The Problem is Capitalism

42 Replies to “The Problem is Capitalism”

1. In all fairness, his research fails to point out that you can easily get it down to about 14 days in Toronto if you bribe the right politicians and bureaucrats.

   1. My question exactly.

2. Canada has become one of the most over-regulated countries on the planet. When are we going to elect federal, provincial and municipal leaders who will demand that for every new regulation put in place, two existing regulations must be removed from the books?

   1. Every law and regulation should have a sunset clause requiring a review of whether they were effective or if they need to continue to exist. If not justified for continuation they lapse.

      1. Why have them in the first place?
         They only give our government power over what we do with fines or closers for violations.
         I understand bad apples but that is NOT the majority.
         Have them as general guidelines is fine then but enforcement to the last nail regulations has gone far to far.

         1. Consider EBay.
            Self-regulating.
            You get a low customer rating, kiss your biz goodbye.

3. Is it any wonder, with decades upon decades of laws and restrictions that make manufacturing in Canada impossible.
   It is far easier to say fuck this shit and import what is illegal to create.
   I used to build homes and then specialized on loghomes and timberframes. The safety regulations is totally unreal now in both safety equipment that expires to safety courses updated.

   1. I can think of some oil pipeline companies who would agree whole-heartedly with your original point.

   2. I was very fortunate that my bosses would bring extremely challenging projects that totally created the craftsmanship that became from this.
      I have the ability to create luxurious log furniture never before created in which you get that WOW factor. Takes a bit of time more but what comes forth is truly amazing. Made a swing set that looks like branches holding the roof and roots holding up the main log.
      I just choose not to contribute anymore as I’ve given up on the constant regulations changes.

      1. There’s always a way around the safety BS. Like you build furniture instead of houses, no safety crap for furniture.

         Where does one go for nice timbers in Ontario? I’ve been looking online and finding nothing.

         1. Try the Ontario Woodlot Association.
            Most of the Fir and Cedar comes from BC if looking for those logs.
            Another area of search is Ontario Sawmills.

            1. Thanks! Searching now. So far, there’s not a lot of sawmills. Mostly guys cutting in the back yard with portable bandsaws.

               Hilarious that Ontario -imports- wood.

4. It’s hard to get (constructive) things built when the greatest minds in government and industry measure virtue in how much you support de-industrialization.

   1. But we must simply determine how warehouse construction affects the feminist milieu of our times. All those long, phallic-shaped vehicles coming and going (ahem) can trigger unresolved trauma. Also, trucks and large amounts of shelving certainly must be racist, somehow. Thank Gaia that our woke betters are finally in charge.

5. Think that’s bad… try permitting a mine in Kanada.

   1. Ring of Fire. Nuff said.

   2. Try building a nuclear power plant…. anywhere.

      I’ve heard it said that it takes on the order of 20 years between initial proposal to the final startup before a nuke can produce power. Much of the time, of course, is spent in the design.

      It’s having to comply with all the legislation, requirements, and associated issues that takes so long. The amount of documentation is enormous.

      Then, by the time the plant is ready to go on line, the market for its electricity has likely changed.

6. Just think of all the government employees that Toronto needs to create delay after delay. How’s *that* for creating jobs!

   1. It only takes one.

      The bureaucrats that manage permit approvals are responsible for specific geographic areas in the City. Some understand their job is to get things done and help builders while others believe it’s their job to stop builders from building things. My wife’s company has projects all over the City. One city official gets approvals done in weeks. He’s extremely helpful and conscientious. Another official won’t even respond to an email or phone call. She has tied up one project for close to two years now. Used to be you could go to City Hall and hunt them down and badger them until they approved your permit. Now they work from home and are completely hidden.

7. Want to build a warehouse to create jobs ?

   No, Pierre I don’t.

   As a small business owner I have had any desire to expand or grow my business beaten out of me by the parasites in all levels of government in this country. I could give a f*ck about creating jobs anymore. I routinely turn down business now. Every extra dollar I earn now disappears out the window in confiscatory taxes and just props up more nanny statism and lets Trudope brand me as a “tax dodger”

   F*ck that.

   1. Yep. Well said.

   2. Yup.

      Housing prices in NE B. C. were ridiculous before the Dummkopf Disease Disaster. The house I inherited was appraised for just under $250,000, but B. C. Assessment figured it was worth over $320,000 because “similar houses” in Fort St. John were selling for that price. (I managed to talk it down to $300,000.)

      People wonder why I only want the appraised value for my house when I put it up for sale, whenever that’ll be. When one sells assets, such as investments or a residence, one has to declare, for tax purposes, capital gains on half of the profit. If I break even, I’ll still have to mention the transaction on the subsequent income tax return, but there’ll be no capital gain and, therefore, no tax on it.

      Considering the way prices are going lately, I’ll probably lose money on the deal anyway.

8. After oh tool loses badly is he the rebuilder?

9. The same as the home building industry. A developer has to usually wait at least 10 years from the time he buys the property to when he can put shovels in the ground. During the wait there is at least 2 municipal elections who have the right to change the costs and conditions for the developers permits and always do, multiple environmental assessments from all 3 levels of government, and multiple traffic analysis reports. On top of that is lawyer fees for all of the assessments, zoning applications, etc, as well as carrying costs for the land while it sits idle. Ever wonder why the average new house price has doubled in the last 20 years?

   1. That’s why all the developers keep the city politicians in their back pockets. Bought and paid for.

   2. I spent more than 50 years designing buildings, mostly high rise, for developers and constantly wondered why they tolerated the obstacles thrown in their paths instead of using their money elsewhere. Rather than being welcomed as creating jobs, prosperity they were often treated as pariahs. We used to prepare fake drawings that looked like the buildings but were really preliminary. The drawing sets were submitted for permit knowing that no one would look at them for months while it meandered through zoning, environmental etc, etc, etc. We submitted the actual finished drawings later thus reducing the time delay.

10. This smells of the NWO financial reset.

11. California: 2.4 years

    And then, your project is so mangled and costly after pinheaded bureaucrats apply their unprofessional brain farts to your masterpiece that it looks like a bad Picasso imitation.

    1. Read the story of the “Big Inch” pipeline for an example of how things used to be. When American know how/ can do, was at it`s peak. German U boats were decimating the shipping in the Gulf and the East Coast and between Jan and April 1942 forty two oil tankers were sunk. It was decided to build a pipeline from Texas to New York. Work began in August 1942 and it was put into operation in June 1943. Ten months, 38 pumping stations. It is still operating today 80 years later without any mishaps. Compare to the Keystone debacle.

12. To be fair, diverse Toronto has great mosques and very entertaining shootings and stabbings every day.

13. Job creation in Canada is about employing unqualified vaginas, non-whiteys, and eco-terrorists while fellating Grievance Indians.

14. Straight out of “The Mystery of Capitalism: Why it Works in the West and Fails everywhere else” (or close to that) by Hernando de Soto.

15. Well, I’m sure a lot of that delay is attributable to climate change/environmental regulatory horseshit.

    You know, months and months of jumping through bureaucratic hoops to satisfy commitments to worse-than-useless crap like the Paris climate accord.

    Boy, sure glad that Pinky, Pierre, and all the other little Conservative jellyfish don’t support shit like that!

    Right?

16. When one considers that the powers that be WANT this country to fail, it all makes sense.

    1. It certainly does.
       Can’t even pick an apple from a tree.
       Farmers were informed that someone getting hurt is a liability to the farmers.
       So, they cut them all down.

       1. There was a time when one could readily get B. C. grown apples in the grocery stores. Not any more. Most of them come from across the border.

          According to my former stockbroker, a lot of orchards were cut down and made into vineyards. There was more money to be made in making wine.

          1. I was travelling west along the Crows nest pass highway a couple of year ago and discovered that that is what happened to a lot of Peach growers in the Okanogan as well. I found that Creston was the place to pick up Peaches.

17. And a whole lot of those former orchards are now owned by,. . . by . . . oh to Hell with it. My better judgment tells me NOT to head down that road.

    1. The libertarian in me asks who cares what skin tone a landowner has? As long he bought and paid for the land on his own. What he chooses to grow is up to him. If grapes are easier to grow and have a better financial return than apple or peaches then good on him. That is just effective agricultural and economic management. Same as a white Saskatchewan farmer choosing wheat or canola or barley.

       You’re right. Let’s not go ‘there’.

18. What is not permitted..In triplicate,along with the prerequisite bribes..I mean Fees..Shall be forbidden.
    What you thought it was your property?
    Not in Can Ahh Duh.
    Same as “Do not steal” for your government hates competition.

19. Lighten up guys and gals. Those generous public sector pensions aren’t going to fund themselves.

20. Have worked on both sides of permitting and have noted the ever widening divide between government and producers. As Kippling said ‘Government is government and private sector is private sector and never the twain shall meet’. Seriously the problem of well meaning but poorly designed regulations are a great a drag on the economy probably equal to the tax load and benefit no one.
    A major cause of delays are sincere politicians/ officials/ muni engineers who have always worked in government and never in the private sector, and frankly have poor practical knowledge, asking for something technically unachievable or not cost effective is standard. Asking for a standard of water treatment for which there is no available technology or is cost prohibitive is not unusual. Asking for levels of design which are appropriate in downtown Toronto in a rural area sounds logical but just jacks the costs without adding any benefit.
    And those are from the well meaning officials. There are also those I called Their Lordships. ‘I will look at it when I feel like it or I will ask for anything I want and if you want a permit this side of doomsday, you will do it’ are both attitudes I have encountered. One cause is that there is little private practice experience within permitting offices and little knowledgeable oversight. If new regulations had to go before a panel of users, some of the worst pieces of regulation could be avoided. Also if Their Lordships had to face a viable complaints policy and given enforced performance standards the system would work smoother.