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GO Transit: Service thread (including extensions)

London crews are based in Kitchener. They take a van to and from there, not Aldershot

Hamilton crews are either based at Shirley Rd. or at downtown Hamilton. If they begin or end their work elsewhere, they will be given access to a van to get them to where they need to go.

Dan
Oh my bad, I thought they went from Aldershot.
 
Taking the entire train out of service for one emergency alarm deactivation is just asking for a train/equipment shortage.
Didn't think we had an equipment shortage.

I have to laugh when they announce it is out of service and to move to another car if you need to use... Which to me is not an easy thing to remember in case of emergency.
 
Didn't think we had an equipment shortage.

I have to laugh when they announce it is out of service and to move to another car if you need to use... Which to me is not an easy thing to remember in case of emergency.
There isn’t one, but taking the train out because an alarm is off is asking for one.
 
We see the same thing with pensions: as the private sector has cut pensions (and in many cases doesn’t offer them - I’ve never been offered one) people start to resent the pensions that the public sector has. We really do want to have our cake and eat it too: pay low taxes, buy as much as we want, be profligate in terms of living, and get gold plated services. It just doesn’t work.
This resentment is of course misplaced since they aren't getting special treatment from anyone, only pooling their resources. That's not gold-plated service, its gold-plated investment decision making. Most of those public sector pensions have become so successful because of both scale and keeping a hands-off, private-sector approach to their plans, turning them into their own purpose-built investment firms, often paying near Bay Street wages to their top professionals. Some public pension plans now have 80+% of their benefits paid out of investment income, not touching the principal, and they've held that ratio for 20 years; though they know aging populations mean that won't hold forever. Plans like Teachers, HOOP, CAAT, OMERS, and their equivalents now employ hundreds of people each with offices all over the world. Even net of fees, which include six-figure Bay Street style bonuses, they exceed the return they need. It's all about the scale they have and the independent governance.

Of note, several of these firms now offer their services to the private sector as a co-investment option, and a few large private employers and unions have taken up that offer to a point the rate of defined-benefit pension enrollment has at least stopped decreasing.
 
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This resentment is of course misplaced since they aren't getting special treatment from anyone, only pooling their resources. That's not gold-plated service, its gold-plated investment decision making. Most of those public sector pensions have become so successful because of both scale and keeping a hands-off, private-sector approach to their plans, turning them into their own purpose-built investment firms, often paying near Bay Street wages to their top professionals. Some public pension plans now have 80+% of their benefits paid out of investment income, not touching the principal and they've held that ratio for 20 years (though aging populations mean they know that won't hold forever). Plans like Teachers, HOOP, CAAT, OMERS, and their equivalents now employ hundreds of people each with offices all over the world. Even net of fees, which include six-figure Bay Street style bonuses, they exceed the return they need. It's all about the scale they have and the independent governance.

Of note, several of these firms now offer their services to the private sector as a co-investment option, and a few large private employers and unions have taken up that offer to a point the rate of defined-benefit pension enrollment has at least stopped decreasing.
When I was still working I was, for a time, a local rep for our public sector bargaining unit. At an AGM in the early '90s, the Board was droning through the financials (which most people nod off to) when some of the members noticed that the pension return was less than stellar. A quick bit of research showed it had be lacklustre for a couple of years. The solution was to invite senior pension board people to the next AGM. Whether it had a direct connection, who knows, but the returns have been among the top performers ever since. Maybe they're enough of financial nerds to be energized by group that is interested in what they do. They said no other group that they manage does this. It is now an annual event. They get out of the office, get fed and the delegates get swag!

I receive a good pension, but it's not a gift. I paid, and currently serving members pay, around 10%/per pay to feed the fund.
 
When I was still working I was, for a time, a local rep for our public sector bargaining unit. At an AGM in the early '90s, the Board was droning through the financials (which most people nod off to) when some of the members noticed that the pension return was less than stellar. A quick bit of research showed it had be lacklustre for a couple of years. The solution was to invite senior pension board people to the next AGM. Whether it had a direct connection, who knows, but the returns have been among the top performers ever since. Maybe they're enough of financial nerds to be energized by group that is interested in what they do. They said no other group that they manage does this. It is now an annual event. They get out of the office, get fed and the delegates get swag!

I receive a good pension, but it's not a gift. I paid, and currently serving members pay, around 10%/per pay to feed the fund.
Oh the 90's was a difficult time. That was back when they still had those archaic 20% foreign content maximum rules. I think now most very large pensions well over 50% foreign, and some can approach 80%.
 
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There are new schedule changes to some buses and trains.

On the bus side, both sets of changes will occur on October 1. First, the buses that service Scarborough Centre Terminal will now be relocated to its planned temporary stop until the SSE opens.

Next, the 52 and 56 will now serve Cornell terminal (although its fun and exciting to see another Markham access point for GO the service here would just be hourly on weekdays and an even worse bi hourly service on weekends, feels right at home with the YRT buses that also go to the terminal!)

The trains are just as what you expect. Lakeshore West is getting its restored trips to West Harbour back again, and Barrie/Milton/RH lines are just getting YRT style changes if you get me. This weekend, closures, delays and even more overcrowding. Both Lakeshore East and Stouffville lines will have buses replacing trains the entire weekend. Along with the TTC subway closures, this is going to be very interesting at how this weekend plays out, but at least the University side of the line is fully running. Might as well throw their favorite detour to their favorite station on the west end buses while they're at it, and generate even more disappointment 😃 ...

 
There are new schedule changes to some buses and trains.

On the bus side, both sets of changes will occur on October 1. First, the buses that service Scarborough Centre Terminal will now be relocated to its planned temporary stop until the SSE opens.

Next, the 52 and 56 will now serve Cornell terminal (although its fun and exciting to see another Markham access point for GO the service here would just be hourly on weekdays and an even worse bi hourly service on weekends, feels right at home with the YRT buses that also go to the terminal!)

The trains are just as what you expect. Lakeshore West is getting its restored trips to West Harbour back again, and Barrie/Milton/RH lines are just getting YRT style changes if you get me. This weekend, closures, delays and even more overcrowding. Both Lakeshore East and Stouffville lines will have buses replacing trains the entire weekend. Along with the TTC subway closures, this is going to be very interesting at how this weekend plays out, but at least the University side of the line is fully running. Might as well throw their favorite detour to their favorite station on the west end buses while they're at it, and generate even more disappointment 😃 ...


A 'like' for your contribution; I'll save the forlorn disdain and antipathy for those responsible. LOL
 
I’m in total sympathy with the frustration over GO scheduling generally,…… but in fairness…..to accomplish the construction side of GO Expansion, a weekend outage or two is going to have to happen.

The test ought to be whether the construction forces get everything done that they put on the plan, and to the required quality. I’m told that doesn’t always happen.

- Paul
 

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