Something unusual happened the other day. A plane flew overhead. A big one, a commercial passenger jet of some kind. It was a clear afternoon in Toronto and we could see it clearly. Everyone in the park stopped to look as it climbed and headed off toward the northeast.
History books tell us of the shock people felt when confronted with new technologies for the first time. Automobiles. Heavier-than-air flight. Electricity. Steam locomotives. In more modern times, I clearly remember the day I first tried that newfangled internet thing. It seemed magical.
Humans are adaptable. What is wondrous and intimidating at first becomes mundane in short order. But the pandemic has shown us that the reverse is also true: what was once routine can become astonishing again after being gone for only a few short months.
Not gone entirely, of course. Even in the worst days of the pandemic, some flights continued in and out of Toronto. Though Q2 data is not yet available, the Greater Toronto Transit Authority told me by email that their Q1 numbers showed a 17 and 16 per cent drop in international and domestic passengers respectively from the year before — a pretty big swing considering it was only in mid-to-late March that the pandemic really hit here.
[Interesting Read]
See Also:
(1) Report finds systemic racism and discrimination at Human Rights Museum
(2) Insolvency filings fall at record pace as consumers, businesses cling to government support
(3) COVID-19 is forcing people to take stock of their lives — and their financial goals are changing
(4) Five months in, the pandemic has triggered a collective mental health crisis in Canada
