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vid
Feb 8, 2007, 10:10 PM
Yeah, our Canada Games Complex is always packed in winter. Cheap too, because it's run by the city. :) Even poor people can afford to go.

h0twired
Feb 8, 2007, 10:52 PM
Man Winnipeg seriously needs that huge indoor water park. It's perfect for the winter season.

... and will be completely deserted in the summer months making it a terrible money losing venture and another potential white-elephant that Winnipeg doesnt need.

drew
Feb 8, 2007, 10:56 PM
There are plenty of wavepools etc. in Calgary and Edmonton - how do they make a go of it?

Greco Roman
Feb 9, 2007, 12:10 AM
There are plenty of wavepools etc. in Calgary and Edmonton - how do they make a go of it?


Alberta has few quality beaches in the whole flippin province, and those that are of good quality are hours away from the major cities. That's pretty much why our wave pools and waterparks are packed year round. In terms of beach availability and quality, Alberta blows corn chunks. Sorry, but it's the truth.

ssiguy
Feb 9, 2007, 12:45 AM
The winters certainly don't help Winnipeg but lets serious. When its -30 in Winnipeg and only -20 in Edmonton what's the difference? When its that cold either way you slice it your balls are about to drop off.

The two biggest problems with Winnipeg and reputation are mosquitos {which are very easy to get ride of without chemicals}, and crime.

newflyer
Feb 9, 2007, 12:49 AM
The winters certainly don't help Winnipeg but lets serious. When its -30 in Winnipeg and only -20 in Edmonton what's the difference? When its that cold either way you slice it your balls are about to drop off.

The two biggest problems with Winnipeg and reputation are mosquitos {which are very easy to get ride of without chemicals}, and crime.

Demolish the north end and build a giant bug zapper!!! ... powered by a couple windmills. :rolleyes:

Less mosquitos ... less crime .. and environmentally friendly... :D

flatlander
Feb 9, 2007, 12:51 AM
Breaking News

We're getting a holiday

Updated at 3:32 PM


We’re getting a holiday in February. Labour Minister Nancy Allan has just informed the Free Press that the freight train of public support for the idea has worked.
"This is no longer a question about if we’re going to have a holiday in February," said Allan. "We’re having one. We’re doing it."

Allan wrote to the province’s Labour Management Review Committee today, asking for the committee’s advice on how to go about introducing the new day off.

She specifically asked for advice on whether the holiday should be on the same date every year or whether it should always be a long weekend, and whether shopping should be permitted as it is on holidays such as Thanksgiving and Victoria Day.

A local radio station petition in favour of the holiday now has more than 25,000 signatures on it, and Allan said she can’t go out without somebody talking about it with her.

Whether the holiday is in place for 2008 depends on how quickly the consultation with the LMRC goes, and how long it takes to get legislation through to make it happen.

Greco Roman
Feb 9, 2007, 12:57 AM
Breaking News

We're getting a holiday

Updated at 3:32 PM


We’re getting a holiday in February. Labour Minister Nancy Allan has just informed the Free Press that the freight train of public support for the idea has worked.
"This is no longer a question about if we’re going to have a holiday in February," said Allan. "We’re having one. We’re doing it."

Allan wrote to the province’s Labour Management Review Committee today, asking for the committee’s advice on how to go about introducing the new day off.

She specifically asked for advice on whether the holiday should be on the same date every year or whether it should always be a long weekend, and whether shopping should be permitted as it is on holidays such as Thanksgiving and Victoria Day.

A local radio station petition in favour of the holiday now has more than 25,000 signatures on it, and Allan said she can’t go out without somebody talking about it with her.

Whether the holiday is in place for 2008 depends on how quickly the consultation with the LMRC goes, and how long it takes to get legislation through to make it happen.


It should have NEVER taken this long to realize that people deserve a break between Easter and New Years. :rolleyes:

m0nkyman
Feb 9, 2007, 1:36 AM
It should have NEVER taken this long to realize that people deserve a break between Easter and New Years. :rolleyes:

You don't get weekends in Manitoba?
yeh lazy bastiches. :whip:






:D

Brokenhead
Feb 9, 2007, 4:27 AM
On Feb. 15 (next Thursday) the forecast is a high of -4°C, with a low of -10°C. Winds at 30 km/h with a chance of flurries.

It would be a nice day without the wind and flurries.

Now I'm confused. It was suppose to be colder than normal temperature's. Now next week we are around average. Weather forecasts are confusing :(

Jets4Life
Feb 9, 2007, 4:38 AM
I mean, it's -38°C!!!! How can exist on the surface of our mother earth such a temperature, and how can it be that i live in that place?
I'm afraid to go out, i may die instantly.:sly:

Edit: -49 with windchill.

One thing I don't miss about Winnipeg......winters. ;)

Jets4Life
Feb 9, 2007, 4:41 AM
Demolish the north end and build a giant bug zapper!!! ... powered by a couple windmills. :rolleyes:

Less mosquitos ... less crime .. and environmentally friendly... :D


here....here. :tup:

Xelebes
Feb 9, 2007, 5:03 AM
Alberta has few quality beaches in the whole flippin province, and those that are of good quality are hours away from the major cities. That's pretty much why our wave pools and waterparks are packed year round. In terms of beach availability and quality, Alberta blows corn chunks. Sorry, but it's the truth.

I'm not insulted. Mind you, I think I would be distressed at the sight of a beach before me.

freeweed
Feb 9, 2007, 5:42 AM
Alberta has few quality beaches in the whole flippin province, and those that are of good quality are hours away from the major cities. That's pretty much why our wave pools and waterparks are packed year round. In terms of beach availability and quality, Alberta blows corn chunks. Sorry, but it's the truth.

No need to be sorry about it. It's pretty much the single biggest thing that sucks donkey balls in Alberta (at least the populated parts). There's nowhere to go to the beach. You can swim in some of the rivers, and in some tiny ponds that the locals call "lakes", but it's pretty pathetic when you've experienced the joy that is Grand (or Winnipeg, or Victoria, or any of 10,000 real lakes in NW Ontario).

No place is perfect. BC has rain, Alberta lacks beaches, SK/MB are cold as hell in the winter, Ontario is crammed full of people and pollution, Quebec hates Anglophones that want a job, the Maritimes have crappy storms and high unemployment... it's what makes it interesting to live in different places once in a while. You learn to appreciate more what there is to do, and things you're missing.

spiritedenergy
Feb 9, 2007, 7:03 AM
i don't know what's wrong with me now... now that is so cold I'm forced to move with buses from one point to another... but the worst part is that i don't really feel cold anymore:D I enjoy the sun. i feel Mother Earth is waking up:yinyang:
And I hear people complaining about the cold because they just have to go from their cars to the buildings... now I'd like them standing for half an hour waiting for a bus.

p.s. never trust the long-term forecasts, they change randomly.

ssiguy
Feb 9, 2007, 7:50 AM
Get rid of mosquitos...................easy.
Its called garlic. They actually kill mosquitos and can be sprayed over night but the smell waers off in less than 2 hours but mosquitos have a sense of smell 10,000 {and no that is no exaggeration} more acute than ours.
That is why there is no such thing as mosquitos near garlic farms and why many US cities have begun to use it on masse with outstanding results.

drew
Feb 9, 2007, 3:05 PM
Get rid of mosquitos...................easy.
Its called garlic. They actually kill mosquitos and can be sprayed over night but the smell waers off in less than 2 hours but mosquitos have a sense of smell 10,000 {and no that is no exaggeration} more acute than ours.
That is why there is no such thing as mosquitos near garlic farms and why many US cities have begun to use it on masse with outstanding results.

Sounds like you have been visiting the website for this product:
http://www.mosquitobarrier.com/facts.html

Interesting that the answer from wiki.answers is almost a complete 180. Wonder who's telling the truth?


Garlic and Mosquitoes

It's possible that garlic has some repellent (or masking) effect, but no scienctific studies have proven that garlic works against mosquitoes.

There are other plant compounds that fit in the same category: citronella, cedar, verbena, geranium, lavender, pine, cinnamon, rosemary, basil, thyme, allspice, and peppermint. All of these may have some small benefit. But none of them compare to DEET.

Mosquitoes have almost no olfactory powers whatsoever--they have, in fact, a very selective and narrow olfactory "spectrum". But this is actually irrelevant; you see, the way a mosquito "repellent" works is NOT by being detected and driving insects away, but by blocking their ability to smell things that otherwise would attract them, so they ignore you. (In the same way, household "deodorizers" don't actually eliminate odors, but merely block your ability to smell them.) In the case of mosquitoes, the primary attractants that have been identified are CO2 and lactic acid, though there are other factors. The best substance yet found to block mosquitoes' powers of detection is DEET, and while a few repellents are equal over a short term, nothing even comes close in terms of residual repellency;

big W
Feb 9, 2007, 5:02 PM
It should have NEVER taken this long to realize that people deserve a break between Easter and New Years. :rolleyes:

THere are tonnes of Holidays between Easter and New Years, like say Victoria Day, Canada Day, Civic Holiday, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, and Rememberance Day. Now the issue is between New Years and Easter.:haha: :haha: :haha:

Alberta already has a holiday in Feb, its called Family Day. I am convinced that they only put this one in to make a holiday somewhere between New Years and Easter. Some government guy was probably whining that the time was too much between holidays and he didnt want to use his holidays thus we got this. But think of a better name as this one is cheesy.

h0twired
Feb 9, 2007, 5:17 PM
Alberta already has a holiday in Feb, its called Family Day. I am convinced that they only put this one in to make a holiday somewhere between New Years and Easter. Some government guy was probably whining that the time was too much between holidays and he didnt want to use his holidays thus we got this. But think of a better name as this one is cheesy.

Here is the history of Alberta's Family/Heritage Day.

It is celebrated on the third Monday in February each year. The holiday was first celebrated in 1990. Alberta was the only province in Canada to have a statutory holiday in February, until it was proposed in Saskatchewan beginning in 2007.

The holiday was proclaimed by Alberta Premier Don Getty, in response to a drug scandal involving his son, Dale Getty, who had been arrested for possession of cocaine and was revealed to have cocaine addiction. Premier Getty was obviously embarrassed by the revelation and admitted publicly that he had neglected his family, saying that it was important for all Albertans to take more care with their families also.

Getty came in for considerable criticism at the time. Many people felt he had abused his position to compensate for his feelings of guilt with respect to his own family. Also, many employers felt that an additional statutory holiday was an unnecessary fiscal burden. In response to the criticism, the August holiday (Heritage Day) was downgraded to a civic holiday, meaning employers no longer have to offer holiday pay that day if they take Family Day off.

Businesses are not legally required to pay holiday pay on Family Day. An employer can explicitly choose to not pay holiday pay on Family Day, in which case it must pay holiday pay on Heritage Day. Provincial government employees have both days off.

Family Day in 2007 is celebrated on February 19.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Day

vid
Feb 9, 2007, 5:42 PM
No need to be sorry about it. It's pretty much the single biggest thing that sucks donkey balls in Alberta (at least the populated parts). There's nowhere to go to the beach. You can swim in some of the rivers, and in some tiny ponds that the locals call "lakes", but it's pretty pathetic when you've experienced the joy that is Grand (or Winnipeg, or Victoria, or any of 10,000 real lakes in NW Ontario).

You're about 190,000 lakes short my friend. :)

We have a few great sand beaches, like Batchawana, Pancake Bay and Boulevard Lake, but most are rocky beaches and you need shoes. But that isn't much of a problem when you likely have an entire lake to yourself.

ssiguy
Feb 9, 2007, 6:51 PM
I think Manitoba getting a holiday right after Sask means that the pressure will be building for a nation wide holiday as more and more provinces get on board.

freeweed
Feb 9, 2007, 9:02 PM
Interesting that the answer from wiki.answers is almost a complete 180. Wonder who's telling the truth?

Well, like all folk/herbal remedies, you have to ask yourself:

Do you really believe in a giant conspiracy on the part of entomologists, city planners, and the like, all conniving together to secretly give us a miniscule increase in the chance of getting cancer?

Or maybe, just maybe, is it possible that people have actually tried all these various solutions over the years, in controlled experiments, and we tend to use what works best?

I've spent days in the bush at a time. Give me DEET any day, thanks. :tup:

IntotheWest
Feb 9, 2007, 9:52 PM
Now I'm confused. It was suppose to be colder than normal temperature's. Now next week we are around average. Weather forecasts are confusing :(

I think I pointed that out a couple pages back, didn't I? That this wouldn't be "colder" than usual? EC's 3-month forecast since the end of summer had been saying that...no big surprise. But given the el nino affect, it's very much unlikely.

ssiguy - the biggest problem with Winnipeg's reputation - and the Prairies for that matter - is folks thinking it's -30c for 5 months (at least) in a year..."When its -30 in Winnipeg and only -20 in Edmonton what's the difference?".

Winnipeg's average high is -12c, and Edmonton's is about -7c...-30c happens, but not usually that often during the daytime.

ssiguy
Feb 10, 2007, 10:12 AM
I appreciate what you are saying but when it gets so cold a difference of 5 degrees-C makes no difference.
When people think of Winnipeg and all of Manitoba for that matter they think of mosquitos and crime.

HomeInMyShoes
Feb 10, 2007, 2:13 PM
^I also think of some of the best turn of the century architecture and the great times I had there freezing my ass off waiting for a bus to take me to school.

There are really only three winter temperatures that everyone needs to keep in mind here: nice, cold, and f---ing cold. In Canada outside of BC, you're really just hoping to minimize number 3.

Smron
Feb 10, 2007, 2:56 PM
OK so what are we naming the new holiday? There was an article about it in yesterday's Sun and people are supposed to send in their ideas to this certain email address, which I forgot.

Smron
Feb 10, 2007, 3:00 PM
Here are some of my ideas...

-It's Fuckin Cold Day
-Stay Inside Day
-Snow Day
-Gary Doer Day
-Dale Hawerchuk Day
-Stockwell Day
-Halfway Through Winter Day
-Chinese New Year's Day
-Do Your Taxes Day

spiritedenergy
Feb 11, 2007, 10:43 PM
i don't know what's wrong with me now... now that is so cold I'm forced to move with buses from one point to another... but the worst part is that i don't really feel cold anymore:D I enjoy the sun. i feel Mother Earth is waking up:yinyang:
And I hear people complaining about the cold because they just have to go from their cars to the buildings... now I'd like them standing for half an hour waiting for a bus.

p.s. never trust the long-term forecasts, they change randomly.

ok, just forget about that, friday evening i thought i was going to lose my hands... never felt so horrible:yuck: I was desperately searching for a hot spot for them and all that i came up with was my buttocks... how pathetic:haha:
then i had backache all night long.

vid
Feb 11, 2007, 10:47 PM
^ Armpits. :)

IntotheWest
Feb 12, 2007, 10:02 PM
I appreciate what you are saying but when it gets so cold a difference of 5 degrees-C makes no difference.
When people think of Winnipeg and all of Manitoba for that matter they think of mosquitos and crime.

5 degrees for an average is a huge difference...and is very noticeable. Agreed, maybe not at -25c and beyond, but again, -25c is far from "normal" for highs even in the 'Peg. But between 0c and -15c it is the difference between "nice" and "f---ing Cold".

.and I personally don't think of crime when I think of Manitoba - just cold winters and yes, mosquitos.

Greco Roman
Feb 12, 2007, 11:25 PM
.and I personally don't think of crime when I think of Manitoba - just cold winters and yes, mosquitos.

Again, I got chewed up alive this year in, no, not Manitoba, but Alberta; ALBERTA! The whole damn province was infested real bad. Enough said.

As bad as this sounds, I was actually glad so see the weaklings out here suffer :whip:

m0nkyman
Feb 12, 2007, 11:38 PM
Did you bring your own personal Manitoban cloud of them? I didn't get bit once by a mosquito last year....

IntotheWest
Feb 13, 2007, 12:01 AM
Yeah - those squitos were bad in Calgary this year or last year (can't recall which now)...but still an oddity, and not nearly as bad as I remember Winnipeg while growing up - or, when I worked there in 03/04.

Brokenhead
Feb 13, 2007, 12:13 AM
Thinking about it, I only been bitten by a mosquito the odd time last year. Weren't bad at all, almost to unusual. Wonder how this year will be, hopefully no more mosquitos. No more bug spray!! :haha:

Greco Roman
Feb 13, 2007, 1:22 AM
Did you bring your own personal Manitoban cloud of them? I didn't get bit once by a mosquito last year....


Nope; these little bastards were Alberta-born. I worked outdoors all last summer between Peace River and Calgary, and yes they were horrible! Probably had about 15 working days where they wern't attacking us.

I tell you; Deet was a hot commodity in my company, lol.

newflyer
Feb 13, 2007, 4:38 AM
Nope; these little bastards were Alberta-born. I worked outdoors all last summer between Peace River and Calgary, and yes they were horrible! Probably had about 15 working days where they wern't attacking us.

I tell you; Deet was a hot commodity in my company, lol.


Yeah the sketters were bad in Calgary last summer as well. I came back from Fish Creek Park many times all chewed up. Thats as bad as I've seen it anywhere... or course not sprayig doesn't help.

freeweed
Feb 13, 2007, 10:06 PM
Did you bring your own personal Manitoban cloud of them? I didn't get bit once by a mosquito last year....

Last year was funny. I'd rank Alberta's mosquitoes, at least in the southern half of the province, to be about the same as a somewhat-fewer-than-average year in Manitoba. To folks here, it was front page news, because it was actually possible to get bit more than once in a single day!

Personally, I saw none in the city whatsoever (but I don't often make it to Fish Creek, which I heard was pretty bad). Some in the mountains, but I camped at Mosquito Creek during the height of the "invasion", and as can be guessed from the name, the place is one of the more infested parts of the province. Yeah, they were bad. About what I was used to in the Whiteshell on an average summer evening. A bit of spray and a good fire and they weren't too bad. Hiking through the bush during the day there were some, but again, about what you'd expect if you had lived in Manitoba.

Now, visiting Winnipeg around labour day - there were NONE. I went camping for a few nights in the middle of the bush around Vermillion Bay, and didn't see a single one the entire time. I've NEVER experienced that in my life.

So basically, the worst year ever in Alberta (which equated to an average year in Manitoba), and the best year ever in Manitoba (which equated to an average year in Alberta). Someone mentioned Peace River, which is a place known for mosquitoes and blackflies. Hardly surprising that it was insane up there in 2006. ;)

I'm far more obsessed with the wasp population. Last year in Manitoba/Ontario/Alberta they were EVERYWHERE. Worst I've ever seen, and I still have the bite marks to show for it. Hopefully some of the recent cold and snow will help keep their numbers down for this summer. 25cm of snow in the past 2 weeks in Calgary, and counting!

vid
Feb 13, 2007, 10:34 PM
Wasps like dry weather. Mosquitoes like humid. We need to get our balance back, we lost it about 20 years ago and have been wandering back and forth from waspy to skeetery.

Let year, (I am afraid of stinging insects with black and yellow stripes) I was held captive in my own home by wasps! :D

drew
Feb 13, 2007, 11:02 PM
Now, visiting Winnipeg around labour day - there were NONE. I went camping for a few nights in the middle of the bush around Vermillion Bay, and didn't see a single one the entire time. I've NEVER experienced that in my life.


Just to add my experience...

I went canoeing close to the experimental lakes in NWO over the Labour Day weekend, and I didn't see a single mosquito, black fly, horsefly, nothin. Not even wasps.

It was unbelievable - hands down the most insect free outdoors experience I have ever had.

Brokenhead
Feb 17, 2007, 1:16 AM
Was really nice today. Think it want into the one digits in the minuses. Hardly any wind too.


New holiday name (my opinion): SPIRITED ENERGY DAY :haha:

spiritedenergy
Feb 17, 2007, 5:28 AM
Was really nice today. Think it want into the one digits in the minuses. Hardly any wind too.


New holiday name (my opinion): SPIRITED ENERGY DAY :haha:

yessssss i like it

what a warm day today, i feel it, i feel it (the Great Spirit, our Manitou)!!! Mother Nature is awakening, soon she'll spread her children to delight us... mosquitos and wasps.:P

Brokenhead
Feb 17, 2007, 5:48 AM
Weather forecast for Wednesday (Feb. 21) and Thrusday (Feb. 22) +1

Chances of that?? Hope it's near that!! :hmmm:

Forecast from the Weather Network.

spiritedenergy
Feb 17, 2007, 5:52 AM
Weather forecast for Wednesday (Feb. 21) and Thrusday (Feb. 22) +1

Chances of that?? Hope it's near that!! :hmmm:
Forecast

oh my God I'm in ecstasy... water!!!!! Pure, liquid, fresh water will be naturally flowing, while evaporating under the still timid sun... :drooling:

*mud everywhere*:D

spiritedenergy
Feb 24, 2007, 10:48 PM
i'm calling this dead thread back to life just to say that it's funny to see how Winnipeg is now under a warm weather spell... we even skipped the dreaded blizzard. :cool:

if you watch the weather maps online you can see always a warm spot above Winnipeg, while other provinces are still getting cold.:D

freeweed
Feb 25, 2007, 5:06 AM
i'm calling this dead thread back to life just to say that it's funny to see how Winnipeg is now under a warm weather spell... we even skipped the dreaded blizzard. :cool:

if you watch the weather maps online you can see always a warm spot above Winnipeg, while other provinces are still getting cold.:D

Calgary's high tomorrow is 0, Winnipeg's is -3.

I guess if you compare to seasonal values (Calgary is just about average, Winnipeg's average high right now is -8), Winnipeg is warmer :P

PS: the only reason it's warming up in Winnipeg is to help melt the snow sculptures. Or is Festival du V over?

spiritedenergy
Feb 25, 2007, 5:17 AM
Calgary's high tomorrow is 0, Winnipeg's is -3.

I guess if you compare to seasonal values (Calgary is just about average, Winnipeg's average high right now is -8), Winnipeg is warmer :P

PS: the only reason it's warming up in Winnipeg is to help melt the snow sculptures. Or is Festival du V over?

the festival is over (I guess).

actual weather:
Winnipeg: -5
Calgary: -8
Toronto: -8
Edmonton: -14
Ottawa: -9
Montreal: -9
Regina: -9
Saskatoon: -9

Tomorrow:
Winnipeg: -7/-3
Calgary: -10/-2
Ottawa: -17/-3 (ahahha)
Edmonton: -12/-5
Regina: -11/-5
Saskatoon: -15/-8
Whitehorse: -35/-23 (ahahhaha)

and so on the next days, Winnipeg will be the warmest in western Canada.

This is called consistency: once the winter is over, is over:D

freeweed
Feb 25, 2007, 6:17 AM
This is called consistency: once the winter is over, is over:D

Winter ain't over in Winnipeg until the middle of April :D

spiritedenergy
Feb 25, 2007, 6:37 AM
Winter ain't over in Winnipeg until the middle of April :D

well, when you have 1 month of -20/-40 (extremes), and then you go into 0/-10, you can say winter is over... now it's just snow on the ground ;)

p.s. a day when it was sunny and -30, i was still hearing the birds singing... I thought: what the hell?:D

Greco Roman
Feb 25, 2007, 6:49 AM
Let's not forget that Edmonton had a permanent snowpack waaaaayyyyyyyyy before Winnipeg this year (end of October), as well as a colder start to the winter. I wish people would remember this fact. :cool:

freeweed
Feb 25, 2007, 3:27 PM
Let's not forget that Edmonton had a permanent snowpack waaaaayyyyyyyyy before Winnipeg this year (end of October), as well as a colder start to the winter. I wish people would remember this fact. :cool:

I remember it. Edmonton's also several hundred kilometres north of Winnipeg, so it's not surprising to see it having a more wintery climate.

Sorry, but saying "at least Winnipeg's winter wasn't as bad as Edmonton's" isn't going to convince a lot of people that Manitoba is a tropical paradise. :haha:

Mark Bench
Feb 25, 2007, 3:43 PM
If you take windchill into account, Edmonton's winters are not as bad. Winnipeg is a very windy city!

Greco Roman
Feb 25, 2007, 4:44 PM
I remember it. Edmonton's also several hundred kilometres north of Winnipeg, so it's not surprising to see it having a more wintery climate.

Sorry, but saying "at least Winnipeg's winter wasn't as bad as Edmonton's" isn't going to convince a lot of people that Manitoba is a tropical paradise. :haha:


I am most definately not doing what you claim I am doing. I am well aware of the winter seasons where I grew up. Nowhere in Canada is there anything tropical (at least in the Winter), not even the lower mainland.

My point is that there isn't any constant weather patterns anymore, clearly, and things are changing although due to climate change which, IMO, is not very good at all. Yes, it gets cold in Winnipeg in the winter. We all know that. There. Done. Moving on..........

I think this thread has exceeded it's life span :deadthread: :dead:

rousseau
Mar 3, 2007, 4:41 AM
Add to this the explanation of how we plug our cars in. I actually had to pull out the cord one time and explain what a block heater was to some Floridians who just refused to believe that Canadians all drive "electric cars".
We don't need block heaters in southern Ontario, and I'm guessing they don't in southern B.C. or Nova Scotia either, so it's not really a Canadian thing per se. I spent most of six years living in Winnipeg, and I recall being quite puzzled at the age of 18 when I first saw electrical outlets all over parking lots. I actually thought at first that they were to charge up some kind of special battery in the engine, or something, and remember being impressed by the notion that cars were different out west. Of course, by the time October came along I found out what they were really for!

newflyer
Mar 3, 2007, 6:56 AM
We don't need block heaters in southern Ontario, and I'm guessing they don't in southern B.C. or Nova Scotia either, so it's not really a Canadian thing per se. I spent most of six years living in Winnipeg, and I recall being quite puzzled at the age of 18 when I first saw electrical outlets all over parking lots. I actually thought at first that they were to charge up some kind of special battery in the engine, or something, and remember being impressed by the notion that cars were different out west. Of course, by the time October came along I found out what they were really for!

PLEEEASSEEE ... any self respecting Winnipeger tucks the cord under the hood in non-winter months. :rolleyes:

vid
Mar 3, 2007, 8:55 AM
I think he meant the actual outlets in the parking lots. Almost every parking lot in our downtown has electrical outlets, some have them installed in metres. I think even Walmart has a few in part of their lot on the side of the building for employees. The things are everywhere.

1ajs
Mar 4, 2007, 1:19 PM
We don't need block heaters in southern Ontario, and I'm guessing they don't in southern B.C. or Nova Scotia either, so it's not really a Canadian thing per se. I spent most of six years living in Winnipeg, and I recall being quite puzzled at the age of 18 when I first saw electrical outlets all over parking lots. I actually thought at first that they were to charge up some kind of special battery in the engine, or something, and remember being impressed by the notion that cars were different out west. Of course, by the time October came along I found out what they were really for!

lol ya but they turn the plugs off in the summer :(

Andy6
Mar 4, 2007, 3:09 PM
We don't need block heaters in southern Ontario, and I'm guessing they don't in southern B.C. or Nova Scotia either, so it's not really a Canadian thing per se. I spent most of six years living in Winnipeg, and I recall being quite puzzled at the age of 18 when I first saw electrical outlets all over parking lots. I actually thought at first that they were to charge up some kind of special battery in the engine, or something, and remember being impressed by the notion that cars were different out west. Of course, by the time October came along I found out what they were really for!

When I moved out to Toronto I remember walking across a parking lot and feeling that something wasn't quite right. Then I realized that it didn't have any of the little posts with electrical outlets on them. I had no idea how much warmer the winters are here as opposed to Winnipeg.

freeweed
Mar 4, 2007, 4:43 PM
We don't need block heaters in southern Ontario, and I'm guessing they don't in southern B.C. or Nova Scotia either, so it's not really a Canadian thing per se.

Interesting.. folks in Toronto tell me that it gets down to -20 from time to time - certainly the temperature where plugging the car in becomes a good idea. It makes a huge difference in your engine life when you're starting a car with oil in it the consistency of jelly. Sure, most cars will start at that temperature, but they don't like it. ;)

I always figured southern BC would be the obvious place for no block heaters (duh), but beyond that, there isn't much of the country that avoids cold, snowy winters.

As a comparison, Calgary has few if any parking lots with electrical outlets, because you don't NEED to plug in your car for most of the winter - but it certainly does get cold enough here for at least a few days each year, and people sure as hell do plug their cars in (if they can). Not sure about the folks who park outside with no outlet; I imagine they just put up with it (like what you describe in the Toronto area).

I've known people to plug their cars in in northern BC, AB, SK, MB, 90% of ON (you know that big part waaaaay up north), QC, and certainly parts of the maritimes - that's by far the bulk of the country, so unless your mindset is "Toronto and Vancouver are 99% of Canada", I'd say it most definitely IS a Canadian thing to do. :P

Andy6
Mar 4, 2007, 5:06 PM
Interesting.. folks in Toronto tell me that it gets down to -20 from time to time - certainly the temperature where plugging the car in becomes a good idea.

People here have never heard of it. They think you're joking.

It very rarely gets down to -20 here. Most winters it would never even get close to that.

good_dude
Mar 4, 2007, 5:34 PM
People here have never heard of it. They think you're joking.

It very rarely gets down to -20 here. Most winters it would never even get close to that.

was it last winter or the one before - Toronto had a 3 week cold snap of -30. Mind you so did 'peg.
What is the point of writing about this cr*p? Are we trying to educate eachother about weather across the country? Didn't we learn the basics in elementary school?:deadthread:

rousseau
Mar 4, 2007, 8:24 PM
was it last winter or the one before - Toronto had a 3 week cold snap of -30. Mind you so did 'peg.
This may be taking the thread in the wrong direction, but as a resident of southern Ontario I don't recall that cold snap. The only time I ever experienced that kind of thing was in Winnipeg. Can you link to the stats?

Andy6
Mar 4, 2007, 8:53 PM
This may be taking the thread in the wrong direction, but as a resident of southern Ontario I don't recall that cold snap. The only time I ever experienced that kind of thing was in Winnipeg. Can you link to the stats?

This winter has been pretty much the coldest I can recall, and the coldest it got was maybe -20 one night. Not to say that with the damp it doesn't feel pretty cold sometimes, but that is irrelevant to your car's engine.

I can remember a few times when the daytime temperature was -20 or below, but that would be 5-10 days, maximum, in the 20 years I've been in Toronto. Of course, our memories of such things can be inaccurate.

vid
Mar 4, 2007, 10:09 PM
According to The Weather Network...

Toronto's coldest temperature between 1 January 2001 and Yesterday was only -24.4°C on 3 March 2003 (Four years ago yesterday. :P)

While heading northwest, Winnipeg dropped to -41.7°C on 5 February 2007, Thunder Bay dropped to -40.5°C on 16 January 2005 (I remember that day too - I got stranded at County Fair and had to walk a mile home :(), Calgary dropped to -35°C on 13 January 2005, Vancouver dropped down to a bone chilling -12.2°C on 4 January 2004! Brrr! :P

Temperatures in the -20s are rare in Toronto, but they're an almost daily event in the 'north'.*

*In the winter. We don't get that cold in the summer.

freeweed
Mar 4, 2007, 11:32 PM
We don't get that cold in the summer.

Calgary does. Well, at least it feels that way when it snows in JULY. :haha:

vid
Mar 4, 2007, 11:59 PM
Calgary does. Well, at least it feels that way when it snows in JULY. :haha:

Well, summer snow isn't normal, and it barely drops below -2 when it happens. :)

Andy6
Mar 5, 2007, 12:45 AM
Well, summer snow isn't normal, and it barely drops below -2 when it happens. :)

I think I did a post here once, in response to some cowtown boosterism from "Doug", that showed that Calgary's summer evening temperatures are closer to Tuktoyaktuk's than they are to Winnipeg's. It's really nippy out there in July and August, it seems.

vid
Mar 5, 2007, 1:32 AM
Tuktoyaktuk:
Jun Jul Aug
10.7 15.3 12.8
1.2 6.4 5.5
Calgary:
Jun Jul Aug
20.2 22.9 22.5
7.3 9.4 8.6
Thunder Bay
Jun Jul Aug
19.3 23.1 21.9
7.7 11.6 10.9
Winnipeg
Jun Jul Aug
23.3 25.8 25
10.7 13.3 11.9

Haha, it's actually closer to Thunder Bay's climate. :) A bit colder in July, though.

http://climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climate_normals/index_e.html

trueviking
Mar 5, 2007, 2:04 AM
This may be taking the thread in the wrong direction, but as a resident of southern Ontario I don't recall that cold snap. The only time I ever experienced that kind of thing was in Winnipeg. Can you link to the stats?

http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climateData/canada_e.html

pick ontario as the province and do a search interval of daily and pick whichever year and month you want...it will show you all the data.

MNMike
Mar 5, 2007, 2:59 AM
Just an American weather nut passing through here....

Anyway, as you probably know...Minneapolis is ragged on for being one of the coldest major cities in the US. I do have to say though, I have never seen a parking lot full of outlets!(maybe we are stupid for not having those?) Thats kinda cool. Who pays the electric bill? Most cars down here don't come with block heaters, though my dads has one becuase he bought it up in brainerd(a few hours north), so I have heard of em at least! Anyway, I was watching your temps during that horrible cold snap, coldest here in Minneapolis this year has been -17F(-27C), and we had one day where it didn't get above zero. Its amazing how much colder it is just several hours north, isn't it? Anyway, be grateful you guys didn't get the huge blizzard we just got. 15 inches of snow! Yuck. Luckily the average high by the end of the month is 50F(10c)...spring is on the way!

rousseau
Mar 5, 2007, 3:00 AM
http://www.climate.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/climateData/canada_e.html

pick ontario as the province and do a search interval of daily and pick whichever year and month you want...it will show you all the data.
I'm well acquainted with the EC website. I was just taking the piss by asking for actual stats showing three weeks of -30 temperatures in Toronto. They don't exist, of course.

vid
Mar 5, 2007, 3:08 AM
"Who pays the electric bill?"

Owner of the parking lot. Here, they're usually owned by the business they are associated with, or they are owned by the city. For a small fee you can park and use the outlets in the lot, they give you a tag you stick on the windshield so they can kick out people that use them illegally. Block heaters don't use too much power though, so I imagine it isn't much until you get into parking garage territory. I imaging having ~200 cars in a four story garage plugged in would run up a sizable bill. Though even then, the garages have lights, gates, and businesses in them so it probably doesn't count for much.

MNMike
Mar 5, 2007, 3:09 AM
cool, thanks for the answer

drew
Mar 5, 2007, 4:05 AM
^ a lot of parking lots also cycle the power on and off to the outlets every 5-10 minutes or so to reduce power usage too.

MNMike
Mar 5, 2007, 4:13 AM
looks like you will be needing those tonight...another cold one eh? Looks like its down to -6F in Winnipeg already. 28F here in Minneapolis:)

drew
Mar 5, 2007, 4:28 AM
Yeah - the temp dropped off pretty quick today. It was just below 0C early this afternoon, and then a wicked north wind picked up, and it got pretty miserable outside. My house is creaking and groaning every 10 minutes or so right now as the wood deals with the rapid temp change.

vid
Mar 5, 2007, 5:00 AM
-13 and winds from the west at 40km, the wind chill says -30. Dropping to -24 overnight, peaking at -16 tomorrow.

+5 on Thursday. :shrug: It just comes out of nowhere.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/14day/pages/CAON0688.htm?CAON0688

ScottFromCalgary
Mar 5, 2007, 5:11 AM
It was about +10 at my house today, almost 20 degrees better than Edmonton. Gotta love those Chinooks...

Xelebes
Mar 5, 2007, 5:36 AM
It was about +10 at my house today, almost 20 degrees better than Edmonton. Gotta love those Chinooks...

+8 the day before in Edmonton but came nightfall and the temperature plummeted to -10.

that was certainly a brisk walk to the Coliseum station from Avenue Skatepark.

newflyer
Mar 7, 2007, 12:50 AM
Calgary does. Well, at least it feels that way when it snows in JULY. :haha:

No kidding.... it is very common to see people wearing light jackets in Calgary during the summer.. and its not uncommon to see at least 1 or 2 snowfalls in July or August. Calgary is waaaayyyyy colder than Winnipeg during the summer, especially during the evening.

Damn mountain air .. freezing up the joint.

rousseau
Mar 7, 2007, 3:59 PM
No kidding.... it is very common to see people wearing light jackets in Calgary during the summer.. and its not uncommon to see at least 1 or 2 snowfalls in July or August. Calgary is waaaayyyyy colder than Winnipeg during the summer, especially during the evening.

Damn mountain air .. freezing up the joint.
I'll get flamed for this, but I gotta say it: the lack of a true summer in Calgary (or Vancouver, for that matter) is a deal-breaker for me. Chinooks in winter might be nice, and you get more sunshine in January and February than we do in southern Ontario, but a daily maximum temperature of just 22.9 in July makes me shudder.

There is just no way I could live through a Canadian winter without having a real summer to take the edge off.

freeweed
Mar 7, 2007, 6:30 PM
I'll get flamed for this, but I gotta say it: the lack of a true summer in Calgary (or Vancouver, for that matter) is a deal-breaker for me. Chinooks in winter might be nice, and you get more sunshine in January and February than we do in southern Ontario, but a daily maximum temperature of just 22.9 in July makes me shudder.

There is just no way I could live through a Canadian winter without having a real summer to take the edge off.

Different strokes for different folks - I can't stand it when the temperature goes much above 25, especially as I do a lot of physical activity in the summer. I hate to sweat, and I really hate to sweat just standing around when it's 33 outside. Helps that I have the metabolism of a humingbird. ;)

One of the reasons I moved to Calgary was BECAUSE the summers were cooler. And dryer, which just helps keep the need for air conditioning to practically zero.

vid
Mar 8, 2007, 2:24 AM
I love cool summers. If summer didn't go over 25° here, that would be perfect.

But nooooooo. Gotta go up to 30 every fucking day. :rant:

Seriously though, when winter is -25, a summer of +20 is very nice. You build up an intolerance to high temps from being used to cold ones, so even a cool summer feels warm up here.

Greco Roman
Mar 8, 2007, 2:50 AM
I'll get flamed for this, but I gotta say it: the lack of a true summer in Calgary (or Vancouver, for that matter) is a deal-breaker for me. Chinooks in winter might be nice, and you get more sunshine in January and February than we do in southern Ontario, but a daily maximum temperature of just 22.9 in July makes me shudder.

There is just no way I could live through a Canadian winter without having a real summer to take the edge off.


Amen, brother :cheers:

newflyer
Mar 8, 2007, 3:01 AM
I'll get flamed for this, but I gotta say it: the lack of a true summer in Calgary (or Vancouver, for that matter) is a deal-breaker for me. Chinooks in winter might be nice, and you get more sunshine in January and February than we do in southern Ontario, but a daily maximum temperature of just 22.9 in July makes me shudder.

There is just no way I could live through a Canadian winter without having a real summer to take the edge off.

I am down with that ... I hate wearing a sweater in July. It Sucks!!! :sly:

IntotheWest
Mar 8, 2007, 3:03 AM
^No where in Canada does the temperature reach 30c every day in the summer. Osoyoos gets close at 29c. Toronto is 26c - but very, very, very, incredibly humid...no fun. Winnipeg isn't much warmer than Calgary or Van at 26c (and about 12-13 days above 30c).

However, I agree with Freeweed, that Calgary and Van's average 23c (and relatively dry) is quite nice...especially with the sun out all the time. Nights in both places are too cool though.

As far as snow in July in Calgary, yes, it has happened - but show me in the stats how it is "not uncommon to see at least 1 or 2 snowfalls in July or August". It is still quite uncommon.


By the way, it was +18c on my south facing deck this afternoon :-)

m0nkyman
Mar 8, 2007, 3:16 AM
By the way, it was +18c on my south facing deck this afternoon :-)

I turned on the air conditioner in the shop today. :) +8 according to the Molson brewery's revolving clock/thermometer thingy.

Melt snow, melt!!!

IntotheWest
Mar 8, 2007, 5:01 PM
^ +22c in the lower-east corner of the province by Monday (one of the warmest spots in the country on average). I won't complain with the +8 to +14c here...it likely won't last all March :-)

But looks like its blown east to the Peg - not bad weather there either for March.

vid
Mar 8, 2007, 7:40 PM
11°C next Tuesday! :banana:

freeweed
Mar 9, 2007, 6:46 PM
I am down with that ... I hate wearing a sweater in July. It Sucks!!! :sly:

You wear a sweater when it's 22 degrees out? What are you, an American? :P

Real Canadians are in shorts once the temperature gets into the double digits.

Greco Roman
Mar 9, 2007, 7:17 PM
Haha, and real Canadians can deal with a Manitoba winter AND summer :P

I joke folks.

spiritedenergy
Mar 10, 2007, 3:12 AM
You wear a sweater when it's 22 degrees out? What are you, an American? :P

Real Canadians are in shorts once the temperature gets into the double digits.

ahah that's so true, last summer everyone was amazed i had jeans all summer long... actually in Italy is not good fashion wearing shorts so for fashion sake we keep long pants up to 35°C:haha:
Of course in our cold winters (+15-5 °C), a parka is also a must for fashion sake.

Only The Lonely..
Mar 10, 2007, 3:22 AM
ahah that's so true, last summer everyone was amazed i had jeans all summer long... actually in Italy is not good fashion wearing shorts so for fashion sake we keep long pants up to 35°C:haha:
Of course in our cold winters (+15-5 °C), a parka is also a must for fashion sake.

You know i'd agree with you about European fashion if sites like this weren't so common.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k172/ciubi/f/funny0499.jpg

vid
Mar 10, 2007, 4:27 AM
He looks like about 10% of Thunder Bayers! And I bet he owns a used car dealership too! Those things are more common than Tim Hortonses!

(Really. Get a phone book and look it up. They really do outnumber Tim Hortonses.)

newflyer
Mar 10, 2007, 4:52 AM
You wear a sweater when it's 22 degrees out? What are you, an American? :P

Real Canadians are in shorts once the temperature gets into the double digits.


man its snows in Calgary in August... 22 is considered a hot day in Calgary.

The evenings get down to low single digits most days during the summer. Real Canadians dress for the weather and when it snows .. or gets down to near zero I wear more than just a t-shirt.

newflyer
Mar 10, 2007, 5:02 AM
As far as snow in July in Calgary, yes, it has happened - but show me in the stats how it is "not uncommon to see at least 1 or 2 snowfalls in July or August".


I have been in Calgary enough times over the summer to testify that it is not uncommon to see it snow in the summer. I am not saying any sizable amounts .. maybe just a trace , but it does happen a couple times a year.


For summer it can get damn cold in Calgary when the mountain air starts to low down the foothills.

newflyer
Mar 10, 2007, 5:09 AM
^ Winnipeg isn't much warmer than Calgary or Van at 26c (and about 12-13 days above 30c).

By the way, it was +18c on my south facing deck this afternoon :-)



There is a very good reason why almost every house in Winnipeg built in the last 60 years has central air. Its a must have... There are many nights in Winnipeg were the lows don't even fall below 20.


Also please keep in mind that when they take a temperture recording it is in the shade. So 26 degree in a shade can easily be over 30 in the sun. Winnipeg also sees more sunshine than Calgary in the summer. Its perfect beach weather baby!!! :coolugh:

Damn I miss Winnipeg summers!!

Only The Lonely..
Mar 10, 2007, 7:30 AM
^^^

Shit, my house doesn't have air conditioning..some nights in July you can literally ring out your shirt that's how much you sweat.

I love Manitoba, but I think our summers are as hot as they come for Canadian standards.

I read once in wikipedia that during the summer months Winnipeg can be as hot as anywhere in the U.S midwest.


In sharp contrast summers are warm to hot and often quite humid with frequent thunderstorms. The summers in Winnipeg are similar to those experienced in cities in the Midwestern United States. Spring and autumn are short and highly variable seasons. In a typical year temperatures range from –35° C (-31° F) to 35° C (95° F), though lower and higher readings are occasionally observed. The weather is characterized by an abundance of sunshine throughout the year.

spiritedenergy
Mar 10, 2007, 7:45 AM
^^^

Shit, my house doesn't have air conditioning..some nights in July you can literally ring out your shirt that's how much you sweat.

I love Manitoba, but I think our summers are as hot as they come for Canadian standards.

I read once in wikipedia that during the summer months Winnipeg can be as hot as anywhere in the U.S midwest.

i didn't see much sun this winter...

however, the main reason why you CAN'T leave in a winnipegonian house without AC is that the houses are made to soak up the heat, so that only in the basement they're bearable... even at 15°C during nights it's horrible.

vid
Mar 10, 2007, 8:25 AM
Same here. But we're just on a swamp, and by a lake. Being on a swamp in a floodplane nowhere near a nice cool body of water would kill me.

204
Mar 13, 2007, 3:11 AM
I'll get flamed for this, but I gotta say it: the lack of a true summer in Calgary (or Vancouver, for that matter)

Yeah..... Vancouver has lousy summers. :koko: Summer months are quite sunny with moderate temperatures. The daily maximum averages 22 °C (72 °F) in July and August, although temperatures sometimes rise above 26 °C (78 °F).[47] The summer months are often very dry, resulting in moderate drought conditions a few months of the year.