Matchmakers, profile pictures and philosophy: How the pandemic impacted dating in Vancouver

After nearly two years of pandemic restrictions requiring people to stay apart and making it difficult to form relationships, many are re-entering the dating scene.

In some cases, solitude encouraged people to make finding a partner a priority; in others, it's just part of the return to normal life.

"The first connection is a whole thing where you have to initially assess somebody for the potential to form a bond or connection," said author and philosophy professor Carrie Jenkins.

"We end up making these decisions really very quickly."

But has dating changed since the spring of 2020? Can it go back to the way it was pre-COVID? And what makes it so difficult to form connections in a city like Vancouver? 

The CBC's Jeremy Ratt explores the Vancouver dating scene in his radio series Summertime Crush.

How has dating changed?

COVID-19 restrictions over the past two years made it nearly impossible to meet up with prospective partners, and some people fell into the comfort of being alone. So, how are people getting back into meeting new people?

On The Coast9:46Summertime Crush: What's changed in Vancouver's dating world?

How has Vancouver dating changed over the last two years? That's the first question we'll hear more about in the first installment of our new series "Summertime Crush."

On The Coast4:58Summertime Crush: Talking with Vancouver residents about the dating scene

As part of Summertime Crush - our new series about Vancouver dating - Jeremy Ratt took to the streets of Vancouver to ask residents what things are like with love right now.

Making meaningful connections

Carrie Jenkins, a philosophy professor and author of Sad Love: Romance and the Search For Meaning, explains how to make new, meaningful connections and how to make old connections feel new and exciting again.

On The Coast11:21Summertime Crush: Making meaningful connections

What does it mean to make a meaningful connection? Our latest entry in our "Summertime Crush" series takes us into the world of relationships and connecting with new people. Joining us is UBC philosophy professor and author Carrie Jenkins.

Matchmakers

It's not uncommon to hear from Vancouver singles that the dating scene is tough. A panel of matchmakers breaks down the challenges of dating in the city and how they help clients find "the one."

On The Coast8:21Summertime Crush: Spicing up your dating profile photos

In the latest entry to our dating series Summertime Crush, CBC story producer Jeremy Ratt takes us to Granville Island to chat with photographer Justin Veenema — founder of Photos For Tinder, which aims to help professional clients get the best photos for their dating profiles.

Online dating profile photos

Profile photos are the first thing people see on dating apps, and in some cases, they can make or break a possible connection. Photographer Justin Veenema takes photos specifically for dating apps.

On The Coast9:33Summertime Crush: Author Jill Sinclair on dating boundaries

What happens when you go on 40+ dates with the quote en quote "Johns" of Vancouver? You write a book about it, of course. We'll chat with a published author and speaker about her dating story in our next installment of our "Summertime Crush" series.

Date Did What?

Vancouver writer Jill Sinclair says people are not "emotionally available," and they are this way because they're afraid of being hurt.

Sinclair chronicled her wild dating experience post-divorce in Vancouver in her 2016 book Date Did What?

On The Coast4:26Summertime Crush: Jill Sinclair dating story

In the next half hour of the show, Jeremy Ratt is going to bring us an interview with author and TedX speaker Jill Sinclair. Jill wrote the book "Date Did What?" which chronicles some of her own interesting and funny Vancouver dating experiences. Here's one of her stories.

On The Coast2:25Summertime Crush: Hearing more dating stories from you!

We've been asking for your dating stories as part of our new series Summertime Crush, and you haven't disappointed. Yesterday we aired just a couple stories, and now, we have a few more stories and responses to share with you.

Listeners chime in

On The Coast listeners share their dating stories.