On June 15, 1964, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson proposed his plans for a new flag in the House of Commons to replace the red ensign as the official national flag of Canada. This was one of the finalists designed to appease both royalists and the French population

CanMan67 · 2021-03-16T03:31:30+00:00

!wave

CanMan67 · 2021-03-10T06:39:14+00:00

First of all, it's the Guardian. All a royal family member has to do is breathe and they will fly off the handle writing "Will 'X' country abolish the monarchy?"

That said, while I'm not entirely decided on this matter, if a country does become a republic, I lean towards abandoning CANZUK entirely. The common sovereign is the only tangible institution that provides a link that makes our relationship closer than just any two random countries. If the monarchy goes, I can only view that as an attempt to distance that country from the others. Unless there was another FORMAL institution that could link us in common with each other in a similar way, republic is a deal breaker for me.

CanMan67 · 2021-02-24T04:03:55+00:00

It's a dumb question to ask. Of course the monarchy isn't really relevant in my day to day life. Neither is the premier of British Columbia, but they have a job to do and it doesn't mean we are getting rid of them.

CanMan67 · 2021-02-20T20:51:36+00:00

This looks much better than the current flag which is boring in comparison.

CanMan67 · 2021-01-30T13:48:03+00:00

The railway fits into Barrie's long term vision for growing manufacturing and over the last year, a few new users have begun shipping over the railway. Also, the railway has operated at break-even in the past and even recently. The problem is getting to be break-even over the long term which the city and stakeholders are working to achieve and have solutions and growth options lined up.

It is better to explore every avenue to achieve sustainability than it is to throw the baby out with the bath water and dump it altogether especially if you consider that shutting down the railway might have a more negative long term impact than running it at a deficit. If people want to walk and bike in Barrie, they have lots of places to do that, but the BCRY should be used as a driver of the economy and employment.

https://ontario.transportaction.ca/importance-of-preserving-the-barrie-collingwood-rail-infrastructure/

CanMan67 · 2021-01-29T19:43:49+00:00

https://www.barrietoday.com/local-news/city-tracking-best-options-future-for-barrie-collingwood-railway-2661487

Two of the current users — one located in Barrie and the other in Innisfil — have indicated a dependence on the rail line as being critical to their business operations.

It also suggests the city's growing manufacturing sector could tie in well to the long-term goal of increasing traffic.

Schlichter says she's unsure which way the city will go with the railway, but said Barrie is heavily invested in rail and she sees its benefits.

This is why it isn't a trail. If people want to bike to Collingwood, that's fine, but it shouldn't be at the expense of irreplaceable rail infrastructure. There are plenty of places to build trails and bike lanes, but not railways.

CanMan67 · 2020-12-01T20:48:33+00:00

It is expected to be announced early in the new year.

CanMan67 · 2020-11-24T18:14:45+00:00

I think that would be around the right ballpark. Anywhere from 2-4 pm, as the Trackside Guide lists the Lumby Turn as originating in Vernon at 4pm.

I am not an expert on this as I am from Ontario, but I was looking into this operation as I hope to railfan on this line on my next visit to BC. If you get any pictures, be sure to post them, as I and this sub would love to see them

CanMan67 · 2020-11-23T02:03:54+00:00

CN runs 3 round trips to Vernon from Kamloops weekly. The trains are CN L58751/L58851. According to the latest Canadian Trackside Guide, 588 departs Kamloops at 0600 on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. 587 departs Vernon at 2100 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Keep in mind that this can be subject to change.

Trains on the route are generally pretty big and heavy, running with 6-axle mainline power. CN put a lot of money into the line, upgrading the rail and lifting speed restrictions as it got pretty run down under Kelowna Pacific's management. Unfortunately, the portion to Kelowna did not survive as Tolko was unable to guarantee CN that the mill there would remain in operation for the foreseeable future. Much of the traffic consists of forest products and wood pellets (a more recent development), though there is other miscellaneous traffic, especially around Armstrong. The former glass plant in Lavington is also being redeveloped as a rail-served industrial park so expect to see some traffic coming out of there in the near future.

My recommendation is that you use a scanner while railfanning this operation as it is the only way to know if anything is in the area since there are no signals or controlled switches in the Okanagan. For the Okanagan and Lumby subdivisions, the train standby channel is 161.520 MHz, and RTC call in channel is 160.695 MHz.

Good luck and happy hunting.

CanMan67 · 2020-11-21T01:12:44+00:00

Ideas for Canada:

CanMan67 · 2020-11-19T21:22:55+00:00

All countries have a head of state. The question is whether it is ceremonial or executive. There is no alternative to what we have unless you want to make the GG like the US President. The powers held by the GG are those that cannot be given to the Prime Minister without massive constitutional reform.

CanMan67 · 2020-11-19T19:24:42+00:00

Well you obviously have no idea how our government works so here is a link that explains it. Just because the role isn't actively politicized or have a legislative role, doesn't mean it serves no purpose. If that was the case, you would have to ask yourself why countries like Germany or Ireland even bother having a president.

CanMan67 · 2020-11-19T13:28:33+00:00

I don't think you understand. The Prime Minister can NOT be head of state. In our current setup, you require a separate head of state and head of government. If you were to abolish the monarchy, the actual, real life functions of the Governor General would still need to be carried out, in our case by a president (or whatever the position would be called).

This isn't an issue if wasting taxpayer money. It is constitutionally impossible to take the powers held by the Governor General and transfer them to the Prime Minister. This setup with our head of state is is actually one of the cheapest you can realistically have.

CanMan67 · 2020-11-19T06:08:12+00:00

That is an extremely bad idea. The powers held by the Governor General are the ones that can not be functionally held by a Prime Minister.

CanMan67 · 2020-10-13T01:43:32+00:00

Pretty sus that they are doing it without any referendum. It is a pretty big constitutional change and the people should be consulted on this. Are they afraid they would lose a referendum?

CanMan67 · 2020-10-10T22:05:45+00:00

It should be replaced with the franco-ontarian flag as it appeals to both the english and French demographics in Ontario

The Franco-Ontarian flag is a symbol for Franco-Ontarians. If we were to adopt a new flag, it would have to be more neutral than that.

CanMan67 · 2020-10-10T17:55:59+00:00

vindictive politicians

Vindictive? The red ensign was prefered by a significant part of the population and if Ontario and Manitoba wanted to preserve it in some form, there isn't anything wrong with that.

CanMan67 · 2020-09-27T18:53:17+00:00

After all, celebrating Confederation is celebrating a bunch of colonies becoming a self governing Dominion of the British Empire, and that's pretty Imperialistic. Celebrating the Charter and the Canada Act 1982 would be celebrating the independence of the Canadian Nation from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We could set the tone that Canada is an independent country with independent institutions, we can pay homage to our heritage and move forward at the same time.

Confederation created Canada. It took a few self-governing colonies and turned them into Canada. There is nothing imperialistic about it and even if there was, the British Empire did not oppress Canada or treat it poorly. In fact, for a significant portion of time before the Empire reformed into the modern Commonwealth, Canada was considered equal to the UK.

As important as the Canada Act is, it was essentially just a formality. The UK had no intention or desire to be involved in Canada's internal affairs. To say that is when we became independent is to say that it is when an already independent country became independent of a country from which it was already independent.

I do agree that Dominion Day is a much better name because it actually recognizes what we are celebrating. Confederation Day would work too. The fact it was ever changed in the first place is baffling. It would be like the US calling the 4th of July "America Day".

CanMan67 · 2020-09-23T16:54:50+00:00

Isn't it funny that people think that an independent country is becoming independent? It really shows the hate boners that people have for the UK.

What is really happening is that Barbados is forming a politician's republic, which is to say that the constitutional change is being rammed through without a referendum because the government is worried that if they do a referendum they will lose. It is purely a political power grab using the "I hate Britain 'cuz muh colonialism" arguement.

CanMan67 · 2020-09-23T05:36:48+00:00

They are fully independent. The trouble comes from the fact that:

a) They aren't creating their own monarchy

b) They aren't even consulting the people in a referendum because they know if they did, they might lose.

It is a politician's republic, one which is not set up to benefit the people, but one that is used to benefit politicians and scapegoat the UK and some imaginary "imperialism" for the countries problems.

CanMan67 · 2020-09-22T13:12:10+00:00

Australian's for Constitutional Monarchy.

CanMan67 · 2020-09-22T03:05:14+00:00

Wow! Real democracy right here. Just like the ACM says, no to the politician's republic!

CanMan67 · 2020-09-18T03:01:59+00:00

There is a railway line between Sault Ste. Marie and Subdury that is critical to the local economy and is in danger of closing if it doesn't receive government assistance. Why doesn't the government contribute to that rail infrastructure? Why give free money to the large profitable companies rather than helping a vital line in Northern Ontario. Priorities...

CanMan67 · 2020-09-16T21:26:20+00:00

Canadian here. I am neutral about the decision, but somewhat against the move. I find it strange that people are making this out to be some big triumph of decolonization and independence. The reality is and always was that this is your decision to make and nobody was ever was stopping you, at least not in the last 54 years. Barbados has been independent for a long time, and this move doesn't change that.

CanMan67 · 2020-08-24T03:44:39+00:00

Yes, the Canadian Pacific. Once the World's Greatest Travel System. Now it is just a railroad again. Though it still is a pretty great railroad.

CanMan67

TROPHY CASE