And going back to Chris's question of "Why?' (sorry - I'm late to this party) - the question that kept going through my mind was "what?" as in "what does this have to do with anything?".
This is on of the vaguest books I've ever read - it keeps circling around the argument that we need to develop the mid-corridor of Canada without telling us how or why. Each chapter purports to go into depth to sketch out a plan; at the end of the book what do we get: we need to do this, we can't listen to naysayers, we're already behind the Soviets, so let's get going!
It may not even be a bad idea - who knows? - if someone could make an argument I could follow. Instead, here is what we get:
- Chapter seven, entitled "Living with the Climate". The first three pages are almost exclusively about advancements in logging technology. The last part of the chapter is about an ideal legal system for the North. The connection to climate? More tenuous than the connection between Sir John A's Crusade and Downton Abbey.
To be fair, there is some discussion of the climate in the middle of the chapter - yeah it's colder, but you'll get used to it.
- Chapter six "Overcoming the Distance Barrier" the section on Water Transport spends most of it's time arguing FOR train transport. Yet train transport doesn't get its own section?
- On page 85 - two separate mentions of the cost of a rail extension that excludes the Strait of Belle Isle - which adds 200 million. Why exactly is this separated? In the interest of clarity - just give us one number...
Brian - I'm glad you mentioned the prediction-disguised-as-a-fact that serves as a log line for Exodus/UK. Thank this blog for turning up the nascent idea that would one day become our second highest rated of his fictions.
But Chris's post is right - if only pesky government officials would just TRUST us, we'd do our best to protect the environment and things would be better for Canada. All 100 million of us.
Stan, nothing made me smile more than mention of a tunnel beneath the Strait of Belle Isle. The idea of a fixed link between Labrador and Newfoundland is nearly as old as Confederation - and no closer to being realized now than it was then.
ReplyDeleteThe Economist published a great piece on the idea back in 2003, the last time it was being kicked around:
"Now Let's Dig an Expensive Hole"
You can find older plans, and images that look like they come from the mind of Bruce McCall, in an old Dusty Bookcase blog post of mine:
"A Man, a Plan, a Dam - Labrador!"
You won't be disappointed.