Does Prince George need to start declaring snow days?

I wrote a story this week about the Prince George District Teacher’s Association wanting a policy around snow days in the city. The gist of it is, they want schools to remain open for any students who show up, but want to make it clear classes– and the drive to get kids to them– is optional, as is the need to come in for any teacher/staff member who feels like they can’t make it in.

Living in a part of the world that does get heavy snow, there’s a certain pride people get that goes with not shutting down the way, say, Vancouver does when a bit of snow falls. But there is a wisdom to what Vancouver does. It is a city that doesn’t get enough snow for it to be practical for people to buy winter tires. Driving without winter tires in snow can be dangerous. Ergo, close down classrooms and campuses to increase safety.

Here, it is practical to have winter tires and at the very least all-seasons. But no amount of winter tire is going to make it practical for a standard-sized car to drive multiple kilometres after half-a-meter of snow has fallen and crews are still busy trying to clean up downtown. A few years ago I had a shift that started at 4:30 in the morning, before buses start running. I looked at the snow up to my knees and my supermini car and decided to strap on my cross-country skis to get in. On my way home I took the bus, and passed a whole lot of cars in ditches. During this year’s heavy snowfall, one tow truck company said they were averaging over 80 calls an hour– 20 times the normal volume.

There are always going to be people who choose to drive, even when conditions aren’t optimal. And there are always going to be people who have to work, one way or another. But doing things like canceling classes could be a way of sending the message that today is not a normal day. RCMP and Environment Canada already put out warnings suggesting people don’t drive unless they need, cancelled classes would be another way of getting that message out there. Schools would still be open for kids whose parents can’t look after them, but for those who can it would be another reason to stay off the road.