Yet, mental health has taken a backseat in the whole pandemic response - with countless stats showing that mental health has taken a major dip across all demographics.įor some Ontario residents, their dwindling mental health was the only justification they needed to pack their bags. Think about it: for the past decade, the government has participated in a widespread initiative to drive home the all-too-real messaging that mental health is just as important as physical health. I’ve watched people hit absolute rock bottom (or below rock bottom, frankly) as I anxiously hung on by my own thread all winter long. TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA – JANUARY 14, 2021: PEOPLE WEARING MASKS, ON NEAR-EMPTY STREETS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC.Īs far as I’m concerned, the most dangerous and widespread byproduct is the resulting mental health crisis. Especially after seven months(!) of being told to stay in our homes by the monotone voices of officials. While lockdowns - if done properly (we’re looking at you, Australia) - aren’t without their merits when it comes to controlling the spread of a potentially deadly disease like COVID-19, they come at the cost of devastating collateral damage. Barts? Why can’t we see the data? Why don’t we have paid sick days? Do we live in a police state now? The list goes on (and on).īut the biggest and most important question for many is as relevant as ever: Why does Ontario have some of the strictest and longest-lasting lockdown measures on the entire planet?
Why are Costco and Walmart stores packed with people when independent flower shops and hardware stores are closed? Why did Doug Ford celebrate Mother’s Day with his family when he told us not to? Why was the (now former) finance minister in St. There have been head-scratching and debate-inspiring questions and concerns from the start of the COVID-provoked state of chaos in the province - ones that have diminished trust in elected officials for many people. It’s a sentiment reflected in group text message chats with friends, in casual conversations with the neighbours, and - increasingly - on social media. In fact, I know well over a dozen acquaintances from a wide range of backgrounds and professions that got out of dodge, relocating - even if temporarily - to “freer” pastures that included everywhere from Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas all the way to Mexico, Spain, and even Chile.Īt this point, it’s no surprise that many Ontarians from both ends of the political spectrum are fed up, defeated, or skeptical of seemingly arbitrary choices made in Ontario by the Ford government and other elected officials. In other words: Premier Doug Ford and his government’s handling of the pandemic essentially drove them out of the province - and with no regrets. For many, the move was always inevitable the pandemic simply acted as a catalyst.īut there are others, like Burton, who unexpectedly changed course and packed up their lives in favour of a more enriching and lockdown-free existence. And Toronto’s increasingly unattainable and dramatic housing market added to the appeal of parting with the urban core, as did a lockdown-inspired craving for more space to live and work – and maybe even a backyard. Naturally, a newfound, pandemic-inspired work-from-home culture (or from anywhere, really) facilitated this shake-up. “Many are Canadian COVID refugees.”Īs Toronto sits as a shell of what it once was, the past 15 months has seen an exodus of people from the city core to suburbia and beyond – sometimes across provincial and federal borders. “It’s ‘Toronto central’ down here,” she says. Life is amazing.”īurton is among a community of friends both old and new. “I’m in absolute heaven here,” says Shelly Burton from her new home in Nosara, Costa Rica.
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