Globe and Mail calls pickup trucks "plague on Canadian streets"

How disconnected are the conventional media outlets from the lives of ordinary, hard-working Canadians who may live outside the city? Very.

"Even in the midst of economic uncertainty, consumers lined up to buy these hulking, belching kings of the road. Once the vehicle of the cowboy, the contractor and the good old boy, pickups have become the continent’s mainstream ride," the article begins.

The writer attacks drivers for not using pick-up trucks for their intended purpose: "Most people no longer use pickups to haul bales of hay. They drive them to the mall to shop or the soccer field to drop off their kids. Why anyone thinks they need such a beast to do that is an abiding mystery [...] What spectacular overkill. One survey found that three quarters of pickup drivers used the vehicles for hauling only one time or not at all in the course of an average year...few drivers [actually use] them to go off road."

The author's primary grievance is environmental. "A recent U.S. report found that more than half a million diesel pickups had been fitted with devices that override their emissions controls, dumping pollutants into the air. In the charming practice known as rolling coal, some pickup drivers blow past cyclists and electric vehicles and deliberately spew black smoke at them."

MP for Battle River—Crowfoot Damien Kurek was quick to comment about the remarks, writing his take on Facebook: "If only those concerned about pickup trucks would be just as concerned about the lying, mismanagement, corruption, and incompetence of a Liberal Government tearing this country apart. Btw, I wrote this from the seat of my pickup that actually gets better fuel economy than the last car I owned."