A Great Canadian Question?

Last night the Toronto area finally got the big snowstorm that the weather forecasters have been warning us about. In fact, it is still snowing this morning. However, the roads are not in terrible shape and the landscape has not been buried under snow like parts of upstate New York have been lately, all of which brings me to a big question: why do schools in the suburbs close down for snow days when the roads are still passable and everyone else is expected to go to work.

I saw plenty of public buses running, so I know it cannot have anything to do with the fact that buses are difficult to handle on snowy roads. Ditto for the argument that cancelling school is a safety issue because of a lack of seatbelts on school buses. In any event, most kids are driven to school or walk to school from what I understand.

I can't see how it is more difficult for teachers to get to their schools than it is for nurses to get to hospitals or waitresses to get to restaurants or sales clerks to get to shopping malls, so that can't be it. Perhaps this is just one of those imponderable questions that may never be answered.