Canadian Politics

[iso_55]

57 minutes ago, FrostyWinnipeg said:

Coal?

Yes, I'm surprised that you're surprised. Coal has been used for generating electricity since the very beginning.  This is for you, Frosty.

https://www.duke-energy.com/about-energy/generating-electricity/coal-fired-how.asp

Edited April 18, 2016 by iso_55

[Jacquie]

5 hours ago, iso_55 said:

Yes, I'm surprised that you're surprised. Coal has been used for generating electricity since the very beginning.  This is for you, Frosty.

https://www.duke-energy.com/about-energy/generating-electricity/coal-fired-how.asp

I am actually surprised that there are places that still use coal to generate electricity. I thought that had gone the way of the dodo. 

Edited April 18, 2016 by Jacquie

[bigg jay]

10 hours ago, rebusrankin said:

Got a lovely Pallister is scary rotocall from the NDP and Sharon Blady (not my MLA). I hope those jokers lose big on Tuesday.

Does anyone believe this is in doubt?  We are going to be a very blue province come Wednesday.

Edited April 18, 2016 by bigg jay

[17to85]

10 hours ago, iso_55 said:

The Tories set the NDP on us but Notley is ramping up her socialist agenda big time. getting rid of coal powered electrical generating stations which will drive up the cost of electricity. A 4 cent a litre carbon tax starting January 1st rising to 5 cents in 2018, overwhelming spending leading to a $10 billion dollar deficit this year risong to 56.8 billion by 2019. No plans to pay anything back. The NDP is doing some horrible things to the Alberta economy.

This is one of the few things that I actually like about what they're doing. Why use coal here? The province is awash with natural gas and it's a cleaner burning more efficient fuel source, should have switched to that years ago. 

[The Unknown Poster]

So...Im very much looking forward to tomorrow and the vanquishing of the NDP here in Manitoba.  I hope the desperate campaigning by the NDP doesnt have an impact at the polls and the PC's do in fact win a historic majority.

The Costa Rica issue hasnt played to the NDP in my small circle.  We discussed it at work and, not knowing how my co-workers intended to vote, they all dismissed the costa rica thing as a non issue.  Several people said things like "Good for him" (in regards to owning a vacation home) others said "if I could afford it, I'd have a place there too".  A couple remarked that it didnt matter if someone was out of the country in this day and age as they are always connected.

Seems to me it was an attempt to piggy back on the Panama scandal.

Im hoping strongly that Dave Gaudreau is booted out.  I was told by someone in media that Dave believes he's going to win but that many others think Reyes might upset him.  And even Selinger's seat isnt safe

[StevetheClub]

16 hours ago, iso_55 said:

The NDP are killing us here in Alberta.

I'll be honest, I don't follow politics terribly closely, but I do try to keep informed. So far what I've seen is the NDP doing a good job at making the best of a horrible situation (that they had no part in) and setting us up so we can manage these situations better in the future.

I guess I keep asking myself, "would we be better off if any of the other parties were in power?" and I don't think we would be. 

[sweep the leg]

17 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

 

The Costa Rica issue hasnt played to the NDP in my small circle.  We discussed it at work and, not knowing how my co-workers intended to vote, they all dismissed the costa rica thing as a non issue.  Several people said things like "Good for him" (in regards to owning a vacation home) others said "if I could afford it, I'd have a place there too".  A couple remarked that it didnt matter if someone was out of the country in this day and age as they are always connected.

 

I couldn't care less if he's rich and has a vacation home. The thing that made Pallister look bad was lying about it. It played into the "what's he hiding?" narrative the NDP is trying to use against him.

Overall though, I don't think many people really care about this issue.

 

[The Unknown Poster]

Just now, sweep the leg said:

I couldn't care less if he's rich and has a vacation home. The thing that made Pallister look bad was lying about it. It played into the "what's he hiding?" narrative the NDP is trying to use against him.

Overall though, I don't think many people really care about this issue.

 

I agree.  And I was the "devil's advocate" around my circle saying "well he shouldnt have lied".  But it doesnt seem like anything is going to kill the PC momentum.  if Im him though, I make sure I spend as much time here as I can at least the first year.  I dont think anyone begrudges the Premier a vacation.

It wasa  running joke that if you wanted to ask Katz a question, dont bother on Fridays as he wasnt in town.  If Pallister's vacation home was in PHX, then I doubt there would be anything being made of it.  But "foreign country" plays better in the wake of Panama.  or at least they thought it did.  But I also think so many people see the NDP as running a dirty campaign based on lies and nonsense that they've tuned out anything they might say.

The robo call I got yesterday from...Blady(?) that immediately began running down Pallister as a liar...just made me want to vote PC even more.

[kelownabomberfan]

On ‎4‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 3:14 PM, pigseye said:

I'm clearly no Dipper but, Doer is one heck of a politician.

btw, anyone else just a little concerned with our new PM's policies (or lack of)?

 

 

I sure do.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/syrian-refugees-spending-deadline-1.3533313

The CBC is even lowering itself to report negatively on the Liberals, so perhaps the honeymoon with Mr. Selfie finally is over.

[kelownabomberfan]

14 hours ago, Jacquie said:

Seems to me Alberta was screwed by the previous government.

The previous government put in a carbon tax?  Seriously?  Sounds to me like the machinations of an NDP apologist.  On Wednesday of this week, there will be only one NDP government in Canada.  And the clock is ticking on them too. 

[bigg jay]

25 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

I agree.  And I was the "devil's advocate" around my circle saying "well he shouldnt have lied".  But it doesnt seem like anything is going to kill the PC momentum.  if Im him though, I make sure I spend as much time here as I can at least the first year.  I dont think anyone begrudges the Premier a vacation.

It wasa  running joke that if you wanted to ask Katz a question, dont bother on Fridays as he wasnt in town.  If Pallister's vacation home was in PHX, then I doubt there would be anything being made of it.  But "foreign country" plays better in the wake of Panama.  or at least they thought it did.  But I also think so many people see the NDP as running a dirty campaign based on lies and nonsense that they've tuned out anything they might say.

The robo call I got yesterday from...Blady(?) that immediately began running down Pallister as a liar...just made me want to vote PC even more.

The lying thing could be the only hiccup in an otherwise good front-runner campaign but I think it's way too late in the game for it to make any real difference.  

There seems to be more coming out by the day about Costa Rica, and if it had come out earlier, it may have played a factor.  The last update I saw was that it's not a just simple vacation retreat, he owns at least other 3 separate properties totaling over 13 acres of land and, to tie into the Panama issue, he has them under holding companies (which is pretty typical).

[The Unknown Poster]

2 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

The lying thing could be the only hiccup in an otherwise good front-runner campaign but I think it's way too late in the game for it to make any real difference.  

There seems to be more coming out by the day about Costa Rica, and if it had come out earlier, it may have played a factor.  The last update I saw was that it's not a just simple vacation retreat, he owns at least other 3 separate properties totaling over 13 acres of land and, to tie into the Panama issue, he has them under holding companies (which is pretty typical).

I think the three properties account for a vacation home and surrounding area.  ie. there is nothing on the property.  And the value was rather low as is.  If his plan is to eventually sub-divide or simply sell them to others building homes or developers, then it sounds like a good investment.

[kelownabomberfan]

12 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

I think the three properties account for a vacation home and surrounding area.  ie. there is nothing on the property.  And the value was rather low as is.  If his plan is to eventually sub-divide or simply sell them to others building homes or developers, then it sounds like a good investment.

Heaven forbid Manitoba is being run by someone who actually knows how to manage money for a change. 

[bigg jay]

14 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

I think the three properties account for a vacation home and surrounding area.  ie. there is nothing on the property.  And the value was rather low as is.  If his plan is to eventually sub-divide or simply sell them to others building homes or developers, then it sounds like a good investment.

 The tax value is much lower than the market value so it's worth a good chunk of change if/when he does sell.  Having recently been to that area, I would say it's a good investment and would have done the same if i was in a  position to so I don't begrudge him for that.  

The biggest issue that raises questions is the lying about it when there's really no need to and you are hammering your main opponent for lying about issues (PST, tiger dam contracts, etc).  He has perfectly valid reasons for being away & owning foreign property so the choice to lie about it is puzzling.

[kelownabomberfan]

yup - lying about things always comes back to bite you.  Unless you say that you are going to run max a $10 billion deficit and then you run a $30 billion deficit.  Then for some reason you go up in the polls instead of down.

[17to85]

2 hours ago, StevetheClub said:

I'll be honest, I don't follow politics terribly closely, but I do try to keep informed. So far what I've seen is the NDP doing a good job at making the best of a horrible situation (that they had no part in) and setting us up so we can manage these situations better in the future.

I guess I keep asking myself, "would we be better off if any of the other parties were in power?" and I don't think we would be. 

No they're not really doing that at all. The Carbon tax they put in is supposed to be revenue neutral so it's not like they're trying to combat a deficit that way. It doesn't even really do anything about greehouse gas emissions if that's the goal of such things, all it does it take money from the people with more and give it to people with less, the ultimate socialist wet dream. They raised taxes a bit but they're still increasing the deficit spending. They should have kept rolling back the public service wages like the PCs intended to do because Alberta is paying too much as they had to pay salaries that were able to compete with the oil and gas industry, except everyone has taken a cut in that industry (if they're lucky it was just a cut) so why should the government keep paying artifically inflated wages? If they really wanted to make an attempt at doing the best in a bad situation they would have bit the bullet and put in a PST. Something that could actually raise revenue for the government, but nope they're just doing half measures hoping that people won't turn on them next election but it's not going to happen unless the oil and gas industry turns around in a hurry. 

[GCn20]

2 years ago I took my, then 3 year old, daughter to the hospital with a suspected broken leg. After 9.5 hours in the ER without being seen by a doctor and having fallen asleep in my arms from exhaustion due to the pain she was in, I gave up and took her home so she could at least lie down. The next morning we went straight back to the hospital for another 6.5 hour wait before FINALLY being seen by a doctor who apologized profusely for the health care system that had let her down as he was now on hour 17 of a shift as the only doctor in an ER that should have 4 doctors on duty....MINIMUM. He immediately recognized that her leg was broken and advised us afterwards to contact a lawyer and sue the hospital.

She had a broken leg that had broken in the growth ring of her leg. Because of the great deal of time between the break and her diagnosis, (must be diagnosed and treated within 5 hours) she required surgery and suffered a great deal of needless suffering. (lawsuit still in progress...seems the courts are just as slow as the health care system).  That was the day that the NDP lost a supporter. The abomination that has become our health care system, while I pay more and more taxes is nothing short of criminal.

This is the worst government in the history of this country, let alone province. Tomorrow, I will tune in at 8 oclock and watch as they get their come uppance for the chaos they have left behind.

Edited April 18, 2016 by gcn11

[The Unknown Poster]

@gcn11
 Truly awful.  This is a [party that won power based on fixing the health care system and eliminating hall way medicine.  Shameful shameful.

I have elderly parents and my dad has Parkinsons.  I've spent many hours in ER's over the past few years.  And basically you need to pack for a weekend out of town when you go.  It's horrendous.  And just ludicrous.  I dont know what the Doc's are doing but they arent seeing patients. 

I remember working for Grace Hosp and occasionally being tasked with "waking up the doc".  They would let people sit in the waiting room until enough patients were there that it was worth waking up the over-worked doctor.

[sweep the leg]

Edit: I asked why you didn't try a different hospital, but I've waited a good 5-6 hours with my kid before under the assumption it can't possibly be much longer.

Edited April 18, 2016 by sweep the leg

[kelownabomberfan]

Health care is something in this country that is long overdue for a major overhaul.  Just throwing money at it isn't the solution.  There have to be some tough choices made, or the problems are just being perpetuated.  I realize that everyone goes into convulsions and screams if you mention changing anything about our current system, but it doesn't work.  Never really has.  As my dad's cousin, who is a retired doctor, told me once "if the government made food free tomorrow, everyone would want steak every day.  And they'd want that steak every day, even if they didn't eat it.  That just doesn't work long-term". 

[The Unknown Poster]

Unfortunately its a sacred cow that is used for political reasons.  As long as its in rough shape, the opposition always has something to hang around the government's neck.

The wait time clock is also never correct and, in fact, at HSC ER, it was displaying a shorter time and the nurse remarked that it hadnt been accurate in weeks.  No one cares until its on the front page.

[iso_55]

13 hours ago, Jacquie said:

I am actually surprised that there are places that still use coal to generate electricity. I thought that had gone the way of the dodo. 

Nope. Probably more jurisdictions use coal fired generating stations than you think.

[iso_55]

4 hours ago, 17to85 said:

This is one of the few things that I actually like about what they're doing. Why use coal here? The province is awash with natural gas and it's a cleaner burning more efficient fuel source, should have switched to that years ago. 

The problem is as AB consumers our electrical bills will skyrocket having to rebuild from coal generating plants. I think Notley wanted all coal generated electrical plants in Alberta to shut down by 2030. I reads that since they have no real future here companies are accelerating the shut down process. it'll cost billions to rebuild the system with natural gas as you suggested, for example. Expect more & more tax hikes with the NDP in power here.

[Rich]

Coal is used quite extensively in the states, as much as 50% of their energy in some areas. 

It is less used in Canada but is still in use. 

Lucky to have hydro electricity here in MB. 

[kelownabomberfan]

13 hours ago, Jacquie said:

I am actually surprised that there are places that still use coal to generate electricity. I thought that had gone the way of the dodo. 

Why did you think that?  Because you get all of your energy updates from David Suzuki and Al Gore?

Coal is one of the cheapest sources of energy in the world.  In the US they can just pull it out of the ground and burn it.  And there's just a never-ending supply of it to boot.   Is it incredibly dirty?  Yup.  I would fully support going off of coal and going hydro and nuclear, for sure.  But not because of the man-made climate change thing, only because of the particulates that burning coal generates.  Just look at China.  Or visit Cairo sometime.  It's particulates that are the problem in these countries, not CO2.