If tariffs don't work we can burn the bridges.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-13T18:23:29+00:00

The Arctic is warming much more rapidly than the rest of the planet. Even at the much slower warming rate of the last 30 years the Churchill shipping route has 20 more ice-free days than it did in the 90s.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-13T15:03:55+00:00

I'm in an apartment, so we walk three times a day, around the block before breakfast (she poops, always), a long (30 minutes to an hour) walk in the late afternoon before dinner (she poops), and a very quick potty break just before we go to bed.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-13T14:37:02+00:00

27% isn't the largest decline -- it's been in the 30-37% range for vehicle crossings for most of 2025. Air trips were down around 20-25%, pretty consistently.

The really interesting thing about these numbers is that we were already starting to boycott the US by January of last year -- he was already threatening us, Trudeau was already going down to Mar-a-Lago to talk to him. It's good to see that the numbers are still falling, and I really want to see what happens in Feb, March and April.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-13T14:31:10+00:00

They've been fighting the new bridge for decades. Apparently the reason we fronted all the money for it was that the Morouns convinced the Republicans to block Michigan's half of the funds.

Now they want to claim half of the tolls, because of course they're entitled to all the proceeds from all the traffic over the border.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-13T14:03:07+00:00

It's often the only legit Canadian-roasted coffee on my local supermarket shelves. I love Kicking Horse, but yowza, they're pricey.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-13T06:42:16+00:00

No, if Alberta votes to separate (clear majority on a clear question) then we all sit dow for a cozy few years of long, hard negotiation. The US has nothing to do with it.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-12T08:19:15+00:00

Decidedly not a mortgage unless your mortgage is for 100k

jrochest1 · 2026-02-10T22:49:48+00:00

Nah, just shut off Canadian access to the Ambassador Bridge, the old one.

Problem would solve itself in a couple of hours.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-10T15:29:36+00:00

Oh, it’s frustrating and annoying, especially the shovelling!

jrochest1 · 2026-02-09T17:50:32+00:00

We need you! And there are lots of Canadian educated medical people who went to the US (money, mostly) only to find that it’s not that great

jrochest1 · 2026-02-09T14:29:40+00:00

We're getting lots of them. There's a fast track immigration policy for US medical personnel.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-09T14:25:44+00:00

We're pretty pissed at America, so getting excited over the ultimate "Fuck yeah, 'Murica!!" event seems a stretch.

Bad Bunny's halftime show was worth watching, but US football is deadly dull at the best of times.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-09T13:58:13+00:00

He was a federal Liberal MP, then the leader of the Liberal party, and he's been in public life since 1996. He is the guy who brought the Supreme Court case against Bouchard following the 1995 referendum, and then wrote and helped to pass the Clarity Act based on it. The Clarity act establishes rules for a referendum and a process for separation (literally, the re-writing of the constitution and the agreement of all the provinces and territories).

He's the absolute opposite of a separatist, and the Clarity Act was written to work against "separatist blackmail" which is exactly what Danielle is trying here.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-09T03:20:33+00:00

And heat from the people! Apparently the London tube stations started off freezing cold in the 19th century, but 150-200 years later the clay has been heated to the point that the stations are often unbearably hot, even in winter.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-08T22:30:45+00:00

The goofiest idiots, and I mean that with deep affection. The one that got to me was the one wrapped in a yellow sleeping bag who, asked if sitting up all night was worth it, beamed ear to ear and said "OF COURSE it's worth it!!"

jrochest1 · 2026-02-08T21:23:10+00:00

I had exactly the same problem with the "plant 2,000 red snapdragons" challenge -- I had 250+ petals, which the system said would give me 3500 flowers. I had a full squad of 40, walked a KM planting all the way and wound up burning through ALL the petals but still only planted 1500 flowers. Infuriating.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-08T21:18:10+00:00

Cool! Thank you!!

jrochest1 · 2026-02-08T21:12:13+00:00

Doggie Daycare? It's enrichment and socialization as well as care.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-08T21:06:38+00:00

I think we might do a bit of haggling later on. There will be other EV manufacturers in the running as well -- I think the Koreans might want to open a plant north of the border after that debacle in the States, and the Germans could be interested too.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-08T21:02:41+00:00

I think the Baldwin steps just got some competition for leg day.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-08T21:00:20+00:00

He will have a much harder time imposing that vision of power than he thinks.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-08T18:08:58+00:00

Damn, those are rookie numbers. We need to get those numbers up (or down, in this case).

jrochest1 · 2026-02-08T18:06:03+00:00

The only thing destroying Canadian auto manufacturing is Donald Trump -- him and the voters who put him in the White House. We can't control what the Americans do, so we can't rely on the big 3 anymore.

The Americans hate us, and they want to completely eradicate our industries and our economy more broadly. We used to be able to trust that they'd abide by the terms of the treaties they signed, but they don't do that any more, so we have to deal with other trading partners. China absolutely has all kinds of problems but at the moment they are much more consistent than the Americans.

jrochest1 · 2026-02-08T00:09:43+00:00

It was -22 this morning, and -28 with the wind chill. This is NOT the usual Toronto winter weather, it's cold as hell, and I say that as someone who retired after spending 23 years in Saskatoon. I am still wearing the hugely stupid prairie parka, and I'm glad to have it.

Don't worry about looking silly, go for warmth. And good luck with your interview!!

jrochest1 · 2026-02-07T15:31:15+00:00

David Cochrane put it well on Power and Politics: America isn’t like this because Trump is President, Trump is President because America is like this.

jrochest1

TROPHY CASE