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Toon Dreessen

@toondreessen.bsky.social
9.9K followers 1.3K following 7.8K posts

Architect Husband Dad he/him; past pres @oaarchitects.bsky.social; president @architectsdca.bsky.social; writer, public speaker, advocate for #procurement reform; #climatepoli @riseforarch

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Toon Dreessen
alexcullen.bsky.social @alexcullen.bsky.social · 3h
Sutcliffe's infrastructure plan is so much smoke & mirrors as he is handcuffed by his 2.5% tax cap. He expects to finance some of this through $250 million from "savings" but doesn't tell us what is to be cut. Add on his bus pass cut, his 350 new first responders - clearly magic is in the air here.
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 1h
One of the benefits of a walkable good is being able to walk/roll to a nearby cafe, grab a bite to eat, have a drink. That’s part of urban life. Put some decent parameters around times and overall noise levels and it’s all good. Reminds me of an #OttCity discussion a few years ago 1/
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Push The Needle @pushtheneedle.bsky.social · 1h
The City of Seattle is shutting down a cafe’s outdoor deck because the code says any outdoor dining must be 50’ away from a residential property due to noise concerns Funny, we shove all housing growth on the loudest roads our city has. I guess that noise is fine?
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Does it help to remember the conversation and suggestions I made in Dec 22/Jan 23 where I made clear and concrete suggestions for how to do exactly this? What took 4 years?
static.klipy.com
Little Rascals Boy Waiting
ALT: Little Rascals Boy Waiting
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
We had this opportunity 12y when planning LRT phase 1; we knew about this 4y ago at the previous election. So why bring this up now? We’ve had ample opportunity to do right and make public land (like Landsdowne) deliver housing but we don’t bother. Is this another empty promise? 1/
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 13h
Forced to watch “the day after”
static.klipy.com
Nuclear Catastrophic Explosion
ALT: Nuclear Catastrophic Explosion
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The Hill Times @hilltimes.com · 14h
FRONT | Support for Alberta separatism is 'remarkably stable'; Reduced access to top officials; FINTRACT hides details for millions of dollars in contracts; And more. www.hilltimes.com
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Holy moly.
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Does it help to remember the conversation and suggestions I made in Dec 22/Jan 23 where I made clear and concrete suggestions for how to do exactly this? What took 4 years?
static.klipy.com
Little Rascals Boy Waiting
ALT: Little Rascals Boy Waiting
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Glengarry Glen Rachel @chrispb.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Tell the current mayor this... oh, wait.
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
We had this opportunity 12y when planning LRT phase 1; we knew about this 4y ago at the previous election. So why bring this up now? We’ve had ample opportunity to do right and make public land (like Landsdowne) deliver housing but we don’t bother. Is this another empty promise? 1/
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Hans on the Bike @hansonthebike.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
“The entire urban landscape—from neighbourhood design and highway planning to mall layouts and building setbacks—has been whittled down to […]: How do we accommodate the maximum number of cars moving at the maximum speed from point A to point B 1/2
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Sobs in #OttLRT
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
My soul left my body for a moment there.
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Visiting the national military cemetery at beechwood. So peaceful. Forever grateful to live in Canada. #NeverForget @minibubbly.bsky.social @brainchain.ca p
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Whelp… I just spent 3 hours at the office clearing up my inbox. I know that that’s work, but it’s not actually getting any work done. It’s filtering the work that remains so that I can actually get work done tomorrow. Ugh. 
static.klipy.com
Typewriter Type Fast
ALT: Typewriter Type Fast
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Please make this include elevators and expansion of our own elevator options in Canada, along with reform of elevator codes to decouple us from US standards; this is key to increase affordability and greater accessibility in housing @conradspeckert.bsky.social @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social 
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Laskinator @laskinator.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Huh. What a surprise.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 03/10/2026
NYC is opening 160 car-free (but treat-filled) streets and plazas to enjoy fun and safe fall festivities this spooky season. Find one near you at nyc.gov/trickorstreets.
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Brigitte Pellerin @brigittepellerin.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The hell? Can you share? Happy to chat. DM me.
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
2007 kid1 and I drove from LA to Ottawa with a road atlas; he (11) followed along, helped figure out where to go, what route to take and if there were things along the way to see. Grand adventure.
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Low taxes? Not possible unless we cut service and have vastly more more density (which isn’t happening as long as we keep paving farmland)
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
And yet. These clients spent half $1 million getting to site plan approval, which took 14-16m and then took as long again to write up a legal agreement that takes less than a week to produce. They walked away and sustainable attainable rental homes disappeared 1/ substack.com/@toondreesse...
substack.com
The Challenge of Planning
Policies meet reality; it shouldn't be this hard to build housing
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Oliver Moore @oliver-moore.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Cool when a police press release about a fatal hit and run pre-emptively offers up a handy defence to the driver www.tps.ca/media-centre...
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 02/10/2026
Black text on a white that says the following:

The allegations in the Cornell sexual assault case are deeply disturbing and gut-wrenching. Cornell University has failed this survivor.

I fully support Governor Hochul's decision to name Attorney General James as special prosecutor in this case and look forward to the complete and extensive investigation that is to come. 

Accountability and justice cannot simply be values, they must also be delivered.
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Doug van den Ham @dvdham.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I remember when, only four years ago, Sutcliffe relentlessly attacked an opponent for proposing to take on debt to build just $250m of critical transportation infrastructure.
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Gravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Even dogs get victim blamed when drivers kill them. This is absolute ghoul behavior.
A Facebook post about a driver in Auburn hitting and killing a dogWas the dog on a leash. Why was the dog in the road?

I am sorry that this happened. Just a question, was the walker wearing reflective clothing with a flash light while they were walking on the road with the dogs. If they are wearing all black, they are not going to be spotted. But on the flip side, if the driver felt or heard a noise they should have stoppedWas the walker wearing high vis or the usual black, navy blue, or dark Grey?

Did the driver swerve to hit the dog or was it dog not under the owners control? If the dog wasn’t on a leash, then we know who was at fault . As far as I’m aware, Massachusetts has a leash law, and that goes for even walking your dogs in the woods. 
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Edward Xie @edwardxie.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
In ERs, we see the impact of unsafe roads regularly. Cities with good bike infrastructure have fewer deaths and greater safety for all, regardless of whether they’re walking, cycling or driving. Ontario gov should reconsider how to spend $48 mil Improve lives - not put them at risk #bikeTO #onpoli
youtube.com
Why hundreds of doctors are fighting Ford’s removal of Toronto bike lanes
YouTube video by CBC News Toronto
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Apologies to the driver behind me because my car wasn’t set in launch mode so that the split second the light turned green I didn’t take off like an F1 race. I’ll work on this and do better next time. Please forgive me.  @tomflood.bsky.social 
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The Kingstonist @kingstonist.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
#ICYMI "Public libraries provide access to information, connection, & opportunity. We are... sustained by the community we serve, and we are stronger when that community is loud about why libraries matter," said Laura Carter, CEO of KFPL. Learn more: www.kingstonist.com/news/kingsto...
kingstonist.com
Kingston Frontenac Public Library invites community to get 'Loud for Libraries' this October
(Kingston, Ontario) Kingston Frontenac Public Library (KFPL) is celebrating Canadian Library Month this October, joining libraries across the country in recognizing the essential role libraries play i...
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Occasionally Spooky Transpo @occtranspo.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Key word "claiming". They don't want their properties flooding anymore than anyone else, and then they'll go right back to infrastructure debt.
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
OttCity: re-elect the guy who’s had 4y to address problems and is endorsed by folks who have had power for 12-16y or longer and caused the very issues now claiming to know how to fix.
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Raywat Deonandan 🍁🇨🇦 @deonandan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Every conservative candidate these days: "Everything is broken. Elect me to to fix it, even though It may not actually be broken and I haven't layed out a plan for how to fix it." (I'm lookin' 'specially at you, Brad Bradford.)
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Barney Panofsky's Best Intentions @mynamesnotgordy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Carney: We are making a west coast pipeline from Alberta our first national-interest project. Alberta separatists: What color will the pipeline be? If it’s not the cornflower blue we demanded, we’re out.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
There should be no ambiguity as to who Trump thinks his friends are.
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Paul 🇨🇦 🚵 @paul-pothier.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
In Hong Kong, the MTR (transit authority) functions not only as service provider, but also real estate developer They punch the line a bit deeper into the New Territories and launch TOD at the new station Hard to see that ever happening with OC Transpo … never with Metrolinx
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Fantastic! Now, how are we gonna do this? If you also promise to keep taxes to no more than 2.5%? We’ve seen, and are living with the results of years of insufficient and wasteful taxation. Raising isn’t the only answer but you’re so-called savings haven’t been. How is this going to be achieved? 1/
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It's me @justmeinottawa.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Very on brand. Also. Gunna assume this decision was made from someone’s home office in Finley creek or Carp
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Brigitte Pellerin @brigittepellerin.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Anyone surprised? This city can't communicate to save its life. ottawacitizen.com/news/local-n...
ottawacitizen.com
'CONFIDENTIAL UPDATE': Emails show city staff urging secrecy on fireworks plan ahead of surprise launch
Emails obtained by the Ottawa Citizen show city staff discussing a plan to launch the unused Canada Day fireworks as early as July 3.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 01/10/2026
I recommend people read this to get a sense of the president's grave cognitive impairment. Trump is either unwilling or unable (or maybe both) to answer the questions he's actually asked, so he just rants and raves while the interviewers do their best to provide structure to his random brain firings
time.com
Read TIME’s ‘What Trump Has Built’ Interview Transcript
The U.S. President discussed the war in Iran, press freedom, AI, and more ahead of the midterm elections.
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John Redins @johnredins.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This morning I took advantage of @vote.ottawa.ca at Greenboro Community Centre. The voting is in a room that you must go by the incumbents satellite office with her inside ans door open. When I been there in the past it is closed. Election Ottawa say it is legal but I cannot sit there with my sign
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
If #OttCity had a vision, we’d put public land to public purpose. Converting existing (award winning work of architecture) to housing is prob non starter but retention as community space, library, etc makes sense; we have many examples where bean counting took over. 1/
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Miranda Gray @mirgray.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Oh, to see this here. Guelph to turn current main library into affordable housing. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Guelph to turn current main library site into housing, including affordable units | CBC News
The main branch of the Guelph Public Library is set to move to its new site on Baker Street in the new year and after it does, the city says it has plans to turn the property where the current main br...
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Eric Squair @ericsquair.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“It’s the people who don’t belong here that are causing the problem!” Classic tactic of stoking resentment of the “other” applied to …. swimming lesson registration. Voila: promises of a tax freeze ignored as part of the problem.
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Barney Panofsky's Best Intentions @mynamesnotgordy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Reading a lot these days about how the El Niño we’re expecting will actually be a Super El Niño and that got me curious so I did a little research and apparently a Super El Niño is one louder than a regular El Niño.
static.klipy.com
Nigel Tufnel: These Go To Eleven
ALT: Nigel Tufnel: These Go To Eleven
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Pissedoffpundit @pissedoffpundant.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
👏💯👏💯👏💯👏💯👏💯👏💯👏💯👏💯👏💯🤔...
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This. Revisit purchase and or buy back the company. Promote Canadian jobs and Canadian steel in parallel with Canadian mass timber. Studies from several years ago showed that North American produced steel is lower overall carbon than imported (not sure if still true); #ElbowsUp 
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Charles Keener @charleskeener.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
What if, hear me out, we built enough pools, skating rinks, libraries, parks, etc for our population and designed and planned them, maintained them, and yes, required proof of residence? If you’ve moved to an exurb for the cheaper taxes, these are choices.
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
It’s remarkable how many people can move on a street when those people don’t feel the need to always take a massive car with them. Mobility in cities is about space.
Busy European street with buses filled with people in a long line of people on bikes, waiting for the light to change in a separated, protected bike lane. Imagine if all those people or each in a separate car.
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