Maybe it’s my complete biased mindset working for the Second City as Producer or at the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame as an Educator. Learning about the cultural juggernaut of Canadians punching well above their weight in so many facets of culture, sport, science, etc. JJ is the biggest joke.

For the kids living in #TorontoDanforth, I'm sorry we couldn't make our streets safer for your ride to school, to the park or to the library. The lack of #PoliticalWill to place your vulnerability ahead of the convenience of drivers was on full display for the world. Honestly, I'm sorry we failed.

As I renew my subscription for another two years, I want to remind folks who are interested in local city building and urban issues, the @spacing.bsky.social magazine is a must-have. Great stories, photos, reviews, tips, and more!

We’re trying to fight congestion in our city. Explain to me again why we want to add more cars to our roads? Waymo has its sights set on Toronto for driverless cars. - @thestar.com www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

#HearThis Sharing 3 pieces of Black specific content with my kids this week. 1. DEI Died This Year 2. Victoria Mboko named WTA top newcomer in 2025 3. @barackobama.bsky.social favorites for 2025 I think these stories are all worth #Amplifying h/t @wired.com medium.com/@lanrickbenn...

My nine year old niece made us all individual cards for our Extended Family Christmas Dinner #ItsAllAboutFamily

#IdeasAtWork Which elected municipal rep is going to flex their political will and match the work being done by @uhn.ca via @manuelavega.bsky.social www.thestar.com/news/gta/thi...

#CDNpoli 'not a single ballot cast this spring included the words "majority government" or "minority government." Voters might be motivated by their preferred party or leader, but they do not elect governments — they elect individual MPs. And it is those MPs who then decide who gets to govern.'

Whelp

Happy to announce that I'll be speaking at Queens University Jan 28th. Thanks to the faculty and team that have invited me out to talk about Reframing Our Roads.

The true SUV on display. #SustainableUrbanVehicle 🚲 #ThisMachineFightsClimateChange

Success! I was worried about the high winds we're experiencing today but it turns out when your cargo is heavy AF you become impervious to wind 😎

My home town. Nicely done @cityofmississauga.bsky.social 'Mississauga earns recognition as a bicycle-friendly community' h/t @misscyclingnow.bsky.social @chrisjamesdrew.bsky.social @mlqtanner.bsky.social www.mississauga.ca/city-of-miss...

"This happened last night. I won a @canpodawards.bsky.social. Toronto Mike'd shall henceforth be known as an award-winning podcast!" - Mike www.torontomike.com/2025/12/i-wo... Congrats @torontomike.com! #HumpdayTop10Pick2025

I should have had this as my quasi ‘out of office reply’ lol. After 12pm today, my inbox will see you in 2026!

Here in #TorontoDanforth we have zero programs from our elected rep that prioritize the safety of vulnerable road users that utilize e-cargo bikes to drop off & pick up children from school. So our sidewalks are multi purposed b/c our streets are filled w/ 4000lb SUVs! #IdeasFor2026 #VisionZero

Muting a Black woman to claim the vote was unanimous is so incredibly on the nose

TONIGHT at 9pm EST! Join us LIVE in the chat on YT to celebrate all the winners and nominees - canpodawards.ca/livestream THANK YOU to all of our sponsors: Shure @gbcollege.bsky.social @ambermac.bsky.social @whc.ca Leschinski Design and @podcamptoronto.bsky.social ! #canadiancontent

#ICYMI IE26.3 TransformTO Net Zero Strategy: Action Plan (2026-2030) @ 2:23:20 www.youtube.com/live/9_MrcMX... h/t @oncleanair.bsky.social

• City Council adopted this item on April 7, 2021 without amendments. City Council consideration on April 7, 2021 MM31.2 ACTION Adopted Ward: All Excessive Salt Use on Our Sidewalks via @mikelayton.bsky.social h/t @toenviro.bsky.social #WinterCityEdition secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

Dream Vacation / Information gathering / Learning getaway

Thursday laugh out loud

....cities are the resistance....

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Excited for the rest of the city's #BikeTO expansion. Priortizing the safety of vulnerable road users seems to be hard to do in our #EastEnd ward. #TorontoDanforth will have to look for more equitiable leadership in 2026. h/t @ffsafestreets.bsky.social #VisionZero

#IdeasAtWork “This paper describes the legislative context of municipal encampment governance in Canada and examines various court decisions related to encampments. Alexandra Flynn and Estair Van Wagner discuss traditional municipal responses to the crisis…” - @imfgtoronto.bsky.social 1/

2026 is gonna be my year.

Cc: @ttcriders.bsky.social

Are these the same companies that told us the robot could do it?

The birth place of the name "The War On Cars" @sgoodyear.bsky.social @brooklynspoke.bsky.social hope you get in a few days early to enjoy the city! Cc: @tomflood.bsky.social @mbonsma.bsky.social @torontomike.com @shoshannasaxe.bsky.social @jasonthorne.bsky.social @uoftcities.bsky.social #BikeTO

Should Toronto seize e-bikes and e-scooters from riders on sidewalks? Let say...Sure! At the same time will Toronto/TPS also be seizing vehicels (of all makes and models) that block bikes & also block sidewalks? If priortziing the safety of vulnerable road users is primary goal, lets do it.

LBJ's Humpday Top 10 out of 100 Podcast Picks for 2025 I have a handy link to all of them right here medium.com/@lanrickbenn... or you can scroll down from ten to number one Keep an eye out on New Year's Day for the rest of the top 100. Here we go...

Remeber how cool it felt to pick up a recod player and purchase your first vinyl albums? Yeah well screw that feeling! Brush off your old PlayStation 2 or 3 and figure out where you can purchase physical media. Like now!! Also renew your Toronto Public Library card. Blockbuster isn't coming back.

'Implementing congestion pricing in Toronto would require bold leadership and a robust public engagement strategy. The policy would need to be framed not as a punitive measure, but as an investment in the city’s future.' via @jamaps.bsky.social schoolofcities.utoronto.ca/could-conges...

I must be doing it wrong, but the number of DM thank yous I get for doing the most basic of ALT tags ❤️✊🏾📢 Not everyone will see “direct to camera vids” My writing has evolved beyond @bsky.app. My intention is to create low barrier/high bandwidth amplification. I think it works! h/t @karlbode.com

City Council meets today! It's the last and final meeting of 2025. They'll go out with a bang (?) with debates on speeding up the Finch LRT, a luxury home tax hike, climate change, bike lanes and more. It'll stream live here. I'll post the major happenings. www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOh5...

Nice to see a shout out to @velocanadabikes.bsky.social here! As a volunteer run org that relies on donations & memberships we punch above our weight on national advocacy for #Cycling & a #BikeFriendlyCanada. See: drive.google.com/file/d/1S33W...

It's getting close to that time of year once again. The #HumpDayPodcastPick's Top 100! You'll get to see/hear the top 10 on Dec 17th & then I'll post the rest on New Year's Day! h/t @nytimes.com @therundowntvo.bsky.social @npr.org @canpodawards.bsky.social @slate.com @wnyc.org @vox.com

#ImLibararyPeople "📢 Save Canada’s Interlibrary Loans! Bill C-15 threatens to remove the legislative protections that keep mailing rates affordable for libraries. 🚨 Take Action: Contact your MP" Learn more save-interlibrary-loans.lovable.app via @onlibraryassoc.bsky.social @marbuckle.bsky.social

#ICYMI 'The Canadian Municipal Barometer (CMB) is a national research partnership funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council that aims to understand and improve local democracy in Canada.' via @imfgtoronto.bsky.social h/t @dalhousieu.bsky.social @fcm.ca @irpp.org www.cmb-bmc.ca

#HappyMonday Sharing my collection of #IdeasAtWork video playlist for December 15th h/t @flurfdesign.bsky.social @rmtransit.bsky.social @torontomet.bsky.social @uhn.ca @lrainie.bsky.social youtube.com/playlist?lis...

A nod to @dmrider.bsky.social at @thestar.com There is a ton to cover when it comes to creating equitable options to move from one side of the Don River to the other. Single-occupancy vehicles are not the answer, but I completely get for some people, the car is their only means of movement. 1/

#HearThis Sharing 3 pieces of Black specific content with my kids this week. 1. The Blackburns 2. Can a Black artist ever make art for art’s sake? 3. “Jingle Bells” Was Written by a Racist to Mock Black People I think these stories are all worth #Amplifying medium.com/@lanrickbenn...

"...the bad news: There’s growing evidence that humanity is generating fewer new ideas." My student sample size is small, lectures & workshops @utoronto.ca @dalhousieu.bsky.social & @torontomet.bsky.social this year. But I promise you @bryanrwalsh.bsky.social these 20-somethings are Action-Oriented

The Good "The extremely popular service is forecast to hit 8.1 million rides in 2025, up from 2.4 million in 2019, the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) board heard in a presentation Friday. By 2030, the program hopes to nearly double that, with 14 million annual rides." 1/ www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

!❤️📢🚲

To the team at the @oncleanair.bsky.social l understand the frustration behind your line about our city’s climate future being “sucked into City Hall’s black hole of inaction.” That frustration is widely shared and earned. Here is my response to the 'missed' information. medium.com/@lanrickbenn...

Would love the next elected municipal representative in #TorontoDanforth to prioritize (out loud) the safety of children and to listen to their calls to make their streets safer. Thanks for sharing @tshontikidis.bsky.social

#EastEndLove The things you do EARLY in the morning WITH community @ Ralph Thornton Community Centre This is #TorontoDanforth

Riding a bike in the winter shouldn’t be an issue. I live on street that has a 2.2 km painted bike lane. It snowed 24 hours ago & the bike lanes hasn’t been cleared When we talked about prioritizing the safety of vulnerable road users, this video proves my elected rep doesn’t. #BikeTO