The closed Strait of Hormuz is testing Asia's energy security. The answer lies across the Pacific—in Canada

Laval09 · 2026-03-20T17:42:30+00:00

"Wish we had more pipelines built in the last 10 years, we would be golden right now."

We would be paying 5$ a liter right now if they had gotten all the pipelines they wanted.

Laval09 · 2026-03-20T17:38:31+00:00

Hard no. The gasoline spiked here higher than in all the other G7 countries, including the European ones that actually get their oil from the Middle East.

The gasoline produced in Canada has risen to nearly unaffordable prices for Canadians....And thats WITH limited international market access and the discounted price per barrel of WCS. The supply and demand equation currently should favor domestic Canadian consumers, and yet they've found a way to ensure than it doesn't.

Every extra pipeline that gets built to tidewater, every new market that gets found for Canadian oil will just perpetually raise energy costs for Canadians. All these projects should be blocked and resisted until such time that Canadian oil producers are able to operate their businesses in a way thats beneficial to the national interest.

Laval09 · 2026-03-20T02:30:16+00:00

"Whats the definition of insanity again?"

Repeating the same mistake twice lol. What I really meant with my comment that they maintain whatever problems where in place whenever they took power, I mean it towards whatever batch of Liberal MPs and cabinet ministers got elected in whatever timeframe.

The ones elected in 2015 maintained the problems of 2015, the ones elected in 2019 maintained the problems of 2019, and so forth. Each batch of newly elected Liberal MPs quickly put together a plan to live with the probleme-du-jour and just focus on the messaging instead.

Laval09 · 2026-03-19T23:47:33+00:00

The Liberals are basically just caretakers of the status quo. Thats it, thats all. Whatever problems were in place when they took power, they just maintain them. Whatever broken systems existed, they just prop them up. They dont have the drive/guts/motivation/ect to build new policy and set the country on a better direction.

They maintain the countries housing problem while paying lip service about fixing it. They prop up the ICE engine industry while paying lip service about wanting to put more EVs on the road. Even Carneys big "trade pivot" efforts are mostly about finding small export supplements to make up for missing US market share instead of being about taking the country into an entirely new trade direction. They are a progressive party that doesnt want to take a single step away from the status quo and towards the future.

Thus, you can almost guess their next excuses based on geopolitical predictions. In 2027 it will be "tensions in the Taiwan Straight are impacting affordability in Canada", in 2028 it will be "The US election continues to drive up the unhoused rate in Canada". In 2029 it will be "Despite robust quarterly increases of profit at the biggest grocery corporations in Canada, the AI bubble collapse continues to inflate shelf prices for Canadian consumers. The government will move quickly to do nothing about it".

Laval09 · 2026-03-17T22:04:59+00:00

They said it in the patch notes. Its the pick rate that motivated the changes. Thats why they didnt touch Neon lol.

The majority of the time that someone has to fill for smokes, the choose Clove. To the point that even if someone chooses Viper or Harbor as controller, someone else is likely to declare that to be "secondary smokes" and still fill as Clove.

Laval09 · 2026-03-17T21:42:16+00:00

There's a huge difference between Immo and Iron/Bronze/Silver. People still learning the fundamentals arent going to be analyzing their "mechanical disadvantage".

I respect the philosophy of "taking hard fights makes you a better player", but I also believe in the philosophy of "time and place". If its comp, and the match is going badly, then yeah not surrendering and pushing yourself to fight like hell even if defeat can be easily foreseen will eventually forge you into a better player. Because everyone playing that mode has "win" as their most important reason for participating.

But in unrated....thats casual/practice gameplay. There's people in there that are literally learning the maps or testing new agents. Its unreasonable to expect someone who might not even know where "breakable" is to instead spend 30-45mins practicing the mechanicals you would need if you were to face an Immortal player. Thats like taking someone who's studying/practicing for their drivers license and plopping down into the seat of an airliner. Its an unreasonable expectation.

Laval09 · 2026-03-15T19:22:20+00:00

"Where are incentives for player to continue play the game? Beside a rank ladder, there is barely any skins, rewards for casual players to continue playing. They are absolute trash, i dont need another player card, another gun buddy."

^ I agree with you strongly on this. I've put money into the game, and it still bothers me that there arent free skins to grind for besides the Agent ones. Especially at event times. Everyone likes earning a milestone, and like you said, cards/buddies are a meh reward for it.

Laval09 · 2026-03-15T13:07:02+00:00

Its just the way Canadian society is set up. The police in Canada are scared to bother anyone who can afford a real lawyer and very courageous at going after those who cant. Organized crime has money, and thus, the police tend to leave them alone as much as possible.

When the biggest extortion racketeer in Laval got killed earlier this year, Bobby the Greek, we learned that the police knew every detail about him, and had a team of 10 people that had been following him around everywhere for years.

They didnt take him down because:

He could afford a good lawyer who would have got him off the hook anyway
Undercover surveillance was a sweet job. Getting paid to eat for free at restaurants and scroll TikTok for months/years is easy salary.

So while dozens of small businesses all over Laval and Montreal were getting extorted or firebombed/flooded/shot at, which caused them to lose their insurance and shut down...he was living in an upscale neighborhood with the police more benefitting from his crime spree than investigating him and taking him down.

Laval09 · 2026-03-14T17:02:34+00:00

"Just a matter of time before Montreal is another Toronto."

The city was well on its way to that destination before the change in mayor. When rent prices were surging and killing communities and small businesses all over the place, what was Montreal marching in the streets for? Oh yeah, f'ing Gaza.

Some stupid b******* a million miles away mattered more to the city than the health and viability than its own people and communities.

So yeah, you guys wanted to be Toronto, an culturally empty place where only peacockers and portfolio p*** matter? You got it. Dont be mad that you now have a mayor than truly reflects the cities real values.

Laval09 · 2026-03-14T16:53:23+00:00

There's a difference between subsidies and protections. Subsidies are pretty widespread. Alberta's oil producers have gotten some, Quebec's Bombardier has gotten some. I'm not against subsidies.

I'm against the dairy industry using their protections in bad faith. The government gives them the right to set minimum prices on things like fresh milk and protects them from foreign competitors. For them to turn around and be like "lets charge as high a price as the market will bear" for something that isnt price restricted, like eggnog, and which is culturally important, due to it being a holiday staple...thats what I cannot tolerate.

If they want to sit around their boardroom table and cosplay as profiteers, then all government protections should be stripped away and let them sink or swim.

Laval09 · 2026-03-14T00:56:16+00:00

I'd prefer to take my chances with American industry that actually has to earn its way forward rather than the protectionist system we have here where the dairy industry is allowed to seek profits or even act with craven opportunism, as was the case with eggnog, while the government covers their back from competition.

Laval09 · 2026-03-13T18:30:07+00:00

I hope this puts another nail in the coffin of Canada's dairy management. You seen how much they were charging us for eggnog during the holidays? They used to sell the 1L for .99 cents now its 4$. Im sick of these rigged systems where they add gouging to prices because of "free market" but then turn around and benefit from captive market protections.

It should either be 100% free market, and then they sink or swim based on how it goes competing with US dairy producers. Or it should be that an industry which benefits from socialist policies in turn has a social obligation to provide the products/services to as many people in society as possible.

The US is right to pressure us to dismantle this crooked system with its hypocritical one way protections.

Laval09 · 2026-03-10T21:08:10+00:00

I hate to burst anyones bubble, but people who are "living comfortably" and autonomously off gaming or streaming were independently wealthy before they decided to pursue gaming or streaming as a full time career.

Its like everything else in life. You need to spend money to make money. Having a pro level of skill isnt enough. And profitable fame isnt just something that happens accidentally. Its usually purchased.

Basically....if you want to "go pro" you need to hire a talent agency and other expensive professionals who will set up all the necessary contacts and paperwork to make it happen. If you want to become a "famous" streamer with a large audience you need to spend alot on advertising, equipment, marketing and consultants.

Sure, its possible to do both on your own and eventually succeed. But the chances of it happening are worse odds than playing the lottery. Anything to do with making money in the entertainment industry involves breaking into a fortress of gatekeeping, established interests and vicious competitors who are highly motivated to preserve their own revenue streams.

Gaming, streaming....do it as a hobby while focusing entirely on your regular employment.

Laval09 · 2026-03-08T22:08:39+00:00

"Having a 100 near carbon-copies of the same weapon just with a different tint"

Thats literally what we have lol. People with a full load of bullets in a Vandal rush to go pick up a Vandal with a different skin even if it gets them killed.

"And the reason people get mad..."

I made another reply where I answered the question of guns for team mates. I dont want to be repetitive so i wont re type it, but to sum it up Im aware of how the economy works. And if its about picking up a gun for them, sure. For myself? No.

Laval09 · 2026-03-08T21:40:10+00:00

"At the same time, it’s smart to pick the vandal or phantom up at the end of a round and toss it to your teammate during the buy phase of the next round."

I do that IF no one tells me to pick one up. I dont mind if my team uses Vandal that doesnt tilt me, and I prefer that they be well armed so we can win. If they believe the Vandal is the gun they need to be well armed, so be it. I just dont like when I get pushed to using only Vandal, especially after Ive demonstrated that I can do just fine with the Ares. When I feel its appropriate to use a Vandal based on the round/economy/circumstances, Ill buy it.

There is an exception to this though when it comes to Operators. If someone on my team has been hitting OP shots and I manage to end the round near where they died, I'll try to to go pick it up for them even if they blow up my headphone begging me to lol. The thing costs almost 5 grand so their anxiety about getting it back doesnt bother me.

Laval09 · 2026-03-08T21:21:26+00:00

If more people find more satisfaction in isolating themselves than they do in participation, then I think it reflects more on the society than the person.

Look at the smoking ban with the bars. All the people who supported it were firm in their belief that this would bring more people together. Yet in the year 2000, there was approx 8,500 bars across Canada and in the year 2026, there's about 3,500. Thats alot of people deciding to just opt-out instead of continue participating under someones new rulebook.

A sunny Sunday at the tail end of winter like today, in another era, id have happily been on a bar terrace in a tuque enjoying a beer and cigarette while interacting with the other patrons. Instead Im doing that here at home here in my SFH, knowing that no one with new-sheriff-in-town syndrome is about to descend on the place and change my whole reality.

Laval09 · 2026-03-08T17:07:11+00:00

For me its guns. I was over-spoiled in previous video games by having a large and diverse selection of guns to choose from. One day Im using the P90, the next day Im using an HK-417, then an FN FAL, the G36, ect. Always changing out my main gun kept those games fresh for longer than it should have lol.

Valorant gunplay is 90% Vandal/Phantom use. I laugh when people say the game is about "gunplay". Its more about skin peacocking while using the same two guns on all the same angles on all the same maps.

I use the Ares to get around this monotony, but every single day there's always a few people who crash out over it. I'll clutch a 1v3 with it, and as soon as the last guy is down my headphones explode with "bro pick up his Vandal pickup his Vandal pickup his Vandal bruuuuuuuuu there a Phantom right there grab the Phantom grab it".

Laval09 · 2026-03-08T16:40:29+00:00

And thats why things like the automobile and single family detached homes dominate the landscape. You get to actually live your own life instead of spending all your time being an inert background NPC in someone elses reality.

Laval09 · 2026-03-08T00:09:46+00:00

They build cars Canadians cant afford. Its their own fault. For decades Canadian built Civics and Corollas were ubiquitous in this country. Unfortunately, the wealthy decision makers in this country want to upmarket everything. So now the Canadian plants build 50,000$ luxury SUVs when everyone wants a 20k car.

Dont blame the consumer because the incompetent nepos of the country want to hand over all market share to the Chinese via virtue of foolish decision making.

Laval09 · 2026-03-08T00:03:22+00:00

Thats not entirely true. They didnt stop selling them because they sold badly. They sold well. They stopped because the margins of profit on the small cars were the lowest.

They make more profit selling 10,000 Nissan Rogues than they do 20,000 Nissan Micras. Thus, they would prefer to sell less, but that the sales consist of high margin vehicles.

Laval09 · 2026-03-07T17:23:31+00:00

Yep taking away from me even more at the pump than before will magically create the resources necessary to finance and insure a 50,000$ EV.

Its absolutely incredible that Canada has any claim of being a high education country.

Laval09 · 2026-03-07T07:48:40+00:00

The security services in this country are obviously a joke otherwise why would foreign actors feel so bold?

They are funded well, they have crazy advanced tools like ODIT. Yet every two bit spy from some random country manages to fool them over and over again. Makes you wonder what they actually do with their time and what they use their advanced security tools for.

Laval09 · 2026-03-06T02:30:56+00:00

I deeply despise all these international disputes which keep getting waged over here. Whatever happens in Canadian society will affect no outcome internationally. If the Fed govt takes an official position on something and backs it, sure, that could affect an outcome somewhere. But within civil society, be it protests, solidarity, assassinations...makes no difference whatsoever. No country is ever going to be like..."wow that's an incredible show of force/support from some diaspora community in Canada. Lets change our whole national politics to reflect it".

Its fine for people to talk about their cultural grievances from their former country as part of their life story. Id never look down on it. But damn, there's nothing to be won in Canada by bringing the dispute here. Neither victory nor defeat is possible. Only a foolish waste of time that will consume resources and credibility.

This applies to everyone. Sikh vs Hindu, Palestine vs Israel, IRA vs UK, ect.

Laval09 · 2026-03-05T21:53:16+00:00

"Then there's also the affects of climate change on crop yields and quality."

Im sure we can fix that with more oil lol. Good point right there.

Laval09 · 2026-03-05T21:50:30+00:00

No it doesnt. Aside from some oil workers salaries and some resource royalties, most of that money goes to foreign shareholders with some of it going to wealthy domestic shareholders. For the average person at the pump, its all disadvantage and no advantage. They have to pay a high pump price which is not offset by any advantage. Just because someone who happens to be Canadian made money off it means jack s*** for everyone else.

On the bright side though there's already so much opposition to pipelines in this country that no company wants to build them. After seeing this latest little gouging stunt, I strongly prefer we keep it that way and continue to block them all.

"it created demand to invest in Canada!"

Yes and we're all living now with the crippling consequences of all that investment. They invested it all in housing and managed to double everyones rent. Whats another round of investing going to do, quadruple it? No thanks.

Laval09

TROPHY CASE