News   Apr 01, 2026
UTPro Crane Report Q1 2026: Year-to-Year Dip, But Quarterly Rise
 124     0 
News   Apr 01, 2026
Transit Progress and Tall Towers Made Headlines in March, 2026
 421     0 
News   Apr 01, 2026
News Roundup for April 1, 2026
 393     0 

GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

No BT or MiWay representation, and no municipal pols, so unlikely to be fare integration.

My bet - just a celebration of Bramalea GO being mostly finished.

- Paul
 
crs1026 said:
No BT or MiWay representation, and no municipal pols, so unlikely to be fare integration.

My bet - just a celebration of Bramalea GO being mostly finished.

- Paul
Click to expand...
Bramalea GO is already finished and also one of the MPP that will attend this remark represents Mississauga Cooksville and the other MPP that represents Brampton East does not include Bramalea GO. Just wait and see tomorrow.
 
Coolibop said:
This is the 3rd time in so many weeks I'm riding on Lakeshore east and the passenger alarm is not in service in certain cars as per announcements.

Shouldn't this be a basic requirement for the car to be in service?
Click to expand...
Taking the entire train out of service for one emergency alarm deactivation is just asking for a train/equipment shortage.
 
smallspy said:
London crews are based in Kitchener. They take a van to and from there, not Aldershot

Hamilton crews are either based at Shirley Rd. or at downtown Hamilton. If they begin or end their work elsewhere, they will be given access to a van to get them to where they need to go.

Dan
Click to expand...
Oh my bad, I thought they went from Aldershot.
 
Willybru21 said:
Taking the entire train out of service for one emergency alarm deactivation is just asking for a train/equipment shortage.
Click to expand...
Didn't think we had an equipment shortage.

I have to laugh when they announce it is out of service and to move to another car if you need to use... Which to me is not an easy thing to remember in case of emergency.
 
Coolibop said:
Didn't think we had an equipment shortage.

I have to laugh when they announce it is out of service and to move to another car if you need to use... Which to me is not an easy thing to remember in case of emergency.
Click to expand...
There isn’t one, but taking the train out because an alarm is off is asking for one.
 
allengeorge said:
We see the same thing with pensions: as the private sector has cut pensions (and in many cases doesn’t offer them - I’ve never been offered one) people start to resent the pensions that the public sector has. We really do want to have our cake and eat it too: pay low taxes, buy as much as we want, be profligate in terms of living, and get gold plated services. It just doesn’t work.
Click to expand...
This resentment is of course misplaced since they aren't getting special treatment from anyone, only pooling their resources. That's not gold-plated service, its gold-plated investment decision making. Most of those public sector pensions have become so successful because of both scale and keeping a hands-off, private-sector approach to their plans, turning them into their own purpose-built investment firms, often paying near Bay Street wages to their top professionals. Some public pension plans now have 80+% of their benefits paid out of investment income, not touching the principal, and they've held that ratio for 20 years; though they know aging populations mean that won't hold forever. Plans like Teachers, HOOP, CAAT, OMERS, and their equivalents now employ hundreds of people each with offices all over the world. Even net of fees, which include six-figure Bay Street style bonuses, they exceed the return they need. It's all about the scale they have and the independent governance.

Of note, several of these firms now offer their services to the private sector as a co-investment option, and a few large private employers and unions have taken up that offer to a point the rate of defined-benefit pension enrollment has at least stopped decreasing.
 
Last edited:
Jonny5 said:
This resentment is of course misplaced since they aren't getting special treatment from anyone, only pooling their resources. That's not gold-plated service, its gold-plated investment decision making. Most of those public sector pensions have become so successful because of both scale and keeping a hands-off, private-sector approach to their plans, turning them into their own purpose-built investment firms, often paying near Bay Street wages to their top professionals. Some public pension plans now have 80+% of their benefits paid out of investment income, not touching the principal and they've held that ratio for 20 years (though aging populations mean they know that won't hold forever). Plans like Teachers, HOOP, CAAT, OMERS, and their equivalents now employ hundreds of people each with offices all over the world. Even net of fees, which include six-figure Bay Street style bonuses, they exceed the return they need. It's all about the scale they have and the independent governance.

Of note, several of these firms now offer their services to the private sector as a co-investment option, and a few large private employers and unions have taken up that offer to a point the rate of defined-benefit pension enrollment has at least stopped decreasing.
Click to expand...
When I was still working I was, for a time, a local rep for our public sector bargaining unit. At an AGM in the early '90s, the Board was droning through the financials (which most people nod off to) when some of the members noticed that the pension return was less than stellar. A quick bit of research showed it had be lacklustre for a couple of years. The solution was to invite senior pension board people to the next AGM. Whether it had a direct connection, who knows, but the returns have been among the top performers ever since. Maybe they're enough of financial nerds to be energized by group that is interested in what they do. They said no other group that they manage does this. It is now an annual event. They get out of the office, get fed and the delegates get swag!

I receive a good pension, but it's not a gift. I paid, and currently serving members pay, around 10%/per pay to feed the fund.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top