Coping with the cold: Islanders working outdoors demonstrate resilience

Wednesday's frigid temperatures and high winds put many Islanders to the test as they headed back to work.

As the Christmas holidays wrapped up, Islanders started going back to work. But the cold temperatures did them no favours, as the bone-chilling weather proved difficult for some.

Heidi Anderson was one Island woman forced to brave the elements as part of her job responsibilities. But, she didn't let the wind or the cold prevent her from delivering some 265 flyers to Island homes. 

Despite having a trusty wagon to help her get her load down the street, she said getting them to the door in the intense wind and cold proved difficult for her.

"That's the treacherous part," she said. "Some of the door steps aren't salted and the driveways, so you have to be careful that you don't take a fall."

Anderson wasn't the only who experienced winter woes on Wednesday. Those working with machinery had some troubles firing up their engines.

Engine trouble and frozen pens

Engine trouble — and the extra trash from Christmas and Boxing Day — added up to a particularly long and cold day for garbage truck driver Wayne Gibbs.

"Today now we're a little behind here," he said. "I'd say we'll probably put in I'd say about 10 hours today. With everything freezing up, there was a couple of trucks broke down, froze up this morning too."

Even writing parking tickets was tricky business. The temperature, when factoring in the wind chill, was cold enough to freeze the ink in pens.

"It's pretty raw," said parking enforcement officer Tom Kennedy.

"I got thermal socks on . . . I got the long underwear on, you know, layers beneath my coat," he said. 

Ski park closed

Despite the severe cold, the salt that municipal and provincial crews were putting down was doing its job. It is supposed to work in temperatures as low as –21 Celsius. 

Wade Myers, a public works employee for Charlottetown, put that theory to the test.

"It's fairly thick in spots, wherever the water was laying and froze real quick," he said. "But the sun is strong enough that you get some salt on it, it will cut through it pretty good."

With crews back at work after the holidays, walking conditions on the Island had improved.

The alpine ski trails at Brookvale Provincial Park were open for just a day, before park officials were forced to closed due to the cold weather. Park officials even had to make extra snow to prepare for the Boxing Day opening. However, the park is expected to be back and up and running on Thursday.

The wind and severe cold is expected to continue all week, with Environment Canada forecasting high winds and temperatures that could reach –30 Celsius with the windchill on Thursday.

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