"We can't add to the financial burden" says the caption as the camera pans across a new car-dependent subdivision being built at the margins of the city. Thanks for the vision, Mr. Mayor.
Christopher Solar 🇨🇦
@christophersolar.bsky.social
Furniture designer/maker, cyclist, inside the Ottawa bubble. He/Him.
Bucketing down rain right now and so far only about 42 people have finished the Ironman (at least according to the online stats, from 2886 starters). Must still be people who are still on the bike leg. Oof.
Sutcliffe had to get Baird to write that unhinged anti-Leiper screed because he still has a month to go on being a nice guy.
mark-sutcliffe.bsky.social@mark-sutcliffe.bsky.social · 4d agoDay 170/200 Days of Kindness Submit your ideas here: https://marksutcliffe.ca/city-of-kindness Jour 170/200 jours de bienveillance Partagez vos idées ici: https://marksutcliffe.ca/fr/ville-bienveillante #OttawaKind
Recent work: a tall wardrobe cabinet delivered yesterday to Hangar 11, the diplomatic reception space at YOW. The mosaic covering the back-lit doors is built from fragments of photographic images sourced from across the country.
the good news: the trains are running! the bad news: they're not stopping
Occasional Transpo@occtranspo.bsky.social · 2w agoNew Report Submitted: Train brake system offline
Every time this photo pops up in my feed my first reaction is what is with that umbilical cord connecting Ford's belly to Smith's ear.
Max Fawcett@maxfawcett.bsky.social · 3w agoFor a guy who branded himself as a business person, Doug Ford seems to love floating bad business ideas. His new pipeline is an obvious disaster on a bunch of fronts -- not least the need to prepare Ontario for the electrified future ahead. #cdnpoli #onpoli www.nationalobserver.com/2026/07/15/o...
As a citizen of the Commonwealth I assure you there is an extremely long list of questions more pressing to me than "how are the princes getting on".
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 3w agoPrince Harry is clearly repairing his relationship with King Charles III, but the rift with his brother, Prince William, remains unresolved.
A bloated, deranged leader with a bizarre hairstyle, decaying flesh, and a loyal sycophant who dies of sudden heart failure. I am referring, of course, to the "heart plug" scene in David Lynch's "Dune". www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWq1...
Dune (4/9) Movie CLIP - Baron Harkonnen (1984) HD
YouTube video by Movieclips
youtube.com
Oh, the city's kinda-sorta putting cycling infrastructure on Gladstone EXCEPT in one of the most dangerous spots they're giving priority to a "staging area" for heavy trucks going into Preston Hardware. And the solution for cyclists is..."just go around", I guess?
The invisible Trumpet of Shame is played again.
Remember to load up your Presto card at least 24 hours before you plan to take your submarine out.
Stephanie Carvin@stephaniecarvin.bsky.social · last mo.We're buying a sub that doesn't exist from a country that has a very mixed modern record of building military things. I'm truly worried this is the OC Transpo of military procurement. www.cnn.com/2026/06/08/e...
So it turns out it's bad if the drains from the flat roof of your 100-yr-old factory building are tied into the municipal sewer line, especially from the perspective of the ground-floor tenant (i.e. me).
Imagine a home renovation where nobody thinks to schedule the electrician BEFORE the drywall.
Laine Johnson@lainejohnson.bsky.social · last mo.Just last week, we saw that Hydro is planning to dig a trench on a street that is also about to be dug up for a sidewalk project. We checked with the City project manager who said that he was unaware of the Hydro work and would begin coordinating with Hydro now that he knew.
Has anyone tried lighting the reflecting pool on fire? #justasking
"Father’s Day Gift Ideas for Dads Who Love to Grill," says the email. "Dads and grilling go hand in hand!" or "Father's Day gift ideas for men whose concept of gender roles only allows them to participate in food preparation if meat and open flame are involved" As a dad, I find this so bleak.
It's a shame then that the city spent every nickel on helping one particular big business succeed.
mark-sutcliffe.bsky.social@mark-sutcliffe.bsky.social · 2mo agoSmall businesses are part of what makes Ottawa such a great city. They create jobs, bring life to our neighbourhoods, support local families, and help build strong communities. Our job at City Hall is to make it easier for them to succeed.
Repeating this query I get a wife named Rachel, then Zenda (former intern), then Laura (former tenant at my studio), then Kate (my daughter, and apparently we have children together 😬) then "he's private and doesn't disclose his wife's exact name". Canada's AI Strategy should be "burn it down".
Christopher Solar 🇨🇦@christophersolar.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe existence of my wife Rachel comes as quite a surprise to me (and to my partner, not named Rachel, wondering what I'm snickering at). Remember when Google was useful?
The existence of my wife Rachel comes as quite a surprise to me (and to my partner, not named Rachel, wondering what I'm snickering at). Remember when Google was useful?
Senator Paula Simons 🇨🇦@senatorpaulasimons.bsky.social · 2mo agoA thread. The other day, I happened to clock the little AI-written bio attached to my name. It announced, quite confidently, that I was married, not to my husband, but to his brother. Particularly amusing, since my BIL is a proud member of the LGBQT community. I love him, but I am NOT his type. 🧵
Dreaming of an Ottawa where street trees survive long enough to create any kind of canopy, kissing or otherwise.
Brent Toderian@brenttoderian.bsky.social · 2mo agoNever underestimate the value of prioritizing space for a double row of serious street trees that can create a “kissing canopy” over your sidewalks in downtowns and urban places. #StreetTrees
Just got back from Italy, rode my bike the length of Calabria. Was great. Recommended. AMA if so inclined.
Flight attendant giving the pre-flight safety presentation has "MEMENTO MORI" clearly tattooed on her forearm. Mixed messages.
Scoping out OC Transpo options for a mid-day trip to the airport, and even if I'm **already at the Carleton O-Train station** the top two route suggestions involve using a bus. How is this possible?
Riding past the Tulip Festival on the way home today I observed a melee happening between a flock of seagulls and a 5-year-old boy who was wielding a baguette like a longsword. Multiple ways that could have played out?
Oh hey it's Mark Sutcliffe campaigning as though he hasn't already been in charge of this file for the last four years. "I will fix transit" he vowed in 2022.
mark-sutcliffe.bsky.social@mark-sutcliffe.bsky.social · 3mo agoOttawa residents deserve better, more reliable public transit. Yesterday, our new transit GM Rick Leary unveiled his 10-point plan to make OC Transpo the most customer-focused transit system in Canada.
TIL: Costco sells caskets. Seems you can buy them one at a time, at least. "Expedited Shipping" (to clarify, as far as I know I am not in the market for a casket)
I can't wait until Metrolinx is running the Ottawa LRT, yep, they'll solve all the problems!
John Bowker@johnbowker.bsky.social · 3mo agoMetrolinx is refusing to tell the public how much it paid to the premier’s close friend for implausibly-valued air rights he didn’t even own www.thetrillium.ca/news/politic... #onpoli
Carney talked a very progressive game during the campaign but what we're seeing in action now isn't living up to it, and my "thank god it's not Poilievre" glow has long since worn off.
Emmett Macfarlane 🇨🇦@emmettmacfarlane.com · 3mo agoA brutal indictment of Carney - gutting the social policy initiatives of his predecessor. I wasn't even aware of some of this. Vanishing differences between Carney and Poilievre. Liberal partisans, you support THIS? www.thestar.com/politics/pol...
The thing about being stuck in a downward spiral is: you're always turning a corner.
mark-sutcliffe.bsky.social@mark-sutcliffe.bsky.social · 3mo agoOttawa is turning a corner and people are noticing. The National Post ranks Ottawa as the best place for Gen Z to live in Canada. nationalpost.com/news/ironica...