Even with all the turmoil in Ottawa and ruminations from the U.S. president-elect about tariffs and adding Canada as the 51st state, we are lucky to be Canadians.
Blessed in fact.
Compared with other countries, we live in relative peace and want for very little. Health care, education, civil services that protect and defend (like police, fire and sanitary workers) – pretty much everything we take for granted – provide a quality of life that is the envy of most of the world.
We know quite well that there is disparity within this country. Along socio-economic lines there is much to do.
The opportunity to access housing, according to the ability to pay, remains one of the greatest tragedies of our times. With an ever-widening gap between the rich and poor, the necessity of programs has never been more apparent.
Congruent with that concept is what we will term a crisis of affordability. Consider emergency room closures brought on by too few staff and lack of funding, police budgets that sky-rocketed due to labour costs, ever-expanding municipal budgets, long-term care funding for seniors that hasn’t kept up with demand let alone upcoming needs, and finally an insatiable appetite for borrowed money to meet operating expenses.
Even with those big challenges, Canada remains blessed; we have democracy on our side. Politicians aren’t silenced by the sword or walked off in the night. The only impediment to a strong voice on issues of import is a lack of conviction and capacity to understand another’s plight.
Citizens have the precious opportunity to speak freely too, which is the greatest yet least obvious facet of a functioning democracy. We certainly are glad to publish a wide range of conversations each week, whether people reacting to the news or bringing attention to issues. Our letters page remains one of the best in the country.
While that is a source of personal pride – call it a raison d’être – we are far prouder to serve a county of capable, passionate readers who really care about their communities. What we have here, what the public has in The Wellington Advertiser, has few equivalencies across the country. We still have a newspaper, free to read, free to ignore, free to love and let’s face it, free to despise.
As the country exits 2024 and heads into a whirlwind of craziness next year, let’s focus on conversations that lift all boats, not just some. With goodwill and hard work, we will get there. Together.
