Behind the recent surge in inflation hides the daily lives of millions of households in Quebec. There are also some products that stand out, either because their prices have gone into orbit, or because they stubbornly resist the trend. First text in our series: the story of a small family from Sainte-Julie, on the South Shore in the Montreal region.
Behind the recent surge in prices hides the daily lives of millions of households in Quebec. There are also some products that stand out, either because their prices have gone into orbit, or because they stubbornly resist the trend. Today, the story of a small family from Sainte-Julie.
Inflation is nothing theoretical and can be measured by all kinds of very concrete indices for the mother Sylvie Thibert. It ranges from increasing the price of her two bags of groceries to feeling that even the income from her two jobs is not enough.
Although the issue has become a hot topic only a few months ago, the rise in the cost of living is not a new phenomenon for the resident of Sainte-Julie, on the South Shore of the Montreal region. “We saw him quietly going up. Me it struck me a lot these last two or three years. And since the pandemic, it looks like it has exploded. “
It starts at the grocery store that she once walked out with two bags that might have cost her around sixty dollars. “There it is at least $ 100, often $ 120-130 and, recently, $ 150. I thought to myself: “wow! We are there! ” And you barely have enough for a few meals. “
It is that they are “subtle”, the food companies. The cheese packs no longer contain 24 slices, but 22, the little desserts that we put in the children’s lunches come in packs of four rather than six. “I wasn’t a Costco fan, but I did for some products. Meat is worse. We eat less of it and we find recipes that allow it to be stretched. You have no choice but to look for solutions to pay less. “
Single mother of a 14-year-old teenager and a 28-year-old big boy who lives at home with his partner, Sylvie Thibert is an insurance trainer, a field in which she has worked for more than 20 years. “I don’t work minimum wage, but I don’t make $ 100,000 a year either. Over the past five years, she has received total increases of 4%. 11 years ago, the 50-year-old found a second job as a zumba instructor with three lessons per week. “I needed this in my budget. I admit that I am telling myself that this is not enough. “
Gasoline, housing and the rest
Because it’s not just the grocery store that costs more. There are clothes too. And gasoline, of course. “We talked about it a lot in the media a few years ago, but a lot less today. However, we have reached $ 1.50 [le litre]. I have an economy car, but it now costs me $ 60 to fill it up. In the suburbs, you don’t have the choice to have a car, ”says the woman, who apprehensively sees the moment when everything will no longer be done only by teleworking and that she will have to hit the road again to go to work.
His son and his wife also each have their own car, while her daughter takes advantage of the fact that public transport is free in Sainte-Julie.
Sylvie owns her house. She is happy to be able to offer shelter to her older son and his girlfriend while they put enough money aside to be able to buy their own accommodation. “Buying a house when you’re under 30 is crazy! I don’t have the means to offer them the down payment or to pay for their furniture, but we can arrange for them to live at home while they have saved enough money. “
For the rest, it cuts wherever it can, especially in outings and hobbies. “But there is a limit to that, because you might end up feeling locked in your house, locked in your life. At some point, that superfluity becomes essential to your sanity. “
When she looks around her, Sylvie Thibert admits having trouble explaining how others are doing. “We see everywhere that things get tough to buy houses, do major renovations, buy cars, afford nice bikes… I understand that people have spent less on outings to restaurants, to the cinema, on trips, but where are they taking all that money? ! I’m not an economist, but all these people who worked in companies that had to close because of COVID, how do they make a living? When the pandemic prevented me from giving my zumba lessons, I had to borrow from my line of credit. “
The most recent statistics show an increase in the cost of living of 5.3% over one year and 7.8% over two years in Quebec.
Most experts believe, however, that these increases are largely the result of transient factors, such as disrupted supply chains, exploding consumer demand and underinvestment in oil production capacity. Inflation should return to a more normal level of 2% by the end of next year, they say.
Sylvie Thibert doesn’t believe it. Or rather, she doesn’t believe the pressure from the rising cost of living will ease anytime soon.
Hikes that will stay
“Have you often seen prices go down after they’ve gone up? No, the price increases are here for good. And our income is nowhere near catching up with them. “
In its minibudget last week, the Legault government announced measures to mitigate the impact of the rising cost of living.
In particular, the 3.3 million Quebecers eligible for the solidarity tax credit will be sent up to $ 275 for single people and $ 400 for couples in January. But our Julievilloise does not feel concerned.
“I am happy for the people who need it and who will be entitled to it, but I am part of this middle class which always earns too much for these businesses and not enough to have loopholes. “
The mother of a family worries especially for the rising generations. “Me, I’m going to get away with it, because we have lived through years in which we have been able to save. But I look at my kids, the cost of living and the price of houses, and I wonder how they’re going to do it. Because it no longer makes sense. “