Colleen

In that situation, a scarcity mindset is understandable. For abundance, we have to change minds. Condescending replies about "Econ 101: supply and demand" are not the way. Rent control addresses a real risk for renters in the current reality, freeing them up to consider the situation more broadly.

Is it a fair way? Creating two classes of renters - rent-controlled incumbents and new arrivals struggling to find a place when vacancies are low - is not fair. But most don't think that losing your home because market conditions change in a short time is fair either.

So why would rent control decrease NIMBYism? Well, new residents do really create displacement while there is a housing shortage. Zoning reform is a long process during which existing tenants are at risk. Rent control is one way to mitigate that in the near term.

There may be too few amenities or crumbling infrastructure but this is not growth-related. New residents, particularly renters, are just the convenient scapegoat for other municipal failings and every public consultation is another opportunity to blame growth instead of fixing things.

That is, programs to address common NIMBY concerns already exist, but it has not decreased NIMBYism at all. Secondly, most low rise neighbourhoods where NIMBYs are loudest have been losing population for decades. doodles.mountainmath.ca/posts/2019-0...

Firstly, development, parkland and community benefits charges generate tens of millions of dollars per building to build new infrastructure and amenities. In addition, Toronto typically forbids new apartment residents from applying for street parking permits.

The same is not true for most other issues raised NIMBYs. Fears that their sewers are on the brink of collapse, that renters will take "their" street parking, that the library will be overwhelmed, are not in line with reality and certainly not as impactful as losing your home.

I don't know about Berlin but, in Toronto, the limited existing land zoned for apartments is far more likely to be designated for growth in the Official Plan. Rent control and displacement measures therefore address a real problem related to how we (currently) grow.

I understand the hypothesis. NIMBYism prioritizes existing residents over future ones. Rent control also does this when it is strict enough to discourage new supply. Both are incumbency-prioritizing views, but I'm not surprised that they can be separated. 🧵

Of course.

A politician finding new and innovative ways to attend multiple Christmas parties is actually the most relatable thing that I've seen in a while. Makes me nostalgic for my grad school days.

Majestic. They used to be the tallest apartments in the Commonwealth. Home of three former mayors of Toronto or East York. The "luxury apartments" of their day.

Markham Conservative MP Michael Ma crosses floor to the Liberals In a stunning defection, the Markham-Unionville MP said Thursday night he believes the government is on the right course.

Wowza

www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

If only Ontario had the guidance of some sort of housing task force report to help with this.

The Premier:

❌ barely showed up to Question Period
❌ barely answered any questions
❌ rushed too many bills without due process
❌ has too much unfinished business
❌ is leaving behind too many crises: healthcare, housing, affordability

Walking away is inexcusable.

#onpoli

The local west end list serve is loosing it's minds over the rezoning of main streets for midrise -- all kinds of conspiratorial messages that schools are going to be torn down for housing. So dismal and depressing. nobody reads the paper anymore.

About a year ago Dianne Saxe asked for TTC board meetings to be scheduled and recorded in TMMIS like every other committee and now they're easier to find and more people follow the agenda and proceedings. Sometimes seemingly dumb little things matter.

News today about the Ontario Science Centre: Its "temporary location" will take over most, or possibly all, of Harbourfront Centre.

86,000 square feet is a larger fraction, if not all, of Harbourfront's buildings.

news.ontario.ca/en/release/1...

The Bacon in question, being Edmund Bacon, father of the actor Kevin Bacon.

Read the entire🧵 it's great!

It’s simple: intensifying the city near transit is more important than certain heritage issues and certain NIMBY preferences. That is not “hijacking.” It is the implementation of a 25-year-old provincial policy.

The same policy, BTW, that protects the greenbelt everyone claims to love

Heritage designations are used to limit development and building heights in low-rise Neighbourhoods next to the subway. Everyone except for Toronto heritage staff will say this.
(This particular example is from the Swansea Area Ratepayers' Association.) www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis...

The list of each councillor's voting nemesis showing that 20 councillors have Holyday as their nemesis.

Some things unite the vast majority.

Congestion pricing improved air quality in NYC and suburbs | Cornell Chronicle Cornell researchers tallied the environmental benefits of New York City’s congestion pricing program and found air pollution dropped by 22% in Manhattan, with additional declines across the city’s fiv...

In addition to all of the other benefits already reported about NYC congestion pricing, "In the first six months of the program, air pollution – in the form of particulate matter 2.5 micrometers and smaller – dropped by 22% in the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ)"

news.cornell.edu/stories/2025...

On the one hand, I am trying to be a better liberal pluralist.

On the other hand, if a group of "libertarian edgelords" who talk about a "neo-Promethean aesthetic" as "based" want to self-select out to their own cities, who am I to stand in their way.

Interesting because many at meetings will say that they support housing *but* are just worried about pressure on parks, parking, libraries, etc. In Toronto, buildings have to contribute tens of millions for new parks, community centres, etc. but it doesn't seem to assuage any of the opposition.

I missed this when it was posted. Interesting to get into whether financial compensation could incentivize change. Yes but not much? The next post in the thread says it's the same effect for community benefits (new buildings paying for new community amenities increases support but only a little).

"Here, I’ll just get myself in trouble,” he said. “I go around the country and people will say, ‘Pete, you just don’t understand why we’re so mad about the 51st state.’ Yeah, you’re right. I don’t.” He then flipped the comment to say that Canadians don’t understand anger in his country, and specifically from U.S. President Donald Trump, over recent pro-free-trade advertisements paid for by Ontario and run in U.S. markets.

Just checking in on noted national sovereignty-respecter and definite non-hypocrite Pete Hoekstra.

My "We don't deal with hypocritical countries who show disdain for others' national sovereignty" T-shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my shirt.

Picture of me and Uytae

selfie of me and Uytae

Picture of me, Cara, and Paige

Surreal meeting @uytaelee.bsky.social from About Here, @carastern.bsky.social from Missing Middle Podcast, and Paige Saunders at the @moreneighboursto.bsky.social AGM/Holiday Party!

Came here to say this. Glad to see it at the top of the replies.
You do not have to be good.