(MAURICE BRUNEAU / CHRISD.CA FILE)
In the midst of southern Manitoba’s deep freeze, there’s little comfort in sitting inside a cold vehicle waiting for it to heat up.
Winnipeg was hovering around the -30°C mark on Monday, with an added wind chill making it feel closer to -45°C by late afternoon.
Vehicle owners who park their cars outside — and don’t have the luxury of using a garage — have been considering their options.
Chris Rees, general manager of Absolute Autoguard on Keewatin Street, says the demand for remote starters has spiked since the extreme cold spell set in back in December.
“We have seen a surge of people calling, visiting our website and stopping by to inquire about or purchase a remote starter,” Rees said. “Since the temperatures dropped dramatically, it’s been a steady increase of about 25% since this time last year and it’s keeping us very busy.”
Rees said remote starters are also being integrated to work with smartphone technology, allowing the traditional remote to be replaced with an app.
If shelling out a couple hundred dollars to outfit your vehicle with a remote starter isn’t in your budget, Environment Canada says the city can look forward to single digit highs beginning Friday and into the weekend.
