November 2020
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November 2020 Pandemic Reflections on the Bus Island Health’s newest medical health officer Dr. Sandra Allison published an opinion editorial about riding the bus during the COVID-19 pandemic. NOVEMBER 26, 2020 As a public health physician in the middle of a global pandemic, some people are surprised I still use public transit to get me to and from work. Public transit is responsible, efficient, safe, climate aware and provides medium quality alone time. I usually listen to podcasts or loud music to gain some therapeutic advantage over the day’s busy schedule. The pandemic is such a stressful time for everyone. Riding public transit is a good test of the community’s fear and resilience and it is overall enjoyable with so much to see on any given day. I live in a temperate climate on the west coast of Canada, on Vancouver Island in a midsize city, and lots of people are still riding transit, heeding and disregarding precautions in their own way. And on this particular day, I sat on the bus, bobbing my head to Black Sabbath, I watched the masked man across from me curiously. It wasn’t raining that day, and while I was unzipped in my layers, I was feeling warm in my rain jacket and fleece, glad the window on the bus was open for ventilation; I was enjoying a bit of a breeze. This masked man across from me, looked a bit like Kenny from South Park. He had his rain gear on, hood up, buttoned tight, with his N95 mask, and his nervous eyes, darting side to side. He looked from his phone to the window, furtively, looking around the bus, at each rider. It’s still pretty easy to space yourself six feet by six feet on the bus and most people are wearing a mask. Only a few people wearing only a chin or mouth mask, with their nose particles flowing freely unimpeded. We have all seen them and wondered why they even bothered wearing a mask, probably just to ride the bus, I bet. But the man with the hood seemed nervous, darting eyes, fully zipped. Afraid. Coronavirus is a tenacious virus that readily infects people who don’t heed the basics. Those that spend time with someone who is infected, closely putting heads together, without masks, eating, talking, loving each other, like humans do. You could tell this wasn’t happening easily with the man in the hood. He was ready for anything, over protected in an N95 mask, nothing was penetrating his defences. While he sat there with eyes darting, he seemed to startle himself as he caught his reflection in the window. He began to unzip his layers: Rain Gear, Hoodie 1, Hoodie 2, all removed. I was surprised to see a young, university aged man, with a brown ponytail, still N95 masked. He fixed his hair in the reflection. He settled his multi-layers and hoods. And he smiled with his eyes at himself. I was smiling. I wonder if he saw. During times of fear, we can turn into people we don’t recognize. Hopefully if you glance at yourself and find someone else, you will take another look to see what you are afraid of, what you are baring your teeth at, zipping up to protect yourself from. If you find that during these terribly difficult times, that you are reacting in ways you never thought you would, lashing out, consider how fear is playing into your life, and how you might be responding out of fear, and what you could do differently. Being afraid at a time of uncertainty is not unexpected and being empowered with your own agency is important and healthy. Defeating this virus comes with some certainties. You can protect yourself by washing your hands and keeping your social contacts limited to those that are within your bubble. Keep a safe distance from everyone else. Wear a mask when you are out in public, and especially if you cannot maintain safe physical distance from others. Please recognize that we sometimes don’t know other people’s circumstances, there may be good reasons why they are unable to follow guidelines. We need to be generous with others in these difficult times. If you are finding your fear is overwhelming you and taking simple action seriously is not enough, consider whether anxiety is becoming something you should discuss with your primary care provider. If you are in crisis, call 1-888-494-3888 anytime. Fear, anxiety, uncertainty and loss of control. Sounds about right for the midst of a pandemic. Remember that fear makes us act differently, sometimes you may not even recognize yourself or your family members. You just might startle yourself when you look in the mirror. If that happens, take a moment to ground yourself. Peer carefully at yourself and your values. Are you aligned or are you afraid? Peel off those layers of defence and return to yourself and your core values. I hope the bus rider saw me smile with my eyes at him. Connection in society is protective, and with our current defences of masks and distancing, we may feel even more disconnected and fearful of each other. I have started to give a smile and a nod. Hopefully we can feel safe with each other if we all take our basics more seriously. We can control some of the fear that changes us for the worse and negatively affects our health, even if we don’t catch the COVID. If you feel like things are out of control and you are not sure what you can do to protect yourself from coronavirus, try to offset fear by taking control over some small actions in your life. Here are some things you can do to protect yourself that are really simple: Wash your hands Keep your distance from others, more than two metres or six feet Wear a mask in public places, especially if you can’t keep your distance from others, and if you are a healthcare worker always wear your PPE, and do not drop your defences. If you are sick, stay home, and seek coronavirus testing, seek emergency care if you are very sick. If your fears are overwhelming and more likely anxiety, contact your primary care provider Celebrating the New Operations and Maintenance Facility in Campbell River April 1, 2020, BC Transit opened the doors to a brand new, 10,000 square foot operations and maintenance facility for the Campbell River Transit System. Watch the celebration video here. 12/1/2020 BC Transit - Updates BC Transit For Partners BC Transit Unions Presented with United Way Spirit Award Nov 20, 2020 From left: Jean Barnes, Dave Ramsay, Tana Mackay, Kayla De Puit, Kirk Mercer, Chris Tolhurst, Erinn Pinkerton, Greg Connor United Way representatives were on hand at BC Transit headquarters on Monday, November 16, to present the United Way “Labour Partnership” Spirit Award to members of UNIFOR Local 333, CUPE 4500, and MoveUp. Dave Ramsay, United Way Director of Donor & Partner Relations, presented the award to Kirk Mercer, CUPE Regional Vice President, Vancouver Island, for CUPE, Chris Tolhurst, Tana Mackay and Jean Barnes for UNIFOR, and Kayla de Puit for MoveUp. BC Transit President and CEO Erinn Pinkerton, was on hand to give thanks to everyone who was involved in helping raise the donation. BC Transit, along with our union partners donated over $37,000 in support of the United Way and their work in helping children, youth, families and seniors in Greater Victoria. $28,930 of the donation money was raised from the payroll deductions program staff opted-in to. $8,270 was raised from other fundraising events including the Chili Cookoff, the online auction, and the food trucks. BC Transit, Unifor Local 333, CUPE 4500, and MoveUp are proud to have been able to support the United Way. We thank all of our staff who helped us raise the money for our community. We encourage all staff to continue participating in our many annual fundraising events and to opt-in to the payroll deduction program. For just $5 a paycheck, you can help make a difference in someone’s life. Award presentation. https://hub.bctransit.com/ex/i-connections?nid=1529710921859 1/10 12/1/2020 BC Transit - Updates Dave Ramsay presenting Kayla De Puit with Labour PartnershipSpirit Award for MoveUP. Dave Ramsay, presenting Jean Barnes, Tana Mackay, and Chris Tolhurst with Labour Partnership Spirit Award.for UNIFOR. Dave Ramsay presenting Kirk Mercer with Labour PartnershipSpirit Award for CUPE. Erinn Pinkerton thanking staff for their support. https://hub.bctransit.com/ex/i-connections?nid=1529710921859 2/10 12/1/2020 BC Transit - Updates Labour Partnership Spirit Award. https://hub.bctransit.com/ex/i-connections?nid=1529710921859 3/10 12/1/2020 BC Transit - Updates https://hub.bctransit.com/ex/i-connections?nid=1529710921859 4/10 12/1/2020 BC Transit - Updates https://hub.bctransit.com/ex/i-connections?nid=1529710921859 5/10 12/1/2020 BC Transit - Updates BC Transit For Partners Smarter routes are key to transit’s future Nov 12, 2020 It is 7:30 in the morning. Your 8 a.m. appointment in town was scheduled months ago and you know if you miss it, you will be waiting several more months to get in at another time. It’s a different bus route than the one you usually take to get to work, but you have looked it up online and are feeling condent about your travel planning. As you stand at the shelter eagerly anticipating the arrival of your bus, it’s unlikely that your number one concern is “I hope they have Wi-Fi” or “it would be great if there was a USB port at my seat.” In that moment, you care that your bus is on schedule and gets you where you need to be.