Other Manitoba and Saskatchewan Developments

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by Cyro

Highway 12 to get resurfacing, bridge replacements: province

The province has earmarked $28 million for upgrades to Highway 12 in the coming year.

The improvements include bridge replacements and resurfacing work.

The upgrades include:

Rehabilitating the Seine River diversion bridge just south of Ste. Anne;
Paving the northbound and southbound lanes of the six-kilometre stretch from the TransCanada Highway to the Seine River diversion;
Improving the intersection at Provincial Road 311 near Blumenort; and
Paving seven kilometres south of Highway 52 to Park Road in Steinbach.

Premier Greg Selinger and Steinbach Mayor Chris Goertzen today also announced $7-million worth of improvements along Highway 12 within the city of Steinbach. Construction will proceed over the next three years.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...254384441.html

Location:
https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=highwa...&gl=ca&t=m&z=8

Highway Infrastucture Funding Announcement by our Premier today.

With the improvements in Steinbach, they used the new Urban Highway Fund. News release from the province is here.

Quote: "It enables municipalities to prioritize investments in provincial highways that affect their municipalities."

I know this was touched on a while back. But if this fund is only for provincial highways, CoW could use it for a route such as Lagimodiere. Get some improvements going such as access roads or small interchanges. Big ones would need a different funding source. But use a portion of the fund over a couple years and get the smaller diamonds built, such as Headmaster, McIvor, Grassie, Windsor Park area, Sage Creek area.

Does anyone know what other highways within Winnipeg are also provincial highways, if any? Is Lag even a provincial highway, or did they just build it?

[Cyro]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

With the improvements in Steinbach, they used the new Urban Highway Fund. News release from the province is here.

Quote: "It enables municipalities to prioritize investments in provincial highways that affect their municipalities."

I know this was touched on a while back. But if this fund is only for provincial highways, CoW could use it for a route such as Lagimodiere. Get some improvements going such as access roads or small interchanges. Big ones would need a different funding source. But use a portion of the fund over a couple years and get the smaller diamonds built, such as Headmaster, McIvor, Grassie, Windsor Park area, Sage Creek area.

Does anyone know what other highways within Winnipeg are also provincial highways, if any? Is Lag even a provincial highway, or did they just build it?

Couldn't agree more with your take on the situation.
Ahh, your quite familiar with how things work here on the provincial level, what do you do?

[Komatiite]

Ugh, great. More fucking lights.

That stretch of Highway 12 north of Loewen Blvd used to have one set of lights at the intersection of Park Rd. In the past five years they have added three more, and while I know they are adding at least one more, Steinbach city council wants up to three more, for a possible total of 5-7 lights in a stretch that used to have one.

This fucking province.

[Cyro]

Hydro hosts open houses on U.S. transmission line

The line is to run from Rosser north-west of Winnipeg south to the Minnesota border where it will hook up with a second line to Duluth.

Under a proposal now being studied by the Public Utilities Board, Manitoba Hydro will own 49 per cent of the U.S. side of the 500 KV transmission line, with Minnesota Power owning the rest.

The PUB has heard that Hydro’s stake in the line was needed so that it would be upgraded, at Hydro’s request, from the originally-proposed 230 kilovolts to 500. The larger line would allow Hydro to ship more power into the Wisconsin market and import more power to Manitoba from U.S. utilities when needed.

Hydro says it also wants input from First Nations, the Manitoba Metis Federation, local municipalities, government departments, local landowners and the public during the final route selection and environmental assessment process.

Open houses will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Ste. Anne -- Tuesday, April 15, Seine River Banquet Centre, 80A Arena Road.
Richer -- Wednesday, April 16, Richer Young at Heart Community Club, Dawson Road at Highway 302.
Vita -- Tuesday, April 22, Vita Community Hall, 209 Main Street North.
Piney -- Wednesday, April 23, Piney Community Centre, Highway No. 89 (Main Street).
La Broquerie -- Thursday, April 24, La Broquerie Arena, 35 Normandeau Bay.
Marchand -- Wednesday, April 30, Marchand Community Club, Dobson Avenue.
Dugald -- Tuesday, April 29, Dugald Community Club, 554 Holland Street.
Lorette --Tuesday, May 6, Lorette Community Complex ,1420 Dawson Road.
Headingley -- Wednesday, May 7, Headingley Community Centre, 5353 Portage Avenue.
Winnipeg --Thursday, May 8, Holiday Inn Winnipeg South, 1330 Pembina Highway.

Hydro has also posted an online survey on its website for the project.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...254549731.html

Take the Online Survey have your say....Well, It's already after the fact...but you can tell Hydro where to(Go), I mean build the line....

[bomberjet]

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bus...254765471.html

CWB begins construction on second elevator
Posted: 12:31 PM

CWB (formerly the Canadian Whet Board) has started construction on its second state-of-the-art Prairie grain elevator in less than three weeks.

The 42,000 metric tonnes elevator on the Yellowhead Highway, approximately 65 kilometres east of Saskatoon near Colonsay, Sask. is under construction and is scheduled to open in time for the 2015 harvest.

It is adjacent to the CP main line and will feature a car-loading rate of up to 1,600 metric tonnes per hour with a 134-car loop track.

It comes on the heels of news that CWB has also started construction on a 33,900 metric tonne elevator west of Portage La Prairie in Bloom, Man. That elevator is on the CN main line.

CWB’s overall asset network now includes elevators in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Mission Terminal in Ontario, and Les Élévateurs des Trois-Rivières in Quebec. In addition, CWB’s two Equinox class laker vessels are scheduled to be operating in the St. Lawrence in 2015.


They're just getting started.

[Stormer]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bus...254765471.html

CWB begins construction on second elevator
Posted: 12:31 PM

CWB (formerly the Canadian Whet Board) has started construction on its second state-of-the-art Prairie grain elevator in less than three weeks.

The 42,000 metric tonnes elevator on the Yellowhead Highway, approximately 65 kilometres east of Saskatoon near Colonsay, Sask. is under construction and is scheduled to open in time for the 2015 harvest.

It is adjacent to the CP main line and will feature a car-loading rate of up to 1,600 metric tonnes per hour with a 134-car loop track.

It comes on the heels of news that CWB has also started construction on a 33,900 metric tonne elevator west of Portage La Prairie in Bloom, Man. That elevator is on the CN main line.

CWB’s overall asset network now includes elevators in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Mission Terminal in Ontario, and Les Élévateurs des Trois-Rivières in Quebec. In addition, CWB’s two Equinox class laker vessels are scheduled to be operating in the St. Lawrence in 2015.


They're just getting started.

Does anyone know who is their general contractor

[Stormer]

BHP cutting spending at Jansen by over $200 million this year.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business...-1226887056510

[Cyro]

A place to study Arctic oil spills
U of M leading $28-M project proposed for Churchill
By: Larry Kusch

The University of Manitoba is proposing a unique research centre at Churchill that would study the potentially profound environmental effects of industrializing the Arctic.

The $28-million Churchill Marine Observatory would develop ways of detecting oil in ice-covered waters, study its impact on the ecosystem and develop technologies for cleaning up Arctic waters in case of a spill.


JULIANA KUSYK Conceptual drawing for the proposed Churchill Marine Observatory.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...256126451.html

[bomberjet]

^That's a pretty cool development. Hopefully they get the funding.

[bomberjet]

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/can...256380561.html

Ottawa phases out unsafe rail tank cars, pulls 5,000 cars immediately: Raitt

OTTAWA - The federal government is ordering the 5,000 most dangerous tank cars off the rails as it adopts the major rail safety recommendations of the Transportation Safety Board in the wake of the tragedy last summer in Lac Megantic.

Transport Minister Lisa Raitt says the immediate measures will take care of the most vulnerable of the older model tank cars, known as DOT-111, while those carrying crude oil and ethanol must be phased out or retrofitted within three years.

"We are immediately removing the least crash-resistant DOT-111 tank cars from dangerous goods service by directing the phase-out of tank cars that have no continuous reinforcement of their bottom shell in 30 days," Raitt said.
Rail carriers will also be required to prepare emergency response assistance plans for shipments of all petroleum products, including everything for crude oil to diesel.

"We are always committed to improving railway safety and the transportation of dangerous goods by rail," Raitt told a news conference.

She said there will be changes to insurance rules so that in the event of an accident there will be enough money available to cover compensation and cleanup costs.

"I also feel strongly that Canadians should not be expected to cover the costs of damages in the event of an accident."

The actions are the latest response to last summer's horrific derailment and fire in Lac Megantic that claimed 47 lives.

Concerns about the safety of DOT-111 tank cars date back at least 20 years.
The DOT-111 tank car is considered the workhorse of the North American fleet and makes up about 70 per cent of all tankers on the rails.

I have no problem with the phase out of the cars or more regulations, etc. whatever.

But one thing I think get's lost in all this is that the Lac Megantic disaster wasn't caused by faulty cars or equipment. It was 100% human error. The fire department shutdown the locomotive, which was holding air pressure for the brakes. So the brakes let off and the rest is history. It wasn't because the cars are prone to disaster. They were part of a runaway freight train. The best cars in the world wouldn't have done anything to help.

[esquire]

Anyone know how that new SCU HQ in Steinbach is coming along?

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

I have no problem with the phase out of the cars or more regulations, etc. whatever.

But one thing I think get's lost in all this is that the Lac Megantic disaster wasn't caused by faulty cars or equipment. It was 100% human error. The fire department shutdown the locomotive, which was holding air pressure for the brakes. So the brakes let off and the rest is history. It wasn't because the cars are prone to disaster. They were part of a runaway freight train. The best cars in the world wouldn't have done anything to help.

Not disagreeing at all. There were a few errors that contributed to that event. There is nothing wrong with leaving a train alone, but:

- It should not have been left on a hill.

- Not enough handbrakes were set. I think three were set, there should have been eight set, I would have set twelve.

I'm not surprised the old cars are being scrapped as I've seen many, many oil trains passing through here with all brand new cars. They must be really be spitting them out in Hamilton.

[bomberjet]

Originally Posted by Riverman

Not disagreeing at all. There were a few errors that contributed to that event. There is nothing wrong with leaving a train alone, but:

- It should not have been left on a hill.

- Not enough handbrakes were set. I think three were set, there should have been eight set, I would have set twelve.

I'm not surprised the old cars are being scrapped as I've seen many, many oil trains passing through here with all brand new cars. They must be really be spitting them out in Hamilton.

I heard there was a 2 year wait on new cars or something like that. Must be sky-rocketing now. License to print money. You'll see them coming in all in sequential order, straight off the line basically. I noticed some have white caps on the ends, a lot of them actually. Do you know if there's anything special? Or just painted white.

And yeah, I over simplified the disaster. Like you said, not enough hand brakes. Nothing to do with the cars, like is reported frequently in the papers. And, from what I've heard, the locomotive engineer followed all procedures properly. So it was basically the fire departments fault. But that's a bit of second/third/tenth hand information.

[armorand93]

Originally Posted by Cyro

A place to study Arctic oil spills
U of M leading $28-M project proposed for Churchill
By: Larry Kusch

The University of Manitoba is proposing a unique research centre at Churchill that would study the potentially profound environmental effects of industrializing the Arctic.

The $28-million Churchill Marine Observatory would develop ways of detecting oil in ice-covered waters, study its impact on the ecosystem and develop technologies for cleaning up Arctic waters in case of a spill.


http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...256126451.html

Looks like a big building. How many FT/PT jobs would this offer to Churchill?

[Komatiite]

Originally Posted by esquire

Anyone know how that new SCU HQ in Steinbach is coming along?

They are setting the cement for the sixth floor elevator and have the steel up to, I believe, three floors. That thing is going to be an absolute beast, and I'm very pleased how close to the street it is.

[Komatiite]

See, a marine observatory is exactly the kind of thing I want to see happen in Manitoba. Start off with public funding, and then switch to a development-oriented funding model. Now just imagine what could have been done for boreal research with the savings on an east side Bipole III.

[North_Regina_Boy]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

I heard there was a 2 year wait on new cars or something like that. Must be sky-rocketing now. License to print money. You'll see them coming in all in sequential order, straight off the line basically. I noticed some have white caps on the ends, a lot of them actually. Do you know if there's anything special? Or just painted white.

And yeah, I over simplified the disaster. Like you said, not enough hand brakes. Nothing to do with the cars, like is reported frequently in the papers. And, from what I've heard, the locomotive engineer followed all procedures properly. So it was basically the fire departments fault. But that's a bit of second/third/tenth hand information.

I don't think we can blame the fire-department here. They had to do their job and their expertise in the area of "train management" was limited if non-existent.

It was a sad series of errors that caused this tragedy. However, I think that there has been good come out of all of this.

Similar to how the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska prompted it to be mandatory to enter Canadian waters you must have a double-Hulled tanker.

"The Vessel Pollution and Dangerous Chemicals Regulations under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 require any tanker built after July 6, 1993, to be double hulled to operate in Canadian waters. A double hull is a type of hull where the bottom and sides of a vessel have two complete layers of watertight hull surface.

Tankers that are not double hulled are being gradually phased out. For large crude oil tankers, the phase-out date for single-hulled vessels was 2010, so such vessels can no longer operate in Canadian waters. For smaller tankers, the phase-in period for double-hulled vessels ranges up to the end of 2014, depending on the size and age of the vessels. The International Maritime Organization phase-in period for double-hulled tankers worldwide will be fully implemented in 2015."

Source: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/menu-4100.htm

[Cyro]

Originally Posted by armorand93

Looks like a big building. How many FT/PT jobs would this offer to Churchill?

This plan is still conceptual, and hinging on CFI funding, and winning the bid for the funding between other submissions in natural sciences and medical research.

But with that said, the media release only specified the 30 scientists/100 per year that would be doing research at the facility, from Canada and Globally, as it is a concern to many countries which have a stake in using the Arctic as a hub for shipping and dealing with the environmental concerns that go hand in hand with the increased shipping.

I can see the spin off benefits to the town. The initial construction of the facility, the maintenance and supply of it, transportation, accommodations etc. As to how this translates into actual ft/pt jobs remains to be seen. There has to to be those who would be employed on a regular basis, less the researchers/scientists on site. That number is unknown at this time.

[Cyro]

Winkler-area farmers brewing plans for a microbrewery
By: Geoff Kirybson

"Derek Trinke and Toban Dyck, two farmers from the Winkler area, are in the early stages of starting a new microbrewery they intend to christen, "Prodigal Sons Brewing Co."


Con't @ http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bus...256479841.html

Can't have to many craft brews produced in Manitoba. Good sign.

[Cyro]

A proposed transmission line to run from Winnipeg to Minnesota has got a nod of approval from U.S. President Barack Obama.

In a release issued by the White House on Wednesday, the Obama administration said the line, called the Great Northern Transmission Line, was one example of a more efficient process to get major infrastructure projects approved more quickly.

Image of Proposed transmission line route:

GREATNORTHERNTRANSMISSIONLINE.COM
Minnesota Power submitted the proposed route alternatives shown in the map in a Route Permit Application in April 2014.

Source

My, my... Approval from the big "O" in Washington. Didn't take as long as I thought it would.