Heading east out of the GTA? Gas up cheap in Shannonville

I've been back in Kingston the past few weeks, and driving to the GTA on weekends to see family and friends.  I had heard that cigarettes were cheap on a Mohawk nation reserve called Tyendinaga, which was true.  But that wasn't all, the gas prices there are around 10 cents cheaper than what's being charged in the Toronto area.     

It occurred to me that there are probably many people who drive that stretch of the 401 who aren't aware that a quick 10 minute jog off the 401 can  save a motorist $5 or more on a 50 litre fill up....and more for those driving larger tanked vehicles.

Gas in the GTA right now, from what I've seen, is somewhere around $1.22 to $1.27 for a litre of regular unleaded.  At Free Flow Gas in Shannonville the price is on $1.11 and 9/10ths...I'll add the tenth of a penny and call it $1.12 per litre.   Free Flow is where I stop, but all the other stations I've seen in the area are charging the same. 

Now, for those who insist on patronizing one of the major brands like Shell, Petro-Can or Esso...I haven't seen any of those stations.  I will tell you though that's I've filled up 4 or 5 times now with no issues at all.  Of course my vehicle is over 10 years old, and I know there are many people with new or newer cars who are afraid to buy gas from unknown branded stations. 

My understanding though is that stations like Free Flow have to buy their gas from the major refiners anyway, and as I've said, it hasn't affected my car's performance one iota.  A guy I know with a 2011 Mustang also fills up there when passing by.

And the smokes are cheap, a carton of Putters is just $30 and you get a $1.00 coupon for your next purchase at the store next to the station I stop at.  They also sell baggies for much less.

If you know of other places for a cheap fill up, feel free to share it by posting a comment. 

Here's a link to a map for the place I go:  CLICK HERE FOR GOOGLE MAP

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Economic turnaround, all it takes is innovation

Wall and Bay Streets have been recovering nicely over the past few years in the wake of the global financial meltdown, Main Streets haven't been doing nearly as well.  Many corporations are sitting on massive balance sheets, while workers like those at Caterpillar have seen their jobs disappear. 

What will it take to turn the North American economy around?  One word, innovation.

All one need do is look back to the incredible economic growth of the nineties when everything was going digital.  Computers, switches, routers, fibre optic cable, business let the dollars fly and the rising economic tide lifted almost all boats. 

Now, the cash is there, what we need is a better mousetrap, an electric or hydrogen car, something that will get business investing again. 

Think of what would happen if hydrogen fueled or electric cars really took off.  If businesses were able  to  gain a competitive advantage by greatly reducing fuel costs, the investment dollars would flow. 

There's a lot of doom and gloom out there, and while the mantra "they'll think of something" may be of little comfort to people who have lost a job that pays well, hope still beats despair. 

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The real Stephen Harper is slowly emerging

Ever since his speech in Switzerland  many have been talking about the real Stephen Harper and his so called 'hidden agenda'.  Rarely though are things ever black and white, and even more rare in the political realm. 

Talk of reducing public pensions, capping transfers for health care, opening up new avenues for the financial sector to provide private pensions...Are these just trial balloons or is Stephen Harper looking to move Canada sharply to the right?

Let's take a step back, because I don't think our current Prime Minister has changed, only his circumstances.  He has successfully started nudging Canada to the right over the past 5 or so years, anyone who refuses to acknowledge that is blind. 

Stephen Harper is both a Libertarian and a politician, and politics has to come first.  There are many fiscal  Conservatives who have been justifiably upset with the proliferate spending of the past few years.  But in reality Harper had no choice, not going into  major deficit after the last election but one would have meant losing power because he'd failed to garner a majority.  The only option was to push real reform onto the back burner in order to maintain power. 

Now he doesn't have that concern, but acting too radically could still have repercussions.  Imagine the uproar if the Canada Health Act were declared null and void, if OAS were wiped out completely, if the CPP was sold off to the private sector.  Obviously that would be political suicide, even for a Prime Minister with a majority mandate and four plus years to run.

Now to be clear, I'm not suggesting that this is what is on the agenda.  But at the same I don't discount the possibility.  With lower taxation leading to lower revenues, services  have to be reduced, that's simple economics.  There are arguments to be made for both bigger and smaller government, debate is a good thing.

Harper was both Vice President and President of the National Citizens Coalition, an organization founded to fight against the imposition of state run health care in this country.  If the Conservatives under Stephen Harper want to eventually eliminate government funded health care, then capping the amount they will pay just when costs are set to explode is a good plan. 

There is nothing inherently wrong with believing that health care would be better delivered by the private sector, differing opinions are the hallmark of a healthy democracy.  But suggesting as much during an election campaign, or as a matter of party policy, would be suicidal in today's environment.   But in another ten years, perhaps not.

Citizens expected to look after themselves without big brother government interfering and running everything, that's the debate I can see coming.  And at this point its hard to say which argument will hold sway with the electorate in another five to ten years. 

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Cup size confusion in Canada

Sorry guys, I'm not writing about A, B, C or DD...this is about Tim Hortons and the new sizes for their coffee cups. 

If you're a Timmies customer you've probably already found out that your large or medium coffee is bigger than it was before.  I'm in Kingston where they've been test marketing this change for the past few months, and now its been rolled out Canada wide. 

Tims has added a new bigger cup, and rather than calling it something appropriate like the bladder buster, they've changed the names of all their cup sizes.

The old small is now extra small, the medium is now small, the large is now medium, extra large is now just large and the bladder buster is the new extra large.

Confused yet? 

Like seriously, do you think anyone wants a couple of 'extra small' DDs?  Some might like small, but extra small?  Prices haven't changed, but you just know people who used to order the old mediums are now going to be buying the old large size until they get used to saying small....But who wants to order small, go big or go home. 

Any thoughts?

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