Nova Scotia·NewSome CBU students say they’ve never experienced a Canadian winter behind the wheel. Some CBU students say they’ve never experienced a Canadian winter behind the wheel Erin Pottie · CBC News · Posted: Nov 22, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Const. Gary Fraser of the Cape Breton Regional Police was one of two officers who gave a presentation on winter driving safety to about a dozen international students at Cape Breton University. (Erin Pottie/CBC)International students at Cape Breton University got some tips this week on how to drive in the Canadian winter.The lessons were given by members of the Cape Breton Regional Police and were open to all students. Gerome Beaver Simeon, a business management student from the Philippines, is preparing for his first year of winter driving after purchasing a car a couple of months ago. “I came from a country which has no winters, right?” said Beaver Simeon, who is in Canada as a post-baccalaureate student. “It changes a lot of things, especially in handling the car.“It tends to become more slippery. You tend to hydroplane more. In terms of visibility, you don’t get to see much unlike in the summer or in a country without snow.”Students like Beaver Simeon not only learned from police how to better handle snowy roadways, but also how to prepare their vehicles in case it goes off the road in a storm.There are just over 4,900 people studying at CBU, with international students making up 55 per cent of the student population.“You don’t get to see this kind of snow anywhere else,” Beaver Simeon said. “And if you learn how to deal with it, you’re probably going to be a good driver out there.”Black ice, studded tiresKaramjit Singh Guru, a business analytics student, said he didn’t know anything about black ice and studded tires before moving to Cape Breton from India 11 months ago. He’s been a driver for about 25 years, but he said it’s important to know each region’s road regulations.“It always helps because you’re driving in new terrain and to have somebody who can … lay it out for you in a certain sense it does help to be safe on the roads,” Guru said. The event held Wednesday was organized by Cape Breton University’s student affairs department. Organizers said there are plans to hold more sessions next semester that not only cover winter driving, but also how to dress for winter or how to avoid being scammed online.MORE TOP STORIES ABOUT THE AUTHORErin Pottie is a CBC reporter based in Sydney. She has been covering local news in Cape Breton for more than 20 years. Story ideas welcome at erin.pottie@cbc.ca.
Cape Breton police give winter driving tips to newcomers
