Cost of living increases squeezing the vulnerable, shelter director says

Mounting energy and food costs in the Fredericton area coupled with the rising cost of rent and too few affordable housing units are pushing low-income earners on the poverty line over the edge, says the ...

[K R Flinn]

Where is the cost of living taking us? There once was a time when a hard working man could work 40-50 hours of honest labour and that would put a roof over the family, food on the table and with a little savey a annual family vacation a bit for retirement (you could still count on a pension in those days). Usually a mother for kids to come home to from school that would work hard raising children and keeping a home in order.
Now it takes 2 sometimes 3 incomes coming in to maintain a mortgage, car payment and a few extra's (though today we don't count cable, internet and cell phones as extra's, I think someone told us they are nessary and we bought it).
We buy/build a home for $200,000, it costs $400,000 to pay it off. We sell it for $300,000 and the next guy pays $600,000 after interest and so on...
Red tape and regulations cost companies so much money that it's a wonder anyone besides Banks, Insurance and Oil companies are running a profit.
We work one job to pay bills, another to pay someone to raise our children. Divorce is on the rise (finances puts one the most strains on marriage), but how do our children today view marriage from parents that are often working shifts, weekends and rarely make it home at the same time.
The sacred weekend for family time? Not even a Sunday in most places now. Yes the cost of living is giving us the squeeze. The question is how long are we willing going let ourselves be squeezed until we yell enough is enough?

[Dave]

Maybe in Toronto- however a new house on an acre private lot still costs will under 200,000 grand (2,100 square foot bungalow) or well under 150,000 grand (1500 square feet) in NB. I work 48 hours a week and have a great life in poor old NB. And yeah, price of some things have gone up- adjust and compensate.

Anyone who has to work two jobs and is worried about there marriage/family might not want to buy that 200,000 dollar home and maybe shuold take a hard long look in where they are at- and consider a change.