New arrivals face their first freezing temperatures

Rachid Amentague arrived in New Brunswick a month and a half ago with his family. He is about to experience his first episode of freezing cold.

The freezing cold has hit the entire Atlantic with full force since Friday with temperatures felt as high as -45 in New Brunswick. For many newcomers, these are times that constitute a new experience of their life in Canada.

Arrived from Morocco, the Amentague family settled in Dieppe a month and a half ago. If they have already experienced snowstorms since their arrival, the extreme cold that has hit the Atlantic provinces since Friday is a great first.

This is new to us. I saw -45, it's a bit scary though. Since our arrival, we have seen storms, we have been out in the cold but -45, it will be too cold!, explains the father of the family Rachid Amentague. We will try not to go out, to stay warm. The children are used to going out on weekends, but that won't be possible, he continues.

For them, however, arriving in winter was self-evident. We preferred to come in December, face the cold, start discovering Canada from the most difficult side, the climate side, to easily integrate and adapt. For us, it was an adventure that we had to discover.

Michel Colombe has been an Ivorian student in Moncton for over six months. She arrived from New York where she spent several years. Yet even in this city used to the cold, it's never experienced such cold temperatures.

Here is the first big cold snap that I know. In the United States, in five years, the lowest temperature was -10. At this temperature, everyone was at home. It's the best we've ever seen.

To avoid the freezing cold, she thought ahead and did her grocery shopping before the arrival of extreme temperatures so as not to have to to go out. She says she has equipped herself, as best as she can, to face the bad weather if she ever has to go out. I have heated socks, gloves, heated underwear, hat, scarves, really everything but for now it's bearable. I'm pretty covered, says the young woman.

Greater Moncton is one of the places most affected by extreme cold in New Brunswick. In 14 years, wind chill values ​​have never dropped below -40.