How do we get through, and enjoy, a Canadian winter?

Winter is the season British people worry about most, and in most of Canada it’s much colder and longer than at home. Homes and cities are built for it, though, and with the right clothes and car it becomes the season many people enjoy most.

How cold does it get?

These are long-term averages: cold snaps go much lower, and wind chill makes it feel colder still. Indoors is usually warm. Unlike many British homes, Canadian houses and flats are well insulated and centrally heated, often with a forced-air furnace. Ask a landlord whether heating is included in the rent, and how it’s paid for. See deposits, leases and bills.

What to wear

• Dress in layers: a base layer, a warm middle layer such as fleece or wool, and a windproof, waterproof outer coat
• Insulated, waterproof boots with good grip matter more than anything else. Pavements are often icy
• Hat (a “tuque”), mittens or gloves, and a scarf or neck warmer to cover your face in wind
• Buy children’s snowsuits and boots before the first snow. Children play outside at break in most weather

Winter tyres and your car

Canadians call them winter tires. They grip far better than all-season tyres on snow and ice, and the rules differ by province.

In the Prairies, many cars have a block heater: a plug-in heater that keeps the engine warm overnight so it starts in deep cold. Many car parks and driveways have sockets for them. Keep your fuel tank well filled when extreme cold is forecast. See driving in Canada and insurance at renewal.

Clearing snow

Who clears the pavement outside your home depends on your city, and fines apply. In every city, don’t push snow from your drive onto the road or pavement.

• Toronto: the city clears about 98% of pavements once 2cm or more has fallen. Below 2cm, you must clear the pavement next to your property within 12 hours
• Calgary: owners and occupants clear the pavement to bare surface within 24 hours of the snow stopping. The first fine is C$250, and the city can clear it and bill you at least C$150
• Vancouver: clear the full width of the pavement by 10am each day there’s snow or ice. Fines start at C$250
• Montreal: the city clears pavements, but you mustn’t move snow from your property onto them

Check your lease: in a rented house, it often says whether you or the landlord must shovel.

Keep an emergency kit

The Government of Canada suggests a kit in the car: water, energy bars, a blanket, spare clothes and boots, a first aid kit, a small shovel, scraper and snowbrush, a torch, sand or cat litter for grip, jump leads, a tow rope and warning lights. Transport Canada adds hand warmers, extra screenwash and a tuque. At home, keep water, food, torches and blankets in case a storm cuts the power.

Making the most of it

• Skating: cities flood outdoor rinks in parks. Ottawa’s Rideau Canal Skateway is free and opens when the ice is thick enough, which depends on the weather
• Festivals: Winterlude in Ottawa–Gatineau is planned for 29 January to 15 February 2027, and the Québec Winter Carnival for 5 to 14 February 2027
• Skiing and snowboarding: Whistler from Vancouver, Banff and Lake Louise from Calgary, the Laurentians and Mont-Tremblant from Montreal, and smaller hills near Toronto and Ottawa
• Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing: cheap to try, with equipment to hire in many parks