The 'New' Normal

As I was driving through the hamlet where I live in the northern part of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) I saw two ladies out for their morning walk. Nothing unusual about that. But what was unusual was the fact the they were wearing hijabs. Other than the ‘token’ Chinese family who own the local Chinese restaurant I have not noticed any other visible minorities on the streets of this hamlet. Now don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean that various cultures haven't become a visible part of surrounding municipalities. They have.

My mind went back to a Vietnamese/Korean wedding reception that we had attended in Mississauga just a couple of weeks ago. The venue for the reception was a restaurant in a Chinese mall. At 5:30 on a Saturday afternoon, on a long summer weekend, the parking places were all full and all the stores were bustling. Free enterprise was alive and well. Just this week (not a long weekend either by the way) I was in one of our local malls. Had I not known better I would have said the stores were closed as there were so few cars in the parking lot.

More and more building is happening in this area, and more and more of the new housing is bought by those visible minorities, and so I wonder how long it is going to take for our malls to begin to reflect the 'new normal'. I suspect if they want to stay in business, it won't be long! Of course people will complain when their favourite grocery store stocks more and more ethnic foods but if that grocery store wants to prosper, that is the way it has to go. It will deal with the inevitable complaints as a necessary part of success. I suspect most of us will adapt to the new and different look of our stores and malls and so that will become the ‘new’ normal focus.

What about those who can’t or won’t adapt? Yes they can try to cling to the comfortable old known ways but it will require of them that they are willing to accept the inconvenience, to travel farther, to no longer be able to shop in their own neighbourhoods with ease. Eventually they will die out, disappearing from the retail landscape except as niche markets.

If institutions refuse to adapt to the new normal around them, they too will die out, disappearing like the dinosaur once did. They will leave remains, buildings, and artifacts, which will become part of the mythology of past times.

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