A mock-up of a Bombardier Inc. C-Series jet stands at the company's product development center in Saint Laurent, Que., on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011.John Morstad/Bloomberg
Bombardier still a game changer
Re Will Bombardier be another Canadian bust? (Feb. 14): Bombardier began with a breakthrough for travel in snow, and went on to build world-leading Canadian industries in rail and aviation. But all along Bombardier's aviation way, nattering business analysts would write doubt-tinged articles, perhaps affirming a belief that we can't really do this kind of stuff. This negative complex has plagued the C Series, a breakthrough game-changing jet aircraft design in terms of low fuel burn and operating efficiency, and now on the cusp of success.
Problems? Ask Boeing and Airbus about problems. Bombardier's administration has problems. So does Alberta. So do the Leafs. But what Bombardier has had from its beginnings are original, breakthrough ideas.
Graham Watt, Sackville, N.B.
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Be careful what you vote for
Re Business's long-term problems without the long-form census (Feb. 7): Ironic that so many bastions of business such as the Toronto Board of Trade are sorely distressed about the cancellation of the long-form census and its implications on cogent planning. Were they not champions of the Conservative agenda last election? Now, their wails seem like crocodile tears at best.
Harold Macy, Courtenay, B.C.
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Nuclear power slayed coal dragon
Re When it comes to coal, Alberta should follow Ontario's lead (Feb. 16): Readers could be forgiven if, after reading this article, they wrongfully concluded that Ontario slayed the coal dragon by replacing that nasty fossil fuel coal with wind turbines as well as natural gas.
The reality is that the single largest reason Ontario was able to shut down its coal plants was the return to service of two Bruce Power nuclear units. And despite the costly refurbishment of these units, they still deliver electricity to the grid approximately 25 per cent cheaper than the average price, despite the authors' suggestion that the power is expensive. Because the costs of nuclear generation are front-loaded, they will continue to supply cheap and carbon-free electricity for another two decades.
Dr. Michael Ivanco, president, Society of Professional Engineers and Associates, Mississauga
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