LEADERS GIVE LOOKAHEAD
Call for citizens to `take pandemic seriously'
The dark pandemic-tainted days of 2020 might have morphed into a darker second wave to start the new year, but this area's top two municipal leaders believe there is reason for optimism and both see brighter days ahead in 2021.
“There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but it is a long tunnel,” said Essex County Warden Gary Mcnamara, who also serves as board chairman of the Windsor-essex County Health Unit.
“Even with the vaccine, we might be nine months away — I would think for at least six months we will really have to pay attention to what we are doing.
“But there is hope. I think by summer, with more people inoculated and virus subsiding, you will see some relief.”
There is no doubt 2020 was “daunting,” Mcnamara said.
“It helped us to notice the goodness in a lot of people — and the not so good,” he said. “It has been difficult for many people.
“The pandemic has opened up a lot of vulnerability in our society — not just here, but throughout the world.”
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens expressed confidence that as vaccines for the virus are deployed, residents locally will see an eventual return to some form of normality hopefully by the summer months.
“We are mired in the second wave and do have a ways to go,” he said.
“But as the vaccines arrive in greater numbers and everyone who needs one or wants one will have it in their arms, there is some optimism.”
A big step for residents in the Windsor area to feel better will come when the Canada-u.s. border reopens, allowing relatives and loved ones to fully reunite. Dilkens believes that could occur within months and may also provide a small economic boost.
“That has affected the psyche of a lot of people,” said Windsor's mayor, who estimates his office had received up to 1,000 emails last year from those upset about the closure and lack of exemptions.
“Especially in our city, you have grandchildren being born, funerals that have occurred and been missed, plus so many relationships that have been disrupted. For sure, (the border) will open again in 2021 — that will be a positive step in getting back to a normal life.”
But earlier suggestions of the second wave of the virus being worse than the first is presently reality for everyone in the Windsor area, Dilkens said.
“The next ... days will be critical for us on how it plays out,” he said. “Hopefully, if everyone does their part we can come out of this by summer. But we will need all hands on deck.
“There is a lot of pressure right now on the public health unit and hospitals in terms of workload. We all need to have a shared goal so we can move on and get back to normal.”
As Tecumseh mayor and county warden, Mcnamara said he tries his best “to encourage and install hope in people,” despite the current crisis.
“The problem is you have some individuals still to this day that don't believe COVID -19 is a real issue and government is suppressing their civil liberties,” he said. “We all have an individual responsibility to abate and control COVID-19, so that's extremely frustrating to see large gatherings or anti-mask folks.
“People say, `You are suppressing our civil rights, the virus won't happen to us, or it's not that bad and you just get the sniffles.' But we know in fact it's like Russian Roulette where one person might be OK, but the person next to you will die.”
In any decision of late, Mcnamara said he first surrounds himself with expertise of administrative staff, science and upper levels of government.
“Folks are struggling to make ends meet or keep their small business alive, so some days you do feel squeezed from both ends,” he said. “But most important is the health and safety of residents which must supersede everything.”
Among the positive actions taken by municipal leaders since the pandemic first hit last year, said Mcnamara, was adjusting municipal bylaws to allow for expanded outdoor patios and added hours for restaurants and bars, removing penalties or interest on late payments for electricity, water and taxes.
Dilkens expects many of those moves designed to aid small business and local residents will continue in 2021, while “economic realities” will have to be addressed by city council in the many tough decisions ahead based on available funds.
Virus-related government funding benefits will see an end to widespread programs, such as CERB, he predicts, with such supports instead moving into targeted sectors such as small business or service workers — like casino employees — who are suffering the most during the pandemic.
“Some people have been able to manage (financially) through the pandemic quite well,” Dilkens said. “They are still working, have fewer discretionary expenses and might even be a bit better off because they saved money.
“But for so many others, such as service workers, it has been 10 months now where they have gone without income. I think you will see governments of all levels target financial aid to those sectors hardest hit.”
Billions of dollars have been thrown at the pandemic-related problems by the federal and provincial governments and more will likely have to be spent, Mcnamara said.
Adverse mental-health impacts across Windsor and Essex County have also remained widespread, and coping has been “extremely difficult for people of all ages,” he said.
“If everybody would do what they need to, we might not be in the mess we are today,” the warden said. “Once (the virus) is in the four corners of our community, it's extremely difficult to roil it back. With every decision we make, we need to think about what we are doing.
“My heart goes out to folks infected innocently. It weighs heavily on my shoulders as it does for many mayors in our community. You hear from our police or EMS of going out to a house party where there are 20 or 30 people.”
If people entered a hospital or ICU unit and could see virus patients struggling, “they would see this is not a hoax,” Mcnamara said.
“If you don't want to take care of yourself, do it for your friends, family and neighbours,” he said. “It's disheartening there are still folks who don't understand the severity of the situation.
“But I do have hope in 2021 things will eventually ease — if each individual does their part and takes this pandemic seriously,” he added.