It wasn’t business as usual in downtown Regina as the eclipse overshadowed work for many people.
Many workers took extended coffee breaks or early lunches to enjoy the rare celestial event.
“The impact in the States was about $700 million, so let’s say in Canada $70 to $100 million would be sort of the impact,” John Hopkins, Regina and District Chamber of Commerce CEO, estimated.
“But then there’s the other side of it…it certainly can boost morale. I mean employees get to do something cool together, and they’ll remember it together,” Hopkins said.
“When people see something that’s exciting, they tend to work a little faster. How does it all balance out? Only the universe knows,” he said.
Other events like the Olympics or March Madness likely mean more lost productivity than the eclipse, Hopkins added.
Amateur photographer Notanee Bourassa said he worked through his coffee break to see the eclipse.
“I’m just excited,” he said. “It’s kind of auspicious. It has a little bit of magic to it, a little bit of supernatural.”
Brandon Mutala enjoyed watching the eclipse with his kids.
“It’s something neat and special that I’m able to share with them that I’m interested in,” Mutala said.
“To see their interest in it as well, maybe they’ll become astronauts when they grow up, maybe they’ll go to the moon,” Mutala said.