Building ‘a better society’
Chamber honours Niagara’s ex-medical officer of health on International Women’s Day
Dr. Robin Williams says last year was “a global fight for survival of humanity.”
“Such a cute little red-spiked ball that you see on the news all the time, this doggone COVID-19 that has just wreaked havoc with our lives,” said Williams, Niagara’s former medical officer of health, during an online Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce event Friday.
“The world has felt off kilter, off its axis. It’s like we’ve been in a world-wide cyclone.”
Currently a special adviser to Niagara Region’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force, she said the crisis has also brought women together. They’re sharing “the same fears and anxiety, as women — for our families, for our children, for our businesses, for our society.”
“We’re collectively exhausted … and we’re trying to regain our footing, and we will. We are resilient,” she said. “We will move forward with strength.”
Williams, a Niagara-on-the-lake resident, has spent the past nine months “deeply engaged” with provincial efforts to protect people from the spread of the coronavirus.
She was named winner of this year’s Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce International Women’s Day award during Friday’s event.
She said the past three months of her work has been focused on new vaccines that are now being distributed.
“Who would have thought last fall that we would have the option of three fabulous vaccines, and in fact a fourth that has just been approved,” she said, referring to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that received Health Canada approval Friday morning.
Those vaccines, she said, “are really a combination of Nobel Prize and Star Trek technology.”
Seasonal influenza vaccine, for instance, is only 30 to 40 pert cent effective.
“We’re now talking about vaccines that are 80 to 90 per cent (effective). This is really good news,” she said.
“Although we’ve been in a long, dark tunnel, there really is light coming and we are going to make our way through this. We have a very good line of sight in Canada and Ontario now on our vaccine supply, so stay tuned.
“We will emerge this spring from our cocoons and will face the unfolding metamorphosis, get back in to live the lives that we want to.”
In that post-pandemic world, she said, there will also be opportunities for improvement.
“This past year has changed absolutely everything. There’s not a single activity that is going to be the same as before,” she said.
“We’ve had a forced experiment, haven’t we? And out of that, we’ve had learnings and that will enable us to build a better society going forward.”
That message of mutual support and mentorship was echoed by SHEEO founder Vicki Saunders in her keynote address Friday.
Through her non-profit organization that provides interest-free loans to support women-led entrepreneurial ventures, Saunders said she has already begun working to address “super-biased” venture capital systems.
“If you’re actually going to transform and change things, you can’t just create a women’s version of the structures we have in place,” she said.
“We’re currently living in an economic model where the game is win at all costs. Winner takes all,” Saunders told her audience.
“That game, from my perspective, is played out. Right now, five men have the same wealth as half the planet. It’s over, now what?”
With the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, housebound people discovered the simple joy of disconnecting from their computers, tablets and smartphones and spending time in their own garden.
Ask any new or experienced gardener why they garden and you’ll get a variety of reasons why it’s important to them.
With spring right around the corner, Janet Kreft and the National Garden Bureau (www.ngb.org) offer the following reasons to garden:
Garden for safe, healthy food
Growing concerns about pesticides in our food supply have led to an increased interest in organic gardening and the availability of organic produce. An easy solution is to grow a few vegetables in your backyard. Start your own garden and know the food you’re eating is fresh, safe and has a fantastic flavour. Be selective, only grow the varieties you will enjoy eating. Feeling brave? Grow an unusual vegetable or fruit that you would like to try, but may never buy (or be able to find) at the grocery store.
Garden for exercise
Gardening activities provide both cardio and aerobic exercise. Studies show that an hour of moderate gardening can burn up to 300 calories for women, almost 400 calories for men. For older people, especially women, gardening can help reduce osteoporosis. Mowing the grass is like taking a vigorous walk, bending, and stretching to plant a garden compares to an exercise class, while hauling plants and soil is similar to weightlifting. And after you’re finished, you see immediate results in your garden even as your physical health improves. Fresh air, feeling the sun on your back and enjoying birdsong make gardening for exercise a pleasure.
Garden to add beauty
A house with a nice yard is a pleasure to look at and satisfying to live in. Your home can be made more inviting simply by adding a container of colour near the front door. Container grown herbs on patio or deck add freshness as well as flavour to daily meals. Trees and shrubs not only provide colour and shade, but shelter for birds and wildlife. Think of the garden as another room to be enjoyed whether you are inside or outside the house.
Garden to learn
Gardeners find that the more they learn about plants and gardening, the more they want to know. Plant problems provide the opportunity to find the cause and understand how to keep plants healthy. Adding a new garden provides opportunity to experiment and learn about new plants. There are a variety of ways to increase gardening know-how even when we can’t get out. Consider online resources, classes, webinars and gardening books on plants or garden design.
Garden to meet people
Whether it’s with someone who lives down the street or halfway around the world, gardeners love to talk about plants. Surplus tomatoes, a bouquet of flowers or an extra plant are gifts to be shared with friends and neighbours. Meeting other gardeners online through social media is an easy (and safe) way to share information, ask questions and get involved in these challenging times.
Garden to be creative
Gardening provides an outlet for creative and artistic expression. A garden’s design can reflect a personal sense of style such as a romantic cottage garden or a peaceful Japanese garden, as well as provide a showcase for art and sculpture. Like to try something new? With the wide variety of seeds and plants available, it’s easy to experiment with new vegetables or change a garden’s colour scheme every year. A garden also can serve as an impromptu studio for photography, sketching or creating garden crafts.
Garden for emotional needs and spiritual connections
Gardens play an important part in our well-being. A garden might serve as a tranquil retreat or private escape from the demands of everyday life. The beauty of flowers can lift spirits while pulling weeds can be a great release for stress and excess energy. A harvest of colourful flowers or tasty vegetables provides a sense of achievement and feelings of success. On a higher level, gardening provides a spiritual connection to life. It’s a miracle to take a tiny seed, nurture it and watch it grow into a beautiful flower or delicious food for your table. Tending a garden also contributes to improving your own living space, the environment and our planet.
Garden for lasting memories
Today’s kids are missing the joy of cutting a bouquet of flowers for their mom or tasting the sweetness of a cherry tomato picked right from the plant. Gardening is a fun activity that can be shared with children and grandchildren, even if the garden is a single container or a small garden in the yard. And a garden that includes special plants provides a beautiful way to remember a special person or time of life.