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Thorben Wieditz

@twieditz.bsky.social
641 followers 483 following 432 posts

urban geographer | researcher and campaigner | co-founder of metstrat.ca | doer of things

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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
“Here we have what looks like a bunch of political losers turning to AI to appear popular online. That’s the state of politics these days,” said Fenwick McKelvey, a professor of information and communication technology policy at Concordia University. www.nationalobserver.com/2026/09/21/i...
nationalobserver.com
Toronto mayoral candidate Bradford using Israeli app that feeds supporters AI-generated comments
The Victory App, a campaign tool built by the Israeli company LogiVote, prompted users to participate in a mission to post AI-written comments supportive of Toronto mayoral candidate Brad Bradford.
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Natasha Tusikov @ntusikov.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
New from me (paywall): Voluntary agreements lack transparency, efficacy & serve corporate interests. Canadians are making clear their strong opposition to AI data centres: the federal govt is abdicating its governance role in hiding behind a voluntary framework. www.hilltimes.com/2026/09/09/w...
hilltimes.com
Why Canada’s new voluntary framework for AI data centres won’t work - The Hill Times
Voluntary principles, as outlined in the government’s national framework for AI, have no legally binding force. They typically lack efficacy and transparency, even as governments and tech companies of...
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
WTAF www.thestar.com/politics/fed...
thestar.com
Carney government won’t say if Canada will attend Trump anti-Antifa summit
A State Department spokesperson said more than 60 countries had been invited “from various regions, including the Western Hemisphere, Europe, and Asia.”
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/...
chicago.suntimes.com
Chicago sues Airbnb and a host company for alleged improper rentals
Airbnb was accused of profiting from those allegedly unlawful rentals rather than work with the city to ensure compliance with the Shared Housing Ordinance.
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Pleased the Globe's Business Section published my take on how Airbnb uses the FIFA World Cup and the 2028 L.A. Olympics as opportunities to pad its bottom line. As always, whether it's Airbnb, Uber, or [insert SV digital platform], don't believe their hype. www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: Airbnb used the World Cup to lobby for relaxed short-term rental rules. Demand didn’t keep up
Company attempted to use the tournament to pad its bottom line, but demand for short-term rentals in Canadian host cities has fallen short
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
No captions needed
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
An agreement "between the police and the Crown to end the prosecution in the event the court orders them to disclose the identity of the ODIT vendor." www.thestar.com/news/ontario...
thestar.com
Ontario police are using spyware that lets them remotely take over your smartphone. They’re fighting to keep almost everything about it secret
The police use of ODITs is so secret that police forces have signed agreements to drop serious criminal investigations rather than reveal the name of their vendor.
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Brian F. Kelcey @stateofthecity.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Vancouver, BC. And, ridiculous decision. These are business addresses, not personal; the owners chose to make them so. If you don't want them to be treated as businesses, then don't operate as one. Simple. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Vancouver must keep short-term rental addresses private, B.C. adjudicator rules | CBC News
British Columbia's Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner says the City of Vancouver is required to refuse to disclose addresses of short-term rental operators because it would reveal wher...
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Andy Yan @ayan604.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Unsold, unoccupied and unaffordable In the city of #Toronto, 61% of the unsold condo stock is priced at more than $1-million "Newly built condos in Vancouver are too pricey to sell, CMHC data show" as told by @goldinyvr.bsky.social GIFT LINK: www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/...
theglobeandmail.com
Newly built condos in Vancouver are too pricey to sell, CMHC data show
In the city, 81 per cent of the new unsold condo units are priced at more than $1-million
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Robert Zaichkowski @rzaichkowski.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Thanks @spacing.bsky.social for publishing my article about the need to make completing the 72 km Loop Trail - and other trail gaps across the city - an issue for this October's municipal election. #BikeTO #TOpoli #VisionZero spacing.ca/toronto/2026...
spacing.ca
A Different Kind of Cycling Campaign - Spacing Toronto
During Toronto’s last three elections, cycling campaigns focused primarily on on-street infrastructure including protected bike lanes and Vision Zero road safety improvements. Think of Cycle Toronto’s...
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
On #Uber “We’re dealing with way too many cars on the streets, spending way too much time driving without a passenger,” he said. “If you want to make the sector operate more efficiently and effectively, you have to cap the overall number of licensed drivers.” www.torontotoday.ca/local/enviro...
torontotoday.ca
More Ubers, more traffic? New report reignites licence cap debate
Last year, Uber and other rideshare drivers clocked 1.13 billion kilometres on Toronto streets — a 40 per cent increase from 2023, according to a new report
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Ford’s Ontario. What happens when you outsource employment service delivery to WCG, a company owned by Australia’s APM Group & U.S. private equity firm Madison Dearborn? You ensure sure funds don't arrive at the agencies and workers who are providing the services. www.thestar.com/politics/pro...
thestar.com
Ford government’s internal surveys expose failures in disability job training program
Premier Doug Ford’s controversial plan to get Ontarians off social assistance and into jobs is failing those with complex physical and intellectual disabilities, according to the province’s own intern...
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Barney Panofsky's Best Intentions @mynamesnotgordy.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Area taxpayers beginning to realize local man not their fun-loving drunk uncle.
cbc.ca
ANALYSIS | Ford losing support in wake of jet controversy, polls suggest | CBC News
Doug Ford’s now grounded plan to buy a private jet highlights a trend of softening support for the premier and his government, say some experts and polling analysts, who warn that the controversy coul...
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
"A report released on Monday by the non-profit group RideFair Toronto, based on the City of Toronto data, showed that the increase in deadheading rates between 2022 and 2025 has amounted to a 17-per-cent cut in driver wages." More traffic ✅ Less pay ✅ www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
theglobeandmail.com
Toronto rideshare drivers spend half of their time on the road without a passenger, data show
‘Deadheading rate,’ when drivers are not paid, climbed in 2025 from 40% in 2022
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
If you dig that 401 tunnel just long enough, you can use locally sourced infill to extend that runway.
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Philippe J. Fournier @338canada.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
📊Ontario provincial voting intentions from Liaison Strategies: 🔴OLP 38% 🔵PC 36% 🟠NDP 20% 🟢GPO 4% → 338canada.com/ontario/2026... [Liaison Strategies, April 25-26, 2026, n=1,000] #ONpoli
338canada.com
338Canada Ontario | Liaison Strategies poll, April 2026
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Veena Dubal @veenadubal.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
The sharing economy, friends!
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
“The corporate objectives is not your best interest” …
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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Toronto renters gather this weekend to launch first citywide tenants union. Various groups will form the Toronto Tenant Union, using labour movement tactics to advocate for renters www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #onpoli #TOpoli
cbc.ca
Toronto tenants launch new citywide union amid ongoing rent crisis and affordability concerns | CBC News
Organizers say the new union will unite tenants across Toronto to strengthen collective action on rent, housing conditions, and affordability, while landlords and housing providers also weigh in on th...
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
You may heard Doug Ford announce Ontario is bringing back the Nortlander Passenger Train. But what you likely missed is that #Uber hitched a ride, pushing its influence across Ontario with new standard regulations. More on that from @policyalternatives.ca www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
policyalternatives.ca
Ontario is getting ready to hand Uber a massive gift - CCPA
By hitching the "Northlander Rideshare Pilot" to the Northlander train revival, the province is engaged in a major giveaway to the U.S. taxi app
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... 'Why do we need to repeat an experiment whose failures have been clearly documented?' @policyalternatives.ca @twieditz.bsky.social
policyalternatives.ca
Ontario is getting ready to hand Uber a massive gift - CCPA
By hitching the "Northlander Rideshare Pilot" to the Northlander train revival, the province is engaged in a major giveaway to the U.S. taxi app
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More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
A worker died at an Amazon warehouse in Oregon last week. For more than an hour, workers were instructed to continue working as the man lay dead. One worker wanted to help, but a manager told them to “Just turn around and not look. Let’s get back to work," according to @thewesternedge.bsky.social.
thewesternedge.media
‘Everyone is Replaceable’: Death Rattles Oregon Amazon Facility
A worker died at Amazon’s Troutdale warehouse last week. Employees were told to look away.
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The Biking Lawyer LLP @thebikinglawyer.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Really fantastic in-depth piece by Caitlin Walsh Miller of @macleans.bsky.social on e-bikes, e-scooters and the wild situation we all find ourselves in! LINK IN BIO: macleans.ca/longforms/me...
macleans.ca
Menace on the Streets - Macleans.ca
E-bikes and e-scooters are remaking the rules of the road. Canada’s cities aren’t ready.
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Airbnb now operates at an unprecedented global scale: • 8.35 million listings • 218 countries and territories • 436+ million nights booked annually What is marketed as "live like a local" is part of a global system reshaping housing markets everywhere. Report: insideairbnb.com/reports/the-...
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Brian Platt @brianplatt.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Bloomberg scoop: Chinese EVs could be built in the Stellantis plant in Brampton, where a planned Jeep production line was cancelled last year and moved to the US. Stellantis has discussed with Canadian officials the idea of building Leapmotor EVs there www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Stellantis in Talks to Make Chinese EVs at Idled Canadian Plant
Stellantis NV is discussing options for building electric vehicles in Canada with its Chinese partner, Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology Co., according to people familiar with the matter, a sign of how qu...
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Best ad yet. Love seeing it.
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Why should anyone trust a guy like Brian Topp to rebuild a workers’ party if said guy’s lobbying firm represents the interests of Uber to fuck up labour law and pay drivers below hourly minimum wages? This should automatically disqualify Topp from commenting about the NDP going forward IMHO.
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CCPA — Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives @policyalternatives.ca · 18/03/2026
Changes to OASP will drastically reduce access to post-secondary education in Ontario and force more students to take on a lot more debt. By @ricardotranjan.bsky.social #onted @policyalternatives.ca @ccpa-on.bsky.social www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
policyalternatives.ca
Kicking away the ladder: The true cost of changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program - CCPA
Changes to OSAP will drastically reduce access to post-secondary education in Ontario and force more students to take on a lot more debt
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Michèle Champagne @michelechampagne.com · 18/03/2026
Émile Haïm Benamor was finally charged and arrested today for the deaths of his tenants in two separate heritage buildings in Old Montreal, one having been an illegal Airbnb. – cc @greglindsay.org – cc @twieditz.bsky.social – cc @jjforward.bsky.social
ctvnews.ca
Owner facing 15 charges after Old Montreal fire that killed 7, including guests in illegal Airbnbs
The owner of a building in Old Montreal that burned down in 2023, killing seven people, is now facing seven charges of manslaughter and eight charges of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
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Robert Benzie @robertbenzie.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
NEW: @abacusdataca poll in the ⁦‪@TorontoStar‬⁩: ⁦‪@OntarioPCParty‬⁩ 44% ⁦‪@OntLiberal‬⁩ 32% @OntarioNDP 16% ⁦‪@OntarioGreens‬⁩ 5% www.thestar.com/politics/pro...
thestar.com
Support for Ford’s Tories has levelled off after months of decline, poll suggests
After hitting an all-time high of 53 per cent last August, the Tories holding at 44 per cent in the latest Abacus Data tracking survey.
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
press.liaisonstrategies.ca/toronto-chow...
press.liaisonstrategies.ca
Toronto: Chow 44%, Bradford 26%, Ford 16%
March 10, 2026 (Toronto, ON) – A new Liaison Strategies survey reveals a major shift in the city’s political landscape following John Tory’s announcement that he will not seek a return to the mayoralt...
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Ford trails way behind the other provinces just like he does in education funding. The only thing he wants to lead provinces on is in FOI laws that shield him and his gang from scrutiny, so mediocracy and corruption can be hidden behind his ON ads paid for by taxpayers.
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VassB @vassb.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Holy sh*t. Wab Kinew's government just made using data to increase prices an unfair business practice. This is historic for Canada. *Proposed bill bans suppliers from charging higher prices to certain consumers based on personalized or algorithmically determined information. t.co/ZugFOj7983
t.co
https://bit.ly/4rBlsew
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Wow. MB ends algorithmic pricing in grocery stores, on Instacard, Uber rides, etc. Can MB trustee Ontario’s Ford government, please? news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.h...
news.gov.mb.ca
Province of Manitoba | News Releases | Manitoba Government Ending Predatory Pricing in Grocery Stores and Other Retail
Province of Manitoba
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
"So much bull" is right. www.nationalobserver.com/2026/03/16/n...
nationalobserver.com
'So much bull': Experts dismiss Ford's excuses for freedom of information overhaul
On Friday, Ontario announced that the province plans to exempt the premier, cabinet ministers, parliamentary assistants and their offices from requests filed under the Freedom of Information and Prote...
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Robert Benzie @robertbenzie.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Joining @MooreintheAM on @NEWSTALK1010 at 8:45 am with ⁦‪@DipikaDamerla‬⁩ and @RichardCrouse. www.thestar.com/politics/pro...
thestar.com
Doug Ford defends FOI changes, warns of enemies seeking government secrets
Ford said he's tightening the laws to "protect" himself and his cabinet ministers from "communist China" and other hostile powers.
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t think Ford is obviously and desperately trying to cover up government corruption, but, nice try… www.thestar.com/politics/pro...
thestar.com
Doug Ford defends FOI changes, warns of enemies seeking government secrets
Ford said he's tightening the laws to "protect" himself and his cabinet ministers from "communist China" and other hostile powers.
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
In all FIFA locations, Airbnb is trying to “temporary” suspend housing protective short-term rental rules. The B.C gvt already says no thanks, the NYC government is the latest to tell them there is no reason to consider it. HT/ Murray Cox
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Isaac Callan @isaaccallan.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
🧵Doug Ford's former chief of staff traded in his old phone without properly backing it up, losing months of texts from a key period in 2023, including around the Greenbelt fallout. How do we know? An FOI request which wouldn't be allowed under the new rules. #OnPoli
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Move along, nothing to see here... www.thestar.com/politics/pro...
thestar.com
Doug Ford is changing a law to shield politicians from scrutiny
The changes will be introduced after the legislature resumes on March 23.
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
The Ford government uses children's privacy data as a cover to further insulate Premier and Minister's offices from FOI requests. Making changes retroactive to shield themselves from revelations of corruption. Covering up scandals and avoiding the revelation of others. These guys got a LOT to hide.
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Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Appreciate this but I couldn't do what I do (write arguments) w/out real reporter work, all of which is expensive. Research. Editing. Investigation. FOIs. Lawyers sometimes. There would be nothing to write about otherwise. All institutions are imperfect (Quoting not to yell but explain wider)
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
And one more noteworthy legislative innitiative coming our way from Manitoba. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Manitoba right-to-repair bill would bolster consumer protections, NDP say | CBC News
Manitoba might adopt right-to-repair laws designed to make it simpler for consumers to fix products that go kaput.
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Manitoba addresses the anticompetitive behaviour of our food retailers. Right on. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Manitoba asks Sobeys to scrap property restrictions near its stores or it'll go to municipal board | CBC News
Manitoba is down to one grocery giant still using property restrictions to keep potential competitors away from its stores after the province curbed the practice through legislation it passed last yea...
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Ethan Lou @ethanlou.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
As U.S. state and Big Tech become one, we become digital serfs, and it sucks The latest from the Globe's business commentary, by Vass Bednar: www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: As U.S. state and Big Tech become one, we become digital serfs, and it sucks
Without stronger privacy rules and public AI infrastructure, the value of our data will continue to flow abroad
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
!!
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Watching Strade Bianchi coverage on Flowbikes and can’t believe they use AI generated landscape shots of Tuscany in its coverage. A simulacrum of reality. Grim future.
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
OK.
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Time to cash in. What lobbying firm will hire him. Who are going to be the clients benefiting from his relationships. Any guesses? www.thestar.com/politics/pro...
thestar.com
Doug Ford’s chief of staff is stepping down
Patrick Sackville will be succeeded by principal secretary Travis Kann.
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Thorben Wieditz @twieditz.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Now we can all finally switch channels and watch Omloop Nieuwsblad, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Samyn Classic and Strade Bianchi in the warm-up to the first monument of 2026.
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