Responding to the United States Constitutional Crises

The President of the United States is defying court orders and planning to kidnap US Citizens and traffic them to El Salvador’s death prisons. So far the response from the democratic world has been complicit silence. Making quiet protests in back rooms is weakness, unforgivable weakness. Appeasement doesn’t work, never has and never will.

The American security apparatus is no longer constrained by the rule of law or public opinion. It is a matter of time before a citizen of an industrial democracy is sent to El Salvador. With such flagrant disregard for International Law a wait and see approach is criminal negligence. Contingency planning is needed to get those citizens back and punish the criminals who kidnapped and trafficked them.

Every democracy should immediately withdraw their US and El Salvador diplomats for consultation. Not just ambassadors but the entire senior staff, especially the intelligence staff. Non essential personnel and families should be evacuated from both countries along with any sensitive information that could compromise peoples’ safety. As this is happening the US and El Salvador representatives should be summoned to answer for their governments actions. All US and El Salvador diplomatic personnel should be treated as hostile and monitored for subversive activity.

The above measures will be mocked by both dictators which may lead them to deliberately target citizens of nations who use tough diplomacy. There needs to be prepositioned resources in Central America to deal with this both diplomatic and military. Europe, UK, Canada, Australia and the Organization of American States need to work together in case a hostage rescue mission is required. Perhaps a French Mistral Class assault vessel should be sent with international escorts to visit El Salvador’s neighbours. The Canadian Special Operation Regiment should consider training in Belize with the British, Australians and Mexican Marines.

With Americans retreating from the world other democracies need to increase their aid budgets to fill the void. China has already stepped up which should concern everyone, we can’t allow such authoritarian nations with appalling human rights records have global hegemony or even significant influence. China has increasing tensions with its neighbours and allowing the Chinese economy to grow would be a threat against those neighbours and risk a new imperialism backed by nuclear weapons.

Dictators and their key supporters in both countries should be targeted by sanctions, travel bans, and asset freezing. Take every measure to hurt their personal finances and divide them from each other. expose rivalries and exploit differences between supporters of the dictators. Arms embargoes should also be set up in case escalation of response is required, including strategic resources for weapons.

At the moment neither the United States nor El Salvador have much opposition. The US Democratic Party is as useful as a broken condom. To many Americans believe the courts or midterms will save them -there won’t be fair and transparent midterms. The longer either dictator stay in power the more likely the regimes end in violence.

I hope the next Canadian government issues an invitation to President Shienbaum of Mexico. With full honour guard, flypast, Musical Ride escorting her motorcade, address to both Houses of Parliament, tree at Rideau Hall, honorary Order of Canada. During the visit explore a labour sharing agreement between our countries.

Advice to the Resistance

Some of this is already being done, if only on a small scale but needs to ramped up significantly. We’re dealing with a supremacist authoritarian movement that is coordinating around the world to destroy human rights and democracy. So here are some unsolicited ideas to help resist the darkness. In essence plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Conserve energy as this fight can be expected to last ten to twenty years. So never commit more than a third of available energy and resources at any given time. Rotating like hockey lines to keep the pressure up and wear down the regime’s resources and exhaust their stormtroopers. Keep checking on each other and let/insist people take a break before they break.

Secure Communications, work on the presumption your group and communications have been infiltrated by the regime or their fellow travelers so communicate with that in mind. Strike the balance between overly paranoid and overly trusting. Remember that anything recorded on the web, hard drives or paper will be used against you in the show trials. Never sign anything with another piece of paper underneath is another security measure to prevent false evidence against you. Use offshore servers and accounts to communicate especially in countries that require warrants and have strict procedures. Have a second phone for protests etc with only a friendly lawyers in the contacts.

Coordinate, don’t plan. To follow up to the above don’t set any actions in stone and remain flexible. Spread false plans to stretch the regime’s resources and keep them off balance. Be relentlessly unpredictable in where protests and other actions take place. If the goons aren’t running around like headless chickens then step up the chaos.

Funding will be required so pool resources in foreign currencies and in foreign accounts. Again choose financial systems with strict regulations in countries with warrant requirements. Use Swiss Francs, Euros, or New Zealand Dollars to protect against inflation as a weapon to bankrupt the resistance. There should be separate legal, medical, and sadly funeral funds. Entrust these funds to a group of people not a single person with constant vigilance.

Civil Disobedience was effective for Gandhi and the Civil Rights movements of the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. Follow the example of those heroes of the past and those who are taking action. Be obstinate as hell when dealing with their law enforcement. Encourage law enforcement to catch the blue flu on action days.

Challenge the Old Guard. This is mainly for Democratic Gerontocracy in the US but could apply everywhere. If you are old enough to remember where you were when Martin Luther King jr was assassinated it is time to step back. Thank you for your service, now kindly fuck off. If they won’t go gently then primary the hell out of them, in fact primary politician who hasn’t faced a primary or is over 65. Again, this is a ten to twenty year campaign which requires people ready for a long struggle. I like Bernie Sanders but the fact he hasn’t been mentoring his replacement is a failure.

Ignore Symbols and symbolic gestures. Boycotts, strikes, cancellations, barricades and any other action that hurts the finances of the oligarchs behind the regime. Cripple the infrastructure they need to keep their economy moving. Blocking the Capital Building won’t hurt them, shutting down the Chicago rail hub or West Coast container ports will.

Victory gardens should be planted on every available piece of ground. Use gardens to alleviate the hardships and food security issues that will come. If you’re unable to garden let someone without access to land use yours. Donate surplus to food banks and neighbours who are in need. Set up repair clubs, tool exchanges, anything that reduces the reliance on the regime’s support system.

Finish your checks. This is going to be a long tiring effort but it is for nothing if people get complacent and don’t see it through. Maybe 2028 sees a sweep MAGA out, if so that’s the beginning not the end. Call it denazification or reconstruction 2.0 it has to be finished not abandoned part way through. The systems that got the US to this position need to be reformed or destroyed before the next presidential elections or at least beyond the point of no return. Don’t settle for cosmetic changes demand an new system, maybe a new republic, where kleptocrats and oligarchs kept away from power.

Violence? The losing side will start the violence so invite the regime to take the first shot. Avoid responding to violence for as long as possible, don’t become martyrs or create martyrs, but avoid using violence. The regime wants to crack skulls, round millions up and wipe out entire communities. Do not give them any pretext. If violence is unavoidable remember that the US military is unbeatable in conventional war fighting, yet in the last 80 years has lost most of its wars.

The rest of the world needs to go hard on the US regime the way Russian regime is targeted. Sanctions, travel bans, asset freezing, boycotts, and any other measure that hurts American oligarchs and kleptocrats. At the same time there will be the great American brain drain so be ready to integrate these refugees into your societies, at least temporarily. Invite Mexico to the next NATO summit along with other Organization of American States members and offer a OAS – NATO partnership, because a war with Russia will make the Americas a front line. Especially if the US leaves NATO.

Elbows Up! And if you have to drop the gloves get a good cross check first.

Canadian Movie July

A List of Canadian Movies I watched in July 2024 The first ones aren’t in watch order as I didn’t think of posting this until the 13th. Watched on Netflix, CBC Gem, YouTube and Apple Movies.

1. Rhymes for Young Ghouls 2013
2. See For Me 2021
3. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz 1974
4. The F Word 2013
5. Away From Her 2006
6. Forsaken 2015
7. Isabel 1968
8. Mary Anne 1978
9. Goin’ Down the Road 1970
10. Black Christmas 1974
11. Ida Makes a Movie 1979 (pilot movie for Degrassi series)
12. Secret Nation 1992
13. Paperback Hero 1973
14. La Bolduc 2018
15. BlackBerry 2023
16. Jean of the Joneses 2016
17. The Viking 1931 (Newfoundland pre-Confederation)
18. The Nut Job 2014 (South Korean co-production)
19. Louis Cyr: Strongest Man in the World 2013
20. Dr. Cabbie 2014
21. Maudie 2016
22. The New Romantic 2018
23. Le Mirage 2015
24. Men With Brooms 2002
25. The Grizzlies 2018
26. File 13 2010
27. Goon 2011
28. Compulsion 2013
29. Indian Horse 2017
30. FUBAR II 2010 (couldn’t finish it)
31. The Threesome 2017 (Will finish when in the mood)

Didn’t watch one every night but I watched 31 anyways. Olympics got in the way the last few days and ADHD kicked in. There many more Canadian movies I haven’t seen but will be watching more. I recommend trying a Canadian movie marathon sometime. You could start with the oldest surviving movie 1919 Back to God’s Country which is on the Library and Archives Canada YouTube channel.

Helping Ukraine and Canada #BankruptPutin

It seems there is nothing left to loot in Russia and its occupied regions so the kleptocrats are expanding into the rest of Ukraine. The assault on Ukraine threatens democracy and liberty everywhere. I’ve dealt with bullies my entire life and they cannot be appeased nor reasoned with. Only showing strength and standing up to them will work. Vladimir Putin is a coward, he needs to see all democracies aligning against him in support of Ukraine.

Canada should immediately assist with Ukraine’s defence by providing weapons, support equipment, humanitarian aid, and settlement of displaced people. Canadians should avoid buying, supporting and investing with Russian companies and any company that has connections with Putin or Russia’s kleptocrats. Everything from cancelling World of Warships accounts to seizing assets of Russian businesses should be on the table. This should include pro-Putin media outlets open to lawsuits for spreading misinformation and lies.

Canada’s anti-corruption measures are weak and can be used by Putin and others against our best interests. The Financial Tracking Intelligence Service or FINTRAC needs a massive budget increase so it can be weaponized against corruption at home and abroad. It is time to hunt down and retrieve Russia’s stolen money and put in a trust for the victims of Putin at home and abroad. The criminalization of any political donation made by someone not on the voters list should also help reduce vulnerability to political corruption.

The alt-right and other supremacist extremist groups are used by Russia to spread lies and division in democratic societies. There needs to be a Royal Commission into alt-right infiltration of our police and military with implementation of zero tolerance. A few neo-Nazis were enough to disband the Airborne Regiment and it should be enough to disband police services with similar problems. We can use extremists in the Royal Ulster Constabulary as precedent to dissolve a police service and start over with tougher standards and screening.

Ukraine is one of the world’s breadbaskets. With the invasion it is unlikely crops will be planted this spring and crops that are in the ground now will be harvested or exported. Canada leaves agriculture to provinces so let’s demand provinces ban the destruction of farmland for development. With Ukraine’s grain supplies being denied to the global market other sources will be needed. Prices will be rising and starvation already appearing in Afghanistan and parts of Ethiopia the loss of Ukraine’s production could see hunger rise globally. Destroying the world’s finest farmland for Canadian developers should violate the criminal code as it puts Canada’s and the world’s food security at risk.

Canada and Canadians should support pro-democracy and anti-corruption groups around the world but especially in Russia. Russians are the first victims of Putin and his regime. A democratic Russia with human rights and the rule of law should be an objective of our policies and actions. It is comforting to see anti-war protests in Russian cities.

With Putin’s criminal aggression of Ukraine likely the opening move in a broader strategy – Twitter is mentioning Chinese aircraft over Taiwan – it is time to cement the democratic alliances. Canada should back Sweden, Finland and Moldava if they vote to join NATO. Canada should also recognize Taiwan’s sovereignty and independence.

Rearming Canada or at very least developing competitive industries that can be converted in emergencies should be our economic priority. The last decades in the western world have seen arms manufacturing concentrated in the hands of a few companies. This has reduced competition, innovation and resilience. If cyber attacks, strikes, supply disruption hit Lockheed Martin or General Dynamics how much damage would that cause? Let’s start with ordering 100-150 Gripens for our air defence, especially in the Arctic.

More Canadian cities need to upgrade and expand the public transit systems including creating more subways. Subways aren’t just for moving people but sheltering in times of crises. Such critical infrastructure can also evacuate people in larger numbers than single family cars.

My Version of the Royal Canadian Navy

Yesterday I watched a video on the Royal Navy if Dr Alexander Clarke was Prime Minister. I was inspired to follow this thought exercise for the Royal Canadian Navy. I’ll use similar rules as in the video but I haven’t limited myself to the RCN as the Canadian Armed Forces are more integrated than most countries. I’m working on the assumption the defence budget is going to defence not regional development and vote buying.

Canada has the world’s longest coastline and most of the Northwest Passage is within Canada’s claimed territory. Canada also has commitments in Europe, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. There will never be enough ships to cover everything so the Royal Canadian Air Force will be needed.

Aircraft:

The CP-140 Aurora is in need of replacement by a four engine turboprop capable of operating in the Canadian Arctic. Four squadrons should be procured with a fifth squadron for training and maintenance. One squadron for each coast made up of regulars and reservists will give better coverage of Canada’s coastline. Eighteen hours response time to Arctic contacts is unacceptable. The fourth squadron would be for international commitments and the fifth would be based in Thunder Bay.

The CH-148 Cyclone had its issues that need to be sorted out and once that is achieved more should be purchased. A mixed Anti-Submarine/Search And Rescue Helicopter Squadron should be deployed to the Arctic. Again assets coming from the south take to long.

To augment the maritime patrol and search and rescue roles I’d add three squadrons of Viking Canadair CL-515 and modernize the Twin Otter squadron based in the Arctic. One CL-515 squadron for the Atlantic, one for the Pacific, and one wandering the world helping allies.

Two squadrons of either Rafale Ms or Super Hornets should be acquired and trained to fly off allied carriers. Most of Canada’s fighters should be the Gripen E which is more capable and deployable in Canada. Super Hornets will require extension of Arctic airfields and F-35s would require a few billion in major airfield upgrades.

Surface Combatants:

Currently Canada only has twelve Halifax Class Patrol Frigates. With the current upgrade programs and proper maintenance they should last another twenty years. With the Type 26C (C is my designation as it will be fitted differently than UK versions) coming, eventually, the Halifax Class ships should be the main training ships of the fleet and be crewed mostly by reservists.

The Kingston Class should be rearmed, why the 40mm Bofors were removed is a mystery to me. If possible the Kingstons should be upgraded with Enhanced Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) capability and if that’s not possible sell them off immediately. The same goes for the Harry DeWolf Class, why a ship was designed without air defence capability is another of those mysteries.

To replace the Kingston Class, twelve fast, agile missile boats capable of carrying Harpoons and anything other anti-shipping missile. They should have some air defence capability and easily have their missiles reloaded without facilities. These vessels will train to come out of fjords, inlets etc and swarm enemy vessels from multiple directions with intention to overwhelm their missile defences. These vessels should be capable of coordinating such attacks with strike fighters.

For the escort and sub hunting roles the Halifax Class and Type 26C will be the main assets. A Type 26C replacement program should be started immediately after the first ship is delivered. A permanent upgrade and development program should be started to integrate lessons learnt and integrate new technologies as they prove themselves.

Submarines:

The Victoria Class should be augmented with six Arctic capable submarines using the best off the shelf design. When the Victoria Class retires they should be replaced with a more advanced design, also Arctic capable. Eventually Canada should have twelve submarines in two classes of six for constant development.

Auxiliaries:

Let’s start with doubling the Joint Support Ships to four and augmenting them with a couple of converted oil tankers operated by reservists. With the current global economy it might be worth buying some newish ships for training and the support; a container ship converted as seaplane tender, a Roll-on-roll-off ship to move the army’s vehicles around, and a small cruise ship converted to a hospital ship. Throw on some advanced naval systems and point defences to protect them and train crew in their use.

Forward Basing:

I would augment the current basing with forward bases in Spain or Portugal, Philippines, and Haiti. Each forward base would have a frigate, stockpiles of spares, supplies, support personnel, and equipment needed to support DART (Disaster Assistance Relief Team). The Haitian base would need to be built and helping the economic development of Haiti. The southern coast of Haiti gives access to the Panama Canal, helps anti-trafficking operations, and help training with local allies.

As resources permit a fourth base along the East coast of Africa should be established in cooperation with allies. Allies have bases around the world which are helpful but having our own bases gives us independence of action and can host allies should their bases be unusable.

Arctic Sovereignty:

As mentioned above I would discard the Harry DeWolf class if it can’t be upgraded to have air defences. There is no point getting a ship stuck in the ice to be an easy target for a missile or bomb strike. Submarines and aircraft are be needed to defend the region. With China and Russia looking at resource exploitation Canada needs to have assets in the Arctic, even if it means sacrificing ability elsewhere in the world.

The first priority to deploy surveillance system to Canada’s portion Northwest Passage with sonar, radar, and Ranger Patrols reporting to an Artic Defence Force Headquarters. Contacts should see armed Canadian aircraft monitoring their activities. Maybe start with the yellow and red SAR aircraft and escalate as needed but certainly waiting 18 hours for something with teeth to show up is unacceptable.

Final Thoughts:

This has been an interesting thought exercise and I know things like two carrier strike squadrons is highly unlikely. The current, mostly unarmed, fleet is wasting resources and damaging recruiting. My forces are designed for Canada to do it alone in domestic security and contribute where we can globally.

As for the Danes and Hans Island, let’s make it two bottles of whiskey and create an international protected area overseen by a joint commission.

Lessons From the Lockdown

So I thought of this post months ago and never got around to it. The year so far has shown some flaws in society and the economy is a giant Ponzi scheme. It is difficult to remember everything that’s happened so far in 2020. There are lesson to be learnt from this year, if humans are capable of learning.

Imagine the pandemic’s economic consequences and lockdowns without the internet. The trickle of money from web ads and online sales are helping people avoid disaster. Being able to order online has helped buy necessities and things to kill time. Some areas have overpriced and/or insufficient internet access and a limited number of companies decide where the infrastructure is set the prices. Internet has become too important to leave in the hands of corporations. It is time we made internet a utility like water, electricity and roads.

The social safety net needs to be replaced by Universal Basic Income. The current hodgepodge of systems almost guarantees people falling through the cracks. I’m not sure what is meant to be achieved with overlapping bureaucracies and suspicion of those in need. UBI could save money in overhead while circulating more money through the economy. It might hurt some toxic employers but they deserve bankruptcy. It always amazes me when business owners call for their customers to get a wage cut.

Economic disruptions cause people to drop out of university and college — people we need trained for the next disaster/pandemic/whatever. The current tuition system punishes poorer people with higher costs. If we invest in free education and UBI it will mean talented people will not have to drop out when the next pandemic comes. Investing 10% of GDP in education and science give a higher return than pouring asphalt and make the economy more resilient.

The forest fires in January and possibly SARS 2 Covid 19 (worst.sequel.ever) are the result of environmental destruction and a complete disconnect between capitalism and reality. Capitalism is increasingly looking like feudalism with a new skin. A hierarchical system based on endless exploitation of people and resources is incapable of sustainability. The recovery needs start with a complete ban on environmental destruction. Focus quarterly profit is not a sustainable economic model and the path to a dystopian nightmare.

These thoughts were more coherent in my head three months ago. Remember with 2020 the worst is yet to come.

Good Cops? Hello? Are you out there?

A Facebook rant by a Toronto police officer showed up in my feed last night, one of those 1% “Bad Apples” arguments. It might be my math disability but 1% “Bad Apples” in Toronto would mean 52 officers on a force of about 5200. To avoid a migraine I’ll simplify it, bad officers are, allegedly, outnumbered 99 to 1.

This argument must be bullshit, otherwise “Bad Apples” would be scared to do anything. If there are 99 “Good Apples” willing to arrest and charge the “Bad Apple” then very quickly there will be no bad cops left. We’d have bad cops on trial more often, with testimony from good cops. We’d have good cops shooting bad cops to protect the public. And I only remember one incident of a cop shooting another cop.

Way I see it in North America right now, badges are just another gang symbol. Instead of police coming out with “Bad Apple” arguments, maybe every officer should get a mirror. All officers need to take Mr George Floyd’s death as a moment of reflection. Ask yourself, if my colleague was doing that, how would I react? Would you risk your career, your pension, your freedom, or your life to prevent a colleague killing someone? Would you report, arrest, testify, or double tap?

If good cops outnumber bad cops 99 to 1, then there should be 99 muzzles aimed at the bad cop’s head when he’s kneeling on a man’s throat. We didn’t see that, we never see that, we want to see that. We might believe good cops outnumber bad cops if we saw more arrests and interventions.

Even 1% “Bad Apples” means thousands of police officers in North America who shouldn’t have badges. Those officers see silence from their colleagues as permission to continue their atrocities. The reality must be there are only 1% good police in North America, and they live in fear.

If you wish to prove you’re a good police officer than go arrest a colleague. You know who the drug dealer is, the pimp is, the wife beater is, who drops charges for a blowjob, is paid to look away, or who likes taking people for a “ride”. Some of your cars say “Deeds not Words” but all we’re getting are words.

Thanksgiving Rant

Yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving, I’m having leftover blueberry pie for breakfast. Could we stop equating this harvest festival with pilgrims, harvest festivals are as old as humans harvesting things and thanking the gods. They predate Christianity by at least 2,000 years and can be found globally under different names. There were usually tied to each crop harvested, which in Canada means we would have dozens from March’s maple sap harvest to November’s harvests. Hence the arbitrary date in early October.

In the US Thanksgiving wasn’t a set holiday until Abraham Lincoln declared it one after the American Civil War, other civil wars are available, as a means to heal and remind everyone of Manifest Destiny. According to a Maclean’s article Lincoln was convinced by racist religious zealots.

All farming societies have harvest festivals, North America pre-European contact was no different. Saying Thanksgiving was invented by pilgrims is caving into puritan co opting of ancient traditions. Allowing the Plymouth Rock myth to be part of Thanksgiving, even recognizing the negativity, is to give the racist and cultural supremacists more power than they deserve. The article suggests embracing some of the Indigenous traditions, maybe we could combine traditions from around the world.

Let’s drop the term Thanksgiving with the negative origins and instead have National Harvest Festival. Anyone who wants to bring puritanism or pilgrims into it get sacrificed to some ancient god.

BRT Debate #ldnont

The debate surrounding the proposed Bus Rapid Transit system is becoming toxic. On both sides entrenching and playing fast and loose with facts. With the looming election  the debate is in overdrive. We’ve descended into binary politics, either you’re a tax and spender building a white elephant or a anti-progressive nimbyist. There is no longer room for real debate and those of us who feel abandoned by both camps.

Despite blowhard rhetoric BRT is not going to raise property taxes, nor is it going to make your drive worse. Road widening, ride sharing companies, lack of car alternatives are making your drive worse. More road supply equals more room for new cars, the industry has known this since the 1930s hence why they encourage more road construction. Better cycle and pedestrian infrastructure, congestion taxes, and road reduction will reduce traffic faster than all the road widening schemes.

Regardless of what BRT advocates say the SHIFT plan is not a panacea for transit users in London. It will mean lost access to transit, more needless transfers, and doubles down on a convoluted system that has needed an overhaul since the 1980s. The current plan, as found in the most recent document I could find, abandons around 50% of London’s area.

What is currently a single bus, along a single street, will soon be two buses along that same street. White Oaks Mall to Masonville is currently one bus but BRT will make us transfer downtown. The Dundas buses will also stop at Highbury making people transfer in order to continue along Dundas. Transfers should only occur when switching between East/West routes and North/South routes. Has anyone at LTC or city hall read the basics of transit planning?

It occurs to me that neither side of the BRT debate actually understands London. Both sides seem to work with the assumption that London is a small town around the forks of the Thames and a century of urban sprawl never happened. Read any job ad in London and the line – “Must own car, no public transit”- will likely be present. There are a lot of job sites not covered by the LTC including almost all of London’s blue collar jobs.

Ask the LTC about why areas haven’t got a bus route and the answer will be there is no demand. Seriously? In transportation service governs demand, you can’t demand what doesn’t exist. LTC has a terrible record of addressing needs or communicating why/how they come to their conclusions. Blunt statements with zero evidence such as: “London isn’t suited for a grid system”, “There is no demand”, or “Service is adequate” are arrogant and dismissive. It is time the LTC and the City of London’s transit department to show us the evidence and why it lead to current conclusions or assumptions.

Rapid transit is a good thing and the next council should start planning for some while pressuring the province to get High Speed Rail built. Unfortunately BRT as London is designing it won’t be rapid and will not prepare London to feed a high speed rail stop. But then current plans mean the airport isn’t connected so why would a rail station.

Both sides of the BRT fight are coming at it from positions of privilege and affluence. As the centre of London gentrifies the poorest people will be pushed beyond the arbitrary main transit zone. This means the poorest in London needing cars to get around and that will consume most of a household budget. If the BRT is for all Londoners where is the plan to keep poor people within the transit zone? Here is an Australian study demonstrating how transit options can affect the health of poor people.

One of the anti-BRT battle cries is “We aren’t Toronto!” but maybe we should be. Being Toronto Lite is far better than becoming Detroit Junior. Of course that would mean investing heavily in suburban public transit, not just the downtown and the chosen few. Those waiting for demand to justify it will wait until the sun goes supernova. Here’s a good article about how demand is a reaction to supply.

London needs to get transit right and more car infrastructure is not a solution. Fixing transit, along with better pedestrian and cycle infrastructure, are essential for London to survive the 21st Century. It will take more innovation and creativity than a L 7 BRT system is providing to keep London from becoming a quaint little Luddite colony.

How will London function in a world where burning fossil fuels is taboo? This election is the time to decide and entrenched transit options aren’t helping.

Elections are Coming

Elections are coming later this year. In June is the Provincial election and October is the local elections. I’ve become increasingly anti-partisan and disillusioned with politics. Mainly the total lack of progress on important files and the focus on policy proven to have failed repeatedly. Any party/individual wanting my vote had better check most of my policy requirements.

Provincial:

• Ban on new combustion engine sales starting January 1st 2030 with total ban on using combustion engines by 2040
• A complete ban on corporate welfare and subsidies
•   A Royal Commission into the construction industry, its ties to politics, and to organized crime
• Pressure the Federal Government to criminalize corporate and union donations
• A single, flexible transit pass used on all public transit in the province
• A public education system funded from cradle to grave and no public funding to religious or private schools
• High speed rail province wide
• Legislation allowing cities to tax parking lots higher than surrounding properties
• Plastic bags, straws, and bottles ban – disposable packaging ban
• Tax healthcare profits at 90%
• Ban automotive advertising

Municipal:

• BRT improvements to include Argyle and the airport
• End enforced car usage by having transit, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure for the entire city not just the downtown
• Ten dollars per empty seat congestion tax for the downtown
• Transit passes that work throughout Ontario and eventually Canada
• Complete ban on noisey gardening equipment
• Explore hiring the OPP or RCMP to save policing costs and maybe have traffic enforcement
• Explore putting electricity generators into the water system
• Build the city up and not out
• Ban any new road widening schemes
• Actually shovel snow off sidewalks or make property owners liable
• Publish automobile related deaths within the city every month or quarter
• Merge police and fire administrations and where possible facilities
• Public spaces designed by children