Jennifer Keesmaat
@jen_keesmaat
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President and CEO, Collecdev-Markee Developments. Former Chief Planner, Toronto. Distinguished Visitor in Planning Emeritus, University of Toronto. Optimist.
Joined January 2011
Love to see it. When I was Chief Planner I had a picture of my once 86 year old grandmother blissfully cycling to visit friends (in Holland, of course). It was a source of inspiration for what might be possible in our city. So your note is a full circle moment for me. Thanks for.
@jen_keesmaat @TorontoStar Iām so grateful for your planning of lanes in Toronto. Hereās my 84 year old father utilizing active transit every day. Traffic is moving well for the increase in density. Bike lanes are a 6-60 essential mode of healthcare and transport.
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LOVE: Lisbonās *new* pedestrian only streets are painted blue, so that there is no confusion as far as the eye can see. A great way to send the message, without cluttering up the street with signs.
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Baffled by people walking around our local grocery store with masks on. If you have symptoms or are at risk, get the hell out of the grocery store. If you don't, why are you wearing a mask that is desperately needed for a health care worker?.
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Paris now has 180 gorgeous āschool streets.ā They are pedestrianized and landscaped streets around schools - to mitigate crashes, prioritize walking to school, reduce noise and air pollution. No brainer, really.
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Scientists at Exxon identified the terrifying affects of climate change as early as 1977; by '82 they accurately predicted changes in climate we see today. So what did Executives at Exxon do? Campaign to 'sow seeds of doubt' to allow their dirty, devastating business to continue.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez grills former Exxon scientists on oil giant's climate change denial
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The problem with urban expressways isnāt just the ridiculous amount of money needed to maintain them, or the way they gobble up land where great neighbourhoods can be, or the way they divide and sterilize vast swaths of the city. One of their worst features is the way theyā¦
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Today I registered to run for Mayor of Toronto. I love this city. Iām excited about the work ahead and Iām looking forward to meeting you and your neighbours. #ProudofthisCity.
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CBCās Rosemary Barton exemplifies exactly why intelligent, accomplished people hesitate to run for office: even when they follow the rulesāsomething Mark Carney has been clear about from day oneāthey are subjected to relentless badgering. If Canada wants strong political.
Carney accuses the CBC's Rosemary Barton of acting with "ill will" when she says it's "very difficult to believe" he has no conflicts of interest stemming from his time in the private sector.
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āLabour won an election majority, meaning they could govern alone. But Ardern invited the Greens into a ācooperationā agreement, saying it would benefit from the expertise of the Green Party on climate change and child wellbeing.ā This is what leaders do.
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Study: a 50% reduction in crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists and a 27% increase in drivers yielding to pedestrians with the right of way, as a result of. paint. Yes, a splash of paint = safer streets for pedestrians. This is the power of visual disruption in slowing
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My 19 year old is home from university for Thanksgiving. She already voted. āMum, do you realize what a large voting block we are? Everyone I know voted. Everyone.ā These kids are feeling the power and I love it. #elxn2019 #elxn19 #VotingMatters.
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This is a map of the Province of Ontario. The Greenbelt is a sliver of land in the context of the Province. I was going to draw it on the map but it was as thin as a pencil line at this scale. But an important pencil line - it is the richest farmland in the entire province. It
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This is mind-boggling. Ontarians are being told that one political staffer was able to take over the machinery of government and override civil servants to remove land from the cherished, protected Greenbelt, increasing the value of developersā - who are key donors to the.
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Barcelona: converting one in 3 of its streets into small parks. 21 new plazas like the one pictured will be made at road junctions. Safe outdoor space within 200 metres of all homes that cater to pedestrians, offer shaded spaces in summer & facilitate spontaneous children's play.
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For reasons that are difficult to explain, we have accepted the long commute as the foundation of modern life. But imagine living within a 15 minute walk of everything that you need on a typical day. The 15-minute neighborhood is a better way to live.
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A VERY good morning to everyone in Toronto who cycles: to work, to school, for fun. Last night we elected a true cyclist as our Mayor - not some swashbuckler, but a true cyclist. After years of near despair, I am officially allowing myself to expect great things. It is time!
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New plan for Fifth Avenue unveiled: given there are already far more pedestrians than cars, the space is being āright-sized.ā Wide sidewalks! A safe, separated cycle track! Dedicated bus lanes! And then a little leftover space for cars. Putting cars in their place, finally.
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In BogotĆ”, commuting by bike has surged to 880,000 trips a day. In North America, we have underestimated the opportunity to develop cycling routes that are separate from vehicles completely, as shown below. This shifts the cycling commute from a risky endeavour to a pleasant one.
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Adam McNamara will send the Ontario Science Centre the $522,500 required to keep it open for 2024. All those summer childrenās programs will not need to be cancelled/relocated. All those staff wonāt be laid off or displaced at the 11th hour. Iām retweeting this because I would.
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Premier Ford: āI didnāt know that a mid level staffer was trading away environmentally sensitive lands to enrich my close personal friends to the tune of $8.3 billion.ā. Reporter @robertbenzie:
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A 355-year-old Canadian company circles the drain just 20 years after being taken over by an American private equity firm. Cautionary tale, or what?.
Hudson's Bay does not have a restructuring solution, says lawyer in court Friday. Liquidation of the Bay, if approved by the judge, would exclude six Bay stores which would operate normally, for now, lawyer says.
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An informed public is the foundation of a functioning democracy. My tweets have gotten longer as the #Greenbelt scandal has come to light, mostly because there is so much to talk about. But also because I have always seen this platform, even in its changing form, as a
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Iām 100% sure this headline was supposed to read THE STATUS QUO.
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Environmental scientists have created a map of the impact of the trucker protest on the City of Ottawa: .idling trucks have led to air quality more than 30% worse than World Health Organization guidelines, on par with Mexico City. How's that for freedom?
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I fixed this shitty headline for you, @torontostar. āOur friends and neighbours continue to fight for a bare minimum of safe streets so that they can commute to and from work without fear of dying.ā
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Heads should roll. I say this as someone who was entrusted with the public interest and pressured by developers again and again and again to abdicate that interest in favour of theirs. I said, āget out out of my office.ā.I said, āno way.ā.I said, āunder no circumstance.ā.
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ā¦act as a funnel, dumping cars onto otherwise vibrant downtown streets, ruining pedestrian life and wasting high value downtown land forā¦parking.
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Americans killed annually by terrorists:16.By armed toddlers: 21.Shot by other Americans: 11,737 #MuslimBan
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I told Elon this would happen and instead of listening he blocked me on twitter. Could have saved himself a lot of grief. This only gets worse, not better. If you take a street level problem and put it in a tunnel you have the same problem, just a more expensive version of it.
It turns out the congestion-busting āfuture of transportā is already experiencing congestion.
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Governments are always struggling to find revenue streams. The LCBO generates $2.5 billion in annual revenue. It is a revenue producing asset - no wonder private corporations are clamouring to get their greedy little hands on it. But this isnāt in the public interest - and the.
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Zero houses are getting built. This land is farmland - no water, sewer, roads, schools, transit. It will take *years* to build out the necessary Infrastructureā¦ if it was desirable to do so. Meanwhile, land designated for housing adjacent to transit stations that is owned.
@jen_keesmaat I am admittedly conservative - but have no love for the Progressive gov of Ford. I must be missing the big issue here. Lobbyists did their job and gov administration did theirs. In the end more houses are getting built by people who are ready and able to build houses. help?.
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"Economic Tourism Disaster". 38% of international tourists traveling to the Sunshine State are Canadians. While in Texas, Canadians spent a total of $403.3 million in 2023, and āis the second-largest international visitor marketā for the state. Keep cancelling those trips,.
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BREAKING: Federal government to announce the forgiveness of GST on rental housing. This will do two things:. 1) tip some new housing developments that have been put on ice due to high interest rates back into construction = more supply. 2) incentivize some developers to build.
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Iāve worked with a lot of politicians & political staff over the past 25 years. Iāll tell you this: Iāve never met a political Chief of Staff who hasnāt been tied at the hip with the politician they serve. Thatās the job - to do the bidding of the elected member. The idea.
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To put the bike lane debate in Toronto in perspective, more people commute by bike each day in Toronto than the entire population that lives in Barrie, Ontario. Or Kingston. Or Guelph. Or Sudbury. It's pretty rich that the Province wants to tell us how to get around our own.
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If one NATO country attacks another NATO member and attempts a hostile takeover against the will of its people, does NATO even exist anymore? . Asking for a country.
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To put a visual on the myth that we need to open our Greenbelt lands for housing: these are just four of a multitude of transit stations within the region that have Provincially owned parking lots adjacent to transit. These sites are large enough, in every instance, that
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āCanadaās population forecast to reach 63 million by 2073, number of people over 85 set to triple.ā. In my lifetime I have seen:. - the quality of our healthcare decline.- the quality of public education decline.- the quality of a University education decline.- the quality of our.
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Just over a month ago, most of us were deeply frustrated with how Trudeau had mishandled key domestic issues like housing and immigration. But thereās no denying that he is having a Churchillian momentārising to the occasion, rallying the country in the face of adversity, and.
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Brilliant: Newcastle, UK, releases a āpro-cityā plan to create a walking and cycling network to connect every school, to every park, to every local shopping center. Culling parking from the streetscape is one of the key ways they are going to do it.
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Another shocking day in the #GreenbeltScandal . Following demands to return lands wrongly removed from the Greenbelt, the Premier announces a review of the *entire* Greenbelt. Why? There is no logic to this. His own taskforce has made it clear that Greenbelt lands are not.
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So-called āsingle family zoningā is over in Toronto, as of tonight. Congratulations to Council for having the guts to do this; congratulations to the many advocates who have worked tirelessly to advance this change. This paves the way for a stunning transformation in our city.
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The great Greenbelt give-a-way. A handful of developers to reap $8.3 billion in profit from a process rigged by Progressive Conservatives to make them wealthy. The report makes it clear: these are unserviced lands. Opening them up for development will have no impact on our.
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If this were a drug it would make world wide headlines: British study demonstrates that cycle commuters had a 52% lower risk of dying from heart disease, 40% lower risk of dying from cancer. A 46% lower risk of developing heart disease, 45% lower risk of developing cancer at all.
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Ahem, Toronto. If you are a Toronto politician, and you know this to be factually true but are unwilling to lead because, well, you might not get on a key committee if you do, you need to give your head a shake and ask why you are in politics in the first place. No city in the.
Never forget that when Seoul, Korea removed the Cheonggyecheon expressway in 2003, & replaced it with a restored stream & 1000 acre park in the cityās centre, not only did it transform the cityās public life & economic success, but the traffic got better. The traffic got BETTER.
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This is what happens when the subway is down in Toronto. Thatās because transit, not cars, does the heavy lifting when it comes to mobility in this city. Just because cars take up a lot of space doesnāt mean they are the backbone to how we get around. Hopping on a bike, now.
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To give a sense of scale, this proposed private mega spa on the waterfront at Ontario Place is the size of 12 football fields, and is accompanied by a massive, public parking garage. There is no way to put a āgreenā spin on a waterfront destination spa of this scale. There is.
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Critical point: 70% of these greenbelt lands were formerly public lands sold to farmers - as Agricultural Land, and to be kept Agricultural Land, in perpetuity. Speculators moved in on these farmers and bought their land - cheap. Their golden moment? An unethical Minister and.
@jen_keesmaat 70% of these GB lands were also formerly public land sold to farmers with legal covenants attached to keep it farmland forever. Developers bought the land cheap and @Fordnation stripped away the legal covenants. Voilla! $billions for the developers. #GreenbeltGate.
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That's it - parking minimums for new developments are gone, in Toronto. Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to make this a reality - those on the inside, those on the outside, those who laboured for years* to make the case as to why our city needs less, not more, cars.
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Investigate:. 1. The flagrant misuse of MZOās for friends and family, violating the principles of local democracy. Why is the Province MZOāing lands of private developers and not developing land it owns itself, around GO stations?. 2. Ontario Place. Why a multi-million $ subsidy.
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Among Canadaās provinces, Ontario is the lowest per capita spender. Ontario is last in total spending ā 10th out of 10. The lie that spending is out-of-control is being used to fuel the dismantling of our transit, healthcare and schools. Shameful.
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No this is not a park, it is the future of the street (Barcelona). The big idea underpinning this is creating more proximity between uses, so that less movement by car is required, and then alongside this changing streets themselves to become places for nature and biodiversity.
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Imagine buying a property for $15 million because it is zoned agricultural, then calling up your friend Doug Ford and asking for special permission to change the zoning, and then selling it for $62 million. My friends, this is why we have a housing crisis.
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New low, even for Toronto, where the āno ball playing without permitā signs in parks demonstrate a deep misunderstanding of kids, play, public space, community life and what we should really value as a city.
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We are just scratching the surface of this #GreenbeltGrab. Letās not stop shining the light on those involved, but there are more players emerging, not surprisingly. Intriguing is Mr X. Read the expose below - turns out he is a small town Mayor. Note that Mr X is relevant.
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Two investigations have reinforced the same conclusion: Doug Fordās fatally flawed Greenbelt plan must be stopped in its tracks. But yesterday the new Housing Minister doubled down - and is bizarrely insisting on a review of all Greenbelt land. What they were doing behind.
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A shortage of land is not the cause of the housing crisis. Experts know this. Analysts know this. Developers know this. The Premierās own Housing Affordability Taskforce - the industry experts he hand picked to give him advice on housing - put this in writing. The Auditor-General.
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Itās good news that Steve Clark has resigned due to the brown envelopes, Mr. X, Phoenix Kiss and the giving away of precious Greenbelt land. But we could have just as easily called for his resignation as a result of his failure to deliver new housing in Ontario. Under his.
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Researcher in Vienna studies parks + discovers girls over the age of nine were missing. Why? Park designers, often men, had not considered them. 6 parks are then redesigned with girls participating. A transformation of use takes place. Research matters. Who participates matters.
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Itās the dishonestly. Making a mistake is one thing; intending to mislead - creating, even planning, a false impression - is not a mistake. Itās dishonest.
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The Auditor-General found that in the case of the single biggest selected site ā located in the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve and accounting for 58% of the acreage liberated from the Greenbelt ā it could take up to *25* years to complete the needed infrastructure upgrades,.
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Why would anyone trust the USA in any negotiation, ever, again. Canadians, take note ā¬ļø.
BREAKING: Trump shuts off intelligence to Ukraine, cutting off data for drones, air attacks, and air defense. This is a clear and direct violation of the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 - in which US gave security guarantee to Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine giving up nukes and ships.
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Falling on ice on a sidewalk has been common this winter - ask an emergency room doctor. You are 3x more likely to be injured walking in icy conditions than while driving. Cost of injuries far exceeds the cost of snow clearance. This is easy: we need to clear sidewalks first.
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Reporter: āIāll take that as a no to my question.ā. PM Carney: āYou can take that as a comprehensive and substantial answer to your question.ā š„.
šØWATCH: Blogger @JamesWestgateSn from the Western Standard asks the Prime Minister if he'll reimburse the public for the cost of his trip to Europe. Falsely accuses JT/PMMK for creating the economic crisis. #MarkCarney gives a very comprehensive answer to his BS. #cdnpoli
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Brian Lilley does not seem to understand the role that changing zoning plays in changing the use - and value - of land. Land within the Greenbelt is designated as Agricultural. Taking this land out of the Greenbelt changes its value (significantly). In this instance, it was not.
Appears I need to keep repeating this but the lands taken out of the Greenbelt were privately owned, not publicly owned. Ford didnāt sell or give away āour land.ā.Also, requirements to build include a percentage of affordable housing & other conditions.
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Why Sweden clears it's sidewalks of snow before roads: gender-based budgeting revealed that disadvantaged women were more likely to walk. Historically, they discovered, they had cleared the roads in employment districts where men primarily worked, first.
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EXCITING NEWS for those passionate about housing delivery, affordable housing, and building a sustainable, liveable region: . Tyndale Green is officially APPROVED! . * 1510 new homes, with significant affordable housing.* Two new Public Parks.* We've protected over 60% of the
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"More than half of respondents also said they believe the premier should resign in the wake of the Greenbelt controversy. This included about a quarter of respondents who identified as Progressive Conservative voters.". And remember, we are just at the beginning of the.
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Nearly 50 years of public policy came together in the Greenbelt. Every step of the way, citizen advocates played a crucial role in shaping the future of our region. Lobbying, advocating, conducting research, disseminating information. Until now. In 1973, Bill Davis protected
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Paris aggressively moves to have 50% of the city covered by fully porous, planted areas. New parkland, thickets of trees and green roofs planned. If executed, the entire character of the city will change. Plazas and squares will become green spaces. Bold! This is what leaders do.
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Paris just dropped a new Pedestrian Plan. You heard that right - transforming the city for walking is the key priority for the liveable city of the 21st century. Walking. No new technology required. No big infrastructure spend. Designing the city for walking is the golden goose.
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If I get on my bike for my morning commute (as I did today) or if I get in my car for my morning commute I pay exactly the same taxes. This idea that cyclists do not pay taxes is just weird. I am as entitled to the road on my bike as I am when I get in my car.
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Live, from Milan. The immediate transformation of the city begins. If not now, when? . From @demescope
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Bike lanes look empty because they are highly efficient in terms of vehicular throughput. Lanes with cars and trucks look like they are doing the heavy lifting in terms of transportation capacity because these vehicles take up remarkable amounts of road space and because they.
Bike lanes look empty, because they are highly efficient in terms of vehicular throughput. ~3 minutes timelapse in #London.
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Dear Media looking for a scandal. I've got a good one for you. Endless material. And it's causing real destruction, in real time, in real lives. Our democracy is even at stake. It's hidden in plain sight. Just go at it. It's called White Nationalism. You are welcome for the tip.
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This is a good clip. 1. Selling off the Greenbelt was never about housing. It was about making a few friends of the Premier's $$$ under the guise of housing. "Do they really think we are that stupid?". 2. The Premier says he takes full responsibility. But, next time. This.
"Do they think we're that stupid?". We share our thoughts on the latest Greenbelt recommendations ā¬ļø
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Our new Mayor-elect Olivia Chow will be stopping the frivolous and silly rebuilding of a tiny portion of highway that is gobbling up our capital budget. This is a win for people over cars. This is a win for financial prudence over politicking. This is a win for a city looking to.
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They had a playbook. It goes back to 2019. Susan McGovernās brother and husband operate The Rice Group. They are one of a handful of conservative donors whose land Mr. Fordās government removed during the #GreenbeltGrab last year, following the slipping of brown envelopes across.
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Minister deletes tweet at some point around June 2022, presumably as he was in the back rooms plotting to carve up the Greenbelt, ending the steadfast commitment to protecting the Greenbelt. The deletion of this tweet reinforces that the Minister and the Premier know full well.
Sometime in 2022, Ontario Housing Minister Steve Clark deleted a tweet from 2018 in which he had said that the Ford government "remains steadfast in our commitment to protect the Greenbelt for future generations."
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This is like yelling to developers through a bullhorn ācome get our environmentally sensitive and protected land. Fire sale.ā. It never occurred to me that at this point in the #GreenbeltScandal, they would decide to double down. #GreenbeltGiveaway .
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Montreal: not beholden to the tunnel diggers and the automakers. So, this:.
The City of Montreal has announced the continuation of 9 summer pedestrian streets for another 3 years. Each local merchants association will receive $700,000 annually to build, program and maintain the popular pedestrian spaces. š Montreal šØš¦
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Our council - including the Mayor - has formally asked the province to look into a ban on pedestrians using cellphones - perpetuating the brutal myth that pedestrians are to blame when they are hit by a reckless driver. You cannot fix a problem you refuse to understand.
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āDisplay our government propaganda or we will fine you.ā This should be a much bigger news item.
Gas station operators face fines of up to $10,000 a day for not abiding by the provincial law and posting the 15 cm by 20 cm decals that read: āThe federal carbon tax will cost you.ā
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Mayor Chow has had the guts to do what no previous mayor since amalgamation has done - raise taxes to support the needs of a growing city with aging infrastructure and pressing affordable housing needs - and people who understand the math are like, āok.ā. But the media? āMassive.
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The ugly Greenbelt saga just got uglier. "The two damning reports point to so many irregularities in the Greenbelt saga that Mr. Clarkās continued presence in cabinet should raise serious questions about Mr. Fordās judgment.". "The reportsā combined findings also mean the.
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Imagine how much affordable housing $8.3 billion in the right hands could deliver. Imagine.
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Boldfaced admission that bike lanes save lives.
#Breaking: Ford government to ban lawsuits against province if cyclists are hurt or killed on streets where bike lanes were removed
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B.C. researchers studied how homeless people spent a $7,500 handout. They spent the cash on rent, food and clothing. Similar positive outcomes from our Universal Basic Income pilot in Ontario, where participants overwhelmingly went back to school or learned a trade.
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Can you do anything you want with land in Ontario? No, you cannot. We have rules and regulations enshrined in The Planning Act that govern how we use land. Why? Because there is a broad public interest in land use. It affects every aspect of our lives. Whether we have a home
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People hate the idea of car-free cities, until they live in one. Car-centric city design is so tightly interwoven with how many of us live, that the idea of living without a car is unimaginable. But anyone who tries it, in the right conditions, loves it.
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Integrity Commissioner report: typed notes indicate that direction to remove sites from the Greenbelt came directly from the Premier. This is why investigations matter, and this is why this one is just getting started. #GreenbeltScandal.
By far the biggest jaw-dropped in the integrity commissioner report so far: typed notes from a meeting indicate the Premier directly gave files about three sites to Ryan Amato. Amato, Premier Ford and Premier's Office staff deny this.
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My cab driver just now: āDid you see what they did to King Street? I thought it was going to wreck the city but now that I understand it itās actually pretty smart.ā He has no idea but he just made my day.
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It was great to be joined by Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau tonight at Taste of the Danforth. He shared inspiring words about the power of communities coming together to heal. We are at our best as Torontoniansāand as Canadiansāwhen we focus on what unites us. #DanforthStrong
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Stanley Park in Vancouver *removes* bike lane because, you know, traffic, and instead replaces it with. even more traffic. Now virtually impassable for both drivers and cyclists. Wrong solution creates an even bigger problem.
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Our greater Toronto area cities - which make up the most densely populated area in Canada - *require* our greenbelt. The two go hand-in-hand. Cities need fresh water and local food, farmland and wetlands. This isnāt something thatās just nice-to-have. Itās a necessity.
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As your mayor, I will tear down the crumbling eastern portion of the Gardiner Expressway and replace it with a beautiful grand boulevard worthy of its prime waterfront location. It will save taxpayers up to $500 million and unlock valuable waterfront land for development. #topoli
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Does Ontario need to build on the greenbelt to ease the housing crisis? Experts - including me - say no. There are many reasons why we are not meeting our housing targets but the availability of land is not at the top of that list. * elongated and and costly approvals process.
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