Information is power. We need the facts; we must remain current; we have a duty to be informed. But is there such a thing as too much information?
The daily intake of news, most of it bad, can be overwhelming. Information overload has become a health issue for many people who cannot handle the horrible truth. Cognitive overload can cause frustration, anxiety, depression and an inability to process and respond to what is heard.
Everyone copes differently. Some get angry, some go with the flow, while others do nothing, hoping the world will become a better place simply by ignoring it.
There is no tried and true, one-size-fits-all remedy to information overload.
But it helps to keep perspective, and seek out trusted sources.
For example in the ongoing “trade war,” consumers are constantly seeking ways to support Canadian businesses.
An unexpected bonus of the tariff tussle is that shopping has become a learning experience.
It takes some homework to differentiate between Canadian and American goods. But a good place to start is with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s food labelling rules.
There is no official logo for Canadian food products. A maple leaf on the label can be used to help you identify products that have a Canadian contribution or that are from a Canadian business, but the maple leaf is not required. A maple leaf on a product does not always mean the product is Canadian. For instance, there are logos and trademarks with the maple leaf that mean the product meets a Canadian standard for safety, quality or organic content. These can be applied to Canadian or imported products.
Look for “Product of Canada,” the qualified “Made in Canada” statement or other Canadian content claims to identify products that were grown, raised and/or made in Canada.
“Product of Canada” means the processing and labour are Canadian and a significant amount of the ingredients are Canadian.
The bad news is that nobody will win a trade standoff. The good news is that we are wiser consumers, and national unity has never been stronger.
If you think the situation is gloomy, think back five years. Yes, that was when COVID-19 was officially declared a global pandemic. At the time, there were no vaccines available, the death toll was mounting and our health care system was buckling.
The pandemic was declared over by the World Health Organization in 2023. Worldwide, COVID-19 claimed the lives of 6,921,614 people. In this region, 347 people have succumbed to the disease, according to the Eastern Ontario Health Unit.
It is still around. The last COVD-19-related death in Eastern Ontario was recorded in December of last year. Many people still suffer from the long-term effects of the disease. It preys on the elderly and those with chronic medical problems.
But, for the most part, COVID-19 has been contained.
We got through that crisis by following the rules, heeding the advice of experts, rolling up our sleeves and getting immunized.
There is no guarantee that another planet-wide health menace will not crop up sometime in the future, but at least we ought to be better prepared now than we were five years ago.
Take measles, please. The health unit has been obliged to remind the public about the importance of immunization as Ontario experiences the largest measles outbreak in the province in 30 years. There are no active measles cases in the EOHU region, but the number of cases in Ontario doubled to over 140 in just two weeks in late February. In most cases the patients were not vaccinated against measles.
This is a worrisome trend. But the good news is that this disease is easily preventable, if common sense prevails.
Generally, the outlook has been brighter lately because spring is nigh, and we have returned to Daylight Saving Time.
We have survived the Ides of March, the sap is running, birds are singing happy tunes. Life is good.
