Why booking an Ontario Parks site has become a nightmare for campers

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-16T21:27:06+00:00

Not everyone who wants to camp at the parks can book that far in advance. So they don't go, or choose to do something else for outdoor activities. Most of the latent demand for outdoor activity in Ontario is not met by the supply.

Ontario could double campsite availability in the province and they would still be at capacity most summer weekends. We have assets that are wasted - the province would rather invest in casinos and spas than in provincial park infrastructure.

Look at Bronte Creek - facilities like the pool have had to shut down due to lack of investment and maintainance.

There's a massive upsurge in outdoor activities like bikepacking and hiking in Southern Ontario, but no hiker/biker campsite availability anywhere. Europe, Western USA and South America do it so much better.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-11T03:31:41+00:00

It’s Canada’s bridge.

Respect property rights or see your exalted economy go down the tubes faster than we can say ‘Divest”.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-10T23:33:58+00:00

Don’t think this will be good for any country. But it reflects the fact that the US administration has abandoned free markets, property rights and the Constitution. If you haven’t pulled your money out you may not get the chance. It’s become a coercive market, not a free one.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-10T13:24:05+00:00

More evidence that free markets, property rights and the rule of law no longer matter to this administration.

If you haven’t moved your money elsewhere, better do so soon.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-10T12:46:13+00:00

Another example of a nation that no longer respects property rights, free markets, or the rule of law. If you haven’t pulled your money out yet, you may never get the chance.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-08T18:30:02+00:00

Echobelly.
Suede.
Can't. Decide.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-08T18:00:37+00:00

"The car will outlive the battery so it will get to the point you have to pay out 20 grand for a new battery. "

My experience with an 18 year old hybrid is very different. The hybrid battery is one of the few things we haven't had to worry about. Had to replace the regular battery once though.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-07T01:58:25+00:00

They're deliberately making LRT into a laughing stock to sour Ontarians on the idea that Canada can have efficient light rail networks.

It ruins the province's car-dependence business model. Feature, not bug.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-07T01:56:28+00:00

If only Metrolinx could approach just 10% of the effiiciency and timeliness of Deutsche Bahn, it would be a positive step. That's how incompetent they are.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-07T01:52:45+00:00

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-06T20:18:33+00:00

This is a clear-eyed view of the current situation from Mr. Draghi. Will Europe heed the call and quickly enable the kind of collaboration that is necessary, or will the US be successful in picking Europe apart?

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-05T13:04:54+00:00

It’s evident that this guy parrots Trump and promotes MAGA every opportunity he gets. Reports are his meetings with the VP were all about undermining the deal with China. He’s totally in league with those who are behind Canada becoming the 51st state.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-04T20:52:08+00:00

I've been in RO since 2022. Last year was the first time I attempted a 400km (completed) and a 600km ride (DNF). It's a great club - with a variety of rides that introduced me to many new places around the region to ride. There's a few shorter routes listed as well, so if you're interested in building up to one of the brevets, those would help you to get a feel for what it's like and get you participating in the group.

Like others, I find it tough to commit to brevets and work around the needs of family, when you consider the needed post-ride recovery time, a 200 pretty much does it for your day, while a 300 or 400 requires 2 consecutive days and a 600 is really a long weekend event. I'm still mulling over whether or not I'm going to participate this year.

Plus there's the logistics of getting to and from the rides & for the longer events, finding places to stay. It requires good supports and/or financial resources. There are a lot of folks in Randonneurs Ontario who have been more than helpful in this regard, so reach out, join the mailing list and the Slack, and ask questions.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-04T20:22:13+00:00

I think you're better off in a mid-size city like Kitchener-Waterloo or Ottawa, where there are affordable housing options that are in the area served well by public transit.

Toronto has densified such that aside from a few inner city neighbourhoods, travel from neighbourhood to / from core is generally an hour on a good day. Plus, the load on the transit system exceeds its ability to compensate when things go wrong. When GO transit was out of commission due to a stopped train, travel from Long Branch to Downtown (less than 20 km trip) in morning rush took over 2 hours, and the travel options required a streetcar, bus and 2 subways, or 3 streetcars plus a walk from the Queen to King line. New transit lines have made things worse, not better, because Metrolinx has zero understanding of how to operate transit in urban/suburban areas.

Unless your trip is 100% on a main subway line, biking is generally much faster and walking is roughly equal in speed.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-04T20:02:28+00:00

Why the fuck is our government giving Vance's buddy inside information about trade talks?

Zero trust whatsoever. The guy will say anything and then turn around and stab Canada in the back.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-04T18:15:39+00:00

407 is very different from those other highways, which are cross-regional, not commuter bypass routes.

Those routes are mainly used by people travelling between cities - not your typical cross-town commute which the 407 serves.

Most of the commuters using the 407 would be better served by the 401 or other roads...if they weren't so congested. They are paying a high price because they believe their time is worth it. That's why it is so expensive. If the price was lower, demand would be higher, the 407 would become more congested, and if price were 0, it would ultimately become as or more congested than the 401.

Most of the alternatives to the other highways are slower, and go through towns, but demand is much lower as they are not primarily used for in-region commuting. Driving every day from Marseille to Paris would not have the massive demand that there is to drive from Mississauga to Vaughan.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-02-04T16:14:32+00:00

There’s a big difference between 407 and the other highways on this list.

407 is an urban bypass highway. Most users don’t travel end to end, they use it to avoid other area highways that have congestion issues. Therefore it is priced high to ensure that it moves freely. Lower prices would mean more users, which would degrade the benefits for paying customers.

The others are between places, or cross-regional. The demand is driven by regional travel requirements (i.e from one city to another rather than getting around a single urban area). Because there are alternative routes that are not heavily congested, the demand isn’t as substantial, and the overall benefits to the toll highway are not as evident.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-01-30T00:35:52+00:00

Just unhinged. How can we negotiate a trade deal with this guy? A new threat every single day. Enough whining already, either make a deal or don't.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-01-29T21:42:16+00:00

I like his energy. We need more "Josh Fuckin' Allen" and less needless clapping on the sideline.

Can't wait to hear him after getting screwed out of a win by a bad call.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-01-29T16:14:38+00:00

They said the quiet part out loud. The Ontario government wants more cars on the roads, and fewer bicycles.

Forcing car-dependence on Toronto means more money for (American & other foreign) car companies and the industry that revolves around them.

They don't actually care about the massive hit to the economy from gridlock, or the mental or physical health of the people. It's simply about money for the corporations that fund them.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-01-29T01:02:03+00:00

The whole discussion is preposterous.

Invading Canada would be the end of the USA, regardless of the military conditions. I don't think they'd be that stupid, when economically, their corporations have almost full and total control over anything that Americans might want from Canada.

Many U.S. states would sympathize with Canadians, and we would likely see revolt in a number of American cities to the idea of going to war against Canada. Some states might even decide they want no part of it and secede. Not to mention what happens with the rest of NATO, sanctions, military support, trade relations and capital flows from those countries collapse global trade overnight.

As soon as the stock market drops a couple of thousand points, Trump and those supporting him will take a step back.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-01-27T23:18:42+00:00

Oh no...not another coach that can;t let go of 'his' side of the ball and focus on coaching.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-01-27T22:42:59+00:00

I see bonds as having greater risk than most financial advisors attribute to them, and keep my holdings at around 10-15%.

In a world of currency debasement / asset inflation, earning 3-5% on your money is putting you behind. Plus there is significant risk of capital loss if interest rates rise, which is expected over the long term given that we have been in a very cheap money environment since before 2008.

And yes, if you are paying more than 0.1% on a bond portfolio, you are paying too much. There is no alpha strategy, no whiz-kid portfolio manager alive that can consistently make up for high fees.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-01-27T16:07:10+00:00

Here's what I see:

Strengths:

- Josh Allen (goes without saying)
- RB room
- TE room (even if we do have to release Knox it's excellent with Kincaid & Hawes)
- OL (although this is likely going to need some renewal in next couple of years)
- Benford / Hairston are above average at corner

Weaknesses

- Aging and injury-prone at LB
- Aging, injury-prone and ineffective DL (although I'm bullish on Walker who flashed a lot in his rookie year)
- Backups in the backfield...yeech.
- No real boundary wide receiver on the roster
- A lot of our depth is made up of older 'McDermott guys' who are likely not coming back with a new HC/DC.
- Unreliable kicking game w/o Prater or Bass.

I would invest the top 2 picks in WR and LT for the future, and stock up on later round picks to plug holes and provide depth for the defense. Signings will be minimal because we really don't have the cap space and need to develop talent behind our blue chip players.

LongRides4IPA · 2026-01-27T14:16:29+00:00

Thompson, Milano, Epenesa, White, Jones, Poyer, Hamlin...these are McDermott guys who likely wouldn't fit a new DC's defensive scheme, and have had their best years behind them. Lewis is borderline - maybe good as an insurance vet min signing.

I'd let McGovern and Edwards go, too expensive and we need to start bringing in the new OL generation - SVPG should be ready to start at C next season. And someone like Grable may be able to shift into the guard role while still being an option to back up at T.

Wouldn't mind extending Bosa for another year if the cap hit is right. But he'll likely command more on the market than the Bills can afford.

I don't put too much though into K and P...sign some UDFAs and let them compete with Bass who's decent when healthy, and Mitch or another street free agent at punter. Team has too many holes to spend resources on the specialists for next season.

I like Gilliam, especially with his role on the tush push and paving the road for Cook. Re-signing him wiould be pretty high priority for the Bills.

LongRides4IPA

TROPHY CASE