Why it's important that historically-accurate people argue back against the silly "a GM conspiracy killed all the streetcars, just like in that movie" story.

Christof Spieler@christofspieler.bsky.social · 2d ago

I think the conspiracy is comforting to people -- "a few bad guys did this." The reality -- "electeds, planners, and most of the public believed that the car was the future and rail transit was outdated" is actually more unsettling since it raises the question of what we're getting wrong now.

Not 12 months after after the election and immigration slowed, you saw cities start to walk back their housing reforms with as much plausible deniability as they could manage. "Oh us? No. We're just uh. Doing surveys about reducing lot coverage maximums. Don't write that we're throttling housing!!"

This is particularly rich because Colle has been working very hard to ensure that as little development happens in his ward as possible.

Matt Elliott@graphicmatt.com · 7d ago

"I hope the next investment made by one of these major franchises happens outside the downtown. Because I think you have enough!" says Councillor Mike Colle. He laments the traffic caused by "jamming everything downtown."

Ever worked with Beyond 20/20 IVT files and enjoyed it? Me neither. Until today. The canivt package parses IVT files and converts them to parquet or CSV, enabling the use of IVT files in modern data workflows.

Introducing canivt – Mountain Doodles

The canivt R package parses Beyond 20/20 IVT files into R and enables modern data workflows based on StatCan IVT data.

doodles.mountainmath.ca

Ward 8 in Toronto is crying for this.

Bryn Davidson - Lanefab@lanefab.com · last wk.

This is our mockup of a "village" area (33rd and Mackenzie) densifying with small lot apartment buildings / corner cafes.

A friend fighting the good fight

Messy Urbanisms@messyurbanisms.bsky.social · 2w ago

Despite numerous court rulings in other municipalities, still endless battles to allow naturalized front yards. Even in the countryside! This one from Napanee napaneebeaver.ca/napanee-home...

Good afternoon from Keating Channel. Today I will be exploring Ookwemin Minising and the new Don River mouth. This includes the newly opened second phase of Biidaasige Park. Let's go. #metroscapes

Toronto’s public bikeshare is completely world class. Half the price of NYC, more winterized than Montreal, well integrated with transit.

Michael Druker 🇨🇦@mdruker.app · 2w ago

Everyone loves to talk about what their city governments are doing wrong. What’s something your city is getting right? (And tell us what city it is!)

I'd be curious if Erskine-Smith's withdrawal had an impact?

Polling Canada@canadianpolling.bsky.social · 2w ago

(Models Available To Subscribers) Ontario Provincial Polling: PCPO: 32% (-11) ONDP: 28% (+8) OLP: 26% (-4) NBP: 6% (+4) GPO: 5% (-) Others: 3% EKOS / June 16, 2026 / n=1248 / MOE 2.8% / Telephone (% Change with 2025 Election) Check more ON details @338canada.bsky.social: 338canada.com/ontario/

Municipal politicians talk a lot about meeting "TransformTO" goals. I have made a tool that actually tracks commute mode share in Toronto and measures how close we are to hitting these goals! See what your ward's transportation mode share is and hold candidates to account.

That’s funny. Much of the “anti-car” stuff I see is from parents who want safe streets for their kids. Many of them still own cars, but they want to be able to bike with their kids. They want their kids to be able to walk to school.

Romeo Kokriatski@vagrantjourno.bsky.social · 3w ago

Honestly with a 9mo without a car, it'd be a logistical nightmare just to make it to his checkups. I feel like a lot of anti-car stuff comes from people who don't have kids tbh

Not very hard to find many places in the vastness (though difficult to reach) that no one has likely walked within a 20 km radius in at least the last hundred years

Sorry Buddy@3cityyimby.bsky.social · 3w ago

It's my favourite place in the world, but most of it is wilderness on a scale the human mind recoils from, slashed through with a couple warm lines and dots of Indigenous settlement. It's not a hostile landscape (at least in summer) so much as one that is utterly and completely indifferent to you.

Gotta wonder where the companies headquartered in Calgary will go to? Probably Vancouver but maybe, just maybe, Winnipeg will see its Second Century

Heat got you down? Try some light climate reading! Here's a snippet from Very Serious Mark Carney's book Value(s). "Actions speak louder than words. Credible climate policies should cut emissions from day one to reduce the end point in carbon concentrations." (p.296).

You need to remember that America is a big special boy and it was his birthday last week.

Isaiah Bishop@isaiahbishop.bsky.social · 4w ago

Spain is trying and being threatened with economic sanction. And its not like you guys will do anything until the midterms

That's $1100/hour, 24x7. That's quite an expense assuming there aren't 10 officers around any given time. I thought that Canadian municipalities weren't allowed to charge excessive surplus-generating user fees and I'd be curious if that principle legally extends to other public bodies like police.

Justin McElroy 🇨🇦@jmcelroy.bsky.social · 4w ago

We asked the Vancouver Police Department why it will cost $200,000 per week, on top of their $497 million budget, to police a car-free Granville strip for six additional weeks this summer. They refused to answer.

I was really hoping for a better data point before I charted this... But the Eglinton LRT surface section (Don Valley to Kennedy) remains embarrassing.

Hell, Line 5 has made me smile. It's a good thing that opens up the city and brings a little joy to the heart each time it accelerates fast away from the station.

Phil@philmarfisi.bsky.social · last mo.

This site needs more civic joyposting. What's one little thing that's changed in your city recently that has made a big difference to you?

Once in a while I miss exploring abandoned buildings. Saw some awesome spaces while I was in the game for about 15 years. All but one of these were shot on film, mostly 4x5. Lots of these places have been demolished.

Just a note here in #TOpoli An adult and child riding their bikes on College St. This is the question you can ask your incumbent and/or candidate. During your 2026-2030 term will you be installing infrastructure that prioritizes the safety of these types of vulnerable road users? Yes or No?

I hope that the “report” that will come to council about pedestrianization in Toronto will lay out that we cannot treat pedestrianized streets and pilots as “festivals.” The cost and staff effort is far too high. They must be treated like any other street. Just without cars and designed for people.

Phil@philmarfisi.bsky.social · last mo.

The outrageous requests from police are the main story here but why on God's green earth did the organizers have to pay *$63,000* in permit fees and payments to the Toronto Parking Authority? Our cities need to find a way to reduce fees and red tape for car free public spaces.

Too many people are fixated on political aesthetics and not nearly concerned enough with material outcomes.

John Muller@mrjohnmuller.bsky.social · last mo.

What's bugging me about the whole empty condo debacle is that I bet, if Carney had gone up and said "I am going to legally expropriate and seize all these empty condos for affordable housing" the same people complaining now would probably love it, even if the payoff to developers was the exact same.

This is so important because even though we pedestrianized Church street, the city forces a lot of things through an Events / Festivals framework right now. This is why you see security by the “entrances” and why the regular city garbage bins are covered.

Josh Matlow@joshmatlow.bsky.social · last mo.

Toronto’s getting pedestrian streets!

Specifically, want to note that Colle is opposing this after cancelling the Marlee bike lanes and pedestrian safety improvements project last year.

Matt Elliott@graphicmatt.com · last mo.

Matlow's motion to create a Pedestrian Streets Program for Toronto CARRIES without debate, 16-6. Report due Q1 2027.

A) This is good and meaningful B) This takes DCs back to, what 2020 levels? 2022? It's clear there's something badly flawed with DCs as a tool for municipalities and that they are not working as policy? Better to have reasonable property taxation for everyone than relying on new homes for funding.

John Michael McGrath@jm-mcgrath.bsky.social · last mo.

Fed hsg minister says we're looking at $85K reduction in costs per unit

The police demanded full time paid duty. The greatest legal shakedown in Ontario. www.thestar.com/news/gta/cit...

Budget for Toronto’s Church Street pedestrianization pilot project more than triples due to policing, security costs

Police say requirements for any future such projects will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

thestar.com

I hope this kills the idea in Toronto that these types of things need 15 years and 5 multi-year consultation periods and environmental studies before pilot implementation.

Shawn Micallef@shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Day 2 of church street pedestrianization. I am floored at how fast it happened. Nice work from the TSA interpreting a 8 sites. Even got into the Steps controversy (you can see the remnants of the steps in background)

It’s surreal seeing it come full circle. The people stuck in the crowded Church Street sidewalk are now free to roam the streets! (At least during the 2 month pedestrianization pilot) Streets are for the people!

Rodney 🚧🚇@chanface.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Was on Church Street last night to celebrate the pedestrian pilot passing at City Council and saw what originally inspired me to propose pedestrianizing it in the first place—sidewalks so crowded that spill into the parking lane!

It makes me so happy to see one of my favourite people in Canadian journalism contributing to @thelocal.to thelocal.to/youth-sports...

Kids Aren’t Active Enough. Youth Sports Are Part of the Problem. | The Local

As competitive, specialized athletics dominate gyms and community fields, the children who need physical activity most are the ones being left out.

thelocal.to

Great piece from @spacing.bsky.social. I also love that the workers are identified by name in the photo captions. It's a rare touch, but an important one—it helps ensure the people who built these industries aren't lost to history. spacing.ca/toronto/2026...

The rise and fall of National Rubber - Spacing Toronto

In February, 2026 a friend who lives in the Junction emailed me to report that demolition had begun at the site of the former National Rubber factory on Cawthra Avenue. Having already produced an exte...

spacing.ca