Category Archives: General

General Blogs.

Should the Island Airport be Extended?

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Edward Brain

The City is now in the process of deciding on whether or not is should support the extension of the runway at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, on a request by Porter Airlines. First, a brief history: the Billy Bishop … Continue reading →

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Sir John Graves Simcoe

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Edward Brain

As today is Sir John Graves Simcoe Day in Ontario, I would like to discuss the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791 to 1796.  Of course Upper Canada would later become the Province of Ontario. Born in Cotterstock … Continue reading →

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Do We Need A Pickering Airport?

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Edward Brain

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has announced that the Federal Government is going ahead with the building of a new airport in Pickering.  However, the question is whether or not we really need another airport in the G.T.A. when we … Continue reading →

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Toronto Wagner Society Celebrates 200 years of Richard Wagner

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Edward Brain

The Toronto Wagner Society will be celebrating the 200th birth of composer Richard Wagner on Saturday May 25th, 2013. The event takes place at the Arts and Letters Club (14 Elm Street) starting at 9:00 am.  There will be two … Continue reading →

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Is Lohengrin a Hero?

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Edward Brain

I want to raise the question of whether or not the title character of Lohengrin in Wagner’s opera is really a hero? We know that in Act 1 of Lohengrin, the ‘unknown knight’ appears to save Elsa when she is … Continue reading →

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VIA Rail Operations (Part Three)

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Edward Brain

After talking about what trains/services VIA Rail could add, and where, I would like to talk about the other two important parts of the equation: financing and rolling stock. Financing Right now, VIA receives operating revenue from ticket sales and … Continue reading →

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VIA Rail Operations (Part Two)

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Edward Brain

In this second part of my blogs on VIA Rail, I am going to talk about VIA’s Corridor service, the backbone of VIA’s system.  It runs from Windsor, on the border between Ontario and Michagan, to Quebec City.  It serves … Continue reading →

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VIA Rail Operations (Part One)

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Edward Brain

I’d like to discuss the need for VIA Rail service in Canada, and especially where (and how often) it should operate.  I am going to do so in three blogs, this one primarily discussing Western and Atlantic Canada, one specifically … Continue reading →

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