadian winters
Halifax winters, from what I have experienced so far, are colder and snowier than in England. There really is a definite change in season around the end of November compared to the drizzly, grey, damp-cold weather that we have become used to in the UK.
However, because this is the Maritimes and Nova Scotia is surrounded by ocean, the temperature can vary by as much as 20 degrees centrigrade day by day. So far the lowest temperature I have experienced here was -18C but the next day it went up to 1 and the day after it went up again to 6C. So, you never really know what to expect but you should take layers of clothes and hat/gloves/scarf/etcetera when you go out anyway just in case there is a sudden drop. You don't want to be without a hat at -18, trust me!
It doesn't get as cold here as some in some parts of Canada, but its cold enough. We get a fair amount of snow compared to England, and there is a saying here: "big snow little snow, little snow big snow". Basically, if the snow is big and fat and wet it will probably just go slushy melt or turn to rain, if its small flakes that looks almost just like they are blowing around in the wind expect to have to get out there with a shovel and clear your drive. I spent about an hour shovelling six inches of 'little snow' from the sidewalk and path outside only to wake up this morning to find the temperature above zero and most of the snow melted.
Snowblowers are excellent if you have a large property to shovel and if you live in a place that gets a lot of snow. You can also help you neighbours out as shovelling is damned hard work, especially if it's wet and slushy, It's a fantastic workout which some people (like me) love, but it's also a chore that's got to be done and is an inescapabpe part of Canadian life.
In some parts of Halifax it is up to the homeowner or tennant to shovel the sidewalk outside their property, but in other parts of the city local council services will come along in a bobcat (like a small digger) and clear it for you.
It's not all hard shovelling, though. There are a lot of winter activities going on, but the most popular is ice hockey. There are community rinks set up and the kids come out and play hockey like kids do football in England. Hockey is lived and breathed by about 80 per cent of people here and even I have developed a soft spot for it.
Skating in general is popular and there only has to be a little covering of snow to see people cross country skiing over the common. Tobogganing, skiing, snowboarding, and getting out on you snowmobile (if you have one) are popular activities, too.
The thing is, life in a Canadian winter goes on here as normal until you almost completely snowed in. Unless the weather is really severe, no one stops doing anything. I went to stay at a friend's place at the weekend recently, and visibility when driving back into the city because of the snow was next to zero, but we went along the highway like it was a clear summer's day! In the UK, everyone would panic and you would be stuck at a standstill!
The February 2009 issue of Emigrate magazine features tips from British migrants on how to get the best out of a Canadian winter
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