fellowtraveller

Even better is how Harper can really piss off the OP and others like Topaz simply by..... existing. He does not have to do or not do anything. It is a great talent.

You may the right, in the US the next tsunami of real estae woes is underway in America now. One of the ways that really hurts us is that means even fewer new homes built there, which has a direct and immediate impact on our lumber industry. As much as we dislike it, we are inextricably bound to US economic fortunes. One of the ways we have domestic trouble ahead is tied to the timing of our own subprime mortages. In 2005-2007 a fair number of Canadians toook out zero down, 40 year amortization mortgages(actually negative equity deals when CMHC premiums are added) with five year terms. Those laons are now up for renewal, and they cannot be renewed on CMHC approved zero down payment, and the 40 year terms are gobne. Sevcral major markets have stagnated or gone backwards in that time. It means they have no equity, and no longer qualify for their own homes- even if they have faithfully serviced the loan. They will either lose the house, or the federal govt will have to find a way through different CMHC standards to allow them to stay. It is a time bomb and the fuse is getting shorter all the time. Note to add: one way we differ dramatically from the US is that the people who got 'subprime' loans in Canada -Zero down, long amortizations- all have excellent credit, better than average scores. They had to be that way then to qualify.

Not true of Canada, since all the chartered banks here offer large pools of capital since there are so few of them. On the other hand, rates are not as good when there is less competition. However, we have seen closeup in our neighbours what unregulated - and still unregulated- corporate subprime greed/insanity results in.

We have cheap power here too, from coal and hydro. Or rather we did, now you are about to pay plenty to subsidize production of fantastically expensive alternative power, generated on equipment made by major polluters, equipment they themselves will not use because.... too expensive..

In actuality, a major contributing factor to the economic survival of many Canadians -thus far- can be attributed to the Bank Act, which has been around since about 1870. It has survived many regimes of all political stripe. It has two outcomes: limiting the ability of Canucks to bankrupt themselves via ultra high ratio subprime loans, and limiting the banks from helping people bankrupt themselves and then the bank itself, which the banks would cheerfully do if a nickel was to be gained.If America had the equivalent to our Bank Act and regulation via CMHC, their lemtdown woiuld not be nearly do dramatic because the subprime risk would be much smaller. I find it astonishing that the US has yet to implement any real change to residential mortgage lending since the calamity began. There is every reason to belive the next crisis is simply a matter of time. And I say 'thus far' above because it is very possible and quite likely that the economic problems down south - and by heavy osmosis on our side of the border- are far from over.

You surely are not so unaware as to not realize the huge and ongoing benefit realized by all the Gulf States? Kuwait, Oman, UAE, even Saudi Arabia are well aware that their national security interests are aligned with the West. Iran or at one time Iraq couled and would eat them for lunch given the chance. Uneasy bedfellows, but still bedfellows. You're nuts if you don't think that is a very, very significant return for UAE and others. Luckily for them, this buntoss is about access for commercial aircraft, not the alliance.

' pathetic and laughable stats, plucked directly from a publicists anus for public consumption. Canada- and US- have extreme difficulty competing with anybody for creating manufactured goods, it is why jobs have left and are likely gone for good. I predict the only jobs created will in Ontario Hydro Corporate Communciations, a growth industry. China can build windmills for a fraction of the cost in Ontario. And will. Even the sector leader, Denmark, knows that their forte is design and execution, not making the things.

Most of 'the government' is involved with mundane, routine tasks like collecting/verifying information, cashiers, IT functions, support functions, and clerical gruntwork. There is no reason much of that cannot be outsourced, except of course the power of the unions, the poor quality of civil service management in general and a political leadership vacuum.

As Canada is divisible, so then is Quebec.

They are relatively recent in Europe, and not used anywhere elose in any large numbers in residential application. In the undeveloped world, they are simply a non factor.But what does that have to do with Ontario, where they will simply be a revenue generator for the govt? You'll have to do better on the insults on travel creds, I curently do regular business in UK and France - two trips so far this year, and have had significant time in every continent except South America. Christmas in Kerala this year, you can look it up in an online atlas. How about you?

No, I am discussing the OP topic, which is about the politics of the residentialdemand meters. The influence of demand meters on residentialapplications will be minimal, because people simply cannot amend their lives sufficiently to make it matter. Do you expect everybody to go to bed hungry at 7 PM, then get up in the night to cook? Won't happen, and the Ontario govt knows it. They also know this is all very old news with industrial power consumers, who have nbeen controlling demand forever, and who have much better opportunities to save more in part becuase they use much, much more than residences. That means the residential meters are simply a revenue grab. The govt does not have to produce any more electricity, they do not have to build or upgrade any facilities or transmission lines. They do get more revenue, and it is all a freebie for them once they install the meter. Becauise they know that people will not and in most cases cannot really change how or rather when they live their normal lives. As a bonus, the govt gets to pretend that if you don't take advantage of this 'green' opportunity by limiting the making of toast to 2:45 AM on weekends, you are doing it out of choice and hate the planet.. The whole thing is a publicists dream.

Incorrect. The largest group of employees are in the CR category, clerical support. The typical qualification is high school graduation, and the 'skills' can and are learned easily on the job in short order. The immense boredom is offset by the excellent wages and benefits, and the occasional thrill of potential labour unrest where everybody gets to complain loudly for the injustice of having a great and secure job.

No, they cannot. They can shift supply, but only if they are part of a large grid and surplus is availabloe through sufficient billions being spent on the means of production. You have it backwards, demand is created by consumers, not the utility. No, they don't. Meters simply record demand and consumption information for billing purposes. They are passive devices, they don't 'shift demand'.

No problem if they all go on strike, there are plenty of unemployed Canadians who need the work.

That makes absolutely no sense at all, since the utility company does not store electricity either. They can't, don't and won't shut down a massive power plant somewhere on the hope that enough pensioners in Barrie are rubbing baslloons intheir hair to produce a few sparks. Aside from, that, they must build RELIABLE grids capable of delivering RELIABLE amounts of electricity to all consumers at all times. They cannot count on your wind, your solar, your little water wheel or whatever to produce enough to heat and light the province. So they don't. And won't. Of course. Instead, they build a transsmission and distribution system to your doorstep so you won't freeze in the dark.

good question. Surge protection often works by knocking out the system, which would mean resetting the meter. I don't think that power surges mean an increase in current draw, often they are just wobbly voltage and cycles - both of which will wreak havoc on anything that has a motor like fridges, greezers and furnaces.But whatever happens, don't expect Hydro to take any heat or expense. Interesting bit of symmetry, your smart meter will be used to subsidize somebody elses profits from wind turbines.

Plenty of things can take you offline, and the system has failsafes to keep you offline if there is a major short circuit so you don't take down the whole grid.Could be a tree falling or a possum in the switchgear. Your MLAs should insist on a public inquiry into the incident, no doubt you will find it was a kamikaze McGuinty Liberal possum tasked with a suicide mission in furtherance of the demand meters..

The soft belly is now home consumption, and yes it is susceptible to smart meters.If you are going to be in this discussion, we have to understaqnd the terms. The objective pof smart meters is not tracking consumption, the old dumb meters already do that. It is a revenue grab, with govt complicit.

Sure, but I did not claim the time was now for forcing the Oppostion into confidence votes, now did I? The time will come for that.

The Bloc Quebecois has rejected one of their founding principles? When-exactly- did that happen?

Everything.Ultimately, the government is responsible for everything producd by CBC TV.

The rubber will hit the road when Harper makes every vote a vote of confidence. The Opposition has folded like a $49 tent from Walmart when they face that prospect.

If you;d like a good illustration of how important providing utterly reliable electricity is t an economy, read up on life in Nigeria. It is a huge market and there is some cash around because of the vast amount of petrodollars in the country. Nobody will invest there because the only reliable electricity is the stuff you make yourself, and for industry that is a nonstarter.

Your 'point' about providing for peak capacity is moot. There is no option in reality, other than trying to reduce overall consumption. Even doing that, you must plan and build for peak demand within that overall consumption. No option. It is certainly possible to have programs to contain both demand and consumption, but to control it with not accomdoating expanision is self defeating. Popualtion increases, industry grows, power supply will either follow or lead, but if it neither follows or leads you are headed to 3rd world status in a hurry. Your example is false, as it addresses only demand which is irregualr (and turkeys eaten only on holidays would be less awkward). Provision of electricity has two distinct but intertwined aspects- demand and consumption- and both must be reckoned with. Here is why smart meters for homes are not going to be anything other than a money grab: because compared to industry, homeowners have far less flexibility in when and how they use power. They cannot cook dinner at 3 AM. They have less need to cool the house at 5 AM. They have no need of lights at noon. They have no need for air conditioning in winter. I was once involved in abusiness where controlling demand was a very big deal, and we had many mechanisms to make sure that the demand meter never, ever spiked. Do you undertsand how demand works on a utility bill? Your meter records the single highest amount of electricity used at any time in the year for any reason. When you arrive home at 5 PM and turn on the AC compressor and fan, turn on the oven, have a shower using warm water,open the fridge, pen the freezer, kids turn on the Xbox, you turn on some music and the microwave- the demand side of the meter resets to that highest consumption and you pay that surcharge for the next 12 months, even if the house is vacant for the next 364 days. How many of those things can you eliminate or change significantly? How do you think the utility company plans to recoup the few hundred dollars per household that the meters will cost? I thin they'll have it back in months from every home, and the big windfall in money will be pocketed indefintitely. In the meantime, every homeowner will be scrambling to cut their consumptionby a few measly kwh, not undertsanding how they are getting hosed on the demand.

Sentences should and often are linked to the perps actions in returning the loot. That kind of crime should get a few years assuming she returns all she can and can prove she has retrieved all that is retrievable. If she has carefully squirrelled it all away and refuses togive it back, the promise of a few extra years might change her mind. Criminal charges should be brought on her supervisors too, no way that much cash should go missing for so long. At the very least, people should be fired and pensions taked back with proceeds going to those that were cheated. Years ago, one of the guys who emptied parking meters here was busted for longterm theft of coins. he would empty the meters every day, and fill up his lunchpail with quarters, loonies or toonies. He got about $2 million over a few years, an unbelievable amount consdiering how much of the total that must represent. His one arm must have been dragging on the ground from the weight. His supervisors had no clue, on several levels. He lived in an expensive house and had a few high end vehicles, nobody seemed to twig. he was caught by accident, somebody finally noticed when he was on leave the take jumped up dramatically, up to the same levels that other meter emptiers enjoyed. Duh. There was one change made, I could see the meter service guys from my office window, with a city parking area directly below. Right after he was busted, the van arrived as usual to pick up coins from the meters. It was like a horde of clowns at the circus pouring out of a VW beetle. Four guys got out, two to empty meters, two to watch them empty meters. Job creation, Canada style.