A Solution to Toronto's Taxi Problems?

Toronto may finally have a solution to its taxi problems, and the solution does involve technology. As it stands now, after a night out, especially in a busy area like Toronto's downtown, it can be hard, if not almost impossible to find a cab. But smartphones could change that. The proposed idea to be implemented in cities like Toronto would involve the customer opening a application that knows where the customer is. It would then send a signal out to all available cabs in the area to notify them of a possible fare. The customer would then be able to browse the cabs by their price or company, and select one from the list.

Apparently, this would ensure price competition between taxis, which is most likely true. But there is a downside: it would make the task of policing the taxi network that much more difficult. Authorities now can easily detect rogue taxi operators because they need to advertise their services in order to attract customers. But with the new system, it will make it almost impossible to detect rogue taxi operators because the customers cannot tell who belongs to which companies.

In my mind, this is a system which will be implemented soon, and I believe it is a good idea. I'm sure customers will be able to tell which prices seem outrageously low enough to raise an eyebrow, and so they'll be able to police themselves.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/05/25/urban-scrawl-a-smart-solution-to-torontos-taxi-woes/

Election 2011

The Canadian Federal Election of 2011 is over with, and it seems that the early poll results were correct. The Conservatives, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, won a majority government in the House of Commons with 167 seats, while, in a surprise move, the New Democratic Party, led by Jack Layton, became the Official Opposition with 102 seats. Another surprise was the election of Elizabeth May to Parliament, the first MP of the Green Party of Canada.

On the other hand, the Liberal Party and the Bloc Quebecois were blown away by the NDP surge, as the Liberals dropped from their previous 70 seats to only 34, the majority coming in Atlantic Canada, and the Bloc dropping from around 40 seats to only 4. To add even more surprise, the leaders of these parties, Michael Ignatiff and Giles Duceppe both lost their seats in Parliament and subsequently resigned from leadership of their respective parties.

As well, something that interests me is the election in my cottage riding of Simcoe-Grey. The incumbent, Helena Guergis was a member of the Conservative Party but was kicked out last year, sitting as an Independent MP for the duration of Parliament. She was defeated by a landslide by the Party-backed Conservative MP, Kellie Leitch.

NDP Ahead of Bloc in Quebec Polls

For the first time ever, the NDP has overtaken the popular vote in Quebec, even ahead of the province's favourite Bloc Quebecois. If the election were to happen today, the NDP would be the choice for 36% of the province's population, compared to 31% for the Bloc. This is very bad news for the Bloc, who have always had the majority of the support in the only Canadian province they run in. In Montreal, they have even more support, with 40% of Montreal residents supporting the NDP.

This support could be a breakthrough for the NDP, not only in the province of Quebec, but they are also hoping that this could signal a flood of support for the party throughout the country. Jack Layton, NDP leader was born in Montreal and recently took in a Canadiens game. That, paired with the English and French leaders debate was what many think propelled him to the top of the polls in the province.

This is a big signal to the NDP that they are doing something wrong in the election. They need to do something drastic to raise their standing in the polls, because unlike the other parties, Quebec is the only province that the Bloc runs in. If they lose the public opinion, it drastically reduces their chances of having as many members in Parliament as the last election.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/978205--ndp-jumps-ahead-of-bloc-in-quebec-poll?bn=1

Launch for BlackBerry Playbook Unsuccessful

BlackBerry's Canadian launch of their rival product to the Apple IPad was unsuccessful, to say the least. BlackBerry released the Playbook on Tuesday morning to a lackluster crowd. The launch at the Future Shop store at Yonge and Dundas square was not very well attended, which is strange considering it is the largest of the Future Shop stores in Canada. There were not many lineups across the street at Best Buy either, with the lineups in the heart of Canada's largest city maxing out at around 12 people.

Sure, there are problems with the Playbook. It cannot send emails without a connection to a BlackBerry smartphone. But loyal customers who think that messaging is more important than text will buy it, regardless of the flaws in it. It is marketed toward businesspeople who would be less likely to wait in line for something before the release, so the lineups have not dissuaded RIM, the maker of the BlackBerry phone and Playbook.

I think this is just something BlackBerry dashed off in a few months to just try and compete with Apple, who dominates the tablet market every since the IPad was released last year, and are in the process of making another. It shows just how much of an impact Apple is having on the market, and how unsuccessful BlackBerry will be in this market.

http://business.financialpost.com/2011/04/19/lacklustre-launch-for-blackberry-playbook/