Where I would shop
I would not rely on one store.
Goodwill gave me one of my best bargains.
Marshalls gave me another.
Winners is worth checking for the same reason.
Walmart works for inexpensive thermals and basic household items.
Canadian Tire is useful for traction aids and vehicle winter gear.
Mark’s and Sport Chek have plenty of winter footwear and outerwear, especially when something goes on sale.
Simons is where we found one of my tuques.
Amazon is useful when I already know what I am looking for.
Costco can also make sense, particularly if you already have a membership and use it for the rest of your household shopping.
Then there are thrift stores and Marketplace.
Inspect used items properly.
Decide what you are comfortable buying secondhand.
People have different limits.
My rule is not that everybody should thrift their winter wardrobe.
My rule is that you do not have to be embarrassed about trying.
What I would buy before October
If I were starting again, I would shop earlier.
That may be my biggest change.
I would not wait for the first properly cold morning before trying to find a coat.
Before October, I would want:
A proper winter coat.
Winter boots.
A toque.
Gloves or mittens.
Basic thermal layers.
Sweaters and hoodies I could layer underneath.
That does not mean Edmonton will suddenly become deep winter on October 1.
It means I would rather have the basics sitting in the closet before I need them.
My arrival taught me this lesson rather quickly.
First day of spring.
Snow the next morning.
What I would buy before the first major snowfall
Then I would look at the things that depend more on my routine.
Ice cleats if I walk often.
A boot tray.
A good entrance mat.
Another thermal set if I discover I use mine constantly.
Better gloves if my first pair turns out to be as useless as mine did.
Drivers should have their winter vehicle preparation underway by this point too.
And if I depended on transit again, I would already have learned my main routes, backup connections and how much slower I walk when the ground becomes slippery.
What I would wait to buy
This may be the most important category.
Do not buy every Canadian winter gadget before you even know whether you need it.
I barely used my balaclava.
We bought a humidifier because dry air actually bothered us.
I bought heated gloves because my first gloves failed me.
I did not buy a space heater because our apartment was already warm.
I did not buy a shovel for home because our building handled the snow.
Your first few weeks will teach you things no checklist can.
Pay attention.
My Edmonton winter checklist for newcomers
Here is the version I wish somebody had handed me before my first winter.
Before October
- Proper winter coat
- Insulated winter boots with good traction
- Warm toque that covers your ears
- Proper gloves or mittens
- Sweaters, hoodies or other removable layers
- One or two thermal/base-layer sets if you spend much time outdoors
Before the first major snowfall
- Scarf or neck warmer
- Removable ice cleats if you walk or use public transit often
- Boot tray
- Absorbent entrance mat
- Check your regular transit routes and backup options
- Give yourself more walking time than you needed in summer
Buy only if you discover you need them
- Humidifier
- Heated gloves
- Balaclava
- Extra-premium thermal layers
- Space heater, depending on your home and lease
If you are responsible for snow removal at home
- Snow shovel
- Appropriate traction or ice-control material
If you drive
- Winter tire plan
- Snow brush and ice scraper
- Small shovel
- Booster cables
- Blanket
- Extra warm clothing
- Flashlight
- Emergency food
- First-aid kit
- Check battery, antifreeze, heater, defroster and wipers
Small things I ended up appreciating
- Lip balm
- Moisturizer
- Dryer sheets or another way to deal with static
Things that cost nothing
- Check the forecast before leaving
- Learn what wind chill means
- Keep your phone charged
- Know somewhere warm you can go if your trip goes wrong
- Give yourself extra time on snow and ice
- Do not assume you need to buy everything at once
If I had to prepare for my first Edmonton winter again
I would still go to Goodwill.
I would still check Marshalls and Winners.
I would still wait for sales.
I would gladly accept good winter clothing from somebody who no longer needed it.
Moving countries is expensive. I have nothing to prove through the price of my jacket.
I would wear my winter boots instead of trying to negotiate with the ice using my Hokas.
I would buy the ice cleats before falling.
I would get a toque immediately.
I would not rush to buy a balaclava.
I would still buy thermals.
I would still layer.
I would spend more attention on gloves because those cheap ones really were useless.
And I would worry less.
Maybe that is the most important difference.
Winter number two
I am preparing for my second Edmonton winter now.
I know what is coming.
Well.
I somewhat know what is coming.
This is Alberta.
Apparently I only need to wait five minutes for the answer to change.
There will be snow.
There will be cold.
There will probably be mornings when I look at the temperature and question all the decisions that brought me here.
There will be missed buses.
There will be wet boots.
There will be static shocks.
My nostrils will probably freeze again.
And somewhere between all of that, construction season will eventually return.
But this year feels different.
When I first arrived in Canada, it was supposedly the first day of spring.
It was 9°C.
I was shaking.
Then it snowed the next day.
That version of me had no idea that one day I would consider nine degrees pleasantly warm.
He did not know why everyone kept saying “minus” instead of “negative.”
He did not know how useful a toque could be.
He did not know that snow could be so wet.
He did not know that cheap gloves could be quite so useless.
He definitely did not know that ordinary shoes and Edmonton ice could negotiate his dignity in a fraction of a second.
I know those things now.
That does not make me an expert on Edmonton winters.
One winter hardly does.
It just means I am not meeting winter for the first time anymore.
And maybe that is what I would tell someone preparing for their first one.
You do not need to panic about winter.
Respect it.
Prepare for it.
Buy what your own life actually requires.
Ask people who have lived through it.
Dress for the bus you might miss.
Keep your head, hands and feet warm.
Watch where you step.
And if your first proper winter jacket happens to be a $40 Quechua you found at Goodwill with the tags still attached?
Take the win.
I did.
I have written before about the smaller things I noticed after moving here in “Mundane Things I Noticed as an Immigrant.” Perhaps winter deserves a place beside them now. Many of the things that make a new country feel different are not the grand things anyway.
Sometimes it is the weather.
Sometimes it is the word “minus.”
Sometimes it is discovering that you suddenly own a boot tray.
Maybe a year from now I will write this again after winter number two.
I suspect Edmonton still has a few things to teach me.
References
- City of Edmonton. “Extreme Weather Response for Winter.” City of Edmonton. Accessed September 29, 2026. City of Edmonton winter extreme-weather guidance ↩︎
- Walmart Canada. “Men’s Thermal Underwear & Long Johns.” Prices checked September 2026. Walmart Canada thermal underwear listings ↩︎
- Simons. “Men’s Tuques.” Prices checked September 2026. Simons men’s tuques ↩︎
- Canadian Tire. “Shoe Ice Spikes & Grips.” Prices checked September 2026. Canadian Tire ice grips and cleats ↩︎
- City of Edmonton. “Transit Alerts and Service Impacts: ETS Cold Weather Response.” Accessed September 29, 2026. ETS cold-weather response ↩︎
- Alberta Health Services. “Cold Temperature Exposure” and “Frostbite: Care Instructions.” MyHealth Alberta. Accessed September 29, 2026. Alberta cold-exposure guidance ↩︎
- Government of Alberta. “Blizzards, Freezing Rain, Ice Storms and Extreme Cold.” Alberta.ca. Accessed September 29, 2026. Government of Alberta extreme-cold guidance ↩︎
- Walmart Canada. “Boot Trays.” Prices checked September 2026. Walmart Canada boot trays ↩︎
- Government of Alberta. “Safer Winter Highways.” Alberta.ca. Accessed September 29, 2026. Alberta winter driving guidance ↩︎
- Government of Alberta. “Safer Winter Highways.” Alberta.ca. Accessed September 29, 2026. Alberta winter driving guidance ↩︎
- City of Edmonton. “Snow Clearing Service Levels.” Accessed September 29, 2026. Edmonton snow-clearing priorities ↩︎
- City of Edmonton. “Winter Travel.” Accessed September 29, 2026. Edmonton winter travel and parking bans ↩︎
