NEW: Five major Ontario school boards that have been under the direct supervision of the Ford government for a year or more have posted budget deficits despite the education minister blaming trustees for their financial turmoil. #Onpoli globalnews.ca/news/1195540...

Ontario school boards record more deficits a year after supervisors sent in | Globalnews.ca

In June 2025, Minister Paul Calandra announced he would appoint supervisors to the Toronto public, Toronto Catholic, Ottawa-Carleton and Dufferin-Peel school boards.

globalnews.ca

🚆 The GO Train is back in Stratford! After years without rail service since the pilot service to London was cancelled, GO trains are once again connecting Stratford to the regional network. This marks an important step toward providing more transportation options for residents and visitors alike.

The thought of working a patio shift in what feels like 37° heat in the middle of the World Cup makes me so grateful I am no longer a server. Please be extra patient with your patio staff this week. They've probably just tried not to pass out from heatstroke and/or cry in a freezer somewhere.

In which I fail to explain why three levels of government can’t cooperate to do something that everyone agrees needs to be done.

East-End Explainers: Why Can’t We Get a Clear Answer on Secord School?

Attempting to demystify the City, one question at a time.

jennieworden.substack.com

Happy Pride! Got my glitter on at the Trans March on Friday and the Dyke March on Saturday and enjoyed the best family reunion of the year.

Random reminder that Toronto Council timidly suggested once that they might, might trim the police budget and in response the police implemented a decade-long refusal to enforce traffic laws.

Matt Elliott@graphicmatt.com · 3mo ago

Councillor Burnside, a former cop, says the number of tickets written by police officers declined by 90% over a ten-year period. He says the city needs to "look at strategies" for getting police to do more traffic enforcement.

“Extreme heat is already creating ‘nonsurvivable’ conditions for humans in heatwaves that have killed thousands and likely many more, according to new research that warns people are more susceptible to rising temperatures than first thought.” Via @motherjones.com #ClimateCrisis #UrbanHeat

"Nonsurvivable": Today's heatwaves have surpassed our bodies' ability to stay cool

A new analysis reveals the deadly potential of six extreme heat events, especially for elders.

motherjones.com

I can absolutely promise never to call into a City Council meeting while driving.

New campaign video dropped!

Indeed. Tires apparently release 100 times the amount of volatile organic compounds as a modern tailpipe. e360.yale.edu/features/tir...

Road Hazard: Evidence Mounts on Toxic Pollution from Tires

Researchers are only beginning to uncover the toxic cocktail of chemicals, microplastics, and heavy metals hidden in car and truck tires. But experts say these tire emissions are a significant source ...

e360.yale.edu

Shout out to the lady walking along Danforth, dressed to the 9s in a flowing black skirt and black leather bustier, who caught my eye and said “it’d be a great evening if only my underwear would stay up for 2 minutes.” Whomst among us?

"We go through everyone she might be thinking of until it becomes clear: she’s getting Brad Bradford mixed up with Brad Bradford.” www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

www.janeswalkfestivalto.com/sunday-may-3... Come take a walk with me!

the-beaches-torontos-summer-playground-from-then-until-now | Jane's Walk Toronto Festival

janeswalkfestivalto.com

NEW: The One-Hour City Conspiracy! “Here's the REAL conspiracy: Too many people are forced into car-dependent lives, with more health harms, crashes, noise, air pollution, social isolation —& less space for everything our streets should be giving us.” Thanks @usa.streetsblog.org #1HourCityConspiracy

Urban Truth Collective: The One-Hour City Conspiracy — Streetsblog USA

Here's the real conspiracy: Too many people are forced into car-dependent lives, with more health harms, more crashes, more noise, more air pollution, more social isolation — and less space for everyt...

usa.streetsblog.org

We’ve been sold personal joy while our civic spaces, values, and conversations have been eroding. There’s nothing wrong with personal joy, but it is limiting.

To be honest most Ontarians simply don't care, so complete is the dehumanisation of the poor: If you’re treading water on welfare in Doug Ford’s Ontario, you’re slowly sinking archive.ph/NwvnO

Two crossing guards in Ontario have been killed on the job in less than six months (and both since the Ford government emboldened motorists by removing speed safety cameras). There should be a public inquest or coroner's report. This is not acceptable.

Shawn Micallef@shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 6mo ago

My @thestar.com column this week salutes some real heroes on the streets: crossing guards. Drivers in Ontario are emboldened & dangerous. The guards are precariously employed, disrespected, threatened & a pedestrian’s thin line of defence. It’s absurd we need them yet they’re essential.

More cars = more congestion: “Ride-hailing was responsible for approximately 50 percent of the increase in congestion between 2010 and 2016"

David Zipper@davidzipper.bsky.social · 6mo ago

"Waymo has told advocates that expecting it to respect bike lanes is 'too high a bar' because customers expect to be dropped off in them." To be crystal clear, it's illegal for a car to be in a bike lane. It doesn't matter what Waymo's customers expect; the company shouldn't be doing it.

i think biking or being a pedestrian in any major city is enough to polarize anyone sane against the idea that driving is an absolute right, especially when you see how many people are on their fucking phones

Jason "we're gonna win" Delaney@jasonjdelaney.bsky.social · 6mo ago

The main reason I support transit is that many people should not be allowed to drive and that shouldn't be immiserating to enforce

So, this? Does not make me feel more safe. (CW: Police, gnus, security theatre) www.instagram.com/reel/DXhvs2m...

Toronto Police Service on Instagram: "Task Force Guardian continues to deploy highly trained officers at various locations across the city. Our highly trained officers are out there to keep you safe a...

1,127 likes, 0 comments - torontopolice on April 24, 2026: "Task Force Guardian continues to deploy highly trained officers at various locations across the city. Our highly trained officers are out th...

instagram.com

Does anyone else invariably wind up with paste on their nose whenever they poster? Just me?

Speaking of parks: jennieworden.substack.com/p/spring-cle...

Spring Cleaning in a Special Park

May is just around the corner

jennieworden.substack.com

Hanging out in my shared backyard. Aka a park.

An unused park is a clean park, I guess. But seems like it misses the point of having a park.

See, this is what I'm talking about. Maybe if you have a back yard, you see parks as sedate places for genteel strolling. But where the heck else are people who don't have yards supposed to barbecue, and listen to music?

Matt Elliott@graphicmatt.com · 6mo ago

Nunziata gets staff to clarify that councillors can opt-out having vending in parks. They can. Nunziata says that's good, because she has issues in her parks already with "music going on, they're barbequing, there's food and garbage. This really concerns me that this could cause bigger problems."

"All of us need to resist the politicization of this," says Bradford on the issues at 500 Dawes. Yeah, imagine politicizing stuff.

When Canadians talk about affordability, the discussion often revolves around the cost of fuel. While we pay for gasoline and diesel with our credit cards, in study after study, scientists have shown we also pay with our health. We should talk about it more. thenarwhal.ca/climate-chan...

How Canadians pay for fossil fuels with our bodies | The Narwhal

The affordability crisis brings about talk of the price at the gas pump, but more Canadians are realizing the cost climate change is taking on our health

thenarwhal.ca

Councillor Colle’s motion calling on Toronto MPs to oppose the expropriation of Little Norway Park for airport expansion CARRIES 22-3.

Today @ Toronto City Council, Cllr Holyday asked why Little Norway Park is so special. In Etobicoke Centre, 48% of residents live in single-family homes, w. front- and back yards. In Spadina-Fort York, where Little Norway is located, it's about 7%.

Another example of the cost to society of private car ownership. This railroad signal has been saved by the guard rail, but will require thousands of dollars in repairs. Crashes like this are repeated hundreds of times per day, costing society millions of dollars.