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W. K. Lis said:

Minister of Transport announces the establishment of the VIA Rail subsidiary to support High Frequency Rail and appoints three founding members to its Board of Directors​

From link.
Click to expand...
Translation:

High Frequency Rail will transform the study of passenger rail service in certain parts of Canada through the study of a faster, more frequent, accessible, and sustainable rail service among the major centres of Quebec City, Trois Rivieres (this one isn't major but we need SOMETHING, dammit), Montreal with accents, Ottawa, Peterborough (see: Trois Rivieres), and Toronto.

Today, the Minister of No Transport, the Somewhat Honorable Omar Alghabra, announced key milestones for the High Frequency Rail study: the establishment of VIA HFR - VIA TGF Inc. (VIA HFR) to manage the study of the new High Frequency Rail project and the appointments of our cronies the first three Directors of the Board.

VIA Rail Inc. has incorporated VIA HFR as a new, wholly owned-until-the-government-changes subsidiary and has appointed three founding directors to its Board of Directors: Robert Prichard, Marie-José Nadeau, and Robert Fonberg. Mr. Prichard will serve as Chair and Ms. Nadeau will serve as Vice Chair.

These three founding directors bring a formidable combination of consultant skills and experience from milking other projects for money, with the capability of building a Crown corporation subsidiary able to deliver on an historic study of passenger rail service. They will immediately focus on the recruitment and selection of VIA HFR’s Chief Executive Officer, who we scared away with the creation of this board. It's a self-sustaining cycle!

Editor's note: Marriam-Webster gives the definition of self-sustaining as: maintaining or able to maintain itself once commenced.

VIA HFR will operate at no-length from politics and will act as a dedicated study office for the High Frequency Rail project. In the near term, the Government of Canada is leading a study to select a private developer partner. Once this partner is selected, VIA HFR will work with the partner to study the new High Frequency Rail project, in no coordination with VIA Rail.

Ghostwritten Quote

"The incorporation of VIA HFR and its role as a dedicated Study Study Office is an important step in the study of High Frequency Rail in Canada. I thank VIA Rail for putting up with our torture and its brains for giving us another election pledge, and I am pleased that my friends, Messrs. Prichard and Fonberg and Ms. Nadeau have agreed to serve as the founding members of the Board of Directors. VIA HFR is now poorly-positioned to study the biggest Canadian (except: the Ontario Line, some random pipelines, etc.) infrastructure project of the century."

-The Somewhat Honorable Omar Alghabra, Minister of No Transport

Some Quickly Forgotten Pledges
  • VIA HFR will be directly influenced by Parliament through the Minister of No Transport
  • The head office of VIA HFR will be located in Justin Trudeau's riding, with another office in Toronto
  • Recruitment for the CEO of VIA HFR is underway
  • No collaboration between the Government of Canada, VIA Rail, VIA HFR, and the private developer partner is our only approach to possibly study and build something (shudders) that improves (gasp) passenger rail for Canadians. We will fund it just enough to call it world-class.
  • High Frequency Rail could (Editor's note: note the verb tense) transform intercity passenger rail in the Toronto to Québec City corridor through a variety of project outcomes, including, and limited to:
    • We get another study
    • Studying shortening average travel times
    • Studying higher frequency
    • Studying reliable service
    • Studying service to Peterborough and Trois Rivieres
    • Studying a hypothetical greener rail service
  • Budget 2022 provided Transport Canada and Infrastructure Canada with $396.8 million over two years, starting in 2022-23, to continue studying activities. Why did we need $400 million for a study, anyways?
  • The next steps in the High Frequency rail project study process include:
    • Request for study options: January 2023
    • Request for study proposals: late spring 2033
 
That’s a great way to cheapen what a state funeral is. Has Trudeau actually declared it a state funeral or is Doug overstepping his boundaries again?
 
DirectionNorth said:
Translation:

High Frequency Rail will transform the study of passenger rail service in certain parts of Canada through the study of a faster, more frequent, accessible, and sustainable rail service among the major centres of Quebec City, Trois Rivieres (this one isn't major but we need SOMETHING, dammit), Montreal with accents, Ottawa, Peterborough (see: Trois Rivieres), and Toronto.

Today, the Minister of No Transport, the Somewhat Honorable Omar Alghabra, announced key milestones for the High Frequency Rail study: the establishment of VIA HFR - VIA TGF Inc. (VIA HFR) to manage the study of the new High Frequency Rail project and the appointments of our cronies the first three Directors of the Board.

VIA Rail Inc. has incorporated VIA HFR as a new, wholly owned-until-the-government-changes subsidiary and has appointed three founding directors to its Board of Directors: Robert Prichard, Marie-José Nadeau, and Robert Fonberg. Mr. Prichard will serve as Chair and Ms. Nadeau will serve as Vice Chair.

These three founding directors bring a formidable combination of consultant skills and experience from milking other projects for money, with the capability of building a Crown corporation subsidiary able to deliver on an historic study of passenger rail service. They will immediately focus on the recruitment and selection of VIA HFR’s Chief Executive Officer, who we scared away with the creation of this board. It's a self-sustaining cycle!

Editor's note: Marriam-Webster gives the definition of self-sustaining as: maintaining or able to maintain itself once commenced.

VIA HFR will operate at no-length from politics and will act as a dedicated study office for the High Frequency Rail project. In the near term, the Government of Canada is leading a study to select a private developer partner. Once this partner is selected, VIA HFR will work with the partner to study the new High Frequency Rail project, in no coordination with VIA Rail.

Ghostwritten Quote

"The incorporation of VIA HFR and its role as a dedicated Study Study Office is an important step in the study of High Frequency Rail in Canada. I thank VIA Rail for putting up with our torture and its brains for giving us another election pledge, and I am pleased that my friends, Messrs. Prichard and Fonberg and Ms. Nadeau have agreed to serve as the founding members of the Board of Directors. VIA HFR is now poorly-positioned to study the biggest Canadian (except: the Ontario Line, some random pipelines, etc.) infrastructure project of the century."

-The Somewhat Honorable Omar Alghabra, Minister of No Transport

Some Quickly Forgotten Pledges
  • VIA HFR will be directly influenced by Parliament through the Minister of No Transport
  • The head office of VIA HFR will be located in Justin Trudeau's riding, with another office in Toronto
  • Recruitment for the CEO of VIA HFR is underway
  • No collaboration between the Government of Canada, VIA Rail, VIA HFR, and the private developer partner is our only approach to possibly study and build something (shudders) that improves (gasp) passenger rail for Canadians. We will fund it just enough to call it world-class.
  • High Frequency Rail could (Editor's note: note the verb tense) transform intercity passenger rail in the Toronto to Québec City corridor through a variety of project outcomes, including, and limited to:
    • We get another study
    • Studying shortening average travel times
    • Studying higher frequency
    • Studying reliable service
    • Studying service to Peterborough and Trois Rivieres
    • Studying a hypothetical greener rail service
  • Budget 2022 provided Transport Canada and Infrastructure Canada with $396.8 million over two years, starting in 2022-23, to continue studying activities. Why did we need $400 million for a study, anyways?
  • The next steps in the High Frequency rail project study process include:
    • Request for study options: January 2023
    • Request for study proposals: late spring 2033
Click to expand...
So... when are they actually going to start construction?
 
Richard White said:
It is a provincial state funeral not a federal one. Think of it like the recent funeral for David Onley.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure that's officially a thing since the provincial government doesn't represent 'the State' and only the PMO can approve a State funeral. It seems these days, policy, tradition and protocol are fairly elastic.
 
lenaitch said:
I'm not sure that's officially a thing since the provincial government doesn't represent 'the State' and only the PMO can approve a State funeral. It seems these days, policy, tradition and protocol are fairly elastic.
Click to expand...
PinkLucy said:
Yes, calling it a "state" funeral is a misnomer, unless the Province of Ontario has suddenly become a nation in its own right.
Click to expand...

Much as it pains me to correct such awesome posters...........

This is what the Government of Canada's protocol page says:

1675366326469.png

From: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/questions-state-funerals.html

Ontario has indeed declared the former Mississauga's Mayor be a State Funeral.

A list of State Funerals held by Ontario is noted on Wikipedia:

1675366424085.png


Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_funerals_in_Canada#Ontario

Other provinces have done likewise.

Quebec makes a distinction between State funerals (reserved to former Premiers) and National funerals for eminent citizens. Jean Beliveau got one of those, as did Rocket Richard among others.

So far as I can discern, Hazel is the only former Mayor to ever receive such an honour.

I must say; I don't think its an appropriate choice.
 
Northern Light said:
Much as it pains me to correct such awesome posters...........

This is what the Government of Canada's protocol page says:

View attachment 453851
From: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/questions-state-funerals.html

Ontario has indeed declared the former Mississauga's Mayor be a State Funeral.

A list of State Funerals held by Ontario is noted on Wikipedia:

View attachment 453854

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_funerals_in_Canada#Ontario

Other provinces have done likewise.

Quebec makes a distinction between State funerals (reserved to former Premiers) and National funerals for eminent citizens. Jean Beliveau got one of those, as did Rocket Richard among others.

So far as I can discern, Hazel is the only former Mayor to ever receive such an honour.

I must say; I don't think its an appropriate choice.
Click to expand...
Dang, I was on that page too. I guess I didn't go far enough down the FAQ list. I stand corrected as well. Tnx.

Quebec is a poor comparator - they already figure they are a State unto themselves.
 

Canada deploys CP-140 long-range patrol aircraft to support Haiti​

From link.

Today, the Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, announced that Canada has deployed a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CP-140 Aurora long-range patrol aircraft to support Canada’s efforts to disrupt the activities of gangs in Haiti and demonstrate Canada’s commitment to the Haitian people. Canada is undertaking efforts to address the dire security situation in the country and supports the Haitian National Police. Canada is providing this assistance in response to Haiti’s request for support as violence continues to escalate in the country.

This Canadian patrol aircraft will provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability to bolster efforts to establish and maintain peace and security for the people of Haiti. The CP-140 aircraft has already deployed to the region and is currently operating over Haiti. It will remain in the region for a number of days.

Canada supports the people of Haiti as they strive for a peaceful and prosperous future. Canada has been supportive of diplomatic efforts toward an inclusive political dialogue that will lead to fair and free elections; provided more than $98 million in international assistance to respond to the urgent and basic needs of the population; imposed sanctions on those responsible for the ongoing violence, including Haitian elites who are enabling the gangs; and provided support to the Haitian National Police.

In October 2022 and January 2023, the RCAF airlifted Haitian-purchased armoured vehicles to the Director General of the Haitian National Police in response to requests from the Haitian government.

Canada will continue to support the people of Haiti and explore ways to help the Haitian people emerge from this crisis.
Click to expand...

Why doesn't Canada send a spy “scientific research such as meteorology” balloon over Haiti? That should scare those gangs in Haiti.
 
W. K. Lis said:

Canada deploys CP-140 long-range patrol aircraft to support Haiti​

From link.



Why doesn't Canada send a spy “scientific research such as meteorology” balloon over Haiti? That should scare those gangs in Haiti.
Click to expand...
One wonders what type of helpful intelligence they are getting from airborne surveillance (and who they would tell - I'm not sure the government is anymore trustworthy than the gangs) but I don't know enough of the situation on the ground.. If we had UAVs, they could do the same for a lot less money. If nothing else, the government can say they are doing something without actually putting boots on the ground.
 
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