Thursday September 17, 2020 | ESQUIMALT, COLWOOD & METCHOSIN
by Mary P Brooke, Editor | Island Social Trends
People have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic across the community, says Mitzi Dean, MLA (Esquimalt-Metchosin) about the wide area she represents across Esquimalt, Colwood, Metchosin and parts of View Royal.
“People are worried about paying their rent or being laid off. Some are visiting food banks for the first time ever. Businesses that rely on tourism have been very concerned,” she told Island Social Trends in an exclusive interview this week.
But she also hears the good news, such as how some businesses (such as coffee shops and food outlets) have pivoted and increased their activity.
“It’s quite variable, the sad stories and the good Samaritan stories,” says Dean. She cites how some businesses are writing off invoices that other businesses can’t pay, or how people are showing up at a nursing homes and, child care centres with goodies in the safest way they can.
She is seeing the “patience and kindness that Dr Henry requires us to show to other”.
Community complexion shines through in COVID:
Now the MLA for over three years in Esquimalt-Metchosin, Dean observes that the impacts of COVID in her constituency cover the same range as the issues and concerns that existed pre-COVID, which she describes as “a mixture”…. “responses are different across the different communities”.
Dean notes that indigenous communities have a “very scary experience, different than other communities” when it comes to “pandemics and illnesses”.
Women are impacted by COVID in particular ways. “There is the stress and pressure of child care and having that burden of responsibility while having other responsibilities,” says MLA Dean. She notes that women might also be juggling working from home, taking care of elderly relatives, and being under the expectation of returning to work as COVID wears on. “It’s a really significant burden,” says Dean, who is also the BC Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity.
Traffic and getting outdoors:
Traffic congestion has lessened during the pandemic this year, the MLA notes.
Meanwhile, getting outdoors for that fresh air and physical distancing that is so important in the pandemic is easy in the Esquimalt-Metchosin riding. “We are very blessed to have a lot of parks, coastline and outdoor spaces. Those are important in more built up urban areas that don’t have a backyard, or for people who live in a condo have wanted to come out to be in the fresh air,” says Dean.
Economic recovery:
Small businesses making their way through the pandemic have received some attention from chambers of commerce and the South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP) has developed an economic task force on which Dean has been participating. SIPP has 11 sub committees that have been looking at different dimensions of stimulus and recovery.
Today September 17 Premier John Horgan and Finance Minister Carole James will announce a new economic recovery package for BC.
Economic recovery includes addressing how people will retrain and likely move from one sector to another. “That will take longer to recover, some will take longer than others. But we will help them shift and move over into jobs that are being created,” said Mitzi Dean.
She was pleased, this summer, that the local farmer’s markets could make local fresh produce available to the community.
Local collaboration:
“Collaboration of all levels of government benefits everybody that we all serve,” says Mitzi Dean, who as MLA also met weekly with the Mayor of Colwood and Randall Garrison, MP. Covering the municipal, provincial and federal scope of things that have impacted Colwood (in this case) during the pandemic, has been helpful to all.
“I appreciated that we all made time for that. It meant that we kept better informed about prorgrams and what was happening in our community as well as hearing from different people in the community. The trio heard about and discussed the tourism sector, people’s thoughts about Ocean Boulevard being open or closed, and different areas of concern and interests that people in the community have.”
“We all have offices that are responding to inquiries in the community all the time. We would check in with each other,” said Dean, who would hear weekly about federal programs in these fast-changing COVID times, and what the municipality has been doing. “This gives a better understanding of all the programs.”
Remembrance Day coming up in November will be different during COVID this year, but Dean says plans are in the works with the Esquimalt municipality, Garrison’s office, and the DND base.
COVID in flu season:
Part of health management during the expected second wave of COVID-19 this fall is for people to get their flu shots.
Mitzi Dean recently visited the Rexall Drugstore at 1511 Admirals Road in View Royal to learn how pharmacists are gearing up for administering flu shots in the upcoming fall-winter respiratory illness season.
Flu shots are available free to seniors, children over age six months, pregnant women, anyone whose health is other comprised, people visiting in long term care homes, and anyone who is caring for an individual who is in any way health compromised for flu.
