Maelstrom 

Has that actually affected anything. As far as I heard "yes the states are breaking the rules but still don't bother to follow them". Is that still true or did my boycot of the news make me miss something actually news worthy?

closetbiker

You bet!

A large part of the BC economy is forestry and the tariffs on the shake and single industry (ruled illegal by the WTO) has put thousands of BCers out of work and kept jobs alive in the southern states.

A similar situation occurred when the states decided to put a tarriff on Prince Edward Island potatos (which was also ruled illegal by the WTO)

closetbiker

Of course not. We only have a version of it. A version intrests lobby for. Like a TOO BIG automotive transport system.

Maelstrom 

Sorry you misunderstood..I realize the effects of the tarrif. What I was asking was has the ruling actually changed anything. Last I heard the usa in all their glory were still ignoring the law regarding this even with 2 rulings against them.

ngateguy

The lumber industry down here is in a world of hurt people are losing jobs that are never coming back.

BTW, how are all our car manufacturing jobs doing? You don't want us then send those back down here.

andretan

The system is called Electronic Road Pricing or ERP for short.
The fee is deducted from a cash-card wireless reader when you pass through a gantry.

It's turned on during peak hours (morning rush hour) and (after-work peak hour), and it's normally at those roads that get congested easily.

For the Central Business District (CBD) area, the gantry is on only at certain times.

cyclezealot

As a former Michiganian, I speak of the breakfast cereal industry..Last I read, Battle Creek is no longer the Cereal city...Unless, you are an executive...Corporate only...
Kellogg's corn flakes now comes from Saskatchewan and Mexico..Is Saskatchewan that cheap for labor ?.... Guess, they have lots of corn.

closetbiker

The Auto Pact is a great example of how policy can benefit everyone. It absolutely is not free trade, but an arranged agreement between parties, and it manages to be good for all concerned.

Sort of like good public transit helps the majority by freeing up the roads and no public transit leaves gridlock from too many cars.

Goes back to London's mayor saying those trips to pick up / drop off school kids are idiotic.

closetbiker

The US will still roll along doing what it likes and take years before it finally does change anything, but they eventually will, and most likely, end up doing something else wrong starting the circle again.

ChezJfrey

And not Philly? Now you're on MY ignore list

As for the article - why is there no one of any political authority like this guy in the U.S.? He speaks his mind against constituents' behavior like nothing you'd ever see in this country. I'm almost jealous.

ngateguy

I don't know about the rulings but those tariffs were imposed on Canada when they were dumping their products at a cheap market value to corner the market. That tactic lost many of our workers their jobs. WWhy don't you come down here sometime and see just how strong our lumber industry is.

So it is good when it provides you with jobs but bad when we try to protect our jobs. It seems like the cool thing now is to attack America.

closetbiker

You can read the WTO's ruling if you want to know about those rulings. They ruled there was no dumping, that what was produced was a result of an effecient industry producing superior product for less money and sold in a fair manner.

Not attacking here, just pointing out sometimes free trade rules aren't followed and maybe good social policy (like over use of personal transportation - aka - using huge SUV's to pick up kids at school - could be changed to something more beneficial to everyone - cleaner air, clearer roads, lower costs of oil due to less demand) could have a place to make the world a better place.

Like I said, I'm no economist just passing along a little of what I've read.

closetbiker

Loved Clarke as a player, (I was in the house during the 72 summit series) hate him as a GM.

Quebec (Colorado) loved him as a GM, he practically handed them the Stanley Cup with the Lindro's trade.

I like that a new team and a low paid, underdog team are in the final.

Go Flames!!!

ChezJfrey

Yeah, I'm actually looking forward to the finals. Tampa has looked really strong throughout the playoffs and Calgary does indeed have finances stacked against them. It'll be some good sport.

ngateguy

Cleaner water like maybe when Victoria stops pumping raw sewage inot our mutual water ways. That social policy needs to transend borders as well; as the trade policies Canada is no pure saint in either case.

closetbiker

Look, what are you trying to do? Pick a fight? Are you trying to say Canada is the source of the US's woes? I'm not interested here. Go to the political forum for that. Or better yet send me a private email.

Let's try to stay on the topic about the mayor's comments and how it relates to cycling as Chris L. did pointing out some problems with oil production and it's effect on the mayors comments on people using oil wastefully.

ngateguy

I started by answering this post are you trying to start a fight? You brought up the forest tariffs I brought up the fact that they started because the Canadian Lumber industry started dumping their products in our market. You seem to be trying to say that all the woes with your country started here.

closetbiker

I don't think I need to say a thing.

Your logic speaks for itself.

Juha

Not trying to start anything but... AMEN TO THAT. Go Kipper!!

--J

caroljm36

And you think the people are any more enlightened than oil? Most people are terribly, terribly impressed with big SUVs and/or big 4x4 pickups or else they would not be so eager to buy them. Hence the success of cheaper rigs like the Hyundai Santa Fe and Jeep Liberty. People just eat these up, the world be damned.

caloso

Coincidentally, the CBS evening news did a story this week on gas, uh petrol, prices in London. If I recall correctly, Londoners pay the equivalent of $5.50 per gallon. And what effect have these prices had on driving and car-buying habits?

Zero.

Grendel

The oil market is not a free market; the price of oil is fixed by a cartel of countries (OPEC) who carefully manage output, and thus manage the price. There's not enough capacity outside of OPEC to move the price very much -- if OPEC wants oil to be $40 a barrel, that's what it will be.

willic

Ken Livingstone is up for re-election soon in the forthcoming vote...

It will be ver`i interesting to see if he is returned.....

Poguemahone

"The oil market is not a free market; the price of oil is fixed by a cartel of countries (OPEC) who carefully manage output, and thus manage the price. "

In essence this is correct; but most of the excess oil production in the world is controlled by the Saudis. The Saudi Oil Minisitry is very careful about regualting the price of oil through their production; if it goes too high they worry it could start a world recession. They tend to open the taps when oil prices get too high. In addition, Saudi crude is a very fine grade and easily refined, unlike, say Venezualan crude, which is harder to refine.

Most of the countries in OPEC actually wind up ignoring OPEC quotas and pump more than their quota. But it's really the Saudis who control world oil prices more than anything else. However, if demand outstrips supply, it won't matter in the slightest what the Saudi Oil Ministry wants the price to be-- it will go up.

Nicodemus

I hope old "Red Ken" does get it. He started off with the congestion charge, that everybody and his dog ranted about being totally unworkable. They whinged and panted about how much disruption it would cause and how futile it would be. Now it's been proven a success and all the loud-mouthed self-interest groups have gone quiet.

The guy is my kind of left-wing nutbar. For once somebody who cares more about doing the right thing than lining his wallet or getting re-elected. Proof of that being his subsequent comments about SUVs. Finally a prominent politician has come out and said what so many of us are thinking, without the fear of focus groups.

Maybe, one day, he might even have enough support to enact the kind of "wacko" changes they've done here in Paris. I've been here 2 yrs so don't know what it was like before the changes, but I can tell you I LOVE IT! Cycling in Paris, even with the (too true) stereotypes of mad French drivers, is wonderful! All these spanking wide boulevards with bus lanes I can use, and all the cycle paths on the main roads.. I LOVE IT! I never feel unsafe or scared or closed in. Kudos to the mayor of Paris.

I just get so frustrated that whenever a politician even voices the thought of doing something like this all the soccer moms and car companies and big business and rightwing press go mental proclaiming what stupid, unworkable ideas they are... and then... surprise surprise THEY WORK!

Maybe one day Red Ken will have the power to actually do something about SUVs. Until then, I can at least be glad he's come out and said what's on a lot of our minds.