Canadians are rolling out of their pandemic bear dens this spring eager to cast off the insulating cloaks of isolation, many venturing forth to gather for the first time in two years. Masks are optional, ‘social distancing’ is no longer a thing and ‘passports’ are only needed at borders once more.
But there’s no denying a palatable taste of trepidation and misadventure in the air as the majority defy the looming threat of the 6th wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Schools across the province, it needs to be said, are a dumpster fire of absenteeism due to illness, as are a growing number of hospitals in various provinces. While less fatal, the highly transmissible variants are impacting exponentially more people with staffing deficits compounding pandemic challenges.
In the far off distance, we can hear the muted screams of Chinese residents going mad in the midst of unwavering shutdowns – an eerie ghost of pandemic future or past, we’re not quite sure.
Historians and public health officials will note that Western society will not stand for two consecutive seasons of restrictive cautions and perhaps not even one voluntarily, after much trust was eroded this go around.
Last night, the North Bay Capitol Centre was fairly full for the 2022 Just for Laughs Roadshow, with a fair number also patronizing downtown restaurants and bars as part of a rare night out.
The comedians more than met the challenge with Adam Christie revving up the crowd and Jarrett Campbell ‘killing it’ with a razor-sharp set before the first intermission. They had a lot of sarcastic fun with the fact their career success so far has led to a Tuesday night gig on the outskirts of cultured society. At one point, Campbell noted his ‘country boy’ beginnings and asked how many in the audience considered themselves in the same vein. When few reacted, he laughed at the thought so many considered themselves city folk, joking North Bay proper rates as a “village at best.”
Laurie Kilmartin likely won’t brag about her set in North Bay, although nobody was getting bad reviews with fans of the chuckle arts in such a starved state. Personally, I cringed as she got real about her mother’s COVID death at the pandemic outset, joking she only wished her Trumpish mom lived long enough to scoff at the vaccine before getting fatally infected. Some of her Americanisms didn’t sail as well here as they might elsewhere.
Randy Feltface, the Aussie puppeteer, was top of the line for sure. He’s an obvious master of the craft with a crisp and agile wit teasing a wary ‘woo-hoo’ audience member as well as poking fun at Christie’s crowd work.
It felt almost normal, a shade removed from what passed for reality in the pre-COVID-19 world that was 2019.
Truth be told, I stopped wearing a mask in most public spaces soon after the mandates were removed several weeks ago. My first foray ‘sans face diaper’ was at the Nipissing Lakers hockey playoffs. It felt a little like being a nudist on a Victorian-era beach, with more than one set of fearful and questioning eyes catching mine to see if I was one of those “anti-somethings” or just a regular selfish kind of person.
I also attended three of the Powassan Voodoos playoff game at the Sportsplex, noting there were more maskless fans each time – although the parents of southern Ontario players were steadfast when it came to protective coverings.
Not sure I should admit it publicly but I actually shook a few hands the past couple of weeks, although the instinct to wash the paw was overwhelming soon afterwards. Even gave an old friend a bro-hug after not crossing paths since we started learning the Greek alphabet again.
For Easter, the often-needled and COVID-veteran family gambled with an afternoon gathering of well-travelled relatives eating shoulder to shoulder. The biggest concern wasn’t viral-related, vying for top concern was the mistaking of chili pepper for dry roasted red pepper flakes on the green beans, and the debate over which gluten-free dessert was the most disgusting.
The epitome of normalcy, layered with a healthy portion of foreboding – kept in check by the desire to project calm courage and the shrug of shoulders: “We’ve got to try living with it, right?”
It’s not at the point where a cough and sneeze go unnoticed or anything, although we’re not jumping back two paces when we hear the tell-tale sign of a slightly-raspy voice and someone sneaking a quick sniffle as we did a year ago.
Of course, just by sharing the above, there’s a higher likelihood I’ll end up with my first dose of “Da Covid” this weekend, the cosmic reward for daring to lower my guard somewhat and see what it’s like to flex that freedom to associate.
Did I agree with the province dropping mandates in March knowing another wave was brewing? Should senior elementary and secondary schools have gone maskless after the Spring Break? I wish it wasn’t done for political posturing and on the heels of the fake ‘truckers convoy’ campaign. It was a bit like not taking the entire prescription of antibiotics and maybe another couple of weeks of precautions could have helped the overall situation. I think it was like “Will Smithing” healthcare workers, in a way, and more than a slap in the face for the vulnerable.
For the record, I have worn my mask when entering the lobby and elevators of apartment buildings and will continue to do so knowing even a regular cold is not something to share these days.
I suspect there are bigger tests coming. Pushing the pandemic envelope, North Bay is opening up full steam ahead tomorrow (Thursday, April 21). The Gateway City is all-in with Cascade Casino’s grand opening, Battalion hockey playoffs starting against the Ottawa 67s, the Downchild Blues Band is flip, flop and flying at the Capitol Centre and Theatre Canadore is opening a three-night run of the ironically-timed Orphans for the Czar.
As I was sipping my 626 Pilsner during the intermission of the comedy show, I stood with my back against the wall and scanned the crowd. Without my specs and an early 4/20 vibe, it was mostly fuzzy beyond 50 feet but I could feel an interesting aura of bravado – almost a parody of the real courage on display in Ukraine. So many souls with different views and perspectives gathered to live together despite the dangers involved.
Popping into my thoughts was William Shakespeare’s play Henry V, with the iconic line, ‘Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more …’ as King Henry tried to motivate the farmers-turned-fighters before the Battle of Agincourt.
It contrasted poorly with the less-than-inspirational pandemic speeches we’ve been graced with recently, yet the message is similar:
You may as well go down fighting, and like the historic English victory in France, we might just fluke another win for the Commonwealth.
Dave Dale is a veteran journalist and columnist who has covered the North Bay area for more than 30 years. Reader responses meant as Letters to the Editor can be sent to [email protected]. To contact the writer directly, email: [email protected] or check out his website www.smalltowntimes.ca
