Inflation hit a record high in Canada at 6.8% in April. Behind the figures, it is humans who suffer the consequences. But not everyone is equal in the face of the rising cost of living. First in a series of portraits of the faces of inflation.
Pierre Lauzon is satisfied with little. The 68-year-old man, dressed in a Harley-Davidson t-shirt, praises the merits of his small Montreal studio without a balcony, in which his red scooter sits. Pictures of her grandchildren are pasted on the wall.
“The bathroom is large. For cooking, cooking as well, it’s perfect. There is a large place at the entrance to squeeze all my things, I have cupboards en masse. I am correct here. »
This former truck driver, cook and penitentiary guard considers himself lucky to have found this apartment for less than $500, in a building in the Ville-Émard district managed by the Alternatives communautaire d’habitation et d’intervention de milieu organization. (ACHIM).
He was driving around in his modest vehicle when he discovered his haven of peace, after six months of research between Montreal and Saint-Jérôme, where his son lives. “I jumped on it, because I had no more place to go,” says the man who had been staying with his daughter for six months, after having also lived with his son for about a year. He had lost practically everything after a separation and then serious health problems, which forced his hospitalization and his work stoppage.
“Someone who hasn’t found housing at a good price like mine, with the rent increases we see today, I don’t know how he does it. There is a gang of little old people who must be depressed, ”says this former resident of Amos, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. The ACHIM also confirms that nearly forty seniors are on its waiting list in the hope that housing will become available soon.
Despite his affordable rent, Mr. Lauzon’s budget is tight, very tight. He estimates all of his monthly expenses at $1,696, while his income is approximately $1,700, consisting essentially of government old-age and retirement pensions. However, we cannot say that he is particularly spendthrift: rent, food, electricity, television, landline telephone, hygiene and cleaning products and medicines form the bulk of his expenses.
“I have heart problems, kidney problems, diabetes. I take about twenty pills a day,” said the man with the hoarse, mocking voice. Moreover, during the interview with The dutyMr. Lauzon was visited by two nurses, who cleaned his wounds and changed dressings on his swollen legs.
Since he does not have a vehicle, he is not affected by the rising cost of gas, unlike his neighbor Denise Gagné, who is thinking of getting rid of her car. The director general of the ACHIM, Pamela David, notes that several residents have had to part with theirs for financial reasons.
Mr. Lauzon, on the other hand, allows himself his cigarettes and lottery tickets, which serve as entertainment. “When I was working, I liked going to see shows, theater, musicians. Every week, I went to the cinema. I did not. That’s where it’s easiest to cut,” he says.
Painful grocery cart
But it is above all the increase in the price of food that hurts. Mr. Lauzon brandishes a chicken out of his freezer. “I took that for $10 at the Super C. It’s expensive for a small chicken,” he judges, sketching a pout.
To save money, the grandfather reduced his consumption of meat and fish. He notably converted to tofu, on the advice of his daughter. The price of the package of five meals a week served at his residence will also increase by 16% from the 1er July from $172 to $199. The organization explains that inflation and the departure of another group that benefited from the food service forced it to increase its prices, a situation hard to swallow for some residents.
According to Statistics Canada’s Personal Inflation Rate Calculator, the cost of living rose 5% for Mr. Lauzon between April 2021 and April 2022 and about 1.8% in three months. However, although indexed, several benefits intended for seniors do not exactly follow the cost of living. For example, the Old Age Security benefits, which Mr. Lauzon receives and which are reviewed four times a year, increased by 1% in April, while the consumer price index increased by 3.3 % in the previous three months in Canada. Mme David, as well as the Réseau FADOQ, which defends the rights of retirees, believe that this pension should be improved to allow many seniors to live decently.
Internet and travel dreams
If he refuses to feel sorry for himself, Mr. Lauzon still dreams of a bigger apartment, like those in the building next door. He could afford it if he gets the rent supplement, which would mean that he would pay rent equal to 25% of his income. He is eligible, but he must be patient, because the ACHIM can only offer subsidized housing to 50% of its tenants. The organization is also asking the Quebec government to be able to devote a greater proportion to it.
Mr. Lauzon would also like help with housekeeping. “I’m not always able to wash the bath and around the toilet bowl, it’s difficult. The floor is fine, because I can lean on the “mop”. I do the dishes bit by bit, because it hurts me to stay on my feet for a long time. »
If he had the means, he would install the Internet in his apartment. Having taken basic computer courses, he could do his shopping online, do his banking transactions and look at bus schedules, which would save him laborious travel. “I hesitate, because it’s a payment every month and it’s expensive,” he laments.
Right now, he’s hoarding his money to buy new cookware, as his is at the end of its useful life. Bad luck, this product category has seen a price increase of 16.2% in Quebec over the past year.
There are also trips. Sailing on a cruise on the St. Lawrence, taking a plane to Vancouver, watching the glaciers float in Newfoundland… He thinks of these projects with a smile, without having given up hope of being able to carry them out. In the meantime, he enjoys scratching his lottery tickets and watching TV shows.