iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Julie Witmer

Jamie MacKinnon🇨🇦 @jamiemackinnon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... Since Doug Ford came to power: - hallway medicine has more than doubled - the number of Ontarians without a doctor has almost doubled - ERs have been closed for the first time in history - residents in LTC have died of "dehydration" and "neglect" #ONpoli #nurses #cdnpoli

cbc.ca

Wait times for most priority surgeries in Ontario have increased since 2017, study says | CBC News

Wait times for most of the province’s publicly funded priority surgeries and procedures have increased between 2017 and 2025, according to a study released Monday.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 14h

Maybe Bill Ioannidis is the best person for the job in ward 7, but advanced polls start in 12 days and I would like to see his position on all of these issues without having to go through his voting record. I started to do that and gave up after an hour or so.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 14h

Read through the Strong Towns one the other day, and all but 2 mayoral candidates have responded to it, but none of the ward 7 candidates have. Based on lack of responses by some of the incumbents they have lost even my consideration of voting for them.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 14h

votecompass.therecord.com election2026.strongwr.org www.tritag.ca/election-wr-... Have already done the votecompass questions and disappointed to find my ward 7 incumbent hasn't answered those questions. It took under 10 minutes. He also hasn't answered the Tritag survey.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 22h

Were they the one that had that neapolitan ice cream in cardboard, that you could unfold to get to the ice cream?

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 01/10/2026

I switched to Canspace a couple of years ago and they've been really good.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 30/09/2026

Yes, please! More bridges over/under the expressway! Connect all neighbourhoods and trails that are bisected by the expressway - or rip it out :-)

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 30/09/2026

I used to have PC points but they later changed it so that you only collected points on your groceries if you added "offers" on your account. So I thought I was accumulating points but wasn't. I cancelled all my points cards and got a cash-back visa instead.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 29/09/2026

I looked at this yesterday and in ward 7, only the incumbent (Bill Ioannidis) has not yet participated. Only one candidate has come to my door and dropped off a letter.

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Reposted by Julie Witmer

Kimiko Shibata @eslfairy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

It’s almost like investing in our kids’ education might actually yield better academic results than starving schools of resources and support… but what do I know? 🤷‍♀️#OntEd

static.klipy.com

Elmo I Don't Know Idk

Alt: Elmo I Don't Know Idk

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Reposted by Julie Witmer

Kimiko Shibata @eslfairy.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Schools have no money for photocopy paper in #OntEd. But we also don’t have the 1:1 tech that was supposed to replace the need for photocopied worksheets. And the research is showing decreased learning with typing instead of handwriting on paper. So… 🤷‍♀️

Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 17/09/2026

Will they be shovelling snow on region sidewalks? That the inference I get from this photo :-)

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Reposted by Julie Witmer

Ryan Flanagan @ryanflanagan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

KW followers who like music: I've created a website that lists upcoming concerts in Waterloo Region! Check it out at unwrapped.online

Screengrab of the homepage of https://unwrapped.online

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 13/09/2026

The odd time I'm driving and approach an intersection to stop, when I see people crossing I slow way down & stop about a car length short of the stop line until they finish crossing. I know what it feels like to have a couple of tons inching towards you, and most drivers do not stop at the stop line

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Reposted by Julie Witmer

Plain Kate @k8thek8.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Hey drivers: I need you to understand that when you get to an intersection and there's a cyclist crossing in front of you, even if YOU know you see them, there's a good chance THEY don't know you do. Come to a fucking stop till they cross. Stop fucking rolling at them. Fucksake.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 11/09/2026

Okay, I understand now. Well, have a nice day. I won't be engaging with you any more. I am more than happy to engage with someone who wants to have evidence-based discussions, so if you change your mind, let me know.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 11/09/2026

It costs much less to maintain bike lanes than car lanes because bikes don't cause as much damage. And there are other health and economic benefits, too. There are a few books that have been mentioned in some of these threads and I encourage you to read them, and to read what Brent Toderian posts.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 11/09/2026

Yes, it can lessen congestion if it's a connected and well-maintained network. Maybe instead of removing lanes of car traffic (bikes are also traffic) we should remove on-street parking or introduce congestion pricing like in New York where it has worked very well.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 11/09/2026

Exactly, that's what we are saying. We want to ride in winter & are not making you do it. You do you & everyone doesn't need to drive all the time in winter just because you do. I use a combo of walking, biking, transit, and driving. I wear appropriate clothing for my chosen mode of transportation.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 11/09/2026

Because to some people it's all or nothing. And they just like trolling.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 11/09/2026

I do, but I'm not asking you to do it. I am asking for infrastructure to allow me to do it, which helps lessen congestion on the road infrastructure you choose to use.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 08/09/2026

Yes, I'm upgrading from free Proton to the unlimited plan so I have Proton Meet. I already use Sync (Canadian) for file-sharing & have Ente Auth instead of Google Authenticator. I've been doing it bits at a time. I host my domains, email, and website at Canspace and their email support is great.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 08/09/2026

Maybe that hasn't happened with Avenza - I haven't called them in a while - but it's been my experience that whenever private equity firms or billionaires get involved, things get messed up quickly (from a customer perspective).

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 08/09/2026

I'm disappointed about that, too. I love Avenza. A couple of years ago I phoned and a real person picked up! Customer service is important. I left Start after Telus bought them. Before when I called I got a real person quickly, after Telus bought them - "due to higher than normal call volumes", etc.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 08/09/2026

I love MAPublisher but Avenza and Blue Marble were just purchased by a private equity firm. So I will need to lean more heavily on Qgis going forward and learn a new design workflow so I can switch to open source tools.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 08/09/2026

Next I need to find alternatives to my design software & that is going to be a big hurdle. My workflow is Illustrator/MAPublisher. There are Illustrator alternatives like Inkscape.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 08/09/2026

I really liked Art of Where but they don't have the integration I need. Printful was going to be my go-to but they are U.S.-owned. If anyone has good experience with a Canadian PoD company with Woocommerce integration, please let me know. I need it for posters and most are t-shirts only.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 08/09/2026

Thankfully I switched away from Shopify a couple of years ago as soon as I saw the pro-fascist writing on the wall. I rebuilt my website in Wordpress but still haven't relaunched my shop because it's difficult to find a Canadian print-on-demand company with Woocommerce integration.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 08/09/2026

Today someone booked a project consultation with me and my default for video calls has been Zoom. So I looked for a Canadian alternative and found Eyre, but it has AI recording all calls baked into the software. Luckily Proton now has Proton Meet. I switched to Proton for personal email a while ago.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 08/09/2026

I have spent the past few months de-Googling and am now switching to Canadian or European-only products as much as I can. I have a Canadian host for my website and email (Canspace), am using Qwant for search although that still doesn't show me results I need - I have come to rely too much on Google.

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Reposted by Julie Witmer

Melissa Bowman @dtkmelissa.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

"Municipal government makes decisions that affect our everyday lives, yet municipal elections attract fewer voters than federal and provincial elections. An informed vote takes some effort. Learn who the candidates are. Listen to what they have to say. Compare their priorities and their visions."

mailchi.mp

Democracy Is Local: Be Ambitious for Cambridge

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Reposted by Julie Witmer

Catelli @catelli.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

"Thank God we don’t have the media" Yeah I know. Imagine being held accountable to the public that elected you. The horror.

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Reposted by Julie Witmer

Kimiko Shibata @eslfairy.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

FYI: “reporting high prices to your principal” is not going to accomplish anything. #OntEd school principals are not in charge of pricing at Staples. Shame on this government for its shoddy procurement plan and for giving Ontario funds to a US company. lfpress.com/news/nationa...

lfpress.com

Are Ontario teachers really getting the best discounts on school supplies?

Some teachers found higher prices on the Staples portal, while the province says 221 core items are offered at the lowest available price.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 03/09/2026

Just realized i probably replied to the wrong thread. I thought I was replying to the one about AI maybe being useful in some situations.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 03/09/2026

I've tried other search engines. The problem is that I've gotten used to natural language search and that doesn't seem to work with Startpage, Duckduckgo, or Qwant. I've also tried boolean search - I wonder if other search engines don't even have it enabled, or if I have to go into advanced options.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 03/09/2026

A friend of mine said she successfully used ChatGPT to help her plan her garden design, which I guess is good.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 03/09/2026

I have actually made AI give up and acknowledge it can't provide the information without making things up. It would be funny if it weren't so frustrating.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 03/09/2026

I recently tried using AI mode in search & it's maddening. I have to remind it not to make things up. It contradicts itself on a regular basis. It finally told me I can use "search-only mode" which is great because that's all I want & the only reason I tried AI is because Google broke search.

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Reposted by Julie Witmer

Kimiko Shibata @eslfairy.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Our taxpayer dollars are being spent at an American company (in the middle of a trade war) that offers better deals to folks walking in off the street than to teachers ordering through the Ontario Ministry of Education portal. Make it make sense!!! #OntEd

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 02/09/2026

They've already decided the government bears no responsibility for anything and won't even regulate businesses. To them government only exists as a money-making scheme. It is utterly maddening and rage-inducing.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 02/09/2026

I think they mean one like Walmart or Amazon that treats workers as expendable, extracts value from the company and people and directs it to shareholders, offloading health and training and pensions to what, the government?

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 02/09/2026

When they say they want government run like a business, they never specify what kind of business. They never choose to operate it like a thriving, healthy, sustainable business that invests in its workers (health, training, pensions) and reinvests its profits in the business.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 01/09/2026

I will never understand the type of brain that thinks cooperating, sharing, & helping are weaknesses. Had an argument at a coffee meetup the other day with a guy who told me I was wrong for saying that people have value unrelated to their contribution to the GDP.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 01/09/2026

I also wonder when watching It's a Wonderful Life how many people identify with Mr. Potter

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 30/08/2026

just noticed a typo - I meant the KW Library of Things. And I really really really want a phone with a physical keyboard.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 29/08/2026

What a beautiful day! After biking to MW Library of Things for a pickup, all set on the TWB patio for some live music starting soon.

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Julie Witmer @witmaps.ca · 29/08/2026

When I realized it was Apple TV game day I listened to it on Sportsnet 590 radio on my computer instead. Am finally going to see a game at Skydome in 2 weeks! It's been years since I've been to a game.

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Reposted by Julie Witmer

Peter Flax @pflax1.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Over the years I've talked about this hundreds of times with drivers in my community and online. They're deluded that there's another side to the issue. Their perception—that riders are naughty or slowing down their busy lives or acting entitled—is pure negligence of their duties operating a vehicle

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