"Affordable housing is like an anchor, it keeps people rooted, especially those who’d otherwise be displaced. Market housing is like a pressure valve, it keeps the system from boiling over by giving high-income people somewhere to go that isn’t your building. You need both."

Do we want livable, accessible units in neighbourhoods in Toronto? A 3 storey, single stair, elevatored, sixplex is not radical. It  should be the most simple, easily replicable way to provide livable housing within neighbourhoods… the “Toronto Special” of the 2020s. And yet…

"Viewing the police only as a source of safety ignores the experiences of racialized people, unhoused people, and the many other groups that are disproportionately targeted by police." -Ted Rutland tedrutland.substack.com/p/public-saf...

"People divided into tiny and constant arguments seldom build coalitions or lasting change. Keeping you online, outraged but isolated, is a fair trade for those who’d rather you never meet your neighbor, never build something real, never see what could be done together." -Jon Jon Wesolowski

“The single stair in some ways is just a more progressive way of doing things if it’s done the way it’s done in Europe.” www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

If you're in Waterloo Region, which organizations or initiatives are you aware of that have started locally since 2020 that help create a safe and thriving community? I'm writing something for Citified and I'd love to hear from you! Police-free and/or community-led approaches are especially helpful.

The #ion launched in June 2019. Since then we have had: a pandemic, a dramatic decrease in international students, a shift to work-from-home, and small changes like GRT transfers lasting 2 hours instead of 90 minutes. All of these impact ridership numbers. Maintaining 2019 ridership seems like a win

If you'd like to see better infrastructure and travel options for those outside vehicles, take a moment to complete this survey. www.engagewr.ca/connectedkit...

“People who have traditionally been able to evade law enforcement are sensitive to this issue,” Retting said. “Ultimately, one of the arguments against automated enforcement is that it doesn’t discriminate. It’s also a great argument for it.” www.cbc.ca/news/world/s...

ION Stage 2 LRT passes committee, Kitchener GO expansion, and better bus stops! Here's the latest in transportation in Waterloo Region and where you can get involved!

I refuse to accept these collisions as the 'cost' of fast and convenient roads. We must do better for our communities. www.thestar.com/news/gta/8-y...

I mean, the extra $20 million that the Waterloo Region Police Service have asked for might also be a contributing factor. kitchener.citynews.ca/2025/11/06/b...

I love that I have a circle of folks who when I send out an email on a Friday night, looking for the link to a council meeting on an issue from over 4 years ago, reply within moments, not only with the link but also additional helpful details. I'm surrounded by a team of Leslie Knopes & it's great!

We're over 5 years now with #ion, can we please quit with disparaging transit stopping at malls, please? Aside from the fact that malls often serve as mini transit hubs, do you know what they also are Mayor Liggett? Workplaces. www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/ar...

"A distracted pedestrian might cause a minor inconvenience. A distracted driver, enabled by street design that encourages high speeds, can end a life. To treat these as equivalent is to ignore the fundamental physics of power and force." -Lanrick Bennett

"As for ... roundabouts, speed bumps or cushions, not all school zones will be eligible for them. Even those roads that are eligible may have to wait at least a year and a half, with city staff adding that redesigning a road can take up to a decade." www.thestar.com/news/gta/dou...

Considering a run for municipal council in 2026? These free workshops may be of interest! www.amo.on.ca/healthy-demo...

Yep.

"Despite Ford stating speed cameras are ineffective, regional data shows that since launching its program in February (following a pilot program that had been in place since 2021), average speeds in school zones have decreased by 15 km/h."

"Residents want practical improvements: safer, wider roads that let us travel quickly and directly, not an expensive train few will use." - Cambridge Cllr Helen Shwery leading us into the future by advocating for (checks notes) wider roads. www.therecord.com/opinion/lett...

This is quite concerning.

I'd like to see residents sue the provincial gov't given they're the ones who hold the real power to ameliorate the situation. It seems that the Church is trying to meet the needs of vulnerable people with limited tools. The province needs to get serious about homelessness & poverty.

The Sustainability, Infrastructure, and Development Committee meeting has started! Delegations about ION stage 2 will be starting shortly. Livestream here:

“Our premier seems to be taking acts of criminal vandalism like the cutting down of lifesaving speed cameras as if they’re policy demands and acquiescing,” said Spieker.

When the author of the piece on the state of our light rail transit system consistently refers to the LRT as 'street cars', it tips me off that you might not be as familiar with the subject at hand as you should be. www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...

"Speed cameras work, and they are cost effective because it shifts the burden of paying for speed cameras from taxpayers to law breakers." - Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Very scary experience for local high school students and teachers headed out on a school trip today. It sounds like the bus driver died from a medical emergency. Thankful that all the passengers are reported to be okay, with 4 having minor injuries. www.ctvnews.ca/london/artic...

Alright, delegations speaking to a proposed 6-unit building on their street mention concerns about reduced property values. I think as soon as a delegate makes that claim, we need to pull out the old cartoon hook and move on to the next delegation. pub-kitchener.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx...

At council, I often hear one of two things with existing housing that's proposed to increase in density: if it's been vacant for a long time, some complain that this housing could've been better used in that time, OR if it has tenants, we shouldn't evict them for new housing. How do we square that?

The city of Kitchener is starting Connected Kitchener, a study to create a new Transportation and Mobility Plan, towards a transportation system that is more reliable, fair, environmentally friendly, and efficient over the next 25 years. You can provide feedback at www.engagewr.ca/connectedkit...

"The problem isn’t a lack of concern. It’s that we’ve set engineers up with an impossible job: Make traffic fast and make access convenient, then make it all safe at the same time. Those objectives are fundamentally in conflict." -Charles Marohn clmarohn.substack.com/p/the-button...

The province is creating the Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency (OPCA) to "provide centralized leadership, efficient governance, strategic direction and oversight of all conservation authorities." Some conservation authorities will be consolidated, but the province insists no jobs will be lost.

"Speed enforcement was never a “cash grab” as the fines collected pay for the administration of the program, to Vision Zero work, such as speed cushions and improved pedestrian crossings, and to the province, which the collects the victim surcharges added to every Highway Traffic Act fine." #ASE

"Bill 60 aims to fast-track evictions. If approved, it will give tenants less time and fewer ways to pay rent in arrears, dispute an eviction application or appeal an eviction decision. It also takes away tenants’ right to one month’s rent in cases where landlords decide to move back into the unit."

“The purpose of the speed cameras was revenues raised were to go to traffic calming measures,” McCabe said. “That’s obviously not going to be possible now. That was going to be a really great revenue stream for us to address some traffic management and speed management issues." #ASE

And on the sixth day, the Lord said, "Let there be free parking" and it was (not) good.

“Reclaiming our sense of the human means respecting sacred spaces where you don’t bring your phone: the kitchen, the dining room, the bedroom, the car, and the classroom.” -Sherry Turkle

"Coun. Helen Shwery said rent control policies hurt the housing market. 'It discouraged investment in new rental housing and will shrink supply.'" So, Shwery seems to think we need more housing supply (that's great, I do too), however... 1/4

"The government should provide the funding and the alternative measures, whatever those are going to be, should be in place before speed cameras are removed," Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward said. "Otherwise, we have a significant gap in safety." Indeed. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

November Committee Meetings are underway next Tuesday. Here’s 3 highlights! 🚉 Stage 2 ION Recommendation Report - supporting LRT from Fairway Station to Ainslie Terminal as the preferred solution 🏘️ WR Housing Revitalization update 🌿 Sustainable Building Standards for new Regional buildings

It looks great at night when it is lit up as well

Don’t forget! Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend. 🕙Be sure to set your clocks back one hour before bed on Saturday night and enjoy and extra hour of sleep 😴

"Research shows that 10 km/h can be the difference between life and death. At 30 km/h, a pedestrian has about a 90% chance of surviving a collision. At 40-45 km/h, survival drops to around 50%. Beyond that, survival plummets. At 50 km/h or above, fatalities become far more likely."

Well deserved Great Places award for Holly's Neighbourhood Cafe in DTK, a sterling example of how retail/hospitality can be compatible with residential streets. It's worth pointing out this is a midblock building with zero parking. The sky doesn't fall if these aren't on corners!

Why we can't have nice things. "Etobicoke Centre Coun. Stephen Holyday said he remains as opposed to neighbourhood retail as he was back in December, suggesting having businesses in neighbourhoods could worsen worries about home break-ins." www.thestar.com/business/tor...

"In most urban areas, the de facto consensus has been that transit should be funded only enough to muddle along. Transit agencies can improve things on the margins and sometimes add new infrastructure, but they are rarely allowed to keep pace with population growth, or with the city’s ambitions."

At a time when Premier Doug Ford has gone to war with speed cameras... it’s worth asking the question: how did Europe manage to generate such broad support for automated enforcement and implement a system that could be saving thousands of lives each year? www.cbc.ca/news/world/s...

"Urban transportation makes up nearly a third of Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing those emissions depends on shifting travel away from private cars. Safe, people-friendly streets are critical to that shift."

PSA: Stacked townhomes, rowhouses, apartments, and yes, even 'towers' are RESIDENTIAL. #HousingForAll