Recent posts

#21

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Razgovory - July 09, 2025, 06:44:31 PM

I'm not ashamed to admit I've been trolling some of the right about the Epstein thing.

#22

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Sheilbh - July 09, 2025, 06:43:39 PM

That is interesting - anecdotally from listening to stories at work a lot of parents think there's a lot of "over-diagnosis" of special educational needs in schools (I don't think it's necessarily "diagnosis" because I don't think it's actually a review by a health professional - more by the schools and local authority).

#23

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by crazy canuck - July 09, 2025, 06:20:01 PM

Yes, Alberta has concerns about pipelines, and that continues. But you made a claim about infrastructure generally. And that is not accurate.  Just take a look at the expansion being undertaken at the Port of Prince Rupert over the last 10 years. The expansion of YVR for the transportation of goods.  The expansion of the Port of Vancouver. The expansion of the transportation networks (rail and road) into and out of those ports, the development of LNG terminals etc etc etc

Those are great counter examples, in fact.

What I'm curious about is what differs between the projects that get built and the ones that end up as long term contentious political topics - that is, pipelines for Albertan fossil fuels via BC and Quebec, and - as per Grey Fox - the rail networks that aren't going to be upgraded.

My impression, which can be faulty, is that intra provincial infrastructure gets priority over inter provincial infrastructure. Which doesn't help the middle of Canada much. I wasn't so bad when America was right at the border. But that left weaknesses that are very apparent now.

No, the development of the grain terminals in Vancouver to transport grain from the prairies demonstrates that thesis is also wrong.

#24

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by crazy canuck - July 09, 2025, 06:18:33 PM

Yes, Alberta has concerns about pipelines, and that continues. But you made a claim about infrastructure generally. And that is not accurate.  Just take a look at the expansion being undertaken at the Port of Prince Rupert over the last 10 years. The expansion of YVR for the transportation of goods.  The expansion of the Port of Vancouver. The expansion of the transportation networks (rail and road) into and out of those ports, the development of LNG terminals etc etc etc

Those are great counter examples, in fact.

What I'm curious about is what differs between the projects that get built and the ones that end up as long term contentious political topics - that is, pipelines for Albertan fossil fuels via BC and Quebec, and - as per Grey Fox - the rail networks that aren't going to be upgraded.

What has happened is you have identified one issue (pipeline construction) and built a thesis on the basis of that one thing that there is somehow a general problem with developing infrastructure.  Your thesis is not accurate.

GF was making a point about who is going to pay to upgrade rail lines, which is a different issue.

[By "Upgrading infrastructure," what is it that you're looking to do? Something like simply upgrading existing track can be done fairly quickly (by the standards of rail, I mean), and you can do pieces at a time.]

#25

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by mongers - July 09, 2025, 06:14:40 PM

My gut instinct is that there are two main factors, but I'd love to hear other folks' perspectives (and thoughts on how to address those factors if you agree they're significant).

• The cost-benefit analysis doesn't actually add up. That is, the expected return on investment is not substantial enough (or carries high risk) for private capital to fund the projects; and the political case is similarly not substantial enough for politicians to fund it.
• The transit provinces (I'm thinking BC and Quebec here primarily, but maybe elsewhere as well) don't see enough upside in taking on the environmental risk and local stakeholder dissatisfaction. It's a kind of a generalized point, so I'd like to understand more about what could turn it into win-win propositions for the transit provinces, beyond "it's good for Canada" and "it's good for the economy of other provinces" (not that these aren't good arguments, but evidently they're not always sufficiently persuasive).

By "Upgrading infrastructure," what is it that you're looking to do?  Something like simply upgrading existing track can be done fairly quickly (by the standards of rail, I mean), and you can do pieces at a time.  If you're looking at building completely new track (a greenfield project in rail lingo), you need to think in terms of decades before you have an operating system.

The most logical place for Canada to start, in my opinion, is to mandate Positive Train Control so that the existing trains can run quicker and safer.  That took about ten years in the United States.

Yes, there's been a push in Southern England to upgrade the tracks and tunnelling to allow greater width and height units* on freight trains coming out of Southampton, the UK's 2nd/3rd largest container port.

And as part of this process, when there was a minor two train crash at the entrance to a tunnel nr Salisbury, whilst repairing/upgrading the signalling and rail furniture, they dropped the level of the rails running through the tunnel by around a foot to allow large container freight to pass through.



* the technical term for this outline 'gauge' eludes me a the moment.

#26

Off the Record / Re: Elon Musk: Always A Douche

Last post by Darth Wagtaros - July 09, 2025, 05:54:03 PM

Apparently in Turkish, Grok is an hardcore anti-Erdogan supporter.

Least it has something right.

#27

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by The Minsky Moment - July 09, 2025, 05:49:51 PM

So the Epstein client list that Pam Bondi said Monday was on her desk not only does not exist, but never actually existed.

It's Schrodinger's Cheshire Cat.
Any attempt to observe it causes it not to exist, leaving only a joke on us behind.

#28

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by The Minsky Moment - July 09, 2025, 05:47:36 PM

Clintons did it.  With their magic Clinton powers. Including the power to control the Federal Bureau of Prisons. During the Trump administration.

#29

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by HVC - July 09, 2025, 05:40:14 PM

Yes, Alberta has concerns about pipelines, and that continues. But you made a claim about infrastructure generally. And that is not accurate.  Just take a look at the expansion being undertaken at the Port of Prince Rupert over the last 10 years. The expansion of YVR for the transportation of goods.  The expansion of the Port of Vancouver. The expansion of the transportation networks (rail and road) into and out of those ports, the development of LNG terminals etc etc etc

Those are great counter examples, in fact.

What I'm curious about is what differs between the projects that get built and the ones that end up as long term contentious political topics - that is, pipelines for Albertan fossil fuels via BC and Quebec, and - as per Grey Fox - the rail networks that aren't going to be upgraded.

My impression, which can be faulty, is that intra provincial infrastructure gets priority over inter provincial infrastructure. Which doesn't help the middle of Canada much. I wasn't so bad when America was right at the border. But that left weaknesses that are very apparent now.

#30

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by Jacob - July 09, 2025, 05:21:31 PM

Yes, Alberta has concerns about pipelines, and that continues. But you made a claim about infrastructure generally. And that is not accurate.  Just take a look at the expansion being undertaken at the Port of Prince Rupert over the last 10 years. The expansion of YVR for the transportation of goods.  The expansion of the Port of Vancouver. The expansion of the transportation networks (rail and road) into and out of those ports, the development of LNG terminals etc etc etc

Those are great counter examples, in fact.

What I'm curious about is what differs between the projects that get built and the ones that end up as long term contentious political topics - that is, pipelines for Albertan fossil fuels via BC and Quebec, and - as per Grey Fox - the rail networks that aren't going to be upgraded.