What was supposed to be a two-minute trip to the North Perth municipal office the other day turned into a 20-minute one.
And it had nothing to do with the reason I went there.
I went to the office to pick up a document I requested – an easy in and out – but a friendly gentleman who was also at the counter had other ideas.
This fellow was there to pay his dog tag for the year. He finished up at the same time I did, and we both headed down the stairs to the exit. When we reached the door, I opened it for him. Instead of saying “thank you,” he turned and looked me in the eyes.
“You know how much a dog tag costs these days?” he asked.
“No sir,” I said.
“Twenty-five freaking dollars! You know how much it was when the town brought in dog tags? Two and a half bucks!” he replied.
I commented that it was quite the difference, but costs do go up over time for a variety of reasons.
“And dog food! I used to pay $19.70 for a 40-pound bag out at Molesworth 30 years ago. Guess how much that damn bag is now?” he asked.
I honestly had no idea, and said as much.
“That same bag is $179 today. One hundred and seventy-nine!” he said.
“I must say, that is pretty steep,” I replied.
My new-found friend must have felt comfortable talking to me, as he continued venting about the increased cost of things.
“And how hard is it to fill in a pothole in this damn town?” he asked.
“I don’t work for the town, so I couldn’t tell you,” I replied.
He then commented on the condition of Argyle Avenue, wondering how the town couldn’t find “a few bucks” to re-do the road.
I explained that roads cost a fair bit to repave these days – there are only so many companies who do roadwork and they can seemingly make their own prices.
This brought on a rant about inflation, how everything wrong with how the town and province are governed, the work ethic of today’s youth and how people parent their children today are a result of Justin Trudeau being prime minister.
At this point, I made the decision to cut the conversation short – not because he was blaming Trudeau, but because he was getting quite angry and upset.
While Trudeau and his government can be blamed for a number of things that may be wrong with our country today, he isn’t the only guilty party.
For example, Trudeau does not oversee our local government nor the provincial Conservative Party led by Doug Ford. While there have been some programs introduced by the Trudeau government that kept people from working during the COVID pandemic, the whole “nobody wants to work” issue is not entirely his fault – it is more of a “nobody wants to work for what you are willing to pay” problem.
When it comes to inflation, yes some of Trudeau’s policies have led to higher prices – at the pumps and on natural gas, for example – but corporations are raking in record profits because they have raised prices on their goods and services.
And I am pretty sure neither Trudeau or his government are responsible for how people parent their children.
So yes, some of Trudeau’s actions have not helped Canadians or Ontarians. But some of Doug Ford’s actions have not helped Canadians or Ontarians, and some decisions made by our local governments have not helped residents either.
I believe the problem with politics in general is that it has become party-centric.
Gone are the days where a bill will pass in parliament or legislature, for the most part, because it is the right thing to do. Most bills are voted on based on the party who introduced them – Conservatives support a Conservative bill, Liberals support a Liberal bill, etc.
Another issue is that, as a society, we don’t vote.
The 2022 provincial election saw record-low voter turnout at 43.53 per cent. The last federal election, in 2021, saw the lowest voter turnout in more than 10 years. And the 2022 municipal election saw low voter turnout as well.
As Canadian residents, we have the right to express our opinions – and those engaged in politics certainly do on social media – but we need to start utilizing our right to vote going forward.
I’ll leave you with this Barack Obama quote from 2018, which sums up why it is important for everyone to vote:
“You wouldn’t let your grandparents pick your playlist. Why would you let them pick your representative who’s going to determine your future?”
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Mike Wilson is the editor of Midwestern Newspapers. Comments and feedback are welcome at mwilson@midwesternnewspapers.com.
