How to survive your first Canadian winter
Whether you’ve already experienced a winter in Canada or not, there’s always something new to learn about coping with the beautiful but freezing season.
Snowy streets are closer than we think. Photo by: (Marina Meireles//The Underground)
Picture this: you are just waking up in your room and you see beautiful snow coming down. It’s glistening as it falls and some of your neighbours are having a snowball fight, you can’t wait to go play too, it’s your first time ever — or maybe in a while — seeing snow. For the first 10 minutes it’s fun and you feel like a kid again, but then you have to get to class and then go grocery shopping and it feels like another chore, navigating winter on your own, was added to your daily routine.
This will be my third winter in Canada. As someone who grew up in warmer weather, I am still getting used to the colder temperatures up north, and I’d like to think that I’m not the only one. Here’s what I learned so far on how to deal with transit in this weather and how to not let winter scare you away from enjoying a city that can still feel warm in the freezing weather.
Clothing Essentials
This is very specific to every person and while I might be wearing three layers of clothes, my friends who grew up here are fine with a t-shirt and the classic black puffer. All that to say, take my advice with a grain of salt. But, if you grew up somewhere that was warmer than here throughout most of the year, this might just be what you need.
The basics here matter a lot, so hear me out: thermal layers will be your best friend for life. A thermal layer is a thicker long sleeve shirt/tights/pants that is made to keep heat in, and consequently, keep you warmer for longer. Although a lot of people — especially those that grew up dealing with colder weather — might not think this is necessary, I find that it helped me adapt more to the cold and not need to have a lot of layers every time I had to leave the house. My favourite brand ever for durable thermal layers is the Uniqlo’s HEATTECH line, since they have everything from turtlenecks to tights and pants, that will help keep you warm in every outfit. They also have clothes for different types of cold, going from light to ultra warm.
Now that we got our first layers down, let’s move to what might be the most important piece of clothing you buy: your winter jacket. No, you don’t need a $1000 jacket to survive the winter in the city, I promise you. Still, it needs to be somewhat warm or at least able to protect you from the wind — which is the worst part of the season in my opinion — and the snow. Look for something that will keep you warm and dry, from whatever the winter months throws your way. A pro tip here is to check out thrift stores or off-price retailers, like Winners. These stores tend to have cheaper options that still have good quality and will last you a while.
The last clothing essential would be shoes, or a winter boot. I’d suggest investing in a good pair of winter shoes so you can keep your balance — snow is more slippery than it looks — and warmth. For snow days, although very cute, UGG’s will not be your best friend, unless they are waterproof or one of their winter boots was your choice.
Something I learned only last year — just to prove that I’m still learning about this whole ‘winter thing’ — was that having an ice pick on your boots is an absolute game changer. The ice pick is retractable and you can choose when to use it, and it gives you more confidence when walking in the snow, especially when walking on icy sidewalks. The rule of thumb here is to choose any boots that will keep you warm, and you should be all set to enjoy the colder days.
Don’t ruin your shoes like I did. Photo by: (Marina Meireles//The Underground)
Winter and TTC: not a match made in heaven
Something that I noticed over the past couple of years, is that transit is one of the areas most affected by the change of weather. In my first year, as I was coming from downtown Toronto to my dorm at UTSC, the buses were having a hard time going up Morningside, with people even deciding to get off and walk rather than wait for the bus to move. Last year, a snowstorm left me stranded at the UTSC campus for over 30 minutes at night. While the delay could’ve been worse, being stranded far from home after a whole day of classes was definitely not fun.
While I hope none of these experiences are canon events to everyone, it’s likely a situation like this might happen to you. The first thing to do is to try to find alternatives for where you have to go.. If you’re used to taking the 905 bus to get to Kennedy station, on a snowy day you can opt to take the 38 bus. While it might take a bit longer, it is more likely to not encounter weather related trouble like the 905.
If you can’t find an alternative route, it’s time you use your critical thinking skills and make some choices. You can continue to try to go to where you need to, maybe getting a ride or even walking if it is close by and you have the right gear to keep warm. And sometimes, the best is really to just, unfortunately, wait it out if the place you’re at is safe. This is the worst thing I could say, but as you wait new routes may appear and you might just have the time to find the alternative you need to get to your destination. The TTC has a winter plan and they try to keep service running as normal, but just like the weather, schedules can become unpredictable, so always keep an eye on transit news on their website or other transit apps.
So, how to make the most out of winter?
Everything you read so far seemed quite practical, buy this and pay attention to that. But you might be wondering, after all this preparation, how can I actually enjoy winter in this city? The simple answer is: don’t let the colder temperatures scare you away from living your best life. The truth is, for the most part of the school year temperatures will be colder and you’ll learn how to deal with them for your daily life.
It is scary, I won’t deny it. But as much as it is scary, it can also be the season of your life you grow the most. Enjoy this time by doing silly activities, like building a snowman or having a snowball fight on campus with people you’ve never seen before. Or maybe you might want to watch a hockey game (for free for UofT students here and here) and get more into the spirit of Canadian winter. On that, you can also go ice skating around the city or maybe book a trip to ski in the mountains.
No matter what you decide to do, the important thing is to not let the coldest season of the year freeze you out of living your life. Winter can suck, but it can also be a way to discover life where you never thought you would. Keep it warm and try to enjoy the reality of the next three months in the best way you can.
Most importantly, remember to have fun! Photo by: (Marina Meireles//The Underground)
