After a dark winter, these people in Waterloo region look forward to a bright spring

Travelling across Ontario and camping are just some of the things on Shrilekha Kanceuarle's to-do list this spring.

"I also wanted to go to Montreal." she said, but she's waiting for double-digit temperatures to hit before going on the road. 

Warmer weather is what Cameron Heer is looking forward to this spring as well. He's hoping to follow in Kanceuarle's footsteps, or rather tire tracks, and take a few road trips around the province himself while dining on local cuisine as well. 

"Getting out, exploring the city a little bit more, going for walks" are some of the other things Heer would like to do this season.

MacCauley Martin, who recently received his G2 license is waiting for more sunshine too. "I'm excited to start driving." he said.

Martin hasn't had much of a chance to get behind the wheel since passing his test, because his parents didn't want him driving during the winter so they've been "keeping the car away from me." he points to the icy winter weather as part of the reason.

Dark winter

Those hopeful wishes come after a pretty bleak winter.

Southern Ontario as a whole saw the least amount of sunlight in more than 80 years this past winter, Brian Brettschneider, a climate scientist with the United States National Weather Service in Alaska, told CBC Thunder Bay.

"What really stood out was kind of a blob of low solar energy really right around the Great Lakes, kind of centred over southern Ontario," he said. "That's really what stands out more than anything else on the map."

Brettschneider said that while December doesn't generally see much in the way of solar energy, January was "remarkable" for how much darkness and cloud cover it saw. 

'It's dreary, man'

Ashley Levac can empathize with anyone who felt the impact of the dark winter mentally.

"It's dreary, man. And I mean, when you've already got anxiety and depression, you throw a little [seasonal affective disorder] in the mix, it's not fun" Levac said.

Still, Levac's kept her optimism and can't wait to get more camping done this spring and summer.

"I go camping all year round," Levac said. "You've gotta find ways to make the best of winter, otherwise it will get to you. And I just love the outdoors that much that I have to be out there all the time."

Emily Dauphinee said she "definitely" felt the effects of the dark winter.

"Having a four-year-old at home and I just recently got laid off of a job," she said. "So yeah, it's been a really rough winter."

Her partner Kyle Dayne  is from Newfoundland so he says he's used to dreary winters.

"We get it a lot worse," he said. But as a concrete filler, Dayne hasn't had a ton of work this past season because "winters are normally pretty slack" so he's looking forward to warmer weather so he can get back to work.

Dauphinee said that now that she has a new dog, "I'm just looking forward to bringing him out with the little one and enjoying the weather finally."

After winter, must come spring

For recently retired teacher Heer, March Break acts as a benchmark, of sorts, that coincides with spring.

"We have a changeover of anticipated activities, you know, so that's the signal for you. Like, OK, it's spring, they're changing things over. March Break has come and gone," he said as he pointed to city workers as they cleared the ice from the rink in front of Kitchener's city hall.

Meanwhile, Levac marks the start of spring watching the birds in her backyard.

"We've had lots of different types of birds," she said. "Just hearing them sing in the morning and the sun is shining, it's just like a really nice way to lift you up."