Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Thanks to our witnesses for appearing today.
My questions are going to centre around the pandemic and its impact on, maybe, your volunteer base. As a long-time city councillor and as a 20-year member of our conservation authority, as an example, I know that when the pandemic arrived so many people had no opportunity to travel at home or, really, abroad. Thus, so many people “refound” the outdoors, so to speak. Our campsites filled up immediately. There were so many people using our trails. In numbers, for our waterfront trails and our local parks, the usage was off the charts in terms of what we were accustomed to experiencing over the years. From a conservation perspective, it was a welcome change in terms of the numbers.
I know that if I switch gears, then, to the food bank I started and opened with my constituents, the volunteer numbers there fell during the pandemic. It was tough to get people to come out. There was a lot of hesitancy about being indoors, obviously, and close to people with all that went on in the first couple of years.
I've watched recently and I've read recently some reports that talk about volunteerism affecting the non-profit sector. Numbers are down in the range of between 55% and 65% in some areas, in terms of trying to encourage people to volunteer or donate their time to certain causes.
I'd like to understand, from all the witnesses here today, how the pandemic might have impacted your operation, with volunteers or otherwise, and what role the government might play to assist in maybe kick-starting and providing support with either infrastructure, outreach or other operational issues that you may still find to be a challenge.
Ms. Reinsborough, with that, I'll ask you to answer it first.