It’s a good thing we are all Canadians. Hearty South Bayviewites carry on in the face of this frigid January. It’s a day to muffler up and go skating. Or not. Our neighborhoods have not been too troubled by the cold in recent days, even as the City has declared another Extreme Cold Alert in hopes of helping those less fortunate than we. The dramatic picture inset is from Hamilton where fire has pretty much destroyed a fine home at 23 Undercliffe Ave. No one was hurt but firefighters say it was a stinker to fight. Undercliffe is in the well-to-do realm of hilly residential streets sitting under the escarpment. Fire trucks were sliding all over the place as the crews tried to deal with the blaze. A Brighton Ontario woman was able to have her dog Baxter returned safely after it had leaped out of the car after a pileup. T0 the southwest, the Guelph Mercury is saying thatanother blast of snow and high winds today is likely to add to what has already been a treacherous weekend on Ontario’s highways and byways. Blizzard conditions stranded more than 400 people northwest of Toronto in their cars. The OPP say that since Friday evening they’ve responded to more than 1,600 crashes, including three fatal, and numerous personal injury wrecks. Eight OPP cruisers have also been struck by passing motorists resulting in minor injuries to two police officers. More than 60 road and highway closures have been ordered across the province.

