Transition time is upon us again. We have reluctantly moved out of summer mode and are sliding into fall, a season that brings both wonder and worry.
Fall is the season of incredible colours, crispy apples and leaves, harvest, Thanksgiving, misty mornings, sweaters and flannel shirts.
The temperature is perfect; it is not too hot, not too cold. Conditions are great for chopping wood, cleaning out the garden, or finishing that home improvement project started in May.
Some would agree with Anne Shirley, a.k.a. Anne of Green Gables: “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
Others might concur with Henry David Thoreau: “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”
Fall, fabulous or foreboding? It could be both.
A typical good news-bad news story is the recent increase in the Ontario minimum wage.
The October 1 increase in the minimum wage from $16.55 to $17.20 benefited nearly one million workers, said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
“Ontario’s minimum wage is one of the highest in the country. This 3.9 per cent increase is tied to the Consumer Price Index, meaning that a worker making the general minimum wage over a 40-hour work week will have up to $1,355 more in their pockets every year. Our fair and balanced approach makes things predictable for both workers and businesses,” the minister stated. He went on to, naturally, congratulate his government.
“We also know minimum wage jobs should be a starting point, not an endpoint,” he observed. “That’s why we have programs helping people get into good jobs offering higher pay and more benefits.” He mentioned the Working for Workers Four Act, 2024, “which puts workers first, fills the labour shortage, incentivizes employers to create more local jobs and helps more workers land better opportunities with bigger paycheques.” All of these moves will “deliver real, positive change so Ontario can continue to be the best place to live, work and raise a family.”
Meanwhile, not everyone is doing the happy dance. Many employers, particularly small business operators, are fretting about the impact the higher minimum wage will have on their bottom lines.
And many workers say the increase is a pittance considering the high cost of living. In fact, the minimum should be $20.60 for Eastern Ontario, according to the Ontario Living Wage Network, a non-profit organization that bases its “livable” wage estimate on an area’s cost of food, shelter and transportation.
However, any raise is better than no raise, right?
Higher wages ought to translate into more disposable income, a big economic stimulator. If you have more money, you can afford to buy more stuff. But of course, prices will likely go up because employers have to charge more for their goods and services, in order to cover the hike in the minimum wage. So, guess what? You’re not going to get ahead, regardless of your pay scale.
Economics is not all that complicated, is it?
Money isn’t everything. Respect is important, too. For example, Ontario’s teachers earn decent salaries. But a lack of respect is being cited as a reason for an impending teacher shortage.
Teachers’ union say that one big factor hampering recruitment and staff retention is that the government does not take the profession seriously.
They were understandably vexed when Premier Doug Ford, commenting on a field trip where students attended a pro-Palestine rally, opined that teachers who planned the outing should “stick to their knitting” and concentrate on the classroom.
Wow! Welcome back to 1924!
The Premier’s remarks were uttered at about the same time there were reports of a looming “crisis” in schools.
The education ministry had been warned that teachers will become scarce as enrolment and teacher retirements both increase. Burnout is a constant problem, as teachers struggle to help children with learning needs and are subjected to violence.
An alarming number (77 per cent) of members of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) say they have personally experienced violence or witnessed violence against another staff member, according to a survey conducted for the Federation in February and March of 2023.
It will be a scary scenario unless action can be taken to fill the widening student-teacher gap.
And speaking of scary, Halloween keeps arriving earlier and earlier every year.
If we can have Back To School! specials in June, “Summerween” seems logical. In many parts of the planet, August has now become known for spooky home decorations, coffin-shaped ice cream sandwiches, as well as the mandatory pumpkin spice lattes.
After Christmas, Halloween is the most wonderful time of the year to be selling merchandise.
Inflation partly explains why Halloween purchases begin before leaves begin falling. With prices rising, consumers want to spread out their spending, so they start buying well before October. And retailers are more than willing to please customers – Halloween displays appear in stores by the middle of August.
So why has Halloween become so popular? Marketing has a lot to do with it. Resistance is futile when you are constantly bombarded with promotions for costumes and plastic jack-o-lanterns. For the past few years, retailers have bumped up the candy selling season to recoup losses suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Halloween offers an escape from the harsh realities of life.
Death may also be a motivator. Thinking about the Grim Reaper, or “mortality salience,” is said to drive certain consumers into splurging. They’re here for a good time, not a long time. Ghosts and graveyards remind folks they are mortal. So they are prompted to load up on treats while they still can. That may sound like a far-fetched hypothesis. It is almost as peculiar as shopping for candy corn before real corn has been harvested.
