UCP Smith Remains a Traitor to Canada

The country’s latest separatist Premier, Smith, is more willing to cut BC off than the American President she’s friends with.

“Former Alberta premier Alison Redford, speaking earlier on CBC News Network, said Alberta oil and gas “has to be on the table” in negotiations and Albertans should not consider themselves an “exception.”

hat tip: https://bsky.app/profile/luciecatnip.bsky.social/post/3mtufvpvfn22j

Remember Kenney’s UCP was looking to attack BC when they were trying to protect the environment and Canada’s Paris Agreement commitments.

I am not surprised that the Far Right Alberta premier went to Trump’s inauguration and spent time at MaraLago. She’s working hard with some lunatic Albertans to tear the province out of Canada and bring it under American control. #Abpoli #Cdnpoli 🇨🇦www.cbc.ca/news/canada/…

— Paul Orlowski (@paulorlowski.bsky.social) 2026-02-21T00:54:39.793Z

You’re Welcome America

The guttersnipe in the Oval Office posted a photo of a bald eagle beating up on a sick Canada Goose. The goose in that fight actually survived when the eagle left 20 minutes later. Here’s the story for how the USA’s national bird was saved by Canadians over 40 years ago:

The United States would also not have bison if it were not for the help of Canada in the 1900s, since the Americans destroyed their herds. https://t.co/siWK6CGzLq

— Stephen Maher (@stphnmaher) August 27, 2026

Pro-Robot Government Survey to be Graded by Robot

I sent the government an email, because their survey is skewed anyway.

AIConsultations-ConsultationsIA@ised-isde.gc.ca

Dear Government of Canada:

The threat from Generative AI and LLMs (Large Language Models) that have violated copyright law and are being used as justification for layoffs, has only grown during Mark Carney’s government. This is with a Minister of AI, who should have passed legislation by now protecting Canadians from this American-led threat to our economy, privacy, copyrights, and self-sufficiency.

“strengthening our digital sovereignty.” 

How does relying on US tech oligarchs and black-boxes that have not been profitable and can be/will be turned off at a moment’s notice, make Canada more sovereign, or stronger in a digital war? This basic question is not addressed by the Minister, or the Prime Minister, because to them, “AI for All” is just a slogan that means jack spit like fictional “Decarbonized Oil” that the PM still talks about.

Your survey is overly complicated, possibly maldesigned by an AI itself, to lower responses from average Canadians.

“AI tools may be used to process the feedback received.”

Oh, the irony. If critical responses are detected, can you trust the AI tool to not misrepresent the feedback? Daily examples of Gen AI lying to users are available if you take a cursory look online from real people.

Try listening to technologists like Cory Doctorow, and ordinary Canadians who are being hurt by the insane charge toward replacing human workers with half-wit, potentially hostile robots who have an American kill-switch.

Sincerely,
John Klein
Regina, SK, Treaty 4 Territory

Have your say on the future of AI. 🤖 The Government of Canada is looking for your input on AI transparency, accountability, and public understanding.🗓️ Share your views by September 23, 2026.🔗 Take the survey: bit.ly/4xaepfZ

— Mark Gerretsen (@markgerretsen.bsky.social) 2026-08-25T13:02:30.046Z

A Lot of EV Misinformation on the Radio and Facebook

Rant to Stacie and Joel of Play 92 for spreading misinformation about electric vehicles on their show today. It can’t be easy to rant professionally on the radio every day, but most EVs do not cost $90k, they easily charge where you already plug in your gas car, they work in the winter (as they have for the past 8 Regina winters for me), and 29% of all new cars in the world are electric already. It’s a shame Canada can’t keep up to the world despite having an automotive industry.

If Stacie has a better idea for reducing air pollution from the transportation sector of our economy, please speak up with that, instead of saying it’s “good” the government has scaled back their measly effort to limit sales of new cars from manufacturers in 2035 to electric only (like most of the world is doing).

That’s what I shared to the Regina Rant and Rave OG page the same day. There is an admin that doesn’t like me there so they rate-limited my replies to only 5 per hour, even though the thread was attracting hundreds of comments to reply to.

Here’s one I replied to:

Shawn Klassen: “what would resale be on a 90k electric car that is now 5 years old and needs a battery replacement in another 3-5 years for 20k plus? From what i hear you will never have equity in said car if you make payments over 5 years.”

You want equity in a 10 year old car?

Most people don’t pay $90k. You can get Sierra EVs for less than that, and they’ve over 700km range.
You can get a VW Buzz for that much. A sedan or hatchback is $40k. Mine was $17000, used, and the one before that was $15,500. Years later it was worth as much as I paid for it due to a supply crisis that could come again.

Have you considered what the equity will be in a 5 year old gas vehicle when everyone wants a vehicle they can recharge at home and operate for thousands of dollars less each year?

And your assumption that the battery lasts only 10 years is faulty. My 12 year old EV of the worst design has a working battery still. Most don’t fail now because of better heat management systems, so they’ll outlast the body of the car.

And then there are even less thoughtful comments:

Ron Perrin: “No one gives a shit. EV’s suck. I bet you voted liberal, and believe that paying a tax saves the environment”

Spottedhorse Vincent Wolfe: “Fully vaccinated should really do some real research instead of standing up for the corruption you call government.”

Jon Mula: “You’re so uneducated it’s crazy man.

Not one city in Canada holds the infrastructure to withstand everyone owning electric.

Go preach your liberal garbage to someone who cares.

What do you think happens to your battery when they dispose of it into planet?”

Hi Jon, good name by the way.

Every city in Canada is ready to replace every gas car and truck with an electric equivalent. How do I know? I’ve experience, education, and I can do math. Would you like to learn how too?

Every EV can charge where your gas or diesel gets its electricity from. Because you’re talking about cities, drivers are not going more than 50 km in a typical day. When you plug your EV into your wall outlet, it starts charging at a rate of about 8km/h. Less if you have a big hulking truck that’s not aerodynamic. So after a night of charging for 10 hours, you’ve got 80km of range added, but only used 50km in your average commute with errands like groceries, or taking kids to their games.

Do you know a city that can’t let drivers plug in their gas cars? No, neither do I.

I don’t mind if you don’t care, but someone else will read this and realize you’re mistaken.

And what happens to the battery? It’s reused to power a house, or otherwise gets recycled as the material will remain useful in a new battery.

Dig Coal? Catch Up.

Addressing Mike Dunn (who digs coal), as he rants on Carla Beck‘s NDP page:

Mike Dunn (in quotations)

“However the data centers pretty much ensure that coal will be in demand worldwide for the foreseeable future.”

Untrue.

They need electricity, not coal.

“I’m talking about the reality of Saskatchewan’s power grid right now.

The idea is to add nuclear power”

Then you’re not talking about now, you’re talking about the future, and coal is not the future, it’s the present and past.

“We can phase out coal when enough nuclear comes online “

Untrue.

Alberta already phased it out, and they’ve 0 nuclear power.

“nuclear power that everyone considers green create nuclear waste which is insanely toxic”

I don’t consider it green for that reason.

“Let be real for a minute. The exhaust from or coal plants is Nothing compared to the emissions from the forest fire every year.”

That’s not real, that’s deceptive speculation you got wrong.

summary of facts:’industry and power plants using coal, oil, and gas pump roughly 35 to 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air every year. Wildfires: Normal global fires make up about 5 to 10 percent of yearly carbon dioxide output.’

“Did you ever wonder why (China/India) can burn coal but we have to stop using it. We live on the same planet. “

Did you wonder why China can install 5GW of solar in 3 DAYS, so with 1100 times less effort, Saskatchewan could have 90% of its electricity provided by solar by 2035?

EV1 History

Charge Across America in the late 1990s was a forerunner to Sun Country Highway’s cross-continental EV trip with a Tesla Roadster at charging stops it set up all across Canada over a decade later.

I will forever be mad at GM for not only ruining public transportation in North America, but for ruining their own EV development in 2003 when the California regulators and the Bush EPA let off the pressure. We’d be so far ahead in our emissions problem today if the last 2 decades worth of cars were at least 10 years ahead of the progress the world’s made in 2026. Thanks Trump for the higher fuel prices!

Updated for 2026: Civic Hatchback vs. LEAF Hatchback

This is a continuation of my series showing what it costs to buy a used EV instead of a comparable used gas car. I think most people have the wrong impression that it costs more for the EV.

In 2019 I wrote a guide for people to help them decide which vehicle type saved them more money: an affordable used EV with a solar panel grid-tied system, or a used automatic Honda Civic hatchback with similar features. Here’s another update with some more recent figures given that the costs have changed over the years depending on factors like technological improvements, and supply chain shortages. The difference in price now is staggering. How are more people not figuring this out?!

2023 Nissan Leaf
Plus SV, 1 Owner | 54000km | EV | CarPlay / Android
North Vancouver, BC Certified pre-owned
$ 26,265 + TAXES & LICENSING

2023 Honda Civic Hatchback
17100km | Gas
Richmond, BC
$ 32,990 Good price + TAXES & LICENSING,

2020 Honda Civic Hatchback
SPORT | SUNROOF | HTD SEATS | CAR PLAY
108000km
Barrie, ON
$ 21,995 Great price +TAXES & LICENSING

Now that 2023 used Civic is more costly than the Civic chosen in 2024. However it’s in BC, so would cost an extra ~$1800 to ship to Regina, plus there’s the SGI safety and PST to pay for of about $1950, just like with the LEAF from BC. (You could take a bus or flight to BC and drive back for less than a shipping charge.) The base trim includes features like a rear view camera, Bluetooth, etc. The Civics in Regina are practically all sedans right now, so aren’t as comparable.

My used Nissan LEAF 2014 (bought 9 years ago), with the same technology features listed above plus rear heated seats, and heated steering wheel (handy in winter): $15,500. At my old place, I had 8 solar panels which cost $8,400 installed. Together that’s $23,900. Today if you bought a 2016 LEAF on Autotrader it would be $9,000 (much less than what it cost 4 years ago)! Assuming a $20,000 solar panel array installed, that’s $29,000. Add on $2000 for shipping, and $800 to pay for an SGI safety and tax bringing the total to $31,800.

A solar powered hatchback that costs $1190 less than a similar gas burning hatchback from 2023 that also needs 2 oil changes a year, seems like a better idea. The solar array produces far more electricity than your car will use, which lowers your home’s electricity bills. The LEAF Plus has a larger battery pack, so its range is over 300km. It doesn’t do long trips without slower recharges after a full day of driving, so you might want to rent a long-range car for some of those trips if speed is important.

You might be able to get a $10,000 solar array installed, but more typically they start at $20,000, I checked with a local solar installer who said 5KW systems are about as small as they come these days. The extra money can’t come from an interest-free loan from the federal government, Carney cancelled that. Doubting sorts might question, can a $10,000, 2.5kW solar array really power a Nissan LEAF. That’s a great question! The answer is complicated. The short answer is yes!

Using a Bluetooth OBDII car-computer reading gizmo to read the 2014 LEAF’s battery status with my phone and the app Leaf Spy Lite, it reveals my car’s battery has 20kWh of capacity, down from its brand new 24kWh selling point.

Using the Solar Edge website, I was able to determine that my solar array in March would typically produce more than 10kWh per day. That electricity is instantly used in the house, the EV if plugged in to charge, and the excess goes into the grid. The power company, SaskPower, no longer provides a 1-for-1 credit for the electricity provided vs. taken from their grid in a set year. In 2019 SaskPower ended Net Metering and started Net Billing. There’s now a 0.5-for-1 credit instead. It is still economical to get solar to offset an EV use. You’re not paying for gas, and can include the expense of the solar array in your vehicle’s operating budget.

My household tends to charge our 2014 LEAF to 100% overnight on the the Level 2 fast charger, and use it to about 50% capacity during the following day. That means it needs ~10kWh put back into it at night.  Astute readers will note that’s about how much power the 2.5kW solar array produces during the day. The LEAF doesn’t need gasoline, or oil changes. You can “fill” it at home on a regular wall plug, or a more convenient Level 2 charger.

Why are people still buying new or used Civics as an around-town car? If they routinely travel more than 150km in the city in a day, 100km at top highway speeds, or take trips beyond 400km weekly, the Civic might be more appealing, but it’s obviously more expensive and harder on your lungs and our planet’s living systems.

Now, if you want to save even more money, and save more creatures, I have another tip for you:

Buy an ebike or etrike instead of an EV, if you’re using it for in-town travel. Your cost to recharge an ebike is about 2-4 cents. That’s not a typo, it’s really only four cents to charge an ebike battery to travel up to 50km. And they’re more fun than any car.

Are Blogs Coming Back In Fashion?

I noticed that Canada’s top blogger is again adding content to their blog. Is this a trend, will blogs come back into style as people sour on Meta/Facebook and ExTwitter?

SaskPower Needs Changing

Chris Gingras Q: “estimate to provide 1,500 MW of battery storage” as a quarter of what Saskatchewan needs.

A: We can buy 25,000, 60kWh battery cars, for half a billion dollars today, and they’ve capacity to back up the grid of your quarter size, for an hour. The cost is one quarter of the money spent on a redundant highway around Regina (yqrBypass), about $450 per Sask resident.

He says that’s not a detailed plan, or good enough. Geez it’s a Facebook comment, what does he expect?

You’re missing the points, Chris. It’s only $12B, and that’s buying 600,000 people or businesses an EV, greatly reducing air pollution and not reducing grid reliability, but improving it. If you don’t attach 4 wheels and a motor to each of those batteries, and have SaskPower buy in bulk, imagine how much less expensive too.

Size it up 3 times, then basically it’s only 33% more expensive than the SaskParty’s ridiculous and illegal coal plan for $26B, but going by the expected cost of batteries in 10 years, it won’t be that much more expensive than buying coal, paying carbon taxes to burn it, and keeping turbines spinning.

And don’t you think it’s sad that I can lay out a more feasible clean electrical plan than the two biggest provincial parties, in a handful of Facebook comments,  than they cobbled together with commitees and corruption after years?

How the jobs figures pan out.Net zero: massive new employment.Return to fossil fuels: mass unemployment. Don't ever let these grifters persuade you they have your interests at heart. They dance to the tune of their funders. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre…

— George Monbiot (@georgemonbiot.bsky.social) 2026-06-25T06:24:32.925Z

GenAI Sucks Power and Water

Most people would not be surprised to learn that computer data centres need a lot of electricity and water for cooling.

“The federal government, and some provinces, have been actively courting investors, vaunting the country’s cheap electricity (much of it hydro power) and cool climate.”

Hey, that would be great, but Saskatchewan has some of the most expensive electricity due in part to having large coal generation at Estevan and Coronach. SaskPower intends to increase the cost to above 16 cents per kWh, while other provinces can get rates for hydro under or around 10 cents per kWh. So there is no argument to put a data centre in Regina’s suburb RM, if you consider the current cost of electricity.

Well then, Regina, Saskatchewan must have abundant water to cool this data centre, eh? Sorry, the mighty Wascana Creek is enough to water flowers at Wascana Park, but Regina pipes in its drinking water from Buffalo Pound north of Moose Jaw, many kilometres away. All that electricity for pumping isn’t being done on a green grid either. SaskPower planned in 2016 to be at 50% renewable by 2030, but is aiming to miss its target by a lot.

“A study done in 2023 estimated that generating between 10 and 50 medium-sized responses in ChatGPT — the AI-powered chatbot — consumed about 500 millilitres of water. That accounts for both the water required to produce the electricity needed to run the data centre (435 millilitres) and cool it down (the remaining 65 millilitres).”

Media has reported the Regina/Sherwood AI data centre as needing 300MW of electricity. That’s a huge number for Saskatchewan. When it spent over $1.5 billion on the under-performing Carbon Capture and Storage coal plant at Boundary Dam 3, it was only for 115MW of electricity! Minister Harrison’s baseless claim we have the power for projects, is not supported by SaskPower’s plan to be 50% renewable in 4 years. The Premier promised there would be no rate hike, then ~30 days later, there was a hike, in 2026. If we wait for the nuclear power the Premier mentioned, it’s not expected to begin operating for another 8+ years.

“Alistair Speirs, general manager of Microsoft’s Azure global infrastructure, acknowledges traditional industrial cooling has “been a very water-intensive process.” “One of the great things about building in Canada, and in colder climates, is that we can just use free air cooling from outside air temperatures.””

Unfortunately, it’s only reliably cold enough in Saskatchewan about 6 months of the year. And Saskatchewan doesn’t yet have the green grid needed to operate energy intensive industry without creating large GHG emissions. And our fresh water sources are limited more than many other southern cities in Canada.

Could it be possible to have a large data centre make sense in Regina? Possibly, but the technology is not implemented on our electrical grid yet. Bell is installing its own power generation using methane gas. Environmentally conscious businesses would consider solar & wind generation coupled with battery storage to shave SaskPower’s expensive peak demand charges, they wouldn’t install new fossil fuel electricity generation in 2026.

“SaskEnergy is to develop natural gas infrastructure for Bell’s on-site gas-fired power generation, to support the data centre’s peak operational demand as well as backup power generation.”

So long as the hardware is pushed to its absolute thermal limits, we’re depending on Bell meeting its commitment to use a closed-loop cooling system that won’t continually evaporate our drinking water. Perhaps if it wasn’t so far out of the city, it could more easily contribute to an electrically-heated district heating system. Otherwise, what cools the closed loop?

https://substack.com/@rachelgilmore/note/p-192146547?r=8jrw7

You’ll find a version of this blog post in the new book called Slop, available from Pete’s Press.