Author Archives: Andrew

About Andrew

Self Sufficiency, Personal Liberty, Independence, Gardening, Firearms, Fitness, Health, Hunting, Fishing, Political Freedom, and Permaculture in CANADA

In the News: Toronto Power Supply Vulnerable

Toronto, the jewel of Canada.

Maybe this is an “In the News” category or a “Lessons Learned”

Recent storms in Toronto broke the one day rainfall record there.  Previously held by 1954 Hurricane Hazel at 121mm, the storms on Monday 08 July 2013 dropped 126mm of water.  Flooding roadways and overwhelmed storm drains are one issue, but the real problems that arouse involved the power grid.  Two major hydro power transmission and distribution centres were knocked offline due to the storm, which left hundreds of thousands of Torontonians experiencing rolling blackouts or even completely without power.

The real story here is the degraded electrical infrastructure in Toronto.

Disasters and major events could cause failures to the transmission system and lead to voltage instabilities or problems with electrical supply.  In this instance, the two transformer facilities were completely flooded out.

There is more than enough electricity generated in Ontario to feed the hunger of the city.  However, bringing that power to the city, then distributing it is problem.

A report referenced in the story shows that power generation within the Toronto region has declined rapidly since 1985.

This means that our nation’s largest city is completely dependent on the rest of the provence for its power generation needs.

With so many people not assuming responsibility for themselves and building up their own backup power capabilities, events like this will continue to occur.  A smart residential generator salesman would be capitalizing on this.

Read the full Global News article here: Toronto Power Supply Vulnerable

Though Toronto is unlikely to be a hotspot for people interested in self sufficiency, it is likely that events such as this will prompt some residents to realize that they are responsible for their own well being.  If this is you and you are beginning to explore self reliance: Bravo and Welcome!

If you are reading this, please consider getting an inverter for your car that could power some of your 120V items at home.  A standalone generator would be a follow up step after that.

Perhaps this is just another story show how government has no place being involved with highly technical corporations.

The leaders are voted in and out all the time.  Priority is given to short term results, not building long-term infrastructure.

 

The sign is basically a speed limit sign with a strike through; much like a no smoking sign

Speed Kills Your Pocketbook

How speed kills your pocket book

I live in the Vancouver area and recently viewed the video that takes a deep look at vehicle speeds, road safety, police ticketing, and how the media puts a spin on a story.

A major conclusion that is reached is that people drive with a speed that is reasonable for the road’s design, the weather and light conditions, and the capability of themselves and their vehicle.  The only reason that the white speed limit signs play a role at all is because they are afraid of being ticketed.  I have always been of the opinion that people are better off concentrating on the people and traffic around them, and having to watch their speed while looking out for the cops is dangerously distracting.  While reading this you will notice that I also agree that speed kills your pocketbook.

 

A case for speed limits

As pointed out in the video, there are times where some of the speed limits make sense.

School zones, tight urban streets, narrow residential streets with children nearby, and downtown access routes with heavy rush hour congestion.  Speed bumps are effective at this as well though.

It also makes sense that the speed limit could be higher for a dry road in day time, and then changed for nighttime, fog, rain, or other dangerous conditions.  Say a speed limit of 130, 140, or 150 km/h on the freeway during a dry day, but dropping to 120 at night, 110 when wet, or 80 when it is foggy.  You don’t have to have fancy digital signs to accomplish this – all it takes is some static signs and education.

 

Different roads need different limits

The example in the video is a perfect one.  Marine Drive is a well engineered and constructed road.  Three lanes in each direction, smooth surface, and wide curves – sounds like a 70 or 80 road right?  Nope its speed limit is 50 km/h in Vancouver, exactly the same as many narrow, crowded routes heading to and from downtown.  There is no comparison between the speeds I drive and my safety on the tow roads.  I don’t remember driving under 70 on Marine, unless weather and traffic dictate that it would be smart to do so.  But Main St is a different story, with cross roads, traffic lights, cross walks, merging busses, right turners, left turners, parallel parkers, pedestrians, and probably a dozen other road hazards.  My speeds on this street vary from 30 to 60 for the most part – hitting 80 on here would be reckless unless it was closed off to the public as part of a movie set.

 

Perhaps different speeds for different vehicles is a part of the answer

I have worked hard in my life and am blessed to have purchased a nice car.  I have also owned old pickup trucks, rented cheaper cars, and driven heavier shop vehicles.

There is no comparison between these vehicles when it comes to brakes and stopping distance, handling, tire quality, weight distribution, or all around effect on the safety of myself, my passengers, or drivers and pedestrians around me.

Why then, should I drive them at the same speed or have the same speed limit enforced.  My sports sedan can stop in 1/2 or 1/3 of the distance that my old pickup or shop trucks can.  Conversely I could probably drive 40km/h faster in my car than in the truck, and still stop in the same distance.

Some roads do have different speed limits for cars and transport trucks, and I applaud this.  But these are typically on freeways where stopping distance is less of a worry than on city streets, biways, or highways.  The practicality of different speeds for different vehicles is, admittedly, difficult to enact – but in this day of traffic police knowing everything about us from their laptops anyways, this is certainly worth discussing.

 

Are speeding fines just revenue generation for the police?

I can’t be the only one who thinks that some speed limits are enforced to help fill the gaps in police budgets.  A sort of involuntary user funding.  This is the most likely reason I can think of for the continued existence of the Marine Drive 50km/h zone.  In fact, in the video you will see how the Vancouver Police Department brags about the number of people it catches on Marine Drive during speed blitzes.  During the creator’s research, not a single car was going 50, in fact I believe that the average speed was around 70.  So when then does it seem that the speed is more intensely enforced on Marine than on Main?  Is it to dissuade speeders or is it to generate revenue?  A police car sitting by the road is just as effective at slowing down cars if traffic safety is their real desire.

 

My opinions on speed and safe driving

I have lived and driven in Germany and other parts of the world.  Travelling at 180 on the AutoBahn is not a big deal there.  The cars are made for it, the drivers are trained and experienced with it, and the roads are properly designed and constructed.  Oh and 180 is just a suggestion, some will drive at 150, some at 200.  People drive within their ability, their car’s capability, the traffic, and the weather conditions.  Signs slow people down when necessary, and this condition-induced limit is enforced.  Did I mention that the accident and fatalilty rate is much lower there than here?  The video presents the specifics figures – and they are significant.  My personal experience is that I feel much safer on a two lane Autobahn at 170 than I don on the #1 or 401 at 120 – because I am paying attention to my driving, as are others, and none of us are bored out of our minds and daydreaming due to the artificially low speed for the driving conditions.  In fact, I find that the only thing I am looking out for on those highways is a police car, because I really don’t feel like contributing to their slush fund.

Read the engineers’ speed recommendations, they are unilaterally more capable at setting them than politicians, civil servants, and others who just happen to find themselves in that position.  The recommendation that I saw was to set the speed at the 85th percentile speed of a large sample group.  Well I think that’s a reasonable place to start.  Just try it and watch the results, debating and predicting does little compared to real world results.  If the traffic is going to drive that speed anyways, then this is the prudent thing to do.  If this equates to 70 on Marine, then so be it.  In fact, removing the 50 signs and changing to 70 would increase the safety on the road, since it would limit the possibility of people driving 20km/h below the flow of traffic in fear of the police enforced driving tax.  Irrationally slow traffic is one of the most dangerous obstacles that I encounter on the road – especially when they stay in the left lane.  This causes other drivers to step on their brakes, pass on the right “undertake”, tailgate, or perform a number of other driving maneuvers that are much, much more dangerous that ‘speeding’

The sign is basically a speed limit sign with a strike through; much like a no smoking sign

Germany’s “No Speed Limit” Sign

 

You can view the “Speed Kills You Pocketbook” video right here:

 

Interested in more?

In support of the movement to raise speed limits on some roads, there are education & petition websites for BC and Ontario – please visit them if you want to learn more or to let this voice be heard.

Sign the BC Petition

Sign the Ontario Petition

Do you have an opinion on speed limits?  Have you received a ticket due to an unreasonable speed limit?  Are police in your area hiding to try and catch ‘speeders’ just in the name of revenue generation?  Or is your opinion different – I’d like to hear it as well.  Please comment below.

 
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In the News: Quebec banning religious garb

I am a minarchist and fully support personal freedom and liberty.  The government has no place in regulating or banning our clothing: whether it is for religious, political, or ANY other reason.  There should be no state supported religion – all countries and states should be completely secular.

 

Recently, the provincial government of Quebec, led but the Parti Quebecois, revealed their plans to ban wearing religious outfits or symbols by those in public service.  This specifically mentions turbans (worn by Sikhs and others), Islamic headscarves, Kippas (Jewish caps), and others.  I think this action is wrong.  Now, I will never go on a parade promoting these items, but I am not offended by them at all whatsoever.  In fact, I can admire a person secure enough in their religious beliefs to wear such obvious symbols of their devotion.  Essentially, if it is not causing us harm, hindering our freedom, or standing in our way of progress with our own life – then it is none of our business.

Currently I live in a multi-cultural, international city, I think it would be boring if everybody looked the same and wore the same clothes.  Different people, different languages, different foods, different cultures, and even different clothes make for a well-balanced society.

I think this is just a case of the provincial government creating sensationalism and wasting more money in an area where they have no right to be meddling.  Thankfully all of the opposition parties in the province do not support the ban.  But why is this even being discussed?  Why does the provence think that this is an area that they even have a say in?

Read the entire Globe & Mail article here: Quebec Reveals Religious Symbols to be Banned from Public Sector

As an aside, as much as I am the biggest fan of personal liberty, I do not endorse enforcing separate laws on separate groups of people (i.e. Sharira law), wasting tax payer money on translation services (if you don’t speak English or French – that’s your problem), and any sort of minority quotas or affirmative action.

These are all forms of government interference and/or waste.

What are your thoughts on Quebec banning religious garb?  Does this affect you?

A List of Self Sufficiency Skills

Below is a list of skills the help to promote self sufficiency.  This isn’t a post for reading, but it is more of notes that I make as I think of things, hear a suggestion on a podcast, or read of something interesting on the web.

This list will be ongoing and I will add to it regularly.

Of interest are occupational skills, survival & bushcraft skills, homesteading skills, etc.

Continue reading →

What is a Self Sufficient Canadian?

What is a self sufficient Canadian?  What does it mean to be self sufficient?

It is the ability to fully take care of you and your family while taking total responsibility for yourself and your life at the same time.  The life you are living is a result of your choices, and only you can alter its course and strive for goals that move it forward.

I believe in having the skills and experience to produce your own food, providing protection for yourself and your loved ones, not being in debt or being tied to a particular job just for the money, and of accepting that your are responsible for your own health & well being.   You should not be dependent on the government or others for social welfare, ignorant of the food and drink you put into your bodies, or the steady erosion of your personal freedom & liberty.

Self reliance and self sufficiency are terms that are commonly thrown around when talking about personal independence.  They are essentially the same idea except that you are self-reliant for only a definite period of time, while complete self-sufficiency means that you can sustain your family’s life for an indefinite amount of time.  Disaster preparedness, survival skills, and bushcraft are other terms that you should become familiar with.

Production of your own food is a major theme in self sufficiency.  Gardening, permaculture, aquaponics, raising chickens & ducks, and keeping livestock are all possible ways of attaining this goal.  The sooner you start to experiment with food production, the faster you can get your learning and mistakes behind you.  Hunting, fishing, and foraging for wild edibles can be good additions to your food skills.  Nothing is more satisfying than sitting down to a tasty meal with your family, completely made up of food that you produced and prepared yourself.  This is also the most addictive aspect of self sufficiency.

Understanding that you are responsible for the protection of your family and your own self defence.

Own firearms, be proficient in their use, have sufficient amounts of ammo, and know the laws surrounding their use.  But guns are only a small part of self defence; practise being aware of your surroundings, carry a knife or blunt instrument (flashlight or kubotan), and take classes in martial arts (MMA, Kickboxing, Judo, Jiu Jitsu, Krav Maga, etc.).  The best advice that I have heard is: Don’t go stupid places and do stupid things with stupid people.

Storage of food, water, and other essential items is a major part of self reliance and self sufficiency.  Weather in Canada can be very unreliable, especially in the winter, and we should be able to survive at least a few weeks without having to go to the store.  The ultimate goal of this is to store a number of months worth of supplies.  Also know as preparedness, this allows you to weather any storm, flu or disease pandemic, a loss of your job, or even some of the far-fetched breakdowns in society that some of the people on TV seem to be preparing for.

You just wouldn’t be self-sufficient if you relied on the infrastructure grid 100% for your electricity, water, communications, or natural gas supply.  Have backup generators, knowing how to use your car as a generator, making use of renewable energy on your land (solar, wind, water), storing fuels, and having an alternate source of water.  I am an engineer by training and by mentality, so optimizing your home energy system is a true passion of mine.  Heat some water with solar panels on your roof, have propane grills or charcoal BBQs, be able to heat your home with wood when necessary, and have the ability to generate enough electricity to run your chest freezer and refrigerator when the power is out.

Health, fitness, and wellness are important aspects of self sufficiency.  It is essential that you are physically fit enough to do your household chores, go hunting, pull yourself up over a wall, chop a cord of firewood, walk 20km to town, or protect yourself from physical attack. Health is also important, with many modern diseases being caused by our diet, pollution, inactivity, and stress.  Eating a variety of natural foods encourages health.  Our modern medicine has wonderful capabilities when we have traumatic injury, require surgery, or need to treat a disease.  However, prevention is not a strong point for the medical industry since they don’t make any money from people who are healthy.  They much prefer treating sickness with drugs over prevention.  Take your health into your own hands since it is your own responsibility anyways.

Education on money, finance, government, politics, banking, and debt is important.  You have to understand that debt is a cancer, that big government is bad in the long run, that politics are mostly wasteful, and that RRSPs in the banks are not the only way to save for your future.  Exploration of alternate sources of income is recommended: whether handyman jobs on the weekend, consulting on the side, running an internet business, or selling your own products you make at home (eggs, milk, meat, vegetables, clothing, furniture, leather goods, or artwork).  I also recommend learning about various ways of keeping some of your money outside of Canada, off-shore incorporation, and ways of minimizing your risk in any one single country.

This is my view of what a self sufficient Canadian is.  You do not have to be a tinfoil hat wearing doomsday prepper or a hippie living on a commune.  All you have to do is recognize that you are responsible for yourself and your family.  Once you have done that you will naturally begin to build that life to not be reliant on others – especially the government.

A Tour of Our Summer Garden

A quick tour video of our summer garden

This is the type of garden I grew up with in southern Ontario, we could usually provide most of our vegetable requirements, and even put away a fair amount for the winter.  So continuing that trend, this is our summer garden for 2013.

I must say, this was planted before I really started learning anything about permaculture, self sufficiency, preparedness, raised beds, etc.  This is what came natural to us and, of course, we didn’t spray anything.  The only fertilization is compost and some cow manure.

Our ground is good for growning nightshades: tomatoes, eggplant, sweet peppers, hot peppers, etc.  Zucchini, squash, beans, and root vegetables grow well for us too.

A surprise this year was the size of the horseradish plants – the leaves were waist high!

Hopefully you enjoy – the garden will improve next year, I guarantee…