The summer of 2020 will go down in history

How COVID changed everything

By Jerrison Oracion, Senior Columnist

The year 2020 will be one that cements itself into history books and won’t be soon forgotten. A lot of major events happened this year so far that have changed our everyday life.

The coronavirus pandemic is still happening with 27 million cases worldwide. On top of that, many famous people passed away this year, including recently deceased Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman who passed away after his silent years long battle with colon cancer.

Sharing the stage with those events were other major incidents that pushed things out of control and unexpectedly changed the way that we think not only about various issues but various people as well. During the early days of the pandemic, British Columbia responded early with most people practicing social distancing which led to low case amounts, making Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry seem successful throughout her updates. However, when there was a surge of mass gatherings throughout the summer, and people calling her back to school plan and provincial back to school ad “unrealistic,” it caused people to distrust and doubt her authority. Based on the information about the back to school plans in the provincial government’s website, it looks like that ad might be accurate, but it will depend on when it takes place.

During the pandemic, there was an increased amount of reporting on racist incidents in the Lower Mainland, especially on Asian Canadians located in Chinatown. Systemic racism got more attention and caused much debate after the George Floyd incident, leading to protests in the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world. My suggestion for a solution to police brutality is to reform police procedures on how officers handle incidents to reduce discrimination and by creating more welfare and mental health programs.

While Canada did a great job handling the pandemic, the federal government’s handling of the WE Charity scandal changed the way that we think about people in government, which led to Bill Morneau stepping down as the minister of finance. Another thing that happened this summer were the allegations from staff members in Rideau Hall that Governor General Julie Payette bullied them, which caused me (and perhaps many others) to change my views on her.

With 2020 almost over, there may be more major events that could change everything again.