By MPP Bobbi Ann Brady
I loathe getting groceries. I am indecisive, and I have been known to impulse buy.
Surely, I am not alone in that a trip to the grocery store these days is downright depressing. The only highlight is coming across you, the constituents of Haldimand-Norfolk, who brighten the trip. That being said, my sideline conversations are the reason my kids no longer tag along unless I’ve bribed them somehow – let the political corruption jokes begin!
After a busy weekend around the riding, the kids were left with very little in the refrigerator and the cupboards, so I mustered the fortitude to head into town for groceries. Discussion in every aisle turned to the cost of groceries. I picked up a pack of chicken breasts marked at $20 — $20 worth of chicken that would be gobbled up in one sitting with an 18 and 22-year-old. Only half joking, I said to the gentleman next to me that I may as well go out to a fancy restaurant for dinner at that price.
Down another aisle I got chatting with an employee who expressed how frustrating it is to see the prices go up and up. And then she said something to the effect that those in power don’t seem to care. I introduced myself and proceeded to tell her that I agree wholeheartedly.
The latest news for her and everyone doesn’t get any better. The latest data shows inflation increased 3.3 per cent nationally in July. The two main factors in the increase were the price of groceries and gasoline. Groceries were up 8.5 per cent, attributed to mainly fresh fruit and bakery items. On August 16th, gas averaged $1.69 per litre, a week earlier it was $1.63.
The price of gasoline is no surprise to the residents of rural Ontario who need their vehicle to get anywhere. But they also feel the pinch at the stores being that gasoline is integral in the production of food, from tractors to harvesters to transporting food to distribution centres and then back to grocery stores. Fuel prices also add to transportation costs for any commodity, something that those who push carbon taxes seem to forget.
With the increase in inflation, an uptick in interest rates is a possibility come the next Bank of Canada rate announcement on September 6th.
Financial industry leaders have mixed views of the probability of a rate hike. I’m no expert, but from everything I’ve been reading seems to suggest a 50-50 chance of a quarter percentage September hike. I’m not one to sit on the fence, but I’m just going with my gut after trying to extrapolate from the professionals.
And most folks in Haldimand-Norfolk and Ontario aren’t financial experts either, but they do see where the rubber hits the road—food, gas, the cost of borrowing money, and higher prices for critical items.
When I was in Detroit at the beginning of July for the Midwestern Legislative Conference, the talking heads on stage said that surveys conducted across the United States show that the electorate is angry, and they are not sure why. Just five minutes later they spoke about another survey that conveyed taxpayers do not see matters important to them – matters that affect their pocketbook – making it to the floor of legislatures. This is the truth, and the taxpayer is hurting. The electorate feels ripped off and they should be angry.
I will return to Queen’s Park in September and I will do my utmost to bring the issues that matter to you, like the cost of groceries and general cost of living, to the floor of the Legislature.
Bobbi Ann Brady is MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk
Inflation up in aisle three and everywhere else
By MPP Bobbi Ann Brady
I loathe getting groceries. I am indecisive, and I have been known to impulse buy.
Surely, I am not alone in that a trip to the grocery store these days is downright depressing. The only highlight is coming across you, the constituents of Haldimand-Norfolk, who brighten the trip. That being said, my sideline conversations are the reason my kids no longer tag along unless I’ve bribed them somehow – let the political corruption jokes begin!
After a busy weekend around the riding, the kids were left with very little in the refrigerator and the cupboards, so I mustered the fortitude to head into town for groceries. Discussion in every aisle turned to the cost of groceries. I picked up a pack of chicken breasts marked at $20 — $20 worth of chicken that would be gobbled up in one sitting with an 18 and 22-year-old. Only half joking, I said to the gentleman next to me that I may as well go out to a fancy restaurant for dinner at that price.
Down another aisle I got chatting with an employee who expressed how frustrating it is to see the prices go up and up. And then she said something to the effect that those in power don’t seem to care. I introduced myself and proceeded to tell her that I agree wholeheartedly.
The latest news for her and everyone doesn’t get any better. The latest data shows inflation increased 3.3 per cent nationally in July. The two main factors in the increase were the price of groceries and gasoline. Groceries were up 8.5 per cent, attributed to mainly fresh fruit and bakery items. On August 16th, gas averaged $1.69 per litre, a week earlier it was $1.63.
The price of gasoline is no surprise to the residents of rural Ontario who need their vehicle to get anywhere. But they also feel the pinch at the stores being that gasoline is integral in the production of food, from tractors to harvesters to transporting food to distribution centres and then back to grocery stores. Fuel prices also add to transportation costs for any commodity, something that those who push carbon taxes seem to forget.
With the increase in inflation, an uptick in interest rates is a possibility come the next Bank of Canada rate announcement on September 6th.
Financial industry leaders have mixed views of the probability of a rate hike. I’m no expert, but from everything I’ve been reading seems to suggest a 50-50 chance of a quarter percentage September hike. I’m not one to sit on the fence, but I’m just going with my gut after trying to extrapolate from the professionals.
And most folks in Haldimand-Norfolk and Ontario aren’t financial experts either, but they do see where the rubber hits the road—food, gas, the cost of borrowing money, and higher prices for critical items.
When I was in Detroit at the beginning of July for the Midwestern Legislative Conference, the talking heads on stage said that surveys conducted across the United States show that the electorate is angry, and they are not sure why. Just five minutes later they spoke about another survey that conveyed taxpayers do not see matters important to them – matters that affect their pocketbook – making it to the floor of legislatures. This is the truth, and the taxpayer is hurting. The electorate feels ripped off and they should be angry.
I will return to Queen’s Park in September and I will do my utmost to bring the issues that matter to you, like the cost of groceries and general cost of living, to the floor of the Legislature.
Bobbi Ann Brady is MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk