I spent part of my childhood in a similar place in far northern BC. The north-south orientation of the valley we were in prevented much winter sun from hitting

I spent part of my childhood in a similar place in far northern BC. The north-south orientation of the valley we were in prevented much winter sun from hitting the town. On top of that, there was an asbestos mine nearby and sometimes when they were blasting up at the mine site, dust would settle on the town. Once the mine closed, the town was basically erased and everyone left.