Meanwhile, people in Montréal are pointing and laughing… seriously, if you want to know how to remove snow, go to Montréal.
Not to complain too much about snow removal, but since we live on a bus route, our street had the built-up ice cleared off of it last weekend. That’s great, but the clean-up crew leaves much to be desired - they left these large ice BOULDERS behind in the parking lanes. I guess that’s better than parking lanes you can’t use at all?
Aahhh, to be a little kid again; unless you’re 6 feet tall, walking down the sidewalk is like being in a snow tunnel for how high the banks on either side are.
There are some nice mountains accumulating around the village, too. The pile at the front of the liquor store is now touching the LCBO sign. The big parking lots at the malls, grocery stores and Walmarts have shrunk considerably.
It’s been a really nice winter.
I know the Great Pyramid is very big, but Calgary is quite a large city with many roads. I would think it’s probably actually quite common for a large Canadian city to have a snowfall where that much snow falls on the roads.
Take Ottawa for instance - we’ve got 5,400 km of roads and an average snow fall of 1.75 m
So if you take half of that to take into account compression and in one winter Ottawa will plow 4,725,000 cubic meters of snow. The Great Pyramid comes in at 2,500,000 cubic meters.
Would make an awesome toboggan hill though.
Just a heads up that the Winterlude Ottawa Dopefest organizing thread is posted. Hope to see all the old^H^H^H familiar faces and some new ones too!
Thread is here.
**This dashcam trucker ** nearly bought the farm near Nipigon.
Reminds me of the brakeman on Shack’s train screaming for the same reason in Emperor of the North.
Damn. I’d be screaming, too. :eek:
Holy crap!
We get a lot of that. I was run onto the shoulder twice by improperly passing transports last week out that way. Speed limiters on transports here have helped, but I would like transports restricted from passing unless there is a passing lane, along with reasonable limitations on hours driven per day and strict enforcement of the same.
Zombie suicide passers, asleep at the wheel and incapable of handling hills or turns or winter conditions, let alone all three at once plus passing.
I agree with you, but if I recall my own days driving big rig, you’ll have to convince operators and drivers not to fudge their logbooks. I once drove for an enterprise that wanted us to do everything legally, so 12-hour days were it, and then we found a motel; but not all operators did so. Naturally, our logbooks had no problems and could not be challenged.
Having driven Highway 17 from Kenora to Sudbury more than a few times (though admittedly, in my personal vehicle), it would seem to me that in northern Ontario especially, drivers must be alert and aware of other traffic. I’ve had my share of transport drivers on that road; in spite of the fact that I know more than most about the big trucks, I cannot predict what they’re going to do, and some of them are complete jackasses. It would be nice if the OPP and MTO did more enforcement of commercial transport regulations.
The OPP and MTO do about as much as it is logistically possible to do without a massive sweep of hiring that the province obviously cannot afford.
Carrier safety in Ontario is significantly better than it used to be by any measure. There has been a lot of improvement since the industry was commercially deregulated. But you have two huge barriers to improving it any further:
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There’s only so much you can do with a limited number of people working for you and
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There is an enormous shortage of truck drivers; the shortage in Ontario is probably 10,000 drivers, at least. It is an industry where anyone can take three weeks of training and have a full time job within days of passing their test; you need nothing else except the ability to speak and read English and to show up to your interview in clean clothes. That puts a lot of pressure on carriers to hire whomever they can get and avoid discipline whenever possible.
As some of you know, I drive highway 17 from the west end of Ottawa to Chalk River daily. I’ve been doing this for 4 years, and gladly for the last almost two years I’ve been car pooling with one or two other guys.
I spend 15 hours a week on highway 17, and let me tell you, the professional transport truck drivers are the least of my worry. I have yet to encounter one driver who was driving dangerously. These guys are speed limited at 100 KPH and are nothing but courteous and professional.
I just thought I would share that perspective. Most cars are pretty decent too. The odd time you’ll see someone make a very high-risk choice, like passing on a curve or on a hill, but for the most part people are good. It’s these high-risk choices that cause a fatal accident every month or two on this stretch of highway. Sooner or later, your luck runs out.
OK guys. If you recall from last year, my niece was playing for Ontario in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts bonspiel.
Well, they won last year and are now Team Canada for this year!
So, the interesting thing is, now team Ontario has my niece’s younger sister on the team.
So, I have two nieces playing in the tournament this year. They both play second for their respective teams.
I know you folks from other provinces want your gals to win, but keep an eye out for my nieces on Canada and Ontario!
Okey dokey - I can’t guarantee I’ll be cheering for them over the Alberta team, but otherwise, go girls! 
Team Canada wins over team Manitoba - 8 - 3 
Team Ontario loses to team Saskatchewan - 8 - 6 
So, everyone watching the Superbowl today? We went out for nachos this afternoon, and I realized that I should probably know who’s playing in the game today. I tried to name both teams, but only got one. Now I’m “watching” the game (it’s on in the same room I’m in).
Of course. I’m just about to put some wings in the oven. I Googled a new recipe for Buffalo wings and am trying it out.
Super… Bowl ? Is that anything like the Grey Cup?
Kind of - more boring game, better commercials. Which we can’t see, here in the Slums of Canada.