Is Ontario headed for another Wynne win?

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Perhaps why we all fail at teaching our neighbours ... we are only here for a short time in the eternal sense ... which is lengthy ... gives reason to stretch the psychic narrative ... something people don't know due to choices ...
 
Mendalla said:
Let's not forget that the history of tolls in this province is not a good one. The two toll highways we have (407 and 412) are profit generators for private companies with huge admin fees. Yes, some of that goes back to the government and to maintain the highways but, once again, they are being run for profit and that's a big problem for me. A short trip on 407 without a transponder results in more admin fees than mileage fees and even a transponder comes with an annual fee. I have never seen this happen on a US toll highway and I do not hesitate to use toll highways down there. However, I avoid 407 like the plague unless there's a clear justification for doing so or it's a business trip so that I can expense it.

Given that history, is it any wonder people in the GTA are opposed to more tolls? Personally, if it is done purely on a per km basis with no admin or statement fees and all profits are sunk back into the highways, I have no problem with tolls. However, that is not how our current toll highways are being run and if Wynne wants to get support for more toll highways, she is going to have to make sure that new toll highways are run sanely.
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I've just been checking some threads I haven't looked at in a while. Worth noting is that Highway 412 and Highway 407 east of Brock Road in Pickering are owned by the province, not by the private corporation. Even the toll rates are different (cheaper than the private part of the 407 west of Brock Road.) Highway 412 is controversial in this area. It's a connector highway, connecting the 407 with the 401. Durham Region Council asked the provincial government to remove the tolls on the 412 to encourage people to make the connection between the 407 and 401. When the 407 extension and the 412 first opened a year ago, they were free until the end of 2016. I travelled them a bit then (I rarely do now that they're toll because there's usually just not enough advantage for me) and didn't notice much traffic on the 412. My sense from what I can see when I travel Taunton Road or Highway 7 is that the 412 still isn't much used.
 
revsdd said:
Worth noting is that Highway 412 and Highway 407 east of Brock Road in Pickering are owned by the province
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Good to hear. I don't go East of the GTA much anymore except when I'm headed to Ottawa to see Little M so I haven't used them. Wish they'd existed back when I was travelling to Peterborough regularly (we owned a home care company based there but sold it right about the time construction was happening on the eastern extension). If 401 was a problem, I used to take 407 to Brock and then pick up 7 the rest of the way.
 
Well, the PC platform came out this weekend (early to say the least). Lots of economics, no so-con hot buttons. Pretty much what we expected. I can't really find much in it to object to and I suspect the Liberal platform won't be much different save in the details.

Only problem: lots of spending promises, not much on how to pay for it. Given that they are promising a surplus by their second year, someone has to sharpen their pencils.

Ontario PCs to campaign on tax cuts, hydro rebates and day care refunds

The full platform for those who care to peruse it:

People's Guarantee
 
I haven't looked at the platform in detail but I did see the news reports on it. I have to admit that my first thought - knowing how the PCs have attacked Wynn's Liberals for the level of the Ontario deficit, was "How are they going to pay for all this without running the deficit even higher?"
 
There's the great crisis that nobody seems eager to look at. The wealthy of our world don't pay taxes - and they are increasingly hoarding away larger junks of whatever money is available. We are looking at a new rule by billionaires, just as dukes and earls used to do.
 
Graeme Decarie said:
There's the great crisis that nobody seems eager to look at. The wealthy of our world don't pay taxes - and they are increasingly hoarding away larger junks of whatever money is available. We are looking at a new rule by billionaires, just as dukes and earls used to do.
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Maybe that's where the money will come from. We'll attract billionaires to invest into the province through some kind of venture capital hedge fund. Or maybe the PCs will wish it into existence.

Anyhow, Brown's initial response to criticisms of the platform:

PC leader Patrick Brown defends platform spending | Globalnews.ca
 
revsdd said:
I haven't looked at the platform in detail but I did see the news reports on it. I have to admit that my first thought - knowing how the PCs have attacked Wynn's Liberals for the level of the Ontario deficit, was "How are they going to pay for all this without running the deficit even higher?"
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My first question as well. It all sounds good but how will they finance it?
 
Mendalla said:
Well, the PC platform came out this weekend (early to say the least). Lots of economics, no so-con hot buttons.
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But a party still chock full of social conservatives. No thanks. Brown pandered to and campaigned with social conservatives to win the nomination. Now he is not a social conservative in an attempt to win the election. If he wins the election, who's to say he won't revert to idiotic evangelical Christian positions again when there is nothing left to win and his party is still populated by them?

Every politician can massage their position based on who their audience is. Patrick Brown will change course 180 degrees.
 
Mendalla said:
Maybe that's where the money will come from. We'll attract billionaires to invest into the province through some kind of venture capital hedge fund. Or maybe the PCs will wish it into existence.

Anyhow, Brown's initial response to criticisms of the platform:

PC leader Patrick Brown defends platform spending | Globalnews.ca
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Are hedges mostly found in the gorse of things ... edge fantasy? Beyond that nothing ... not a clue ... I have examined the far out and up ... right? You can see the effect on me ... man that's chaos ... and the authorities deny the probability of such theory ...

I hear on the CBC Falls Nus this morning ... that the federal watchdog have thousands of wealthy homes on watch for spending habits that do not meet income habits ... isn't that as far out and observation as the authorities would allow .. so the observations will probably be blinded ... by inconsistencies in the constituencies ...

Thus great Ms Understanding ... as a Lass called foul psyche ... as thought and questions are denied ... anti skeptic movement, or just legitimate kleptomania, whereas the "L" is silent as what's Cien?
 
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From up close and personal experience with P Brown (he was my MPP for too long), I would not trust him to hold any position for a second longer than expedient.
 
chansen said:
No thanks.
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Never said I'd vote for him, just that there was nothing in the platform that I would vote against other than the lack of a clear plan to pay for it all, which might mean cuts that aren't actually in there. I actually like some of his ideas (cutting emissions testing, which is really just a cash cow for the garages at this point since almost every car built today handily meets spec as long as you keep up with routine maintenance). I suspect, though, that Brown will take a page out of Harper's playbook and be a pragmatic so-con. He'll toss some bones to so-cons that don't really do much to hurt actual voters (e.g. Harper cut funding for family planning in foreign aid but didn't touch abortion rights at home) and leave it at that.
 
I think emission testing is on its way out, anyway; I think a mechanic told me that a while ago.
 
BetteTheRed said:
I think emission testing is on its way out, anyway; I think a mechanic told me that a while ago.
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As it is now you still need it but it's now free, BUT the cost is added into your sticker renewal and as such I believe it now actually costs more this way?
 
Waterfall said:
As it is now you still need it but it's now free, BUT the cost is added into your sticker renewal and as such I believe it now actually costs more this way?
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In the end, it is wasting our money whether directly or indirectly. I won't weep to see it go. As I understand it, only a tiny percentage of vehicles fail to pass, not enough to make much difference in emissions compared to things like reducing the number of emitting vehicles on the road (by moving to electric, fuel cell, etc.) and making sure our hydro comes from non-emitting sources so that all plug-in electrics become "emission free" (they are if your electricity comes from renewables, nukes, or hydro, but not if it comes from natural gas). Even replacing diesel and petrol with natural gas helps a little, though isn't ideal.
 
Mendalla said:
In the end, it is wasting our money whether directly or indirectly. I won't weep to see it go. As I understand it, only a tiny percentage of vehicles fail to pass, not enough to make much difference in emissions compared to things like reducing the number of emitting vehicles on the road (by moving to electric, fuel cell, etc.) and making sure our hydro comes from non-emitting sources so that all plug-in electrics become "emission free" (they are if your electricity comes from renewables, nukes, or hydro, but not if it comes from natural gas). Even replacing diesel and petrol with natural gas helps a little, though isn't ideal.
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I agree and the really old vehicles get a pass anyway and they're more than likely to be the ones that wouldn't pass.
 
Can authorities be governed? Even self-governed to push it another step dear Ja Isus ... that other group in the rush to get out ...
 
Does Wynne really think fighting Brown in court rather than on the campaign trail is going to help? While I do think he crossed a line with his remark and should have apologized, suing over what is really a political spat seems like a counterproductive waste of time to me. It certainly isn't going to help her come next spring and could be played against her if Brown's team do it right.

Ontario premier suing Opposition leader
 
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