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Ontario Majority Government 2022-2026 (?)

When it’s not throwing axels and standing riders for hours at a time and taking weeks to repair…
I'm not pretending our LRT is perfect, but there are lots or subways and LRT services in the world that do great work. The reason we aren't there yet is mostly down to the fact we waited until too late to start. We pretended that busses were enough, because they had been for a long time. It's akin to the CAF pretending that not having AD was ok, because we hadn't needed it for a couple of decades. I'm sure our new AD systems will have a lot of expensive failures as we figure it out again as well... Yet I suspect that nobody on this forum will propose we go back to not having AD because it was cheaper.

Canadian cities love to pretend they are small towns, and forget that infrastructure and transit are part of being "grown up" cities.
 
I'm not pretending our LRT is perfect, but there are lots or subways and LRT services in the world that do great work. The reason we aren't there yet is mostly down to the fact we waited until too late to start. We pretended that busses were enough, because they had been for a long time. It's akin to the CAF pretending that not having AD was ok, because we hadn't needed it for a couple of decades. I'm sure our new AD systems will have a lot of expensive failures as we figure it out again as well... Yet I suspect that nobody on this forum will propose we go back to not having AD because it was cheaper.

Canadian cities love to pretend they are small towns, and forget that infrastructure and transit are part of being "grown up" cities.
I agree overall, was just noting the OTrain’s penchant for chucking major components and being less than a stellar system…though perhaps that had more to do with the fact that the project had notable issues with a deliberately biased procurement that saw an award go to the team that was lowest cost because it actually ‘forgot’ to include the automatic control system that was a mandatory requirement…go Team SNC Lavelin… 😠

As you point out, much of the issue comes from North American cities having much of their relatively young life (compared to European cities) grow in the period of the car, and then trying to retrofit traffic infrastructure to a means of transport that just isn’t socially anywhere close to being mainstream, ie. the bicycle. Pretending that Canadians (North Americans) have it in them socially to aspire to using a bicycle throughout all four seasons, notwithstanding the elitist protestations of those cyclists at the top of the commitment and skills pyramid, isn’t realistic.
 
The best transit systems in the world, in my (limited, I admit) experience are all private: Hong Kong, which I regard as the best transit anywhere; Tokyo and Singapore. The worst, including London, New York, Paris, Toronto and Ottawa are all public.

Great to read about Ottawa transit. Just tap my PRESTO when I visit and enjoy the ride.

Never been to Hong Kong, or used their transit, but have watched many Youtube videos about HK and its transit system. Very impressive. So are the people I have met from there.

Japan is my sentimental favorite of places I have visited.

Here in North America,

Toronto has the third largest transit system in North America

The TTC is the least subsidized system in North America.

 
Bus services also lose money, the difference is, a train moves a lot of people around very efficiently. Busses move at the whims/fortunes of traffic, or cost a lot extra for their special transit ways to be maintained.
No sale here. I used bus and LRT for a few years. Road networks allow buses to detour, and they do. The handful of complete rail shutdowns I experienced were quite the events. Fortunately, they had buses to run shuttles. If a new bus route is needed, just added buses and operators.
With public transit there is no free ride. We all pay a bit to subsidize transit. We can choose efficient and effective rail transit, or we can pretend that busses are good enough on their own.
Run the numbers for capital costs and operations to produce per-rider costs. Buses almost always win, bigly. Rail is practical for a few high-density routes.

I'd require a good case that a rail line would pay for its construction in 30 years, and all of its operating costs, before I'd build one.
 
Transit in North America will always be inefficient due to labour costs. Until we have self driving buses. You can only sustain so many unprofitable routes and runs.
 
(Making short diversion away from transit for a moment)

Doctor at the head of the panel? Check.

How much primary care do these guys do? Well, in the current environment, folks without docs go to ERs, so there IS that.

Docs? Covered.

Hmmm, never thought of them in the equation, but it's not impossible they could do more re: primary care. They often run clinics for various vulnerable populations - could that be broadened?

I was just poking a bit at the fact that it seems to be doctors who tend to take the lead in figuring out how to make the system work better.

I age myself a bit, but ...
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Meanwhile, in related news ....
I wasn't making the point so much as who-does-what but, rather, recognizing that there is a ton of expertise amongst the players who are up to their armpits in the problem every day. For that matter, nobody ever seems to ask the nurses.

I understand Dr. Philpott just wrote a book on the topic (haven't read it). Maybe she should be on a panel/committee/taskforce of 'industry' players - maybe even head it, but bringing her in as a solo white knight advisor is little different that a consultant, and I've never seen a consultant come out a tell the folks paying the bill that what they are doing is wrong. I see a new report sitting on a waiting space on a shelf.

Everybody involved in the game will have an agenda of some kind. I think one of the biggest obstacles in bringing new foreign trained doctors on board is the CPSO protecting their turf and their alma maters, but if you involve them in a broad analysis of the problem, there is a better chance of buy-in.
 
On the other hand, suburban commuters in Ottawa have stripped front lawns and other space from downtown to accommodate their unwillingness to use transit (Bronson is a sad example of that). The destruction of downtown neighbourhoods to accomodate people who don't live there is a huge problem.

Can you expand on this for a guy who has no idea. How did drivers do this ?
 
Interesting double-whammy here ....
I've seen "we'll cover your tuition if you agree to hang around" schemes fail in the past because, well, there weren't enough teeth in whatever agreements were signed with whoever was covering the tuition to keep docs from GTFO'ing anyway. We'll see what happens with the legislation that ends up being grunted out.
 
What kind of store owner would pile empties next to fresh produce? Sounds like a solution, looking for a problem. As for turning back their license? Go ahead. I doubt anyone will notice and just drive a block further to the next store. When we had home delivery of beer, the Beer Store took the empties when they brought your order. And they still do when supplying retail outlets. So I'm not sure where they think they have a problem.
 
What kind of store owner would pile empties next to fresh produce? Sounds like a solution, looking for a problem. As for turning back their license? Go ahead. I doubt anyone will notice and just drive a block further to the next store. When we had home delivery of beer, the Beer Store took the empties when they brought your order. And they still do when supplying retail outlets. So I'm not sure where they think they have a problem.
I'm going to guess most corner stores don't have much storage space for empties - not to mention it doesn't look like someone's going to go to the outlets to pick up empties.

Yeah, it's up to the vendors to know the details (no such thing as free lunch from any government), but as you know with other levels of government, the devil's in the (regulatory) details.

But hey, Team Blue's the party of small business, right? ;)
 
Alberta in the '80's had Bottle Depots where you could drop off all your bottles/cans, whether beer/wine/spirits of pop and they would pay you for the returns. Not sure if they still exist, but may be something the Ford govt should look at?
 
Ah, the dreaded "oh, yeah, one more thing" regulations ....
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See what happens when things get hurried along? :)
It'll be interesting to see whether "or else I'll hand back my licence" amounts to "or else I'll move to Canada". Liquor licences in BC have approximately the status of a licence to print money and are highly sought; I'd be surprised if it's much different in any other province.
 
Odd that Quebec has deposits on most cans and bottles, and requires retailers with 375 sq m or more of floor space to take them back... perhaps Ontario has something to learn?
 
In Michigan they have machines outside the stores. You put in your cans and get your deposit back. Let me tell you what a pain in the ass that was after a Sqn smoker.😂
 
Meanwhile, Manitoba is in the Stone Age. You can only return beer bottles and cans for deposit at beer vendors only. All other cans and bottles go in the recycling bin/garbage can.
 
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