Homeless in Vancouver: Winter launches a desperate spring offensive

Vancouver is in day two of a hopeless spring offensive launched by the remaining rag-tag forces of winter.

Today (March 7) snow has been falling from the sky off and on since 8 a.m. but, after 10 hours, the white stuff has yet to get so much as a foothold anywhere in the Fairview neighbourhood.

Winter’s best effort so far came late last night when, aided by falling temperatures, snow was able to advance in waves and completely seize the side streets and back alleys on either side of the Broadway corridor. By 11 p.m. it really looked as though spring had been stopped cold.

Winter’s gains were short-lived though. Within an hour spring had warmed to the attack and regained the momentum. By 3 a.m., the snow’s formerly icy resistance had completely melted away and water ran in the streets.

Snow gamely continues to fall as I write but winter is now utterly spent as an offensive force. It can no longer muster the cold resolve and force necessary to conquer spring, let alone hold it back.

It is in the nature of things, in fact, that winter—whatever is left of it—now becomes a willing (if slightly chilly) ally of the inevitable spring renewal, which is already well underway.