Latest news with #Transit
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Blue Line in part of northeast closed until Monday
Blue line service will be disrupted this weekend between Rundle and Franklin stations. Part of the Blue Line will be shut down for routine maintenance this weekend, disrupting CTrain service until Monday morning. The line will be closed between Rundle and Franklin in the northeast quadrant of the city Saturday and Sunday. Shuttle buses will replace train service, running every five minutes between stations. The northeast bound tracks at Rundle and Franklin closed Friday at 8:15 p.m. Full service resumes Monday, July 21.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Ominous Plans: Making Concentration Camp Gaza
The odious idea of a camp within a camp. The Gaza Strip, with an even greater concentration of Palestinian civilian life within an ever-shrinking stretch of territory. These are the proposals ventured by the Israeli government even as the official Palestinian death toll marches upwards to 60,000. They envisage the placement of some 600,000 displaced and houseless beings currently living in tents in the area of al-Mawasi along Gaza's southern coast in a creepily termed 'humanitarian city'. This would be the prelude for an ultimate relocation of the strip's entire population of over 2 million in an area that will become an even smaller prison than the Strip already is. The preparation for such a forced removal – yet another among so many Israel has inflicted upon the Palestinians – is in full swing. The analysis of satellite imagery from the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) by Al Jazeera's Sanad investigations unit found that approximately 12,800 buildings were demolished in Rafah between early April and early July alone. In the Knesset on May 11 this year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave words to those deeds: 'We are demolishing more and more [of their] homes, they have nowhere to return to. The only obvious result will be the desire of the Gazans to emigrate outside the Strip.' Camps of concentrated human life – concentration camps, in other words – are often given a different dressing to what they are meant to be. Authoritarian states enjoy using them to re-educate and reform the inmates even as they gradually kill them. Indeed, the proposals from the Israel's Defense Department carry with them plans for a 'Humanitarian Transit Area' where Gazans would 'temporarily reside, deradicalize, re-integrate, and prepare to relocate if they wish to do so'. The emetic candy floss of 'humanitarian' in the context of a camp is a self-negating nonsense similar to other experiments in cruelty: the relocation of Boer civilians during the colonial wars waged by Britain to camps which saw dysentery and starvation; the movement of Vietnamese villagers into fortified hamlets to prevent their infiltration by the Vietcong in the 1960s; the creation of Pacific concentration camps to detain refugees seeking Australia by boat in what came to be called the 'Pacific Solution'. Those in the business of doing humanitarian deeds were understandably appalled by Israel's latest plans. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), stated that this would 'de facto create massive concentration camps at the border with Egypt for the Palestinians, displaced over and over across generations'. It would certainly 'deprive Palestinians of any prospects of a better future in their homeland.' Self-evidently and sadly, that would be one of the main aims. A few of Israeli's former Prime Ministers have ditched the coloured goggles in considering the plans for such a mislabelled city. Yair Lapid, who spent a mere six months in office in 2022, told Israeli Army Radio that it was 'a bad idea from every possible perspective – security, political, economic, logistical'. While preferring not to use the term 'concentration camp' with regards such a construction, incarcerating individuals by effectively preventing their exit would make such a term appropriate. Ehud Olmert's words to The Guardian were even less inclined to varnish the matter. 'If they [the Palestinians] will be deported into the new 'humanitarian city', then you can say that this is part of an ethnic cleansing'. To create a camp that would effectively 'clean' more than half of Gaza of its population could hardly be understood as a plan to save Palestinians. 'It is to deport them, to push and to throw them away. There is no other understanding that I have at least.' Israeli political commentator Ori Goldberg was also full of candour in expressing the view that the plan was 'for all facts and purposes a concentration camp' for Gaza's Palestinians, 'an overt crime against humanity under international humanitarian law'. This would also add the burgeoning grounds of illegality already being alleged in this month's petition by three Israeli reserve soldiers of Israel's Supreme Court questioning the legality of Operation Gideon's Chariots. Instancing abundant examples of forced transfer and expulsions of the Palestinian population during its various phases, commentators such as former chief of staff of the IDF, Moshe 'Bogy' Ya'alon, are unreserved about how such programs fare before international law. 'Evacuating an entire population? Call it ethnic cleansing, call it transfer, call it deportation, it's a war crime,' he told journalist Lucy Aharish. 'Israel's soldiers had been sent in 'to commit war crimes.' There is also some resistance from within the IDF, less on humanitarian grounds than practical ones. To even prepare such a plan in the midst of negotiations for a lasting ceasefire and finally resolving the hostage situation was the first telling problem. The other was how the IDF could feasibly undertake what would be a grand jailing experiment while preventing the infiltration of Hamas. This ghastly push by the Netanyahu government involves an enormous amount of wishful thinking. Ideally, the Palestinians will simply leave. If not, they will live in even more carceral conditions than they faced before October 2023. But to assume that this cartoon strip humanitarianism, papered over a ghoulish program of inflicted suffering, will add to the emptying well of Israeli security, is testament to how utterly desperate, and delusionary, the Israeli PM and his cabinet members have become.
Courier-Mail
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- Courier-Mail
New Ford Transit Custom: The $63k van that rivals popular utes
Don't miss out on the headlines from On the Road. Followed categories will be added to My News. No self-respecting British tradie would be seen dead in a ute. What a Pommy geezer needs is a Ford Transit van. Preferably in white and on steel wheels – hazard lights working overtime as it's slung up a kerb, blocking traffic for 'just a minute, mate!' While Aussies buy utes, pick-ups or American trucks for work and lifestyle, the Brits' relationship with the mighty Transit goes back to 1965. Aussies buy roughly ten times more utes than vans, but it's vice-versa in the UK. As a kid growing up in England, Transits were an integral part of daily life. 2025 Ford Transit. Picture: Supplied MORE: Why 'dumb ute' incentives don't make sense Ambos and posties had them, a rusty 1976 example was our school sport bus, and a police Transit would sit outside the local pub at closing time. Transits remain the patriotic choice of UK delivery drivers, market traders, removalists, fruit 'n veg sellers and dodgy Del Boys literally selling out the back of a van. 'Thieves chariot' is common slang for Transit. As part of my birthright, it was my duty to test the new-generation Transit on Aussie soil. Ford facilitated me being White Van Man for a week, furnishing me with a Transit Custom Trend LWB (long wheelbase). At around $63,000 drive-away, it's the cheapest available bar a 367mm-shorter SWB at a grand less. 2025 Ford Transit. Picture: Supplied It's a lot of coin in the 'one-tonne' medium van segment. Rivals include the Hyundai Staria Load (from $46,740), LDV G10+ (from $37,884) Toyota HiAce (from $48,886) and Renault Trafic (from $49,490). But look to van tests here and overseas, and it's the pricey Ford scooping awards. On first drive, it's apparent why. A 'car-like driving experience' is a cliche for any commercial vehicle, but the Transit really is an easy, composed and comfortable thing to live with. Piloting one isn't a huge departure from a large SUV. There are all your driver aids, adaptive cruise control, a small digital driver display, giant 13-inch landscape infotainment, wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, wireless phone charger, sat nav and 5G modem. Two of its three bench seats are heated. There's fancy independent rear suspension helping ride quality and handling, and unladen or with almost a tonne in the back, the Transit absorbs bumps well and corners safely. And proves incomparably useful. My daughter got a (pre-assembled) bunk bed, we bought a new Queen mattress ($70 delivery fee saved), and for tradition's sake, we even transported an old piano. Damn, they're heavy. 2025 Ford Transit. Picture: Supplied MORE: Jet pilot tech to change Aussie cars The Transit's easier to load than a ute with its kerbside sliding door and mighty wide opening rear barn doors. And the cargo stays dry, protected and locked under the metal roof. But I hear you, Ford Ranger faithfuls, a Transit won't off-road or tow a 3-tonne caravan. Even so, there's 2500kg towing and 1223kg payload capacity. Its 2.0-litre turbo-diesel offers only 125kW, so it runs out of puff quite quickly, but its chunky 390Nm makes it rapid off the mark in town, where these Fords are at their best. We retuned an impressive 6.9L/100km over 630km of delivery jobs. Bar a few stutters, its eight-speed auto's a smoothie. The turning circle's adequate at 12.8 metres, but this LWB is 5450mm long, so parking's a hassle. But nobody seems to mind you abandoning a Transit up a footpath … Van traits remain. You sit very high almost over the front wheels; scratchy cabin plastics feel a long way from a $60k vehicle, and seat cloth is rather workmanlike. 2025 Ford Transit. Picture: Supplied In this entry-level spec you must adjust seats manually and wheels are titchy 16-inch steelies. I also found its giant 6.8 square metres load area too spartan. The walls have soft cladding and there are eight tie-down floor points, but nothing to secure loads up high. Insulated ceiling wiring looked too exposed, and I had to towel-wrap the tethered car jack to stop it damaging my cargo. Rear visibility's poor through the rear cabin glass, and at night the giant screen reflects on it, making things worse. A digital rearview mirror showing the (excellent) rear camera view would solve this. 2025 Ford Transit. Picture: Supplied MORE: Bold plan to seduce millionaires Positively, Transit choice is lengthy. There's also a full size van; a 12-seater bus; cab chassis; five-seat double cab Transit Custom; a Sport grade and all-wheel-drive Trail grade. Greenies can ditch the diesel and go plug-in or full EV. Are these big white boxes as sexy as your tricked up dual-cab ute? Of course they're not. But you'd be fool to underestimate the versatility of a Ford Transit. They securely haul a lot more stuff and the drive experience is rather lovely. And there's nothing quite like leaning out the window, putting on your best London accent and shouting: 'Get out that way, ya Muppet!' to fellow road users. Originally published as 2025 Ford Transit review
Winnipeg Free Press
15-07-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Without more resources, transit overhaul can't be transformative
Opinion By now, it should be obvious to anyone paying attention: the only real way to improve public transit in Winnipeg is for the city — with support from the provincial and federal governments — to inject more resources into the system. That means more money. More bus operators. More buses on the road. More service hours. More frequent buses. And more stops that are convenient for people who rely on transit to get to work, school, or appointments. Without that kind of meaningful investment, we'll keep seeing the kind of trade-offs we're seeing under Winnipeg Transit's newly launched Primary Transit Network — a system that tries to modernize service with limited resources, but ultimately ends up giving to some while taking away from others. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS Winnipeg Transit's newly launched Primary Transit Network ends up giving to some riders while taking away from others. On June 29, Winnipeg Transit unveiled the biggest overhaul to its route system in decades. At the core of the new design is the spine-and-feeder model. Instead of having dozens of overlapping routes running all over the city, many of which duplicated each other or got stuck in traffic, the new system concentrates service along primary corridors. These high-frequency, high-capacity routes are intended to form the backbone of the network, allowing riders to get across the city faster, with more predictable service, especially during peak hours. It's a model that's worked in other cities. And in theory — and to some degree in practise — it makes sense. Many riders have already reported shorter travel times. Buses on key routes like Main Street, Pembina Highway and Portage Avenue are running more frequently and, thanks to fewer local detours, are more reliable. But there's a catch. Like all transit systems, Winnipeg Transit has to work within a budget. And while the new system is a refreshingly innovative approach to moving people through the city, it wasn't accompanied by an increase in overall service hours. That means while primary routes have more bus hours, feeder routes have, in many cases, seen their service reduced. 'The Primary Transit Network and its feeder routes is a service-hour neutral project,' Winnipeg Transit says on its website. 'It does not reduce or increase overall transit service hours. This means buses operate the same number of hours on weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays as they do now.' There are also fewer total stops, falling from about 5,200 under the old system to almost 4,000 under the new one. Transit calculated that adding back a removed stop would cost $21,833 a year. The cost of adding back all removed stops would be an estimated $3.9 million annually, in large part because it would require more buses. 'While the cost of a single stop may not seem high, our resources are limited,' Transit says on its website. 'To add back stops, we'd potentially have to look at other forms of service reductions.' The result is some people who used to have a one-seat ride to their destination now have to transfer. Others have to walk further to get to a stop. And in many neighborhoods, buses that used to run late into the night now stop around 11 p.m. — a troubling change for anyone who works a late shift or simply needs to get home after dark. Transit officials have said this is a necessary first step. The old system was outdated and inefficient, and in many ways, they're right. There were far too many winding routes, redundancies, and buses stuck in slow traffic with few passengers aboard. The new network is designed to lay the groundwork for a more modern system that could, with the right investment, support Bus Rapid Transit-style service in the future — faster, more reliable, more frequent. But without increased funding, the plan risks creating a two-tiered system. Those who live or work along a primary corridor may see improvements. But those in outer neighborhoods, or those working outside of 9-to-5 schedules, may be left behind. If the goal is to get more Winnipeggers out of their cars and onto buses — which is a necessity not just for climate targets, but for reducing congestion and supporting people who can't afford a car — the city needs to make transit not just functional, but attractive. That means faster service, yes, but also more service. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. Winnipeg Transit has been under-resourced for years, if not decades. And the new system is an attempt to do more with the same — and in some places, it works. But it's also papering over the deeper issue: there just aren't enough buses and operators on the road to meet the city's needs. There is a way forward. City council could start increasing transit's operating budget immediately and the province and the federal government could provide targeted, immediate support for mid-sized cities like Winnipeg that are trying to grow their transit systems. The Primary Transit Network lays a strong foundation. But if the city stops there — if it fails to add more buses, restore late-night service, and improve feeder routes — then all they've done is reshuffle the pieces on the board, creating winners and losers. Public transit only works when it works for everyone. That means more routes, more frequency, longer hours, and more investment — not just a new map. Tom BrodbeckColumnist Tom Brodbeck is a columnist with the Free Press and has over 30 years experience in print media. He joined the Free Press in 2019. Born and raised in Montreal, Tom graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and commerce. Read more about Tom. Tom provides commentary and analysis on political and related issues at the municipal, provincial and federal level. His columns are built on research and coverage of local events. The Free Press's editing team reviews Tom's columns before they are posted online or published in print – part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-07-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Graham Avenue transit shift leaves businesses wary of seasonal foot traffic
Outside, there wasn't a Winnipeg Transit bus in sight. Inside, Tefere Kahsay flipped through his agenda. He stood behind his till; a couple of construction workers rifled through nearby fridges for drinks, but there was no lineup — he had a minute. 'April … 279,' Kahsay read aloud. He'd counted 279 people at Graham Convenience Store on April 24. Another page — June 20: 320 customers. But lately, Kahsay has been counting maybe 60 patrons daily. He and neighbouring businesses reliant on bus-takers have watched sales plummet immediately following a Graham Avenue transitway overhaul. Part of the downtown stretch became reserved for Transit in 1995. Ground-floor businesses line the street, which is bookended by the former Hudson's Bay flagship store on one side. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Tefere Kahsay, owner of Graham Convenience Store, says that there has seen a steep decline in customer traffic since buses were pulled from Graham Avenue. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Tefere Kahsay, owner of Graham Convenience Store, says that there has seen a steep decline in customer traffic since buses were pulled from Graham Avenue. During the COVID-19 pandemic — and as office workers and students stayed home — business closures began pockmarking the strip. Since then, the City of Winnipeg has turned its gaze to downtown revitalization and a Transit overhaul. A result: Graham Avenue is in the midst of becoming a corridor for cyclists and pedestrians. Pulling buses off the street coincided with Transit's overhaul June 29. The bus removal has been 'dramatic,' said Dade Williams, an employee at Aluminum Sound. Next door, a pizza joint owner questioned her company's survival. The eatery's main clientele were bus riders. Williams estimates Aluminum Sound sales have halved during the first weekdays of the new bus system. Several other businesses reported less traffic than usual. 'I'm hoping it gets better … I can't pay myself.'–Tefere Kahsay 'It's hard to tell, exactly, because the first week of July is always quiet,' said Elizabeth Gillich, a Bison Books employee. 'We're … still waiting to see the full effects of what's changed.' Much of Graham Avenue was barricaded Thursday. Artists painted bright designs on the pavement running from Manitoba Hydro Place at Edmonton Street, past the Winnipeg Police Service headquarters to Garry Street. Picnic and table tennis spots dotted the path. The stretch housing many of Graham's small, ground-floor businesses was untouched. While the sidewalks remain open, the street itself is scheduled for public unveiling next week. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg mayor Scott Gillingham. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg mayor Scott Gillingham. 'It's just really the beginning,' said Mayor Scott Gillingham. 'It's about reimagining the space and activating the street.' City officials and the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone have touted Graham Avenue as a new event and gathering destination. The four-block corridor is a pilot project without a set end date. Gillingham estimated it will take a couple years to grow activity on the strip. '(We're) inviting people to come and explore Graham … and frequent the businesses,' he said when asked if those businesses would receive interim support. Kahsay isn't sure he can last two years. Construction workers have become his main clientele — they're renovating the former Bay for the Southern Chiefs' Organization's Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn, a project slated to include new housing. 'I'm hoping it gets better,' Kahsay said. 'I can't pay myself.' He doubled his convenience store space last year, taking over a former beauty parlour, because daytime rushes were cramped. 'It's about reimagining the space and activating the street.'–Mayor Scott Gillingham Business valuations and seasonal traffic were among the concerns entrepreneurs shared with the Free Press. Not all had seen a noticeable difference: leadership at Blazing Chicken Shack and Thom Bargen Coffee Roasters reported normal sales, though the latter business believes autumn — and the return of university students — will be a true tell. Pre-pandemic, roughly 1,800 Transit buses might travel down Graham. Moving buses off Graham Avenue 'makes sense' to Aaron Moore, a University of Winnipeg political science professor who studies urban development. The vehicles had nowhere to pass each other and would bunch up, Moore recalled. Also, Graham isn't a main thoroughfare like Portage Avenue. 'Compared to what I've seen (of) other cities in Canada, this is one of the better-planned transit systems,' Moore said. 'I think while it'll take a while for people to get used to it, it'll be much better.' However, there's always consequences to such changes, including negative impacts to businesses, Moore relayed. He would've opened the strip up to cars in the short-term — there's 'not a lot of pedestrian traffic' in the city's core. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Graham Convenience Store at 438 Graham Ave. has seen a steep decline in customer traffic since buses were pulled from Graham Avenue. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Graham Convenience Store at 438 Graham Ave. has seen a steep decline in customer traffic since buses were pulled from Graham Avenue. New initiatives — and housing — in the former Bay and Portage Place mall should bring more pedestrians, said Marc Vachon, a University of Winnipeg geography professor who studies urban development. The Graham project may be better suited after the opening of Wehwehneh Bahgahkinahgohn and Portage Place's renovation, Vachon continued. He called it a 'great pilot,' except for the timing. 'At the end of the day, we're aiming for a sustainable city,' Vachon said. 'The heavy traffic and cars that we have is not sustainable.' City council tabbed $250,000 for the street's redevelopment. A US$100,000 grant from the Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative is funding the street surface murals. The pilot allows for testing ideas and learning, said Rhiannon Hayes, chief operating officer of Downtown Winnipeg BIZ. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'It's still early, and we'll be listening closely to our businesses throughout the summer and fall to see what's working and what needs improvement,' Hayes wrote in a statement. The BIZ is 'optimistic' Graham's change will help bring more people downtown, Hayes continued. Street closure signs are set to come down Monday, city spokeswoman Julie Dooley wrote in an email. There aren't current plans to route buses back to Graham. Future route changes result from the city's annual service planning process, Dooley said. The strip of Graham Avenue from Main to Garry streets continues to see buses. Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
