Thoughts on Winter-phobia
The majority of the Canadian population consists of the descendants of European settlers, the descendants of slaves who were brought by those colonizers, or newer immigrants who arrived in Canada to seek employment opportunities, reunite with family, or potentially fleeing conflict elsewhere in the world. This means that the majority of us are essentially living here as strangers in the land that we call home. What I mean is that none of us — outside of Indigenous Peoples — have a deep historical connection to this place, or its seasons, or how to live here in a healthy and sustainable way.
As a result of capitalism (brought here by colonialism), we have created a culture of convenience, which has enabled us to either fight or escape colder weather, rather than learning to embrace this inevitable period and find joy in the changes it brings. Using the example of a typical Calgary suburbanite, this culture of convenience means that many of us wake up in our heated homes, get into our warmed up cars (possibly stored in a garage), drive to our workplaces, park in covered or heated parkades, work from our offices, and then do it all again in reverse on the way home. We have created a lifestyle whereby we never really have to interact with the weather. This lifestyle also means that we pursue “escapist” vacations to warmer, or tropical destinations in search of reprieve, rather than finding ways to live with winter gracefully here at home.
I often think about this lifestyle in the context of the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island, who lived here for millennia prior to colonization without many of the luxuries that capitalist settler society takes for granted (or even insists that we cannot live without). Because of the ongoing attempts at genocide and erasure of Indigenous Peoples by the Canadian state, settler society lost that deep body of historical knowledge of how to live with/on the land across all seasons, which harms current generations today. Whereas in other established northern cultures — such as in northern Europe — there seems to be a culture of accepting winter and living gracefully in tandem with the winter season, rather than resisting it.
I understand that many people living within Canada might have been forced to move here as a result of deteriorating living conditions elsewhere, which has forced them to find work here, or maybe they have even been displaced by the impacts of western, capitalist imperialism abroad. So I can understand if some immigrants might be resistant to, or resentful of cold weather if they feel that they didn’t willingly choose Canada and have been displaced from their family, friends, livelihood, or identity back home. I also don’t intend to say that everyone should take up skiing or other prohibitively expensive winter sports which are not accessible to people without the requisite knowledge or income. I just wish more of us would at least try to form some form of healthy, enjoyable relationship with winter weather, as it might help reduce this impulse to escape, and maybe even foster some greater sense of attachment to the place we are in.
This avoidance of winter weather also likely plays into the growing issue of homelessness in Canada because we are less likely to be outdoors during colder periods, and therefore we are less likely to meet or even see our neighbours in the unhoused population. By biking, running, and/or walking the city during the wintertime, I am constantly exposing myself to those who do not have my luxury of escape, and the conditions that we — as a society — force them to live (or die) within. I think that by being more outdoors during the winter, it could help build a sense of empathy or solidarity towards the homeless which could have beneficial outcomes for that group of marginalized people.
I would like to note that I recognize that this critique has failed to mention the harmful environmental impacts of this sort of lifestyle which has been shaped by our reliance on fossil fuel energy, private car ownership, and the airline industry. All of which are fueling the climate crisis and making life on the planet more difficult for future generations.
