Canada moves to 2% GDP end of FY25/26 - PMMC

[Kirkhill]

We lived in BC with power outages not infrequent. Local lines were run overhead through the trees.
Here in Alberta power outages are infrequent. Local lines are underground. But there again so are trees.

Also, here in southern Alberta, trenching is relatively easy. In fact hydro-vaccing is a common method of digging a hole for a pole. Pump water into the dirt and suck up the mud. BC is hard rock country.

....

To add to the over/under debate

This is the Alaska pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez





800 miles long (1287 km) , 48" diameter (1.22 m), over 2 million barrel per day of capacity.
Alaska North Slope oil is more like Western Canadian Select (heavy and sour) than West Texas Intermediate (light and sweet).
ANS trades at close to the price of WTI. It doesn't have the WCS discount.
It trades over salt water internationally.
Refineries accept it.

Trans-Alaska Pipeline System - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Kirkhill]

I've always been intrigued by the concept of a 'common economic corridor'. Any corridor would have to be designed to the least accommodating occupant, which would be rail. Roads, pipelines, power lines can all handle terrain variations - grade and curvature - much more easily.

Although not exclusively, it is much more common for long distance electrical transmission to be done via High Voltage Direct Current. Infrastructure costs have come way down over the decades and energy losses are lower than AC. Given the distances involved, burying transmission lines would likely send the costs into outer space. I suppose one way to grind such a project into scientific and regulatory purgatory would be to propose that electrical energy and fossil fuels be somehow transported in the same conduit.


Canada didn't buy anything. HBC surrendered their charter to Rupert's Land in 1869 to the British Crown which in turn admitted it into Canada by the Constitution Act 1867.

WRT the HBC Charter

You are right. Sloppiness on my part.

It seems fairer to say that the Crown, (in its own right and) in right of the UK, transferred its holdings to the Crown, in right of Canada, gifting a revenue stream to the Government of Canada from its share of the HBC operations.

The land claim issue is a separate one.

Dominion, as in "dominion over" can mean lots of things. It could imply ownership. It could also imply governorship or some other degree of controlling interest. Hence the need for agreements and treaties.

 

[MilEME09]

maybe my math is off, but if im reading the supplementary budget in bills C-6 and C-7 we are above 2% GDP and possibly closer to 3? roughly $76 billion?

 

[The Bread Guy]

A wordsmith loophole: the communiqué…

https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_236705.htm

… says “defence-and security-related spending.” The wiggle room is in the “security-related” bit. Critical minerals might fit - but it is in the eye of the beholder.

And Carney never mentioned facilitating the one product that they all need (natural gas) to rid themselves of their dependence on Russia.

And that WOULD be a “security-related” spend - we’ll see if any reporters ask about it.

 

[KevinB]

A wordsmith loophole: the communiqué…

https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_236705.htm

… says “defence-and security-related spending.” The wiggle room is in the “security-related” bit. Critical minerals might fit - but it is in the eye of the beholder.

And that WOULD be a “security-related” spend - we’ll see if any reporters ask about it.

Well we just announced that 5B of the DoD budget was going towards the Southern Border, so I would guess that the security related is somewhat flexible.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Well we just announced that 5B of the DoD budget was going towards the Southern Border, so I would guess that the security related is somewhat flexible.

True dat - although border security is a lot closer match than critical minerals, even though there'll be a range of opinions on both, right?

 

[PrairieFella]

Well we just announced that 5B of the DoD budget was going towards the Southern Border, so I would guess that the security related is somewhat flexible.

That's a lot of kit and dudes for a service that isn't allowed to act in policing roles.

 

[CBH99]

Manitoba recently completed Bipole lll, a 500kv direct current line from generating plants in the north to Winnipeg. Direct Current lines are more efficient and have much less line losses but do require converter stations at either end to go from AC to DC and then the reverse from DC to AC. The line is 1400 kms in length and cost just over 6 billion dollars. Roughly $4.3 million per kilometer. The cost of running this line underground could be up to 10 times the cost.

$4.3M per kilometer!? Holy shit Batman...

Manitoba isn't the type of province to waste taxpayer dollars on unpractical things either...that's one expensive project

 

[CBH99]

True dat - although border security is a lot closer match than critical minerals, even though there'll be a range of opinions on both, right?

Being a secure source of critical minerals for the US is absolutely a form of security output from us, and useful input for them

Sure the money isn't being used to buy weapons or pay troops, but those minerals are being used by the US in their weapons manufacturing that may not be able to proceed if China cuts them off & they don't have a readily available backup supplier

 

[PrairieFella]

$4.3M per kilometer!? Holy shit Batman...

Manitoba isn't the type of province to waste taxpayer dollars on unpractical things either...that's one expensive project

The terrain in Northern MB is no joke. Tens of thousands of sq km of this with untouched stands of the Boreal to boot.

 

[CBH99]

The call volume is a fair point for sure, but if we are going to pay the DND FFs that rate, but pay the CAF FFs a lower rate for the same job, the weasly excuse that the job doesn't have a civilian equivalent so can't use it to set pay against doesn't work.

The low rate of calls has a lot to do with the fire prevention efforts (which the FHs are a part of), and other things in place to prevent fires starting so is a good thing really. I'd rather not have something like the Bonhomme Richard fire disaster in one of our coastal bases for example. Similarly, civilian airport FFs don't have to think about responding to emergencies in hangars where the planes have missiles/bombs hanging off the wings.

On the flip side, the Pet FFs were a big part of the response to the Chinook crash into the river, and their SAR was impeded by lack of things like a proper boat, so if we are going to set them up for an insurance policy, we should give them the tools and necessary people to do the job. Not having that kind of thing happening regularly really isn't a reason to not have them though, and we have a lot more expensive things as insurance policies that almost never get used for real, that also hope never to have to use them for real (like CBRN).

Military by definition isn't cheap or efficient, as most of what we do is an 'in case shit' scenario. We also have a lot more expensive and irreplaceable airframes and other equipment, so there is a reason we exceed national building code to protect things critical IT, airplanes etc.

Did the Pet FF's not have their own rhib?

 

[Halifax Tar]

The terrain in Northern MB is no joke. Tens of thousands of sq km of this with untouched stands of the Boreal to boot.

View attachment 94310

I wonder what the fishing is like up there...

 

[PrairieFella]

I wonder what the fishing is like up there...

Probably the best freshwater fishing in the world. I've pulled some monster muskies, pikes, pickerel, etc out of lakes like that. You see some dinosaur sturgeon from time to time too.

 

[RangerRay]

$4.3M per kilometer!? Holy shit Batman...

Manitoba isn't the type of province to waste taxpayer dollars on unpractical things either...that's one expensive project

You haven’t seen how much concrete and steel rebar they use to build roads and highways here…

 

[Halifax Tar]

Probably the best freshwater fishing in the world. I've pulled some monster muskies, pikes, pickerel, etc out of lakes like that. You see some dinosaur sturgeon from time to time too.

Bugs must be absolutely horrendous?

 

[PrairieFella]

Bugs must be absolutely horrendous?

Yep lol. That's what off is for.

 

[HavokFour]

I'm starting to think someone in the PMO reads this forum.

Ottawa considering military equipment production deal with Ukraine, Defence Minister says

David McGuinty also says Canada will be able to access European loans through a planned EU-Canada military procurement partnership

www.theglobeandmail.com

Without paywall:
https://archive.ph/0WBPO

RemovePaywall | Free online paywall remover

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[The Bread Guy]

$4.3M per kilometer!? Holy shit Batman...

And that’s only a bit more to build roads into that part of the world - a good reminder for folks calling for those options for remote areas.

 

[KevinB]

And that’s only a bit more to build roads into that part of the world - a good reminder for folks calling for those options for remote areas.

Hey 3.5% + 1.5% isn’t going to shovel itself to the door.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Hey 3.5% + 1.5% isn’t going to shovel itself to the door.

Well, if you put it that way, it’s gonna cost a fair number of shekels if mining for critical minerals needs full-time road access into remote areas - easy peasy, lemon squeezy