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| Louis-François Garceau, TRAQ |
Cheque writing time for transport action
“I just wrote a cheque for transport action,” the Hotline editor wrote today. “I dropped the $100 cheque into an envelope and sent it to:
Transport Action Canada
Box/C.P. 858, Station B
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5P9
"I told the national charity to use the money to pay for my annual membership dues with the balance as a tax deductible donation. I could have sent money via paypal by following the instructions at http://www.transport-action.ca,” the Hotline editor wrote. The editor is urging all Hotline readers to send in cash.
Ottawa should think “feeder network” David Jeanes says
“The city is in the process of switching its long-term plan for rapid transit in Barrhaven and Riverside South to a bus Transitway, rather than LRT, following the 2006 cancellation of the city's north-south light rail plan,” Our Ottawa Region reported on Dec. 15
“But west-end resident David Jeanes, president of advocacy group Transport Action Canada, said the transit station at Riverside South isn’t needed. “I just don’t see that as a requirement,” Jeanes said. He said spending money on a “feeder network” or neighbourhood buses would provide better value to residents," Our Ottawa Region reported.
TRAQ, Le Colloque ferroviaire annuel du Québec des 28 et 29 mars 2012
La présidence d’honneur sera occupée par M. Cliff McKay, président de l’Association des chemins de fer de Canada. Le thème principal sera : « Le rail et les défis de la nouvelle économie ». Nous traiterons de la nouvelle économie, de développement du nord et des trains voyageurs entre autres. NOTE : il ne nous reste qu’une dizaine de kiosques à louer. colloque@groupe-traq.com
Ecojustice, Canada marching in the wrong direction on climate change
“Canada is the only country (out of 192) to formally pull out of the 1997 agreement to reduce global warming. The announcement, made by Environment Minister Peter Kent on Monday, is a sad stumble backward for Canada and a blow to global efforts to slow climate change,” Kimberly Shearon reported for Ecojustice on Dec. 15, 2011.
“By formally withdrawing from Kyoto and refusing to sign on for a second round of commitments, Canada has severely weakened the treaty and turned its back on the global community and its citizens.
“Perhaps most poignant was the reaction from the tiny island nation of Tuvalu, which at just 4.5 metres above sea level at its highest point, is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by climate change. The country’s lead negotiator summed up Canada’s actions in Durban as “an act of sabotage on our future ...Withdrawing from the Kyoto Protocol is a reckless and totally irresponsible act,” Ecojustice reported. http://is.gd/v3CZit
PIAC, Transport Canada Finally Agrees to Implement All-in Airline Pricing
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre, a member of the travel industry and consumer coalition the Travel Protection Initiative (TPI), that pushed for all-in price advertising for airline prices in the previous decade, expressed its satisfaction that Transport Canada will finally move ahead to implement the legislation that mandates airline regulations to provide a ticket price to passengers inclusive of all extra charges.
“Travel agencies in Ontario and Quebec have had to do the same for years, and at the same time, compete with airlines offering flights at a small fraction of the total cost”, noted Michael Janigan, Executive Director and General Counsel of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. Janigan noted that the amendment to clause 27 of the Canada Transportation Act is over 4 1/2 years old, and its implementation was strongly opposed by Air Canada.
The Province of Quebec, however, had recently began to enforce provisions of similar effect in the provincial consumer law and according to Janigan, “the writing may have been on the wall”. http://is.gd/6Cwh2P
UBC expert to Minnesota officials: Light rail is OK, but trolleys are better
Patrick Condon, a researcher with the Design Centre for Sustainability at the University of British Columbia, used his 90-minute talk at the University of Minnesota to promote tram and trolley-centered urban design. In doing so, he let the assembled Metropolitan Council members, urban planners and local government officials know that they're building a transit system that's too big for optimal urban development,” Mass Transit Magazine reported on Dec. 15. http://is.gd/PNM880
Manitoba woos China to invest in Churchill
“The future of the port is in doubt with the likely loss of business from the Canadian Wheat Board. Grain shipments from the CWB make up more than 90 per cent of the port's business but the expected end of the single-desk is likely to cause a serious reduction in the number of grain shipments,” Mia Rabson wrote for the Winnipeg Free Press on Dec. 15. http://is.gd/Ijaq4a
Waterloo airport crash, Wrong firehall called
“Emergency dispatchers were so confused by a fatal helicopter crash at the Region of Waterloo International Airport last month that they tried to send the wrong firefighters from 23 kilometres away. It’s the latest revelation to suggest that uncertain communications from multiple 911 dispatchers helped delay rescuers from reaching the crash at the airport,” Jeff Outhit reported for the Waterloo Region Record on Dec. 15.
More Pearson airport night flights, 9,600 more jobs
“Robyn Connelly, (Greater Toronto Airports Authority) manager of community engagement, said if Pearson gets the go-ahead from Transport Canada and is allowed two 10 per cent 'bumps' in night flights, it could see 41 night flights per night by 2012 and 52 by 2014 (there are currently 36 per night). Those extra flights could create 9,600 new jobs,” Jan Dean wrote for Mississauga.com on Dec 13, 2011. http://is.gd/UyLzy8
Le CN compte profiter du Plan Nord avec son traversier-rail
« Le CN voit dans le Plan Nord, une occasion à ne pas rater. La décision, il y a quatre ans, par le Canadien National d'ajouter Sept-Îles comme destination
du traversier-rail Georges-Alexandre Lebel, a déjà porté fruit. Actuellement, le traversier-rail est utilisé à peine à 60 % de sa capacité confirme la directrice des Affaires publiques de l'entreprise, Julie Sénécal. Selon elle, les possibilités de profiter des retombées économiques du Plan Nord sont là. « Il y a eu bien sûr plein de choses de ciblées, mais n'y'a pas encore de projet comme tel d'annoncé. Mais on sait que c'est probablement une question de temps, alors on a confiance. » SRC a rapporté le mardi 13 décembre 2011
Transport Canada, Environment rules not enforced
The public safety of Canadians is increasingly at risk because the federal government is failing to monitor and enforce its regulations on dangerous goods and decades-old oil and gas pipelines, Canada's environment watchdog warns in a new report. … Many of the weaknesses found with Transport Canada's lack of oversight were identified more than five years ago and have yet to be fixed, the report says,” Jason Fekete reported for Postmedia News on Dec. 14. http://is.gd/SDSM6K
New Windsor-Detroit bridge, Ottawa to exempt itself from lawsuits
Steven Chase, Globe and Mail, Dec. 14, 2011
http://is.gd/RXNdZg
Myths of infrastructure funding
Vancouver Sun, JACK M. MINTZ, DECEMBER 8, 2011
http://is.gd/RKVIZU
P3s aren’t always the ticket for transit
Toronto Star, Matti Siemiatycki, Dec 11
http://is.gd/wWqewp
Turcot sera construit dans le même mode que le pont Champlain il y a 50 ans
Kathleen Lévesque, Le Devoir
8 décembre 2011
http://is.gd/mkTcGq
Waterloo, TriTAG will not support ‘Operating P3’ LRT
Tri-Cities Transport Action Group . Dec. 7. 2011
http://is.gd/Wwtemj
Stop Waterloo council from giving LRT to a private operator !
TriTAG, http://tritag.ca/m/lrt.
Steve Munro on P3s, having someone else borrow for us
Steve Munro, Dec. 1. http://is.gd/h1lR7v
Le gouvernement du Canada modifie la réglementation sur la publicité en matière de tarification aérienne 16 Décembre 2011
http://cnw.ca/qXU2
Acadian Lines workers picket city halls - New Brunswick - CBC News
http://is.gd/UlVqbr
Kyoto and Canada — we are better than this
David Suzuki Foundation, December 14, 2011
http://is.gd/8ZbXqm
Transport Action Canada
Hotline 1144, Dec. 16, 2011
(formerly Transport 2000 / anciennement Transport 2000 Canada)
info@transport-action.ca
(613) 594-3290
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/TransportAction
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http://www.transport-action.ca