A feel-good holiday story by James Menzies Truckers are often villainized in the mainstream news (see my previous blog entry about a column in the St. Catharines Standard for a prime example), so it’s nice when I…
Hours of Service Delays – they would be “criminal” if they weren’t so “Canadian” by Lou Smyrlis I could call what’s happening with the new hours of service legislation in Canada right now “criminal” if there were not a better description for it: totally and utterly “Canadian”.
THE BASEMENT FILES: Research that should be filed but NOT forgotten by Lou Smyrlis I dread the last two weeks of December. That’s when I force myself to my basement office to sift through and clean up the mountain of paper that naturally accumulates…
New Year, new wishes by Truck News I’m sure near the top of a wish list for many truckers would be a spot for improved roads and more places to safely pull over along the highway.
A campaign worth supporting – let’s do our part by James Menzies One thing that has to be said about Canada’s minority Conservative government, is that it’s not tip-toeing around the issues. While many suspected a minority government would shy away from…
Cheers, to those of you on the road by James Menzies The Christmas season is one of my favourite times of the year and this year has been no exception. Once the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping was behind us,…
There is such thing as bad press by James Menzies The old saying ‘There’s no such thing as bad press’ doesn’t necessarily ring true in the trucking industry. This is an industry that has a bad rap – and for…
The top 25 stories in 25 years by James Menzies Since its inception, Truck News has been a trusted source of information for all-things trucking. The publication has broken many big stories throughout the years and has helped truckers learn about and understand changes that affect them. I've pored through 25 years of back issues and assembled this list of the 25 most significant news stories to be covered by Truck News. It's nearly impossible to compile a list of this nature that everyone agrees on, so take the rankings with a grain of salt. Not everyone will agree on where each of the following news stories should fit in, but enjoy the stroll through memory lane and if you feel compelled to discuss any of these events in more detail, feel free to add your two cents!
Cabotage urged for Prairie provinces, Mid-west states by James Menzies Imagine being able to haul loads from point-to-point in the US, reducing empty miles and improving your vehicle utilization. If a trio of forward-thinking transportation professionals have their way, the…
CSR opposes LCBO deposits by Truck News CSR:Corporations Supporting Recycling has recently issued two news releases expressing opposition to, and concern about, the Province of Ontario's decision to place LCBO wine and liquor containers on deposit, starting in the New Year. Details about the new deposit program are explained in recent news items in Headline News at the website for Solid Waste & Recycling magazine: www.solidwastemag.com CSR says that the deposit system will harm the blue box curbside recycling programs and investment in glass recycling infrastructure. The CSR's point of view differs from that of various other organizations, including those that represent the interests of municipalities (Association of Municipaities of Ontario, or "AMO") and also the province's recycling coordinators (Association of Municipal Recycling Coordinators, or "AMRC") who administer the blue box progam. AMO and AMRC, as well as other entities like the Recycling Council of Ontario (RCO) and the Municipal Waste Integration Network (MWIN) have published formal position papers supporting the idea of placing LCBO containers on deposit. I've reproduced the CSR news releases below (click on the green link) so that readers may view them.
Are you afraid? by James Menzies It seems truck hijackings are happening more and more frequently these days. It’s a scary thought, especially since the thieves seem to be getting more brazen. And they’re so organized…
Gummy Bears fight global warming by Truck News Here’s an odd article but very detailed and interesting for our understanding of the carbon cycle. I’ve always wanted a detailed explanation of how phytoplankton convert atmospheric CO2 into their…
Time to crown Owner/Operator of the Year is near by James Menzies Trucking can be a thankless job. The independent nature of trucking means that often nobody is there to witness the little things you do on a daily basis to get…
Ambrose position on Kyoto by Truck News You’ve likely encountered recent media coverage of Canada’s Federal Environment Minister Donna Ambrose and her government’s admission (to its citizens and international bodies) that it’s unrealistic for Canada to attain…
The fight over papermill sludge by Truck News Here's an interesting development from the world of recycling, in this case the hauling of papermill sludge (a byproduct of paper recycling) and disposing of it on land. It's worth thinking about whether what you're hauling is a material or, sometimes, a waste. There was a public rally yesterday to protest the land application of papermill sludge at a site near Pelham, Ontario. The rally points up the fact that Ontario's Environment Minister Laurel Broten has not followed through with the full application of recommendations from an expert panel assigned to study appropriate handling and disposal of papermill sludge. A letter I received via email from activist Maureen Reilly outlines the position of people opposed to the casual land application of papermill sludge, who are calling for the implementation of the expert panel's recommendations. I've reproduced the letter below with minimal editing, and I've also cut and pasted two other things Maureen sent me: a Hansard transcript of an exchange in the legislature over this issue and also the expert panel's recommendations. Dear Guy: There was a big picket line in the rural community of Pelham, Ontario yesterday, as residents expressed their anger and concern about hundreds of truck loads of industrial papermill sludge dumped in their community. The Ministry of the Environment has failed to implement the recommendations of their own panel of scientists, physicians and experts as to how to manage this sludge material. The experts told the Minister to manage the material as a waste. Instead the material is dumped in rural communities with no waste permits whatsoever. Despite this, Laurel Broton, the Ontario Minister of the Environment, rose in the House to answer questions from Oppositon member Peter Kormos, and lied to the Legislature. She said: "I think it’s important for the people of the community to understand what the expert panel did say. The government’s actions are exactly consistent with what the expert panel said. " OH REALLY? 1. The Expert Panel said that any proposed site to receive the Sound-Sorb material needed a hydrogeological assessment before the sludge arrived. It said a Site Specific Risk Assessment may also need to be undertaken. So where is the hydrogeological assessment for Pelham? Where is the Site Specific Risk Assessment for Pelham? 2. The Expert Panel said the sludge needed to be managed as a waste under a Certificate of Approval. So where is the Certificate of Approval for the site? Why is the sludge hauled by trucks with no waste licence? 3. The Expert Panel said the sludge needed to be composted before it was brought to the site. In fact uncomposted sludge is being brought to the site...so it is not consistent with the recommendations of the Expert Panel. 4. The Minister suggested that the sludge at Pelham had been tested for 90 chemical and bacterial parameters. But the Ontario Minsitry of the Environment refused to provide any test results on the sludge at the Pelham site, and it is not clear that any testing was done at the site. The tests referred to by the Minister are not the same sludge as at the Pelham site. This sludge comes from Abitibi Thorold, a completely different facility than the tests provided to the Expert Panel which were from Atlantic Packaging in Scarborough and Whitby. And since Sound-Sorb is may contain any liquid, industrial or hazardous waste there is no telling what hazardous waste material is being brought to any particular site. Conclusion: The minister should publicly apologize to the Legislature for lying. And the minister should be forced to read aloud the true recommendations of the Expert Panel in the Legislature and immediately implement them. Hansard and expert panel recommendations are pasted below.
