Canada's Harsh & Deadly Winters

The Globe & Mail, Toronto, Ontario

Letter to the Editor
Saturday, February 2, 2008

Re: Major storm to hit southern Ontario, Globe & Mail, February 1 2008, p. A3

It is time to acccept the reality of Canada's harsh and sometimes deadly winters as evidenced by this year's winter which has witnessed brutal cold on the Prairies, ice storms and loads of snow in eastern Canada and frequent snow-squalls with windchill values of -20C in southern & central Ontario. This winter is unfortunately turning out to be one of the deadliest so far, with several avalanche-related deaths few weeks ago and death of three passengers on the Banff'-Jasper highway due to excessive snow just two days ago.The saddest news this winter has been the heart-wrenching death of two infants whose frozen bodies were discovered in a -50C weather in a Saskatchewan town.

Canadian environmentalists and their ardent followers have been relentlessly debating the issue of Global Warming & Climate Change while totally ignoring the harsh reality of Canada's long and brutal winters. It is time to now to debate ways of coping and living with harsh and long winters in Canada.

As someone who has spent more than 50 years in the science of weather & climate, I can predict with some confidence that winters in Canada will remain cold and long in the foreseeable future.

Dr Madhav L. Khandekar
Retd Scientist Environment Canada
Unionville, Ontario

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