Burning Beneath

I went to the store today, expecting to do nothing more than pick up some groceries. As always, I intended to support Canadian brands, standing by local businesses and my country’s economy. But as I made my way through the aisles, something caught my eye—three cucumbers, wrapped together, priced at five dollars.

Five dollars.

For cucumbers.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the price tag, wondering if I had missed something. Had they suddenly become a luxury item? Had they been imported from some far-off land with exorbitant shipping costs? No, they were local, just like many of the other products I had planned to buy, which also had their prices inexplicably hiked up.

Now, we’ve all seen prices rising over time, but this felt different. This wasn’t a gradual increase—it was sharp, relentless, and unjustifiable. It made me ask: Why?

The American government has been threatening tariffs on Canadian goods, yet those tariffs haven’t even been imposed. In fact, there’s currently a 30-day pause on them. So if the justification for price increases has been the looming threat of tariffs, what is the excuse now?

Is it just unchecked greed?

Is it because they can get away with it, knowing that people will still buy essentials no matter the cost?

And if that’s the case, where does it end?

Because greed doesn’t stop. It doesn’t reach a limit and say, This is enough. It just keeps pushing, testing, seeing how far it can go before people either break or fight back.

I walked out of that store today with fewer items than I had planned. Not because I couldn’t afford them, but because I refused to play into this game. But not everyone has that option. Some people are forced to make impossible choices—between fresh produce and cheaper, processed alternatives, between what they need and what they can afford.

And the worst part?

Those at the top—those setting these prices—know it. And they don’t care.

So I ask again: When does it end?