Reid was pleased to see the dusting of snow that greeted us when we woke up on Wednesday and she was absolutely delighted with our first snowstorm of the season on Thursday. They spent lots of time playing outside at daycare and even built a couple of snowmen. There is a bit of a hill in the enclosure and they were sliding down it as well. When we pick Reid up at night, her mittens are wet and her cheeks are rosy and she has a great, big smile on her face. It is a great time to be a kid in a northern city. The weather forecast includes the likelihood of the snow melting, which makes me sad since I haven’t had a chance to play outside with Reid.

Those friendly public servants who sent me the [1] Halloween safety tips have sent some [2] tips for surviving a severe storm. This time, they didn’t let me read them in the email but they did post them to their Web site. The tips seem more related to summer storms than the snowfall we just had, though. I was expecting reminders about having chocolate bars and water in the car, along with a solar blanket and slow burning candle. I thought they might even remind me to put [3] four snow tires on, clear all snow from the car before heading out and leave extra stopping distance while driving. Transport Canada offers the following [4] advice for winter travel:

• Always keep the gas tank at least half full, and add gasoline antifreeze to every second tank.
• Top up antifreeze, transmission, brake and windshield-washer fluids.
• Use a matching set of all-season or snow tires that meet standards (see below).
• Make sure that tire valves are equipped with caps to keep out snow and ice.
• Dress properly - wear warm clothing.
• Carry a winter emergency kit that includes: extra antifreeze and windshield-washer fluid; a flashlight and extra batteries; blankets; a candle; matches; hazard markers or flares; a snow shovel; extra hats and mitts; and chocolate or granola bars.
• Check local weather and road conditions before leaving.
• If possible, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to arrive.
• Bring a map and be prepared to take an alternative route.
• Bring a cell phone.

There is also information on [5] winter tire safety tips, [6] antilock breaking systems and even information on [7] safe snowmobiling.

We’ll be travelling again this weekend (and you know we [8] always have rough weather) and want to be safe on the go. I thought I’d share the information that I gathered so that you can be safe, too.