Only On The Walters Post

These are my own thoughts from what I’ve seen and lived through. I’m sharing them to spark some thinking and honest conversation, not because I have all the answers.

Tariffs, Excuses, and the Grocery Till

Lately, I’ve been paying attention to what’s happening with grocery prices here in Canada, and something’s not sitting right. Every time the bill goes up, there’s a new excuse. Now, they’re blaming tariffs, the new ones coming from across the border. And sure enough, some of the stuff we bring in from down there is getting hit with extra charges, which means higher costs by the time it lands on our shelves.

But here’s where I start raising my eyebrows.

They say it’s a 25 percent tariff on certain things we import, like food, grains, and even packaging supplies. And yes, that adds up, but when I look at the size of the price hikes, it feels like someone is adding a little extra on top. Maybe more than a little.

Over the years, I’ve lived through my share of economic ups and downs, and I know when something smells off. Tariffs might explain a piece of the puzzle, but they sure don’t explain why everything from apples to oatmeal has jumped in price. And it doesn’t explain why the folks in charge of setting those prices seem to be doing just fine, maybe even better than fine, while the rest of us are squinting at the checkout, wondering what we can put back.

Now, I’m not saying these trade decisions don’t affect things. They do. But I’m also not buying the idea that this is all out of their hands. It feels more like they found themselves a convenient excuse and decided to run with it.

Any way, at the end of the day, us regular Canadians are the ones footing the bill again. And all we get in return is another round of reasons why things “had to” go up.

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

Only On The Walters Post

These are my own thoughts from what I’ve seen and lived through. I’m sharing them to spark some thinking and honest conversation, not because I have all the answers.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately, I do that occasionally, about our oil — the stuff under our feet that helped build this country, fuel our trucks, and keep the lights on. Truth is, I don’t think most folks realize just how backwards things have gotten.

Here’s the rundown: we drill it, we pump it, and we send nearly all of it straight to the States. They take that crude, refine it, turn it into gasoline and diesel, and then sell it right back to us — at a tidy profit, of course.

Now, yes, I know we do have some refineries here in Canada — fifteen of them across the country. Some are in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and a few in Quebec and New Brunswick. But even with those, we still send 95% of our crude south, and then turn around and buy it back — especially in the eastern provinces.

So we’re rich in oil, but still buying back the finished product. That’s like raising your own cattle and ordering your steak from down the street.

We’ve got the oil, the land, the workers, and the know-how; so if we started refining more of our oil right here at home, we’d be putting thousands of people to work — skilled trades, operators, truckers, and the whole works. And we’d stop giving away the value of our resources while paying more at the pump.

To me, that’s something worth fixing.

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

Only On The Walters Post

So, here we are again. All that noise, the finger-pointing, and the fearmongering—turns out it was just folks stirring the pot. Just like I said in earlier posts, the whole fuss over Trump, tariffs, and some made-up crisis between Canada and the U.S. was never anything more than a show. And a bad one at that.

People got worked up, shouting about annexation and acting like Canada was about to be swallowed whole. Come on. That kind of talk does more harm than good. Trump didn’t threaten us, didn’t try to take over anything. All he said, plain and simple, was that maybe Canadians would be better off under the U.S. system—lower taxes, better health care, no defense budget. Whether you agree or not, that’s a far cry from invading the country.

And yet, some folks—especially in the media and politics—just couldn’t help themselves. They twisted it all into a story of danger and drama, painting Trump like some villain and lifting up guys like Carney as heroes. Truth is, Carney played his part well, I’ll give him that. Sold a fable, scared some voters, helped the Liberals squeak by again. But don’t kid yourself—it wasn’t leadership, it was politics.

Same thing with Elon Musk and other straight-shooters. Some people just don’t like truth-tellers. They’d rather stir trouble, push an agenda, and bash anyone who doesn’t play their game. And the sad part? A lot of folks fall for it.

I say enough already. Let’s stop buying into these cooked-up stories and start focusing on what really matters—our country’s resources, our economy, our future. There’s real work to do and real opportunity, especially for Indigenous communities and for Canadians who’ve been left behind while the politicians play pretend.

The truth matters. And we owe it to ourselves and our kids to call out the nonsense when we see it.

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

Only On The Walters Post

These are my own thoughts from what I’ve seen and lived through. I’m sharing them to spark some thinking and honest conversation, not because I have all the answers.

So here’s the thing — when I heard Donald Trump was talking about reopening Alcatraz, I didn’t roll my eyes like some folks might. In fact, I thought, well, that makes a lot of sense. What better place than an island surrounded by frigid waters and unforgiving tides to hold the worst of the worst? It worked before, didn’t it? You couldn’t exactly stroll off “The Rock” and into the nearest town for a coffee.

Now, I’m not talking about locking up some kid who made a mistake or someone caught with a bit of pot. I mean the ones who keep hurting others, again and again. The violent repeat offenders. The kind who have no interest in changing, who just cycle through the system, leaving a trail of damage behind.

Trump says he wants to rebuild and expand Alcatraz to house these criminals. He wants it to stand as a symbol — not of cruelty, but of law, order, and consequence. And you know what? Whether you like the man or not, the idea isn’t crazy. The prison’s already sitting there. The bones of it still stand. It’s got history. It’s got teeth, and most importantly, it worked — no confirmed escapes, not unless you count the three who vanished in ’62. Even then, chances are the ocean took ’em.

Now, here in Canada, I think we’ve got a different problem. We’re a little too soft on some things. I’m not saying lock everyone up and throw away the key — but I am saying if you’re doing time, you should be doing something. Productive. Useful. Working.

They used to put prisoners on road crews. Cleaning ditches, fixing fences, planting trees, along with learning trades. And giving something back to the community. But these days? Most inmates don’t do much of that. Sure, some have jobs inside — laundry, kitchen duty, sewing uniforms, or making license plates through CORCAN, the federal prison industry. But it’s mostly internal work, tucked out of sight. Rarely do you see a cleanup crew on the side of a rural highway anymore.

And it’s not mandatory. It’s voluntary.

Seems to me, if you’re getting free meals, heat, medical care, and a roof over your head at taxpayers’ expense, the least you can do is give something back. And here’s something worth mentioning — there are millions of people out here on the outside who can’t get a doctor when they need one. Meanwhile, inmates have a doctor on call anytime. It’s a glaring contrast that makes you think. We pay taxes for the system, but many of us are left waiting for care. It’s a reality check on fairness and responsibility. In fact, inmates have access to a full range of medical services, including primary care from physicians and nurses, mental health services with psychologists and psychiatrists, substance use treatments, and even specialized care from doctors and dentists. On top of that, they get pharmacy services, health screenings, and preventive care. All of this at no cost to them. It makes you wonder how much more people on the outside would benefit if they had even a fraction of that same access to healthcare.

I farmed a good portion of my life, and I’ll tell you, hard work never hurt anybody — in fact, it’s saved a lot of people and as my old dad used to say: Idle hands are the devil’s playground, and I believe it more now than ever.

So yeah, bring back Alcatraz if you’re serious about stopping the cycle of violence. And here in Canada? Maybe it’s time we rethink our approach, too. Not out of spite, but out of simple, honest common sense.

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