Brighter days ahead as Nova Scotia starts to emerge from COVID-19 shutdown
I’m feeling extremely positive. Why? Because 2021 is already shaping up to be a much better year than 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic that basically shut us all down last year no longer seems unbeatable. We have a vaccine, and not just one. There are now four vaccines approved for use. Supply is ramping up and the delivery delays that plagued the early part of the year are slowly disappearing.
Claims of the end being in sight seem more real now. Our new Premier, Iain Rankin, has announced all Nova Scotians interested in receiving a vaccine should have at least their first dose by June. That’s almost three months ahead of when we thought we might receive them.
Such a rapid building of immunity within the province means restrictions will continue to lift and businesses can start to recover from the economic downturn. Restaurants will be able to increase capacity and hours. Laid-off staff can look forward to be re-hired.
One of the biggest changes, at least for us here at My East Coast Experience, is the prospect of live, in-person events returning. The timing couldn’t be better. We have the Mosaic Music Festival of Arts and Culture scheduled for this September and the Mosaic Film Festival cued up right behind it in November.
Both events made a practically seamless transition to online last year, but it feels fantastic they should be able to welcome attendees in-person again this year. Planning is underway for both already and we’re expecting another great year.
These two great events will be followed in January of 2022 by our signature gala, celebrating the Most Inspiring Immigrants in Atlantic Canada. That’s a big change for us, in case you didn’t notice. Past galas covered only the Maritimes. This year, for the first time, we’re expanding to include Newfoundland.
“The Rock” is home to a vibrant and growing immigrant community, so it’s wonderful to be able to add this important fourth part to our celebration. The challenge now is to get the word out across the island as we open nominations and get those names pouring in.
The same optimism we’re feeling about 2021 is reflected in the April issue of My Halifax Experience. On our cover we have Christine Qin Yang, a young woman who came to Halifax from China to finish her education. While here she fell in love with the city and saw a chance to make a future for herself here. She was right.
We are also announcing the return of our international student bursary program and the launch of a new collaborative business venture in Lower Sackville. All this investment in the future is our way of showing we believe in a brighter future as we start to leave the pandemic behind and emerge into a better, stronger future.
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