Winter is coming: How will cities get people to enjoy it outside?

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Winter is coming, as a thousand Game of Thrones memes warn, and those Canadians unwilling to embrace the cold face a long spell stuck inside.

COVID-19 has highlighted the value of spending time outside, with people responding in droves to public health recommendations linking fresh air with mental and physical well-being. And as the weather cools there are signs Canadians want to stay out as long as possible – Home Hardware is reporting double-digit percentage increases in the sales of outdoor heaters, compared with last year, while Canadian Tire’s sales of outdoor heaters, barbecues and charcoal have all been trending up.

With a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in some provinces, and both Quebec and Ontario tightening rules about people congregating indoors, the prospect of new restrictions accentuates the need for safe outdoor activity.

But some cities are showing little evident urgency around preparing for a COVID-19 winter. Across the country municipal officials are talking about winter, while announcing little. A few cities say it’s too early to detail how they might facilitate outdoor time through the colder months, while others are just starting to roll out new initiatives.

Among the furthest along is Toronto, where the final plan is still be being developed but some early ideas – among them public art by OCAD students, loosened rules around where businesses can use outdoor heaters and self-guided walking tours for every ward – have been announced. The city is also looking to the community for more ideas and third-party events can apply to be branded under Toronto’s ShowLoveTO umbrella of outdoor programming.

“One of the ways that we’ll make coming out of your house more appealing is not just by having really engaging things for people to do, but also by making sure we give people opportunities to stay warm,” said Marguerite Pigott, Toronto’s director of entertainment industries.

“[Outdoor activity has] been a great way for us to safely gather. And that’s critically important to our well-being, and that’s what we need to preserve into the winter months.”

However, in other ways Toronto is closing off winter options. Popular programs creating space on roads for pedestrians and cyclists are winding down. And the city, which lists trail-walking as one winter activity for residents, has not committed to clear all the paths within parks. On Thursday, municipal council voted not to have a debate about snow clearing, punting the issue to a city hall committee.

In Montreal, where residents have never shied away from being outdoors in the winter, people are brainstorming how best to encourage outdoor activity during a pandemic winter.

“The thing that we’re hearing a lot from different businesses is that the feeling is not happy right now in the streets of Montreal, and people are afraid to go outside, or they try not to go outside as much,” said Emilie Wake of Îlot 84, a non-profit organization that works with cities, boroughs and local business associations to revitalize public spaces. “So we want to bring back the human side of it, to make it fun and nice.”

She said car-free zones that opened this summer on commercial arteries are likely to continue into winter. Proposals floated so far for these outdoor pedestrian malls include adding more than the usual number of Christmas lights and trees and offering comfortable seating, she said, as well as providing distractions for shoppers waiting in exterior lineups in a bid to boost the general mood.

The group is also working with the Quartier des Spectacles, the city’s major cultural district, on an unspecified installation to draw people downtown. Meanwhile, the organization that runs Montreal’s Old Port area is thinking about adding new custom furniture to increase the comfort of visitors.

Other cities are at an earlier stage in their planning.

Calgary is looking at winter programs for which people can register, with details to come. The city is also planning to adapt outdoor skating for the COVID-19 era, posting signs about wearing masks when keeping proper distance is an issue, and boosting cleaning as necessary.

Edmonton will be building on long-running efforts to engage better with the colder months. In 2012, council passed a WinterCity strategy, geared toward Edmonton becoming a place that “celebrates and makes the best of winter … an asset offering great social and economic value.” How those efforts will be augmented in response to this year’s challenges remains unclear. Staff said that it was too early to talk about COVID-19-related winter activities.

These are issues being considered by cities everywhere. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced recently that pop-up patios on city streets would not close at the end of October, but continue through the winter. And as cities mull their winter plans, Winnipeg may offer inspiration.

People in the Manitoba capital, which to many Canadians is synonymous with cold weather, have come to love winter activities at the downtown site known as The Forks. The spot, where the Red and Assiniboine rivers come together, attracts almost as many people in February as in July.

“Nobody wants to sit down in their basement for months on end,” said Paul Jordan, CEO of The Forks North Portage Partnership, which administers the site.

“You just have to be very creative in terms of how people respond. What we find is that as long as people are moving, as long as recreation is involved, then people will respond.”

The outdoor offerings at The Forks change from year to year – saunas are being planned for this winter, provided public health officials give the green light – but the mainstays are skating, winter cycling and an architectural competition to design interesting warming huts.

“Certainly, at minus 5, we see a lot more people, but at minus 20 we still see people,” Mr. Jordan said. “It’s got nothing to do with how tough you are. It’s got everything to do with what options you have.”

Back in Toronto, Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam said she has been peppering city staff with ideas ranging from on-road skating trails to neighbourhood block parties. She thinks people can be encouraged to enjoy being outside right through the coldest months.

For her, the potential of winter is informed by fond memories of stumbling across a charming scene in Montreal.

“They were handing out marshmallows. I put one on a little stick and there I was, roasting a marshmallow, right in the heart of the city,” she said.

“I would have just walked right by that space … instead I ended up spending close to an hour just talking to someone I didn’t even know.”

With reports from Nicolas Van Praet and Carrie Tait

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