Your grocery flyer might be lying to you

Morning from Swan Valley — here's what matters in the northwest. You know, you see a lot of flyers come through the mail up here. Most of them end up in the wood stove, especially in winter. But there's one that caught my eye this week from the provincial government, saying they've lowered grocery prices. Funny, because I just saw a new report out of Winnipeg saying the opposite. It makes you wonder what they think we're seeing up here on the shelves at Super A or Co-op.

### What This Means for Swan River

This isn't just about Winnipeg, though that's where the report focused. We live a different reality out here. Swan River is the hub, sure, for places like Minitonas and Bowsman, and all the farms around Thunder Hill. But we still pay for that transport, for the distance. When the government sends a pamphlet talking about lower prices, and you just filled up your cart and saw the bill, it feels a bit… out of touch.

* **Distance adds cost:** Every item brought into Swan River from larger centers carries an extra freight charge.

* **Local prices reflect reality:** What we see at our local stores is a true reflection of the supply chain, not just a Winnipeg average.

* **Trust in information:** When official information doesn't match what people are experiencing, it erodes trust.

We're used to being self-sufficient here in the Valley. We know the price of a bushel of wheat, we know what it takes to run a forestry operation, and we definitely know what we're paying for groceries. Maybe the folks down in the city need to spend a week up here, filling their carts at our local stores, before they print their next flyer. It’s a different world when you’re five hours from the Perimeter.

Beth Makarchuk, MiTL Sports Desk, Swan River.

You can hear more of this kind of talk with the crew every morning at mornings.live.