To me the economic principle at play is “whatever the market will bear”. Where I now live in Squamish BC the local market bears extremely high food prices because this is an affluent community. There are enough wealthy people living here that no matter how high the cost of groceries (or gas) goes they will pay without a thought. Sadly that means that the rest ofthe population pays the same prices if they expect to feed their families. By comparison I see the fliers from two communities where I used to live: Elliot Lake Ontario and New Germany Nova Scotia. Elliot Lake is a retirement community and is fortunate to have a private, family owned deli and meat shop which consistently matches or beats prices at the big stores. Most of those prices have been as little as 50% of the prices in Squamish. Why is that? Because in that community that’s what the local market will bear. No more. Same thing in New Germany NS. Local family owned grocery store and a family owned meat shop in nearby Bridgewater. Very similar low prices. The conclusion I draw is that the wholesale sources are the same but the retail prices are dramatically different because in two cases the public would not pay the exorbitant prices seen here in Squamish. The grocery chains will charge as much as they can get. It’s just that simple.
I don’t disagree with some of the overall tone, but I think you’ve missed two areas
First, breaking up the monopolies to force more competition in the marketplace should have been added to your 3/4 options, not an afterthought. And while boosting competition isn’t inherently “NDP”, breaking up monopolies could certainly be sold.
Second it doesn’t need to be actionable to be useful. Now, I don’t think that’s great politics or a great strategy. But if I’m wrong and the NDP can really make gains based on a “fuck Galen Weston“ platform, it wouldn’t be the first time a party needed to retroactively develop policy after emotion got them elected.
I live in BC where the NDP has ruled a few times, including right now, and nothing Jagmeet claims the NDP represents is reflected or practiced by the BC NDP. The BC NDP has the power, for example, to raise and index disability rates but welfare and disability remain grossly inadequate under the BC NDP. The BC NDP got elected on promises to renters after years of landlord favouritism under the right wing BC Liberals. They didn't deliver on any of those promises. Instead, they continued to allow landlords who charge the highest rents in the country, to raise rents annually by the rate of inflation for occupied properties and to raise them to whatever they want for vacancies. The barest minimum they did was decide a freeze for 2020 when we were locked down. David Eby, who replaced John Horgan - who we just learned has joined a coal company board (!!) - is offering the lowest income residents a pittance of a rebate for exorbitant rents starting this year but this won't alleviate the suffering or reduce rents no one can afford. The BC NDP made promises on the environment and broke every single one of them when they got in. They vowed to scrap Site C and continued it. They continued subsidies for LNG. (Some of this is changing, but they're still funding LNG projects.) The BC NDP governs more like the federal liberals. They are, for the most part, neoliberals, not socialists. The federal NDP seems to have decided it is comfortable never having power and I assume this because its leader behaves like a Fairy Gumdrop Land populist who promises things he would never deliver. When Jagmeet tweets how he's holding people like Galen Weston accountable - which in any practical terms is not the case, ask him why his provincial counterparts don't do the things they have the power to do. He won't answer.
I completely disagree There is a way for Government to make legislation & Regulation that will reduce Food Cost. There are many Strategies & Investments the Government can make to ensure that people can afford to eat. Food is a Basic Human Right and monopolies and Mega Corporations Can be legislated from making unreasonable Profits. But we can also take the Business of Food production & distribution out of the Hands of MultiBillion Dollar Corporations. Profit is Not Revenue. Revenue all the money you take in, Profit is what is left over after you pay all your overhead, like Debts, suppliers, wages,etc. Galen Weston would have us believe that the Profit pays for your Overhead so therefore he is not making a real Profit, But the facts are he made Record Profits while the Working class Struggled afford to buy food from his Grocery Stores to feed themselves and their Families. That is Criminal! Loblaw's was charging $10 dollars for a head of Lettuce you could grow in your own kitchen for pennies. Farmers were Suffering and not getting paid more and even taking losses on the food they produce, While Loblaw's made Record profits of the food the Farmers Produced.
I personally Go directly to the Farmer to purchase my eggs, chicken, beef,etc. I also have set up a small aquaponics system from a 5 Gallon Culligan water jug, that I can grow lettuce, tomatoes Herbs, and many other vegetables in, including eggplant & squash or even fruit like Strawberries. This all takes very little energy or effort on my part and as I am also disabled I do not have a lot of energy to spare. So if I can do this, there is no reason that we all cannot do it.
Governments could be investing in urban Agrihoods like the one in Detroit, that not only feeds the entire community & even houses people affordably, but it also educates people on urban agriculture, permaculture , etc, it also stimulates Tourism & makes profits selling the excess it produces to local Restaurants. Those profits can be used to pay for other Community Projects that create more vibrant, innovative, Inclusive and accessible communites for the people that live and work in them.
Governments Can also Legislate against Monopolies created by Multibillion dollar Mega Corporations making Unreasonable Profits on Food, Which I say again, Food is a Basic Human Right! I have many more innovative ideas on this subject but I am getting tired now. So I will end my commentary on this for now.
To me the economic principle at play is “whatever the market will bear”. Where I now live in Squamish BC the local market bears extremely high food prices because this is an affluent community. There are enough wealthy people living here that no matter how high the cost of groceries (or gas) goes they will pay without a thought. Sadly that means that the rest ofthe population pays the same prices if they expect to feed their families. By comparison I see the fliers from two communities where I used to live: Elliot Lake Ontario and New Germany Nova Scotia. Elliot Lake is a retirement community and is fortunate to have a private, family owned deli and meat shop which consistently matches or beats prices at the big stores. Most of those prices have been as little as 50% of the prices in Squamish. Why is that? Because in that community that’s what the local market will bear. No more. Same thing in New Germany NS. Local family owned grocery store and a family owned meat shop in nearby Bridgewater. Very similar low prices. The conclusion I draw is that the wholesale sources are the same but the retail prices are dramatically different because in two cases the public would not pay the exorbitant prices seen here in Squamish. The grocery chains will charge as much as they can get. It’s just that simple.
I don’t disagree with some of the overall tone, but I think you’ve missed two areas
First, breaking up the monopolies to force more competition in the marketplace should have been added to your 3/4 options, not an afterthought. And while boosting competition isn’t inherently “NDP”, breaking up monopolies could certainly be sold.
Second it doesn’t need to be actionable to be useful. Now, I don’t think that’s great politics or a great strategy. But if I’m wrong and the NDP can really make gains based on a “fuck Galen Weston“ platform, it wouldn’t be the first time a party needed to retroactively develop policy after emotion got them elected.
talk about a bad take.
I live in BC where the NDP has ruled a few times, including right now, and nothing Jagmeet claims the NDP represents is reflected or practiced by the BC NDP. The BC NDP has the power, for example, to raise and index disability rates but welfare and disability remain grossly inadequate under the BC NDP. The BC NDP got elected on promises to renters after years of landlord favouritism under the right wing BC Liberals. They didn't deliver on any of those promises. Instead, they continued to allow landlords who charge the highest rents in the country, to raise rents annually by the rate of inflation for occupied properties and to raise them to whatever they want for vacancies. The barest minimum they did was decide a freeze for 2020 when we were locked down. David Eby, who replaced John Horgan - who we just learned has joined a coal company board (!!) - is offering the lowest income residents a pittance of a rebate for exorbitant rents starting this year but this won't alleviate the suffering or reduce rents no one can afford. The BC NDP made promises on the environment and broke every single one of them when they got in. They vowed to scrap Site C and continued it. They continued subsidies for LNG. (Some of this is changing, but they're still funding LNG projects.) The BC NDP governs more like the federal liberals. They are, for the most part, neoliberals, not socialists. The federal NDP seems to have decided it is comfortable never having power and I assume this because its leader behaves like a Fairy Gumdrop Land populist who promises things he would never deliver. When Jagmeet tweets how he's holding people like Galen Weston accountable - which in any practical terms is not the case, ask him why his provincial counterparts don't do the things they have the power to do. He won't answer.
I completely disagree There is a way for Government to make legislation & Regulation that will reduce Food Cost. There are many Strategies & Investments the Government can make to ensure that people can afford to eat. Food is a Basic Human Right and monopolies and Mega Corporations Can be legislated from making unreasonable Profits. But we can also take the Business of Food production & distribution out of the Hands of MultiBillion Dollar Corporations. Profit is Not Revenue. Revenue all the money you take in, Profit is what is left over after you pay all your overhead, like Debts, suppliers, wages,etc. Galen Weston would have us believe that the Profit pays for your Overhead so therefore he is not making a real Profit, But the facts are he made Record Profits while the Working class Struggled afford to buy food from his Grocery Stores to feed themselves and their Families. That is Criminal! Loblaw's was charging $10 dollars for a head of Lettuce you could grow in your own kitchen for pennies. Farmers were Suffering and not getting paid more and even taking losses on the food they produce, While Loblaw's made Record profits of the food the Farmers Produced.
I personally Go directly to the Farmer to purchase my eggs, chicken, beef,etc. I also have set up a small aquaponics system from a 5 Gallon Culligan water jug, that I can grow lettuce, tomatoes Herbs, and many other vegetables in, including eggplant & squash or even fruit like Strawberries. This all takes very little energy or effort on my part and as I am also disabled I do not have a lot of energy to spare. So if I can do this, there is no reason that we all cannot do it.
Governments could be investing in urban Agrihoods like the one in Detroit, that not only feeds the entire community & even houses people affordably, but it also educates people on urban agriculture, permaculture , etc, it also stimulates Tourism & makes profits selling the excess it produces to local Restaurants. Those profits can be used to pay for other Community Projects that create more vibrant, innovative, Inclusive and accessible communites for the people that live and work in them.
Governments Can also Legislate against Monopolies created by Multibillion dollar Mega Corporations making Unreasonable Profits on Food, Which I say again, Food is a Basic Human Right! I have many more innovative ideas on this subject but I am getting tired now. So I will end my commentary on this for now.