The four seasons: Summer, fall, back to school and COVID-19

By Maureen McEwan

We’re really in this now, aren’t we? It depends on how you count, but it has been roughly six months since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Canada.

In late January, the first Canadian cases were confirmed in Ontario. In February, positive cases were found in three provinces — British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. By March, community transmission was beginning to take hold. If you’re like me, you may consider early March to be the more concrete timeline because that’s when the global pandemic hit home. Ottawa Public Health confirmed the city’s first case of COVID-19 on March 11. Within days, we were facing municipal and provincial shutdowns, more federal and public health mandates and border closures.  

I’m focusing on the timeline because time is at the heart of the September issue. Throughout the paper, you’ll notice that we’re juggling the start of the school year, the seasonal transition from summer to fall and the ongoing COVID-19 waves and stages. 

Our Community News section weaved together local, provincial and even international news. We have a piece that looks at the uncertain road to reopening our schools. We’ve got a heartwarming story on a local bakery’s efforts to raise money for the victims of Beirut’s deadly Aug. 4 blast. We spent some time reconnecting with the Westboro Region Food Bank and hearing about their superb team of volunteers. The Westboro Community Beach Association gave us an update on the important initiatives they’ve been leading during the pandemic.  

Our community photos feature some of the local makers behind the masks across the ward. 

West End Studio Tour (WEST) will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this month. We learned how the organizers have adapted the event to run a safe, and physically distant, local art tour this year.  

The evolution of Scott Street, one of our oldest roadways, is the subject of discussion in Early Days. There’s lots of history to be had on the three-kilometre streetscape in Hintonburg.  

In this month’s Humans of Kitchissippi, we connected with Vicky Marrack and learned more about her family. 

And our fall edition of Homes & Condos is out! There’s stories on optimizing your outdoor spaces (yes, in autumn!), custom furniture, home tech trends and more.  

So farewell, summer. 

Welcome, fall. 

All the best, students. 

And stay safe, everyone. 

We’ll always be here to weather the seasons with you, dear readers.