iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 28/09/2026

I absolutely love that Gord Perks got to do the voiceover for this Olivia Chow ad. His last swan song against Ford/Tory municipal politics.

Olivia Chow ad depicting Brad Bradford's voting history on Instagram with the caption: "Brad Bradford is a flip flopper. He will say anything to get elected. That's just who he is."

041

Reposted by Shane Gates 🇨🇦

Mark Shaw 🇨🇦✌️🇪🇺 @markshawtoronto.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"The most absurd deadline lands, appropriately enough, on April Fool’s Day, which is when bidders have to tee up proposals for “alternative” north-south bike routes to Yonge and Avenue Road"

Bike lane alternative North-South route.

There’s major traffic on Avenue Road, Mt Pleasant road.

There’s shops and restaurants on Yonge street, the commercial strip.

The alternative is a zigzag that’s basically impossible and involves hopping your bike over gated cemeteries.

2315

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 28/09/2026

I think even bidding on this should ban the company from ever being hired by the City of Toronto to do work.

000

Reposted by Shane Gates 🇨🇦

How-Sen Chong @how-sen.com · 27/09/2026

This tool from @observingthecity.ca is fantastic. It shows the traffic mode share by intersection using City data. Many downtown areas are dominated by pedestrians (in green). Yet *we still give most of the space to cars on almost every street.* www.observingthecity.ca/intersection...

Map of downtown area of Toronto. Pie charts show the mode share at every intersection.

413335

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 24/09/2026

It's weird how accessibility on the TTC is somehow a user problem, not an institutional problem. @ttcriders.bsky.social

Chat with TTC Transit Control via the SafeTTC app:

Me: "Doors to the elevator [at TMU] to NB platform/Green P parking garage locked from the underpass level (level 4). Thankfully I am able bodied so I could check that it's locked from both sides, but those in a mobility device would be trapped there."

TTC: "TTC does not manage Green P Parking, you would need to contact the Toronto Parking Authority"

010

Reposted by Shane Gates 🇨🇦

Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 22/09/2026

Over the weekend, the Bradford campaign challenged the media to do this "scavenger hunt" to uncover supposed places where Olivia Chow frittered away the provincial New Deal money. Challenge accepted. From my newsletter this week, here’s what I found.

An infographic for a City Hall scavenger hunt titled 'Where did the Money Go?' showing eight locations throughout Toronto where city budget expenditures are hidden, with clues and dollar amounts for each stop, ending at the Mayor's Office, and promoting Brad Bradford's mayoral campaign.

29246

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 21/09/2026

It doesn't help these things' credibility when I saw two staff and a supervisor leaning on one and laughing at how stupid they were. $2 million is no small cost and would've paid for 1/25th of PEDs at TMU.

One of the waist high platform barriers at TMU station.

000

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 21/09/2026

This article reads like PP discovered the word Euroscepticism and pulled an all nighter jotting down notes from Wikipedia.

020

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 17/09/2026

It's obvious why Putin wouldn't want 🇦🇲🇬🇪🇺🇦🇲🇩 etc to join the EU since it would bring stability, peace, and wealth that would prevent Russian subversion, dismantle oligarchic control of institutions, and wane reliance on Russia. I can only assume Trump doesn't want Canada to join for the same reason.

010

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 15/09/2026

Toronto transportation philosophy in one picture

Driver blocking intersection delays three streetcars and a bus from advancing through a light

58220

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 12/09/2026

Every year I fill out the Downtown Yonge BIA's survey about safety. Every year I try to fit in how cars are the biggest safety threat into questions that are clearly fishing for blame towards those experiencing homelessness.

0112

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 11/09/2026

This goes above and beyond MTA's already formidable 12 trips/week and would kick in for every single person commuting to work and school 5 days/week.

000

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 09/09/2026

Repost to scare TIFF organisers

193

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 04/09/2026

So basically, Hungary is getting a discount on the participation fee for them to return. Likely the same case for Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova to return last year. I assume Canada is paying for this, since the Netherlands, Spain, Iceland, Slovenia, and Ireland are not? telex.hu/after/2026/0...

telex.hu

Kevesebbet kellene fizetnie a közmédiának, ha Magyarország visszatér az Eurovízióra

Magyarország 2019 óta nem vett részt az Eurovízión, most azonban megnyílhat az út a visszatérés előtt.

020

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 02/09/2026

Its a special kind of freaky hearing everyone's emergency alerts go off when your phone is dead. A nuke could've been dropped and I'd have been none the wiser.

000

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 30/08/2026

Making a point to only eat at CNE vendors that don't use AI-generated posters... I think I might starve.

140

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 22/08/2026

Winner gets their provincial government to leave them alone

U of T vs McGill at Varsity Stadium, football. Scoreboard shows 13-1 in favour of McGill

U of T vs McGill at Varsity Stadium, football.

022

Reposted by Shane Gates 🇨🇦

School of Cities @uoftcities.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Our new policy brief summarizes research on transit enforcement which found that mechanisms vary widely across Cdn cities; tickets are higher than for parking infractions; costs exceed generated revenue; marginalized populations are disproportionately impacted ow.ly/FHQN50ZvVoF

0209

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 16/08/2026

Surely CTV/TSN don't *have* to get the feed for an event a few km from their headquarters from FOX, right?

Honda Indy in Markham on CTV/TSN, feed provided by FOX

030

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 15/08/2026

Currently on the 509/510 bus from Union (only a few buses according to Transsee). It was so packed it left people behind. The majority got off one stop later at the Ferry Terminal bc Google Maps suggested this route. If only there was some sort of redesign to let people walk via the PATH instead.

030

Reposted by Shane Gates 🇨🇦

Jay Pitter @jaypitter.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

My Toronto Star take on festival challenges: 1. Crowds aren’t the problem; poor spatial planning is. Many festivals have outgrown the car-centric streets and spaces where they began. Their growth needs to be matched with permanent pedestrianization, better design, and placemaking approaches.

37823

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 09/08/2026

Schrödinger's Commercial Dog Walker

Dog park at Wellington and Spadina, two signs. Left says commercial dog walkers allowed, right says commercial dog walkers not allowed.

000

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 01/08/2026

Yonge Street has been pedestrianised, we did it lads! (For about 30m during construction of Yonge/College)

Closed road, local residents immediately taking to the street

1223

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 31/07/2026

"It's season 34, when are they gonna start doing the museum thing"

171

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 29/07/2026

Any day where I am reminded of Stephen Harper is a bad day.

020

Reposted by Shane Gates 🇨🇦

august 🍂 @auguststreet.ca · 27/07/2026

"hire another 1,000 police officers" is really just the toronto political candidates' version of "send another $20 billion to israel"

1203

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 25/07/2026

Yelling works! Never be afraid to call out objectively harmful policy.

060

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 23/07/2026

Very happy to be speaking with CBC Metro Morning's Chris Glover tomorrow at 7:20 AM about my PATH redesign. Should be fun!

0194

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 20/07/2026

Yayyy, we won our bus fare home

020

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 19/07/2026

Nice to know someone remembered they had The Muppets IP.

000

Reposted by Shane Gates 🇨🇦

TTCriders @ttcriders.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Last year, City Council approved a pilot to deploy Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS) in the downtown U of the subway, a new non-police emergency service for people experiencing crises on transit. One year later, the results are in. TCCS's non-enforcement approach to safety is working. 🧵⬇️ 1/

Graphic: Toronto's approach to community safety is working on the TTC

Infographic

Enhancing Mental Health Crisis Response on the TTC Pilot

November 15, 2025 to May 31, 2026

9792 community interactions
528 calls for crisis support

Call types
Wellbeing Check - 56.3%
Thoughts of Suicide - 29%
Distressing/Disorderly Behaviour - 8.3%
Advised/Referral - 0.2%

The average response time for TCCS-TTC teams to arrive on scene is 5 minutes

Pilot stations map showing the downtown U Line 1 and 2 stations

Emergency Service requests

6% of calls requested TTC Special Constables
3% of calls had a request for medical services
2% of calls had a request for police services

13720

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 18/07/2026

It's weird how they just do that on their own.

140

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 15/07/2026

This World Cup feels like having to pick between 1¢ and $5 on Deal or No Deal

020

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 15/07/2026

Another reason why the PATH deserves to be made usable for the average person. Our climate resiliency strategy, for the sake of public health, should hinge on transitionary indoor spaces like the PATH to allow free movement without having to breathe in wildfire smoke. It'll only get worse.

1112

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 10/07/2026

Finally finished my redesign of the PATH map. I redid the current spaghetti-like map into one closer resembling a subway map with numbered buildings à la the Tokyo Metro Map. I've often seen tourists (or even longtime residents) try to use the PATH and just end up going back upstairs.

My redesigned PATH map with subway-like lines. Blue from the CBC Building (Blue 1) to King Station, Red from Union Station to the Atrium on Bay (Red 23), Pink from Union Station to 10 Dundas St E (Pink 16), Green from Union Station to 10 Dundas St E (Green 15), Cyan from Union Station to the Union Station Bus Terminal, and Purple from Union Station to the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal (Purple 6)

Directory showing what buildings are at each line-combination

3239

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 08/07/2026

Guys, the piano stairs are back at the MetroCentre. We can have nice things after all.

000

Reposted by Shane Gates 🇨🇦

Mark Shaw 🇨🇦✌️🇪🇺 @markshawtoronto.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Okay Toronto started the public survey on Church Street pedestrianization. I need you to tell the city it’s great. We only got 92% positive on Kensington market and it failed, let’s blow that out of the water. haveyoursay.toronto.ca/churchstreet

haveyoursay.toronto.ca

Church Street Pedestrianization Pilot

Learn more about the Church Street Pedestrianization Pilot and provide feedback on the impacts and outcomes by September 7, 2026.

36542

Reposted by Shane Gates 🇨🇦

Mark Shaw 🇨🇦✌️🇪🇺 @markshawtoronto.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Gould Street, Toronto. Students fought for a decade to pedestrianize it. In 2010 city council voted to enact a 1 year pilot, and by 2012 it was made permanent.

Pretty, quiet city street, on Toronto Metropolitan University campus.

26814

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 05/07/2026

(1) Can it scale up if ridership reaches critical levels, (2) does it use readily available/common parts, (3) is it accessible, and (4) can it accommodate TOD and adjacent densification? I'm not sure the answer is yes to any of these. Seems like Oshawa just wants more room for cars.

000

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 05/07/2026

Makes you wonder the long-term time savings if the Bloor-Yonge Capacity Project included installing a Line 2 crossover.

010

Reposted by Shane Gates 🇨🇦

Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Camogli. These things slide out & make ped areas. Deliveries when needed. Local police don’t extort $100s of $1000s todo this.

66711

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 04/07/2026

I became a huge Hannes Halldórsson fan in 2018 because he saved a penalty kick from Messi and Iceland drew with Argentina. If Cabo Verde wins, I'm moving to Praia.

000

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 03/07/2026

This is a memorial post for all the deleted "the World Cup in Toronto was a failure"/"what went wrong?" oped drafts.

020

Shane Gates 🇨🇦 @shanegates.ca · 02/07/2026

Does our education system really need to make a profit?

000