With the world’s population significantly more vulnerable to situations of modern slavery in 2020 due to COVID-19, the measurement of such a phenomenon becomes crucial in better determining where modern slavery may be occurring completely out of sight, within “blind spots.”

The spread of Incel ideology is being bolstered by the rise of right-wing extremism around the world. The threat of further mass attacks by Incels remains high. Their worldview is skewed around hegemonic and toxic masculinity, and the ideology is propagated through online communities with tens of thousands of daily users. To combat the ideology, policy makers must explore opportunities to increase education in critical thought, create community initiatives that centre on combating extremist ideologies, increase mental health resources for young men, and work with private technology companies to manage and monitor the online forums where Incels collaborate and connect.

In the midst of a pandemic during the age of information, governments have the responsibility of conducting further public engagement to make policy decisions. In the case of Vancouver, the Municipal Government has done the bare minimum of informing the public, but still needs to involve and collaborate with its constituents.

Vancouver has been facing a community deficit that contributes to general feelings of isolation and loneliness for various people. All the mechanisms are in place to alleviate the social problem, yet there are no facilitators to consistently enact them. What can be done?

Many northern British Columbians are isolated because the inter-city transportation infrastructure that was lost when Greyhound discontinued its BC routes has not been fully replaced. The BC government is trying to fill the gaps with new private providers—but is this too narrow of an approach?

Policy students from UBC’s MPPGA program and Sciences Po in Paris collaborated in a week long Resilient Cities Policy Challenge with the City of Vancouver to explore how social inclusion and connectedness can foster resiliency in Vancouver and other urban centres.

As we take this stand, let us remember that intersectionality is not easy and it involves confronting our own place in the world. One way we Canadians must reflect is on relations between our immigrant citizens and aboriginal peoples.

Even though the president secured his second term through seemingly legitimate and fair elections, he has been accused of contracting out key judicial members to amend the constitution that would increase the term of the presidency—mirroring the upset caused by Rwandan President Paul Kagame across the continent in early 2016.

A reprioritization of resiliency, redistributing earmarked funds for disaster preparedness, and instituting accountability into humanitarian organizations can push the international community away from being hungover on its mistakes toward a more proactive, grounded, and effective mindset.