"Safety improvements frequently die by popular vote and public pressure. When a city proposes narrowing a street to reduce speeding, neighbors show up to meetings and call it an 'attack on drivers.'” -Andy Boenau
Like, seriously?
"Cutting the worm into pieces doesn’t work, as they can regenerate from the cut pieces into fully developed worms."
Sorry but ypu expect me to deal with this too on top of everything else going on in the world right now? Come on.
It is corrosive to society that breaking traffic safety rules is normalized
“When a bill, budget or otherwise, rewrites how people, journalists & elected officials can access information, it deserves full scrutiny: public hearings, clause-by-clause review & the chance to amend it." Too bad that's not how Doug Ford's government sees it. #DeclineOfDemocracy
"“Keep out new families” sounds harsh and even embarrassing, but “defending neighborhood character” sounds noble. The underlying policy is identical in either case, but the narrative frame transforms how people feel about the policy."
The Waterloo Region Women's Campaign School is back for 2026! Day 1 is May 2nd, free and open to any woman in Waterloo Region thinking about municipal office. If you know someone who should be there, share this with them. #ElectWomen #WRcouncil www.eventbrite.ca/e/day-1-nomi...
Text: Ford government to bypass public hearings on freedom-of-information clampdown TORONTO - Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government is planning to skip public hearings to pass its omnibus budget bill that contains a retroactive clampdown on access to his cellphone records.
Does any headline capture our current provincial government's perspective on open and transparent government than this one? #ONpoli buff.ly/Ji6VntY
Yes, I can't argue with that. I still hope we can encourage politicians to see value in changing their minds.
The Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan was recently passed by #WRcouncil. Mandated to be updated every four years under the Police Services Act, does this plan accurately reflect Waterloo Region's vision for community safety? Learn more in this week's Citified.
Doug Ford is trying to turn the elected, upstanding regional position of chair into a cushy appointed recliner for his political friends
Lego model of light rail transit vehicles
My friends: It's great that you love city issues so much but maybe you should also get some other hobbies, as well?
Me: Great idea!
My hobby:
That's not to say there won't be actual negative consequences for this series of decisions of course. For example, what are the chances that the government will recoup all the costs from this deal? And, more importantly, how likely are we even to find out those details?
Likely an unpopular opinion but I think we should actually welcome and normalize politicians changing their mind on something. Buying the jet was the wrong move. Recognizing that and working to correct the issue is a good thing though.
Now let’s get him to leave regional chairs elected and accountable to voters in the region
Text: What you should not accept — what the evidence does not support and what the system does not endorse — is the claim that this government’s existence is a fraud perpetrated on the Canadian public. That claim is false. It is being made by people who know it is false. It is being repeated because repetition, not truth, is how it does its damage. And it is being deployed at a moment of genuine national vulnerability, when Canada can least afford to have its governing institutions undermined from within by the people who want to inherit them.
"You are allowed to believe that floor crossing should be regulated differently, that minority governments force better collaboration, that this particular majority concentrates power uncomfortably. Those are real debates worth having openly." lenispooner.substack.com/p/minority-m...
Text: That principle was correct in 2012. It remains correct in 2026. The difference is that in 2012 it served Conservative interests to protect it, and in 2026 it does not. What Poilievre is doing is taking mechanisms the system explicitly permits, that he himself voted to preserve, and rebranding them as corruption the moment they produce an outcome he dislikes. That is not a principled democratic argument. It is opportunism wearing democratic language as a disguise.
"In 2012, Parliament debated Bill C-306, an NDP private member’s bill that would have required MPs who changed parties to vacate their seats and face a by-election. Poilievre voted against it. So did his Conservative colleagues." lenispooner.substack.com/p/minority-m...
"These aren’t abstract policy debates. They are everyday decisions about the streets you walk on, the housing in your neighbourhood, the services you rely on, and the direction your community is heading."
Because while the mayor sets the tone, it’s city councillors who make up the majority at City Hall. They vote on budgets, shape development in your neighbourhood, influence road safety decisions, and advocate, sometimes quietly, sometimes forcefully, for the priorities of their communities.
"The elections that arguably have the most direct impact on your day-to-day life are often the ones people know the least about." #ONpoli theetobicokevoice.substack.com/p/two-weeks-...
Text: Generally they want to help nature and make it easier to be outdoors. They recommended safer crossing guards, more misting tents to cool people off, new ways to help bees pollinate, community gardens for kids, and better cycling infrastructure. Other recommendations include a day to celebrate childhood and a junior job program. Juliana Reyes, selected as mayor for a day, urged a city-wide contest to promote water conservation. At 10, she’s aware that having enough water is a big issue that people are talking about these days.
"The audience saw videos of eight Grade 5 students presenting their top ideas to make Waterloo a better place." #TheKidsAreAlright www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...
Headline: Doug Ford’s office defends purchase of $28.9M jet that critics call his ‘gravy plane’
“I’m the only premier in history that refuses to use the premier’s plane, the King Air, that costs the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars,” 2019 Ford...and here we are today. #FordvFord #ONpoli www.thestar.com/politics/pro...
Hmm, if only there was some way to catch people who speed without relying solely on expensive police forces to do that work. #ASE kitchener.citynews.ca/2026/04/14/1...
Bi-bi-weekly
Text: Ask them next if they care about the state of the roads, the price of gas, tuition costs, healthcare wait times, tax rates, local parks, their public pension, what we sell to other countries and to what use they put it, how much control they have over their workplace, or even the flag. You’ll find that people tend to have thoughts, opinions, preferences, and feelings. Often, they’ll have strong ones. People care about such things, and more. But they’re detached from politics. The connection between what they care about is severed from their desire and capacity to do something about it.
"The next time you come across someone you take to be apathetic, ask them if they care about politics. You might get a ‘no’ in response, or ‘not really’. That’s the surface. Keep digging." buff.ly/G6wA0bE
Just one of several good questions board members could have asked, but didn't.
"Induced demand explains why building for people works. Design for human flourishing and you’ll induce more of it. Build more lanes to make car travel easy, and you’ll get more car trips. Redesign a street network to make cycling easy, and you’ll get more bike trips." -Andy Boenau
And, apparently those are all of the 'questions' we have about this important document that outlines our community's approach to community safety over the next 4 years. If you came for hard-hitting questions from the board, keep looking.
First up is Chair Redman who asks staff to talk about how the plan has involved the youth of our community. Staff: We had a youth-focused advisory committee and also consulted with the Children and Youth Planning Table.
