I got an email from Porter Airlines last Thursday. It’s charging, “a temporary fuel surcharge,” beginning immediately. They say that it’s just for now. But what did I do?
“Importantly, this surcharge is expected to be temporary. As oil prices stabilize and return to normal levels, we plan to return to standard pricing.”
So, it’s a war email.
While I was writing this story, I remembered a media report that said gas prices were coming down on Friday, so I stopped writing and went to fill up my tank. When I got there, I was surprised to see the price way up to $1.66. My corner station is usually more expensive than most places, so I kept going to the gas station at Vaughan and Wychwood. $1.60. Still high, but I stopped to top up. The media got it wrong. Prices didn’t go down.
I drove from the gas station to St. Clair to buy yerba mate at Monarca. I buy it here because $13.99 a bag is the lowest price I could find in the area. When I got there, the price of each bag was $15.99.
I decided to buy as many bags of our favourite brand as my hands could carry. I was stockpiling. I know that prices aren’t going down for yerba mate. The bitter leaves, used to make mate, a staple drink I adopted from my wife who is from Uruguay, is flown in from South America, 8,000 kilometers away.
“I see the prices have gone up,” I said to the lady at the register. “Everything has,” she said, “Except salaries.” She was so right. One thing is prices. The other wages. If the latter could keep up, we wouldn’t have too much of a problem.
My next stop was No Frills on Eglinton. One of the first things I picked up was a package of 2-year aged cheese. Then I looked at the price: $25. I almost dropped it like it was a red-hot piece of charcoal scalding my hand. Gadzooks! I picked up the smaller package of 1-year aged cheese instead. I remember when these used to cost $7. Now they’re $9.50.
A package of “fast fry” meat was almost $17. But the expiry date was in three days. Nope. Can’t afford it going to waste. A dozen large brown eggs: $6.21. A dozen white eggs, $3.80. I don’t know why there’s such a big price difference. From my experience white egg quality is not very good. The shells are very thin, and they have a runny consistency. Brown is a more solid egg. But today, white it is.
My last stop was the local fruit and veggie shop.
“Hi!” the cashier said. “How are you?” “Trying to keep up with prices,” I said. “Tell me about it,” she replied. “The price of oil goes up and so does everything else.” The war is not ours, but it’s affecting us. “What is the government going to do for all those people lining up for food at the foodbank?” She asked. “They’re not homeless. They have jobs and they still can’t afford food!”
Because of the lively conversation, I didn’t look at my bill until I got home. I noticed $7.10 for five vine tomatoes. Of all the prices, this one hit me the hardest. $1.40 for each regular tomato. I put each of them on the mantle to honour them like trophies.
Trump was on TV being asked by a reporter, “What about Iran?” He said, “they’re decimated” “they wanna talk,” “we’ll have a deal soon.” He delivers his sound bites, turns his hunched back away from cameras, and walks away slowly.
The orange man is telling us that this will be over soon. Porter airline repeats that the price hike is only temporary.
But the war keeps widening and the only war trophies Torontonians want is affordable vine-ripe tomatoes.
