CBC picks Canada's coldest jobs

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SUDBURY, Ontario, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said the country's four coldest winter jobs are mail carrier, construction worker, power line technician and dog musher.

The CBC said Sudbury, Ontario, mail carrier Mark Devitt spends five to six hours per day delivering mail, making 692 stops on an average day.

"It's [-44 degrees] with the wind here today and it's a regular business day," Devitt said. "It's just part of the job. We live in Canada. We know when we sign up that we're going to be delivering in the winter and this is just part of it."

Toronto construction worker Amador Briones and his colleagues spent Wednesday in a half-built condo tower amid -4 degree wind chill.

"Yesterday I was wearing five layers. This particular day it was six," he said.

Lance Jefferies, director of distribution operations for Hydro Ottawa, said his 120 power line technicians are taking steps to protect themselves from the cold when they go up in cherry pickers, which expose them to stronger winds.

"Our guys are equipped and dress warm, but we also take more frequent breaks," he said. "And we try to plan work accordingly -- if there's more setup work to do first thing in the morning or when it's colder we do so."

Jo Kelly, owner and operator of Qimmiq Kennels in Yellowknife, Northern Territories, said dressing well is the dog musher's key to braving the temperatures that feel like -44 degrees with the wind chill.

"We wear mukluks, we don't wear boots. We wear mittens, not gloves. So we've kind of got it down to a pretty good science," she said. "You learn to dress well and if you dress well the cold is really quite tolerable, and kind of enjoyable."