DEFEATING WINTER
Canadian Geographic|January/February 2021
HOW MONTREAL WAGES A $166-MILLION BATTLE AGAINST SNOW EVERY SINGLE YEAR TO KEEP ITS STREETS AND SIDEWALKS CLEAR
TRACEY LINDEMAN
DEFEATING WINTER

WELCOME TO THE GARBAGE hole. The sulphuric, rotten-egg stench coming off the heaps of brown sludge at Montreal’s Francon snow depot is putrid even on a cold, grey March day. Here, in this former quarry, the melt of early spring has revealed crumpled laundry detergent bottles, the petrified carcass of a badminton birdie, used tampon applicators, and other shards of hardened, forgotten plastic. It’s the stuff you think is destined for landfill or recycling when you toss it, but instead, it ends up on the street, then in the path of a snowplow, and then on a dump truck, then at the snow dump. The trash mingles with mountains of snow stained by a cocktail of pollutants, releasing a nauseating assault on the senses.

This is the final resting place for snow removal in Montreal. This city spends more than any other in the world on picking up snow and putting down salt on its 10,000 kilometers of roads: in 2019–2020, its snow removal budget hit $166.4 million.

I meet with city spokesperson Philippe Sabourin at the gate of Francon in mid-March 2020. Most of the season’s snow has already fallen in Montreal, and it’s still early enough in the COVID-19 pandemic that in-person meetings are permissible. Still, we get into our own vehicles and head into the pit, descending on muddy gravel roads. Suddenly, the hilly landscape parts and the floor of the human-made canyon sprawls out in front of us. Its vastness surprises me.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January/February 2021 من Canadian Geographic.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January/February 2021 من Canadian Geographic.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC مشاهدة الكل
ANIMAL XING
Canadian Geographic

ANIMAL XING

THIS PAST SUMMER AN AMBITIOUS WILDLIFE UNDER/OVERPASS SYSTEM BROKE GROUND IN B.C. ON A DEADLY STRETCH OF HIGHWAY JUST WEST OF THE ALBERTA BORDER. HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED.

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10+ mins  |
Canadian Geographic November/December 2021, Vol. 141, No. 6
Unearthing a giant
Canadian Geographic

Unearthing a giant

Almost 30 years ago, paleontologist Elizabeth “Betsy” Nicholls made a discovery of colossal proportions

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4 mins  |
Canadian Geographic November/December 2021, Vol. 141, No. 6
WE DID THIS
Canadian Geographic

WE DID THIS

AS THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING BECOME INCREASINGLY EVIDENT, THE CONNECTIONS TO BIODIVERSITY LOSS ARE HARD TO IGNORE. CAN THIS FALL’S TWO KEY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES POINT US TO A NATURE-POSITIVE FUTURE?

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10+ mins  |
Canadian Geographic November/December 2021, Vol. 141, No. 6
The COOLEST COUNTRY
Canadian Geographic

The COOLEST COUNTRY

“The coolest country” celebrates the wonders of winter with an all-Canadian theme. The 20-page travel planner includes a bucket list from travel writer Robin Esrock, steamy spa ideas, ice fishing destinations, festival fun, northern itineraries and more!

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10+ mins  |
Canadian Geographic November/December 2021, Vol. 141, No. 6
KEEPER of the SEA
Canadian Geographic

KEEPER of the SEA

FROM BEING LABELLED DEVIL’S APRON BY FRUSTRATED FISHERMEN TO BEING LAUDED AS A SUSTAINABLE FOOD SOLUTION: HOW KELP’S POTENTIAL IS BEING REALIZED, JUST AS SCIENTISTS LEARN IT’S DECLINING

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10+ mins  |
Canadian Geographic November/December 2021, Vol. 141, No. 6
WILD THINGS
Canadian Geographic

WILD THINGS

WILD CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC PRESENTS THE WINNERS OF ITS ANNUAL CANADIAN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR COMPETITION

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5 mins  |
Canadian Geographic November/December 2021, Vol. 141, No. 6
AN EMPTY LANDSCAPE
Canadian Geographic

AN EMPTY LANDSCAPE

AFTER MORE THAN A MILLION YEARS ON EARTH, CARIBOU ARE UNDER THREAT OF GLOBAL EXTINCTION. THE PRECIPITOUS DECLINE OF THE ONCE MIGHTY HERDS IS A TRAGEDY THAT IS HARD TO WATCH — AND EVEN HARDER TO REVERSE.

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10+ mins  |
September/October 2021
NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Canadian Geographic

NORTHERN EXPOSURE

BON INTO A CARIBOU-HUNTING CREE FAMILY IN NORTHERN MANITOBA, ACCLAIMED PLAYWRIGHT AND NOVELIST. TOMSON HIGHWAYS PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE MAGICAL WORLD OF HIS CHILDHOOD IN PERMANENT ASTONISHMENT

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5 mins  |
September/October 2021
INTO THE ARCTIC
Canadian Geographic

INTO THE ARCTIC

CANADIAN PAINTER AND FILMMAKER CORY TRÉPANIER EXPLORES THE SUBLIME AND RAPIDLY CHANGING CANADIAN ARCTIC

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4 mins  |
September/October 2021
Under the ice
Canadian Geographic

Under the ice

Until the last decade, we knew little about what lay beneath the Arctic ice. Now scientists and explorers are shedding light on this vanishing world.

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3 mins  |
September/October 2021