Musical ships

[bucket]

Saskcanfarmer

We gave the railways the efficiency by eliminating 70 percent of the points.

And larger loading points.

[saskcanfarmer]

There needs to be respect for capital markets when making regulation. You have to create efficient and effective regulation that grows the economy.

[saskcanfarmer]

Bucket - What exactly do you want? Do you truely believe you should pay less for better service?

[farmaholic]

"Respect"... now that's rich. Too bad in isn't reciprocal!

[saskcanfarmer]

Let's not kid ourselves here. Farmers have made very very good margins the last five years. It's time to stop playing the poor me card and understand that subsidies hurt the economy by improperly allocating funds to a lower denominator.

[saskcanfarmer]

We have fewer land much larger loading spots no doubt. The question now becomes who is eating the efficiency gains?

[saskcanfarmer]

Fewer loading points

[farmaholic]

What did the last clusterf_ck cost us? Respect is earned, not granted on demand.

You accuse bucket of wanting his cake and eating it too. Excactly what the RRs have today, without any guarantees of anything better if we concede to their concessions. ....until there are viable alternatives in place the "Bullies" will do what they've always done.

Please describe what proper regulation means to you.

[bucket]

Saskcanfarmer

We could haul more grain to the elevator 30 years ago with 3 tons than today with a super b and the ****ing highways were kept in better shape.

You guys that don't understand the highway costs that the railways have sent to the taxpayers really have to take the blinders off. Take a wide view once in a while.

[RTK]

Regulation is all you guys have discussed. So if that is the only solution we as a group can come up? I say careful for what you wish for... Regulation is what we may get - what's to say the government says the world has ample supplies and we export our allotment with our current rail system/handling system lets throttle supplies at the producer level via regulation... Are we happy now? As farmers we have a vested interest in marketing our production - what can we do to better our selves...

[Jdhot]

If you have not toured the Port of Vancouver, go. Unless you see it for yourself it is hard to realize the reasons for less than desirable outcomes for grain shipments.
Grain is not the biggest commodity there
Other commodities do not fall under freight rate formula.
Space for rail lines is very small and very expensive.
Shipments thru the port will not trump the needs of the residents or the environment.
I know, lots of excuses, but it is the reality there. Grain is not the only business in town. I have no solutions for the port. But transportation of freight in Canada is skewed. Either freight should pay for the highways it uses or SOME of the rail lines should be public. Canada does not have a Mississippi.

[saskcanfarmer]

Keep on giving the grain companies a big pass. It baffles me how they are all but forgotten in all of this.

[Hopalong]

Does anyone really think that Western Grain Elevator Assn support for keeping revenue cap was more about helping farmers than it was about helping themselves?
Stop short of calling it a conspiracy but seemed to work out in favour of graincos.

[bucket]

No the graincos should have had their asses in front of a parliamentary committee when the railways were there.

They are just as much, if not more, to blame than the railways.

[saskcanfarmer]

Keep on giving the grain companies a big pass. It baffles me how they are all but forgotten in all of this.