Canada Just ENDED 15 Years of Dependency — And What Rolled Out in Winnipeg Changes Everything

Canada’s manufacturing future may have just shifted — but not in the way many expected.   In Winnipeg this week, something quietly rolled off the line for the first time in over a decade… and it didn’t cross the border to be finished.

For years, Canadian-built buses were only partially completed before being sent to the United States for final assembly. That long-standing pattern has now been broken.

New Flyer has expanded its facility to design, engineer, and fully assemble hybrid electric buses entirely in Canada — a move backed by a $38 million investment and thousands of jobs tied to it.  But this isn’t just about transit.

It signals something much bigger: a shift away from cross-border dependence at a time when global trade is becoming increasingly unpredictable.

After 15 years, “Made in Canada” is no longer partial — it’s complete again from start to finish… and the implications are only beginning to unfold as the internet is exploding.

Strait of Hormuz - closed again!

Five cruise ships were able to sail through the Strait of Hormoz before it was closed yesterday.  I am not sure if there are still any cruise ships being detained.  All passengers have departed and only the crew needed to sail are on board.  I know one more Celestyal ship was able to leave the strait that's not on this map.

I did a search and found this:

1. At least 14 ships stopped by Iran (India‑bound)

A PTI‑sourced report states that 14 India‑bound ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz were stopped by Iran, with one vessel hit by gunfire.

2. More than 20 ships turned back by the U.S. blockade

NBC News reports that the U.S. military says 21 ships have been turned back to Iran since the blockade began. These are vessels prevented from exiting Iranian ports or proceeding through the strait.

3. Some tankers forced to turn around after being fired upon

TankerTrackers.com reported that vessels—including an Indian‑flagged supertanker—were forced to turn around after Iranian gunboats opened fire.

4. A few tankers have transited despite the blockade

CBS News confirms that at least several tankers, including the crude oil tanker Alicia, successfully transited the strait overnight, even under blockade conditions.

Letters to the Editor

In October, Surrey, BC will have a civil election for Mayor.  To date, five people have declared they will run.  I know of one more candidate that isn't going to announce until August.  Some are good, others are opportunists who need a job and then there is the 82 year old former Mayor who lost in the last election and had a disaster of failures in his last stint as Mayor.  He's had two strokes since his Mayor days.

I've met Ivan who wrote this letter and I must say he's right on!

Letter to the Editor                                      14 April 2026

“Why Stop at Zero?”

Dear Editor,

82 year-old former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum has again entered the Surrey Mayoral race of 2026 after previously failing badly in the 2022 election. If it wasn’t so sad, it would be quite funny. Actually, it is humorous – and he is entering with the same failed, familiar political offerings: including a ridiculous promise of a zero percent tax increase for four years!

Why stop there?

·         Why not promise an immediate four percent tax reduction — with no increases for ten years?

·         Why not give two (or three) police helicopters instead of the unnecessary one he is offering?

·         Why not 400 additional officers to match Vancouver?

·         Why not rather declare Surrey a “world-class city” overnight?

·         Why not promise honesty; integrity; honor;  truthfulness; virtuousness; uprightness of character; morality?

Because at some point, words collide with reality.

McCallum promises expanded policing, new infrastructure, accelerated development, and “opportunity zones for growth.” - impressive phrases. But they are, at present, nothing more than that — just phrases. He has promised it before and failed.

A city does not run on slogans – especially McCallum’s slogans. It runs on arithmetic.

Every "promise" he makes has a cost. Every expansion requires funding. Every delay in revenue must be compensated somewhere — through reduced services, increased debt, or deferred responsibility. There is no escaping this.

So the question is: are these ideas logical and do they make fiscal and common sense, and are they credible, costed, and achievable? The answer, in my opinion is – definitely no! McCallum is just trying to bribe his way in – he cares nothing for Surrey as a City. As before, he cares only to satisfy his own ego.

Surrey is not a campaign stage for aspirational language. It is a complex, growing city that demands disciplined thinking and honest accounting.

Residents deserve to be treated as adults — capable of understanding trade-offs, not simply being handed imaginary and comforting numbers and Words. Words. Meaningless Words.

Definitely not McCallum for mayor, we have far too much to lose.

“Zero” is not a plan.

Christina Onassis

Christina Onassis inherited the most famous private fortune in the world at twenty-four years old. She ran it competently, expanded it strategically, and proved that her father had been right to train her as his successor.  None of that saved her.

After the $26 million settlement with Jackie, Christina took control of the Onassis shipping empire. By most accounts she was sharp, decisive, and serious about the business.  She relocated the company's operations, managed a fleet that spanned continents, and navigated the volatile shipping markets of the late 1970s and 1980s with the instincts her father had spent years building in her.

But the business was the only part of her life that held.

She married four times. Every marriage failed. Her first husband was an American real estate developer twenty-seven years her senior — her father cut off her trust fund in protest and pressured her until the marriage collapsed after nine months.  Her second was a Greek shipping heir, married shortly after Aristotle's death, gone within fourteen months.  Her third was Sergei Kauzov, a Soviet shipping agent whose background was unusual enough that Western intelligence services flagged the relationship.  That marriage lasted roughly two years. Her fourth husband was a French businessman named Thierry Roussel.  He fathered two children with his long-term mistress during the marriage.  He didn't stop when Christina found out.

She was diagnosed with clinical depression at thirty.  Her doctors prescribed barbiturates, amphetamines, and sleeping pills.  She became dependent on all of them.  She was hospitalized for overdose at least once during the 1970s. She went on crash diets that stripped weight rapidly, then regained it when the depression returned.  She paid friends as much as thirty thousand dollars a month simply to clear their schedules and spend time with her.

By 1988 she had one thing she had wanted her entire life — a daughter, Athina, born in 1985 from her marriage to Roussel.  She was trying to build something around that.  She was in Argentina, staying with friends outside Buenos Aires, reportedly considering starting over there.

On November 19th, her maid found her unresponsive in the bathtub of the Dodero family home in Tortuguitas. The official cause of death was pulmonary edema — fluid in the lungs, heart failure.  The Argentine judge handling the case stated publicly that he could not rule out the role of barbiturates or amphetamines.  Greek press reporting from December 1988, drawing on autopsy results, confirmed large quantities of barbiturates in her system.

She was thirty-seven years old.

Her body was flown to Skorpios.  She was buried in the family plot beside her father and her brother — the two people she had spent her entire adult life grieving.  Her $250 million fortune passed to Athina, who was three years old.

Jackie Kennedy was fifty-nine and living in her Fifth Avenue apartment. She would live another six years, working as a book editor, attending cultural events, remaining one of the most recognized women in the world.

She outlived Christina Onassis by six years.

Jackie walked into the Onassis family in 1968 with nothing but leverage and walked out in 1975 with $26 million, a famous name, and her life intact.  Christina was born into that family and it consumed everything she had.

The Red Hat Society is 28 this month

 

For the last four years, Mulburry Parc Retirement Living in Burnaby has invited us to celebrate Red Hat's Birthday.  They roll out the "red" carpet for us.  This year they served  afternoon tea!  It was delicious.  The chef came and explained about all the sandwiches and desserts.  He explained to those with Celiac or have a nut allergy what they could or shouldn't eat. They gave containers for those who live alone to take leftovers home.  Very thoughtful!

The plant is on the left along with a nice glass of champagne as we entered!

The scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam were delicious

This year we lost three members.  Our Queen displayed a memorial with their pictures and Red Hats!

Elizabeth, one of our long time members had a lot of red hat regalia.  Before she passed, she donated it all to us.  In January we had our lunch and displayed all of her red hat regalia for anyone to take.  No money was exchanged, just remember Elizabeth when you wear it.  Vicki, our of our members was the same size as Elizabeth and she wore Elizabeth's clothes to our lunch yesterday!

Vicki in her finest Red Hat attire!

On May 3rd our late member Janet's family is having a Celebration of Life.  We will go in our Red Hat regalia and celebrate her life.  It's a wonderful organization!

The Red Hat Society has spread to other countries in the world.  As of 2011, besides the thousands of chapters in the U.S., there were local chapters of the Society in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Ecuador, England, Finland, Germany, Greece, Guam, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Namibia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, and Wales.  They didn't publish how many members they have so I asked AI and AI said 50,000 world wide.  

When I went to England a few years ago, I emailed a Red Hat group in London and joined them on a trip to a small museum and lunch!  They were a hoot!  We went to a pub for lunch and left at 4:30!!!  No one drove, they all took the train.

The Madison

 

Taylor Sheridan who wrote Yellowstone has written another wonderful series, The Madison.  It's on Paramount + and it's wonderful.  I don't want to spoil the plot but the Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer are the stars.  It caught Cec's attention when Kurt was fly fishing on the Madison River in Montana.  The first series is only six episodes and we binge watched it as we enjoyed it so much.  It's been renewed for a second and third season!  Taylor wrote and was the Executive Producer of this series.

Taylor's next production: Dutton Ranch is scheduled to be released on May 15th.  The nine episode series follows Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cold Hauser) from Yellowstone as they start a new chapter in Texas, facing a ruthless river ranch.  I loved these characters in Yellowstone and I am really looking forward to this series.

Ride your Horse to a Bar Day. Who knew?

I've never heard of "Ride your Horse to a Bar Day"!   I don't have a horse, but I love a bar.  My cousin Laurie's daughter-in-law Simone Stich is on the right horse!   I loved this story and thought I would share it.  It was on the front page of this week's Surrey Now Leader.  I am now following them on Instagram.  I saw Simone last month at the shower she threw for her new sister-in-law.  We've been on a cruise together and she took advantage of the alcohol package!  She's a wonderful daughter-in-law!

Happy horse riders took to Surrey streets on Thursday (April 2), dubbed National Ride Your Horse to a Bar Day.  Friends Heather Kennedy, Simone Stich and Kristyn Ward rode horses Tommy, Wazabi and Phoenix from the East Guildford Park and Ride on 103 Avenue to The Barn country bar, on an adventure that’s quite familiar to Kennedy and Stich, aka the “Wild Trails Cowgirls” on Instagram.  They often ride their horses in urban settings across Metro Vancouver, raising eyebrows and making people smile along the way.

Held annually on April 2, National Ride Your Horse to a Bar Day was created in 2021 by Dale Garwood, according to a post on nationaldayarchives.com. “The day highlights the long history of ‘coaching inns’ or saloons that historically provided stables and rest for horses while travelers had a drink,” the website notes.  Kennedy saw word of the Day on Facebook and with Stich planned a two-kilometre, 30-minute ride to the popular Barn bar on 102A Ave., near Guildford Town Centre.  “We ride for the fun of it and also the challenge, and to do something different than riding in an arena or just on the regular trails,” Kennedy told the Now-Leader.

“We find somewhere fun to go and just make it work. We’ve ridden in Vancouver, down streets and along Southwest Marine Drive. We’ve been in Surrey before, and just recently we rode on the closing day of Pattullo Bridge, took the horses across there. We did some research about it and, of course, back in the early days of the bridge there was horse crossing, so we brought them back that day.”  Kennedy says horses are legally allowed on city streets, per the Motor Vehicle Act. “They’ve never changed it since the days of horse and buggy. But the highway, you have to do 60K (kilometres per hours), so we’re not allowed there. But these roads, we’re allowed.”  According to Stich, horses are allowed in Surrey parks, too, as long as they’re under control and riders clean up after them. “We have a pooper-scooper and will use it when necessary,” she said.