Guest Author - Melanie Hachey

March 21st, the first day of spring, and most of Canada remains buried under 20 - 30 centimetres of snow. Canadians venture outdoors, coffee in hand, shivering despite their warm coats and winter boots, to search for signs of spring to come. Some lucky people, who live near the east or west coasts, spot robins or the shoots of early spring flowers struggling to push their way up through the still cold soil. Many Canadians, however, find only snow, ice, and chill wind. They heave a sigh and trudge over to dig out their cars so they can gather together, at work or the coffee shop, to complain about the weather.

Canadians love to talk about the weather. And they have a lot to talk about. Winter in Canada, like a bad party guest, arrives early and stays late. Snow can start in October and stay as late as April or May. Canadian comic, Rick Mercer once ranted about the Canadian winter, "This is the true north strong and free, and cold, and wet, and icy, and dark. Sometimes all at once." And he's right. According to an article in cnews at canoe.ca, Canada's winter weather to continue, by Pat Hewitt, Canada is experiencing its coldest winter in 12 years. It has been snowy too. Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal are all within 26 centimetres of breaking their all-time snowfall records and, generally, they get 10-15% of their annual snowfall after the first day of spring. So keep your fingers crossed for them. Go team!

Winter in Canada, though, is not just about huddling over a steaming mug of coffee and indulging in a little good natured complaining. In Canada, winter also means outdoor fun. Many of Canada's favourite pastimes are winter weather related. Hockey, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, sledding, snowmobiling, skating, ice fishing, and dog sledding all require ice and snow. Many Canadian communities also have annual winter festivals, the best-known of which is Winter Carnival, held in Quebec city in January or February. Winter Carnival boasts all of the popular outdoor winter activities, along with snow sculpture contests, dancing, food, and a fabulous ice palace.

Canada is a big country and the climate varies from coast to coast to coast. Winter weather can be a very different experience for people living in Halifax - on the east coast, Ottawa - in central Canada, Churchill - in northern Manitoba on Hudson bay, and Vancouver - on the west coast.

Halifax weather is influenced by its coastal location, on the Atlantic ocean, which makes the weather more temperate. Halifax experiences warmer winters and cooler summers than much of the rest of Atlantic Canada. Being coastal, Halifax is also prone to storms - rain in summer and snow or ice in winter. According to Environment Canada, it experiences more storms per year than any other place in Canada.

Ottawa is one of the coldest, snowiest capital cities in the world. According to worldtravels.com, "Ottawa is the second coldest capital city in the world after Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia." Ottawa generally has long, snowy, cold winters and short, hot, humid summers. Ottawa, in winter, boasts the world's longest skating rink, the Rideau canal. The canal, which runs through the centre of the city, is partially drained and frozen every winter. Many locals can even skate to work.

Vancouver, according to livingin-canada.com, is blocked from the cold arctic air, that freezes the rest of Canada every winter, by the Rocky Mountains. Vancouver's weather is also influenced by its location on the Pacific coast. In winter, Vancouver is the warmest place in Canada. It is also the wettest. Rain and fog are what characterize Vancouver in winter.

Churchill, famous for its polar bears, is located in Northern Manitoba on the Bay of Hudson. Winter in Churchill is very cold, with average temperatures under -25 degrees Celsius, but with surprisingly little snowfall. According to environment Canada, this is because the moisture in the air comes from the bay and the bay is frozen in winter. Churchill gets most of its precipitation in the summer, when the bay is not frozen.

No matter which part of Canada they call home, Canadians consider winter weather an important part of the national experience. Whether as a bonding experience, over coffee, or as a medium for frolicking winter fun, Canadians embrace winter. Mind you, it's a grudging embrace, one done with teeth gritted against the cold winter wind, but it's an embrace nonetheless.