On Jan. 28, B.C. recorded its first case of COVID-19. It would be months before the Sunshine Coast would get hard data about infections locally. On Feb. 24, seven cases had been confirmed in B.C. and by March 12 that number jumped to 53.
Businesses began curtailing their hours. Stores limited purchases as shelves were cleared of toilet paper, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes.
In their first update to the community on March 15, the newly formed Sunshine Coast COVID Physician Task Force confirmed there were “no community acquired cases” on the Lower Sunshine Coast. Their regular detailed updates would become an essential resource for residents hungry for information.
On March 16 as cases climbed provincially and a public health order limited gatherings to 50 people, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) activated the regional Emergency Operations Centre. Local government public meetings were cancelled then went virtual.
The wave of public health orders continued March 17, forcing the closure of liquor primary establishments. Other public-facing businesses followed suit or shifted online. Local organizations took steps to assist local businesses.
Local governments rushed to minimize tax increases as the shutdown strained the economy. On March 23 a pop-up respiratory assessment clinic opened in Sechelt where it would remain for the rest of the year. Local officials noted impacts on wastewater systems as disinfectant wipes went down sewers.
On March 26 VCH revealed less than one percent of the 339 cases in the health authority were in the Sunshine Coast and Powell River regions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced March 30 all businesses would be eligible for a wage subsidy of 75 per cent. A survey showed 85 per cent of Sunshine Coast businesses experienced revenue losses.
In April churches were forced to live-stream Easter celebrations or cancel them altogether, as with other religious services, while social media lit up with complaints about travellers arriving on the Sunshine Coast.
On April 24, shíshálh Nation announced its lands were closed to non-residents and blocked road entrances.
At the beginning of May, Premier John Horgan was publicly pushing for federal funding for BC Ferries, as CEO Mark Collins warned the corporation could lose up to $300 million in the fiscal year.
Hints at an economic recovery turned into hope with the May 5 announcement from Horgan that B.C.’s Restart Plan would take effect mid-May to slowly lift restrictions. But that was too late for some businesses. Marilyn Campbell, the owner of Maribel’s Fine Fashions in Sechelt, announced COVID-19 had forced an early and unwanted retirement and the end of her store’s 40-year run.
By May 14, restrictions on pubs and bars, hair salons and medical services were relaxing
The SCRD gave people a break on repaying large increases on their water bills – allowing them to pay without penalty until the end of September. Relief for children came another way – on June 1 playgrounds were allowed to reopen.
Another sure sign economic recovery was in full swing – BC Ferries announced June 5 a later sailing for the Langdale-Horseshoe Bay route, but only after an outpouring of frustration at the reduced service levels. It added another sailing at the start of July. Confusion abounded over the summer, though, as resident priority loading came and by August, had gone. In mid-June the Task Force revealed while it sees about 40 people per day at the respiratory assessment clinic, they hadn’t seen a positive case in more than two months.
SCRD directors put a plan forward at the end of July to reopen almost all rec facilities. The Gibsons pool was kept out the equation. Ice skaters’ hopes of an on-schedule reopening of both arenas were dashed when directors committed only to the Gibsons rink.
School District No. 46 expanded its options in anticipation for a safe return, creating a brand new distance-learning program as about 20 per cent of parents opted not to put their kids back in school at the start of September.
And for the first time, at an Aug 27 briefing the Sunshine Coast was given a glimpse at the hard data on COVID cases on the Coast, with seven cases from Jan 1 to July 31 in the Sunshine Coast health area, and then 26 between August and September.
Cash, meanwhile, began to trickle then pour into local government coffers. SD46 received more than $1 million in COVID funds.
Opposition parties let loose on Horgan for calling an election during the pandemic. The NDP still sailed to a majority.
As the election wound down, the second wave ramped up. BC Ferries confirmed two staff working out of the Langdale terminal tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of October. On Nov. 2 the RCMP issued tickets under the federal Quarantine Act to two people who had returned from Europe. People were also travelling to the backcountry in greater numbers, leading to a higher year for callouts for ground search and rescue on the Sunshine Coast.
With November came regional health orders and strong recommendations hit again, leading to the cancellation of fitness and other indoor sports events. But they didn’t come without mix-ups, with the Sunshine Coast at first exempt and then added in with the other targeted areas.
Amidst the restrictions came some relief, with an announcement that Sechelt would receive $2.5 million, Gibsons $1.5 million and the SCRD and Sechelt Indian Government District getting $521,000 and $387,000 each. BC Ferries, BC Transit and TransLink received their shares of $1 billion.
Restrictions tightened further with Horgan calling non-essential travel “prohibited” in B.C. at the end of November as daily cases soared from the low hundreds in October to more than 800 by the end of November before plateauing at the mid-hundreds. Christmas-as-usual was officially cancelled Dec. 7 when a provincial health order banning gatherings outside of households was extended until at least Jan. 8.
The Salvation Army in Gibsons saw a 10 per cent increase in demand after federal benefits eased in October, while the pandemic caused a real estate buying surge in November.
In December, cases on the Coast began to outnumber those in Powell River and the Sea-to-Sky region. A grim year-end marker followed: a Sunshine Coast COVID-19-related death was announced Dec. 11.
A glimmer of hope and early Christmas gift heading into the New Year came by way of a Dec. 23 announcement from Health Canada that the Moderna vaccine is safe for use.
“We can start to address some of the urgent needs that we have to protect some of our remote, isolated and in particular Indigenous communities,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry. “Remain strong,” she said, “and be safe.”
