SiemensSays.com Podcast: Harry Siemens Talks to Gerry Ritz catching up on issues.

[joedales]

From www.SiemensSays.com By Harry Siemens.

Former ag minister #GerryRitz with Harry Siemens hopes Liberals won’t let dust settle on Emerson report

Every Thursday at 11 AM CST, Jack Dawes hosts, On the Land, on the Rock 98.5 in Yorkton, SK. Most always Harry Siemens gets to join him for a segment or two. Ritz is hoping the Trudeau Liberals will do something with the David Emerson Transportation Report, and not only make it a dust collector.

[URL="http://www.siemenssays.com/?powerpress_pinw=8875-podcast"]Click Here to listen to the podcast interview.


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[AgrivilleAdmin]

Here is a link to the podcast on the new beta.agriville.com website.

[URL=http://beta.agriville.com/threads/28460-siemenssays-com-podcast-harry-siemens-talks-to-gerry-ritz-catching-up-on-issues?p=283023#post283023]

http://beta.agriville.com/threads/28460-siemenssays-com-podcast-harry-siemens-talks-to-gerry-ritz-catching-up-on-issues?p=283023#post283023
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The new beta site allows for easily adding links, photos and videos etc.

[bgmb]

Boy oh boy what a arrogant attitude! Yes he helped get rid of the single desk which in itself was good. Probably the only good thing he did. In the process he gave farmers money that was taken by the borg to the saudis. Thanks Ritz

oh yeah he set the stage for $30/ac cereal seed, did FA to fix the rail issues and supported the chinese buying cdn farmland.

What a DUD!!

[bgmb]

My favorite part was when simens said he didn't understand the rail revenue cap. He basically insuniated that it was some sort of evil socialist system that penalised railways for making money. Even Ritz knows better than that. Go take econ 101 Harry and maybe you will understand what a monopoly is and how they behave without regulation.

[agstar77]

Yeah, put it in a garbage dump!

[sawfly]

yes mr. Ritz , shippers are going to negotiate service contracts with penalty's with the railroad monopoly.

are their words to describe the ignorance of that statement.

even in a bizaro universe where the railroads would offer any kind of terms .
we have just seen the CP spend 500,000 (guessing), in legal fees
to avoid paying a 50,000 $ fine.

the govt. of Canada can not collect
50,000$ .
yet a lowly shipper would take the railroads to court to seek redress.
gimme a frigging break.

even the most died in the wool , card carrying Conservative can see that is nuts.

[MBgrower]

Harry who?

[farmaholic]

...talk is cheap!

Pretty ****ing easy to spout off when you lost your power to do anything, eh Gerry?

There is no true "commercial" rail transportation system in Canada...and never will be! Under the current conditions, read Duopoly, the only way to ensure fairness is regulation. As hard as that is for some to swallow.

[bgmb]

harry siemens is the interviewer

[bucket]

Pretty sure every conservative hand goes up when they vote on eliminating the MRE.

Ritz and anderson are just collecting a paycheck for 4 years and then the golden pension.

Anderson has done nothing as an MP in one of the largest geographic ridings and a wealthy riding as well.

Wow that's good representation.

[FarmRanger]

Prettty sure you're wrong bucket. I'm all for the government staying out of our business in a free market, but rail transportation is not a free market. As others have emphasized on here, it is 2 monopolies operating side by side. The 160 km interswitching allowed the 2 monopolies to operate in each others territory, but this still left oligopoly power in the hands of 2 players in only part of their territory. Even interswitching is recommended to be removed, so the report is for all intents and purposes recommending unbridled monopoly powers for the railroad. This is NOT in the best interests of farmers or grain handlers, or anybody but railroads shareholders for that matter.
I doubt they will increase capacity any, because that will increase their costs, and they'll be able to charge much more for the same inadequate service that they're providing now.
Short of making open running rights or some other way to increase competition, regulation is the best way to deal with the "duopoly".

[bucket]

Anderson asked me a couple years back if it was time for farmers to pay commercial freight rates.

The first priority should be a costing review.

70 percent less elevators. 112 car unit trains.

The government needs to have a new baseline to calculate freight rates from.

Railways won't invest in their infrastructure which is too bad. More freight on rail would allow this country to become more efficient.

As an example. Talking to an input supplier from Alberta and asking if he can bring his product in by rail. He said it's just easier to use trucks. He has the spot for railcars. Interswitching is an insane cost. So he has from June to February to get his supplies and trucks make more sense.

There are some major issues with railways in this country and they are holding the economy hostage.