When stereotypes are wrong

by Jen

I have traveled to many cities in Canada, including Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.

Vancouver is beautiful and typically experiences very mild temperatures due to its coastal location and mountainous ranges. Summers are comfortable without being too hot, but it rains all spring, fall and winter! Sometimes they get snow in the winter, but it is not common enough that every Vancouverite would actually own a shovel!

Toronto experiences a huge range of temperatures and weather. This cosmopolitan city is located on the shores of Lake Ontario, so if you are downtown, there is a bit of a muting effect on what is going on with the rest of southern Ontario. This is when stereotypes are wrong. It is hot, sticky and humid in the summer, cool in the spring and fall, and cold with guaranteed snowfall in the winter!

Montreal is on a tiny island in Quebec and experiences very similar weather to Toronto, with the exception to their winters. Montreal tends to experience a very damp winter - which seems to add a huge drop in temperature, so it is bone-chilling cold!

If you don't believe me, check out online resources like Environment Canada or weatheroffice.gc.ca. I look up the weather online everyday because I like to be prepared, so one of my favourite sites is theweathernetwork.com. Extra information can be found by looking at weather radar, when you want to know if any precipitation is going on.

Canada is a huge country, and I have not even traveled to many cities but I have experienced so many different types of weather. I think it's unfair and an uneducated comment to make that Canada is cold all of the time. Visit Canada outside of winter and you will see that they do not have to suffer winter year-round!

Barry's Response - Thanks a lot, Jen. If your future travels include Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg or Halifax, do stop by with an update.

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