Participants drive their vehicle across Lambeth Bridge in London, during the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run on Sunday Nov. 3, 2019.Yui Mok / Associated Press A Canadian man known for his generosity and incredible classic car collection has been killed while taking part in a vintage car rally in the U.K.Ron Carey, 80, of Calgary, Alberta was killed while taking part in the famous London-to-Brighton Veteran Car Run for vehicles built before 1905, according to CTV Calgary. The vehicle he was driving, a 1903 Knox Runabout called Old Porcupine, crashed into a truck on Britains M23 highway. Careys wife, Billi, was airlifted to the hospital.Ron Carey was a well-known philanthropist and member of the Calgary classic car world. Some 67 of his vehicles were on display in Gasoline Alley, a car-centric exhibit at Heritage Park, along with over 200 gasoline pumps and various other memorabilia from the early days of motor vehicles.This building wouldnt exist without Mr. Careys donation, according to Heritage Park spokeswoman Alida Visbach, speaking in April of 2019. The London to Brighton run brings together pre-1905 cars to celebrate the Locomotives on Highways Act of 1896, which raised the speed limit to 23 km/h. It is the longest-running car event in the world, and starts in Hyde Park, London; runs down the old A23 road; and finishes in Preston Park in Brighton.The Telegraph reports Careys car had travelled off the event route and taken him to the M23, a major roadway that splits off from the A23. There were not clear enough signs at the junction. If you are not familiar with the area, then it is an easy mistake to make, said witness Jocelyn Gregory.It was not organized properly. It is a huge junction. There should have been stewards.Careys passion for vehicles will live on in the minds of his friends and through his
Origin: Alberta man killed in pre-1905-vintage-car event in U.K.
Alberta
Scooter tweet earns Alberta gov’t spokesperson backlash
A wave of backlash compelled an Alberta governmental spokesperson to take down an early November video of her grandfathers mobility scooter, given to him after he lost his license, driving down a residential sidewalk in Calgary.Samantha Peck is the Press Secretary to Albertas Associate Minister of Natural Gas, and in a now-deleted November 1 Twitter post, shared what she thought was an uplifting message about her grandfather, who had lost his drivers license two years ago following a car accident.The loss of his independence had devastated him, she wrote. This week, my dad surprised him with an enclosed electric scooter so he can travel around. No license needed, concluding with a heart emoji.However, the video, apparently shot from the left side of a car driving on the street, received so much backlash she felt compelled to delete it.A barrage of Twitter users took issue with the idea of someone having been determined unfit to drive a motor vehicle instead taking to sidewalks in something that looks very much like a small car. Others noted it might be awkward navigating around other pedestrians for example, wheelchair users in the motorized device, or called out the filming-while-driving in the video.The scooter is built by Toronto company Daymak specifically, it seems to be a Boomerbuggy X. With a top speed of 13 km/h, its hardly quick, but its still about three times faster than walking.At 41 inches wide, its not much wider than a standard wheelchair, but does have features more like a car, including a heater, air conditioning, lights, a horn, turn signals and even a backup camera.However, Twitter users coming to Pecks defense noted Alberta winters get cold really cold and an elderly person might not be able to withstand those conditions in an open scooter. The Boomerbuggy X arguably provides a level of safety in winter other scooters cant.👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼 people’s inability to understand situations without explicitly being spoon fed the context is astounding. https://t.co/B0PEJz5ghx Samantha Peck (@samanthajaypeck) November 4, 2019Others noted the video was taken in the suburbs of Calgary, Alberta, which, having seen snow for two months already, were likely to have been barren of pedestrians anyway.Who do you think is in the right on this issue? It is, really, just a scooter, after all, one designed for sidewalks does it really pose a risk to other users? Or is there an issue with someone unfit to drive cruising toward pedestrians at 13 km/h?Take Our Poll
Origin: Scooter tweet earns Alberta gov’t spokesperson backlash
Alberta police use life-size cut-outs of highway patrol officers to spook speeders
A Coquitlam RCMP officer, left, poses next to a life-sized, metal poster-board of an RCMP officer, in this undated handout photo.RCMP Handout / The Canadian Press Some new scarecrows are popping up on the Prairies, but these aren’t meant for bluffing birds. Life-size metal cut-outs of uniformed Mounties are being placed next to busy roads and intersections in Lloydminster, which straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan boundary. The city says the fake officers are part of a pilot scarecrow initiative aimed at discouraging speeders. It’s modelled on a similar project that started last year in Coquitlam, B.C. RCMP in that community said that within six months of introducing their police scarecrows, the number of drivers caught speeding by more than 10 km/h decreased by half. Glenn Alford with the City of Lloydminster said each cut-out costs about $325—a fraction of what it would cost to have a real officer monitor the locations. The new recruits aren’t much for conversation, but they have proven highly effective in their duties with other municipalities, he said. We expect this program will have positive results here in
Origin: Alberta police use life-size cut-outs of highway patrol officers to spook speeders
Alberta premier Jason Kenney says provincial carbon tax will die May 30
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, left, and United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney greet supporters on stage an anti-carbon tax rally in Calgary, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018.Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press Premier Jason Kenney says Alberta’s carbon tax has about two weeks to live. Kenney says the Carbon Tax Repeal Act is to be introduced during next week’s legislature sitting and will have a proviso to end the tax by the end of the month. By May 30th there will no longer be an Alberta carbon tax, Kenney said Monday at a news conference outlining some of the legislation coming from his new United Conservative government. An end to the tax brought in by the former NDP government will put an estimated $1.4 billion a year back in the pockets of taxpayers, he said. The levy is charged on home heating using fossil fuels and on gasoline at the pumps. Ending the tax would open the door to the federal government imposing its tax, as it has done with four other provinces that wouldn’t bring in their own carbon pricing: Ontario, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was in Edmonton last Friday, wouldn’t say if his government would immediately charge the federal tax if Alberta ditched its own, but stressed that no province will be exempt. Opposition Leader Rachel Notley said the repeal sets the stage for a made-in-Ottawa, a made-by-Justin-Trudeau carbon plan to be imposed on Albertans. I don’t think it’s wise, the NDP leader said. And we will certainly make the case vigorously that it’s not wise. Getting rid of the carbon tax was a central policy pillar in Kenney’s successful campaign last month to win the election. He defeated Notley’s party, achieving a strong majority. On the campaign trail, Kenney promised to file an immediate court challenge on the constitutionality of the federal carbon tax if he won the election. He promised to file the court papers by April 30; however, his cabinet was not sworn in until that day. In the two weeks since, no challenge has been filed. Kenney said Monday the lawsuit has been delayed and may not be filed at all. He said his government wants to review court decisions in Saskatchewan and Ontario before it decides if it will challenge the federal tax in court. The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal recently ruled in a split decision that the federal tax imposed on provinces without a carbon price of their own is constitutional. The Ontario government is waiting for a decision on its court challenge.
Origin: Alberta premier Jason Kenney says provincial carbon tax will die May 30
Could Alberta drive B.C. gas prices up even further?
A tanker tractor-trailer semi truck driving down a rainy road.Fotolia Drivers in Canada’s westernmost province have historically paid more at the pumps for gasoline than their Alberta neighbours. A combination of demand and taxation, amongst other reasons, conspire to hose British Columbia’s drivers with fuel prices generally much higher than the rest of the country. It doesn’t help the Lower Mainland used to have four refineries but shuttered three of them over twenty years ago, but that is a topic for another day. With a new premier in the Alberta driver’s seat, the energy-rich province has sparked a war of words with its west coast neighbour. By enacting Bill 12 into law, premier Kenney has thrown down the gasoline gauntlet. If you have been living under an especially virulent rock, know that Bill 12 gives Alberta the ability to restrict the export of crude oil, natural gas and refined fuels, if necessary. It was actually passed by the previous NDP government, who intended to hang onto it and only enact it into law if needed. A bit of background on how fuel makes its way into British Columbia might be helpful. With a dearth of refineries, the province relies on a series of import systems to quench its thirst for the almighty go-juice. It is estimated Alberta supplies well over two-thirds of the gasoline and diesel used in B.C., liquid gold that is sent west via trucks and a pipeline. With the latter full to capacity, B.C. needs to ship in more gas via trucks and barges, both of which are eye-wateringly expensive ways to move fuel. It’s clear, then, why some think the threat of tightening the taps in Alberta should scare the bejeebers out of folks in British Columbia. With gas prices rapidly approaching $2.00/litre, they may have a point. But there’s a problem. Lawmakers in B.C. have filed a constitutional challenge to Bill 12, arguing it contravenes the Constitution Act, 1867, which allows for the free flow of goods throughout the provinces. The new bill would give the provincial government authority to require companies to obtain a licence before exporting energy products from Alberta via pipeline, rail or truck. Those export licences would be required for every company if the energy minister determines it’s in the public interest to ensure adequate pipeline capacity is available to maximize the return on resources and supply is maintained for Alberta’s needs, now and into the future. It’s likely that latter stipulation that has rankled the crew in B.C. We won’t have long to wait: an initial hearing on the issue is set for May 7 in
Origin: Could Alberta drive B.C. gas prices up even further?
Drivers in Alberta saw the steepest hike in auto insurance rates
The upcoming hard market for insurance wont be easy on your wallet.Susan Gamble / Sun Media Of all the provinces in Canada, Alberta drivers saw the steepest rise in their auto insurance over the last year, with Ontario and Atlantic Canada not far behind. In the first three months of 2019, rates have climbed 11.2 per cent in Alberta, while they’re up 9.0 per cent in Ontario, and 6.5 per cent in Atlantic Canada, according to online insurance comparison site LowestRates.ca. The site released its Q1 (first quarter) 2019 Auto Insurance Price Index, which tracks the average cost of car insurance each quarter. The site said that the price rise was further aggravated in Alberta and Ontario by the announcements that Esurance and AIG Insurance will leave Canada, and that other companies have said that price caps in those provinces have led to them paying out more in claims than they received in premiums in some instances. In Atlantic Canada, the highest prices are in Newfoundland and Labrador, which the Insurance Bureau of Canada says is due to a lack of limits on minor injury claim amounts, while the other provinces have capped the maximum payout. The report broke down insurance costs for men and women in the first quarter of 2019, when compared to the last quarter of 2018. In Ontario, men paid 9.4 per cent more, while women paid 6.3 per cent more. In Alberta, the rise was 4.7 per cent for men and 2.1 per cent for women; and in Atlantic Canada, rates climbed 0.7 per cent for men and 4.1 per cent for women. Some rate hikes were even higher when compared to the first quarter of 2018, with drivers in all three areas hit with increases as high as 11.6 per cent. The site reports that prices are now in at the highest levels in most markets since it began tracking prices in 2016, even though governments are trying to enact laws that will lower insurance costs for
Origin: Drivers in Alberta saw the steepest hike in auto insurance rates
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