The Leafs Season So Far

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Edward Brain

After playing 35 games of a 48 game shortened season, the Maple Leafs sit in 6th place in the Eastern Conference, and in 4th place in the Northeast Division with a record of 19 wins, 12 losses, and 4 overtime losses for 42 points.  They are 5 points behind Montreal for the lead in their division, and 12 points behind Pittsburgh in the Conference.

Toronto’s offense has been lead by Nazem Kadri with 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists),   James van Riemsdyk (14 goals), and Phil Kessel (24 assists.)  Kadri has a plus/minus of +17, Mark Fraser is +15, and Cody Franson +9.  Ben Scrivens has a GAA of 2.59 which is 26th overall.  James Reimer has a GAA of 2.65 for 28th overall.  Scrivens has a save percentage of .918, good for 16th overall, while Reimer has a save percentage of .916 for 22nd.  Reimer has started 19 games and has a record of 12-4-4 good for 16th place, while Scrivens started 16 games with a record of 7-8-0 for 35th place. Continue reading →

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Ricky Romero Demoted

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Edward Brain

On March 26th, 2013 the Toronto Blue Jays announced the demotion of starting pitcher Ricky Romero to Class-A Dunedin.  The announcement came after a bad 2012 season where Romero went 9-14 with a 5.77 E.R.A. in 32 starts.  He was also having difficulty during spring training this year.

J. A. Happ will become the fifth starter out of spring training for the Blue Jays.

This decision is wise in my opinion.  Romero is in need of re-discovering his ability to pitch – something he did very well over his first three big league season with the Blue Jays. Continue reading →

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Toronto Blue Jays Opening Day Line-Up

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Edward Brain

I’d like to discuss the proposed Opening Day line-up for the Blue Jays.

If I were manager John Gibbons, my opening day starting rotation would consist of:

  • R.A. Dickey
  • Mark Buerhle
  • Josh Johnson
  • Brandon Morrow
  • Ricky Romero

Casey Janssen would remain the closer, with Darren Oliver as the set-up man.  Sergio Santos would have to prove himself of being capable of taking over the set-up role (and then maybe the closer position) if he can show that he can actually pitch.  He never provedd this to me prior to his injury last year – blowing the first save opportunity (and first appearance) at the Rogers Centre last year in the Blue Jays home opener. Continue reading →

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NHL Shootout

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Edward Brain

Is the Shootout worthwhile in the NHL?

I say no.  It is far better to simply allow the two teams to keep the tie if no one can win a game after an extra period of play.  As it is, everytime a game goes to overtime, both teams are guaranteed at least one point simply for going to overtime.

In my opinion, the shootout and the one point for going to overtime are simply not required for the NHL – and other leagues (for example, the football leagues in Europe) allow for teams to accept a tie during the regular season, and if you lose in extra time (i.e. overtime) you do not receive any points at all. 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 grants from the Federal Government.  The Federal Government also, from time to time, provides capital costs for rebuiding rolling stock, to acquire new stock, to build/upgrade stations, etc.

What I would like to see is what is similar to Amtrak in the U.S.  Some states provide some (or all) of the funding to operate Amtrak trains in their state.  This takes the financial responsibility off the Federal Government.  It would be great for VIA to do the same. 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 Windsor and Sarnia in the extreme southwest of Ontario, through London, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford, Kitchener, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Kingston, Brockville, Ottawa, Montreal, and finally Quebec City.

While the CPR did offer passenger service in this corridor, VIA essentially operates trains operating on the CNR mainline and routes it inherited from the CNR. 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 on VIA’s busy Windsor-Quebec City Corridor. and a third one on equipment and funding.

Canada and  trains are linked tightly when we consider the history of the country.  The Intercolonial Railway linked the Atlantic Provinces of News Brunswick and Nova Scotia with Quebec, and ultimately Ontario during the early years of Conferation.   It connected with the Grand Trunk Railway. Continue reading →

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Condominium Ombudsman

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Edward Brain

I’d like to talk about having an Ombudsman’s Office for Ontario condominiums.  This is somthing that is desperately needed in Ontario.

Currently, Ontario’s condominiums are operated under ‘self-help’ legislation.  In other words, condominium owners have no one to help them enforce their rights if there are issues without going to court.  This simply allows for a self serving Board to do what they want and its hard for owners to stop things from happening.  Or, in the reverse, for one owner (or a small number of owners) to create problems and stir false information about the operation of the condominium. Continue reading →

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‘Open Sessions’ of Board Meetings

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Edward Brain

An interesting idea of some condominium Boards is to have an ‘Open Session’ during their meetings.  An ‘Open Session’ simply put is a 30-45 minute opportunity, either at the beginning or end of the Board meeting, for owners to come in and bring up issues that they have.  Most Boards will likely not do this as an ‘Open Session’ is generally seen as a chance for owners only to complain, but it is an effective tool for open communication.

I would recommend to all Board of Directors that they offer an ‘Open Session’ at the beginning of their meetings.  An ‘Open Session’ need not last more than 30 minutes, but owners can actually bring up issues that the Board is not aware of and for which may be better to fix early before the problem becomes big.  Also, if owners feel that their opinions are being considered, the Board will find that it has a large pool of happy, satisfied owners and not a bunch of ‘whiners’ who are only complaining.

Also, the more people talk in a condominium, the more understanding there is.  Boards have many decisions to make, and many can be controversial – but the more discussion there is, the more informed the owners will be.  It is better for people to come to an ‘Open Session’ and ask about work going on in the condominium and get the truth and not have people complaining and making it sound like the Board is doing a bad job when really essential work is being done.

So, if you serve on a Board of Directors in a condominium, I charge you to hold ‘Open Sessions’ at your meetings and provide some good communication.

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Does Canada need a Senate?

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Edward Brain

With all the recent controversy over the expenditures of some Senators, I would like to comment on the Senate itself.  Even in the 21st Century, I do believe Canada benefits from having the Senate.  The Senate is supposed to act as a place of sombre second thought of legislation.  And it does so at the moment.

Can the Senate be ‘updated’ or changed?  Probably.  Although I am a traditionalist and can live with the Senate the way it is, that does not mean that I could not see some changes, mainly in how people are appointed to the Senate.

At the moment, a Canadian over over 30 who owns at least $4,000 worth of assets in the the province he/she will represent may be appointed to the Senate and does not need to retire until he/she reaches the age of 75. Continue reading →

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