To be or not to be a Quebecker? The question doesn’t really matter

This evening, I did my civic duty and voted in Quebec’s election. I had to vote today or tomorrow because I’m leaving for New Brunswick soon. There have been claims that the U.S. is trying to influence the election. The best way for citizens to make their voices heard is to get out and vote.

I consider myself as a New Brunswicker before a Quebecker, but I vote in every Quebec election. I pay my taxes here, and I see voting as my right, even if I don’t always think of myself as a Quebecker. I have an apartment in Montreal, where I live and work for a good part of the year. All my ID is from Quebec, and it has been for years. I even have a family doctor here now, after waiting more than 10-15 years to get one... Those motherfuckers are so incompetent! Quebec suffers from a lack of strong leadership, which makes it easy to grow frustrated with the province. That’s why this election is so important.

Sometimes I consider myself a Québécoise d’adoption, and sometimes I don’t. The truth is, I’m a Quebecker when it suits me, but I slip right back into my New Brunswick sneakers whenever something about Quebec society gets on my nerves. Which, I admit, happens fairly often. But if you asked me the question, I could very easily look you in the eyes and say that, of course, I am a Quebecker. But don't believe anything I say. I am a very good liar.

That said, it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy living in Montreal. Quite the opposite. What I love about the city is how easy it is to access just about everything, from wonderful public libraries to cultural activities of all kinds. I am a fan of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and I assisted to some beautiful concerts this summer.

Despite the cleanliness issues and the homelessness crisis, Montreal is still a great place to live. The city faces serious problems, but they don’t overshadow everything it has to offer.

One evening, I was walking downtown when I noticed rats running around. I was shocked by how many there were. They had holes in the ground beside an apartment building and were darting across the grass to a storm drain and back again. It was a disgusting sight. People leave garbage on the ground, often in the same spots, and no one seems to pick it up. That certainly doesn’t help with the rats. It would be so easy to pick up that nasty trash and keep the environment clean! But the simpler the solution, the harder it seems to be for Quebeckers to put it into practice. They just can’t seem to do it! The administration is incompetent and unable to apply practical solutions to basic problems. They have the money and the staff to get things done, but they do nothing.

And yet, on my way to the polling station, I passed some of Montreal’s beautiful architecture and flowers.

The TSX closed the latest session at 35,800.89 points, which is pretty good under the circumstances. I estimate my net worth at around $609,000, maybe $608,000. At worst, $605,000. I’m just happy to still be in the $600K club.

My dividend income has remained about the same. Recently, one of my larger holdings, Savaria Corporation (SIS), announced a 5.4% dividend increase. That helps offset the loss of income from Slate Grocery REIT (SGR.UN), which suspended its distributions. I only have a small position in SGR.UN, but losing income from a holding is never fun.

I came across the sticker I keep in my wallet. I crossed out the old $600,000 goal and wrote in a brand-new one: $700,000. No matter what’s happening in the market, I reached $600K. Now I’m going for $700K. It’s as simple as that. So now the sticker is going back in my wallet.