NEW FROM ME: While US and Israeli forces launched strikes against Iran this weekend, Global News' The West Block host Ben Mulroney reposted video of fighter jets that had been miscaptioned as American F-15s attacking Iran I double-checked. Ben was actually sharing footage from a video game

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has announced the recipients of the 2026 RAIC Architectural Practice Award, the RAIC Emerging Architectural Practice Award, and the RAIC International Prize.

The first rule of NIMBYism is that if you can see it, at any scale, from anywhere you are, go, or could imagine being, you should have full veto control over it.

The institutional buildings of 1960s Canada were extraordinarily well-built. Throwing them away would be madness. The 1969 Science Centre is an incredible piece of architecture. It needs some work. The new building complex is a kludge that will be inferior by any measure.

One of the many awful things about Tory as mayor was keeping this stupid elevated expressway as is. I have an idea though -- let's close the Gardiner & put Metrolinx in charge of fixing it before it can reopen.

And the pedantic facts are that in the US, cyclists kill 3 pedestrians a year. Drivers kill 7500. That's 20 people out for a walk a day. Nearly one an hour. 20 people every day on sidewalks and crosswalks who don't make it home.

Book and Brew 📚 imanisbookcoasters.com/products/boo...

But here in Ottawa, whereas the original plan for the revitalized ByWard called for full pedestrianization of a key street, the “refreshed” plan will only see pedestrianization on key dates like Canada Day. We lack boldness, vision, and even commitment to follow through on the original plan.

"Chemiserie Niguet", Brussels. Paul Hankar. 1896.

Now more than ever, you don't have to be cutting and pasting batshit posts that you have seen over on That Other Site and also, for fuck's sake, get off That Other Site, again, now more than ever

Thread worth a read. This whole issue stinks from Ford down.

“Helsinki hasn’t registered a single traffic-related fatality in the past year…Citing data that shows the risk of pedestrian fatality is cut in half by reducing a car’s speed from 40 to 30km/hr, city officials imposed the lower limit in most of Helsinki’s residential areas and city center in 2021.”

Uh can someone check Doug’s fiscal conservative setting? And while you’re in there maybe dial up the empathy knob a smidge.

I have a long way to go before I match Pierre Berton's literary output of 50 books. But my first book was released last year, Canada's Main Street: The Epic Story of the Trans-Canada Highway. Find it online, at most bookstores and your local library. sutherlandhousebooks.com/product/cana...

Good chance to let the city know what we think about street bins, transit shelters, & benches.

I wrote a rubbish column in the @thestar.com today

A storey in four acts as captured by local news media: 18 storeys is too high, we’d be fine with 4-6 storeys 6 storeys are too big, we'd be fine with multiplexes Multiplexes are monstrosities, we are fine with existing post-Second World War bungalows ...

On the contrary. Small investors were traditionally most of the landlords. And the case was simple. It used to be a better saving vehicle than equity investments. Making rents a financial class exposes the sector to profiteering and hinders the social use of housing.

Over at the child & revenge porn site, I documented 2+ years of police cars illegally parked on Grosvenor St. A public parking garage 10m away. No emergency. No tickets. Just highly visible illegal spot. (@jamespmcleod.ca even put up a plaque). Still there today. www.austerityto.art/installation...

Abolish the committees of adjustment! (Here's young @johnlorinc.bsky.social on it) spacing.ca/toronto/2024...

We have a new episode of The Overhead for you on the @spacingradio.bsky.social feed. Are Ontario landlords using legal loopholes to jack up rents and even push out existing tenants? We get into it: spacing.ca/national/202... @bshnode.bsky.social

Mary Ann Shadd broke ground with her anti-slavery newspaper, The Provincial Freeman. She was the first Black woman publisher in North America and the first female publisher in Canada. She later recruited Black soldiers for the Union Army during the American Civil War. 🧵 1/7

"What’s unclear is why the public gets to weigh in if the proposal doesn’t meet the exact letter of the planning law." Property owners' opinions carry far too much weight. Most are prejudiced against tenants -- railing about neighbourhood character while accepting gigantic single-family houses.

Just for a friendly reminder, @cycletoronto.bsky.social's "Coldest Day of the Year" Ride is happening TOMORROW! Meet 10 AM at Sugar Beach Park for 10:30 AM departure. #BikeTO #TOpoli #VikingBiking CycleTO.ca/cdoyr_2026

Building supportive housing for those who would otherwise be homeless is the right moral thing to do. It’s also the right financial thing to do, since it actually saves public money. It’s a no brainer, so don’t let wrong-headed ideology get in the way. Tell your leaders to build supportive housing.

Quelle surprise www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

No targets for energy use intensity (EUI). No targets for operational and embodied greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI). No targets for thermal energy demand intensity (TEDI). No targets for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. #NotaGreenBuilding

Elsa Lam is a national treasure and, while the reason why kind of sucks, I am so glad the general public is learning about her and the trade magazine she runs.

I complain about CBC, because it’s not perfect, and fair criticism is allowed and appropriate. But seriously, thank God for CBC in Canada. It needs to be protected.

The richest man owns X. The second and third richest men control Google. The fourth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The fifth richest man owns The Washington Post. And now the sixth richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros. See the problem here?

Exciting!! “Europe's medicines regulator on Friday recommended approval for Moderna’s mCombriax, paving the way for it to become the first combined shot for protecting people aged 50 and older against COVID and seasonal influenza in a single dose.” @jackiantonovich.bsky.social

Canadian Architect's Elsa Lam continues to shine light on the shameful new Ontario Science Centre project. Already way over budget, costing many times more than any needed work on the existing Moriyama building. www.canadianarchitect.com/contract-awa...

Very sad to hear of architect Robert Hill's death at 78. A tireless researcher of Cdn architecture, culminating in his incredible online resource on Cdn architects 1800-1950 (see obit). For yrs we met at U of T book sales & recommended books to each other. RIP. www.legacy.com/ca/obituarie...

@dvdham.bsky.social make excellent points. Further to @arieltroster.com, right turns on red need to be illegal (in Ottawa, Toronto, & all cities).

Important to call lies out when there are lies. These are lies from a liar.

I worked across the street from it for years, up to 2018. I went to it often and put together an album of photos, in which you can clearly see, as is no surprise, that there is no truth in Ford's words. www.flickr.com/photos/sesqu...

Angry all over again at those who voted for Ford or didn't vote at all.

Has Doug ever once acknowledged Raymond Moriyama, the world renowned 🇨🇦 architect of the original Science Centre? TVO made an excellent doc on him. Highly recommend watching, though it makes all this even more heartbreaking. He sadly passed away in 2023 (at 94!) www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoIh...

Yeah, because we know how well the private sector can build and maintain transit here in Toronto

I’m not a fan of politicians trying to make people angry for votes by claiming there actually IS a “war on cars” (there isn’t — if anything there’s been a war on every OTHER way of getting around since the 1960s). A politician just made the claim on LinkedIn. Here’s the reply I posted. #UrbanTruth

Flooding, unstable foundations, toxic chemicals in the groundwater, and next to a provincially significant environmental area. Sounds like people shouldn't live there. Oh, what's that? The people submitting this think *they* should live there, just not a TCHC building. Who could have guessed?

Some months later I was at a TIFF screening at Roy Thomson Hall. There were reserved Rogers/Tory seats 4 him at back but Tory came in, walked down the left side of giant room, across the front by stage, then up middle to seat. All to show he was there. The rich can be shamelessnessly fascinating.

Yup. That's all apartment-dwellers deserve, per City & most homeowners.

Our client was doored by a TPS officer. We later found out that the investigating officer blamed our client for being doored. This same investigator in 2024 ticketed a cyclist client of ours hit in a bike lane for not wearing a helmet! Read our blog here: www.thebikinglawyer.ca/post/another...

"Advocates inadvertently reinforce roads are for cars when they use “road closed” signs or speak of “Low Traffic Neighbourhoods” (they’re high traffic in terms of walking and bike riding)." www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/sites/defaul... @urbantruth.bsky.social @felly500.bsky.social

Completely agree! I doubt they'll be arresting drug users wearing suits.

.... also health care is the jurisdiction of provinces and OH WELL, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT, almost every Premier is a conservative.

Financial Tips

From our Premier: A few kids scamming OSAP = Widespread student fraud A number of corrupt cops = a few rotten apples doesn’t spoil the bushel.