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Worrisome time amid a pandemic

Huge drain on finances, rising criminal activity among the concerns
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Police have been kept busy dealing with a crime spree throughout the pandemic in North Cowichan/Duncan and elsewhere. (Photo by Don Bodger)

Many odd things have been happening since COVID-19, the greatest health crisis in a century, reared its ugly head.

One issue that still doesn’t make total sense is the ridiculous increase in the cost of a home and the corresponding rapid rise of lumber prices in the midst of a construction and development boom.

Logic tells you people would need to pinch their pennies, but the opposite has been true. While the restaurant, tourism and entertainment industries have been hit hard, the fact remains most of the trades are flourishing and many businesses simply aren’t experiencing a slowdown.

You’d think normalcy will have to happen because the average house price on Vancouver Island simply isn’t realistic to maintain at this level. When there is a slowdown or a price drop, some people heavily invested in the market are going to be hit hard.

While the pandemic should have been consuming our daily lives, criminals who obviously aren’t concerned about the possible spreading of the virus are running amok.

No matter what the statistics show, crime is up just about everywhere over these last 16 months. Many incidents are simply going unreported.

The gang war on the Lower Mainland has gotten out of control during this time. Health matters should be overriding the need to stockpile guns, peddle drugs and battle over turf, but these people are living on another planet.

The stabbing and shooting incidents have spilled over into our smaller communities and it’s hard to get a grasp on why this is happening with such frequency.

Thefts are on the increase as well, as if there’s been a sudden call for anyone who feels like it to take other peoples’ property. It shouldn’t be like that, especially in our small towns, but there are obviously other factors at play that are a reflection of our society today.

The time and energy emergency personnel have also needed to spend on victims of the opioid crisis is alarming.

All in all, it’s a crazy time and a bounce back from COVID once the large majority are vaccinated still seems like the least of our worries.



Don Bodger

About the Author: Don Bodger

I've been a part of the newspaper industry since 1980 when I began on a part-time basis covering sports for the Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle.
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