Reposted by Colleen Damien Moule @damienmoule.bsky.social · 6hI 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. 2378
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 15hElection interference is one of the few things Navarro is actually an expert in, I suppose. 042
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 15hDon'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... 0165
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. 2393
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Somebody forgot to tell Budapest that they're supposed to have 24/7 policing for all of these pedestrian streets. 2251
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Finally, 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? 26613
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 26/09/2026One 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. 0131
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Maybe 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-... 5232
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I 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. 081
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 25/09/2026They'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.caToronto needs more homes. These neighbours say they're paying the price | CBC NewsAn 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... 6469
Reposted by Colleen Dylan Reid @dylanreid.bsky.social · 24/09/2026From @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 23216
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Willowdale all-candidates debate. There are worse possibilities than incumbents, sometimes. 280
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 24/09/2026People 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. 14713
Reposted by Colleen Kathryn Davies @kaphryn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026I’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. 1113
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Toronto 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. 6379
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Helpful 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?... 031
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 23/09/2026A housing platform announcement that prominently features a high rise apartment. ♥️♥️♥️ 0121
Reposted by Colleen Jacob Loo Dawang @jacobdawang.com · 23/09/2026Every 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? 1151
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 23/09/20261. 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... 2224
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 22/09/2026A 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. 1187
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 22/09/2026The 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. 1154
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Sometimes 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. 0101
Reposted by Colleen Dawn Smith @saffyre9.bsky.social · 20/09/2026I 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. 🤦♀️ 091
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 2378
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 18/09/2026So 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? 020
Reposted by Colleen Damien Moule @damienmoule.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Just 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. 03912
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Love 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... 4170
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.comCat Elevator for House PetAlt: Tiny Cat Elevator for House Pet 1150
Reposted by Colleen Toronto Archives @torontoarchives.cityof.toronto.ca · 16/09/2026Another 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 0307
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Dairy farmers objecting? Wow. Canada really is more European than ever before. 1100
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Follow 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. 1161
Reposted by Colleen Ariel Troster @arieltroster.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Last 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. 2473
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.comMatt 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. 2358
Reposted by Colleen Damien Moule @damienmoule.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Zoning 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. 3255
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 16/09/2026I 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... 040
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Taxes 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 0163
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Too much plane content today. Posting some old train content, for balance. 2340
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 15/09/2026This. 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. 2132
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. 0270
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. 3506
Reposted by Colleen Aaron Wherry @aaronwherry.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Name something that Canadians love more than filling out the census.canada.caStatistics Canada thanks Canadians for their exceptional participation in the 2026 Census - Canada.caThanks to outstanding participation across the country, the final response rate for the Canadian census is among the highest ever recorded. 2118431
Reposted by Colleen Jocelyn Lambert Squires @jocelynsquires.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Checked 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! 1637
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Fell 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.comA renter’s market? For more than $4,000 a month, I still had a hard time finding a placeI’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 2130
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Since 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 🤷♀️) 080
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 12/09/2026What an absolutely bananas way to describe that a segment of track was missing 18 screws. www.thestar.com/news/gta/new... 1247
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 12/09/2026What'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/... 1153
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 11/09/2026I 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.caGardeners set to lose 30-year-old community plot for Toronto supportive housing plead with city to save it | CBC NewsA 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. 1266
Colleen @cbailey6.bsky.social · 10/09/2026If I were an Ontario Premier claiming to care about affordability, I would keep the bike lanes in and probably suggest a few new ones. 0210