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crs1026 said:
^ I would be interested to see how RRSP is working for government in terms of taxation revenue on cashout.

With so many people contributing to public sector pensions earning in excess of 100K and assuming the full 35 years of pension credit x 2%, the earned pension ie public sector pension plus CPP approaches the point at which OAS is clawed back.

Less of a problem if you can pension split with a spouse, but if the spouse also has good pension or retirement income…… every dollar withdrawn from an RRSP/RRIF first is taxed at a high marginal rate and then triggers a dollar for dollar OaS clawback.

Hard to feel sorry for higher wage earners, I agree… but my point is that RRSP may be proving to have been a godsend to government taxwise and it would be hard to convince government to undo it.

- Paul
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Remember a lot of the pensions are based on highest 5 years of earnings. If stay entry level my whole life and put in 10% of my income, but get a management position the last 5 years I'd never get a multi million dollar retirement unlike the public sector.
 
turbanplanner said:
Remember a lot of the pensions are based on highest 5 years of earnings. If stay entry level my whole life and put in 10% of my income, but get a management position the last 5 years I'd never get a multi million dollar retirement unlike the public sector.
Click to expand...

(realising how far off topic this is getting)

I am not really a fan of public sector defined benefit plans (full disclosure - I have db pension income) because, while they can be kept solvent, the inequity with private sector plans which have long settled at defined contribution is so huge. Having said that, the corrective action needs to be to improve retirement security for the less fortunate, not reduce it for the most fortunate. ( we may need to meet in the middle somehow).

Getting back to GO, this is a huge factor in contracting out transit jobs.If the contractor’s pension offering is not equal to what is offered by Ml…….then you can see why workers would fight contracting out. One benefit of aging is you appreciate your retirement benefits so much more than when you were 30 - or even 40.

- Paul
 
ShonTron said:
Funny thing you mention the lack of London Transit connection at the station at 5:30 - because that’s one of the questions/factors that came up in the survey. So it was through, at least.

As you know, I’m very much aware of the lack of bus service to St. Thomas/Elgin County, even though every other town near London has a bus connection - London/St. Marys, Exeter, Strathroy, Dorchester, even Tillsonburg a few days a week.
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There should be an on-demand service to take you to the morning GO train and drop you off in the evening. They could even have a $5 cab fare which is subsidised by Metronlinx.
 
Bordercollie said:
There should be an on-demand service to take you to the morning GO train and drop you off in the evening. They could even have a $5 cab fare which is subsidised by Metronlinx.
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Bradford has a system like this - taxi rides to meet peak-hour GO trains were only 25 cents a ride pre-pandemic. I'm not sure how this has changed with the BWG Transit subsidy though. A system like that from St. Thomas to London could be useful, but I question if it would tamper momentum for a proper bus connection between the two.
 
north-of-anything said:
Bradford has a system like this - taxi rides to meet peak-hour GO trains were only 25 cents a ride pre-pandemic. I'm not sure how this has changed with the BWG Transit subsidy though. A system like that from St. Thomas to London could be useful, but I question if it would tamper momentum for a proper bus connection between the two.
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What happened to the pilot project to bring GO transit on demand to Cobourg?
 
Bordercollie said:
What happened to the pilot project to bring GO transit on demand to Cobourg?
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Northumberland County launched "Commuter Connect" back in September, a shuttle bus that includes a line between Cobourg and Oshawa GO. It's a fixed route with two morning trips and three afternoon/evening trips.

Cobourg has a separate on-demand transit system within the town itself that doesn't seem to be related.
 
GO used to have an on demand bus system, it would be nice if they tried to reintroduce it somewhere:
 
Durham transit has on demand presently for service outside its regular bus routes & times. Users are to utilize the Transit app in conjunction with the DRT On Demand app to schedule ride (car sharing @ the price of regular fare). I believe free transfers from GO service, and I don't believe they increased service during the strike to compensate.

Apparently it works best by calling instead of the app. I've never been able to get it work, and the android version in the app store has terrible reviews. It honestly discouraged me from trying anymore. And to rub salt in the wound, the region recently got an award for the service.
 
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I think one of the big issues for ML is getting rid of the grade crossings. While it may not be a big issue on the outer areas of the service ie on the way to Barrie or Kitchener, for the RER {or whatever the hell they are calling it now} it will become a necessity.

Right now, the increases in GO service are welcomed by the public but as service levels increase exponentially, the push back from those same citizens will become
very vocal. It's one thing to have a train going by every 15 minutes but when service is increased to trains going by every 6 or 7 minutes in rush hour and every 10 minutes all day, people will start to get pissed off. That will mean that a train will be crossing that street every 3 or 4 minutes bringing traffic to a near perpetual standstill and, having to listen to those VERY loud train horns every time it goes by. It would be enough to drive anyone nuts and will become a real issue as residents will be infuriated by it and I can't say I would blame them.
 
There is a tentative deal between Mx's workers and Mx.

www.thestar.com

GO Transit workers reach tentative deal with Metrolinx

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1587 said in a release that their members will be back on the job Saturday.
www.thestar.com www.thestar.com

All going well, they'll be back on the job by Saturday.
 
They just told people to take the nonexistent shuttle bus…

4657AC0C-61BD-4354-AC58-0D6CAAA071F5.jpeg


Also they’re connecting two trains together, making a 24 car train plus 2 locomotives. That’s pretty cool.
 
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