Yesterday in Calgary we had flurrys all day, the high temprature was -14 and still life moved on, we all went to work or school.

I heard England had some snow also yesterday, and today it is predicted to have melted at a warm temprature of 5.

I saw this in the telegraph paper and I quote:

All of Birmingham's 400 schools will remain shut today. A spokesman said there was a "potential danger for children to fall and hurt themselves" in the playground.


I just can not think of anything suitable to say..... children may fall and hurt themselves so lets close the schools down.

I just shake my head.

Health and Safety, mate, Health and Safety.

God forbid that I'd been a kid growing up today, I doubt they're even allowed to touch a pair of scissors without a Health and Safety monitor watching them.

Cue dramatic music..... cue serious british voice.......

"Heavy snowfall in much of England and Wales has closed schools and left travellers battling transport problems"......"A number of airport runways were closed with flights cancelled, while train services have also been affected"......."Thousands of schools are shut and motorists are being urged to travel only if necessary. Some households are also without power......."

Ahhh the drama.

(Taken from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6338151.stm

Why on earth would local authorities want to expend huge amounts of money for the necessary resources needed to cope with the handful of days (2 or 3 perhaps, even up in Scotland) per year when we get the kind of weather referred to? Makes sense on the bald Canadian prairie but not here.

According to the same newspaper article, yesterday cost the UK 40 million in lost revenue, etc. Kids couldn't go to school, so parents can not go to work, the whole transport network came to a standstill (apparently)

40 million pounds. The paper also ran an article that 6 million people are pay the wrong amount of tax. Someone has to pay to find 40 million for a day with snow!!

I wouldnt like to drive in 1" of snow let alone 4 inches without snow tyres and heavily salted roads either, on windy narrow roads with ditches on either side. If you want to pay more taxes then you could have snow ploughs, such like. If you dont then you get what you have got.

You know there are some really cute humourous pictures on that website too! I haven't seen a snowman yet in Canada.

The local authorities in the UK could take a lesson from the authorities here and sub-contract snow clearing. Sure, the authorities have their own gear, mainly for the major roads. When you get into the back streets, however, you will find much of the work being done by people whose main job is in the Summer (construction etc). It is not hard or expensive to fit a blade to a pick-up truck or to convert a piece of earth-moving machinery. It's a win-win situation. The city doesn't have to buy, maintain or store so much equipment and landscape gardners have a way of making money in Winter.

theres also a potential that those children dont have suitable clothes to be out in the snow in. maybe citing H and S would offend the parents less than citing clothing?

To be fair, let's not gauge the whole of the UK by the South East (...and perhaps Birmingham).

Durham, and much of the North East, has had snow now for two days - much as it does every year. In fact this is the first real snow we have had this year, much less than normal.

Much of the snow clearing is already carried out by subcontractors in these parts - usually local farmers who both grit and plough with tractors. Schools were open yesterday and today, and I would be appalled if they had closed.

Whilst no doubt Canada (like much of Northern Europe) does do this better, life around these parts is next to normal. Some of us can cope!

I think what everyone is missing is that some provinces are and always have been equipped to cope with huge dumps of snow. Southern BC grinds to a screaming halt when the snowflakes hit, much the same as the UK does. In fact schools close here if the principal breaks a nail....at least that is what is seems like to us long suffering parents. The latest classic from the school district here was a closure due to the school having run out of its heating budget. It was OK for the teachers a few weeks prior to have a "professional day" at the Great Canadian Casino....but the children lose yet another day of <ahem> tuition so that the staff can go gambling at the taxpayers expense?

If this is true and you have proof of it why not ask the school board what the hell is going on.

Professional Development Days are most certainly not intended to be used in this manner. At least in the Calgary Board of Education this is the case.

There are a few of us parents who have addressed this issue before with the school board. Pro D days are shopping days/skiving days in this school district. The parking lots at the schools are empty by 3pm on most regular days, Pro D days....one or two dedicated teachers will be in if you are lucky. Yes, we had proof. Submitted and complained about as per. Result - snotty response that what teachers do on their professional days is none of our business. This is just one example of why my younger kids got pulled from the public system here. I have many more....but given what I do for a living, making waves with people I work with on a daily basis would be professional suicide in a small community.

Quite unbelievable

I don't necessarily have a problem with an empty parking lot by three on most regular days as many teachers do take work home with them some do some don't and I'm not about to argue the toss with them.

However PD is there for a purpose and it sure as hell isn't gambling, shopping or skiving off in general.

I also understand your dilemma regarding "making waves".

Cheers
Steve

I know! I saw the news cast for west midlands (since when is Cheltenham west midlands?) the night before the snow and it was all about schools closing and "stay at home unless you *really* need to travel anywhere".

I woke up next day and peeked out the window. 2 inches of snow. The most I have seen here in the 4 years I've lived in UK. For a nano second I thought I had been transported back to Sweden.

Considering I lived in Toronto the winter 83-84 when Ontario and Quebec got hit by the worst snow storm in 27 years - even a snowstorm in Sweden is a slight burp in the universe in comparison.

It's all relative, mate.