As if Mother Nature got sick of hearing us complain about the record number of days of rain we’ve had this fall, she decided to change things up this week.
Chances are you’ve only just finished shovelling up her leavings and it’s now time to brace for another storm.
It means, no doubt, transit delays, lurching traffic and plenty of fender benders thanks in large part to the sheer number of inexperienced winter drivers we have.
We may sing O Canadajust as proudly as they do elsewhere in the country, but winter and all of its trappings are a part of the Canadian identity we’ve thankfully been exempted from. It’s part of what makes the Lower Mainland so attractive to newcomers.
It is also why our municipalities tend to have just a handful of snowplows available for when the skiff hits the fan. We’d suggest people who haven’t splurged for snow tires have forfeited their right to complain about how long it took for snow to be scraped from their side streets.
So, rather than whine about the approaching white menace, we’ll make some suggestions: Leave yourself loads of time and dress warmly if you’ve got a transit ride ahead of you.
Consider carpooling with neighbours, especially if it’s the one time of the year you’ll put your SUV’s four-wheel drive to use. If you don’t have to go out into it, don’t. Shovel and salt your sidewalk. If your neighbours aren’t as able bodied as you, give them a hand as well. It’s the Canadian thing to do.
And be like the kids. Embrace it. Huck a snowball. The rain will be back soon enough.
-Guest editorial from the North Shore News
