iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

A major problem with Canada’s airports is poor transit infrastructure and reluctance to collaborate on integration because overpriced car parking is a key revenue source. That’s likely to get worse under private management, while adding charges for drop-off/pick-up without parking like UK airports.

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The big problem with our airports is reluctance to collaborate with transit integration because overpriced airport car parking is a major revenue stream. Private management will be even worse on that score.

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

It is a big change, because a for-profit manager is going to want at least 5% more for providing the same level of service, probably more than that, and is also going to have a higher cost of capital for improvement projects.

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

That’s a good clarification of whose kit broke and whose problem it is to fix it… but also maybe we shouldn’t structure transit projects like this:

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Privatization will *not* make Pearson better. The existing not-for-profit airport authority can and does raise capital to invest, which gets paid back from user fees. The only difference will be having to also pay a profit to a private operator. If you think the airport fees are high now, just wait…

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

We work with what’s possible in the available budget, that’s for sure.

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Porter and Air Transat also… Shouldn’t the government also help out transit agencies facing high fuel bills?

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

For new affordable rental housing, which is increasingly difficult to build affordably, I get you point but as someone who sat on a nonprofit housing board I wouldn’t have been happy putting in a 100A panel that would likely need a costly upgrade in a few years anyway.

Transport Action Canada @transportaction.ca · 14/09/2026

Reposted by Terence Johnson

Funding intercity public transportation is crucial for Canada's social, economic, and environmental goals. Read more about our 2026 federal budget submission here: buff.ly/v8Qmzjd 📸 Courtesy VIA Rail

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Europe could have used Canadian gas several years ago to replace Russian supplies, but now they’re rapidly moving to sustainable energy instead.

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Just a week away now... Join me to talk about High Performance Rail and restoring passenger rail services in Alberta at the Integrated Transportation & Economic Corridor Summit in Calgary on September 16th 2026. Register at: connectingcommunities.foundation/Conference/

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Reposted by Terence Johnson

TTCriders @ttcriders.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Just as the school year begins, GO Train service is being cut. One fully-loaded GO Train can take up to 2,000 cars off the road. Doug Ford is allowing train service cuts while throwing money at new highways & bike lane removals, worsening traffic congestion. Details + how to take action!⬇️

graphic with a GO train and Doug Ford's faint face in the sky in the background.

text reads:

Metrolinx is cutting GO Train service under Doug Ford's watch. See the cuts and learn how to take action to stop them

a map showing the highlighted lines where GO cuts are happening, and details:

Barrie Line:
73% cut to weekend trains, reduced evening/night trains
Stouffville Line:
73% cut to weekend trains, reduced evening/night trains
Lakeshore West Line:
Weekend wait times doubled, most train service to Niagara eliminated
Lakeshore East Line:
Weekend wait times doubled

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

And when a kid can’t get somewhere independently it often generates two round trips for an adult to drop them off and later pick them up, causing twice as much traffic as well as a lot of lost productivity or leisure time.

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Delighted to see this announcement for VIA Rail Canada finally confirmed after many years of campaigning and advocacy work to secure the long-term future of passenger rail across Canada. www.cpac.ca/headline-pol...

cpac.ca

PM Carney Makes an Announcement in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Prime Minister Mark Carney makes an announcement and takes questions from reporters in Thunder Bay, Ont. The news conference takes place at the city’s Alstom plant, where subway cars for the Toron...

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Reposted by Terence Johnson

Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

please

Many people try to misrepresent
"We should make it better and safer for people to bike"
with
"Every person must ride a bike for every situation, everywhere, every single time"
Could we please stop this childish game?
ROVÉLO CREATIVE

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Zuckerberg's claim that the crew of the "Launchpad" weren't monitoring the radio amounts to an accusation of negligence. Any vessel at sea should be monitoring VHF channel 16, the distress and calling frequency. If you don't want to monitor the radio, stick dry land. 📸Dreamstime

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Extending the production run to restore daily service on exiting routes and reinstate other routes wound create economies of scale. It wouldn’t be daft for Amtrak to get some for the Empire Builder if they prove the be the most robust option for winter operations, but probably assembled in SLC.

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

The basic platform will be the same as the British Class 93s and other pantograph equipped EuroLights, whether there’s space provision would be the question, but it’s reasonable to expect it by 2050, and these should be expected to run for 40 years, into the 2070s. (I feel old saying that… 🤣)

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

It is a more challenging requirement for VIA Rail. It will be interesting to see whether the combination of locomotives and passenger cars can sustain basic hotel power for more than 24 hours, because it could easily take that long to provide relief to a stuck train on the Churchill route.

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

It’s 1MW peak from batteries, but total battery capacity doesn’t seem to have been mentioned. My guess is all LTO, or a mix of LTO for short-burst power factor and LFP for density and longer running capacity.

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

1. Can operate in yards and stations on battery alone, especially when making longer stops like Winnipeg. 2. Able to move at slow speed to self-rescue if diesel fails. 3. HEP can stay on, which means the lights and toilets continue to work. 2&3 are a big deal for remote routes.

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Ottawa is also geographically enormous, so a shoulder station, upgrading Fallowfield or at Kanata/417 depending on alignment, is essential to serve the western suburbs. Expecting people to drive/transit backwards to Tremblay or Ottawa Union to head for Toronto from Kanata is entirely unrealistic.

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

David Jeanes (TAC Treasurer) proposed exactly that. Michael Schabas also proposed it, including a crossing to Gatineau. It’s quite a good idea, yet comes with a high price tag versus staying at Tremblay with improved transit connections.

Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Reposted by Terence Johnson

Simple message, really. Thanks for the bluntness, @nondriver.bsky.social. #UrbanTruth

“3/4 of disabled people don’t drive. Stop using us as an excuse for car dependency.“ Via Anna Zivarts. The tagline at the bottom says “mobility freedom comes from mobility choices.“ Via the Urban Truth Collective in collaboration with Anna Zivarts.

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

The Alberta government team are stating that track-sharing with freight doesn’t work. It’s working right now, including in Florida for Brightline… with the exception of their problems with grade crossings which could be solved with large public safety benefits.

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Watching Alberta’s “Passenger Rail Master Plan” presentation and I have questions… very serious questions: 1. Why is the timeline so long? 2. Why does the proposal not consider models that work elsewhere in North America?

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Based on service frequency and reasonable platform clearance times, they’d need only one platform, although two would be preferred.

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Close, but now imagine you have a kid in a stroller and a suitcase…

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

If customers bound for destinations west of Toronto have to transfer to GO/TTC and then back to VIA, that would amount to voluntarily creating the massive connectivity problems that New York, London and Paris all spend a fortune trying to ameliorate! Union or bust…

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Without infrastructure sharing and connectivity, the project will cost much more and achieve much less. The CN/MX classic infrastructure OTP issue is therefore like death and taxes: As much as Alto wants to minimize its impact and Transport Canada seems to want to avoid it, it’s inescapable.

Transport Action Canada @transportaction.ca · 23/07/2026

Reposted by Terence Johnson

Building a high speed rail stop in Kingston should be welcomed, but only if integrated with existing VIA Rail service, otherwise it risks both Alto and VIA. Read more about our letter to Minister MacKinnon here: buff.ly/FZO5bxJ 📸 Nelso Silva (altered) | cc BY-SA

A Siemens Velaro high-speed train runs along a highway in Germany

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Looks like I finally found one thing I’d be okay with the administration slapping a 200% tariff on!

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Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

… and raising kids in unwalkable communities means being a semi-professional driver while also trying to hold down a job!

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

This issue is even more acute in smaller towns, where the population is aging faster—due kids moving to seek opportunities, often in walkable cities. Doctors are also more reluctant to tell someone it’s time to hang up their keys, because the consequences of doing so are so devastating.

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Any proposal for changes in the current arrangements would have to be evaluated on their merits. Does it reduce poverty and eliminate poverty traps, or just burden people with more complicated paperwork?

Terence Johnson @terencejohnson.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

This premise of “basic income” is that (a) there’s a floor amount you get without having to apply for it and (b) whatever effort you then make to earn money makes you better off. IMHO “guaranteed income” sounds a lot like repackaging today’s awful mess of paperwork, clawbacks, and poverty traps.