Quote:
Originally Posted by Truenorth00
Counting on the Conservatives to expand passenger rail services substantially? Are you people ignorant of Harper's entire tenure. Sure, Via didn't collapse on his watch. That's about all we can say. They even refused to fund the fleet renewal.
The Liberals have been better. But seemingly reluctantly. Despite all the rhetoric about climate change and infrastructure, they didn't even fund the full HFR business case development and pre-procurement till 2019. The fleet replacement was only funded in 2018. A full three years into their term.
All of you here clamouring for additional services need to understand this: if HFR doesn't happen, you'll eventually be getting cuts, not additions.
I can already see a future Conservative government cancelling HFR citing fiscal concerns. I can even see cutbacks beyond that.
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I almost wish it wasn't so easy to defund things. You are right, most of the cuts have been under a PC or Cons government. CN was privatized under a PC government. Most of the cuts were also under PCs, including the southern route of the Canadian.
Quote:
Originally Posted by canucklehead2
You're gonna need the BQ-GREEN-NDP to sack up and demand green energy investments if this nation has any hope of making a significant dent in its carbon footprint...
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If the BQ can see a benefit to Quebec, then they can buy into it.
The NDP are a little easier as this would bring "good unionized jobs".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Truenorth00
I'm an Ontarian. I find it patently ridiculous there's no Calgary-Edmonton train with hourly. I want VIA's attention on that as soon as they have shovels in the ground for HFR. I wish the provincial government would come in with money. But if not, I have no issues with the Feds making this work using a 50 yr business case, if they have to.
We can't say we're serious about cutting emissions and not do anything substantial to cut aviation and road emissions in our busiest corridors.
All that said, in my dealings with Albertans in person, I'm usually more enthusiastic about a train there, than they are.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by canucklehead2
Oh no it has support amongst the 45% that don't support UCP, myself included. I think like the DNC mess in America you see a huge gap between what the elites want and what the masses want. If you put HSR up for a public vote it would pass. I'd personally be happy for upgraded 200 km/h mixed traffic along the CP ROW since that would be significantly less that building a new greenfield system yet connect all the towns and cities along the way which house 80% of Alberta's population...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by canucklehead2
But yes talking to the UCP crowd is like talking to a brick wall except you'd be a lot less frustrated with the wall... And it would probably make a lot more logical sense too! Again just my experience living in Alberta for 37 years...
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I feel that the ones voting Liberal and then switched to Cons would be the people who would want this done. Ironcally, they are in the cities that would benefit from this. This is why I think that the Cons would not quash it. With the mess of the last election, they need to suck up even more to their won seats.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Truenorth00
They've not done it to date. I wouldn't expect much.
Here's the fundamental problem: $5-8 billion for HFR is money for lots of chicken in every pot. Every MP dreams of the ribbon cutting they could get from that money. 12-24 million dollar per riding. So they have no reason to support expensive infrastructure projects which don't benefit them.
This is why it's important for the provinces to step up. But MPPs are equally calculating as their federal cousins.
We haven't had a major strategic project in this country built for direct public service. So the public tends not to care. HFR stands a small chance of changing that attitude if it happens. And right now it's hanging by a thread.
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The realistic problem is that people are really starting to hate Ford. This makes me doubt he would back it. He has nothing politically to gain from it, and according to him, Ontario is broke.
Quote:
Originally Posted by canucklehead2
You do realize it's the first time in a while where even the chance of these parties having a say on the government agenda. Since 2005? When we made SSM happen. I say give them a chance especially when they are calling for a New Green Energy Deal... Being a cynic while ignoring facts pushes you dangerously into the delusional dotard camp... #justsaying
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Quote:
Originally Posted by milomilo
Passenger rail literally won't make a dent in Canada's CO2 output. Best figures I can find, passenger rail isn't even close to 1% of passenger-kms, and transportation makes up about 28% of Canada's CO2 output. So even if you got 10x people travelling by rail (very optimistic), it would barely move the needle.
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Do nothing, or do nothing seems to be the common song that everyone wants to sing. Fuel prices will not go down. There will come a day where flying is too expensive. We might hit a price where driving long distance would be too expensive. Rail might be the answer.
Electric cars used to make up 0% of all new cars purchased. Now they are at over 2%. Not much, but it is still a move of the needle you speak of. Go back 100 years, and the same could be said of the automobile. Just like how even 30 years ago, flying was for the affluent, not the regular citizen.
Sometimes it is not as simple as a numerical value.
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