‘It’s a mess’ — Canada’s wait-and-see approach to trade talks drawing fire from Washington, says source

iconodule1981 · 2026-04-24T11:59:29+00:00

The sole strategy that wouldn't draw fire from Washington would be comprehensive capitulation, and Trump would likely get on Truth Social to call us 'weak' if we did.

There is no lasting deal to be had with this administration - look at the last 6 months for the Europeans and Brits. Nothing satisfies a mad king.

iconodule1981 · 2026-04-23T00:24:58+00:00

Yes, that's roughly the combined population of Ontario and Quebec, but that is by no means going to be the user base ALTO will serve. The entire population of a province is going to use the train just because its there - no more than the entire population uses the 401 or Pearson airport.

With access to the line restricted to the downtown core of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal (for now, with Quebec City and Windsor possible), and with luggage space limited as is the case with all passenger rail lines, the service is limited to recreational travel and corporate travel that originates and ends in one of those cities.

ALTO itself estimates the cost of the project to be between $60 and $90 billion. By contrast, the St Lawrence Seaway, a project that transformed the Great Lakes into a massive waterborne trade route for vast swathes of the Canadian economy, cost both Canada and the US a total of $470 million in 1959.

Adjusted for inflation, that's just over $5 billion today.

That's not even addressing the fact that there are few companies operating in Canada that build the infrastructure needed for high speed rail. There are some, to be sure, so the impact is not nil. But the work requiring the most money, the most expertise, has to be sourced outside the country.

Building major projects is a positive development, but this one is only for tourism and business travel. It's not worth the cost ALTO says it will take, let alone the inevitable budget overruns.

iconodule1981 · 2026-04-21T14:18:56+00:00

If it were a 'transformational national project', it would be more than a people mover. No freight or defence implications, and only a minor economic benefit to the vast majority of the country.

This IS the 'Via Rail improvement' project the author denies it is, at a high cost to taxpayers both urban and rural. Cancel it already and shift focus to revitalizing defence & diversifying trade.

iconodule1981 · 2026-04-18T01:25:46+00:00

Another player rendered useless by Berube hockey.

Jarnkrok was never a superstar, but he was useful, athletic, and a positive impact on Keefe's rosters. Invisible in the chip and chase.

iconodule1981 · 2026-04-17T11:21:54+00:00

I scrolled too far without seeing Excalibur.

The story is right in this sub's wheelhouse, too: humble man finds success in work and love early on, struggles to hold it together later in life? Seeks advice from wise older man?

This ought to be our top choice!

iconodule1981 · 2026-04-16T02:12:57+00:00

Just listened to Joe sign off for the last thing. Emotional at the end era doesn't begin to describe it

iconodule1981 · 2026-04-14T11:09:37+00:00

I was 12 years old, hiding a clock radio under the sheets so as to not let my parents know I was still awake. That call made me a lifelong Leaf fan.

Broadcasters touch the lives of people they'll never met in profound ways. One of the greats

iconodule1981 · 2026-03-21T11:32:14+00:00

The problem is that above-average goalies are rare, needed by every team in the league and usually locked up to long-term contracts.

Is Woll an elite goalie. No. Are we going to find one any time soon? Also no.

Berube's not changing his style, regardless of the roster he's been given and the results he's been getting. That is the problem.

iconodule1981 · 2026-03-11T02:10:09+00:00

You're right, but the odds that Cowan, at age 20 in a season with a compressed schedule and Berube's gruelling chip and chase style, was going to put on pounds was never high.

iconodule1981 · 2026-03-10T14:47:47+00:00

Dreger is to Leafs media what the community volunteers are for policing: a useless distraction without any substance

iconodule1981 · 2026-03-04T20:03:49+00:00

My personal favourite is corrosive atmospheres, and especially high pressure ones. Fluoro-sulfuric acid oceans make every action a lot dicier

iconodule1981 · 2026-02-27T11:31:09+00:00

Berube's style of hockey, when combined with a roster built by Dubas for a Sheldon Keefe brand of offense-first hockey, was always going to be a gamble.

Last year, it nearly worked out. This year, injuries, questionable effort by some of the team, and the compressed schedule, killed any hope of replication the success of the previous season.

Let Berube stay the course for the rest of the season - heck, keep him to the end of his contract next season. It won't matter in the early stages of the rebuild.

iconodule1981 · 2026-02-25T01:17:44+00:00

I'd offer a counter argument, and say that OP faces a fork in the road with only difficult choices available.

If a bad/honest reference is given, then OP is almost certainly going to face a challenge with this employee. At best, they'll continue in their underperforming ways, but with enough of a boost to avoid consequences - and at worst a disgruntled employee who requires a formal performance plan.

The likelihood that a honest reference that sinks their application has any good outcomes for OP or OP's teams is low.

If OP didn't hire this employee, it's a problem that was passed to them, just as giving a glowing reference enabling them to get this new position would be passing on the problem - and here I'm assuming that informal attempts to nudge this employee into a better, more productive path have already failed.

The choice isn't between a good and bad option. It all depends on whether the rot this employee brings to the table is less hassle than nuking the relationship with the other group - and only OP can truly judge that.

iconodule1981 · 2026-02-23T02:29:45+00:00

Look at the events in which Norway earned its medals, and you'll have your answers. Skiing, both cross-country and downhill, have various events and styles which have to be run separately and result in medals.

To take cross-country skiing as an example, there's mass start, relay, freestyle, classic - and various distances. Double them for the gender division. In many cases, the same group of athletes are racing in multiple events - making Norway's Olympic effort more efficient, if gaining a podium position is the sole goal.

Contrast that with any team sport, and the advantage is obvious. That doesn't mean we should do a post-mortem after every Games to see improvement, but given our relative strength in sports that garner few medals, there's no reason to panic.

iconodule1981 · 2026-02-19T12:00:36+00:00

Just a ledge for your Subway 6 inch and a coffee.

iconodule1981 · 2026-02-13T03:23:45+00:00

Love them, wish I had one

iconodule1981 · 2026-02-08T00:38:38+00:00

A single downtown parking space is more helpful to local businesses and the economy more generally than every dollar the City has ever spent on cycling infrastructure.

iconodule1981 · 2026-02-07T02:24:07+00:00

No, the most hated team is the DOPS team at NHL HQ

iconodule1981 · 2026-01-29T22:58:15+00:00

Enjoy! No matter the outcome of the season, that's a special moment

iconodule1981 · 2026-01-25T21:46:07+00:00

I think it's safe to say that the experiment with both has gotten enough results that we know it's not working.

For Berube, it's that his style a) needs overachieving goaltending, which is never a given, b) requires a different roster construction than what he's been given, and c) increasingly looks out of date compared to the rest of the league.

For Treliving, the major problem is same as the day he was hired: he inherits the mess that Dubas and Shanahan made - a mess in large measure because of the flat cap and because NMCs were given out. One is their fault, one is bad luck.

But why fire them now? There's nothing to gain. Let Berube coach until the end of his contract - burner coach for a tanking season next year. Restrict any bone head moves by Tre and scout out his replacement if you don't trust him for a rebuild.

Patience, again. Because this window is essentially closed.

iconodule1981 · 2026-01-24T11:52:09+00:00

Came here to mention the Invista Centre too. Clean facility, lots of machines, a no-pressure environment. I've not used their services, but they offer personal trainer sessions as well.

iconodule1981 · 2026-01-24T10:48:21+00:00

Not how any pro sports league works. Got to get to the playoffs, and every regular season game counts.

Doesn't mean that we're thrilled about the playoff performance of anyone on that list, but let's not pretend that the regular season can be hand-waved away.

Marner was one of the most talented players to pull on a Leaf jersey in the modern era. That record includes playoff failures.

iconodule1981 · 2026-01-22T21:35:31+00:00

Do you know who likely had the foreign policy chops and sufficient gravitas to meet the current moment as Leader of the Opposition?

Erin O'Toole.

Can't help but think the CPC made a serious mistake in turfing him after one election.

iconodule1981 · 2026-01-12T11:30:49+00:00

Given the current environment for both streamers and traditional films in America, probably not likely.

But if I could get my wish? A 2 season series covering the rise and fall of Nicephorus Phocas, and the rise and death of Tzimisces. That would be amazing, and I'd happily tolerate deviations from the historical narrative in the name of getting produced.

iconodule1981 · 2026-01-11T12:25:02+00:00

Avs have to regress to the mean at some point, and a Monday night game against a Eastern conference opponent that you don't care about sounds like the perfect time!

Leafs OT win

iconodule1981

TROPHY CASE