Reporter: Catherine Legault
Snowbanks loom beside sidewalks, monsters composed of snow, ice and black road salt. They’re reminders of the harsh winter.
Temperatures in January were often 15 to 20 degrees colder than average and several storms dropped centimetres of snow and ice.
Snow has stuck around well into March and students are fed up with it and are looking forward to spring.
Perhaps it’s not unexpected. The GTA has had several ice storms and several days when the temperatures dropped well below minus 30 degrees.
A common winter woe is the cold and the large amounts of snow and ice that have accumulated over months. However, it’s the cold that irritates some students most.
“The snow I can deal with. It’s the cold that really gets me,” said Paula Davis, a first-year student in the RPN to BScN nursing program at UOIT.
Ashley Gairrusso, a Pharmaceutical and Food Science Technology major in her second year at UOIT, also listed the cold as her biggest complaint with winter.
Gairrusso said the cold affects her body. Even when wearing mittens her skin often dries out.
“I don’t really mind the snow. [In] past winters we didn’t really get snow so it was nice [this year]. Now that it’s March, it’s like ‘Get out,’” said Gairrusso.
The cold can sometimes force students to delay their plans or avoid leaving home entirely.
Gairruso said the cold makes it more difficult to find motivation to take her dog for a walk.
For Tara Balge, a biotechnology major at UOIT in her third year, cold and snow means she often leaves for work and class early to avoid potential transportation issues.
“I don’t have a car so I take public transit,” said Balge. “Bad weather means buses are usually delayed.”
Balge’s situation is likely common for many students who use buses to get to school. For students who live beyond the local area, this winter is extra frustrating.
Davis lives in Brampton and the winter weather has made it especially difficult for her to come to school. “[On] days that are really bad, I just won’t come to school,” said Davis.
