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A chain is no stronger than its weakest link. This fundamental concept can also be applied to roads in the sense that a road is only as effective at moving traffic as its widest (and most efficient) point. There are many examples in Ottawa and around the world of important roads that, while considerably wide along much of their length, fatally narrow at certain points. These narrow points mean less traffic can flow through, impacting the effectiveness and capacity along the entire length for the road. Riders have a wide variety of options to choose from when it comes to paying to use OCTranspo. These options include cash, tickets, and the presto card. Each offers of these three options offer riders different ways to pay for their transit use. Unfortunately there is one powerful option that is missing from the system which would make Presto a nearly unbeatable way to pay for public transit.
Cash and ticket options have been available to riders for many years, where as Presto is a relatively new and untested way to pay for rides on OCTranspo. Few things are more infuriating to see than a new or well paved road being torn up and improperly repaired. Unfortunately this tends to happen quite frequently where new houses are built in the place of older existing ones.
These repair jobs are often done with little regard for the longevity and quality of the fix, or any consideration for what it’s like to drive on. Many of these excavations are just filled with gravel and then covered in a thin veneer of tar. In recent months the Canadian Government’s “Temporary Foreign Worker Program” has come under heavy fire for its flagrant abuse by businesses across the country. Businesses have been using the program to outsource domestic jobs to workers from overseas.
This program was designed to fill job positions in Canada that those living here cannot or will not. Although a useful program in theory there are many issues that need to be addressed for it to be fair and successful. Whenever the topic of re-evaluating the minimum wage is mentioned the issue, so to is criticism of the minimum wage for wait-staff brought up.
An ideal situation would obviously be where there is only one minimum wage for every person regardless of what job they work (ignoring that a reverse income tax is a superior alternative to a minimum wage). What needs to be considered here though is whether the minimum wage for Liquor Servers is actually too low.