Opinion

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced some pretty hot takes from anti-vaxxers and “freedom” truthers. Here’s another hot take and it comes from “Simon in Toronto,” who wrote me to complain about one of my recent columns.

Editor: First of all, let me be very clear that I believe Dr.

Editor: The longer you are in an environment where you are exposed to a virus, the higher the likelihood you will catch it.

Editor: For return to school in the fall, the government and school districts need a new approach. The COVID-19 pandemic will be with us for at least another 18 months and that's if there is a speedy and effective vaccine.

Editor: My grandmother, who’s 85 and on a fixed income, had her Shaw bill shoot up nearly $100 because her “promotions ended.” Her normal bill for the last two years has been $138, including taxes, and is now over $220.

The City of Burnaby takes a lot of heat, but they do get things right. One thing it did during the COVID-19 pandemic was make the Deer Lake trail a one-way path.

Editor: This is not meant to criticize well-run long-term care facilities, of which there are many. However, there are countless centres that are disgraceful, in every respect.

Hating on food app companies and drivers in Burnaby is pretty easy to do. They do provide a valuable service, especially to people with disabilities, but how they operate is pretty damaging.

As the horror stories continue to come out of Ontario and Quebec long-term care homes, it is worth noting that B.C. health authorities made a series of critically important decisions that likely averted similar outcomes here.

I stepped foot into Burnaby’s biggest mall – Metropolis at Metrotown – on Friday afternoon and had mixed feelings about what I saw. Many of the stores have reopened slowly, but some are still closed. No Victoria’s Secret shopping for me that day.