Canadian prairies - extremes in cold and heat and wind.
- In any given year it's -40* to +40*C, in an exceptional year those numbers can be eclipsed. Occasional high humidity but usually it's very dry.
- Wind chill can range into the -60*Cs.
- We get an occasional tornado usually F1 or F2 class or something else determined to be a "plow wind". A F4 decimated the city back in 1912.
- An extreme version of rain would be 75mm/hr. so that's not a high priority except in flood prone areas.
- West Nile Virus hit it's peak 2 years ago.
- No malaria but the highest rates of MS in the world and nobody knows why...
- No earthquakes, no tsunamies, no hurricanes.
- No mountains to fall off of, elevation 1850 asl.
- Very few rattle snakes or poisonous insects, growing concern for coyotes and raccoons.
- Very low incidence of black bear or wolf attacks.
- A LOT of deer on the roads, 10,000 deer/antelope -vehicle accidents per year in pop. of less than 1 million.
- Highest rates of property crime and violent crime in Canada but still doesn't hold a candle to the amount of violence in any US urban area.
- Almost no gun crime to speak of. :-) But knife crimes are fairly common - usually kitchen knives used to settle an argument between natives.
- No nuclear weapons here. No WoMD. Not even a blimp on any terrorist's radar screen.
- Only nuclear worry is from American anti-missle defense shooting down Russian nukes above our heads.
- No worries about population control or immigrants - we take everybody! Gladly. The more the merrier. Come hither...
- Low unemployment rate, economy beginning to diversify and accelerate.
- One of longest life expectancy rates in the world for both male and female. (Oh, wait that isn't a "PROBLEM"!)
- Very long distances to urban centres means rural trauma victims have a long comute to obtain health care.
- Longest wait times for most electives surgeries in the world (and yet medicare was INVENTED here!)
- Leftist policitians who put their heads in the sand whenever things get tough.... Damn - can't wait for the election later this year! Get rid of these socialists.
Opps, better stop now or I'll be on the soap box all day.