What makes a community? Is it homes for people to live in? Relationships with other community members? Coming together to enjoy shared activities and experiences? Supporting one another when times are tough? I would argue that the best communities boast all of these aspects, and by that measure Southern Georgian Bay has grown ever stronger as a community. But we may be tested in the coming weeks and months.
As this issue went to press, the COVID-19 virus was causing concerns. We had our first diagnosed cases in our area, and many events and activities were being cancelled out of an abundance of caution. Our article in this issue about local arts and culture venues will, we hope, be widely read.
Many events at these venues were being cancelled as we went to press, so please check their websites and Facebook pages for updates. Once things are back to normal, people will want more than ever to get out and enjoy a show, and our wonderful venues will be ready as always to draw the community together.
As a sidebar to our story on local venues, you can read about a grassroots group that wants to build a new state-of-the-art entertainment facility in Collingwood. This is an exciting prospect and one the whole community can get behind.
Also in this issue of On The Bay, we present our annual roundup of real estate and development throughout our region. There’s no question that more and more people want to live in this four-season paradise, and as a result resale homes remain scarce and a record number of new home developments are moving in to fill the gap.
Buyers are having to look farther afield to find a home that fits their needs and budget. Meanwhile, our municipal governments are being called to ensure that our community is affordable for everyone, including service workers, young professionals and working families. Add to that the increased need for infrastructure such as roads (with bike lanes), public transit, schools and hospitals, and it’s clear that we have work to do to ensure that Southern Georgian Bay can sustain the demands of an ever-growing population.
Our hospitals are especially important right now, and we are blessed to have some of the best and most dedicated doctors, nurses and staff on the front lines looking after our health. The best way we can help them help us through this is to maintain ‘social distance,’ limit travel and self-isolate as much as possible. All of the experts agree that these measures can potentially keep the spread and severity of COVID-19 to a minimum, protect those most vulnerable, and keep our hospitals, healthcare professionals and equipment from being overwhelmed.
These are challenging times, but after 20 years as a proud member of this community, I know we can make it through this newest challenge as a community and come out the other side stronger than ever. Remember that this too shall pass, remember your humanity, and most of all, remember to wash your hands! ❧
