National Post (National Edition)
Downtown, Regina
Brandon Harder, Regina Leader-Post
A cold gust drags a folder full of documents across 11th Avenue.
Its contents might’ve been precious a few weeks ago, but today no one is chasing them.
Dressed in a heavy green parka, an old man watches vacantly as the folder blows open and the papers it held swirl on the sidewalk in front of him.
He pays this about as much mind as he pays to the nearby Cornwall Centre mall.
Foot traffic in and out of the normally bustling shopping centre is lethargic. And as the breeze rises and subsides, it’s almost as if the building itself is wheezing.
Many people take merely a quick glance at the doors and walk on by. Most are walking alone.
As the sun labours to bore a hole in the low slate overhead, jacket collars are held shut against the weather.
One woman holds her hand over her mouth. It’s unclear as to whether this is a defence against getting sick or being sick.
At the bus stop, those waiting for a lift are eyeing passing pedestrians. The look is one part curiosity, one part suspicion, and suggests that to be down here today, one ought to have business.
But then, it’s not who is at the intersection that’s of much interest. It’s who is not.
Nobody is wondering why those teens aren’t in school. They’re wondering where the teens are, because they aren’t in school.
Backpacks trump briefcases. The white collar set must have abandoned the nearby office towers.
And as for where the panhandlers have gone, it’s anyone’s guess. But their absence isn’t much of a mystery.
Today, even the most generous can justify choosing the other side of the street.