Infrastructure is Canada’s backbone
Critically important infrastructure is too often poorly maintained or lacking in sufficient future planning. Delaying maintenance is a misplaced budgetary economy. Insufficient planning is symptomatic of a lack of realistic forethought. Both represent a much greater cost than is often acknowledged. The railway to the northern port town of Churchill, Man., is a prime example. […]
Is the Canadian Coast Guard underfunded?
OTTAWA—Is the Canadian Coast Guard underfunded? “When there is more ice, you need more icebreakers. When there is less ice, you need more icebreakers.” At first, I was puzzled by this statement from a Canadian Coast Guard officer. The first part is obvious enough, the second part was less so. The reason for the second […]
Canada’s current approach to Arctic short-term in nature
When discussing marine shipping in the Arctic, the answer—as with most questions on the North—requires a whole-of-government approach. On April 30, 2018, a review of the 1972 Pilotage Act was submitted to the minister of transport as part of the Oceans Protection Plan (the last substantial changes to the act were passed in 1998) by […]
Transport Minister Garneau says Ottawa’s ‘interested’ in potential benefits from West Coast high-speed rail proposal
Transport Minister Marc Garneau says he expects a report from a government-struck task force on school bus safety to be available before he meets with provincial and territorial transport ministers in the spring. In an email Q&A interview with The Hill Times for today’s transportation policy briefing, Mr. Garneau (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount, Que.) said the task force—bringing together […]
Canadian icebreaking capabilities not up to snuff, experts say
The town of L’Anse-au-Loup, N.L., sits on north shore of the Strait of Belle Isle, just over 20 km east of the lower north shore of Quebec. The 600-person community relies on a ferry service to provide them with everything from groceries to propane. “All our grocery stores rely on it for their produce and […]
Oil transportation: pipeline, rail line, both or neither
The transportation of Canada’s oil products to foreign and domestic markets has dogged the current Liberal government from day one. Since their election in 2015, the Liberals have claimed to support Canada’s oil producers, all the while playing footsie with pipeline opponents. Clearly, this Liberal government is trying to have its cake and eat it […]
Public needs to know pipelines are the best way to go
The issue of increased pipeline capacity is front and centre on Parliament Hill as protesters with a truck convoy originating from the West converged on Ottawa last week to push legislators to end delays on critical pipeline projects. Provincial politicians—in response to federal inaction on pipelines—are acting on their own. Just recently, Alberta Premier Rachel […]
Microgrids eyed as new way to deliver macro impact
On Aug. 14, 2003, the lights went out across much of Ontario and several northeastern states. The Milky Way, normally only visible in more remote communities, could be seen from downtown Toronto, as light pollution was no longer obscuring the solar system. Some 10 million Ontarians were affected, while nearly 50 million Americans were left […]
When it comes to Arctic resource development, Russia is on fire while Canada is cold as ice
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Canada and the Russian Federation have pursued different strategies for security and economic development in their respective circumpolar regions. These policies have resulted in very different northern strategic outcomes, with Canada at the short end of the stick. While Canada and its circumpolar neighbours have advanced their polar […]
Critics question O’Regan pick for Indigenous Services, say ‘lame-duck’ posting could harm momentum
Dealing with a new Indigenous services minister feels like starting over, say many affected groups who fear momentum will be lost by bringing in a “lame-duck minister” who may not be able to make good on the government’s promise to enact child welfare legislation. Seamus O’Regan is earning mixed reviews in his new role, panned […]
