With the Canadian government considering invoking the Emergencies Act and much of the world on lock down, the majority of us can’t help but focus on our families, regardless of our personal feelings about the COVID pandemic. In my demographic, age 43, my biggest concerns about the reported epidemiology of COVID-19 falls to the older generation. I also cannot help but think about the selfishness that we are seeing from some of our fellow Canadians. Canadians trying to profit on hoarded hygiene supplies in a crisis is something that I did not think I would ever see, or ever want to hear about. But hoarding supplies and food unnecessarily, especially from local grocery stores, is just un-Canadian.
As a small business owner I can say first hand that the struggles many Canadians face right now are very real, and sadly most Canadians cannot afford to hoard. Further, there is really no need to hoard supplies because thankfully Canadians have rallied together as a whole, making great financial sacrifices to reduce the rate of viral spread, and we are already seeing the curve levelling off in Asia from similar efforts around the world. So one reality is that if everyone uses this time to not only be mindful about their own needs but also to be conscious about the needs of others in their communities then perhaps this “stay-cation” can be an incredible and painless learning experience for all of us. We need to be compassionate towards others and consider this an opportunity to take better care of ourselves and our planet (Reference Bill and Ted). Spend a few minutes considering how spoiled we are to live in such an amazing country, where 2 meters of distance between each other is the norm, and then perhaps this crisis can teach us and help us evolve. Also consider buying local and supporting small businesses in your communities so that they can hopefully survive this crisis. Most businesses on the Sunshine Coast are offering delivery or pick up services! I am working remotely from home.