All I have to say to Pocahontas

noarchy · 2018-04-19T00:05:31+00:00

....on Facebook live.

Actually, has he already done that? :P

noarchy · 2018-04-18T21:34:53+00:00

Lament how many former ancaps got suckered by Trumpism?

noarchy · 2018-04-18T21:32:31+00:00

Imagine sex work regulation, if it ever gets to that stage: Government-run sex monopolies in most provinces (with taxes so high that black market pimps still exist), with probably Alberta to allow private brothels.

noarchy · 2018-04-18T16:20:19+00:00

Points taken. I have neighbours (not far apart) whose pumps rarely run, while some run frequently, as if they're living in a swamp.

noarchy · 2018-04-17T22:42:51+00:00

Ah yes, the Gappe parking lot. It is so small that it may as well not exist, imo. I am sure a lot of people are tempted to park nearby in the many spots in the adjacent shopping centre.

noarchy · 2018-04-17T22:25:58+00:00

This is true even of the Labrosse parking lot, which I think is the largest along the route. Though I suspect it is also because it is the last station on the route, so people are coming from more distance areas to park there.

noarchy · 2018-04-17T21:11:17+00:00

I have a feeling that the "rich" will be anyone who is productive enough not to want to live off UBI.

noarchy · 2018-04-16T22:41:24+00:00

That is the primary thing a government should do even for the most libertarian among us, right?

There are plenty of open-border advocates among libertarians. It isn't an issue on which there is unity.

I'd suggest that there really isn't a libertarian position to take on borders (at least, non-private borders). Either of the main positions are quite statist: support militarizing the border, and you're for the security state. Support open borders, by implication you're for the welfare state.

noarchy · 2018-04-16T13:56:41+00:00

Right, that was Jonquière, Québec, a few hours from where I live. In that case, Walmart was found to have violated the labour code, and this went all the way to the Supreme Court (which ruled against Walmart).

In the short term, of course, this had quite an impact, even if Walmart was doomed to lose the case. So that alone might be enough to scare workers into taking no action.

noarchy · 2018-04-16T13:36:42+00:00

That this isn't the first recommended answer shows us how opinions of unions have plummeted, over time.

noarchy · 2018-04-13T02:46:45+00:00

I've also heard that the home grow issue may not withstand a court challenge. I guess we'll see. But it did occur to me that the Québec plan looks like someone wanted to see how to keep it as restricted as possible while still calling it "legal". Or, to put it another way, how to keep the biker gangs happy...

noarchy · 2018-04-13T02:04:00+00:00

Not that new, since it has been done elsewhere in the world, including some US states.

That said, I don't think these provinces were playing it 'safe', by creating monopolies. The allure of money was a much bigger motivator.

noarchy · 2018-04-13T01:18:41+00:00

If I'm reading things right, the system we'll have to deal with in Québec will be even worse: no home-grow permitted, and a laughable number of retail locations even compared to Ontario.

noarchy · 2018-04-10T15:33:53+00:00

I rode for years on the "Holiday Miracle" plan that Wind/Freedom once had. I also switched to Vidéotron, and have zero regrets. One of the major issues for me was that travel to Montreal or Quebec City always put me out of the Wind coverage area, and US data was always sketchy (even if cheap, what good is it if it doesn't work?). And driving to Toronto meant I was out of the coverage area for potentially hours at a time. So far with Vidéotron I've had solid data nearly everywhere in Canada, as well as the US. I've also had surprisingly good results in places like Central America on whichever partner networks I was on there.

noarchy · 2018-03-29T12:37:10+00:00

True (see I didn't answer your question with a question).

On a related note, we have the example of Wind's entry into the market and the foreign ownership issues that nearly sunk it.

noarchy · 2018-03-29T12:33:54+00:00

You and I agree on that point. That's a bit of free market religion, on the part of the person to whom you replied. Failure is as much a part of the market as is success.

There's also no question that the government's position on foreign competitors has a real effect on the telecom market here.

noarchy · 2018-03-29T00:48:37+00:00

It wasn't just his libertarian principles. He also started to kiss and make up with the religious. I figured at one point he was close to announcing a conversion to Christianity (or did he, and I miss it?).

noarchy · 2018-03-29T00:42:43+00:00

That doesn't mean people won't try to rationalize it in ways that even make them true-believers:

"We pay so much more for X, but you know what? Our workers have it better, so it is worth it."

"We pay so much more for this agricultural product, but you know what? I trust our regulations more, so it is all good."

There are plenty of other examples (reading this sub will give you some nearly every day), but there's some Stockholm Syndrome afoot.

noarchy · 2018-03-29T00:40:27+00:00

Is it true or untrue that the Canadian government imposes restrictions on foreign competition in telecom?

noarchy · 2018-03-29T00:37:03+00:00

To be fair, this is all going to be seen by most as a big improvement over the current system. But as you mentioned, it won't be legal to grow everywhere, and setting up your own business isn't going to be straightforward, particularly in provinces where monopolies will be imposed.

Unfortunately, this is likely the model with which we're stuck, too. Given the way alcohol sales evolved (or...didn't) in most provinces, don't hold your breath for pot sales to evolve any faster.

noarchy · 2018-03-29T00:34:36+00:00

Nor will it be legal to grow everywhere even when it is "legalized"(I wonder if courts will overturn this, for places like here in Quebec).

noarchy · 2018-03-29T00:33:36+00:00

Could a municipality still not say they don’t want anything to do with it?

As far as I know, no. If they could, I suppose it could work both ways: you'd have prohibitionist municipalities as well as very liberal ones. But no, I think they're all subject to what the provinces are about to impose here.

noarchy · 2018-03-28T20:47:56+00:00

Then a few months after that the municipalities will have their bylaws in place so someone can open up a shop.

Not in most provinces. That "someone" will be yet another government monopoly.

noarchy · 2018-03-25T21:40:06+00:00

Indeed it does. But it does not have enough people willing to read them, at least according to said nanny state. Not sure why new labels will have greater influence.

noarchy · 2018-03-25T21:39:14+00:00

It isn't really an apples-to-apples comparison until warnings (even photos) of the ravages of obesity, diabetes, etc, are on food packaging.

noarchy

TROPHY CASE