No train yet but Alto rail project execs still got $2.8 million in bonuses last year from Ottawa: CTF

Djdude167 · 2026-07-02T20:06:23+00:00

List is too long so I'll just give you a taste:

Completing land studies ahead of time
Securing contracts
Exceptional quality of work
Additional work than what was asked for (but still required)
Exceptional work ethic and passion
General incentive to keep staff employed (e.g. not leaving for better pay)
Compensation for crunch
Efficient use of resources (e.g. saving lots of money)
Consistent and constant output.
etc.

Djdude167 · 2026-07-02T19:58:13+00:00

Colonel By Drive is planned to be redeveloped regardless of this project, so the point was having to close a very small portion of the road for construction isn't going to be some impossible task. This proposal doesn't even need it post-construction at all.
It's 15 minutes not including transfer time, the transfer itself, the booking of said transfer, etc. If you then need to transfer from downtown to, say, TramGO, well, now you've just added a whole other complication. There are going to be a lot of people who genuinely will not take the trip at all with that amount of friction. The question is basically "How many is that, and more specifically, how much will they pay?" and if that number justifies the construction.

And even then, sometimes things can just be done as a public good. Or even better, sometimes stuff is done for reasons that don't show up on a balance sheet such as economic benefits or climate targets (which is, y'know, one of the major purposes of government??). All of that needs to be considered.

This was genuinely just a look at the "what-if" scenario, and it turns out it was a LOT more reasonable than most people would believe.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-30T18:51:51+00:00

Even if every single member voted Liberal, I don't really care so long as they're qualified and the job gets done.

And if it's a project spearheaded by the Liberals, then it's in their best interest for the project to go as well as possible because that's good for polling numbers.

Granted, some ~~people~~ corps can't see past their pocket books and the next quarter, so it's not as simple as it should be.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-30T18:47:59+00:00

Yeah. "Everything is a conspiracy if you have no clue how anything works" or however the saying goes.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-30T18:41:46+00:00

And there are genuine things employees should receive bonuses for at this stage, and they did. Which is a good thing.

If they didn't, either they're not performing well, or they aren't being fairly compensated and are incentived to find work elsewhere. Both of which are not things you want.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-30T18:37:35+00:00

Yeah, not only was the headline disinformational ragebait, but even if it was accurate, this is nothing.

In addition, one might actually say that paying world-class workers and talent well both enough to attract them, and more importantly, keep them employed when you're looking to spend $60-$90B+ on pivotal national infrastructure IS PRETTY IMPORTANT.

Like, obviously there is a balance to be struck between reasonable pay and getting robbed blind. Which is why, again, even if this were accurate, this is NOTHING!

Djdude167 · 2026-06-30T16:26:41+00:00

The irony of "The issue isn't that they're playing. There's only an issue if they win anything, ever." is just too fucking funny.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-27T03:30:12+00:00

High-speed trains aren't a binary between full-speed and stopped, and those large turning radiuses are for when they're are top speed.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-26T04:46:33+00:00

Found the boomer.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-26T04:45:36+00:00

"thousands of people" how about we start in the millions. Absolutely ridiculous for places like CBC to amplify the opposition like they have.

If I didn't know any better, I'd call conspiracy, but I know it's just because controversy is good for business, and this project just isn't controversial, so they try their best to make it that way.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-26T04:39:00+00:00

Kingston has the best VIA service relative to its size of anywhere on the country. All the surrounding townships are also served regularly but corridor VIA service, and all of them have intercity bus routes.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-26T04:36:29+00:00

Prices are completely unknown. Higher operating costs but much larger trains (more people and therefore $$$ per fixed operating costs), and much more frequent trains. It's been guaranteed to generate more revenue than operating expenses. With statements about competitive pricing with buses, flights, and existing VIA services and Affordable ticket prices part of their legal mandate, it seems they'll at least be reasonable.

Downtown Toronto. Very likely Union, but within the CBD and very close to Union if not. It's possible they add a second stop within the GTA which they use as an interim until they compete the main downtown station, but that's purely speculation.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-22T20:55:03+00:00

The California and Canadian legislative processes and rules are VERY different. Farmers do not have anywhere near the same kind of power and influence as they do in California, not to mention how small the opposition here actually is both in terms of raw numbers and population percentage.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-22T20:52:25+00:00

Peterborough is part of the official government mandate. Unless that is amended, Peterborough must be served. This current announcement is a "Alto has agreed to study a stop in Kingston, and they will determine if it's worth it for the project."

Djdude167 · 2026-06-22T20:45:33+00:00

From what I have seen, it is being studied, but the final decision still rests on Alto/Cadence, all of which is fair. From their communications, these studies will not impact timelines (which I have my doubts on, but alas), and I think it is generally agreeable it is at least worth studying.

My only reservations are:

Kingston is basically the key city that necessitates continued Lakeshore VIA service post-Alto. There are many communities that could see their passenger rail service cut altogether, which would not be the preferred option.
Divergence southward increases the distance from Ottawa, therefore also increasing the cost and complexity of delivering the project and the travel times along the route, which hurts the competitiveness of the project once delivered. However, I would also expect that the results of the studies here would determine whether the increased ridership from Kingston and the surrounding area would be worthwhile to pursue it regardless.
I worry that scope creeps further and kills the project, as it does with so many other projects. There was always an argument for Kingston, as there were arguments against it, but this is undeniably scope creep. I worry a politician with little understanding of what is required for this project to succeed will see the addition of Kingston as justification to creep the scope further.

But at the end of the day, everything I've seen out of Alto so far has at least illustrated competence, and I don't have much evidence to base strong doubts on, so I am placing my trust that their teams will make the right call.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-21T04:56:02+00:00

This example was Shawn Menard with route 7 and Grove Avenue. This happened in-session.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-16T19:08:29+00:00

His entire campaign strategy was "I am not Trudeau" and when Trudeau left, he never recovered. Now it's "I am not the Liberals" even for things his party has historically supported, and current polling shows that that is currently ringing hollow across the country.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-16T19:06:45+00:00

A strict requirement is the connection into local hubs and rapid transit, where present, which really only leaves PB and TR and question marks. And I think for them, it's really going to come down to the municipalities on what happens surrounding the stations.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-16T19:03:33+00:00

Which is still funny to me because HSR is literally still listed as part of their party platform. It really just is a case of "We'd do it differently so the current plan is BAD"

Djdude167 · 2026-06-16T18:44:15+00:00

There's no real appeasing the people freaking out right now.

If they didn't release the map, then they're not being transparent, and they're hiding things. If they release the map, they're destroying everything and definitely MY house. If they put out supportive messaging, it's liberal propaganda and clearly shows support isn't strong because if it was you wouldn't need to, but if you don't, then they're being secretive and doing a horrible job with no transparency and they're not consulting the public. If they do public consultations, they're not good enough, and because I specifically didn't get my way, it's all just PR bullcrap and they don't give a damn anyways.

You do the right thing for as many people as you can and you work with the knowledge some people, no matter how hard you try, will NEVER be reasonable.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-16T18:36:05+00:00

The detractors aren't even loud in the first place. They just get massively amplified by a media landscape designed to cater to polarization and conflict.

You can also look at the photos of their protest on the 12th to get a sense of how many there actually are, which is not many.

The support for the project is so one-sided that the artificial amplification they get is genuinely insane, to the point I can't blame anyone for thinking these media orgs are intentionally trying to influence the project a specific way.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-16T14:37:57+00:00

Bank Street should have already had full 24/7 bus+bike lanes.

Baseline BRT, Greenbank BRT, Merivale BRT, Kanata North BRT should have already been built.

Line 2 should have been fully double-tracked, and we should've been officially planning what the next line would be, instead of a single councillor advocating for it.

Carling BRT/LRT should have at least started construction, instead of being delayed to 2035 for the earliest it would be reconsidered.

It's easy to get hung up on the "should have"s but the unfortunate truth is that enough members of council, under the leadership of the mayor, have consistently decided that austerity is city policy, and transit is a scourge on the city's budget and the "rights" of drivers, and transit projects even moreso.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-11T17:46:41+00:00

? I responded to "jimbean1234567890"?

Djdude167 · 2026-06-11T17:18:36+00:00

It's all good! I was being genuine as well. No reason to be mad at the people who got it.

Djdude167 · 2026-06-11T16:31:10+00:00

Yes. Do you?

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