Matthew LaRose
@matthewlarose.bsky.social
Pap and pleasantries. Views are my own. Hamilton, Ontario
Happy Sunday Ward 2! We were out in the Durand neighbourhood today. As the most diverse and dense neighbourhood in our city, there’s a lot to unpack at the doors. Glad to meet so many of you and to answer your questions with facts and the experience I’ve gained in this job. It matters. #HamOnt
While walking Bloor Street West this week, my sadness and anger became a white hot rage after being nearly struck by a SUV driver while I was in a marked crosswalk. seanmarshall.ca/2026/10/17/t...
The bikelash comes to Bloor Street West
If pedestrians or cyclists are injured or killed by aggressive, distracted, or speeding motorists, that’s just the cost of living in Doug Ford’s Toronto.
seanmarshall.ca
The political dynamic in Toronto (& other Cdn cities) is: local politicians can attend to window dressing, but deeper issues & problems are controlled & created by higher orders of gov't. However people vote for municipal politicians based on those problems & don't connect other levels to them.
We need to stop pretending there is an unused corner of every community where homelessness can be placed without affecting anyone.
When homeless people are moved from one place to another, the problem doesn’t disappear
thespec.com
It’s actually happening. Ford is ripping these bike lanes out Tuesday. Be there if you can.
The Biking Lawyer LLP@thebikinglawyer.bsky.social · last wk.Bike lane removals from Islington to Royal York are anticipated to start the evening of Oct. 13. Community members are encouraged to meet at the Bloor Green P Lot for Tom Riley Park at 5pm onwards (come whenever you can) 1/2
"People are the point of democracy." @kingsleymalo.bsky.social says volunteering is about caring for your neighbours and strengthening communities. Tonight at 8pm, @spaikin.bsky.social joins @senatormohamed.bsky.social, Megan Conway of @volunteercanada.bsky.social and Lois Tuffin on TVO Today Live.
One thing about people citing slower car travel times on Bloor West following the bike lane install is, well, that was kind of the point. Drivers were **averaging** nearly 20 km/h over the current speed limit at spots. Road revamp has brought speeds closer to limit. www.toronto.ca/wp-content/u...
Matt Braga dives into the race in Scarborough North, where first-time councillor Jamaal Myers is facing off against a pair of former Liberal MPs. thelocal.to/scarborough-...
The Battle Over Sixplexes in Scarborough North | The Local
Last year, the ward became the first suburban ward to legalize the construction of sixplexes as-of-right. Now, in a race between incumbent Jamaal Myers and former Liberal MPs Shaun Chen and Han Dong, ...
thelocal.to
All those Toronto drivers who shouted about bike lanes' [non-existent] effect on emergency vehicles will no doubt throw their support behind congestion pricing. Right?
Adam@adamshap.bsky.social · 3w agoNYC’s congestion pricing program cut ambulance travel times by over a minute
Gambling-related ER visits have almost doubled since Ontario opened market to private companies, study finds. Jump was most acute in the 10 to 29 age group, which saw a 154% increase in admissions, by @jenniferyang.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... via @theglobeandmail.com
Gambling-related ER visits have almost doubled since Ontario opened market to private companies, study finds
Jump was most acute in the 10 to 29 age group, which saw a startling 154% increase in admissions
theglobeandmail.com
Given how torqued that survey was, this is a remarkable result.. “Federal consultations on the jets concluded Friday and an overwhelming majority of people in Toronto said that they did not want the expansion to go forward” www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
Federal government rejects Ontario’s plan to allow jets at Billy Bishop airport
Overwhelming majority of people consulted in Toronto did not want the expansion to go forward, according to a source
theglobeandmail.com
TTC says RapidTO lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst delivered about ~3 mins average time savings for riders on World Cup match days. They note “Small adjustments to signal timings can yield major improvements” and "Toronto Police and Traffic Agent support was crucial.” www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis...
These images of First Nations community members evacuating Collins, Ontario on motorboats are absolutely surreal www.facebook.com/reel/1548244...
Luke LeBrun@lukelebrun.ca · 3mo agoThese photos of FNs community members fleeing their homes by boat are genuinely apocalyptic (Photo via Wayne Wastaken of Collins, Ontario, who says his “hometown is gone”) www.facebook.com/share/r/1ArN...
Ontario PCs are not fiscal conservatives — that much is clear. But every time someone gets angry at City Council for property tax increases, they should look at another target: Doug Ford. When cities are forced to fulfill provincial mandates, municipal property taxes fill in the gaps.
A far-right white supremacist group is touring northern Ontario to recruit and spread its message. Experts warn normalizing this rhetoric can lead to violence. Why are hate crimes rising in Canada? Watch Unravelled: youtu.be/WQwZK-bdtcU?...
We are proud to support @compassch in #Hamilton again this year with a bunch of free helmets. These helmets will go to Compass clients who sign up to the Compass x @everyoneridesinitiative bike pass. More people on bikes in Hamilton, heck ya. Thanks @cycletherapyham.bsky.social for the back up!
"Cycle Toronto’s suggestion to press the federal government to require consistent standards for e-bike batteries is also a worthy one, given the risk of fires."
André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 4mo agoElectric bicycles have become a danger on the streets, putting pedestrians, traditional cyclists and e-bike riders themselves at risk. Better regulation is needed. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit... via @theglobeandmail.com
Important read in today's Spec from Kojo Damptey. There's a disproportionate amount of police force impacting Black, Indigenous, and other racialized communities in our city, and across the Province. The evidence is clear and I deeply appreciate Kojo leading with the facts. It matters. #HamOnt
“Prisons do not disappear social problems, they disappear human beings. Homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness, and illiteracy are only a few of the problems that disappear from public view when the human beings contending with them are relegated to cages.” — Angela Davis
Bowled over by this piece by @emmapaling.bsky.social, who's been reporting from the Moss Park safe consumption site for 18 months and was there the day the closure was announced. Her story about the last days of a life-saving hub is the best thing I've read in a while. thelocal.to/moss-park-sa...
The Long Last Days of Toronto’s First Safe Consumption Site | The Local
Nick says he’ll go back to Manitoulin. Texas can’t even think about the closure. Inside Moss Park in the final days of a nine-year era of safe consumption.
thelocal.to
Quick update on what’s happening with Eastwood Arena. Great news for the community and everyone who uses it - Eastwood will reopen in September. #HamOnt
For @thewalrus.ca, I write about Canada Post. What do we want and expect from it? And is that $1.57 billion in the red really a loss? thewalrus.ca/canada-post-...
Canada Post Lost a Record $1.57 Billion in 2025. So What? | The Walrus
We don’t call the military a money loser. Public mail delivery shouldn’t need to turn a profit either
thewalrus.ca
The Church Street pedestrianization project is APPROVED 20-4. Church between Wellesley Street East and Alexander Street will be made car-free between June 19 and August 21.
📍 Trillium Park, Ontario Place #Toronto I adore this park, and it’s always a delight to share the gems and details around this small but mighty space. Special to be joined by landscape architect Walter Kehm and his stories - our 3rd edition of this stroll! @janeswalk.bsky.social #JanesWalkTO
Today, we gathered to release balloons in honour of Nabil Askafe at Central Park. This event was organized by youth, for youth, and it was a beautiful tribute. Thanks to everyone from the local community who came out to offer support and stand in grief with Nabil’s family. #HamOnt
I’m running for City Council in Parkdale—High Park. I’m running because our neighbours deserve a councillor who has walked alongside them, fought for them, and knows how to turn community demands into real wins at City Hall. Join me at www.dianachanmcnally.ca.
Diana Chan McNally for Parkdale—High Park
YouTube video by Diana Chan McNally
youtube.com
“Like cigarettes, enormous vehicles can kill those who never used the product…40 years ago, the outrage of secondhand smoke was an eye-opener for many Americans. A similar narrative could help people recognize the havoc that 4-wheeled behemoths now wreak on our streets.”— @davidzipper.bsky.social
Gigantic SUVs are a public health threat. Why don’t we treat them like one?
The anti-tobacco playbook could help turn the US public against their beloved oversized cars.
vox.com
www.thestar.com/news/gta/i-f... #topoli #libraries
‘I felt her with me every step of the way’: Woman walks to all 100 Toronto libraries in honour of mother
Marci Stepak completed a 300km trek to all 100 TPL branches in honour of her mother. Mayor Olivia Chow joined the finish line as over $10,000 was raised.
thestar.com
#topoli #onpoli New from me on @spacing.bsky.social: When did we begin dismissing opioid addiction, especially among homeless encampment residents, as "delinquent" behaviour? Contrary to the claims of pundits like The Globe's Robyn Urback, there's much more to this story. spacing.ca/toronto/2025...
When did we start describing opioid addiction as "delinquent" behaviour? - Spacing Toronto
In a widely read, shared and commented upon column in Saturday’s Globe and Mail, columnist Robyn Urback asked a question that, I’d say, is on a lot of people’s minds these days: how did we “normalize ...
spacing.ca
