Only On The Walters Post

Now, I’m not here to tell folks what to think, I’m just sharing what life has shown me. Take from it what makes sense, leave the rest, but maybe let it sit with you a while.

You know, I’ve been doing some reading lately on this big push for electric vehicles here in Canada, and I’ll tell you straight. I don’t think we’re going about it the right way.

They’re talking about forcing car companies to hit twenty percent EV sales by 2026, then banning new gas and diesel cars by 2035. Trouble is, no one seems to be asking the simple question: can we even handle it?

As it stands, right now, we don’t have near enough charging stations, or the power grid upgrades needed to keep all these batteries humming. And speaking of batteries, have folks really looked into what goes into them? Mining for lithium, cobalt, and nickel tears up the land somewhere else, and often in places with little to no environmental safeguards. Then there’s the dirty truth about what happens when these massive batteries wear out. They’re not exactly easy to recycle, and that’s a pile of hazardous waste waiting for the next generation.

Meanwhile, here in Canada, we’ve got plenty of oil and natural gas. It’s our bread and butter, puts food on the table for countless families, and keeps small towns alive. Instead of tearing down what we have, why aren’t we putting our heads together to make our traditional engines cleaner? We’ve already come a long way, as modern gas and diesel engines are nothing like the old smoke-belchers. With a bit more effort, we could keep refining them so they’re even easier on the environment.

And let’s not forget, our electricity isn’t all coming from wind or water. Much of it still burns fossil fuels, so pushing everyone into EVs doesn’t magically clean things up. It just shifts where the pollution happens, usually out of sight and out of mind.

Now, I’m not saying we shouldn’t look for new tech. But I am saying we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Seems to me, we ought to be improving what we already have, making the most of our own resources, and ensuring Canadians can keep moving without having to pay the folks in charge, for the privilege.

That’s how I see it, anyway.

Until the next time: Keep Your Minds Open & Your Stories Alive. GW

Only On The Walters Post

Now, I’m not here to tell folks what to think, I’m just sharing what life has shown me. Take from it what makes sense, leave the rest, but maybe let it sit with you a while.

There’s been a new poll making the rounds, done by the Pew Research Center, saying more Canadians these days see the United States as a threat. They found that 59 percent of Canadians now think of the U.S. as their biggest threat, up from just 20 percent back in 2019.

But even with that, the same poll says 55 percent of Canadians still see the U.S. as our most important ally. So it’s a strange mix, as folks see them as both a friend and a danger.

Now, here’s how I look at it. I’ve lived here in Canada all my life, over seventy years, and my father before me did too. Folks like us, who’ve been here for generations, are the ones whose say is slowly losing ground. It seems to me it’s not so much long-time Canadians feeling this way, but more the result of having a growing number of people coming in from other parts of the world, bringing different views with them.

Don’t get me wrong, I welcome most folks making a new life here, but it changes how these surveys come out. It’s like our voices, the people who built this country and lived side by side with the U.S. through thick and thin, are getting a bit drowned out.

As for Trump, well, sure, he was abrupt and a some didn’t care for his way of speaking. But to me, he was just calling a spade a spade, telling it like it is. That kind of straight talk may rub some folks the wrong way, yet it’s the kind of honesty I’ve always appreciated.

So when I read that Canada now sees the U.S. as more of a threat, I take it with a grain of salt. From where I sit, most folks I know still see the United States as our best friend and strongest ally. We might not agree on everything, but that’s family for you.

Until the next time: Keep Your Minds Open & Your Stories Alive. GW

Only On The Walters Post

Now, I’m not here to tell folks what to think, I’m just sharing what life has shown me. Take from it what makes sense, leave the rest, but maybe let it sit with you a while.

I’ve been reading and hearing quite a bit lately about how Canada’s decision to keep more of its travel dollars at home is hurting the folks down south. Some say the U.S. is losing billions from Canadians choosing not to vacation there, or even from so-called boycotts. But when I look at the whole picture, it feels more like a story that’s been blown up by a few people trying to stir the pot.

Sure, there’s truth in the numbers. Fewer Canadians are heading across the border or flying off to Florida and Arizona. Some estimates suggest the U.S. has lost billions because of that. Border towns and places that once relied on steady streams of Canadians popping in to shop or fill up on gas are certainly feeling it. There’s no arguing those local impacts.

But step back a little and you’ll see the real situation. The United States is a massive country with a booming domestic travel industry. Most folks heading to Florida or Las Vegas or New York are Americans, not Canadians. They’ve also got visitors pouring in from Europe, Asia, and all over. That steady flow of people more than makes up for a dip in Canadian snowbirds.

And let’s be honest, the Canadians who truly want that sunshine come January will still pack up and go. Those with the means to rent a condo for a few months or haul their RV to a warm spot aren’t likely to stop just because of a little political noise or a high exchange rate. They might grumble a bit, but come winter, they’re heading south. Always have, probably always will.

In the end, while we might like to think keeping our tourism dollars at home is teaching someone a lesson, it’s likely not doing much more than making headlines. The U.S. economy is big enough to weather fewer Canadians buying beach towels and shrimp dinners. Meanwhile, many of us are finding just as much joy exploring what’s in our own backyard.

And maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Until the next time, keep your minds open and your stories alive. GW