[Robair]

Cheap fertilizer, better access to Kirovets tractors and don 1500 combines, and another port for exporting grain?

What's everybody worried about?

[ziggy]

Canadian_Mind Canadian_Mind:

While I am tempted to agree, wouldn't the locals also inadvertently kill each other off? should stop the whole birth control programs up there so the northern population increases.

Population control???? That's one thing they do good up there is pump out the babies.

[Chumley]

I like how they opened the article:

"The Russian ship slipped into Canada's northern seaport under the cover of darkness yesterday"

Talk about setting the mood. Did Tom Clancy write this?

[kevlarman]

Ha ha ha! That or his slightly more expensive (because of the higher dollar) Canadian knock off. This all boils down to a wickedly great economic opportunity for north-central Canada.

[Winnipegger]

You guys forget that I already said this would be a good idea. This summer the Russian federal transport minister visited Winnipeg, talked to the mayor and premier. He wants more trade, offered to send one of their big icebreakers to open a channel through Hudson's Bay to Churchill so they could establish a permanent shipping route between Murmansk and Churchill. He also asked Winnipeg to maintain our airport for major air freight. They want to buy Canadian grain, shipped out through Churchill, and they want to use Winnipeg as their gateway to the North American market. This makes sense; since Ukraine is no longer part of their country, Murmansk is their only ocean port. Murmansk is way north, ships have to be purpose built for ice so the route past Iceland and Greenland to Churchill makes sense. Besides, Churchill is the closest port to Murmansk. There isn't a customs port at Churchill, but Winnipeg is the northern most inland customs port in North America, and there is already a rail route between Churchill and Winnipeg. Can you say major trade? I knew you could.

Russia is strapped for cash, and short of several resources such as grain. Manitoba has surplus grain, despite the fact Winnipeg set the world standard for the quality of wheat in the early part of the 20th century. Manitoba is building hog barns to convert grain into pork, feed grain to hogs they grow pork. We built so many that their shit is polluting Lake Winnipeg. With so much other pollutants in the rivers that drain into the lake, the shit has pushed it over the edge; the lake has major problems with E. Coli and algae now. And yet, we have a lot of land that isn't in production because we don't have customers. Selling wheat directly to a new customer could solve a lot of problems.

Winnipeg used to be the industrial and business centre for all of western Canada. Winnipeg was the third largest city in Canada, surpassing even Vancouver until the late 1920s. We were fourth until the late 1980s. Our airport was the hub airport for Air Canada and Canadian airlines until some politician decided to move hub traffic to Toronto. They had to build terminal 3 to handle traffic redirected from Winnipeg. Our terminal building now has shops built where there used to be a waiting area for passengers between connecting flights. But some local yahoo wants to build a new terminal building, everything new and with his stamp on it, but that means building it over our 3rd runway. We have an oversized airport terminal for what goes through Winnipeg now; we don't need a new terminal building. We do need the 3rd runway, especially if we're going to accept major air freight from Russia.

Russia is not the enemy, the cold war is over. Russia is a trading partner. The current tensions were caused by America deploying missiles on the soil of former Warsaw Pact nations. Everyone needs to calm down and accept the economic boost.

Manitoba has been saying for many years that we need to upgrade the port of Churchill, that Manitoba needs an ocean port to support its economy. Stephen Harper announced federal money to upgrade the port, and maintain the rail line from The Pas to Churchill. Great! That's exactly what we need. This sounds like a good thing for Manitoba that both parties are scrambling to take credit for.

I also said we need a permanent air force base at Resolute with CF-18 Hornets, CP-140 Aurora, and some UAVs. Move the port from Nanisivik to Resolute, and the airport terminal building from Nanisivik to Arctic Bay. Build a port at Iqualuit to accept ships from Churchill.

Some of you said "The Russian's Are Coming". I say great! Could they please bring some beautiful single women? Well, just one for me? (up comes the music: Elton John's "Nikita".)

[Winnipegger]

Canadian_Mind Canadian_Mind:

anybody who has lived a winter in Manitoba as survived damn near the same conditions as most of Siberia. the cold is as much our friend as it is theirs.

I once saw a video of an American who went to Russia to meet a Russian lady he ment on-line. He complained about how cold it was, but the video showed him walking beside a river that was still liquid and flowing, and his fur coat was open. I thought "he doesn't know from cold!" He was from California and lived in a city on the coast of Australia for years. So I look up weather stastistics to compare with Winnipeg. I couldn't find any place east of the Ural mountains that was as cold as Winnipeg; Moscow is warm! The places most like Winnipeg are the cities of Omsk and Tomsk, both in the oblast of Omsk, Siberia. You literally have to go to Siberia to find some place as cold as Winnipeg.

[ShepherdsDog]

Well, I've lived in northern Manitoba for a few years and some of the narrows up there don't freeze no matter how cold it gets, and we had some -50 weather (not counting the windchill - -Thank Christ for dense bush). They are deep and the currents are strong. I think the coldest spot in Siberia is a large pocket around Lake Baikal isn't it?

[ziggy]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

Well, I've lived in northern Manitoba for a few years and some of the narrows up there don't freeze no matter how cold it gets, and we had some -50 weather (not counting the windchill - -Thank Christ for dense bush). They are deep and the currents are strong. I think the coldest spot in Siberia is a large pocket around Lake Baikal isn't it?

On discovery the other day they said repulse bay was one of the worst places in Canada for weather.
I was looking at the enviro canadas weather stats,they go back to 1953 and this year was the coldest in camp since they started taking measurements 12 years ago.We broke windchill records for allmost 20 days straight,not one day was warmer then -70 with the wind.Glad I read those stats because I was getting leery about spending another winter like the last one.Usually it's warmer,only in 1970 did they have temps at Baker lake that were allmost as cold as this years.I know a few people who are at Devon island at that mars research station,they have some good videos on youtube,now thats a cruel place to live.

[ShepherdsDog]

live??? I think....... exist...... might be a more apt term.

[ziggy]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

live??? I think....... exist...... might be a more apt term.

After Churchill it's all white,all cold,the desolation is beautifull.When I first flew into Nunavut I couldnt believe the places some call home,hell even northern Manitoba was pure outback tundra to my eyes.Wild and huge,you get to see lots of it when you fly Calm air.

[ziggy]

Winnipegger Winnipegger:

Canadian_Mind Canadian_Mind:

anybody who has lived a winter in Manitoba as survived damn near the same conditions as most of Siberia. the cold is as much our friend as it is theirs.

I once saw a video of an American who went to Russia to meet a Russian lady he ment on-line. He complained about how cold it was, but the video showed him walking beside a river that was still liquid and flowing, and his fur coat was open. I thought "he doesn't know from cold!" He was from California and lived in a city on the coast of Australia for years. So I look up weather stastistics to compare with Winnipeg. I couldn't find any place east of the Ural mountains that was as cold as Winnipeg; Moscow is warm! The places most like Winnipeg are the cities of Omsk and Tomsk, both in the oblast of Omsk, Siberia. You literally have to go to Siberia to find some place as cold as Winnipeg.

Here's a good place to see Canada's weather since 1953 national climate archive. They actually have some pretty extensive data taken from environment Canada's remote weather stations and airports,some of it is hour by hour.

[Winnipegger]

Sorry, I didnt' find any place west of the Urals as cold as Winnipeg. Sirberia is east of the Urals mountains.

That was based on the average daily high and low for each month, 12 months per year, based on weather statistics from weather.ca. I have looked at the national climate archive, but there's too much data to compare Winnipeg with every other city in Russia for which we have data. The statistics at weather.ca were more managable.

Oh, in that video not only was the river free flowing, both the man and woman were talking with their coats open. There were patches of grass not covered by snow, expecially near the river. The Red and Assiniboine rivers here in Winnipeg completely freeze over every winter. Weather statistics show the mean temperature for January is -8ºC in Moscow, -17° in Winnipeg.

[ziggy]

Winnipegger Winnipegger:

Sorry, I didnt' find any place west of the Urals as cold as Winnipeg. Sirberia is east of the Urals mountains.

That was based on the average daily high and low for each month, 12 months per year, based on weather statistics from weather.ca. I have looked at the national climate archive, but there's too much data to compare Winnipeg with every other city in Russia for which we have data. The statistics at weather.ca were more managable.

Oh, in that video not only was the river free flowing, both the man and woman were talking with their coats open. There were patches of grass not covered by snow, expecially near the river. The Red and Assiniboine rivers here in Winnipeg completely freeze over every winter. Weather statistics show the mean temperature for January is -8ºC in Moscow, -17° in Winnipeg.

I was surprised that the coldest temp in Alert bay for the few years I went through was -48. Havent looked at Winterpeg stats yet though.Must be why I like working in the Arctic,I was born in winterpeg.

[ziggy]

Some quick stats from Environment Canada.These were taken from daily reports during all of november to march.
Between 1946 and present Winnipegs coldest temp recorded at the airport was -45 in 1966.
Farther north at rankin inlet their coldest was -49.8 on feb.15 1990
Inland from Rankin at Baker lake they have the record at -50.6 on Jan.20 1975.

Winnipegs colder then Rankin or Baker untill january on average,then its pretty well colder than - 40 for jan/feb in nunavut every day.

I didnt check out Churchill or Thompson.

[Streaker]

Robair Robair:

Cheap fertilizer, better access to Kirovets tractors and don 1500 combines, and another port for exporting grain?

What's everybody worried about?

Indeed, there`s more silly, paranoid fertiliser in this thread than in the hold of that Russian ship.