It's time to decide the future of the Traffic Bridge, a report going to city council on Monday recommends.
The city's oldest bridge, which opened in 1907, isn't in immediate danger of closure, but it's no secret that its life is limited, said Mike Gutek, acting general manager of infrastructure services, in an interview Thursday.
"We're at that point where the bridge is coming to the end of its service life and it's no longer a question of, 'Well, that's far enough in the future that we'll figure that out later.' We need to figure that out now," said Gutek.
Council is being asked to approve a needs assessment and functional planning study for the possible replacement of the Traffic Bridge, formerly named the Victoria Bridge, including "extensive public consultation."
The project would include: assessment of current traffic; pedestrian and cycling usage; recommendations for the number of lanes if it is to remain a traffic bridge; and how the bridge might be configured as a transit-only or pedestrian/cyclist-only structure.
An additional report to council recommends an inspection of the underside of the bridge, which would require $95,000 this year. While the bridge is inspected on an annual basis, there are some parts that require a closer look, said Gutek.
The future of the Traffic Bridge was hotly debated in 2005 and 2006, when a series of reports called its health into question. The bridge was closed in late 2005 due to concerns about corrosion in the steel trusses (it had been closed immediately prior to that during construction of the roundabout on its downtown side). It reopened in September 2006 after repairs that extended the life of the bridge for 20 years, to 2026.
Coun. Charlie Clark said it's important to have a public discussion about the future of the iconic bridge, which is part of the defining image of Saskatoon as the City of Bridges.
"My hope is we can still operate the bridge for years to come," he said. "It's a cherished bridge and we want to... make every decision about the bridge as carefully as we can."
Clark noted that it's unfortunate the bridge's life was shortened because of decisions in the past to neglect certain repairs, such as a recommendation in a 2003 report -- which never went before city council -- to re-coat the steel truss members to slow down the rusting process. The re-coating wasn't done.
The type of steel used in the Traffic Bridge is no longer used when building bridge structures precisely because of its susceptibility to corrosion. The riveted joints, rather than bolts, are also prone to corrosion.
The only other steel truss bridge still standing in the province, at St. Louis, is being replaced by a new bridge located two kilometres to the east. One of the options for the Traffic Bridge that's been put forward in the past is converting it to a pedestrian-only bridge, but the report to council notes that wouldn't extend its life in its current state any further as "remedial work would still be required."
However, making the repairs necessary to convert the bridge to pedestrian-only in the future will be an option considered in the planning study.
The closure of the Traffic Bridge for inspection later this year is expected to last two to three weeks, during regular working hours, said Gutek. The bridge sees about 7,000 vehicles per day.
It's hoped the planning study, including public consultations, will be complete by the fall.
Toronto Transit Commission chair Adam Giambrone may be a champion of public transit, but he has nothing against taxis, as records of city councillors' 2009 office expenses show.
Giambrone expensed more than $3,000 in cabs last year, including a trip home after taping an episode of his Ride the Rocket TV show on a streetcar.
About $2,400 came from his office budget, with the rest billed to the Toronto Transit Commission.
Giambrone, like other councillors, has a city-provided Metropass. He also expensed $256 in tokens plus some weekly and monthly Metropasses for his staff, including $173.50 in July for "staff travel."
One cab ride is billed as a "ward survey during the strike," referring to last summer's garbage strike.
For a second year, he also expensed private French lessons, although the $2,299.50 he spent was down from almost $4,000 in 2008. He said last year the expense was justified because he's Toronto's representative at AFMO, an association of French municipalities in Ontario and does interviews with Francophone media.
In total, the TTC chair spent $41,801.90 of his maximum $53,100 budget.
Giambrone (Ward 18, Davenport) dropped out of the mayoral race last month amid a sex scandal in which he lied to the Toronto Star about his relationship with a university student. He has since been defending his chairmanship of the TTC.
In an emailed response to questions from the Toronto Star, Giambrone wrote: "I am on the TTC 4-5 times a day and this is my main mode of transportation. Many people see me on the system everyday and can attest to this."
He added that he walks, cycles, takes public transit and taxis to the many events he attends every day.
"Clearly there are not enough taxis bills submitted for this to be my main mode of transport. There are, however, sometimes when taxis are needed due to time constraints or what I am carrying with me (i.e. files). All expenses fit within the Council policy."
The biggest spender on council was Michael Walker (Ward 22, St. Paul's), who came within $48 of the limit. He announced last week that he is not seeking re-election in the October election.
The lowest spender was, as always in recent years, Rob Ford, who billed taxpayers for nothing, merely notifying city officials he spent $708.78 of his own money on council business.
On Wednesday morning, Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North) called Giambrone's cab expenses "ridiculous."
"I've taken two cabs in 10 years of politics and I think they were for fundraising dinners after council," said Ford, who is rumoured to be set to launch a mayoral campaign. "He's the TTC chair -- how does it look that he's taking cabs everywhere?"
Ford said the councillors' office budgets, which don't include $205,557.47 in another budget for the equivalent of three full-time staff members, is "nothing but a slush fund."
He said he doesn't expect other councillors to spend nothing but $20,000 would be more than enough to cover all legitimate expenses, saying the mail-outs, advertisements, skating parties and other similar expenses are "shameless self-promotion that don't benefit the public."
Honda Canada announced Tuesday that it will recall thousands of vehicles after fielding owner complaints involving brake pedals. The recall involves 24,680 Odyssey and 4,137 Element vehicles in Canada from the 2007-2008 model years. The company plans to modify the vehicle stability assist modulator, which is connected to the ABS braking system.
The announcement in Canada coincides with a recall of more than 400,000 vehicles in the United States involving similar models.
Honda said the complaints reported that the brakes felt "soft" or "gradually exhibit a pedal height that gets lower (closer to the floor) before the vehicle stops." In vehicles reporting this, the condition increased over time.
"It's not something that suddenly happened" but occurred over time as customers reported "my brake pedal feels funny," Richard Jacobs of Honda Canada Inc., said Tuesday.
No confirmed accidents were reported in Canada as a result of the brake pedal concern, but some have been reported in the United States.
"There have been a few accidents and several minor injuries (in the U.S.)," said Jacobs. "But it's mostly been just from consumer concern over the feel of the pedal; it seems to be a little more 'spongy.'"
Honda said some modulators could allow small quantities of air in, which over time, could accumulate and result in the "soft brake pedal" or "low brake pedal" being reported by customers. The fix will remove air from the units and seal it so as to prevent it from coming in, something Jacobs described as "a very quick in-and-out procedure."
Honda said not all recalled models reported these issues, but the company was recalling all units to "assure all customers that their vehicles will perform correctly." The company plans to notify customers beginning at the end of April, so can they bring their vehicles in to Honda dealers.
Jacobs said people concerned with their vehicle's current performance would be asked to bring them in immediately.
"There are things we can do right now but there's a specific process that will be ready," in the next few weeks, he said.
The recall was announced as the chief executive of competitor Toyota Canada was expressing regret at the "anxiety and inconvenience" that the company's recent recalls have caused its Canadian customers.
"Over the past few months, many Canadians have wondered whether Toyota vehicles are safe, and we regret that this has caused our customers both anxiety and inconvenience," Toyota Canada CEO Yoichi Tomihara told the House of Commons transport committee.
Toyota Canada executives were summoned to testify before the committee to explain why the company has been forced to recall millions of vehicles worldwide.
Toyota has recalled more than eight million of its vehicles since November 2009 because of instances of unintended acceleration.
City councillors were united Monday in support of adding $1.5 million to the snow removal budget, including a new policy to clear residential streets when they become badly rutted.
But a proposal to give city crews the ability to clear snow part way onto sidewalks to free up room for parking on residential streets was widely criticized. Now, the question turns to how willing council will be to support the increase early next month in the face of operating budget pressures stemming from city growth.
Councillors approved the new spending during an executive committee meeting, sending the matter to an April budget meeting for final approval.
"I think it's obvious that council needs to be focusing more priorities on snow removal," said Councillor Tiffany Paulsen. "People are frustrated when you pay significant property taxes and they don't see a snow-plow down their street even once a year."
The additional cash for the city's snow and ice budget, which would put it above the $7-million mark for the first time, was pitched as part of a series of changes to policy after criticism flowed in following a January storm. The city needs a separate policy for dealing with rare storms that drop 15 centimetres of snow or more on the city, public works manager Wade Gasmo said.
The major change would be in how the city handles residential streets. Now, city crews only clear residential streets as needed after priority streets are cleared, but many residents complained in January of deep ruts and drifts, making it difficult to get around.
If the extra money is approved, residential streets would be cleared when ruts of greater than 10 cm appear either after a major storm or as that amount of snow accumulates over time. The city's administration also pitched a change that would give crews the ability to store snow on a one-foot width of sidewalk as long as two feet of sidewalk remains clear.
The idea, which mimics a Regina policy, was to give crews a place to pile the snow because of complaints from drivers that snow windrows were blocking parking, said acting infrastructure service manager Mike Gutek.
But councillors were cold to the idea of allowing snow storage on sidewalks, with some wondering how crews would ensure a portion of the sidewalk remains clear of snow.
"Is somebody taking a ruler out there?" said Paulsen. "I think it's a bad, bad idea."
"The message in there was pretty clear," Gutek said after the meeting. "The pedestrians get everything and don't worry about the parking on the street."
Councillor Charlie Clark also requested the city's administration report back at budget time on how to improve sidewalk clearing after the city was delayed in responding to and enforcing complaints following the last storm.
"I can see within a week we're not going to be able to respond, but within a month?" Clark said.
So, the question is: what do we get for $1.5 million more in snow removal? Well, here's what you get:
Residential streets cleared when 10 cm ruts appear.
Residential streets cleared two to four weeks after storms.
Taking Saskatoon Transit is relatively easy, right? Well, with Phone&Go, some services are limited, and with Click&Go, it's slow, and you're better off knowing the addresses of where you would like to go, since not every business is listed on there. Of course, it would be easier to use the service in conjunction with Google Maps or something like that.
Well, soon, Google Maps will be launching a 'public transit' feature when you are viewing maps in Saskatoon through the service. So, let's just say you were at the Real Canadian Superstore located at 2901 8th Street East and wanted to travel by bus to the Real Canadian Superstore on Confederation Drive. Well, you would simply choose the two stores on Click&Go, which is slow. But starting in June, that will be a lot more simple, as you can do it all on Google Maps.
The service is called Google Transit, and will launch in late June, according to Google, although no firm date has been confirmed.
Transit planner Kevin Sturgeon says that even when Google Transit launches, Click&Go will continue to run though.
It would be easier to get transit information on Google Maps, as virtually all businesses and residences in Saskatoon are on Google Maps.
There are currently ten Canadian cities that are under the service, including Calgary Transit, which also uses the same software as Click&Go for their Trip Planning feature. Their trip-planning feature is located at http://tripplanning.calgarytransit.com.
The Conservative government appears ready to move ahead on imposing random roadside breath testing, which a new federal discussion paper says has produced "remarkable results" in catching more drunk drivers in other countries.
The Justice Department is inviting public input on the idea of random sobriety tests and federal officials plan to meet this month and next with provincial ministers and other experts to measure support.
In a rare move, the federal government has posted on its website a discussion paper, weighing the benefits of random testing, seeking feedback by the end of April.
Empowering police to conduct random breath tests would replace Canada's 40-year-old legislation on impaired driving, which dictates that breathalyser tests can only be administered when there is reasonable suspicion of drunk driving.
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has already said he likes the idea, and MADD executive director Andrew Murie said the coming talks with interest groups and provincial governments are a sign the government could take action.
"I think the tone is that this is something they should do and the discussion paper reflects that," said Murie, stressing that he has no inside information on when, or even if, a proposed new law would be introduced in Parliament.
The Justice Department paper states the government is eyeing "a comprehensive set of reforms" to combat impaired driving.
Murie described random breath tests as "No. 1, far and away" among about eight recommendations last year by the House of Commons justice committee that would reduce the growing number of deaths caused by drunk drivers.
The aforementioned discussion paper, which states that the Government of Canada accepts the committee's recommendations in principle, noted that Canada would be following Australia, New Zealand and 22 European countries that have imposed random testing.
The Justice Department reports that such testing has reduced fatal crashes by as much as 35% in some jurisdictions and, in New Zealand, saved society more than $1 billion in 1997 alone.
Federal Transport Minister John Baird says he wants to hear from the federal privacy commissioner regarding new American security rules that require Canadian airlines flying over the United States to give U.S. authorities the names of passengers as part of anti-terrorism efforts.
"We're going to consult the privacy commissioner," the minister said Thursday. "There has to be consent for the information to be shared."
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's new Secure Flight policy, which takes effect in December, stipulates that passengers who raise the suspicions of U.S. authorities can be prevented from boarding flights that traverse American airspace, even if the flights are not on U.S. carriers and do not originate or land in the U.S.
Baird said the U.S. officials aren't looking for detailed information on passengers. "When they say they want personal information, they are not looking for health information or income tax information. What they are looking for, as I understand it, is your name and your birth date."
Nevertheless, Baird said he expected the Americans to be reasonable and expressed understanding for the American concerns. The Secure Flight policy is a broadening of existing policy that already allows the U.S. to keep aircraft out of American airspace if authorities believe a person on a U.S. government terrorism watch-list is aboard.
For example, at least twice last year, Air France Flight 438 between Paris and Mexico City was prevented from entering U.S. airspace because one of its passengers was on such a list.
Secure Flight applies to flights to, from or over the United States, from Canada to another country. Flights between two Canadian cities that travel over U.S. airspace are excluded, but about 80% of Canadian flights to the Caribbean and other southern points and to Europe fly over the U.S.
Will the introduction of this new security protocol make travelling even more complicated for Canadians? Each year, about 108 million travellers pass through Canadian airports. Of that total, 40 million are trans-border and international passengers. Another 21 million are going to or coming from the United States.
Hernando Calvo Ospina, a Colombian-born journalist working for Le Monde Diplomatique newspaper in Paris who is a vocal opponent of U.S. policy toward Cuba, was on Air France Flight 438 on April 18, 2009, when the captain announced an unscheduled stop on the French island of Martinique.
The captain explained the U.S. government had determined someone who was "undesirable for national security" was on the flight.
Calvo Ospina recalled that passengers around him were saying, "No one looks Muslim."
Then, the co-pilot called him aside to say he was the security threat.
After an overnight refuelling stop in Martinique, Flight 438 continued to Mexico City, where police questioned Calvo Ospina and told him his name was on five U.S. no-fly lists. They also asked him if he is Catholic and whether he knows how to use firearms. He replied no to both questions.
In his annual report for 2009, inspector-general Glenn A. Fine of the U.S. Justice Department disclosed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Terrorist Screening Database contains 1.1 million "terrorist identities."
Fine also said that "in certain circumstances," a person's name could be included on the Terrorist Screening Database even if the FBI doesn't consider that person a terrorism suspect. The contents of the list are not made public for reasons of national security. After analyzing "68,669 known or suspected terrorist identities" from the database, Fine found 35% were named because of terrorism cases that were closed, or for reasons "unrelated to terrorism." Fine did not specify what those reasons were.
Under Secure Flight, Canadian airlines flying over the United States -- without ever landing there -- will be required to provide the U.S. Transportation Security Administration with personal information on all passengers.
Airlines now check passenger names against the TSA terrorist watch list. With Secure Flight, the airlines will no longer have access to that list. Instead, the TSA, a branch of Homeland Security, will run the name, gender and date of birth of all passengers through its own database, plus other U.S. databases, on flights in and out of the United States.
Homeland Security has access to U.S. police records and there is evidence they can consult Canadian police records too. A U.S. border guard who questioned Teresa Healy, a Canadian Labour Congress researcher, at a border crossing in 2008 called up her fingerprint card on his computer.
The prints were taken by Toronto police when Healy was arrested, but not charged, at a 1991 demonstration.
"They told me, 'Don't worry about it. We're just keeping them in case you ever do anything else,'" Healy recalls.
On the basis of those profiles, Homeland Security will decide whether a Canadian airline should issue or deny a boarding pass. Canadian airlines can also issue a qualified boarding pass with an SSSS code, which stands for Secondary Security Screening Selectee. This will require additional interrogation before the passenger is issued a boarding pass.
The basic TSA watch-list, supplied from the larger FBI list, contains 16,000 names from around the world. Among those, 2,500 would be denied boarding and arrested, and 13,500 people would be flagged for secondary security screening. It is not known how many Canadians are on that list.
Here's how it might play out for a would-be Canadian traveller whose name is flagged under the Secure Flight system.
For example, a passenger with a ticket from Montreal to Varadero, Cuba, would get her first hint of a problem if she could not print out a boarding pass on her home computer or at an airport kiosk.
Secure Flight Final Rule, the U.S. government regulation defining the program, states that the "aircraft operator may not issue a boarding pass to the passenger, and the passenger must come to the airport for resolution."
And then there's interrogation. Someone designated a "selectee" or a "potential match" on the watch-list will be subjected to enhanced screening by Canadian law enforcement officers.
"A potential match is someone who has been determined not to be an exact match but has the potential to match some of the data elements," explained TSA spokesperson Andrea McCauley.
The TSA does not disclose its criteria for putting someone on its no-fly or selectee lists, deeming such information "sensitive," and McCauley would not say how many terrorists TSA screening has stopped.
Bruce Schneier, a computer cryptography expert and author of the blog Schneier on Security, dismisses the no-fly list as "counterterrorism silliness."
In an email exchange, he said the screening process has captured "zero terrorists."
Schneier was a consultant for Secure Flight when it was first proposed in 2004. He found it an improvement on the no-fly list, but "riddled with security holes" and easy to work around using false ID.
"Secure Flight is a passive system," Schneier explained in his blog. "It waits for the bad guys to buy an airplane ticket and try to board. If the bad guys don't fly, it's a waste of money."
According to the U.S. government, Secure Flight cost $300 million to develop.
"If I had some millions of dollars to spend on terrorism security, and I had a watchlist of potential terrorists, I would spend that money investigating those people," Schneier continued. "I would clear the innocent people, and I would go after the guilty."
A Swedish pilot with a fake commercial licence was arrested in his cockpit at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport as he prepared to fly 101 passengers on a Boeing 737 to Turkey, Dutch police said Wednesday.
The 41 year-old Swede, who was at the helm of a jet bound for Ankara, had been flying for 13 years and logged more than 10,000 flight hours using forged documents for airlines in Belgium, Britain and Italy, authorities said.
The pilot, whose name was not disclosed, was said to have expressed relief when confronted and taken off his pilot's stripes.
Wait... so a man who had no licence had flown an aircraft safely for 13 years?! Holy crap... I wonder if his learning is from a videogame like that guy on Snakes on a Plane!
In its biggest investment of its kind to date, the Government of Canada announced on Tuesday that investments of up to $19 million for the creation of a canola cluster to bring together scientific expertise to research the crop.
Included in the funds is $4.6 million to research Club-root disease in canola, which threatens production. Work is already underway at this point in time.
The main factor in the decision on the funding was to make the industry more competitive and capture higher market percentages. The funding is going to the Canola Council of Canada to lead research in partnership with the Flax Council of Canada, industry scientists and universities.
"The oil seed industry is an important driver of Canada's economy and that's why our government is making strategic investments to keep our producers on the cutting-edge of innovation," said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. "This research will help our producers protect their crops, build their operations and their profitability, expand their markets, and continue to provide a healthy product for consumers around the world."
Three areas are to be the focus of research: oil nutrition, meal nutrition and production. The cluster will also focus on nutritional benefits of flax for humans and animals.
Did you know that it has been "illegal" to drive while texting or talking on your cellular phone (with the exception of a hands-free device) since January 1? Well, if you didn't, you had a grace period of up until March 1.
Now, cops are not going to be that lenient anymore.
"For the first couple of months we were issuing warnings in the hopes that people would break old habits and develop safer habits," said Saskatoon Police Service Staff Sergeant. Grant Obst.
Drivers who do not adopt safer driving habits risk getting a $280 ticket and four demerit points on safe driver programs. The legislation states that people cannot surf the Internet or send text messages or emails while driving.
Drivers are also not allowed to send or receive phone calls unless it is done with a hands-free device.
The Saskatoon Police Service will now be focusing more on drivers who violate the legislation.
"We think by telling everyone that we are out there in an undercover and high-profile capacity, then maybe they will think twice about engaging in that risky behaviour," Obst said.
Cops will be at location throughout Saskatoon in squad cars and unmarked vehicles. However, a problem that cops face is that people often use their handheld devices out of view, such as when they send a text with their phone in their lap.
To get a better view, officers will be in unmarked high-clearance vehicles such as trucks or SUVs. Obst said he believed 17 tickets were handed out Monday to people who were using their handheld devices while driving.
"Our goal is not to go out and write a whole bunch of tickets, our goal is to get motorists to comply," Obst said.
By saying that writing tickets isn't the goal of police officers, Obst may be taking the fun out of being a police officer.
The Merchant Law Group is launching another class-action lawsuit against Toyota, which is the third such legal action by the Regina-based law firm. This time the vehicle in question is the Pontiac Vibe, a vehicle marketed by General Motors but manufactured by Toyota.
"These claims being issued across Canada yesterday and today -- Quebec and B.C. yesterday, today in most other jurisdictions -- are in connection with the Pontiac Vibe," lawyer Tony Merchant said yesterday.
Merchant said that the compact sport utility vehicle, despite bearing the Pontiac nameplate, is actually manufactured by Toyota and is a "veritable twin" of the Toyota Matrix. Wow... what a strange accusation, and retarded, I may add.
"It really isn't a General Motors product. It is virtually identical to one of the Toyota products. It's manufactured by Toyota at their Fremont, California, plant," he said.
The "product liability" class action is the third one launched by the Merchant Law Group against Toyota in recent weeks. In the first claim, Merchant claims that accelerator problems in Toyota products are due to a defect in the electronics systems of the vehicles, rather than a mechanical problem. So, wait... what proof does Merchant have?
Merchant also argues that the accelerator problems, which have caused Toyota to recall 270,000 vehicles sold in Canada, actually affect about 400,000 Toyotas and Lexus vehicles sold in the country since 1999. Again, where is his proof?
In the second action, Merchant claims defective electronics also caused braking problems in about 30,000 Prius and Lexus hybrid vehicles.
The third lawsuit, which was launched this week, claims that 28,000 Pontiac Vibe vehicles built in 2009 and 2010 share the same electronics systems with Toyota vehicles and consequently have the same accelerator defect. Wow... this is just getting retarded!
The class-action lawsuit also argues the "steel reinforcement bar" being installed on Toyota-manufactured vehicles to fix the accelerator problem "does not correct the design flaw" and "diminishes the value of the Pontiac Vibe." Again, where is his freaking proof?
"Low-tech solutions to high-tech problems simply don't work,'" Merchant said in a press release issued from his Regina office. "Toyota's problems are extremely difficult to solve."
The allegations contained in the statements of claim have not been proven in court and the class-action lawsuits have not been certified by any court.
According to recent news reports, the recall on 2009 and 2010 Vibes affects 1,357 vehicles in Canada. These Vibes were made by New United Motor Manufacturing, or NUMMI, a joint venture between General Motors Co. and Toyota that ended last year.
In Canada, the 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe models is included in two Toyota recalls related to unintended acceleration. One recall is for "sticking accelerator pedals" and one for "possible floor-mat entrapment."
Toyota Canada's sales jumped by almost 25% last month despite a series of recalls that have dented the company's long-standing reputation for safety and durability.
Defying analyst forecasts, the automaker reported late Monday night that business for its main Toyota brand surged 24% to 11,707 while sales for the luxury Lexus division shot up 26% to 901 in February from the same month last year.
The Lexus figures represent the best February for the division in the history of the company.
Some analysts and critics expected the company's sales to slide for several months because of the fallout of the recalls to fix accelerator pedals, brakes, drive shafts and adjust floor mats.
Since late last year, the company has recalled more than 700,000 vehicles here and a total of 8.5 million around the world to repair the problems. It has also faced a firestorm of criticism and negative publicity, particularly in the U.S. for its handling of consumer complaints and the recalls.
But Stephen Beatty, Toyota Canada's managing director, revealed a few weeks ago that preliminary sales figures for the first half of the month showed surprising gains.
In breaking down the sales results, the company said Toyota car volumes improved 13% in February. Sales for the Matrix crossover went up 38% while the Corolla compact increased 8% and Prius hybrid soared 55%.
The company added Toyota truck sales climbed 45% to a record 4,699 vehicles.
More than 15 other automakers will post their February results later today in Canada and the United States.
General Motors Co. plans to recall 1.3 million Chevrolet and Pontiac vehicles in North America to fix power-steering systems after U.S. regulators received more than 1,100 consumer complaints about failures. GM will replace a motor in the power-steering systems of Chevrolet Cobalt small cars and three Pontiac models, the Detroit-based carmaker said in an e-mailed statement late yesterday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began an investigation following complaints, which included 14 crashes and one injury, the company said.
The action follows global recalls of more than 8 million vehicles by Toyota Motor Corp. for issues including unintended acceleration, which have prompted lawsuits and Congressional hearings. The cases have triggered a review of the NHTSA by the U.S. Transportation Department's inspector general to examine the way government investigators monitor automotive defects.
"A lot of carmakers are coming out with recalls as they want to show that they are being strict about quality," said Jeong Min Pak, a Seoul-based senior director at Fitch Ratings. "They want to avoid the negative press that Toyota has received."
The vehicles covered by GM's action are the 2005-2010 Cobalt, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuit sold in Canada, and the 2005-2006 Pontiac G4 sold in Mexico. A remedy is being developed and customers will be notified when the plan is completed, the statement said.
"Recalling these vehicles is the right thing to do," Jamie Hresko, a vice president for quality at GM, said in the statement.
Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said the "level and extent" of GM's recall was in no way affected by moves by other automakers on repairing autos. The recall may cost "around $100 million give or take," Lutz said. "We generally don't reveal the value of recalls but it's not a figure that is of catastrophic proportions."
The vehicles can still be steered when the power-steering system fails, though it requires greater effort, Hresko said. The steering fault tends to occur in older vehicles for which the warranties have expired, he said.
The NHTSA said on February 1 that it was investigating the Cobalt because of reports of "sudden loss" of power steering.
The number of collisions at Saskatoon's first red-light camera intersection has increased since the system was put in place in 2005, but severe collisions more likely to cause injuries have been reduced, crash figures show. Rear-end collisions have increased at Avenue C and Circle Drive as drivers make abrupt stops to avoid being ticketed, causing chain-reaction crashes from behind, analysts say. But the number of right-angle or T-bone collisions, which cause more severe injuries, has dropped despite heavier traffic.
The cameras have achieved the objective of reducing major crashes, said Jamison Gillert, a traffic operations technician with the city.
"If we can reduce those high-percentage types of crashes that cause fatalities, we're okay with having rear-end collisions increase," said Gillert.
The analysis is from 8.5 years of crash data from Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) at Avenue C and Circle Drive, the first intersection in the city where red-light cameras were installed in late 2005. Since the installation of cameras, the average number of vehicles involved in collisions per year has increased 32%, driven up primarily by fender benders.
The number of vehicles involved in such rear-end collisions at the intersection has jumped to an average of 94 per year from 61 per year, according to data.
The increase is explained, in part, by a jump in traffic volumes, with 8,000 more vehicles per day travelling east and west on Circle Drive across Avenue C since 2005 and 12,000 more vehicles since 2000. At the same time, technology, such as handheld devices used in vehicles, has caused more distracted driving.
The rear-end collisions are most likely from anxious drivers braking abruptly to avoid the sting of a $230 ticket, Gillert said.
There's a misconception that a ticket is issued if a driver enters the intersection on an amber light, which isn't the case, Gillert said.
The increase in rear-end collisions has largely been offset by a 30% decrease in right-angle T-bone collisions, considered the most dangerous and usually caused by a red-light runner, according to data. The supposedly high-tech red-light system installed in Saskatoon senses when a vehicle has run a red light and holds cross-traffic longer to avoid collisions.
But while the number of right-angle collisions has been reduced, the number of vehicles involved in broadside crashes while turning left, a more common collision, has remained steady.
Many drivers turning left try to clear the intersection when it may not be safe in order to avoid receiving a fine, Gillert said.
"We don't want people to panic (because of the red light cameras)," Gillert said. "That's a message we have to get across."
Another study of the intersection by SGI, which has yet to be publicly released, accounts for traffic flows and data from other similar intersections but reaches the same basic conclusion: the number of severe collisions has been reduced while the number of rear-end collisions has increased, Gillert said.
Other types of crashes, such as head-on, sideswipe and right-turn crashes, have also dropped significantly at Avenue C and Circle Drive when traffic flow and the behaviour of other similar intersections are accounted for, he said. The findings in Saskatoon adhere to a pattern around North America. Studies by government agencies and university researchers have found that cameras can reduce red-light violations and severe collisions but can also increase less serious rear-end collisions caused by people making sudden stops to avoid tickets.
Advocates of the cameras, which were also installed in late 2008 at Warman Road and 51st Street and Preston Avenue and Eighth Street, have championed them as effective tools in reducing collisions, injuries and deaths, freeing police officers to perform other crime-fighting duties, and as an efficient way to raise revenue in the process.
Critics have called them a cash-grab that seems to fail to improve safety as much as they generate revenue from fines. After costs are accounted for, the City of Saskatoon has made $1.45 million on red-light fines since 2006. The revenue is directed into traffic safety measures such as speed bumps and pedestrian crossings around the city.
The number of red-light fines given out at Avenue C and Circle Drive, at roughly 16 per day, has continued to rise, which is a trend that was expected to go in the opposite direction when the cameras were debated by city council.
"It tells you that people are slow learners or they've got too much money," said Councillor Myles Heidt. "It's mind-boggling to me."
Several other jurisdictions in Canada have installed pedestrian countdown timers at red-light camera intersections to help give drivers a more exact sense of when the green light is going to turn amber and thus avoid abrupt stops.
Heidt said he supports that change, but Gillert said there is little proof that the technology, which is installed at some downtown intersections in Saskatoon, would improve safety when red-light cameras are involved.
"Those are only meant for pedestrians," Gillert said. "What's meant for vehicles is the amber light."
The feisty, pint-sized 88-year-old mayor of Canada's sixth-largest city is an Internet star.
A YouTube video of Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion being interviewed by CBC funny-man Rick Mercer had more than two million views by Friday morning.
The interview, which was shot last year, has also dominated on online aggregator website Reddit.com for the past two days.
During the video, "Hurricane Hazel" and Rick Mercer hang out at Mississauga city hall, a skating rink where she dons a hot pink jersey and relives her days as a professional woman's hockey player and shows off her skills at a local bowling alley.
McCallion has won eleven consecutive elections in the city, which is about 20 kilometres west of Toronto.
Mississauga is also one of the few Canadian cities to be debt free.
Saskatoon has scored yet another AAA credit rating and stands among the few Canadian municipalities to achieve the high score. Bond rating agency Standard and Poor's once again confirmed the City of Saskatoon's AAA rating, making it the 20th consecutive time the city has achieved the highest possible level.
A higher rating means there is a lower risk associated with borrowing, which means the city is looked at favourably by financial institutions and gets the best rate for municipalities. The rating was based on a strong operating performance, robust economy and high reserve levels that exceed debt, said Suleman Souleyman, an analyst with Standard and Poor's.
"The stable outlook reflects our expectation that Saskatoon's revenue and cash and investment balances will rise commensurately with debt and that its economic performance will remain relatively robust," he said in a news release.
Saskatoon's large capital program, which includes more borrowing for projects such as the new water intake, Circle Drive South, which is paid for through gas tax revenue, a new police station and the Shaw Centre "slightly mitigates these strengths," Suleman said, but the rating is not in jeopardy in the near term.
The city's debt limit, as set by the Saskatchewan Municipal Board, is $298 million, but that may be increased soon, officials say. The other AAA municipalities are Mississauga, Barrie, and Brampton and the regions of York, Peel, Durham and Halton, all of which are in the Toronto area.
To offset the cost of required security measures, the Government of Canada is unfortunately increasing air security fees by 50% to pay for new investments in screening staff and equipment at Canadian airports, which may actually prevent terrorist attacks.
Warning that Canadian travellers may still face risks, Minister of Transport John Baird (nice guy with the friendly face) announced Thursday that extra investments were needed to protect commercial flights from terrorists.
"Our government believes that the cost should be borne by those who use the service, not by Canadian taxpayers," Baird told a news conference at Ottawa International Airport.
Fees now range from $5 to $17, depending on a flight's destination. The changes, effective April 1, will add $2.58 to the price of a one-way domestic ticket; $4.37 for a flight to the United States and $8.91 to an international ticket. Oh no... what a big deal. Coinciding with the extra fees is a $1.5 billion investment in aviation security over five years, Mr. Baird pointed out.
"This increase, which is like the cost of earphones or a pillow in some cases, is necessary to protect air travellers from the threats of terrorism." Mr. Baird explained.
However, opposition critics immediately accused the Conservative government of breaking their oft-made pledge not to raise taxes.
"A tax is a tax is a tax," said New Democrat Finance Critic Thomas Mulcair (Outremont), calling Mr. Baird's airport announcement one week before the budget a bald-faced "communications effort."
"If Baird can get away with putting lipstick on this pig, then they figure maybe next week they can announce a whole bunch of new tariffs and fees and say that they haven't raised taxes, they've just raised tariffs and fees?"
Airport security was dramatically boosted after the 9/11 terrorist hijackings and heightened again after the foiled bombing of a Detroit-bound jet on Christmas Day. That last incident sparked another round of tighter security and prompted the Government of Canada to buy sophisticated full-body scanners for major airports across Canada.
Toyota Motor Corp's president apologized to U.S. lawmakers and ended the day in tears, marking a potential climax to his company's safety crisis but leaving it with a long road to rebuild its reputation.
Akio Toyoda, who was peppered with questions about its massive series of recalls, told lawmakers he was deeply sorry for accidents and injuries involving its cars and acknowledged it had lost its way in its pursuit of growth. Investors, who have knocked about $30 billion off its market value in the past month, appeared to view Mr. Toyoda's hearing as a small step forward in what could be a difficult task of recovering the trust of consumers.
"I think Toyoda did a good job, and its stock price shows the market shares the same view," said Kazutaka Oshima, president of Rakuten Investment Management in Tokyo. "He should have come forward earlier, but his sincere attitude was understood by the audience. I would guess the flow of negative news on Toyota has reached a peak."
Toyota shares ended down 0.2% in Tokyo on Thursday, failing to match the 3.9% rise in U.S.-traded shares, but outperforming a fall in rivals Honda Motor and Nissan Motor, and the broader Tokyo market. Cheered by Toyota plant workers and dealers at an event organized by the automaker on Wednesday evening in Washington, Mr. Toyoda broke into tears under a giant display bearing the name of the company that his legendary grandfather founded.
"I believe that Toyota has always worked for the benefit of the United States," Mr. Toyoda said. "I tried to convey that message from the heart, but whether it was broadly understood or not, I don't know."
He also offered a sober assessment of the challenges still ahead: "We at Toyota are at a crossroad. We need to rethink everything about our operation."
Mr. Toyoda's appearance in Washington marked a dramatic peak in a safety crisis that broke a month ago with a series of recalls over unintended acceleration and braking problems that now include more than 8.5 million vehicles globally.
Politicians in Japan continued to express worries about the potential fallout from the crisis. Toyota, with a market value of about $125 billion, is at the heart of a massive supplier network that is vital to the economy's health.
"It was good that the Toyota president himself appeared before the panel and testified," Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told reporters in Tokyo on Thursday. "I don't think this marks the end of everything. He spoke of working to make improvements. This is a matter involving cars -- that affects people's lives, so the important thing is to pay close attention to safety and to fulfill its aim to make improvements where they are needed. I'm hopeful and I think they will do so."
But some warned that Toyota's woes have just begun and that people in Japan, far from the centre of the crisis, may be underestimating the potential long-term impact.
"In Japan, many think Toyota's damage from the recalls will be relatively limited in the hope of not hurting the Japan-U.S. relationship, but the reality is very severe," said Koji Morioka, economics professor at Kansai University in western Japan.
"At the hearing, some serious flaws in the company's corporate governance came to light, including that Toyoda had not been aware of key pieces of safety-issue information until recently," he said.
The costs of the recall are set to grow with an agreement with the State of New York to speed customer repairs and provide alternative transportation, a pact likely to expand to other states.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who preceded Mr. Toyoda before the committee, simply labelled recalled Toyota vehicles as "not safe." Yeah, having a last name like LaHood is not safe. It sounds like it's French for "the hood," which, in stereotypical terms, is a dangerous neighbourhood.
Dressed in a gray, pinstripe suit, Mr. Toyoda said he, more than anyone, wanted Toyota cars to be safe. "My name is on every car," he said in English before using an interpreter to answer questions.
However, Mr. Toyoda pointed out that any possibility that some of the acceleration problems are in the electronics rather than the recalled sticky accelerator mechanisms and floor mats that can trap the accelerator pedal are false.
Chris Gidez, director of risk management and crisis communications at Hill & Knowlton, said Mr. Toyoda gets points for coming from Japan to testify and judgments will not be made in just one hearing. "This is going to be a marathon for Toyota."
In its hometown of Toyota City, anxious employees rallied behind their president.
"There were some tough questions, but I think he answered them earnestly," said Shingo Mori, who works at Toyota's Kamigo Logistics Centre. "Now we all need to work together to meet our customers' needs and try to regain the trust that we've lost."
The unintended acceleration problems have been linked to five U.S. deaths, with 29 other fatality reports being examined by U.S. authorities.
Representative Paul Kanjorski, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, warned Mr. Toyoda that his company would have to pay for the deaths and injuries as U.S. lawsuits mount. "You will be called upon to pay compensation," Kanjorski said. Ha ha... that's a cool last name.
Rep. John Mica, a Florida Republican, called it an embarrassing day for regulators and for Toyota.
"I'm embarrassed for you, sir," Mica told Toyota's North American President Yoshimi Inaba, who was testifying with Mr. Toyoda. "I'm embarrassed for the thousands of Americans who work at 10 plants across the United States."
Yeah... I think Mica has other things to worry about. For instance, I'd be embarrassed if my last name were Mica.
Toyota now faces a criminal investigation and a securities probe in the U.S. as well as unresolved questions about hundreds of incidents of unintended acceleration reported by consumers. The FBI raided the Detroit operations of three Japanese suppliers of electronic components to the auto industry on Wednesday. Denso Corp. confirmed the raids were unrelated to the Toyota recalls.
Other automakers are dealing with recalls as well.
For instance, Nissan said on Thursday it would recall 76,415 cars across 10 models in Japan due to a possible defect that may cause engine failure, and another 2,300 for the same problem overseas. Suzuki Motor said it would recall 432,366 units of two mini-car models in Japan.
Toyota itself has promised internal reforms, including a new committee on safety chaired by Mr. Toyoda himself. Jim Press, a former North American chief for Toyota who left in 2007, said the company had become dominated by "anti-family, financially oriented pirates" and needed Mr. Toyoda at the helm.
"Akio Toyoda is not only up for the job, but he is the only person who can save Toyota," Press wrote in an e-mail to industry publication Automotive News.
Mr. Toyoda, who took just a few questions from reporters, only appeared to relax at the evening rally organized for Toyota dealers and workers. One woman who works in a Toyota plant in Alabama, building engines, asked him what she could do to help the company in its crisis. "Let's make a better car," Toyoda said, breaking into English.
See, the company needs more dedicated employees like that woman in Alabama!
Unless a last-minute buyer steps forward, General Motors Co.'s Hummer brand is fading into history... and I couldn't be more relieved. People who drive those things must be crazy.
The sale of the SUV brand with military roots to a Chinese heavy equipment maker has collapsed. GM said it would still hear offers for the company, but potential investors would have to move fast. Of course, I highly doubt anybody would want to buy such a crappy brand of vehicles.
"In the early phases of the wind-down, we'll entertain offers and determine their viability, but that will have to happen in pretty short order," said GM spokesman Nick Richards.
GM said Wednesday that its bid to sell Hummer to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co. fell through. The Chinese manufacturer said it failed to get clearance from regulators in Beijing within the proposed timeframe for the sale.
GM will continue to honour warranties for current Hummer owners.
"We are disappointed that the deal with Tengzhong could not be completed," said John Smith, GM vice-president of corporate planning and alliances. "GM will now work closely with Hummer employees, dealers and suppliers to wind down the business in an orderly and responsible manner."
GM did not disclose a timeframe for winding down the brand, which employs 3,000 people in the U.S. Hummer, will be the second division after Saturn that GM failed to sell as planned. The only successful sale was of Swedish car brand Saab, which is going to Dutch carmaker Spyker Cars NV in a $74 million deal. What? You don't remember "Black Saab?!"
That sale came together at the last minute after a deal with a group led by another Swedish car manufacturer fell apart. A similar outcome for Hummer would be its only hope of survival, but no new buyers had emerged as of Wednesday evening, Richards said.
The deal's backers in China had been racing to save the acquisition this week. As recently as Tuesday, private investors were trying to set up an offshore entity in a last-minute effort to complete the deal ahead of a February 28 deadline. That scheme, along with other plans that investors were considering, was unsuccessful, according to a person close to the situation. The person declined to be identified in order to speak more freely.
"There's no way forward with that," this person said. "We're out of time."
Tengzhong said it was disappointed with the deal's collapse.
"Tengzhong worked earnestly to achieve an acquisition that it believed to be a tremendous opportunity to acquire a global brand at an attractive price," it said in a statement, thanking GM, Hummer, its executives, and employees.
Hummer, which traces its origins to the Humvee military vehicle built by AM General LLC in South Bend, Indiana, acquired a devoted following among SUV lovers. But Hummer was always a polarizing brand with a fuel-thirsty line-up that many saw as symbols of excess.
Hummer sales peaked at 71,524 in 2006. But they collapsed when gas prices shot above $4 a gallon in the summer of 2008 and never recovered. In December 2009, only 325 Hummers were sold, down 85% from the previous year, according to Autodata Corp.
Sticker prices start at more than $42,500 and run to about $63,000, according to data posted at the Hummer.com Web site. The H3, the most fuel-efficient vehicle in Hummer's line-up, averages about 16 mpg. The vehicles are built at GM's factory in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Under the initial agreement to sell Hummer, Tengzhong would have received an 80% stake, while Hong Kong investor Suolang Duoji, who indirectly owns a big stake in Tengzhong, would have gotten 20%. The investors would also have owned Hummer's nationwide dealer network.
Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed, although a person briefed on the deal at the time said the sale price was around $150 million. GM's bankruptcy filing last summer said that the brand could bring in $500 million or more.
Beijing had been cool to the acquisition. Tengzhong lacks a government permit to manufacture cars, and the Chinese government has been seeking to streamline and slow investment in the fast-growing auto industry rather than to attract newcomers.
Richards said the collapse of the sale does not change earlier plans to close the Shreveport facility by 2012. The plant also builds the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon trucks and is currently operating on a single 10-hour shift, he said. Hummer production was idled in January.
The plant once employed about 3,000 people, but that payroll has been reduced to about 950.
Plant worker Alex Santana, a 17-year veteran of the Shreveport operation, said the end of Hummer "is going to hurt a lot of people."
"There's a lot of jobs going down the drain," he said.
It has emerged that London (England) councils routinely take themselves to court over disputed parking tickets that their wardens issue to their own vehicles. In one case, Islington Council not only issued a parking ticket to itself, but then pursued itself at the Parking Adjudicator and then asked for the costs against itself.
Barrie Segal, author of "The Parking Ticket Awards: Crazy Councils, Meter Madness & Traffic Warden Hell," who uncovered the practice, says that councils also issue parking tickets against other councils, and pursue these cases all the way to the Parking Adjudicator.
In 2007, Islington Council issued a parking ticket to one of its own vehicles. The department receiving the ticket disputed the validity of the Penalty Charge Notice and appealed against the fine. The council declined the appeal so the department took the case to the Parking Adjudicator. At this stage, the council submitted no evidence so the ticket was cancelled. The department that appealed the ticket then applied to have their costs reimbursed. The bewildered Adjudicator did not award costs, saying: "The legal status of the two parties in this appeal amounted to one and the same."
Mr Segal says: "You couldn't make this up. This illustrates everything that is wrong with unaccountable parking enforcement in the UK. The craziest thing is that to ask for costs, Islington council must believe that it acted wholly unreasonably or vexatiously against itself."
"If they ever make a sequel to the film Dumb and Dumber I would suggest that the producers look no further than Islington Parking Department for the starring roles."
Islington Council says that council fleet drivers are personally responsible for parking fines incurred when parking illegally, and the driver should have appealed as an individual not as a council employee. Islington is not the only council that has pursued itself at the Parking Adjudicator. The Royal Borough of Kingston also issued a parking ticket against a vehicle it had hired – the council not only pursued itself at the Parking Adjudicator, but won its case and had to pay itself the parking ticket.
Southwark, Lambeth, Hackney and Ealing councils have also tried suing themselves for parking fines.
A spokeswoman for Islington Council says: "The appeals process allows drivers to contest tickets on various grounds, including when there is apparent ambiguity in parking attendants' notes."
"The council's parking service withdrew its case on these grounds but the driver concerned sought costs."
The Regina International Airport is finally living up to its name, with more international flights than at any time in its history. Jim Hunter, president and CEO of the Regina Airport Authority (RAA), is now setting his sights on improving domestic airline service to the city, as well as the airport's airside and groundside facilities.
"By the 9th of June, we'll have seven trans-border flights per day," Hunter said in an interview Wednesday. "That's good news."
Earlier this month, United Airlines announced it would launch non-stop service between Regina and Chicago, effective June 9. The two-a-day flights will use Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) 700 aircraft.
One week earlier, Delta Air Lines announced it would double its two daily flights between Regina and Minneapolis-St. Paul to four flights.
In fact, Hunter believes Regina and area travellers have as many international flights as they need, with daily service to the third-busiest airport in the world (Chicago's O'Hare) and tenth busiest (Denver), as well as Minneapolis.
The RAA has put together back-to-back record years, with 1,022,042 passengers in 2009, 1.7% more than 2008, which also saw more than one million passengers use the airport.
The RAA also announced this week that Air Canada, through Jazz, is offering non-stop flights to Ottawa this spring. Hunter added that RAA will be looking at improving airline service to other western Canadian cities.
Literally stinking up the joint grounded a man's intention to fly from Charlottetown to Montreal earlier this month.
A man with foul body odour boarded an Air Jazz plane on February 6, and was left to sit by himself. Penny Walsh, of Charlottetown, was moved to another seat by an Air Canada employee so she would not have to ride alongside the man who was giving off an unpleasant smell.
"People were just mumbling and staring at him," said Ms. Walsh. "The guy next to me said, 'It's brutal.'"
Ms. Walsh, who had a cold and ended up sitting three rows in front of the man, did not get a strong whiff of the offending traveller, but said other passengers were dreading the potentially noxious flight ahead.
Apparently in an effort to clear the air, the man, who Ms. Walsh described as unkempt, was escorted off the plane. Ms. Walsh said the incident delayed the flight by only 15 to 20 minutes.
Saskatoon Transit is proposing to spend $1 million to improve the city's transit service, including a shorter route to the airport and additional stops in the north industrial area, to keep up with the growth of Saskatoon.
Calling it a "service evolution," Saskatoon Transit says the new routes are a part of the largest proposed upgrade to the transit system since a major revamp in 2006. The proposal was presented in a report heard yesterday by the City of Saskatoon's administration and finance committee.
Ridership on the transit system was stagnant for more than 20 years before seeing year-over-year increases since 2006, when the new system was finally implemented.
One f the proposals include a new route from downtown to the Saskatoon International Airport and a shorter route would help woo riders, according to Kevin Sturgeon, planning supervisor.
Other proposed changes include: - Addition of evening and weekend service to Shaw Centre and the new Blairmore Walmart Supercentre. - Two new routes to the north industrial area servicing AgriPlace and the Marquis industrial area. - A route from east Stonebridge to the University of Saskatchewan via Clarence Avenue. - A route from Willowgrove to the University Heights suburban centre.
Toyota Canada, which is already reeling from four recent recalls, has announced a fifth one for repairs to possible cracks in drive shafts on pickup trucks. The automaker, whose reputation for quality and durability is unfortunately taking a hit, also revealed late Friday it is expanding an earlier recall involving unsecured driver's side floor mats and alterations to include four other models.
A Toyota spokesperson said the recall concerning possible problems with mats will expand from about 220,000 to at least "a few thousand" more vehicles, while the one involving pickups totals about 1,500.
The company said that it is sending notices by first-class mail next month to owners of certain 2010 four-wheel drive Tacoma pickups to inspect front drive shafts from a "small production run."
"The front shaft in these vehicles may include a component that contains cracks that developed during the manufacturing process," Toyota said in a statement. "As those vehicles are used, the cracks may eventually lead to the separation of the drive shaft at the joint portion."
Toyota said dealer technicians will perform inspections to identify specific lot numbers on shafts and replace them in some cases. The inspections and replacements will be free for owners.
The company had started sending notices to vehicles owners last November to check and make improvements so mats could not get stuck against accelerator pedals and increase the risk of runaway vehicles. It is now increasing the list in that recall to include MY Corolla, MY Matrix and MY Highlander and Venza vehicles.
Last week, Toyota recalled about 3,600 Prius and Lexus HS 250h hybrids to fix momentarily failing brakes and, in a separate move, another 400 Camry models to inspect conditions that could trigger a brake fluid leak and increase stopping distances for motorists.
That came shortly after a recall of 270,000 vehicles to modify foot pedals which could stick, cause vehicles to suddenly accelerate and increase the risk of crashes.
Another class action lawsuit has been launched on behalf of disgruntled Toyota car owners, this time alleging some Toyota and Lexus hybrid vehicles have defective braking systems.
Saskatchewan-based firm Merchant Law Group LLP filed the lawsuit in Alberta Wednesday and intends to file parallel suits in each province.
"This is a disaster for Toyota, and this is a disaster for Toyota and Lexus owners," said Tony Merchant, the lawyer in the case. "You really have to ask yourself: would a person buy a Lexus or a Toyota right now? And if the answer is unlikely, then that means your resale value has gone down."
Toyota announced on Tuesday it is recalling about 437,000 Prius and other cars worldwide to fix brake problems. In Canada, roughly 3,300 Prius models fall under the recall. Also being recalled is the Lexus HS250h sedan.
The same law firm launched a class action suit earlier this month demanding damages for the company's role in a massive recall because of faulty accelerator pedals.
On February 1, Toyota issued a recall of about 270,000 vehicles in Canada and 4.2 million around the world to fix a problem with sticking accelerator pedals.
Canadian airline passengers should brace for the possibility of more expensive travel after next month's federal budget, a roundtable on air security was told Wednesday.
Michael Skrobica, a spokesman for the commercial aviation industry, said he fears that the Conservative government will feel "huge pressure" to hike the air travellers security tax in a bid to offset the cost of expensive full-body scanners and other new security measures without adding to the already massive deficit.
Skrobica told the roundtable, which was organized by the federal Liberals and New Democrats that Canada should follow the lead of Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries and finance the cost of air security out of general revenues.
"We are pleading with them (the government) that this is a national security issue and that national security is a responsibility of government and that it should be handled through the general revenues," Skrobica, a vice-president of Air Transport Association of Canada, said later in an interview.
He speculated the government would use the failed Christmas Day airline attack by the "underwear bomber" as an excuse to raise the air traveller's security tax, which was first introduced in 2001 as part of the then-Liberal government's plan to make air travel more secure following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
The tax, which is applied on all airline tickets, is a maximum of $9.33 each way for domestic travel, $15.89 for travel within North America, and $17 for travel outside the continent. It produced $386.5 million in revenues in 2009, according to government figures.
Skrobica said "hundreds of millions of dollars" are going to be needed to finance plans by Canadian Air Transport Security Authority to hire more employees, bolster security beyond the main airport terminal to hangars and other buildings, and to place 44 full-body scanners in airports across Canada, at a cost of about $250,000 each.
During the roundtable discussion, representatives of the airlines and pilots and experts on security and civil rights discussed the balance between security and privacy rights, the merits of a reliance on technology to screen passengers, and whether racial, ethnic or religious profiling has any place in security systems.
Mark Salter, an air-security expert at the University of Ottawa, said Canadian policy-makers should remember that Canada is not at as much risk as some countries.
"There is no doubt that there is some risk," he said, noting Canada is the only country on al-Qaida's list that has not been hit by a terrorist attack.
SGI, Saskatchewan's government-owned insurance company that is living in the stone-age when it comes to driver's licence issuing, stated that its customers will face some "inconveniences" starting tomorrow until the 17th.
SGI's computer system will require a shutdown in order to initiate the planned upgrades and are expected to bring long-term benefits to customers. Insurance issuers, if they are open, will have to perform transactions manually.
Toyota Motor Corp. implemented another massive recall of nearly a half a million of its hybrid vehicles Tuesday, including the latest version of its popular Prius model, after an issue arose with the braking systems in the vehicles. The news was followed by an expansion of previous recall at Honda, which affects an additional 380,000 vehicles, including 41,600 in Canada, relating to airbag-inflation issues.
"The driver's airbag inflators in these vehicles may deploy with too much pressure, which can cause the inflator casing to rupture and could result in injury or fatality," Honda said in a statement.
The Honda recalls include some 2001 and 2002 Accords, Civics, Odysseys, CR-Vs and selected 2002 Acura TL vehicles. Honda said customers would start being notified this month.
The latest recall at Toyota, affecting 437,000 of its hybrids worldwide, involves the advanced technologies contained in their computer-controlled braking systems that cause an "inconsistent feel" at times when the vehicle is travelling at low speeds on slick or bumpy surfaces.
The sensation is triggered by a 0.2- to 0.3-second lag when the vehicle shifts between its regenerative braking systems to the standard hydraulic system, said Marc Stuyver, Toyota Canada's advanced technology and power-train manager.
The regenerative braking system is used at low speeds to both slow the vehicle and capture the energy created in the braking process to recharge the vehicle's batteries, Stuyver said. The problem arises when the vehicle's anti-lock braking system causes the tire to slip slightly after a bump triggering the hydraulic system, he added.
"You will feel a change in the rate of deceleration, which in engineering terms we call a jerk," Stuyver said. "At no point are you not braking."
In order to fix the issue, Toyota will implement a software update on the recalled vehicles that will decrease the sensitivity of the system that causes the hydraulic system to kick in and should eliminate the issue without compromising safety, Stuyver said.
Ford Motor Co. announced a similar issue with its Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids last week. But unlike Toyota, Ford said it would implement a software patch as part of a "customer satisfaction program" on 17,600 vehicles, including about 1,000 in Canada, rather than a formal recall.
"We had a small number of customers report this condition," Said Deep, a Ford spokesman, said. "We know so far of one complaint."
For Toyota, the issue has been more pronounced. Regulators worldwide have received more than 200 consumer complaints about the braking systems in hybrids, including 21 in Canada, and four in the U.S. that allegedly led to accidents. Those concerns also come at a time when the safety record of the world's largest automaker is under increased scrutiny from regulators and consumers following the recall of more than eight million of vehicles since November relating to the unintended acceleration of its gas pedals.
The U.S. Department of Transportation also announced a formal investigation into the braking system on the last week Prius. As a result, Toyota announced Tuesday that it would recall affected 2010 models of its Prius, Sai, Prius plug-in hybrids, and Lexus HS 250hs to implement the software fix, including nearly 3,300 Pruis and more than 300 Lexus in Canada.
Separately, it announced a recall of 7,300 of its 2010 Camry vehicles to inspect whether a power steering hose comes in contact with a brake tube causing it to leak.
George Magliano, IHC Global Insight analyst, said there's little doubt that the recall on the hybrids was a result of the heightened scrutiny on Toyota.
For its part, Toyota Canada insists that the affected hybrids are safe to drive.
"This isn't a recall because there is something wrong with the system. This is a recall because some of the customers feel unease because of that lag," said Sandy Di Felice, Toyota Canada spokeswoman.
U.S. officials receive more than 30,000 consumer complaints a year, and launch 100 similar investigations to one launched on the Prius last week.
"The problem (Toyota has) is that it only takes one exception to disprove the rule. If your rule is that the car is perfectly safe and you have one accident, well then it's not safe," said Chris Piper, a management professor at the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.
The concrete median stopping traffic on 21st Street East from crossing 3rd Avenue South will soon be removed.
The removal of the long-time frustration for drivers was delayed at a city council meeting last month, when several councillors asked for a study looking at how it would affect pedestrians and traffic flow. A city report said the intersection should now operate identical to 4th Avenue and 21st Street, which saw no incidents between pedestrians and vehicles between 2003 and 2007.
Removing the median also allows cyclists to cross the road instead of riding in the pedestrian crosswalk, the report said.
The median was installed around 1989 to stop drivers from using 21st Street as a throughway and is being removed as part of the street-scaping of 3rd Avenue.
The City of Saskatoon will spend $70,000 to upgrade the traffic signals at the intersection, a city report said.
Toyota will establish a global quality task force and implement other procedures to ensure customer safety and satisfaction, its president said at a press conference. Akio Toyoda expressed deep regret for the inconvenience and concern to customers, and announced that he will personally take the lead toward improving quality worldwide.
Once established, the global quality task force will conduct quality improvement activities region by region, using a six-point action plan:
1. Improve the quality inspection process by inspecting every process and verifying causes that led to the recalls, including quality in design, production, sales and service. 2. Enhance the customer information research offices in each region to collect information faster. 3. Establish an automotive centre of quality excellence in key regions to further develop quality management professionals. 4. Seek confirmation and evaluation from outside experts, in line with the industry's best practices, of its newly-improved quality control management, based on the above improvements. 5. Increased frequency of communication with regional authorities. 6. Improvement of the autonomy of its regional subsidiaries, listening to each and every customer to improve quality.
Toyota Canada says that it has resumed sales and deliveries of the eight models of vehicle affected by a massive international recall. The company says that owners of affected vehicles can begin contacting their local dealership to get the defective pedal repaired.
Toronto dealership manager Dan Golightly says his service centre began repairing vehicles yesterday, and will have extended hours until the repairs are done. Millions of Toyotas, including 270,000 vehicles in Canada, were recalled due to a faulty accelerator pedal in several models, including the popular Camry, Corolla and RAV4.
To fix the affected vehicles, dealerships will install a steel reinforcement bar to reduce the friction that's been associated with the sticky pedal problem.
The company has also identified brake problems in its popular Prius hybrid but has not yet issued a recall for that vehicle.
Toyota Motor Corp's president apologized today for safety problems and said the company would bring in outside experts to review quality controls, an unusual action for a company that has enjoyed a reputation for high standards.
"I would like to take this opportunity to apologize from the bottom of my heart for causing many of our customers concern after the recalls across several models in several regions," Akio Toyoda, the grandson of Toyota's founder, told a news conference in Nagoya, Japan.
Toyoda's comments were his most extensive since the latest recall began in January. Toyota has issued two recalls since last November. The company's shares, which have taken a beating in recent sessions, rose as much as 4.1% to $74.73 on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. Since January 21, Toyota has lost $30 billion or a fifth of its market value.
Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's put Toyota and some of its suppliers on watch for a possible downgrade citing "increased concern over the potential negative impact on Toyota's business profile of unfolding developments related to recent quality issues."
Toyota, the world's largest automaker, has recalled more than 8 million vehicles around the world for problems with accelerators. Episodes of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles have been linked to up to 19 crash deaths in the United States over the past decade. Toyota is also mulling a recall of Prius, its top-selling hybrid, for a braking problem.
The company has estimated that lost production, lost sales, parts to fix problems, staff training and repairs to recalled vehicles will cost Toyota $2 billion from January to the end of March. The news conference came after U.S. competitor Ford Motor Co readied a solution for braking problems on two of its hybrid models, the hybrid Fusion and Mercury Milan.
Toyoda apologized for safety problems that have left the Japanese carmaker "in crisis". He said Toyota would strengthen its inspection process, respond faster to customer complaints and seek input from outside experts.
Toyoda also pledged to set up and oversee a quality improvement task force involving external experts monitoring quality management. It was not clear how the global quality management committee would function.
Turning to independent experts is "about as good as you can expect," said UBS analyst Philippe Houchois.
"I've seen a lot of recalls, but I don't remember seeing that step of getting an outside expert. That's quite an innovative or aggressive approach to try to solve the problem," he said.
Toyota Europe's spokeswoman Maria Mack said, "This is not the first time we have consulted with external parties, but this is a more structural approach."
"It is a new idea in the way it is conceived. It is the first time there will be a really formalized approach."
The crisis generated by the recalls and the way the 77-year-old company has handled itself publicly have led to widespread criticism.
Toyoda, 53, bowed in apology after addressing the news conference and answered other questions, some in English, after an official tried to end the late-night session. He asked investors to "continue to support us with a long-term view."
Kazutaka Oshima, president of Rakuten Investment Management, said investors needed answers. "Toyoda is responsible for explaining to shareholders since they have lost a significant part of their assets."
Toyoda became the company's president last year, promising to steer it out of its worst downturn in history and bring greater transparency to its corporate culture.
Safety regulators in the United States and Japan are investigating a braking problem with Toyota's latest version of the Prius, Japan's top-selling car last year and an icon of green design that has lifted the public image of the whole company. Japan's transport minister said he had heard from ministry officials that Toyota would recall or voluntarily fix the automobiles affected, including those shipped overseas.
"Toyota's response came up short from the perspective of its customers," Transport Minister Seiji Maehara said.
Since its launch last May, Toyota has sold more than 300,000 units of the newest version of the Prius worldwide, including around 200,000 in Japan, 103,200 in the United States and 29,000 in Europe. Toyota's and Ford's hybrids capture the energy from braking to recharge an on-board battery to boost mileage from its gasoline engine.
Toyota Prius owners have complained that on bumpy roads and on ice, the regenerative brakes of the vehicle appear to slip and it lurches forward before the traditional brakes engage. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has received 124 complaints from drivers of the third-generation Prius. The agency said that motorists have blamed four crashes on this problem.
Toyota and Ford have said that they have come up with software fixes for the problems. Toyota said on Thursday that it started fixing a problem in the Prius last month.
Ford's roll-out of a software patch to address braking problems on its Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan models came after Consumer Reports magazine reported that one of its test engineers had experienced what appeared to be a loss of braking power with a Fusion hybrid. Ford, the #2 U.S. automaker by sales, said it was aware of one minor accident related to the braking problem, but no injuries.
Ford has said that it notified its dealers in October and sent them a notice, a copy of which was made public by Consumer Reports.
Troubled Japanese automaker Toyota said today that it had begun repairing sticky accelerator pedals in the United States behind the recall of millions of vehicles worldwide.
The carmaker's U.S. branch, Toyota Motor Sales USA, said that repairs were underway after dealers across the country had received the necessary parts, information and training to repair the accelerator pedals. It also announced that it had begun mailing letters to owners of recalled vehicles to inform them of when they can bring their cars to a dealership for repair.
According to Toyota, mechanics only need 30 minutes per vehicle to complete the repairs. The company had announced on Monday that the simple fix involves installing a precision-cut steel reinforcement bar into the accelerator pedal assembly to eliminate the excess friction that has caused pedals to stick in rare instances.
But the automaker has also faced a litany of complaints about other technical problems, including brake failure and floor mats trapping the accelerator pedals.
"Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive, and we are determined to live up to the high standards people have come to expect from Toyota over the past 50 years," Toyota USA president and chief executive Jim Lentz said in a statement. "Everyone at Toyota is focused on making this recall simple and trouble-free for our customers."
However, the car's troubles escalated further as Toyota looked set to recall several hundred thousand Prius hybrids and was slapped with a U.S. lawsuit alleging it covered up safety problems. The Nikkei business daily said that Toyota had decided to recall an estimated 270,000 Prius cars in Japan and the United States to fix a brake problem affecting the newest version of the hybrid.
"We're working hard to ensure that our dealers have the resources and support they need to make sure our customers get their cars fixed quickly," Lentz said.
"The parts have been shipped, the dealers are trained, and they are already making the repairs," he added noting that many dealers were working extended hours. Some have even opened around the clock to deal with the impact of the massive recall.
Toyota said it was sending cheques of $7,500-$75,000 to its dealers to help them with any additional costs related to the repairs.
Repairs are expected to begin here in Canada today as well.
It's time to decide the future of the Traffic Bridge, a report going to city council on Monday recommends.
Honda Canada announced Tuesday that it will recall thousands of vehicles after fielding owner complaints involving brake pedals. The recall involves 24,680 Odyssey and 4,137 Element vehicles in Canada from the 2007-2008 model years. The company plans to modify the vehicle stability assist modulator, which is connected to the ABS braking system.
City councillors were united Monday in support of adding $1.5 million to the snow removal budget, including a new policy to clear residential streets when they become badly rutted.
Taking Saskatoon Transit is relatively easy, right? Well, with Phone&Go, some services are limited, and with Click&Go, it's slow, and you're better off knowing the addresses of where you would like to go, since not every business is listed on there. Of course, it would be easier to use the service in conjunction with Google Maps or something like that.
The Conservative government appears ready to move ahead on imposing random roadside breath testing, which a new federal discussion paper says has produced "remarkable results" in catching more drunk drivers in other countries.
Federal Transport Minister John Baird says he wants to hear from the federal privacy commissioner regarding new American security rules that require Canadian airlines flying over the United States to give U.S. authorities the names of passengers as part of anti-terrorism efforts.
A Swedish pilot with a fake commercial licence was arrested in his cockpit at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport as he prepared to fly 101 passengers on a Boeing 737 to Turkey, Dutch police said Wednesday.
In its biggest investment of its kind to date, the Government of Canada announced on Tuesday that investments of up to $19 million for the creation of a canola cluster to bring together scientific expertise to research the crop.
Did you know that it has been "illegal" to drive while texting or talking on your cellular phone (with the exception of a hands-free device) since January 1? Well, if you didn't, you had a grace period of up until March 1.
The Merchant Law Group is launching another class-action lawsuit against Toyota, which is the third such legal action by the Regina-based law firm. This time the vehicle in question is the Pontiac Vibe, a vehicle marketed by General Motors but manufactured by Toyota.
General Motors Co. plans to recall 1.3 million Chevrolet and Pontiac vehicles in North America to fix power-steering systems after U.S. regulators received more than 1,100 consumer complaints about failures. GM will replace a motor in the power-steering systems of Chevrolet Cobalt small cars and three Pontiac models, the Detroit-based carmaker said in an e-mailed statement late yesterday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began an investigation following complaints, which included 14 crashes and one injury, the company said.
Saskatoon has scored yet another AAA credit rating and stands among the few Canadian municipalities to achieve the high score. Bond rating agency Standard and Poor's once again confirmed the City of Saskatoon's AAA rating, making it the 20th consecutive time the city has achieved the highest possible level.
Toyota Motor Corp's president apologized to U.S. lawmakers and ended the day in tears, marking a potential climax to his company's safety crisis but leaving it with a long road to rebuild its reputation.
Unless a last-minute buyer steps forward, General Motors Co.'s Hummer brand is fading into history... and I couldn't be more relieved. People who drive those things must be crazy.
It has emerged that London (England) councils routinely take themselves to court over disputed parking tickets that their wardens issue to their own vehicles. In one case, Islington Council not only issued a parking ticket to itself, but then pursued itself at the Parking Adjudicator and then asked for the costs against itself.
The Regina International Airport is finally living up to its name, with more international flights than at any time in its history. Jim Hunter, president and CEO of the Regina Airport Authority (RAA), is now setting his sights on improving domestic airline service to the city, as well as the airport's airside and groundside facilities.
Saskatoon Transit is proposing to spend $1 million to improve the city's transit service, including a shorter route to the airport and additional stops in the north industrial area, to keep up with the growth of Saskatoon.
Canadian airline passengers should brace for the possibility of more expensive travel after next month's federal budget, a roundtable on air security was told Wednesday.
SGI, Saskatchewan's government-owned insurance company that is living in the stone-age when it comes to driver's licence issuing, stated that its customers will face some "inconveniences" starting tomorrow until the 17th.
