Five years ago, Canadians grappled with the realization that their daily lives would be altered. What began in the form of quick media stories on a virus making its way through Asia and Europe developed into a global pandemic.

The findings of the first survey where Research Co. asked Canadians about COVID-19, in April 2020, outline our collective naiveté. More than half of us (54 per cent) expected the situation to go “back to normal” by the end of the summer. This did not happen.

Most of the political players that featured prominently during the pandemic are no longer in charge of governments. Still, we remember the press conferences with then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and the provincial election that resulted in a massive mandate for the BC New Democratic Party with 31 per cent of all ballots cast by mail.

Last month, we asked Canadians to look back at the way COVID-19 was managed. More than half think the way the federal government dealt with the pandemic was a success (52 per cent, up two points since July 2023). The level of satisfaction is the same for municipal governments (52 per cent, up........

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