2020 Reflections

I’ve never been that interested in the celebration of the New Year. While I stay up until midnight, I don’t spend much time thinking about the entire year and usually don't have a resolution for the new year. Obviously, this year has been different. Therefore, I wanted to share a few of my reflections on 2020.

I cannot begin to imagine how hard this year has been on many people. I know many people who have lost family and friends to COVID-19. I know many people who have lost their jobs for some or all of 2020. Although I had people in my immediate family experience negative financial impacts due to the pandemic, I have been very fortunate to have a steady job that is in place until October 2021 and I have not experienced loss in my family due to COVID-19.

As we move into 2021, we have to remember that the health and financial impacts of the pandemic won't disappear tomorrow. There are families who haven’t been able to properly grieve and there are people who still don’t know where their next paycheque will come from. Others are struggling with their mental health as they have not been able to connect with people in the same ways as before.

While there have been many challenges, what I’m going to remember the most from 2020 is how so many people across this city, province, and country came together to help each other out. 2020 showed us what we are capable of when we are working together to overcome challenges.

Crestwood Community League started offering to deliver groceries to those who were unable to leave their homes due to the health risk. Their community league President, Diana Steele, then started connecting with surrounding leagues to expand those services to reach even more people and help anyone in their communities. Local businesses like Andy’s IGA helped to support that work. It was a wonderful example of people in a community identifying a need and stepping up to fill it as quickly as possible.

LaPerle Community League created daily themes so that residents, especially the children, could create art to decorate their homes and provide neighbours with the chance to safely travel the community to see the daily creations. It provided the community with an opportunity to explore their community and develop stronger connections, even when people weren’t able to come together. This was supplemented by a regular video, Books with Bill (Bowers), who serves as the community league president. He would read a book live on Facebook for the kids in the community and was yet another example of how people could stay connected.

Westend Seniors Activity Centre had to transform the way they serve seniors. Not being able to run in-person programs didn’t stop that team from finding ways to help support seniors. They transitioned quickly to provide online programming but they also partnered with Drive Happiness to help deliver necessities to seniors who were unable to easily leave their homes. They started up a food delivery program as they identified a need based on their ongoing work. Their Executive Director, Haidong Liang, and the entire team have been able to continue supporting seniors even through a very different year.

I could write pages of examples like the three listed above because so many Edmontonians knew there were family members, friends, neighbours, and complete strangers who needed help and they stepped up to provide that support. I know that it’s easy to forget about all the incredible examples and focus on the small percentage of people who haven’t been as focused on the common good but it is worth reminding people that it truly is a very small number of people who make that group. That group might seem large because a voice can more easily be amplified on social media but there are far more people who came together to help others because they know that is simply the right thing to do.

While I wasn’t able to go out door-knocking over the last month, or the first few months of the pandemic, I did have the opportunity to continue my regular tradition of door-knocking during the summer recess and a few other months in 2020. What I found when talking with people at their doors, in a physically distant way, was that the spirit of working together to help others was in almost every person I spoke with. On top of that, that spirit even existed in those who did lose someone close to them or with those who lost their jobs. It was inspiring to see that spirit in action almost every day in 2020.

This year has shown us that we are capable of perseverance in the face of significant adversity.

This year has shown us the heights we can reach when we work together.

That desire to come together to help our community was one of the most encouraging parts of 2020 and I know that will continue on into 2021 and beyond because that is who Edmontonians are.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I wish you and your family a very Happy, Healthy, and Safe New Year.