‘In my mind, I’m in Mexico': Deep freeze grips Calgary

All of the freezing cold weather we've been avoiding throughout the whole winter has hit us now, and it has hit us hard.

A deep freeze has settled over Calgary, with temperatures dropping into the minus 20s and wind chills making it feel even colder.

While many are staying indoors, some have no choice but to face the elements.

At a local car lot, workers struggled to clear snow from vehicles as the temperature hovered around -27 C, feeling like -41 with the wind chill.

“I was really cold,” said JJ Jove, who recently moved from Toronto.

“I’m not used to the weather yet, but I’m getting there.”

His coworker, Ethan Allen, spent the day shovelling and scraping snow.

His best advice for getting through the cold snap is to pretend it’s not happening.

“In my mind, I’m in Mexico,” said Allen.

“So, I’m actually kind of enjoying it right now.”

Emergency services are warning residents about the risks of frostbite and hypothermia.

“The biggest thing we recommend is to prepare appropriately, ideally dressing in layers if you’re going to be outside, and covering as much skin as possible,” said Adam Loria with Calgary EMS.

For those without shelter, staying warm is even more difficult.

The Salvation Army has opened warming stations, including one at the Chinook LRT station.

Jay, who is experiencing homelessness, took shelter inside but said life on the street is unbearable in extreme temperatures.

“It’s not fun. I just want to go home,” he said.

Asked where home is, he replied, “My home is back at Eden Valley.”

Despite the cold, some dog owners are still venturing out for walks.

Courtney Skanderup was at Sue Higgins off-leash park with her dog, Pepper.

“She’s definitely a winter dog. She’s got a really good undercoat,” said Skanderup.

“But her paws are starting to get cold. She’s starting to lick them.”

Others are choosing to keep their pets—and themselves—inside, heading to a massive indoor dog park at Buffalo Run set up by veterinarian Shelby Kimura.

“Some dogs just don’t want to go out, and then they go a bit stir-crazy, and we go a bit stir-crazy,” said Kimura.

“So they need to come somewhere to burn off that energy.”

Even at Calgary’s zoo, animals are being given a break from the cold.

“Some of our animals are built for this. If you go to our Wild Canada exhibit, they’re made for this weather and actually love it. But then, across the facility, regardless of the species, we look to make sure their comfort is met,” said Kyle Burks, president and CEO of the Wilder Institute.

“For our animals that are outside, we have everything from heated rocks to allowing them to come inside.”

It is even too cold for many winter activities.

The ski hill at WinSport is closed—a decision both for safety and finances, according to WinSport communications manager Dale Oviatt.

“We want people to be active in the winter but, you know, sometimes, you have to protect people from themselves and so it’s for everybody’s safety,” said Oviatt.

“We have the school to come out Monday through Friday during the daytime and that’s a large portion of our business. ... If they’re not going to come out, then for us to operate for a few people that want to brave these cold temperatures, it doesn’t make sense.”

Oviatt says WinSport expects to reopen the hill on Wednesday.