Grand River Transit

[jeffster]

I know that advertising is a deductible business expense (i.e. you pay to advertise your business), but I would not see the basis for a deduction when third party advertising is placed on you car to generate income.

In order to earn the advertising income, I would hypothetically incur expenses. So if I were paid to drive around the city showing the advertising, I would expect the gas and maintenance to be deductible. But in this case, I think the idea is that one is driving around anyway so there wouldn’t be additional expenses. If the contract specified frequent carwashing, though, that might be deductible.

I used to work for the CRA so I do have a little insight. Really two things come into play...1) How much, money wise, are you writing off. 2) How much income are we talking about? People could write off 100%, technically. However, writing off 100% puts you at an audit risk. However, if you're driving around in a 2010 Jetta and writing off 100% of $2,000 in expenses against $3,000 in 'business' income, they'll probably let it go. However, if you are writing off, say 100% of $15,000 in expenses against $3,000 in income, and reporting a loss of $12,000 (which reduces your actual T4 income), then that could very well trigger an audit.

If one was smart, they'd not write off more than 50% of that extra income (we'll say of $3,000), and keep expenses to around 50% (so that 50% is business, and 50% is pleasure), to reduce audit risk.

It really is a grey area though. If one wanted to be safe and eliminate audit risk, just don't expense it out.

[ac3r]

GRT and Metrolinx have launched a new pilot project for on demand transit in Breslau and are currently seeking public input. According to the article, they'll launch it next year and it will run for about a year.

[danbrotherston]

GRT and Metrolinx have launched a new pilot project for on demand transit in Breslau and are currently seeking public input. According to the article, they'll launch it next year and it will run for about a year.

Transit is a complicated question, but I don't think on demand transit makes sense for anything other than a safety net transit option in places where scheduled transit cannot be provided due to broken urban planning.

It's disappointing that people keep seeing it as the solution which makes transit work...it's a sign of transit being broken.

[white_brian]

Not sure if there is a Thread for the north bus barn but they are well into the steel framing stage now

[jeffster]

GRT and Metrolinx have launched a new pilot project for on demand transit in Breslau and are currently seeking public input. According to the article, they'll launch it next year and it will run for about a year.

Transit is a complicated question, but I don't think on demand transit makes sense for anything other than a safety net transit option in places where scheduled transit cannot be provided due to broken urban planning.

It's disappointing that people keep seeing it as the solution which makes transit work...it's a sign of transit being broken.

I think once Ottawa St N is extended, they could have normal service, if ridership calls for it.

[KevinL]

Vanishing Underground made a video about the progress and plans at UW.

[ac3r]

Transit is a complicated question, but I don't think on demand transit makes sense for anything other than a safety net transit option in places where scheduled transit cannot be provided due to broken urban planning.

It's disappointing that people keep seeing it as the solution which makes transit work...it's a sign of transit being broken.

I think once Ottawa St N is extended, they could have normal service, if ridership calls for it.

Are they extending Ottawa Street N in the near future? Doing that would provide great access to the Breslau area and the airport. The iXpress bus that goes down Ottawa/Lackner could go over the bridge, through Breslau and then down Victoria again providing a really fast way for people to get deeper into the city.

[danbrotherston]

I think once Ottawa St N is extended, they could have normal service, if ridership calls for it.

Are they extending Ottawa Street N in the near future? Doing that would provide great access to the Breslau area and the airport. The iXpress bus that goes down Ottawa/Lackner could go over the bridge, through Breslau and then down Victoria again providing a really fast way for people to get deeper into the city.

I hope not, it would only encourage further sprawl.  The Ottawa extension is in city plans, but it is in the "outside of the timeframe of the Transportation Master Plan" category.

[neonjoe]

Woolwich seems to be thinking about the Ottawa Street Ext

https://www.woolwich.ca/en/township-serv...Boards.pdf

[panamaniac]

Are they extending Ottawa Street N in the near future? Doing that would provide great access to the Breslau area and the airport. The iXpress bus that goes down Ottawa/Lackner could go over the bridge, through Breslau and then down Victoria again providing a really fast way for people to get deeper into the city.

I hope not, it would only encourage further sprawl.  The Ottawa extension is in city plans, but it is in the "outside of the timeframe of the Transportation Master Plan" category.

 Does the sprawl in Breslau actually need encouragement?  Seems inevitable and (I thought) long planned for.

[danbrotherston]

I hope not, it would only encourage further sprawl.  The Ottawa extension is in city plans, but it is in the "outside of the timeframe of the Transportation Master Plan" category.

 Does the sprawl in Breslau actually need encouragement?  Seems inevitable and (I thought) long planned for.

I mean, there are limits in place.  Investing in another new bridge is a great way to ensure those limits don’t get enforced.

[jamincan]

Fundamentally, I know Dan is right. Improving access will lead to more sprawl. I really resent that it is like that, though. An Ottawa St. extension would really improve access across the river, which has limited crossing options. Why can't we just use other development controls to limit sprawl while improving infrastructure?

I actually wish the region would consider more pedestrian and cycling only bridges. They are doing it over the expressway at Alpine, but the Grand River would really benefit from them as well. A pedestrian bridge in lieu of an Ottawa Extension would be great. Selfishly, between Snyder Flats and Lexington too.

[timc]

I actually wish the region would consider more pedestrian and cycling only bridges. They are doing it over the expressway at Alpine, but the Grand River would really benefit from them as well. A pedestrian bridge in lieu of an Ottawa Extension would be great. Selfishly, between Snyder Flats and Lexington too.

There was supposed to be a bridge to Snyder's Flats as part of the Walter Bean Trail. But either local opposition or lack of funding have prevented it from happening.

https://www.waterloochronicle.ca/news-st...kitchener/

[danbrotherston]

Fundamentally, I know Dan is right. Improving access will lead to more sprawl. I really resent that it is like that, though. An Ottawa St. extension would really improve access across the river, which has limited crossing options. Why can't we just use other development controls to limit sprawl while improving infrastructure?

I actually wish the region would consider more pedestrian and cycling only bridges. They are doing it over the expressway at Alpine, but the Grand River would really benefit from them as well. A pedestrian bridge in lieu of an Ottawa Extension would be great. Selfishly, between Snyder Flats and Lexington too.

I don't much like it either. I don't think we'll actually solve it though, until we are less ruled by money...

In terms of expressway crossings, that's a very interesting point, and it actually brings it back on topic. The ONLY reason the bridge is proposed is because it will let GRT service the neighbourhood across the highway with bus stops on Strasburg Rd. (i.e., a bridge is cheaper than more bus routes). It isn't a cycling or ped policy, and in fact, a better cycling option (or at least a more cost effective one) would be to improve the underpass at Homer-Watson...

[ac3r]

Sprawl in Breslau is inevitable, unfortunately. When Metrolinx builds the Breslau GO station, I imagine the entire area will slowly become suburban.