I think the city should paint the meridian curb at North Nechako and Churchill Road. No road paint and the curb sticks out and blends into the North Nechako road at night. I've seen more than one car nearly hit it. I think it has the potential to cause a major accident if someone does hit it and loose control. A little bit of paint could go a long way there in the name of safety.

I also think PG is in for a rough summer with the wind down of Rustads... NCP lost, and Winton Global looking not to start up until after a one year lay off meaning the union contract will be null and void and call backs will look like Mackenzie at best if any. A lot of the smaller operators will be lucky to survive the summer. The BCR Site could be vacant in time for the new bridge opening....

I spent four days in PGRH last week...contrary to what is being said about PGRH, which I now believe to be totally political crap,
the care I received was fantastic. The staff were a bunch of very caring, knowledgeable people. Thank you to all of the medical and nursing personnel for all your help and caring...

During the development of Tumbler Ridge in the early 80's, BC Rail constructed an all-electric system from Anzac to Tumbler Ridge instead of using diesel-electric locomotives. This system cost BC taxpayers millions of dollars and was hyped by the politicians of the day. I see that the system is now abandoned and diesel-electric locomotives are being used. Does anyone know why the all-electric system is no longer used and what happened to the all-electric locomotives? Is there a cost accounting available to the public for this project? I understand that the line is exposed to an avalanache hazard but this should have been recognized prior to any construction taking place. Is this another example of political influence overcoming common sense?

During April I turned 65 years of age. I have been receiving the Canada Pension plus a Survivor's Pension as my wife passed away in 2007. On May 27, 2009, I received my Canada Pension and I noticed the net proceeds had been reduced by $141.26 per month. I contacted Service Canada and I was told that since I am now 65 years of age the federal government has applied a complicated formula to the Survivor's Pension portion of my Canada Pension and reduced it permanently. So much for the Conservative's concern for the welfare of Canada's Seniors! Jay Hill hasn't told the seniors of his riding about this, I am sure. Does anyone have any further information?

Hojoe... the Government of Canada doesn't want you to get "two" pensions... they want you to only receive "one" pension, so they adjust the OAP to reflect the portion that you are receiving as the survivor pension when you get to the age of qualifying for the AOP.

The net effect is that the MAXIMUM you can get is the total of "one" pension amount. I don't understand the formula that they use but that's how the final numbers come out.

Another thing that is interesting is that if you start taking your OAP at sixty instead of 65, they amount is reduced by five percent for each month you are under 65... they don't tell you that the amount does not come back to "full" when you hit 65... it stays at the reduced amount until you get toasted... or planted... as the case may be.

At least that is the way I have been led to understand the system.

:-)

V.

BTW... "If a man speaks in the forest when there is no woman around to hear him... is he still wrong " ????

:-)

V.

Better believe it Rabbit!
She hears and sees everything don't fool yourself. :)

;)

jeez RRabbit,I thought that only happened in my house?
;-(

Re CPP: is't 1/2% for each month under 65 or 6% a Year to a max of 30% less if you take CPP at 60, yes it will stay at that Rate after you turn 65.

CPP yes it stays at the reduced rate but by age 72 I believe you will have collected the same amount than if you waited until 65. Collecting early is a good idea as who says you will make it to 65.

The only surviving electric locomotive is at the railway museum in PG.

If I remember correctly, the electric locomotives and the overhead power lines were sold to a Us company. BC Rail then removed about 10 km of rails and used them elsewhere.

When the new coal mine (Peace Valley Coal?) opened up behind the old Quintette site, they purchased the rail bed from the old Bullmoose load-out site to their new load out, which is located just past the old TR industrial site, and re-laid new track.\

Not 100% sure this is fact, but it this is what I heard.

Outwest... you are correct... 1/2% per month is the reduction for taking the OAP at less than 65 years old.

I was confused by my own caluculation about shooting myself in my foot to claim a disability pension... then I realized the five percent reduction would only apply if I sawed off my left thumb at the same time... but I would have to have all of that observed and certified by a government official who could date-stamp the event during a full moon in January of an even number year .

Seems like a lot of work... so I am still studying my options..... :-)

V.

I would like to start a new rant for today; the proliferation of scum sucking drug dealers here and everywhere there are gullible weak people still getting a paycheque.
These sub humans are draining the life out of society and our "justice" system just lets it continue by not punishing the pukes appropriately. They should just legalize the poisons, would we be any worse off? Would there be more addicts?
Even if addiction rose slightly as a result of legalization, the money saved by not having to attempt to prosecute vermin could go toward effective rehabilitation.
Oh, I forgot, the country and our justice system is run by lawyers, radical changes like I have suggested would take bread out of their pockets. Have a nice week end.
metalman.

The train to Tumbler Ridge was originally electrified because of the length of the tunnels. I don't think it was about politics though it was hyped up along with the whole Tumbler Ridge development. The electric locomotives I believe where dropped because of ongoing maintenance issues. Those tunnels are like driving through a car wash I have heard.

I guess it is difficult to operate electric trains in Canada. Talk to the Swiss. Their entire system is electrified, they have plenty of long tunnels, yu know, the kind that are 7 km long and have a considerable grade on them as well, plus mountain passes with plenty of snow.

I do not understand why an electrified train should have such major problems.

Anyone have an idea of what those problems were.

I don't think it was a problem with it being electrified, it was a problem with not having enough traffic to warrant maintaining the electric system. When Quintette closed in 2000 (I think?) the line wasn't being used, the trains were taken off and sent wherever. Now that new mines are running, it probably just would have cost too much to get those trains back and fix the line up. I assume it'd just be easier to use the same trains as on the other BC railways.

I was just checking out tunnel lengths.

Number 2 and number 4 in Canada are both on the Tumbler Ridge line and are shown as closed.

Table 9.013km opened in 1983 closed in 2003

Wolverine 5.955km opened & closed same dates as above

Owned by BCR. Did they make any money on this?

They probably did make money, when coal was worth a lot.

A TR book I'm looking at now says the line was electrified "because it was cheaper than installing ventilation for the two long tunnels that pierce the northern Rockies. This decision was based on a certain amount of projected traffic."

Does anyone still sell coal furnaces for residential dwellings? Does anyone sell truckloads or even sacks of coal? (Boy! Am I dating my old self talking about this). Or is there a bylaw concerning that? My parents had a wood furnace and then a coal furnace then an oil fired furnace in our basement in Vancouver. Then came natural gas. I can safely presume if one was allowed a coal fired furnace in their home, BC Gas would have a conniption fit when it came to reduced revenues.Presuming coal would be cheaper, BTU per a nickel output. We are so progressive in the West here.

Conniption fit due to reduced revenues?

Seriously?

You do realize the air quality issues that exist everywhere in BC and PG in general right? If there arent laws against coal residential there sure should be. BC Gas might benefit from the fact that there is legislation to keep idiots from burning coal but I am sure they didnt draft it (oh here we go with the conspiracy theories [well they might not have drafted it but I hear they paid the guy that did]).

Here's a warning if you are selling a rural property...and your buyer is going through one of the big banks for financing. The bank will require an appraisal...and that appraisal will ONLY consider the house, a garage and 5 acres. Doesn't matter a hoot how many great outbuildings you have, how much acreage, fencing, fields, lake...none of it counts.

And then if the appraisal comes in at a crazy low price - your deal is sunk in the water, if the buyer can't come up with alternate financing for the difference between that appraisal and the selling price.

Just had a thought about the proposed community garden. Isn't this on the site of an old gas station, a Chevron if I recall correctly? Is it safe to assume that the soil is okay for growing plants that will be consumed?

Just wondering . . .

Old Chevron station site? Could grow a hybrid of seed for Canola oil and 10W40 maybe.

NMG. Your right it was an old gas station site. The soil was probably removed at some point. ????? In any event they are hauling in dirt from somewhere else for the gardens, so it shouldnt be an issue.

When Bullmoose, and Queintte shut down there was not enough traffic on the line to warrant a Railway, let alone an electric one. The original price for coal from these mines was renegotiated after they went into production, and the rail rates were reset. As a result BC Rail did not make much if any money on this line and project.

The project was supposed to be four trains per day in each direction through Prince George to Prince Rupert, however it never got beyond two trains per day each way. The winners in the end were the Japanese, the coal mine owners, and CN Rail. Loser was BC Rail.