issue 28// vol 47 opinions // no. 23 Sneak peek of BC budget in throne speech » The future of our province is bright Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist [ is now more than a year since the coronavirus pandemic arrived in the province and we did a great job handling it compared to the rest of the provinces. Last week, the number of new cases in a day passed 1000 cases for the first time due to the surge of cases caused by the variants of the coronavirus—and this made Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry angry. There were no extreme lockdowns during the pandemic so far which made fewer damages to the BC economy and kept it stable. The province offered grants to reduce the amount of costs related to the pandemic and keep businesses open which was summarized in the speech from throne read by Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin on April 12. The speech began with Austin addressing the recent passing of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, that had happened three days earlier before summarizing the progress on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in the province and the success of the province's response to the pandemic. Most of the speech was a If our Roaring Twenties sneak peek of what will be announced in the BC budget speech which will happen later this month. Austin then explained the goals of the government in this session of the BC Legislative Assembly, including improving long-term care homes by hiring more staff and building more hospitals to accommodate everyone. These actions would help reduce wait times and remove Photo by Billy Bui the limitations that were discovered during the pandemic. The BC government's commitment to reforming ICBC continues by reducing insurance rates by 20 percent on top of a grant that was offered during the pandemic and continuing the rate freeze that passed savings onto drivers. There will be more funding for infrastructure projects including SkyTrain expansions in Broadway and Langley, the new Pattullo Bridge, and finally building the replacement of the Massey Tunnel. The pandemic lead to more people using the internet and in turn, towns need better coverage to keep everyone connected and to help small businesses adapt to online shopping through the Launch Online program. Also, the pandemic led to a surge in hate crimes against Asians because of the coronavirus originating in China. To address that, an anti-racism bill will be developed as well as reforming the Police Act. Austin ended the speech by saying that because of how prepared the province was during the pandemic and the initiatives that were made “the future of our province is bright.” The initiatives taken by the province will be explained in further detail during the BC budget speech. The BC speech from the throne this year is like a summary of the provincial government’s accomplishments during the coronavirus pandemic and a first look at the major announcements that will be made in the budget speech. Despite the fact that the pandemic is not done yet, the province will be even more prepared to address changes in the pandemic and future pandemics. are near, are present- day young people the modern Lost Generation? » Our Lost Generation is shedding light on the Karen and BLM for future generations CJ Sommerfeld Staff Writer ecently, I have seen a lot of articles which speculate that our post- pandemic life will be comparable to that of the Roaring Twenties. That is, the period of time following WWI when the world witnessed massive economic growth (introducing consumerism), great advancements in the arts, as well asa transition to a value system that rejected the past. These are just a few elements that defined this era. But, while the end of the war was a breath of fresh air for most, those who were reaching maturity when it began came out of it disillusioned as most of what they had been taught about the world had been proven wrong during the war. This group of youngsters quickly transformed to be the progressive voices of the time and were later referred to as the Lost Generation. We too, have these radical voices among us. To be fair, Millennials have already been called the modern Lost Generation. This was because of something that occurred before anyone had ever heard of COVID. We gained this title since we entered the workforce during the worst economic depression, since, well, the Great Depression. I believe the modern Lost Generation, however, is a title that belongs to those younger than most Millennials. Let’s say, the last years of Millennial-hood that tapered-off into the Gen Z era, and a couple years beyond that... 1990-2000 or so. Out of the original Lost Generation evolved a group of writers and artists who began creating works reflective of their battered world views. They abandoned many of the old traditions which seemed to have betrayed the whole world, and instead let their new perspectives direct them. Visual works from this time were not idealized like they had been previously, but instead depicted dark, raw, and real portrayals of life. As for literary works, many criticized this new-found consumerism and wealth that occurred after WWI. One novel worth noting is The Great Gatsby which criticizes the wealthy and sheds light on the false optimism which was previously connotated with the Colonial American Dream. You could say that these Lost Generation artists exchanged a rosy perspective for one much truer after WWI ended. Now, coronavirus has not only made young people re-think economics (for example personal spending and saving), but also their job choices (What work is essential? What work can I do from my living room?) Larger, and frankly more important than both of these, are the grassroots matters that society seemed to have gotten so conditioned to. During covid some very important issues got brought to the public’s attention: the BLM movement, the Karen trope, and subsequently cancel culture (which had been lingering for a bit but is now in full swing). While I do not entirely side with everything that cancel culture has done, I can see that it is rooted in something progressive. Because of the public attention which these issues have garnered, those who choose to can work together to try and extinguish them. WWI wrung the young people of the time dry of anything flowery and left grittiness and rawness, allowing them to Photo by Billy Bui see the world for what it was. In current days, racial inequalities and treatments have been so thoroughly woven into Western society, it is about time that such a large uprising has occurred. If we can emulate anything from the Roaring Twenties, let it not be mass consumerism, but instead why not abandon old ways and adopt this raw perspective which the original Lost Generation had. By opening a blind eye, we can recognize the flaws in society that we have become so accustomed to, and ultimately work towards social justice. Those who create works that speak about these issues are our Lost Generation.