2022 wishlist

As we near Christmas and with this being my last column of 2021, I’ve chosen to write about what I hope to see in 2022.

For starters, with a provincial election upcoming, I hope at least some of the advertising is focused on what each party could potentially provide to Ontarians rather than what other parties can’t. There are always attack ads in every upper-tier election, be it federal or provincial.

These are meant to draw attention to a certain leader or party’s potential shortcomings. But, I hope politicians take to heart the spirit of political cooperation and decide to offer their own ideas to the public, rather than focusing on putting their opponent down.

Next, maybe at our crosswalks and crossings, we can see a return of the ‘thank you’ wave from pedestrians. In this exchange, when a car stops to let someone cross, the pedestrian puts their hand up, in order to say thank you to the driver. Over the last couple of months, I’ve noticed it less and less while travelling, and I think it would be great to see it revived in the new year.

Thirdly, maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs will finally make it past the first round of the playoffs. In the last number of years, there have been first-round series losses to Washington, Boston (twice), Columbus, and Montreal. A team with superstars like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares is too talented to be continuing this trend of playoff failure.

Lastly, a joint federal and provincial strategy to combat the rapidly increasing cost of living would be helpful. Several media organizations have recently reported grocery prices are expected to increase next year. Gas prices seem to keep rising as well. And as was noted in the last federal election, it is becoming much harder for young families to afford their first house. Coming from what has been a two-year pandemic, a lot of people are struggling financially, and it’s time for governments to come together to find a solution or solutions to this ever-growing problem.

Hopefully, 2022 will be a much better year for everyone than the last couple of years have been.

Before I finish this column, I just want to provide an update from my last column. Unfortunately, I have to share with a heavy heart, my cat Darcy got worse recently, and we had her euthanized. It was probably the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, and I miss her every day.

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