By Tom Geens
March 25th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
Lift your eyes to the future – and the all-Canadian pursuits we can look forward to over the coming months.
By anyone’s standards, the last year has been extremely tough. Leaving aside the direct human suffering inflicted by COVID-19, the pandemic has also ground society to a halt, with lockdown measures meaning that so many of our favourite pastimes have either been put on hold altogether or severely curtailed.
Things are going to stay tough for a little while yet. But at least now, with the prospect of a vaccine-led recovery strengthening every day, it feels like we can finally lift our eyes to the future and the promise of a return to normality.
With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of Ontarians’ favourite all-Canadian pursuits – the things that we’ve been missing dearly, and that enrich our local and national life so much. Something to whet the appetite as we look forward to brighter days ahead.
Hockey is the national sport – watched at both the professional and local levels.
Watching hockey
Our biggest national sport, over 1.3 million Canadians actively participate in recreational hockey games, and as much as 68% of the population watched the 2018 NHL playoffs. This is a sport deeply ingrained in our national psyche.
Yet in recent months, there have been COVID-19 outbreaks traced to hockey arenas all over the US and Canada, meaning that spectators are not being allowed into stadiums to watch their favourite pro teams play. However, a vaccine-led recovery raises the prospect of Ontarians returning to the stands in the not-too-distant future, watching their favourite players while gobbling down hotdogs, ice cream and beer.
Playing rugby again with our friends
We might not be the world’s most famous rugby nation – that accolade probably goes to New Zealand – but we still love the sport.
In Burlington the local Rugby Clubs take part in events, including the annual Christmas parade.
It was introduced to this country by the Royal Navy back in 1823, and we now have domestic tournaments such as the Canadian Rugby Championship and we participate in continental matches such as the Americas Rugby Championship.
With Rugby Ontario announcing that rugby clubs in certain parts of the province are allowed to start playing again, it feels exciting to be returning to the rucks and scrums of this fiercely competitive sport and using up some of that excess energy that we’ve all been storing up from months spent indoors.
Enjoying galleries and our world-beating culture
What have you been doing to pass the time during stay-at-home measures? A decent novel always helps. Netflix may offer some entertainment. There’s also the world of online casinos – sites such as this one offer plenty of online games, chances to win money, and safety measures to ensure that you can keep track of what it is you’re spending. For as long as the economy remains at least partially closed, indoor pursuits like this may help to keep you sane.
Patron looking at painting being auctioned.
However, we’re all craving a bit of culture – Canada is famous for it, after all – and our very own Burlington Art Gallery has re-opened its doors. With its range of exhibits, including a prominent collection of Canadian ceramics, and free access for visitors, this is definitely a great day out for the family.
Further afield, in the cultural mecca of Toronto, just over 40 minutes’ drive away, the Art Gallery of Ontario also remains closed – though an excellent array of virtual courses and activities remain available. For example, artist instructor Amanda Arcuri is running an online series called ‘Drawing Larger Than Life’.
Elsewhere, the world-famous Toronto Symphony Orchestra has posted an update on its website saying that it hopes to be able to share further details about its 2021/22 schedule by late spring or early summer.
Running your model boats at Centennial Pond
Skating at the Centennial Pond is over the for season. Soon the water will be ready for those model boats that scoot around at a feverish clip.
Everyone is looking forward to the point where the majority of people will have been vaccinated and we will be able to get out to wine and dine and maybe event get to a movie. Too early to tell – but that is the hope – assuming we all maintain that two metre safe distance and wear masks.
Drinking craft beer in our enviable array of bars
The humble glass of beer. In a bar. With your friends. Surely, few simple pleasures are being missed quite as much as this one, with venues across Ontario still shuttered due to the pandemic.
However, we can find solace in the fact that our enviable craft beer culture will come back with a bang when lockdown does finally end – and Toronto’s craft scene and brewers, in particular, give us hope that one day soon, we’ll be experimenting with all manner of flavorful ales.
Places such as Bandit Brewery, with its devilishly good bar snacks and quirky beer selection, is just one of the establishments that we’ll be hoping to get back into soon.
The Beer Guy will deliver the suds to your door while you watch the hockey game.
Until then, be sure to check out companies such as The Beer Guy in Burlington, and the range of local breweries offering deliveries of kegs and bottles to people’s front doors.
We’re so lucky to live in Ontario – our proximity to big cities, big culture and world-beating nature means that we’re well-placed to enjoy the economic and social recovery from COVID-19 when it finally sets in.
Until then, we’ll have to make the most of the activities that we’re still allowed to do under restrictions and meditate on the prospect of better days ahead.
