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Colleen

@cbailey6.bsky.social
3.9K followers 599 following 2.7K posts

Scientist, cyclist, knitter. But only 2 out of 3 at any one time. 🔰 📌 Toronto

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Reposted by Colleen
Damien Moule @damienmoule.bsky.social · 6h
I keep hearing councillors go on Toronto the Politics the Show to tout the achievements of Toronto Builds rather than express concern that it and its precursors have yet to build a single unit of affordable housing after 7 years and this needs focused council attention. I am confused.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 15h
Election interference is one of the few things Navarro is actually an expert in, I suppose.
Navarro sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election and in February 2022 was subpoenaed twice by Congress. Navarro refused to comply and was referred to the Justice Department. In 2022, a grand jury indicted him on two counts of contempt of Congress. In 2023, Navarro was convicted on both counts, and in 2024, he was sentenced to four months in jail, becoming the first former White House official imprisoned on a contempt-of-Congress conviction. In January 2025, he was appointed as the
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 15h
Don't forget that this was the handpicked Chair of Ontario's housing "plan" implementation team. In case you are wondering how we got here. news.ontario.ca/en/release/1...
To help communities across Ontario build more attainable homes, Ontario is also launching the Housing Supply Action Plan Implementation Team (HSAPIT). HSAPIT will provide advice on market housing initiatives, including building on the vision from the Housing Affordability Task Force, More Homes for Everyone and other government consultations. The government intends to appoint Drew Dilkens, Mayor of the City of Windsor, as Chair and Cheryl Fort, Mayor of the Township of Hornepayne, as the Vice Chair. The other Team members will be selected in the coming weeks, with the first meeting scheduled for early fall
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 15h
"Have you considered that not everyone can live in Toronto?" My friend, we have barely even tried. Skill issue, as the kids say.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Somebody forgot to tell Budapest that they're supposed to have 24/7 policing for all of these pedestrian streets.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Finally, a Premier with the courage to ask: do people really need housing *in* the cities where their jobs are? Why not simply commute for three hours a day so that Christine can continue to imagine she lives in a small village?
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Reposted by Colleen
Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
priorities.
white text on fuchsia 

It would be really fucking great if we prioritized housing for humans the way we do housing for cars.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
One good(?) thing about being an old nerd is that someone makes this error/intentional mis-statement every year and now I could spot it happening from 100 metres away through a blizzard.
Tweet from an account:
Could someone at least articulate why the budget has gone from $10B to $16B in the last 6 years? Neither population growth nor inflation comes anywhere close to explaining it

Reply from @CBailey6:
One of these numbers includes the rate supported budget (water and garbage) and the other doesn't.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Maybe Google Toronto rents before demonstrating that you have no idea what's gone on with them in the last decade? www.blogto.com/real-estate-...
Tweet from Chris Alexander 🇨🇦🌻
@calxandr
Olivia Chow is herself the bad landlord. For three years, she’s fumbled the housing file: property values collapsed; rents & taxes sky-rocketed; little new housing was built, especially for unhoused & low-income Torontonians. Our city is in crisis: we urgently need change.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I hope the reporters covering Willowdale are getting paid extra. The usual promises to fix everything while somehow changing nothing and for no money, but also sooooo much misinformation.
Zarezade is opposed to what he calls a “drug-injection homeless shelter” at Sheppard Avenue W. and Yonge Street. He is referring to the proposed shelter being built by the city at 68 Sheppard Ave. W. to serve Indigenous women and children; it is not a safe consumption site. ...the request was rejected and never came into force—however, in materials promoting Yusifov’s candidacy, the request is characterized as “official drug policy,” which Yusifov argues will “destroy minds and destroy families.” He links the policy to Councillor Lily Cheng, who spoke at a Board of Health meeting where the idea was considered in 2023. The website promoting Yusifov shows a screenshot of a CBC News article about the decriminalization request with its real headline, but the broadcaster’s photo has been replaced by a more salacious image that shows a person using drugs. Yusifov did not reply to The Local’s request for comment.He wants to push for a line-by-line financial oversight at the City, expand affordable housing options while maintaining single-family neighbourhoods, invest in well-lit public infrastructure, and repair damaged sidewalks.He is critical of people who are homeless or use drugs in public, calling them “drug-addled derelicts” who “deprive our residents of enjoying the parks and recreational facilities our city provides.” He is also critical of increases to property taxes.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
They're tearing down four existing apartment buildings on my street, the largest of which is 12 storeys, because the OP puts growth here. But this couple downtown might not be able to live next to a bungalow in Canada's largest city forever. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Toronto needs more homes. These neighbours say they're paying the price | CBC News
An elderly downtown couple says they’re shocked and upset that the city has approved a duplex next door to their three-story Victorian home that they say will tower metres above their chimney and rend...
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Reposted by Colleen
Dylan Reid @dylanreid.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
From @graphicmatt.com newsletter, on the transformation of mode count at Mill & Cherry: "Those two August counts are pretty darn remarkable, and do a good job of validating the work that went into building the West Don Lands into a walkable urban neighbourhood." #walkTO
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Willowdale all-candidates debate. There are worse possibilities than incumbents, sometimes.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
People saying that the province removing speed cameras is just a sign that we should be doing more road safety measures like pedestrian bumpouts and modal filters are technically correct. But also presumably the response of someone who has never tried to get the City to do any of these things.
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Reposted by Colleen
Kathryn Davies @kaphryn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I’m at the AGM for the Banff Trail Community Association, where a small group of residents have arrived in the hope of forming a planning and development committee. They’ve been writing letters opposing development for a year and a half, but they want the weight of the CA behind their positions.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Toronto doesn't need a volcano. We have a heritage register where councillors bulk list hundreds of properties at a time with the stated aim of making the city into a "live museum" (actual councillor quote) instead of letting new people live here.
This report recommends that City Council include 258 properties identified in
Recommendations 1-7 of this report on the City of Toronto's Heritage Register.
The properties are located in the Midtown in Focus planning study area adjoining the
Yonge-Eglinton intersection, and comprise commercial "Main Street" properties located
on both sides of Bayview Avenue, Eglinton Avenue East and West, Mount Pleasant
Road and Yonge Street.

This report represents Phase 1 of a project to
"batch list" all of the properties in the study
area that have been identified for inclusion on
the City's Heritage Register.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
How many times am I allowed to repost something?
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Helpful summary. I'm not sure if there will be implementation issues (presumably if it were easy to do reviews in parallel, they would already do that?). And it gets more into the negatives later in the piece. 🎁 link: www.thestar.com/gift-redeem?...
One is to conduct all reviews across those many departments (for instance involving impacts on waterways or wildlife) simultaneously, not sequentially as has tended to happen, and then have approvals granted in one fell swoop by the environment minister rather than scattershot by half of cabinet.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A housing platform announcement that prominently features a high rise apartment. ♥️♥️♥️
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Reposted by Colleen
Jacob Loo Dawang @jacobdawang.com · 23/09/2026
Every time I visit Toronto, some slow zone between glencairn and Wilson seems to return. How can this be possible? What were the years of overnight and weekend closures for?
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
1. Amazing framing. I love this fire. 2. Does this mean that Mayor Chow will use the upcoming DC review to extend the DC reductions beyond the 3-year window? www.thestar.com/news/gta/cit...
“Because I’ve eliminated most of the development charges, that our friend Councillor Bradford had levied while he was on council, it’s now saving a couple $35,000 if they buy a new home,” Chow said.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
A number of good ideas but I want councillors to admit that the Official Plan plays a big role here. Too many councillors are content to pretend our development patterns are a law of nature. No. They are a result of not being able to build apartments in half the city. Let's redo the plan.
Educate renters and ensure compliance to Rental Renovation License Bylaw.
Secure fair compensation for rental replacement.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The good news is that the rules are quite limited and most things are left up to the judgement of voters. The bad news is that the rules are quite limited and most things are left up to the judgement of voters.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Sometimes the City Planning response here is that it's an edge case they don't see often but the re-zoning was approved so the process is working fine. And it never seems to occur to them to ask whether it's an uncommon edge case because re-zoning is complex and expensive so most people don't do it.
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Reposted by Colleen
Dawn Smith @saffyre9.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I had a neighbour who ran a hair salon from her home for decades. Her family decided to build a legal apartment in the basement. She then had to get a zoning exception to re-open her salon after the construction of the apartment because home businesses aren't allowed in duplexes. 🤦‍♀️
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Reposted by Colleen
John Michael McGrath @jm-mcgrath.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
"People should just follow the planning rules" folks, *the city cannot follow its own planning rules*, what hope do you think anyone else has
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
So far, I've been half-following from afar and cracking jokes but is this somehow turning into an interesting lesson on the party system in Parliamentary democracies?
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Reposted by Colleen
Damien Moule @damienmoule.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Just so refreshing to see a mayor straight forwardly say it's their job to prepare for the next generation and recognize their city's impact on affordability.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Love everyone's reaction on the At Issue panel to Althia Raj saying that Canadian airports are "quite well-run." www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmBP...
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"Europe brings so many things... the ability and the will to set standards that the world frequently adopts." Oh, what sorts of standards?
static.klipy.com
Cat Elevator for House Pet
Alt: Tiny Cat Elevator for House Pet
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Reposted by Colleen
Toronto Archives @torontoarchives.cityof.toronto.ca · 16/09/2026
Another remarkable view of the Port Lands, highlighting the incredible transformation of the area into Ookwemin Minising. The huge white Atlas Crane still stands - but now it's surrounded by trails and parklands. Find more digitized 1970-1994 aerial views here: ow.ly/3zw850ZMyZH
Aerial view looking north over the Port Industrial Lands where a large freight ship is docked. Fonds 200, Series 1465, File 386, Item 33.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Dairy farmers objecting? Wow. Canada really is more European than ever before.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Follow CUSMA/ACEUM/USMCA/TMEC where you put all 28 countries in the acronym and everyone orders it their own way, in whatever languages they like. Problem solved. You're welcome.
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Reposted by Colleen
Ariel Troster @arieltroster.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Last night I canvassed in a condo building where a 96 yr old woman lives next door to her son, and where two seniors are dating who live on the same floor. Another woman spoke of raising her two kids in their apartment, which they have lived in since 2001. Community IS possible in a highrise tower.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"But some new polling data suggests what most riders really want is something else entirely: better service." 52% of Toronto residents said more frequent and reliable service would get them to use the TTC more, vs 19% worried about personal safety or 9% who said lower fares would bring them back.
thestar.com
Matt Elliott: Why are Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford ignoring what Toronto TTC riders actually want?
A Liaison Strategies poll of 1,000 Toronto residents reveals 52 per cent want better TTC service, not just fare freezes or more police.
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Reposted by Colleen
Damien Moule @damienmoule.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Zoning in principle: we must separate incompatible uses. Zoning in practice: we let a lead smelter operate next to a residential neighbourhood for 35 years and only shut it down so we could build a road. Then we changed our mind and put a daycare on it.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I get wanting to minimize confusion but I'm not sure that the "super duper mega deduction" people get to give naming advice right now. www.thestar.com/politics/can...
The idea that Canada would bid for “associate membership” in the EU was first reported by the Wall Street Journal Sunday. Canadian officials spent the past few days denying Canada was seeking outright membership, and was not the one to propose the term “associate member.” A senior Canadian official told the Star Tuesday that the Carney team did not in fact view it as a helpful term.

“We don’t particularly like it because it implies some form of membership,” the official told the Star. “What we’re trying to do is something new and different.”
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Taxes this. Private that. Everyone is ignoring the secret 3rd way to build things: tax new homes $100,000 each and say it's growth paying for growth. If anyone questions it, just say "Blah blah land value capture." It has worked* for municipalities for years! *worked if you ignore home prices
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Too much plane content today. Posting some old train content, for balance.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
This. If you've been upset about airport fees, consider that the alternative is either worse airports or public subsidy for one of the fanciest forms of travel. Or, in the case of the US, sometimes both.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
"more european than ever before" i say to myself in the elevator that is big enough for a wheelchair and a person behind even if they can't turn around inside it.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
"You didn't effectively push back on the Premier on bike lanes, which I want to rip out," is some interesting acrobatics.
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Reposted by Colleen
Aaron Wherry @aaronwherry.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Name something that Canadians love more than filling out the census.
canada.ca
Statistics Canada thanks Canadians for their exceptional participation in the 2026 Census - Canada.ca
Thanks to outstanding participation across the country, the final response rate for the Canadian census is among the highest ever recorded.
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Reposted by Colleen
Jocelyn Lambert Squires @jocelynsquires.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Checked out the newly built area of Humber Bay Park. It's easy to live in Toronto without knowing all the waterfront parks exist; it's a world most accessible to cyclists (or water recreation). The more we nurture a culture of cycling, the more accessible these gems are to everyone!
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Fell for the clickbait. This person 1. Sold a house downtown, owns a farm and is looking for a pied a terre. 2. Wants a downtown townhouse with yard (OK) and sneers at condos (🙄) 3. Offered to pay 6 months rent up front (not legal in Ontario). www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
thestar.com
A renter’s market? For more than $4,000 a month, I still had a hard time finding a place
I’m over a month in my new apartment and I have yet to find the perfect place for my stereo speakers. Twenty boxes of records still to unpack and I
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Since everyone's weighing in, I think free movement coming up with Macron isn't that serious (I view him as more open to those sorts of ideas than others). But even a more streamlined study abroad process would be great (with the caveat that it relies on the provinces cooperating sooooo 🤷‍♀️)
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
What an absolutely bananas way to describe that a segment of track was missing 18 screws. www.thestar.com/news/gta/new...
The cause of the derailment was “a legacy infrastructure condition that developed over time,” said Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay at the organization’s board meeting Thursday. “We have continued … to make sure, exhaustively, that a similar condition does not exist anywhere else on the railroad.”
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
What's fun is that there are bajillion rules around signs and advertising but apparently there's no basic requirement for the City to ask who is renting their space or why. Which is weird because I've rented a library room for a non-profit and had to provide that info. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Nichole Jankowski, a spokesperson for the city, told CBC News that a one-time grounds rental at the Fort York National Historic Site had been approved for a third-party drone operator.

But she said the city was not informed of the client associated with the display and what it was for.

"[The city] is updating its booking requirements to add disclosure of this information as a requirement for future bookings," Jankowski said in an email.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I wanted to give a few examples of the sorts of problems that delay housing (especially City-led non-market housing) and this CBC article is as good a jumping off point as any. It's about a community garden adjacent to Strachan House, a building on City-owned land that has been vacant since 2021.
cbc.ca
Gardeners set to lose 30-year-old community plot for Toronto supportive housing plead with city to save it | CBC News
A 30-year-old community garden in downtown Toronto will soon have to pull up its stakes and move, as the city prepares to transform a piece of land into an eight-storey supportive housing project.
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Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
If I were an Ontario Premier claiming to care about affordability, I would keep the bike lanes in and probably suggest a few new ones.
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