The Century of the Car Was a Mistake, Let’s Move on
North America was built around the car instead of people and that was mistake that needs to be acknowledged. In some places it is. The insane support the automobile gets…
transit
The real costs of fossil fuel-powered vehicles – and the alternatives to them
There is some rising concern, and at times vitriol, about electric car drivers not paying their fair share, because they buy no gas, and therefore do not pay gas…
Saturday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your weekend reading. – Thomas Walkom takes a broad look at the problems with the Trans-Pacific Partnership, while noting that the Trudeau Libs don’t seem inclined to…
Why People Hate the Translink Police
Replace “driver” with Translink cop. I had a hard time reading all the way through this article, the one about Translink cops terrorizing bus passengers on Friday night. I also…
Farrell and Jessop on CFAX1070
The audio file below is a recording of my time with Ian Jessop May 26. We talk about credit rating agencies, provincial debt, contractual obligations, resource taxation and transit funding…
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Lana Payne writes that the great Canadian revenue debate is well underway, with far more leaders willing to push for needed taxes than…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Branko Milanovic discusses how rent theory fits into the glaring gap between productivity and wages: Bob Solow explored a couple of days…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Lynne Fernandez properly labels the Cons’ federal budget as the “inequality budget”. Andrew Jackson discusses how we’ve ended up in a new Gilded…
The moderating effect of moderation
RossK writes about the Pro-Media Club and its implicit rulebook, which includes a requirement that no one reprove a colleague, even if overstatements and misrepresentations morph into purposeful lies. The…
Transit referendum and Pandora’s box
When financial numbers involve billions, many of us struggle to gain understanding and perspective. Usually, the beneficiaries of large scale spending are the worst sources of information. Here’s an example.…
Sales tax war resumed
The good doctor at The Gazetteer diagnoses a similarity between issues underlying the now debated transit sales tax and the late and unlamented HST. RossK is focused on the tax…
With Ian Jessop, CFAX1070, Mar 3
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Political football – winners and losers
Senior governments download responsibility for delivering services but seldom include taxing authorities adequate to match spending demands. The download trend is demonstrated in a report by The Columbia Institute: British…
On Last Night’s News: My thoughts on the TTC fare increase
I appeared on Global News Toronto last night on behalf of TTC Riders to offer a few comments on the TTC fare increase coming into effect this weekend. Even though…
A camel is a horse…
Voters in Metro Vancouver are asked to approve a regional increase in provincial sales tax to generate an estimated $250 million a year for TransLink. The vote is an advisory…
The So-Called Transit Referendum: Don’t Be Duped!
By Emily Griffiths The Transit referendum “Yes” campaign has been asserting itself all over Facebook, Twitter, neighbourhood news boxes, and I can’t help but ask myself, Since when is increasing…
How about a transit-run AI self-driving smart car system for #ldnont?
Hmmm, maybe a crazy idea. My retro future fantasy brain on a spree. The city transit service could run a small fleet of AI Smart, small self-driving cars. Electric. We…