Canada makes plans to prepare refugees for winter

Sunday, December 6, 2015, 5:27 PM - It's expected that Canadians will welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees before January 1, 2016, many of whom are unfamiliar with the season's harsh and freezing conditions.

However, social agencies, church groups and private citizens across the country have been organizing donations and preparing programs to help ease the transition.

Take Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS) for example. The organization provides a wide range of services from refugee resettlement to family counselling and English in the workplace.

The Weather Network's Nathan Coleman spoke with ISANS instructor Alex Atiol about how newcomers should prepare for a Canadian winter.

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"When we talk about below zero degrees, that is a scary thought to many people, and they want to know how do you survive," said Atiol.

Atiol immigrated to Canada from Sudan in 1993.

Working with people has been a passion of Atiol's since he was a student. Having gone through the experience himself, he says helping comes naturally.

The ISANS curriculum covers everything from driving in harsh winter conditions to learning how to bundle up properly.

"After seeing this class, I can do a lot of activities in the winter," student Javier Ojeda said.

Getachew Woldeyesus arrived in Saskatchewan as a refugee during a bitter February in 1985. The former resident of Ethopia stayed inside for nearly two months.

"Because you don't know, is it slippery out there? Are you wearing the right shoes? It's freezing out there, so I was afraid to go out," Woldeyesus told The Canadian Press.

Woldeyesus received help from a volunteer at the Regina Open Door Society.

"The volunteer was more encouraging and he was more supportive. He was always with me and trying to show me how to dress properly for winter. Also, Open Door provided a lot of information so, using that, I was able to slowly go out."

Woldeyesus is now the society's manager of settlement and family services. He says after his second winter, he started getting used to it.

Ali Abukar fled Somalia and eventually arrived in Canada in 2011. Before moving to Saskatoon, he lived in Ontario for a while.

Abukar told The Canadian Press that waiting for public transit was tough during the winter.

"I think what also made it very difficult for me was the wind chill. The wind chill was making it worse. In Ontario, sometimes it gets colder and you see snow and all that, but it never gets colder the way that it gets here."

The Open Door Society also demonstrates how to dress appropriately according to the weather and often brings nurses and trained professionals in to discuss the risks that come with exposed skin during the winter.

Source: The Canadian Press | The Weather Network | ISANS

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