A major Canadian insurance company has this advice for those who are planning to be away for more than 7 consecutive days:

“During this winter, you need to take certain precautions to prevent your pipes from freezing and ensure your home is covered for water damage. If you plan to be away for more than 7 days, you should:

• Have someone check your home every couple of days to ensure it’s properly heated.
• Turn off and completely drain all water from your plumbing system.

Yo reduce your chance of break-in:

• Make the house look like it’s being lived in by using timers to automatically turn lights on and off.
• Have someone pick up the mail and check the house
• stop your newspaper subscription
• Make arrangements to have your snow shoveled or grass cut