overthere

Uber is currently shut down in Edmonton over licensing issues. Like, they don't have any and have suspended their campaign of BS and outright lies in pretending they ever did have insurance. They will be back in business in July when it is expected the AB govt will have approved new insurance products for 'ridesharing', or taxis by the correct name. It will be interesting to see just how competitive they are when they aren't endangering their clients every trip.. In the meantime, a new company called Tappcar is on the streets. They have Class 4 licenses and commercial, public carrier insurance, and have an app based dispatch similar to Uber. I look forward to some serious competition.

You criticize me for what you call pessimism, then repeat what I said about each pitcher. Well, whatever. I am not pessimistic. What I said is an accurate comment about the careers to date of each of those people. The Jays pitchers did OK last year, but no better than that and they lost in the playoffs because the Jays pitching floundered against the Royals, who came back and pounded us once too often. Winning teams most often have well rounded, complete games and obviously pitching is what let the Jays down a bit when their hitting was suppressed by: strong pitching. Has the pitching improved significantly? I think the bullpen is better. Gibbons has more and better options and a solid group of late game pitchers in Osuna, Storen, Cecil and maybe Sanchez for some longer quality relief if he does not start.. Starters? Price was 9-1 last year, Buehrle was 15-8, HUtchison 13-5. None of those guys are starting this year. That is 37 wins to replace. Sroman will hopefully account for some of those, but it is some ground to be made up and I don't wear rose coloured glasses.

And they are exporting it to Canada. Does that delight you too? I don't blame Obama at all, it s just business as usual, really. But Canada has no clue about any of this, it is obvious here and anywhere that most Canadians haven't the faintest idea how their lifestyle is actually paid for. What is really laughable is that the national payoff for getting massively and willingly shafted by the US in oil exports is a cheap dinner in Washington. The Obama adminstration may be a lame duck now, but how they must laugh at our naivete.

Should not be a problem. But ending up last gives them only a small advanatge.

Like I said....... Thanks for the international market, Canuck suckers.... your own national government has sold you out for nothing at all. Once again, a business columnist from Edmonton nails it. http://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/gary-lamphier-oil-prices-on-the-mend-but-oilpatch-faces-fierce-headwinds The US has built networks of oil and gas pipelines in the last few years, amended their export laws, built port and LNG facilities and oh yeah: denied an export pipeline for Canadian oil at the Presidential level. Our response: go to Washington when summoned, and give the man a big cuddle. Thems the facts! That makes me throw up a bit in my mouth. If the C series was such a fantastic plane, why do so very few of them get bought? Canada has devolved into a group of regions that are quickly learning to hate each other, and this is why. BY the time BC and Manitoba complete their elections, we can expect at least three of the Western provinces to feel some profound distrust of Trudeau. BC will follow unless they can get their LNG plants off the ground, which is looking to be very unlikely.

What depth is that? Usually a quality rotation is defined by having a bevy of proven vets. I don't see that here, yet. Stroman has yet to play a season as a starter. Neither has Sanchez. Estrada has had one solid year. Hutchison may not be a major league player in any role. Chavez is a reclamation project. Happ has not had a stellar career. And Dickey has failed to dominate for much of his time in Toronto. Some of their guys are journeymen, at best. I'd love to to optimistic and hope they are going to dazzle as a agroup, but the Jays need some question marks to step up large to succeed this year.

No, Alberta took on a huge, multi billion dollar teachers pension shortfall and still owes on that. You are right though in that we can expect AB to bomb their unions with money including pension money.

The only word out of place in the thread title is 'Arrested'.

Well that certainly provides me with peace of mind. And just wait until we are in a recesssion.

Is it politically correct to douse Freedom Fries in French ketchup?

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-15/trudeau-said-to-forgo-added-stimulus-with-c-30-billion-deficit But Harper. The good news is that Mr Trudeau will achieve this landmark without much infrastructure investment, other than the 'social infrastructure' spending like the hefty new Child Benefit program, a recurring annual cost. That additional spending is promised for later. Mr Trudeau was unavailable for comment, as he is in New York talking about the status of women with somebody at the UN.

If ketchup is political now, expect Albertans to anticipate Wynnes support for Energy East if they have to buy second rate Ontario ketchup.

None of them were on the level of actual friends that Mulroney was with Reagan. Mulroney was a eulogist at Reagans funeral, one of only four asked by his widow. It doesn't matter if Obama and Trdueau are pals anyway, Obama will not be able to do anything for Trdueau or Canada in the remaining months he has in office. Other than buy dinner. He has no skin in the game anymore. Obama made it plain with the rejection of Keystone XL where his priorities lie, and it is not in helping Canada. His actions were made under the cover of .... what... enivironmentalism, but in the promotion of US oil exports which are now ramping up. No Canuck oil in those tankers leaving Gulf refineries- except of coruse for US oil being sold to Canada.

The largest difference between Trump and Trudeau is pretty obvious. It is accomplishment- both the volume and nature of accomplishment.. Both come from privileged backgrounds. Trump has taken that money and turned it into much more money and created a lot of jobs. Trudeau hasn't done anything in that regard other than enjoy life a s trust fund kid. On the other hand, Trudeau has managed to get himself elected a leader of a country, albeit a medium sized one. Trump - not yet. So far all he has managed to do is stand the collective political old guard on its head, gibbering in fear of a candidate that actually speaks his mind, for what that is worth. .

Clinton and Bush both thought he was an ahole. They were right.

The last PM to enjoy a chummy relationship with a US President was Mulroney. And is it a coincidence that Mulroney and Trudeau Jr are both hardcore schmoozers with a burning need to be liked? It is all bread and circuses anyway. Obama is totally a lame duck president and has been for a couple of years, since both parts of Congress are solidly Republic and he has to fight for everything, meaning nothing gets done except having the neighbours over for dinner. Whatever he and Trudeau pretend to achieve together will have to get past a US Congress that just ain't interested. They should both focus on keeping it light and sunny, that is their mutual area of expertise.

Your reference was to those producing crappy Canadian dramas for Canadian TV . The CBC, Council for the Arts and NFB are the workhorses in this environment, and they are all tenured civil servants.

I loved Deadpool!! I have come to loathe the genre of comic book Marvel drudgery of noise, action and dumbass plots. But Deadpool is funny, crass and self aware. Do not take your children unless they are adults. Two very fggood ones seen erecently: Mustang, a Best Foreign Film nominee, is a Turkish movie about 5 orphaned girls who run head on into old school Muslim values in a small village. Its very well done, the girls and one in particular do a terrific job. Strangers in a strange land. It bears no resemblance whatsoever to Deadpool. Saw 10 Cloverfield Lane last night. Wow. I was not expecting the serious tension and sense of imminent doom in this movie. It just ramps up and up. I think it was made on a small budget, and if so it s going to make a load of money. I cannot say much about it without ruining the story , but it was very good.

I find your position of banning capital punishment without exception to be extremist. So is your ridiculous conflation that the purpose of capital punishment or imprisonment is vengeance. You are welcome to be ridiculous, but don't expect not to be challenged on it. The first purpose of the criminal justice system must always be to protect the public, which includes prison staff and inmates. The second goal, which is secondary, is rehabilitation. Which is why the death penalty must be reserved only for cases with special circumstances. For example, Paul Bernardo was recorded as he drugged, raped and strangled girls. Is there any doubt that happened? Or Clifford Olson, who sold the locations of a few kids that he molested and buried? Any doubt about him?

The federal govt also has fat taxes on alcohol made in Canada. Were you not aware of that? They have to choose if they will do that on weed too. I'm guessing they won't because then they still have a finger in a rotten pie, one they want to get far away from. If they get involved with the production, distribution or taxation of weed, they'll be expected to deal with the consequences of their action to legalize it. And there will be consequences, related to forcing consumers to buy only expensive, government controlled weed. Somebody will have to enforce that, and it will get ugly fast. It think Trudeau is smart enough to recognize the abyss, but he has made this promise and while he dithers many people are accumulating criminal records. Because Trudeau? Well as I recall it is his promise to make or break. But just like you, he is working hard to find a way to avoid any responsibility for his actions. Of curse, the same thing would come from any politician who took this turd close to their bosom. The only win for Trudeau here is to legalize it and he has already realized that win in the form of votes. Now he'll have to run hard away from all the rest, while pretending he is bestowing tax largesse on the provinces.

No, that is just more lies. It has nothing to do with your fevered perceptions of political stance. I did not suggest and do not suggest that every criminal desrves the same sentence. Duh. I mentioned front and center that there are mitigating factors. But there are also factors than should serve to condemn those that are undoubtedly guilty of heinous acts. I named those persons to distinguish them from your everyday, crime of passion killer. For those, a lenghty term is preferable, to give them a chance to rehabilitate. In the meantime, psycho bastards like the three I named are an ongoing threat inside prison. The government, meaning you and I, have a duty to keep other inmates and prison staff out of harms way, to make them as safe as is reasonable. Our society sanctions deadly force every day, for every officially armed person in Canada there are specific rules where they are not just permitted to kill, they are required to kill. Trudeau just sanctioned an icrease in Canadian killers in Iraq/Syria. There is no logical reason not to apply the death penalty in certain circumstances.

That is clearly not true. Rape, murder, countless drug crimes and serious assaults occur in prisons. Crimes that take place in prisons are still crimes.

Yep. Justin has backed himself into a corner and needs time to dump this turd of a file on somebody else. The 'somebody else' will be the provinces. He will attempt to dazzle them with the sugarplums of new revenue, while leaving them with any social consequences and the awful specter of enforcement required to keep out efficient private sector pot sellers. I expect the first bribe to the provinces will be an offer by the feds to forego any taxes, and let the provinces do all taxation and licensing. All he really has to do then is remove it from the Criminal Code , clap his hands and presto another promise fulfilled. Yikes. Trudeau has already garnered all the votes he'll ever get from this promise, it is all downhill electorally from here.

Factually wrong. Syncrude was funded by a consortium of private and government money, a deal brokered by Lougheed. Alberta, Ontario and Ottawa were major investors. They all lost money. Brokered by Lougheed. The entire project was cost plus, a ridiculous gambit brokered by Lougheed that meant the builder (Bechtel Corporation) has every incentive to keep jacking the price up, so they did. It ended up about 300% over budget. The rape was so thorough and blatant that Bechtel did no major work in Canada for decades after. Brokered by... Lougheed. The private sector investors had no time limit to get the plant up and running, and could tak their sweet time stringing out the period over which the construction capital was amortized and they could skim 'operating costs' . There were no royalties collected for decades. The private investors were placed in a 'impossible to lose' situation by.... sing along with me... your hero Lougheed. Yes, I get that Lougheed was handsome and well spoken, but as a business negotiator he let Alberta get raped. He did even worse when 'negotiating; with Trudeau Senior, when AB again took it hard up the Hershey Highway- on Lougheeds watch again in the early 80s..

It is true that the legal system sometimes makes mistakes, or that there is some small bit of doubt as to innicence. That is not a complete argument against complete abolition of the death penalty. The possibility of error does not preclude the possibility of certainty beyond reasonable doubt that somebody did the crime. Our legal system recognizes shades of grey. Mitigating factors are allowed to influence sentencing. Not every person who got into that bar fight meant to kill somebody. That assessment should extend to and include capital punishment. Some crimes are so horrific that they warrant the death penalty. Some crimes are also not in dispute. Does anybody seriously doubt that Olson, Bernardo, Picton were convicted in error? Hang 'em. Another factor is public safety. Our criminal justice system has the serious responsibility of protecting us from very bad people. Put them in jail, sure, but what about the people they encounter in jail? Prison guards, other prison staff, other inmates....... How are they protected from having a homicidal loon at large amongst them?. There is really no way to keep anybody completely separated for 30 or 40 years. Don't those people have a right to life too? If there is no penalty greater than the prison term already being served, what prevents a killer from continuing to kill?