In late 2019, I could not have predicted the economic calamity that COVID-19 would soon bring to Halifax. In the spring of 2020, I could not have predicted the astounding rebound that we would enjoy through the remainder of the year and into 2021. I could not have predicted that our daily case-count charts would spike skyward in December and that once again I would be working from my basement while my kids attend their classes upstairs via Chromebooks.
There are a few things that we do know, however, both good and bad.
As one example, we know that many businesses and their workers have become highly adept at, and even fond of, remote working arrangements. We also know, though, that businesses like retail shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, and theatres lost their peak holiday sales period and now face a winter “slow season” ground to a screeching halt by omicron. We know that these operations and their workers are going to require continued support.
It turns out that a global, once-in-a-century pandemic could not thwart Halifax’s accelerating population growth as we hit 460,000 in 2021. It also is true, however, that it will take time before housing supply can catch up with the escalating demand generated by this growth and that significant pressures on housing availability and costs are not transient. We know also that persistent high levels of inflation will eventually lead to rising interest rates that will have their own impacts on housing markets and may lead to heightened risks associated with consumer, business, and government debt.
We know that our surging population has also resulted in record labour force growth. People have been drawn here to study at our excellent schools, work with our growing firms, and enjoy all that Halifax has to offer in terms of arts, culture, entertainment, and recreation. Equally true, though, is that many sectors continue to have difficulty in finding the workers they need. Efforts to boost our labour force must continue at full pace.
Among the many things we do not know is how and when this pandemic will end. Some experts are saying that omicron represents the transition to a milder, more manageable, endemic disease like typical annual strains of influenza. We all hope that they are right.
No matter how the next stages of the disease unfold, though, another thing we do know is that as a community we have managed these past two years with compassion, responsibility, and determination and that we will continue to do so. There will be rough patches ahead as we eventually put COVID-19 behind us, but Halifax came into the pandemic on strong tailwinds, and we have carried that momentum through the past two years. We know that our future looks bright. ■
Cover photo by Discover Halifax.
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