The Current for Dec. 20, 2021
Today on The Current:
British Columbia's Coquihalla Highway was destroyed by mudslides last month, but crews worked around the clock to get it back open. Their hard work paid off, as the highway reopened today ahead of schedule. We speak to Michael Ballingall, senior vice-president of Big White Ski Resort and the chair of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, about what the highway's reopening means for the tourism industry. We also talk to Amy Kim, an associate professor of transportation engineering at the University of British Columbia, about making highways like the Coquihalla more resilient to climate change.
Then, COVID-19 cases continue to rise as another calendar year of the pandemic comes to a close. The Omicron variant is part of the reason why — and just ahead of the holidays, it's making Canadians nervous. We speak to Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam about where we are in the pandemic, what to expect in the near future — and celebrating a safe holiday season.
And where do you want to be buried? That's the question author Kamal Al-Solaylee wrestled with in his book, Return: Why We Go Back to Where We Come From. Earlier this year, Al-Solaylee discussed his own feelings around the idea of home, and the desire of different communities to return to their homelands.
