Dear Brentwoodians,
Waking up on New Year’s Day 2022 to news of tightening public health restrictions both in Ontario, where my family has been spending the holidays, and back home in Alberta, made me feel like I was in the 1993 film Groundhog Day. Could we really be reliving the experience of 2021 – and most of 2020? It goes without saying that these pandemic years have been some of the most challenging that any of us have experienced, marked by loss and loneliness, and the prospect of more of this feels daunting. The indications from health care experts seem to be that the Omicron variant, while highly contagious, is not as dangerous as previous variants. This is no cause for complacency, for vulnerable people still need to be protected as much as possible, but maybe – just maybe – this is a sign that COVID is on its way to becoming an annoying seasonal affliction, one which like the flu or a serious cold shouldn’t be treated lightly, but which won’t occasion mass shutdowns and other restrictions.
Mall Memories
Brentwood recently bid farewell to the Northland Village Mall, at least in its recent configuration. While tenants may have stayed away in recent years due to uncertainty about the mall’s future, it nonetheless remained an important meeting spot in our community. The Memory Lane event held on the final weekend the mall was open must have brought back a lot of fond recollections from Brentwood residents. As we watch the progress of the new development on the site, I would like to invite readers to share memories of their “mall rat” days in these pages by emailing the address below!
The Bugle is looking for Brentwood’s best amateur photographers to provide cover images each month. If you have a great snap of our neighbourhood saved on your phone or posted on your social media feed, send it in for a chance to be featured on the cover of an upcoming issue! Photos must be 300 DPI or higher (i.e., from a newer model phone or good digital camera), 2400 x 1600 pixels minimum size, and portrait orientation. If submitting pictures of minors, please make sure that you have direct, express permission to submit the picture from a parent or guardian. Send your photos, or any questions, to [email protected].
Yours sincerely,
Jonathan Jucker, editor
Brentwood Bugle
