VICTORIA -- Nearly 11 months into restrictions, the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the mental health of many British Columbians. Calls to the Vancouver Island crisis line were higher this past year than 2019, and last month the number of calls fielded was 14 per cent higher than the previous month. The anxiety created by health worries, job insecurity, isolation and COVID-19 restrictions is affecting most of the general population in some way, says Hazel Meredith, the CEO of Mental Health Recovery Partners South Island. “We’ve all been struggling,” said Meredith on Thursday. “It’s like the rug's been pulled out from under us. We’re trying to get our footing.”