Torontonians live in a busy culture where they try too hard to be at places, even when it’s dangerous
On Nov. 11 there was an early snowfall record with parts of Toronto receiving up to 15 cm, leaving Torontonians with a messy commute.
Every year, people forget how to drive properly in winter weather. In Ontario over 400 collisions were reported to the OPP, according to Sgt. Kerry Schmidt.
In this hectic city culture, people lead busy lives.They often feel they need to meet all commitments, especially in those hustling in the gig economy.
But people need to be more responsible and just stay home. Driving while there’s still a significant amount of snow and ice to be cleared is, quite frankly, dangerous. If you’re a driver, consider the risk you pose to yourself and anyone else who ventures out in the storm. And even for those who don’t drive cars, the TTC has its own problems to deal with during messy weather and won’t be as reliable.
There is often debate on whether or not to shut down schools and workplaces. Ryerson University is notorious for rarely cancelling classes, with a February 2019 cancellation being the first one in five years, and that’s tough on students commuting from far away who feel stressed about missing a seminar, a lecture or losing their required hours.
Increasingly, nowadays, it is very easy for office workers to work from home. While I think that work and home life should be kept in separate spaces, the capability to do the work at home makes commuting to work because you “need to be there” unjustifiable.
Employers, instructors — and all people in positions of power — should also be more sympathetic. Some employees don’t have the economic means to miss work for one day, or feel like they are able to call it in. They should be told it’s OK to miss time, or still be offered pay.
we’re honestly a generation of people who feel bad for calling in sick because we are made to feel like a company having staff is more important than our mental and physical health
— nay (@naysunnar) June 10, 2019
I’m from a rural area in Nova Scotia, where we often wait several hours or even a day after a big dump of snow to have our roads safely cleared. We have a provincial plow tracker, like Toronto’s PlowTO system (which starts Dec. 1), but more often than not, we listen or wake up to the plow’s noise in an otherwise quiet neighbourhood to know when the road’s been cleared.
I’m not a person who jumps at any excuse to not come in. In my four years as a minimum wage grocery cashier, I only called in sick once and twice due to snow. But I lived 10 km from town, and driving on a highway when there’s a snowstorm is outright dangerous, so I knew when to not take the risk.
Maritimers deal with much more snowfall than Torontonians in the winter, and in general are much better drivers in the snow and know when to wait. Many driving Torontonians, on the other hand, aren’t smart enough about their decision to go out. Even if the storm is done, the streets still need time to clear. I applaud how quickly plow drivers in Toronto get the job done, considering how many narrow streets they have to cover while some drivers choose to remain on the road.
At home, I found solace in snow days. They were a time to be with family and a surprise mental health break. And for those who don’t live with loved ones, having alone time and giving yourself permission to do simple, enjoyable things, is something that should be embraced.
Give city plow drivers time to clear the streets. They’re busy with their job. You shouldn’t have to try so hard to make it to your own and end up making the emergency responders more busy.
@OPP_HSD if anyone wants to see how this crash and back up happened, this is the video from my car when it happened – I avoided it by inches https://t.co/QTATRgljBy and from the rear https://t.co/xzLHroJ2gd … good learning on how not to use your breaks during a snow storm
— Kyle Sparkman (@sparksfly2000) November 12, 2019