The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - The Weekend Special #51

Episode Date: March 5, 2021

Your thoughts, comments and questions and there are lots of them this week.  Special emphasis on your take on electric vehicles, but still lots of other issues as well.

Hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. It's Friday. It's The Bridge. It's The Weekend Special. And hello there, yes, Peter Mansbridge here with The Weekend Special. And if you are a new listener to the bridge on Sirius XM then you're in for a treat because Fridays is the weekend special and it's really in many ways your show it's your opportunity to give me your thoughts and ideas and comments on the week gone by and I love reading your letters they are great They come in by email at the Mansbridge podcast at gmail.com. And they really do reflect a lot of different thoughts and opinions, ideas, comments about the week gone by. And especially if we've done something special and you want to weigh in on that topic.

Well, that's the kind of week this one's been. As a result of the special we did on Wednesday, it was the second of two parts when we were looking at kind of the future of energy. Last week, we looked at oil and the fact that some oil companies are starting to decrease production with a hint and a suggestion that over the long term, oil was clearly going to be used a lot less than it is now. This week was electric vehicles and the kind of push that seems to be going on by all auto manufacturers, or just about all, to move to electric and the impact that's having on

the consumer. And there were a lot of letters on both topics, especially this week on electric vehicles. And so when I get into these letters, you'll see that there's quite a few commenting on that subject and not all embracing it. Some with some still serious questions about all this. A reminder about letters that I read. I rarely read the whole letter on air. I read the whole letter when it comes in, but on air, I usually pick out snippets from your letter. Some of you are, well, you like to write. And as a result, I try to find particular areas. And I don't get a chance to read even excerpts from all the letters that come in.

And there are a lot of them. So I try to, you know, pick a kind of representative bunch. And that's what happens. So, you know, let's get going here. Quit babbling, Mansbridge. Start reading. Okay. First one comes from Kelly Pratt in Guelph, Ontario.

Here's what she has to say. It was very encouraging to listen to the discussion between you, Bruce. That's Bruce Anderson. This was on Wednesday, the electric vehicles discussion on smoke mirrors and the truth and our guest was robert lockhart who's basically an electric vehicle hobbyist he's uh been writing to me for the last year about this subject and uh he really seems to know his stuff he doesn't own one yet he has a hybrid he plans to own one but he's been just totally researching and he had a lot of interesting comments anyway kelly writes

love the discussion your question about the cross-country trip was especially timely since we love to explore our country one topic you touched lightly on is the environmental impact. I think the assumption is that sure, we'll reduce our dependence on oil and its production, but what about the production of the batteries? What happens when the battery life has expired? Do all those batteries end up in the landfill creating a different environmental hazard? An article in Forbes, Are Electric Vehicles Really Better for the Environment, indicates that the reduction in emissions from the EVs, electric vehicles, far outweighs the emissions produced in the manufacturing of the batteries, which is a positive. The article also says that the electric infrastructure is developing in ways to become less dependent on fossil fuels and that a more

sustainable approach to battery manufacturing and recycling will also support a lower environmental impact. I'm hopeful that this is accurate and that we're not simply creating a different hazard for the future. That's from Kelly Pratt in Guelph, Ontario. Johnny Horn from Mount Albion, Prince Edward Island Thank you so much for making time to discuss electric vehicles Robert Lockhart is a genuine expert in the field and an excellent choice to explain the benefits of EV ownership

We joined the EV revolution in the summer of 2019 after purchasing a Tesla Model 3 We've greatly enjoyed driving it all over Maritime Canada and even took it down to Florida and back with zero issues last February before the pandemic began. We mostly charge our car at home while we sleep. Hopefully it won't be too long before we get another EV and be an entire electric car family.

It's my personal goal to never have my teenage daughter pump petroleum. Robert didn't really get into the subject of incentives, and there are rebates, and I'm not going to go through all of them because it's kind of a checkerboard Canada at the moment with some governments offering rebates, others not. Excuse me. As owners, we will continue to push other governments at all levels to continue this trend so we can all make the switch

to more environmentally friendly transportation. Thank you, Johnny Horn in Mount Albion, Prince Edward Island. Here's one from Bailman's Belding in Halifax Nova Scotia I'm just listening to your Tuesday podcast

that was the day before our special and you're mentioning the electric vehicle guru you're going to have

on Wednesday a question that I wish you got me this letter after I'd already done the program.

Bailments didn't come in until, I think, Thursday. Nevertheless, a question that I've wondered about, how are provincial governments going to replace the financial loss from the decrease in road tax revenue that is generated from the sale of motor fuels at gas stations? It's not a secret that this is a big chunk of change for provincial governments across the country and it's going to need to be addressed going forward that's a really good question

and i don't have the answer um but we'll talk about that and i'll try and find out an answer for you uh because you're quite right that is a significant chunk of change and governments rely on you know used to be the rely on sin taxes like cigarettes and alcohol and to some degree they still obviously do on alcohol but gasoline's always been the favorite target john crosby would uh if he was still alive certainly tell you that remember the 18 cent a gallon tax gas tax in the conservative budget? Well, most of you don't remember this, but your history books will tell you. In the 1979-80 budget that brought down the Clark government, the conservative government, forced an election,

and Pierre Trudeau came back and won another term in office. Okay, Joe Adams from suburban St. Ives, Ontario. St. Eves, St. Ives. Peter, I just listened to your podcast on electric vehicles and wanted to write to let you know that I agree with your guests' comments. We have an electronic vehicle since August 2019 and are very impressed. As your guests noted, the vehicles are more expensive than the equivalent gas vehicle, but the total operating costs are much less. We mainly charge at home, off-peak rates.

In the first year, we went 12,500 kilometers and the electrical cost was 200 bucks. The only maintenance cost was an inspection, no service required. My next inspection is a 25k and the only recommended service is to replace the windshield wiper blades if required. The vast majority of our trips are local, into town, etc. Given the pandemic, we have not had a chance for a long multi-day drive, but as your guest noted, with a range of 400 clicks, most people are ready to get out of the car for a few minutes at that point. So scheduling for lunch, coffee, hotel seems reasonable. There are several charging networks with apps that will let you know what's available for charging

and where. To give you an idea of availability, I just checked one of the three apps I have, and there are 14 chargers at the corner of Young and Shepherd in Toronto. Okay. I'm in Stratford. I got to drive all the way to Young and Shepherd, but I get it. I hear what you're saying.

We are not sure we would ever go back to gas. Joe Adams. Here's one I like too. Another one. Angelo Colella. Let me begin by saying that I'm an avid listener of your podcast, whether I'm listening from my home in Toronto or Como.

Now, I think when he says Como, he's talking about Como, Italy. You know, like Como where George Clooney lives. So, Angelo, when are you going to lend me your place? All right. I know you started out this podcast as a temporary result of COVID, but like most of your listeners, I hope you continue your entertaining podcast. Remember, taxes, too, were introduced as a temporary measure. That's right. Anyway, he wants to talk electric vehicles. While I must applaud your guests by being so informed and enthusiastic,

I was also struck by him being a tad overly optimistic. Revolutions that are long-lasting take time. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the electronic technology. The same technology has been around for decades, but fundamentally, electric cars are just a means to an end to something else. What that is, nobody fully knows at this time, whether it be hydrogen or fusion. Who knows? Only time will tell. The reason is that fundamentally, the electric car has an Achilles heel, the grid itself. Any Canadian who's gone through an ice storm or a Texan through a tiny coal snap just recently

knows of the precariousness of the electrical grid. It's fine to plug your car in a microcosm, but when everyone is doing so on a hot day with their air conditioners on, the stress on the grid could and often will be stressed to the breaking point. Around the world, billions if not trillions of dollars, will have to be spent to get electrical grids up to snuff. Prices will invariably rise considerably. Can governments coming out of COVID with huge deficits

continue to subsidize electrical prices? Better listen to yesterday's good talk with Chantelle Hebert and Bruce Anderson. We talk about the big D, the big deficit and the big debt, and it's a really interesting program. Anyway, can the governments handle all that, says Angelo, and still not make the great immune to such things as computer hackers or the all-too-frequent natural disasters,

pitting drivers against non-drivers and thus reducing the rationale of electric car ownership. Okay, good question, Angelo. Some of these letters and questions, here's another one, first of all, before I get to that. Anyway, some of these letters prompted a... I'm just trying to find it here. Here's the last one of the letters about the broadcast.

And this one comes from Teresa Chepera who lives in northern BC I found the podcast about electrical cars very interesting I do have a couple of questions though how well do electric cars function in colder climates we live in northern British Columbia where we have freezing temperatures for months at a time. Curious to know how well these cars will do in minus 20 to minus 30 or more temperatures. I'm curious to know what the experts say about where the electric energy is coming from to charge these cars. How will the power grid handle this? To be clear, I'm very glad to hear that the industry is moving towards more electric cars, and this is definitely great for the good of our planet.

That's from Teresa Chappera, and it's a question, a couple of questions actually, that were asked by a number of people. So, hey, I went back to Robert Lockhart, our guest on Wednesday, and his son Dave, who's also a big proponent of EVs. And I asked him those two questions. I said, like, how do you answer those? I asked him in an email. I forwarded some of EVs. And I asked them those two questions. I said, well, like, how do you answer those? I asked them in an email. I forwarded some of the letters. And so here are the answers that Robert and his son Dave gave. Regarding the power grid and the future impact of the

electrification of transportation on power requirements, a lot has been written on this subject. What I remember is that the experts don't seem to be too worried. Currently, our power grid has a lot of excess capacity built into it to deal with times of high demand, such as a heat wave. So most of the time, there's a lot of excess power to fuel electric transportation. More power can and will be added, hopefully mostly green energy. Utility companies are excited to have EVs plugging into the system because most charge at night when demand for power is much lower. That allows utility companies to receive increased revenue without expanding the power supply.

But, as he says, the power supply may well need to be expanded. Here's the answer on the cold. And this one comes from son Dave. Probably don't have too much to add to what dad already said. When air conditioners first became a thing, people were worried about all the electricity they draw i kind of remember that because i was kind of around when air conditioners came online but the power companies figured it out and they'll do it again because they want to make more money cars charging at night off peak is definitely also a thing. On cold climates, let me just say, Norway is leading the way on electric vehicles

with 54% of new cars being electric. That's in Norway. If it's good enough for Norway, says Dave, you know, it should be good enough for us on that whole issue of cold. Good point. Okay. Those are all the letters on the EVs that I'm going to mention tonight

or today or whenever you're listening. Here's one from Rebecca Hawk. I just wanted to say I really enjoyed seeing your guest spot on This Hour Has 22 Minutes this week in a sketch drinking bubble tea that was fun to do i'm not going to kind of explain it all but the 22 minutes crew wrote in this part of the uh of the country and they travel you know with all the protocols they wear masks they say socially distant a whole bit and they'd worked out a little skit for me to do on my front porch here in Stratford.

And we knocked that off, and I was on the air on Tuesday, and I've actually had quite a few people mention it. Rebecca says, I've never had bubble tea, but I've always wanted to try it. It was a real surprise to see you on the show this week, and it reminded me of in the fall when you interviewed Mark from 22 Minutes. Yes, we did. Mark came on.

You know, Mark Critch has done a lot of impersonations of Donald Trump over the years, and we had Mark on as our guest just before election night, and he was great, as he always is. You know, he's not only funny, he's smart. It's quite the combination. Karen Boshy from Edmonton, Alberta. And this is your COVID-related chunk of the mail. A concern for me today is hearing and was hearing

our provincial COVID update and on it hearing that my age group was suddenly being offered the opportunity to choose to get AstraZeneca vaccine, which is finally being rolled out, or wait for the higher efficacy vaccine sometime in the future. This continues to be a moving target. You have to follow carefully because it changes daily i have to wonder if i would be settling for second best my good sense though is telling me however to listen to the experts many of whom have been on your podcast they have been telling us that you

know isaac bogoch was just on the other day take any vaccine you can get as soon as you can get get it for your own safety and for the greater good. We think nothing of rolling up our sleeves for the flu shot each year, knowing virtually nothing about what's in it or where it came from.

At this time, herd immunity is our goal, and both a GMC or a Cadillac could get me to that destination with a tank of gas. Perhaps too much, or your EV. Perhaps too much information has been confusing

and given us more doubts than we should have. That's from retired teacher Karen Boshy in Edmonton, Alberta. I'm surprised that they're kind of like offering you the choice, saying do this now or wait, because most of the advice is just simply, you know, here's a vaccine, you should take it. Aaron Conser, also from Alberta, from Sherwood Park, Alberta. I had a different letter planned today, but I was reminded this morning of where I was at this time last year.

I'd just landed in Chicago, and I was on my way to a seminar on one of the instruments we use at my work. That trip feels so long ago, almost a lifetime ago. There was just something about that memory, wandering through a new city and not having to wear a mask, that became the final straw that has brought the weight of the past year crashing down upon me. This past year started down upon me. This past year started with such promise, and now it feels like we're picking up the pieces of those hopes and plans that we all had to abandon so long ago. There were so many dreams we all had to abandon this year,

so many people lost that should still be here. I worry that with our rush to get back to the way things were, we all forget what we've gone through, and we'll lose the progress that we have made. Will the desire to forget how hard and painful this year has been prove too strong that we also forget what we've learned this year? Will we forget the lessons from QAnon, Black Lives Matter, or the long-term care crisis? Can we continue to be better people to each other while forgetting the disease we've battled? I wish I had the answers. I want to hope that the lessons of this last year will leave its mark, but the grind of just getting through each day

has worn me down to the quick. I still believe this is the time to make big changes. I just hope we can hold on long enough to see them through. Aaron, be positive. You can hold on long enough to see them through. Aaron, be positive. You can hold on long enough. You've been through the worst of it. The best of it is yet to come. Louise Smith writes, I'm worried you're still Chantelle Hebert away from that issue, which I always watch or listen on the podcast.

We're not going to steal Chantelle Hebert away from anywhere. Chantelle Hebert is a very smart person who appreciates the opportunities she gets on a variety of different programs and always has. When I convinced Chantelle to be a part of At Issue, whenever that was, 20 years ago, she was already working at a number of other places. And she's still working at those places. Even though she's in retirement, she still writes for the Toronto Star, the La Presse.

She's on a variety of different programs, including At Issue, and now she's on Good Talk with Bruce and me on Sirius XM, Channel 167 Canada Talks, and Thursdays at 5 o'clock, repeated Sundays at 12 noon. It's a great hour looking at national issues

and national politics. And this week is especially good, especially important. So if you get a chance, go through the serious system and see whether you can log on and listen. So anyway, we're not taking Chantel away from anywhere. Obviously, you'll get her in a format that's unequal or unparalleled anywhere else

because we have time. We have an hour for our discussion. Mary Jane McIntyre. She writes in response to this discussion we had about vaccines. I'm with Bruce that we need to remain optimistic about the next few months. He mentioned celebrities who could make positive statements about the jab like Dolly Parton did. I see you as an influencer who could help your listeners feel good about getting their vaccine.

Sometimes your comments are harsh about the rollout speed, etc. Put a positive spin on the administration of vaccines. You have a following as is evidenced by the letters you read each Friday. People will listen to you. It's not my job to put a spin on anything. I'll just tell you what I know and I'll interview people who are experts in that field. I've made it clear that personally I'm in favor of vaccines and I will take a vaccine when one becomes available for my age group in my town. That still seems to be

some distance off. But when that happens, I will do it. I have no reason not to. I have no reason to believe anything bad about it. But I will always be the person who gives you whatever information I have and question that information with the experts who are around.

But Mary Jane, I appreciate it. I understand where you're coming from. And she's coming from Collingwood, Ontario. Right on the shores of Georgian Bay. Sineva Taylor. And I'm not sure if I got that name right. Sineva, Sineva Taylor. She's in Yellowknife.

I'll keep this as short and sweet as I can. Nurses are efficient, especially perioperative nurses. I've been listening to your podcast on my walks for almost a year now. First of all, I have to say, when I'm listening to you, I hear my dad. He's so missed in my life, but you have the same cadence and way of speaking it's really comforting some days covid has kept us separated enough said that's you know seneva that i love that sentence and you know i know we often find remembrances of loved ones through the sound or the actions or the appearance of others. And, you know, I guess this weekend we're all thinking to some degree of one of the great Canadian dads in Walter Gretzky. I've had the opportunity of meeting Wayne's dad more than a few times.

And he was an amazing guy. He was an amazing guy for his family and for his sons, and for Wayne, obviously, in particular. He was here in Stratford that day, Wayne, as, you know, whatever he was, six or seven years old. I think he was playing Tim Hortons or whatever the equivalent was of hockey that day, when Wayne Gretzky, here in Stratford at the old Almond Arena in downtown Stratford,

right on the shores of the Avon River, scored his very first goal in organized hockey. And he snapped a picture of it happening. And it's a great picture because, you know because the goalie that Wayne's shooting on, he's not wearing a mask, which shows you how long ago that was. And Wayne fires this goal. And I've talked to Wayne about it more than a few times. And he remembers it too.

Nobody had any idea at that point what the future was going to hold for Wayne Gretzky. more than a few times. And he remembers it too, you know. Nobody had any idea at that point what the future was going to hold for Wayne Gretzky. But Walter was there then, and Walter was there by his side for so many nights and so many days afterwards. And we've lost Walter now. But none of us who've ever met him or heard him or seen him will ever forget him.

Special guy. All right, back to Seneva Taylor's letter. This has probably been the harshest year of parenting, being a partner I have ever experienced. Both of our children, ages 16 and 19, are experiencing and coping mental health issues. It's been hard as a family. There is a light coming, though, I feel it. But there have been some really dark days. In BC, we've been very fortunate with the great leadership of Bonnie Henry, the doctor. I respect her so much, and we have done so well. She has had the ongoing support of our government, and I believe this has made a brilliant difference compared to the rest of Canada. People are fatigued in BC of keeping to

our small groups, but spring will help to reconnect in important ways. There have been other great relationships between provincial health officials and provincial governments, not in all cases, but certainly in some others. But BC has stood out thanks to the leadership of Dr. Bonnie Henry. Fourth, and the best thing I love right now, Arctic history. It may be one of the reasons I'm doing a second locum in Yellowknife. I love the land up here and I love being so close to the Arctic. Two years ago, a group of us traveled to Uganda on a medical trip. I grabbed a book hastily in the Amsterdam airport. It was HMS Erebus by Michael Palin.

That's right, that Michael Palin. I've read this book. Great book. I devoured the book on that trip. Here in Yellowknife, I'm picking up your suggestion this weekend of Dead Reckoning. I also have ordered Bushrunner by Mark Bury. This letter's long. It's for you.

I'm not trying to get onto the radio. Well, you did. I just wanted to share my experience in this hell of a year. You give us hope and a sense of normal. Thanks for showing up. It helps me show up. Thanks, Soneva.

That's very kind. Steve Cooper writes from Ottawa. You and your guests have been keeping me company on my daily afternoon walk. I especially enjoyed today's podcast with Dr. Bogoch. That would have been Monday of this past week where we looked at vaccines. I think it's all too easy to overdose on the COVID news firehose and get overwhelmed by the media's tendency to ratchet up the drama

and emotion in order to attract eyes and ears. The current media obsession is the vaccine rollout and who's getting the vaccine before others. I call these vaccine grievance stories. Your COVID updates are different. The tone is more realistic and even keeled, and your guests are less rushed than they would be on the nightly news. I've decided to just rely on your podcast for the latest general COVID developments

because the way you discuss it doesn't hurt me off or turn me off like the media does. Careful on that generalization. You know, the media is not a monolith. There are lots of really good and responsible news organizations out there, just like there are lots of irresponsible ones too. But Steve, thank you for those kind comments. Let me just see here. Okay. We have two letters yet to read. And when we come back, I'll read them.

Alright, you're listening to the weekend special on the bridge, and it brings us to our final two letters from you for this week. So let's, uh, let's get started on them. Who's the first one from? It's from Jenny Ingram and Jenny is in Peterborough, Ontario.

And, uh, these are kind of, well, Ontario. And these are kind of, well, this one's a lengthy letter, but I'm just going to read a part of it because it cuts to the quick of what Jenny's message is. I'm a geriatrician, a specialist in internal medicine and geriatric medicine. My career has focused on helping people to live at home despite their health challenges and to avoid long-term care or nursing homes, if that is their wish. I can assure you that is the wish of

most of my patients and all of my friends. In addition to clinical work, I'm also a researcher involved in clinical drug trials for antibody drug research related to Alzheimer's disease, very similar to the clinical trials we have all been waiting for to prove the efficacy of the COVID vaccine. I also am a researcher into systems of care for persons with families and dementia, following on the patients needing home care, services in GP offices, services in hospital, teams in the community and rural areas. It will be sad, costly and uninspired if the outcome from all of this is the construction of more long-term care beds. It remains the governmental response, the main governmental response to the pandemic

for seniors. The pandemic provides us an opportunity to consider a different future for those in the line and trying to avoid the line to become residents of long-term care homes. I would be delighted to talk with you or your staff. You're talking to my staff right now. Here I am. I am my staff. On further ways that the bridge could explore this, well, you may have heard on Good Talk this week

that Chantel and Bruce and I all agreed that the question of our aging population is a huge one and an extremely important one and growing in importance every day because the size of that aging population continues to grow. And therefore, it is clearly a subject of interest and a subject that we want to get hold of. So we're going to be thinking about that

and how we do that in the next little while. My goal for the next two years, says Jenny, during the time of provincial and federal elections is to change the discourse in planning away from build more long-term care beds to build more care. All right, Jenny. And as I said, Jenny's in Peterborough, Ontario. All right, here's our last one.

And this is a very long one. I'm going to read a good chunk of it. Because it, like all the other letters that I've received this week and past weeks, is a reflection of you, is a reflection of our country. And I love the fact that we get these letters from all regions of the country, as you've heard here. We've had letters from Atlantic Canada, from Western Canada, from the North, and everywhere in between.

This one comes from Gabriella Zilmer. And I guess it's about the way Gabriella headlines it is communications and the pandemic. So let's hear what she has to say. We did very well in the early days of the pandemic because we had alignment across federal, provincial, and municipal messages by politicians and public health. It was clear, simple, and it resonated with us, so we did what we needed to do. Media outlets reported the facts as we learned them and reinforced the messages to stay home, mask, keep distancing, and wash hands. And in many ways, we were successful in curbing the spread.

Since then, partisan politics has crept in. Opposing parties cast doubt and suspicion on the motives of ruling parties, and ruling parties start to play games with the unique situation we're in. We're also now publicly debating scientific facts between scientific communities at a time when some of that debate can actually undermine confidence and create confusion. Don't get me wrong.

I'm not suggesting we obscure facts or muzzle free speech. I'm suggesting that politicians and the various scientists and public health officials have a requirement to be responsible in what they're saying and how they choose to say it. If we really all believe in the good of the community, surely they can agree on the key messages and keep them simple and direct and meaningful for the millions of Canadians who look to their leadership to bring us through the pandemic. Pull together and row in the same direction.

Lead us, don't create confusion and more disruption. There's a time and place for everything, and we'll have plenty of time to debate and criticize once we're through this. There will be many lessons learned and lots of opportunity to be better for next time. Less partisanship, by the way, would be well supported with better planning for vaccination delivery. We can't do much about the supply of vaccine and I blame no one about our supply issues, but I do blame provincial governments and public health regions for inconsistent and poor planning in how to get this vaccine into

the arms of millions. We overcomplicate and under plan. We've had months knowing the vaccines are coming and in many cases we're just now thinking of the logistics of how to get this out to everyone. As for the media, they are also to blame for the confusion because news is entertainment. The news outlets all strive to have their audiences tune in to them rather than their competitors. So they strive to capture the biggest headline. When we weren't locked down, they announced politicians didn't care about our health and should lock us down.

When we did lock down, they said the economy would crash and we should open up. The media should report the facts and let us come to our own educated conclusions. You know, let me add what I did say just in the other, the last letter, is you've got to be careful on this media criticism because you're treating everybody as if they operate exactly the same way.

The media is not a monolith. They don't all get together every day and say, okay, we're going to do this on this story, or we're going to spin it this way. That's not what happens. There are responsible, good, in some cases hard-hitting, news organizations that want accountability, and they search for it and strive for it

sometimes i get mixed up with headline hunting and when that happens it's not good for anybody anyway let me read um the conclusion that gabriella zilmer from toronto has it's a great letter it really is in canada we have much to be thankful for. And we also have much to focus our attention to as we get out of this pandemic, including homelessness, support for vulnerable populations, including the elderly, and those that live in remote locations. And the tremendous impact this last year has had on the lives and minds of millions of Canadians. But we need to get through this pandemic, one of the most highly unprecedented situations in a century. Surely we can

put aside partisan politics, self-interest, and news ratings to get the facts and support out to everyone. Great letter. Thank you, Gabriella Zilimmer from toronto for that one and that one kind of wraps it up for another week another week on the bridge and we sure being happy to have you along lots coming up next week, obviously. All the normal way we get through a week from, you know, Smoke Mirrors and the Truth on Wednesday with Bruce Anderson to the weekend special a week from now, but dotted along the way on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday

we'll have many of our regular features and keeping you up to date on just what's happening in your world from the perspective that the bridge likes to throw on it. We don't cover everything. We cover a few things, and we try to bring you a take that you're not getting elsewhere. So in the meantime, try to enjoy this weekend. Spring is starting to come in some parts of the country.

We are approaching the Ides of March. Next week is week 52 for the bridge. Since we went into full COVID mode, week 52, one year. Isn't that something? So do all the things you always do. Wash your hands. Keep socially distant. Wear a mask or two.

And stay away from big crowds. Care about others. Try to enjoy yourself as best you can. I'm Peter Mansbridge. This has been The Bridge. Looking forward to week 52. That's coming up starting on monday take care Thank you.