I can’t handle reading any more news on how the pandemic has decimated the economy.
If you know my background, you aren’t surprised that I have a lot opinions about how media is operating these days.
Overstating the obvious isn’t making anything better, I liken it to reporting on the umpteenth snowstorm this winter.
So I am on a personal mission (at least this week) to report only on the uplifting stories despite the pandemic!
People locked down; pets moved in
A national survey concluded that three per cent of Canadians (around 900,000 people) got a pet during the pandemic.
That figure is relative only to people that had never had a pet. Although my husband balked at the idea of another dog, I’m sure other pet friendly households gained more.
It’s a close tie between dogs and cats, representing 32 per cent and 31 per cent respectively of those new owners.
The impact to doggy daycares in particular has been welcomed.
Furbaby Pet Care, a Stonebridge campus for pups and mature dogs, has taken to daily updates on their drop-in capacity.
An online booking system, mobile offerings, and on-site grooming has also strengthened their overall business.
Another growth market for pets has been pet retail, including food sales.
Survive Pet Supply got into online ordering and food delivery which boomed during the pandemic.
Their business has now flourished into a bricks and mortgage storefront when many media outlets are reporting retail sufferings.
Tech markets blossom
Anyone without a website will tell you how important a pivot to online commerce was during the pandemic.
But that’s not the only type of technology that performed well during the pandemic.
Deloitte’s 2022 technology industry outlook has identified several trends that will continue to drive business as the pandemic drags on.
This includes cloud services along with the trickledown of actual manpower it will take to implement, manage, and innovate existing systems.
It’s no surprise that most social media companies thrived during our socially distant pandemic.
TikTok was popular before the pandemic but it grew from 667 million active users in 2020 to 1 billion in 2021.
For context, it took other platforms like Facebook and Instagram almost eight years to hit that growth; TikTok did it in five.
And like him or hate him, Elon Musk is still laughing all the way to the bank too.
Tesla stock surged almost 700 per cent in 2020 and a value of $630 billion.
This momentum kept up in 2021 with steady quarterly increased and the company value reaching $1 trillion by October.
It pays to live in Saskatchewan
The national overall inflation rate is the highest it’s been since 1991, unless you live here.
While the national rate is 4.8 per cent, Saskatchewan is experiencing a more moderate 3.5 per cent.
It pays to live in the land of living skies, yet again.
The difference in rates has been attributed to rising shelter costs of 5.5 per cent nationally but only 2.25 per cent in our province.
Employment is also faring better than many other provinces thanks to upcoming mining and agricultural infrastructure projects.
Let’s hope Saskatchewan’s good fortune carries throughout 2022 with another at home Grey Cup win for the Riders this year.
Posted by Kelly Macsymic
