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Past candidate for City Councillor in Rideau Rockcliffe Ward. peterkarwacki.overbrook@gmail.com
Friday, 6 February 2026
Thursday, 5 February 2026
Advice from 70
No Gen Z'er wants to hear from a boomer, I get it. But I wanted in impart a small bit of wisdom regarding our next decade. Its going to be a bit rough before we reach Elon Musk's predicted age of abundance.
But AI, super computers, space travel, a revolution in robots and bio genetic engineering are going to give us the future that was only a dream when I showed up on the planet 70 years ago.
The world seemed so intimidating back then. How would I earn a living? How could I afford to own a house, how could I pay the bills? Sound familiar?
The key ingredient to our moving forward is this. You need to have faith. Faith, not in some God, though good luck and charity of friends helps. Faith in yourself is the critical thing. You need to believe you have the skills, drive and energy to succeed at the game of life.. To this end you need to be physically and mentally fit to tackle the changes and challenges that are coming. You need to educate yourself, not through school necessarily but through the myriad sources of knowledge that exist all around us. Go ahead get formal education if you can afford it but certification is the thing. If you have the knowledge and skill, who cares where it came from?
The belief in one's own skills and abilities far outweighs any certification. And they are portable. Nobody has to live in Canada, although that is a pretty good start.
We start off with the good fortune, pure luck really, to have been born in North America in the later part of the 20th century as boomers. I still think Canada is the place to be for the 21st.
However the world is worth exploring if you know where to go. Learn as any languages and customs has your heart desires. You don't have to leave the comfort of your own community now. Travelogs and videos are plentify and accessible. Cultural knowledge abounds. Travel only if you feel you can contribute to communities or help locals in some way. Its the prime directive. Start at home.
Wednesday, 4 February 2026
Ward 13 - what's your lucky number?
https://youtu.be/5ruPIt2fzXw?feature=shared
King Edward
Rideau
DALHOUSIE
Nicholas
Now voters have a clear choice: NIMBY or positive progress for their community and their city. Start working with project planners now!
Friday, 30 January 2026
Ottawa Transit Committee?
We have had our transit committees and experts. We have had elections, democracy and due process.
What have we got to show for it?
The average voter is driving now, many have given up. They pay the bills resigned to it, white flags raised.
The solution to the LRT woes is pretty well known now.
-New heavier duty design for wheels, bearings and axles.
-better rail bed
-better rails and rail lubrication
Who pays for it? We all will.
Ottawa LRT.. schlmozzel
What does it mean for ottawa lrt when: the design of the bearing cassettes is poor, inadequate rail hardness, curves in tracks, insuffient ballast on the track bed and the bogies themselves are inadequate for the live loads placed on them?
For the Ottawa LRT, the combination of these technical failures means the system is suffering from a fundamental, ongoing incompatibility between the train design and the track infrastructure. This results in
excessive, premature wear on wheel assemblies, presents high risk of derailment, and frequent, reduced service due to the need to take trains out of service for repairs. As of January 2026, this has meant roughly 70% of the fleet was taken out of service to replace axle bearings, leading to single-car trains, reduced frequency, and significant passenger crowding.
Here is what each technical issue means for the system:
- Inadequate Bearing Cassettes/Bogies & High Live Loads: The bearings, which connect wheels to axles, are failing far earlier than their designed 1.2-million-kilometre lifespan because they cannot handle the high lateral (side-to-side) loads. This "spalling" (metal flaking off) or shearing causes wheel hubs to break and potentially fall off.
- Curves in Tracks (Tight Radius): The track, particularly in the east end, features sharp curves that generate excessive lateral force on the wheel-rail interface, accelerating the bearing damage.
- Inadequate Rail Hardess & Insufficient Ballast under the rails: The track structure (including restraining rails) does not adequately support the train, resulting in "soft tracks" that fail to properly guide the vehicles, causing "kinks" or buckling that further increases stress on the bearings.
- Consequences for Service:
- Reduced Service & Crowding: Because of the need to replace axle bearings on many trains, OC Transpo must operate fewer or shorter trains, causing peak-period crowding.
- "Stop-Gap" Measures: The city has had to implement temporary, non-permanent solutions like increased top-of-rail lubrication, reduced speeds, and the installation of "smart bugs" to detect vibrations.
- Uncertain Future: These issues require a long-term redesign of the bearing assembly and potentially significant track modifications, which are expected to take years to fully resolve.
- Safety Risk: The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has warned that these issues pose a risk to safety if left unaddressed.
- This means higher insurance costs or uninsurable status.
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