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October was an exciting and spooky month. However, in all this excitement, it is easy to miss some of the most important events impacting our world, our country, our province, our city and our campuses. In this section, we focus on some of the things you might have missed or want to learn more about. From politics, to sex, to rent, to good food, these snippets will give you an idea of what is going on, how it could be impacting you, and places to go to for more knowledge. This short section provides some support in difficult times, inspiration for date night, or a new topic for an ongoing conversation. Whatever you find in this section, we hope that you GOOGLE it!

John Horgan and the BC NDP have won the BC election. Over the next few weeks, they will form a cabinet and begin plans to recall the Legislature so that they can have a fall session to get back to the business of government. The likely top priority items are the continuing response to the pandemic, dealing with the homelessness crisis, and introducing the thousand-dollar benefit for every British Columbian family.

The BC Liberal Party is looking for a new leader after the results of the provincial election. Possible candidates are Diane Watts, Michael Lee, Todd Stone, Jas Johal and Mike De Jong, with Lee and Watts being the frontrunners. Stone and Johal are seen as candidates from the party’s left wing, Lee is viewed as a middle ground candidate, and Watts and De Jong can be considered members of the party’s right wing.

While Christmas is fast approaching, the Vancouver Christmas Market is not. Because of concerns around COVID-19, the long running market has been cancelled. What other Christmas traditions have disappeared out of the need to protect public health? (CBC News 2020)

This is now the time when people start looking at buying holiday gifts, and it’s a difficult season for families and businesses alike. Most people’s net income levels have seen a serious drop since the start of COVID-19, and this drop has been larger for small business owners. While Christmas for many businesses is the busiest season, with people having to pinch metaphorical pennies, will businesses see a boost? If they don’t, how does that impact our local economy?

The City of Burnaby and other municipalities in Greater Vancouver are attempting to move towards a unified definition for heavy vehicles. With the amount of construction and large load shipments that occur in Greater Vancouver, this has the potential to impact millions of dollars of business. A new definition would allow the Metro Vancouver area to better regulate and govern which types of vehicles can access specific streets and neighbourhoods of the city. (Campbell 2020)

Transport Canada instituted a guideline change several years ago that forced lower deck ferry commuters onto the passenger decks. To combat the pandemic, those rules were changed to temporarily allow ferry riders to stay in their cars. Despite requests from the BC Government, the rules were changed again, leading to crowded passenger decks during rush hour leaving little room for social distancing. Will Transport Canada listen to BC or will this just be another case of central Canada ignoring the west?

Recent market studies have shown that sex toys and other sex related merchandise sales have gone through the roof during the pandemic. Are people becoming more experimental with their sex lives because of the pandemic, or are people simply trying to get through the long hard boredom? (Toronto Sun 2020)

Vancouver Magazine has named “Boulevard” as the best restaurant in Vancouver. This upscale restaurant is likely out of the price range for most students. The best casual and affordable restaurants are Downlow Chicken Shack, HK BBQ Master, and Chancho Tortilleria. What are some of your favourite places to eat? Contact jvdriesum@bcitsa.ca to let us know! (Vancouver Magazine 2020)

One of the major promises of the BC election campaign by the BC NDP was a one-year rent freeze starting in 2021. It is important to know which types of rentals will be affected, and if this freeze will last more than a year, as a vaccine and effective distribution of that vaccine could still be more than a year away. Further, with an already unaffordable housing market in Vancouver and Victoria, why was such a move not considered earlier?

In Nova Scotia there has been ongoing confrontations between Mi’kmaq fisherman and non-indigenous fisherman who are angry with the Mi’kmaq fisherman over their historic fishing rights. The fishermen are claiming these rights have led to a decrease in the overall available fishing population, though scientific research contradicts this claim. These complaints are racially charged and ignore the primary role that large-scale commercial fishing has played in the reduction of the Atlantic ocean’s fish population. Is there a solution to this conflict, or is the racial and economic resentment being expressed by the fishermen simply irrational and frankly racist anger being thrown at an innocent target? (Toronto Sun 2020)

Canada continues to see an uptick in COVID-19 cases. While the major trouble spot is currently Quebec, with a provincial uptick in BC, the New Year is a huge unknown. Will we have to go back into full lockdown if a vaccine is not produced? And with nearly a year in lockdown, how much more can people and the economy take?

Immigration to the city of Vancouver has dropped 11 percent from where it was this point last year and the city has even seen a small net loss in population. The increase in available space, as well as the economic hit people are facing because of COVID-19, has made the city of Vancouver seemingly more affordable as the average apartment cost has dropped roughly 15 percent. The reality is that people are losing equity in their homes, large portions of their income, and their overall job security, making changes in affordability and living an unknown. With many Canadians out of work or living on reduced incomes, is the reduction in immigration really what is changing Vancouver’s net affordability? (O'Brien 2020)