A New Cold War

Once upon a time the whole world was completely swept up in a war. Not World War One or Two but something called the Cold War. It lasted from 1947-1991, a period of international rivalry between the capitalist led United States and its allies and the communist led Russia and its allies in the Soviet Union and China. However, because both sides possessed enormous numbers of nuclear weapons they never fought with each other directly for fear of unleashing complete nuclear destruction. This strategy was referred to as Mutually Assured Destruction or MAD. Instead both sides supported smaller conflicts with proxy partners like Korea, Vietnam, and Angola. 

As part of Canada's contribution to the defense of North America a joint defense organization was established in 1957 called the North American Aerospace Defense Command or NORAD, and a series of radar stations were built in the 1950's across the country to detect any possible Soviet bombers coming over the North Pole. Called the Distant Early Warning Line or DEW Line it was the biggest military project in Arctic history. However, the construction of this Dew Line had a profoundly negative impact on the Inuit who lived there as their way of life changed radically and the pristine North was treated as a garbage dump.

In the 1960's with the advent of intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, this radar technology became obsolete and the stations were decommisioned, leaving even more mess to clean up. The toxic cleanup continues to this day, a project that has cost close to $1 billion dollars and leaves behind 134 landfills containing 283,000 cubic metres of less contaminated soil and non-hazardous waste from buildings, steel drums, and water tanks. The other 35,000 cubic metres of soil contaminated with PCBs and lead have been bagged and shipped south for incineration. The DEW Line was replaced by the North Warning System using a more advanced Over The Horizon radar.

Now with hypersonic missiles being the latest in missile technology, a new type of defense system is believed to be required which Trump is calling the Golden Dome. This would integrate both land based and space based missile detection systems to shield the U.S. from ICMBs, hypersonic missiles and missiles launched by submarines. Once again Canada is being asked to pony up for a share in the cost which will be in the billions.

But before Canada decides to help pay for the Golden Dome or something similar as part of the U.S. pressure to increase our contribution to the defense of North America and end our so-called "free ride" perhaps a closer look at a polar map would be warranted. The first thing to notice is that nobody will ever be invading Canada from the North. The frozen seas, arctic wasteland, and topography make it impossible. There won't be any tanks or troops marching across the frozen tundra to Churchill or Yellowknife. The ICBMs and other missiles won't be aimed at Winnipeg or Toronto either. They will be aimed at non-Canadian targets like Chicago, New York and other U.S. cities. Nobody is coming after us so we don't need America's protection. Besides the Cold War is over and MAD is still an effective deterrent. There are other more important issues.

Thanks to climate change and water use, the falling water levels of the Hoover Dam reservoir known as Lake Mead, point to a much bigger issue the U.S. is facing and that's a shortage of fresh water. This shortage of fresh water is happening all over the U.S. particularly in the Northern and Southern plains  but it is also starting to affect the Northwest and Minnesota. In the West the Colorado River basin is particularly stressed with major reservoirs like Lake Mead and Lake Powell sitting at low capacity. A shortage of fresh water is much more of a threat than any missiles, particularly for Canadians.

With Canada possessing 20% of the world's fresh water in its millions of lakes and rivers, not to mention parts of the Great Lakes water system, it's no wonder the U.S. would look enviously at us and try to come up with a way to tap into it. Already Trump has suggested building a pipeline from the Columbia River to California and there have also been discussions about tapping into the Great Lakes themselves with a pipeline across America. The hotter our world gets the more thirsty it gets as well and if we don't cooperate when the time comes we could very well find ourselves invaded from the south.

All the more reason to build up our military separate from that of the United States. German made submarines along with our domestically built icebreakers and frigates are the first step. Next is signing up with Sweden for their Saab fighter jet design that has proven to work well in the North and we can also build in-house instead of buying the overpriced and unreliable American F-35s. Taken together these and other initiatives will enable us to patrol the North and all of our coastlines while creating jobs in manufacturing and all sorts of trades. We don't have to start a fight with the U.S. but we can certainly give them the cold shoulder and that's the kind of cold war we can win.

Lock Up The Separatists

 

At a time when we are under an economic and possibly a military threat from the U.S. why would the nutbars in Alberta think this is a good time to talk about separating? It's always the same misinformed, red-faced, overweight, loud mouthed rural bumpkins spouting nonsense about how hard done by they are and how much better it will be for everyone if the kingdom of Alberta was a country on its own. 

Maybe we should start with a little history lesson, something these seditious idiots have obviously never learned.

• In 1867, Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were the first 4 British colonies that became the founding provinces that formed Canada
• In 1869, following the dissolution of the Hudson Bay Company's fur trade, Rupert's Land was given back to Britain who, in turn, sold it to Canada and was then made into the North-West Territories
• In 1870, following the successful Red River uprising, Manitoba was created out of the North-West Territories
• In 1871, another British colony, British Columbia, voted to join the Canadian federation
• From 1871-1877 the first 7 of 11 Numbered Treaties were signed with various First Nations in order to facilitate the settling of the land and construction of a railroad across the Prairies
• In 1873, Prince Edward Island, another British colony, voted to join Canada
• In 1880, the Arctic Archipelago/British Arctic Territories, were transferred to Canada
• In 1898, the Yukon Territory was created out of the North-West Territory
• In 1905, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created out of the North-West Territories.
• In 1912, the Provinces of Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec were expanded with territory from the North-West Territories 
• In 1949, Newfoundland, the oldest English colony in North America, voted to join Canada

In other words Alberta was a creation of the federal government and I'm surprised the Feds don't threaten to repeal whatever act it was that made Alberta in the first place and turn it back to the North-West Territories. Half of Ontario and Quebec are also the creation of the federal government, and it's time all of the Provinces realize they have no right to separate, particularly the ones in the Prairies.

Furthermore, 5 of the 11 Numbered Treaties cross the Alberta borders and, in spite of the trickery and dereliction of fiduciary responsibility involved in getting the First Nations to sign these Treaties, you don't hear them calling for their abolition. All they ever ask for is that we, as a country, live up to the terms that we agreed on, specifically hunting, trapping, and fishing rights on unoccupied Crown land. In 1930 the Natural Resources Transfer Agreement transferred control of Crown lands and natural resources from the Canadian federal government to the Prairie provinces which they did not have upon entering Confederation. However, this transfer occurred without the free, prior, and informed consent of First Nations, whose land and resources were affected, and has led to ongoing legal disputes. This is not something that's going to go away.

Unfortunately for Danielle Smith, the Premier of Alberta, her party seems to be dominated by the crackpot separatists and, in spite of being told their petition efforts are illegal, she has to coddle them along by promising to appeal the courts ruling. After Trudeau took over the first out-of-control pipeline project and brought it to conclusion, and Carney now helping them with a 3rd pipeline, people in Alberta should be on their knees giving thanks to the Federal government and the rest of the country. With Alberta now able to access the world market through B.C., instead of just the U.S. market, they are finally getting the proper price for their oil. Good luck moving any of that oil if they were a seperate land-locked country. 

If the separatists think the U.S. is such a great place then they should move there, or at least try to because their actions are nothing short of treasonous and they should be tried accordingly. Being convicted of treason means an automatic life sentence in prison. In the old days treason was punishable by being hanged, drawn and quartered. Premiers who talk of separation, or worse, joining the U.S., should be locked up, and the Federal government needs to bring in legislation outlawing any effort to break this country apart. It's taken a long time to put this country together and we've all had enough of this separation nonsense.

Carney Charts A New Path For Canada And The Rest Of The World

 

On January 20th, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney, gave a speech of the ages denouncing American hegemony and offering a roadmap to NATO allies of how they can stand together against the bully in the schoolyard. It was a masterful performance that quoted Thucydides and Vaclav Havel, and called out the hypocrisy of the so-called rules-based international order. He stressed that Canada and its allies need to acknowledge the old world order is gone, that nostalgia is not a strategy, and we must move forward with new alliances and value-based realism. To do otherwise is to put ourselves on the menu.

Only a few days earlier Carney was able to announce an engineered reset between Canada and China that rolled back tariffs on Canadian farm goods and lobsters in exchange for rolled back tariffs on Chinese EVs. Whether Trump liked it or not wasn't of any concern to Canada, in spite of putting up the tariffs in the first place because of  U.S. pressure, it was time to chart our own course. This was great news for the beleaguered prairie provinces and Ontario in spite of a short sighted and petulant Rob Ford.  The existing Canadian auto industry is an over subsidized and dying business that needs Chinese investment if it's going to survive.

At any rate Ontario will soon be busy making jeeps, trucks and other military vehicles instead of cars. And it's virtually assured now that we won't be buying any more F-35 jet fighters from the U.S. and instead will be partnering with Saab to buy and build their Gripens. The F-35 never made any sense in the first place and even less now that the Americans can't be trusted. The only question now is whether Germany or South Korea will get the submarine order.

In the meantime the U.S. (actually President Trump) threatened to take over Greenland, part of Danish territory and a fellow NATO member and to impose tariffs on any country that disagreed. It was a good opportunity for a coalition of European countries and Canada to demonstrate they are prepared to stand up to America and not only put boots on the ground but also threaten economic retaliation. Ultimately Trump decided to back down. 

But while Trump was once again exposed for the blowhard clown and blackmailer that he really is (in addition to being a gangster, crook, and rapist) it reinforced the need for Canada to build military bases in the north. We have virtually no military presence north of the 60th parallel, never mind the Arctic Circle, but cities like Inuvik, Iqualuit, and Resolute would be ideal locations, as well as Churchill, to set up airforce and navy bases. And we need to get started ASAP.

It's going to take some time to shift our trading dependance on the U.S. but there are other markets for our goods and services. While China is an obvious choice there are also risks in getting too integrated with yet another hegemon. Closer ties with Europe would be the first choice but there is also Japan, South Korea and the Southeast Asian countries that could use our products. Again, speed is of the essence and Carney has been busy with almost non-stop globe-trotting, signing trade agreements, and lining up investors.

Canada has never had a Prime Minister this smart or well connected and he is demonstrating to the country and the rest of the world what real statesmanship looks like. Clear headed, calm, and always diplomatic, he has a plan for getting things done and won't be sidetracked by anyone. Thanks to Mark Carney, Canadians have never felt prouder or looked better on the world stage. Elbows up everyone.

 

Prince Rupert By Rail Or By Pipeline

 

From a slow beginning in 1914, the Port of Prince Rupert has since evolved to become Canada's 3rd busiest seaport and a critical component in the effort to diversify our exports. Strategically located on the Pacific Great Circle Route between Asia and the West Coast of North America, it's the closest port to Asia as well as being the deepest ice free harbour in North America. Connected to the rest of the country by the CN rail network, it offers the most convenient solution to the seemingly intractable problem of getting Albertan oil to market.

In addition to being a container port, and handling various bulk commodities like coal and grain, it is also a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) facility. Exporting propane and butane from the Ridley Island energy export facility, which is expanding to handle up to 171 ships per year, it is also well positioned to add natural gas or crude oil from the tar sands. Even without a pipeline oil could be delivered by rail without any additional approvals. The only real issue is the north coast tanker ban.

In Vancouver, oil tankers are already safely navigating a technically more difficult passage through Juan de Fuca Strait thanks to a tugboat escort for every ship, and the same thing could easily be arranged for Prince Rupert out past Haida Gwaii which is roughly the same distance.

But while rail is an option it can only be a temporary one. Pipelines are much safer and an infinitely more efficient method of transporting any petroleum product. To handle the 890,000 barrels of crude oil a day now going through the Trans Mountain pipeline would require an equivalent 1,300 railcars per day. However, with all the problems of trying to find a pipeline route to Prince Rupert it might be easier to just add another one next to the recently completed Trans Mountain pipeline in Vancouver.

But while the debate rages over the best location for an oil pipeline, the Port of Prince Rupert lost out on what could have been Nutrien's latest potash facility. Vancouver had run out of room for another bulk facility but Prince Rupert could easily have accomodated it yet inexplicably they decided to locate in Washington instead. Nutrien is a Saskatechewan company that is the world's largest producer of potash and it goes to show that if we can't convince ourselves to take advantage of what we have to offer we are never going to win the bigger fight. It's time to get behind oil shipments to Prince Rupert and, while we wait for a pipeline to be built, ship it there by rail.

Churchill - Canada's Gateway To The World

 

The secret to getting ocean access to export oil and gas is not on the west or east coast but rather right up the north through the Port of Churchill on Hudson Bay. Originally opened in the 1920's there is already a fully built out port along with a refurbished railway connecting back to Winnipeg that is sitting there under utilized and waiting for the stars to align. Fortunately that moment has finally arrived.

With the European tap to Russian natural gas now turned off thanks to the Ukrainian war, there exists a huge opportnity for Canadian natural gas to take its place and provide a little competition to the Americans who are currently the only supplier. Natural gas is now flowing to Asian countries via the new facilities in Kitimat on the west coast with more to follow, but the European market is effectively closed off without the proposed pipeline extention through Quebec to the Maritimes that was nixed back in 2017. 

But folks in the Prairie provinces are certainly not opposed to pipelines and an alternate route could be tapped into the existing Trans Canada Mainline pipeline at Portage La Prairie/Winnipeg and follow the Hudson Bay railway up to Churchill. Alberta oil could probably also be shipped on this route and loaded onto bulk tankers for delivery to the Irving Oil refinery in St. John, the country's largest. Both the port and the railway are owned by the Arctic Gateway Group, an Indigenous and community owned company which also ensures benefits flow to the people and communities of the North. 

Hudson's Bay Railway

Of course there is even more we could do with the Port of Churchill. Churchill offers the closest route for European goods to enter the North American market and connect to the intercontinental railway. With its four deep-sea berths capable of handling Panamax-size ships for bulk shipping, general cargo, and oil tankers, not to mention its grain elevators, with 140,000 tons of storage capacity, or 2,500,000 bushels of grain, that are three times the size of Vancouver's, this port should be bustling year round, and it would also make an ideal location for an LNG plant and container terminal. 

It's been 100 years since the Port of Churchill first opened and the vision of the folks back then is even more valid today. With all the geopolitical changes that have been happening, the timing has never been better for realizing the full potential of this arctic port. Yes there is the problem of sea ice, which currently limits shipping through Hudson Bay to a maximum of 5 months per year, but one of our new icebreakers would be able to clear an open path for any ship that wanted to transit in from or out to the Atlantic Ocean. The time has come for the polar bear and beluga whale capital of Canada to finally cash in on its unique location and become Canada's gateway to the world.

Elbows Up Canada

 

Ever since the Americans have elected their wackjob, extortionist, President Trump, Canada has had to deal with his threats, reneging of agreements, and bullying. Fortunately we have elected a Prime Minister who is the exact opposite in terms of temperment, intelligence, and respectful standing with the rest of the world. And while Carney charts a badly needed diversification path for our country, the rest of us also need to get serious about how we can do our part to reduce our reliance on the U.S.

The most obvious thing we can do is boycott American products and buy Canadian or other country brands instead. There is no shortage of beer, wine, and hard liquor to choose from around the world and they are all, without a doubt, of much better quality. The same goes for food, whatever we don't produce ourselves (and we should be doing even more) we can buy fresh fruits and vegetables from Mexico and the rest of Latin America. In fact there is probably nothing we need that we can't get from somewhere else that's better and cheaper. Appliances and electronics already come from Asia, the same for clothing and other textiles, and the list goes on.

The second thing we can do is avoid visiting the U.S. When it comes to travel it's more than past time for Canadians to start exploring their own country. We have sights and scenery that are just as magnificent as anything in the U.S. and the exchange rate is fantastic. If we want more sunshine, Mexico or the Caribbean are right on our doorstep, and for something completely different there is always Europe or Asia. It's also time for all the Snowbirds to put on an extra sweater and say goodbye to spending all their time and money in the U.S.

Contrary to Trump's assertion there is nothing the U.S. needs from Canada there are at least two essential products we supply. Their farmers wouldn't be able to survive without fertilizer and we supply 85% of the magic ingredient in fertilizer which is potash. Crude oil is another product that has become increasingly important to the U.S. refineries who until now have been able to source it at a discount because we didn't have enough pipeline capacity to ship it elsewhere. These are two products which should have an export tax on them to make them more expensive for Americans and provide us with a revenue stream to offset their own tariffs. Better still we should be refining the oil ourselves and building fertilizer plants instead of exporting the raw material.

But the biggest reset we need to work on is our trading relationship with China which goes all the way back to our dumb arrest of the Huawei executive that led to the two Michaels incarceration. Stupidly we sided with the U.S. and we've done it again by putting a 100% tariff on Chinese automobiles (the cheapest and most advanced electric vehicles in the world) to show support for the U.S. auto industry and to try and protect our own auto workers. Not surprisingly China then put a 100% tariff on our canola which effectively throws all our farmers under the bus.

Yes the Canadian auto industry is an important contributor to the economy but when you compare it to the farming industry it's a different story. Instead of trying to be part of a diminishing U.S. auto industry maybe we should be trying to assemble Chinese cars. Or better still putting skilled tradespeople to work in an expanding nuclear power industry that is facing a shortage of millwrights, electricians, boilermakers, pipefitters, welders, sheet metal workers, and control technicians amongst others.

And while the Americans are putting tariffs on our steel exports maybe this is the time to keep it in-house for use in pipelines, high-speed railways and other neglected projects that would boost our productivity. We could also use it for all the tanks, planes, and ships we are supposed to start building as part of our expanded defense budget.

With regards to defense spending the first thing we have to do is cancel the planned order for the American F-35 fighter aircraft and buy the rights to the Saab Gripen which we can manufacture here in Canada. The same goes for all munitions, guns, and tanks, jeeps, and other combat vehicles we could easily build in our neglected auto plants. And now that we've got our naval shipyards back in production after years of neglect there is no reason we can't speed up construction of all the ice-breakers and other ships and support vessels we need. We used to be world leaders in aircraft and shipbuilding capabilities and now the stars are aligning for us to get back in the game and restore our reputation.

And finally there is Canada's North. Here we have the most to gain by investing in ourselves. In addition to military bases we need more roads, upgraded airports, and infrastructure investments in the communities already established. There are also tremendous resources waiting to be extracted including oil & gas, critical minerals of nickel, copper, zinc, and cobalt, deposits of iron ore, coal and uranium, and of course gold. It's almost overwhelming how much there is to do and how much potential this country has but there's never been a better time to roll up our collective sleeves and get our elbows up.

FIFA Vancouver - A $700 Million Circus

 

If anyone ever needed an example of how mixed up Vancouver and the Province of B.C. have gotten with their priorities, never mind their math, you only need to look at the FIFA sponsorship they signed up for to really give your head a shake. The cost to host a portion of the 2026 games has ballooned from an initial estimate of $260 million 3 years ago to $700 million and rising. This works out to $100 million per game and there is no way of getting out of this ludicrous contract.

The government trots out all sorts of rosey predictions of how this will pay for itself in the end with a boost to the economy by all the people staying in the city to attend the games plus the increased future tourism the games will generate as a result of Vancouver being in the world spotlight. What a load of bunk. Vancouver is already well known in the world thanks to Expo 1986 and the 2010 Winter Olympics with the main result being a lot of high-rise construction and overheated property values.

Contrast this with Taylor Swift's recent appearance that didn't cost the city anything and generated a $157 million economic impact. There was $97 million in direct spending for hotels and restaurants etc. and 70% of it was driven by fans coming from outside Vancouver. And to top things off Taylor Swift ended up raising over $2 million for local charities while donating $100,000 to the food bank.

In 2022 voters had to approve a capital borrowing plan of $495 million but strangely there was no voter approval required for the $700+ million for the FIFA event. Already the projected cost of the Aquatic Centre replacement project has gone from $140 million to $170 million and the pool size has been cut in half but at least the money is for something that will last 50 years as opposed to only 7 nights. While the visiting soccer players will have practise fields at their disposal during the games, the swimming community will have to do without a pool for over 3+ years while a new one is being built because the city couldn't come up with the money or the plan to build one in a different location before tearing the old pool down.

Meanwhile TransLink, the Metro Vancouver transit authourity providing bus and Skytrain service is projecting an annual $600 million deficit. A referendum to fund the transit service with a tiny increase in the sales tax was defeated so now the various levels of government are trying to find some other way of squeezing the money out of the taxpayer's pockets. This is on top of the $1.5 billion dollar capital budget for expanding the bus and rapid transit corridors. Transit is an essential service, unlike soccer, yet how is it $700 million magically appears for FIFA but there's no money for our overcrowded bus/Skytrain service? 

Probably the biggest problem facing Vancouver is the Downtown Eastside with its estimated 7,000 drug addicted and mentally challenged street people that have infested an area of approximately 30 square blocks. A new healing centre has opened on the site of the old Riverview Hospital where these people used to be housed but it only has 100 beds and it cost $100 million to build. That works out to $1 million per addict and a potential bill of $7 billion if we want to ever clean up the mess that has been made by closing the original Riverview. Still $700 million would go some way to getting started on a long term problem rather than for just a few nights of entertainment.

Our taxes keep going up but we can't seem to maintain what we already have. Nor does it seem that we know how to prioritize what's important. The Roman Emperors knew that in order to keep the people in line all you needed was bread and circuses. $700 million for FIFA is nothing more than a very expensive circus and as long as everyone has enough bread to eat I guess that's all we're going to get.