Have you forgotten that crap weather from two weeks ago already? Ugh!
The shot of warm weather last week was exactly what the doctor ordered as far as getting our highways and byways cleared of snow.
Not to say anything against the people running graders and plows, but it’s amazing how that big yellow snowplow in the sky can do the same job as fleets and fleets of man-made equipment working day and night making our roads safe. Too bad we can’t count on sunshine!
Now, can somebody figure out how to keep big rigs from blowing up clouds of snow or spray? In the meantime, here’s a Tip of the Page Hat and thanks to all the workers out there doing their best.
Hopefully, some politicians or bean counters someplace who cut road clearing budgets after a few years of warm winters are done making life even more miserable for those who have to travel when weather is bad. You know those people on the road day and night. Police. Ambulances. People with jobs. People coming home for holidays. People travelling someplace for a holiday. People delivering food and goods. People visiting friends and relatives in hospitals.
In other words, a whole bunch of people who depend on safe roads.
Speaking of safe roads, traffic happens to be one of our “metrics” of what kind of shape our local economies are in.
We notice the number of big rigs out on our highways. Whether it be trucks hauling heavy equipment, fuel, regular freight or logging trucks, these days there are lots of trucks back on the roads, compared to what there were even two or three years ago.
In fact, the years around 2015 and 2016, and then again during Covid, were notable because roads were almost empty except for cars and pickups. And even then, not so many of those either.
This increase is a good sign, right? We think so.
So, what’s the big deal with Greenland?
Greenland is the biggest island in the world.
Roughly speaking, Australia is about 3.6 times bigger. Canada is even bigger. It would take 4.6 Greenlands to match Canada. But Greenland is indeed big.
According to some thinkers, that automatically means it is rich with resources. After all, Africa and Canada are both big. Both have resources. Except size doesn’t automatically mean minerals and energy.
As an example, China, Russian and India are also big. Of those three, Russia is rich in resources. China and India, not so much even if China is constantly mentioned as home to lots of rare-earth minerals.
Greenland and Canada has those, too. Some folks will argue riches just have not been found in some places, no matter how hard people look.
With Greenland, even the looking is hard. Kilometres of ice or permafrost cover much of the island. Only 20 per cent is actually ice free. Despite all that, Greenland does have known minerals and oil and gas.
More good news is, the southernmost part of Greenland is about the same latitude as the northern tip of Alberta. Plus, Greenland gets benefit from the North Atlantic Drift. The Drift is the northern petered out leg of the warm water Gulf Stream. The Drift keeps the United Kingdom and Western Europe sort of warm through winter.
Size aside, and known minerals, and room for several golf courses, a big attraction for American president Donald Trump is that Greenland is smack dab on one side of the Northwest Passage. Canada is on the other side. Climate change indicates the Northwest Passage will become ever more important as a trade route.
These days, a boatload of goods travelling from Japan or South Korea can take as long as 50 days heading to the west. First, it goes east and south, by China, west and then around India, north up through the Suez Canal at Egypt, west across the Mediterranean and then north again up the Atlantic to Europe. The same boat can go through the Northwest Passage and arrive in say London, England, or Germany, two weeks earlier. That saves thousands of dollars. Multiply that by hundreds of boats and by years of trips and you are talking billions of dollars.
Trump figures that Canada doesn’t do much in the way of defense, and with a small economy, never will. Yet Russia is an even smaller economy than Canada. But Russia spends a whole bunch more on weapons. China of course, isn’t even in the same league as either Canada or Russia. That’s just talking about arms.
If China was using the Northwest Passage, it could shave almost the same amount of time shipping cars, appliances and more to Europe, thus competing even more with America manufacturing.
Greenland to Donald Trump is a no-brainer. He doesn’t even have to be the smartest guy in the world. So yes, the conservative and oh-so cautious Canadian thinking we are so used to here is being shaken to the core, right before our eyes. Same with most of the politicians around the world. Surprise!
The fact is, anybody thinking “big” and long term can find a ready and willing ear in the American president. What was not worth even thinking about last month can suddenly be on the table with Trump.
And so far, he pushes ideas and pushes hard.
Curious about prices in Canmore, AB after reading the editorial in this week’s newspaper?
An online site selling new condos there has a new, cozy 630 sq ft. condo in Canmore listed at $544,900. Before fees and taxes. A nicer sized 1,392 sq ft 3-bedroom will only set you back $1,119.000.
Meanwhile, one can snap up a nice 2-bedroom condo here in the Peace for as little as $157,000.
In either place, it’s still a trip to water or ski hills. Oh, wait! The expensive place doesn’t have much for water.
The Peace country has rivers, lakes, and multiple hills. Not to mention good restaurant steaks at reasonable prices.
Like the opinion piece says, one can buy a lot of toys, put money in the bank, and still be miles ahead if one makes practical choices. Instead of trying to prove some kind of silly point over where you take holidays. More and more northern and central Albertans are learning that every year. Despite our provincial government telling us to go to B.C.