Toronto, as always, ruined this for everyone by asking for a bunch of extra tax powers, getting them, promptly cancelling the vehicle registration tax, then taking in money the land transfer tax in good times before complaining about its volatility when tides turned. Then asking for more tax powers.
White text on black: doesn’t matter whether you walk bike roll take transit or drive. We all want the same thing fewer drivers.
Unity
Organized by @pietonsquebec.bsky.social, @sgoodyear.bsky.social & @brooklynspoke.bsky.social of @thewaroncars.bsky.social will be at Café Les Oubliettes to launch their book Life After Cars in #Montréal
w/ @gabrielleanctil.com
📍6201 rue Saint-Vallier
📅 April 10
🕕 6-8:30 PM
#lifeaftercars
How do we turn Toronto’s surplus lands into affordable rental housing at scale?
At the next Making Room, Mark Richardson of @housingnowto.bsky.social will unpack the city’s record, the obstacles that keep slowing projects down, and the policy lessons hiding inside those delays.
Apr 13, 7:30pm
1. Here’s a thread on #NIMBY (“not in my backyard”) and the challenges of change in cities:
First off, although it might feel that way, NIMBY isn’t unique to your city, and it’s (probably) not worse in your city than anywhere else. It’s also not surprising, since it’s largely about human nature.
New from Jason Salughter/Not Just Bikes on @nebula.tv : "Every Reason to Hate Cars : While some people benefit from automobility, nearly everyone—whether or not they drive—is harmed by it."
#waroncars / @thewaroncars.bsky.social
#carbrain #motonormativity #urbanism #substainablemobility
police officer pointing at kids with hi viz vests on Police Excited To Transfer The Responsibility Of Road Safety From Themselves Directly To School Children.
"Police Excited To Transfer The Responsibility Of Road Safety From Themselves Directly To School Children."
this is a huge deal and a sign of the changing legal tides for big tech. the plaintiffs attorneys here were early adopters of a novel legal strategy that uses product liability law to sidestep tech companies' go-to defense (section 230) and hold them accountable for defective or negligent design
His chain is ours.
Announcing: keytrace.dev
Take your @bsky.app / @atproto.com account and connect it to your other accounts around the internet.
Keytrace cryptographically verifies your connected accounts so other social apps can trust the data.
Learn more: keytrace.dev/blog/introdu...
Okay, I just want to point out that if you have been considering an electric car, I would really consider doing that quickly because things do not look good re: oil availability and cost.
Used EVs are currently a screaming deal. I have a feeling this will not be the case for too much longer.
We know you commute 45 minutes and can't ride a bike. We're not asking you to. We're advocating for infrastructure so people who can walk, bike, or take high quality transit, actually do. Getting them out of their cars is what finally frees up the roads for those who have to drive.
If Americans truly prefer a car-dependent lifestyle then why are per square foot housing prices in dense walkable neighborhoods so much higher than in auto-oriented suburbs and exurbs?
Protests have started against #Canada ‘s high-speed rail project. I dig deeper in this week’s HIGH SPEED newsletter:
www.highspeed.blog/not-in-my-ba...
I used to live in Mirabel. Glad I moved out, shameful behaviour.
#Montreal #velomtl #bikemtl
Il faut signaler les véhicules dans les voies cyclables
Nous sommes sûrement pire que Providence 🫣
We must report vehicles in bike lanes
We are probably worst than Providence 🫣
ℹ️ www.bikelaneuprising.com/maps/all
When I'm driving:
I ❤️ traffic Said no one ever More people biking, walking and using transit
benefits.
Via @thebikinglawyer.bsky.social
Locations of new homes built in Switzerland in 2018
Country-wide effects of new housing supply: Evidence from moving chains, by Lukas Hauck and Frederic Kluser
Another new paper on housebuilding and vacancy chains, this time with data on every Swiss resident & housing unit! An interesting context given Switzerland's high immigration, very large rented sector and strong tenancy rent controls... frederickluser.github.io/files/Moving...
I will believe that Canadian governments are actually serious about our prosperity and role in the world when they start funding our universities at an actually effective level rather than constantly cutting them.
Congrats to Edmonton for retaining the 8-unit limit on infill housing developments instead of reducing it to 6 units!
It’s the backtracking proposal that was covered in this video.
The book is, in part, a call to renew civic systems and public spaces… and a timely counterpoint to some of the many challenges faced by cities and communities in the 21st century.
For more info, or to get your copy: bit.ly/3ZhTJE8
Happy Friday!
Lots of folks in tech are looking for work right now, so here's a thread of some tech for good (or at least, hopefully not explicitly evil) roles I found around the web.
It looks like one of the ways Toronto reduced its operating budget for 2026 was to eliminate capital costs from the operating budget. If true would be a good thing. Used to be ~$200M as "Transfers from Capital".
See eg engineering.
Bar graph showing the effective tax rate and estimated tax rate necessary to cover costs across Halifax's polling districts. Most would need ti increase taxes, districts 7, 8 and 9 could lower them and still cover costs.
Our elected representatives are spending a non-trivial amount if today figuring out how to reduce services and increase the relative tax burden of Districts 7, 8, and 9.
The "dense zoning" is being filled with non-Canadian invaders. Thats why. Canada is for Canadians. If the invaders aren't expelled peacefully by law, expect unprecedented violence. Life in prison for the orchestrators is the kind option.
Average Canadian housing discourse
The great thing about February is that it has only 28 days, unlike January which had 10,000
Ottawa, Canada’s capital & 4th largest city (1.1 m residents) just passed a substantial zoning reform that:
—Allows 4-unit buildings on lots citywide
—Increases allowed heights to 6 or 9 stories (& up to 30) on major transit corridors
—Eliminates most parking requirements
—Allows home based retail
commitment to the bit!
Today on UCLA Housing Voice, I talk with @kevinerdmann.bsky.social about about the mid-2000s housing market pre-crash, resulting changes in federal mortgage lending standards, and their catastrophic effects on homeownership, rental affordability, and production. www.lewis.ucla.edu/2026/01/21/1...
