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Toon Dreessen

@toondreessen.bsky.social

8.2K followers 1.2K following 4.4K posts

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

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · Dec 28

Thanks to a dear friend who very patiently listens to my procurement rants for boosting this into my feed. I and many others, including @alexbozikovic.bsky.social and @novakovicto.bsky.social have been saying this for years. #ReformProcurement 1/ onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

The Problems of Public Procurement in Canada: Rule Layering, Strategic Purchasing, and Risk Aversion as a Toxic Stew

This article analyzes persistent challenges in Canadian public procurement, examining in particular the federal government's complex, multi-layered purchasing processes which have contributed to high....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 20h

Fantastic piece by Don Iveson on what Edmonton is doing right on housing. There are lots of lessons here for other communities.

The big picture on housing, density and affordability

How Edmonton's approach fights for affordability and fiscal efficiency

civicgood.substack.com

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 2h

I don’t.

Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 15h

Love this. The best so far.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 16h

It’s pronounced cyclist.

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Katelyn Boo-urns @katelynburns.com · 15h

Famine time?

Simon Lester @simonlester.com · 1d

"The Labor Department warned in an obscure document filed with the Federal Register last week that 'the near total cessation of the inflow of illegal aliens' is threatening 'the stability of domestic food production and prices for U.S. consumers.'”

Trump administration says immigration enforcement threatens higher food prices

U.S. farmers face labor shortages and potential food price hikes due to Trump’s immigration policy, the administration acknowledged in a Federal Registry document.

wapo.st

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 15h

No no it’s fine. No one else wanted a pillow. Why would you think that?

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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 19h

“The big advantage of bikes is that they go directly from where you start to where you finish, when you need to go. The advantage over cars is that they need perhaps 1/10th of the amount of space. Roads that jam up quickly with cars can carry effectively unlimited numbers of people by bicycle.”

Why e-bikes are more important the EVs

Bikes can actually transform cities in the way driverless cars promise

danielknowles.substack.com

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 18h

Thoughts and prayers for the driver behind me who seemed surprised that I would actually stop at a stop sign and had to screech to a halt. #TheNerve #Sarcasm

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 18h

That wouldn’t get you parking at concert today amirite?

a little girl is laughing in a black and white photo while making a funny face .

ALT: a little girl is laughing in a black and white photo while making a funny face .

media.tenor.com

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 19h

Meanwhile new schools in ON are built with loads of parking spaces.

@alexbozikovic.bsky.social

LAist @laist.com · 19h

Millions have been allocated to remove asphalt from schoolyards and replace it with green spaces, such as plants and trees, providing much-needed shade for students. One local company, SLA, is also using the funds to train people who have few job prospects, giving them valuable skills.

Providing shade in schoolyards and valuable skills to young job seekers

The founder of this South East L.A. company grew up going to schools with few green spaces and living in neighborhoods with limited job prospects.

ow.ly

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 19h

Haven’t bought any since January 2025; not a single bottle. Local apple cider or water. #ElbowsUp

@mark-carney.bsky.social

ProBon @probon.bsky.social · 1d

Meanwhile the world has stopped buying American orange juice.
It now trades at 43% of the price it went for when Trump took office.

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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 1d

“The transformation is astonishing. [Paris] has quietly—& quickly—become one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world. What started as a series of emergency “coronapistes” or pop-up bike lanes, built during the pandemic has evolved into a permanent bike network spanning hundreds of kilometres.”

New Study Shows How Paris Pedaled Its Way to a Cycling Revolution

Cycling through central Paris meant weaving between buses and scooters—a bold choice reserved for the fearless few.

momentummag.com

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 19h

Not once in my life ever ever wanted to say duck off; nor have I ever wanted to say goosebye

a goose giving a thumbs up with the word goosebye written below it

ALT: a goose giving a thumbs up with the word goosebye written below it

media.tenor.com

Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 19h

Hamilton next year apparently…

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 19h

Just looked him up. He’s 60. WTAF

Reposted by Toon Dreessen

Sundance @sundance.bikesky.social · 20h

On the right out of frame is a dirt pump track.

The city just installed a practically invisible cable where generations of kids have run and biked up and down.

This is hostile infrastructure

Posts and a wire across an area of grass and hills

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John Bowker @johnbowker.bsky.social · 20h

Globe and Mail editorial: “Local affairs are not improved by having Mr. Ford blunder into them” www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit... #onpoli

Globe editorial: Doug Ford is not the mayor of Ontario

The premier’s continual interventions in municipal affairs diverts attention from pressing provincial issues

www.theglobeandmail.com

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 20h

It really is. And I love all that could have been. Just a mind blowing live album. Would love to see in concert some day.

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Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 21d

Be Seen.
A New PSA

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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · Jan 4

In case you missed it, this was my starter pack for voices and organizations in Canadian Urbanism specifically. I’ve been adding to it over time, so even if you explored it before, you might want to see who’s been added. And sharing it would be much appreciated! #UrbanistShoutOut go.bsky.app/QWdmJjk

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 22h

Count me in.

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Debbie N. @beatlesfandeb.bsky.social · 1d

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Rachel Martin @racheljo.bsky.social · 22h

"The man with the most power has expended enormous energy targeting those with the least." - Zohran Mamdani, 10/11/2025

Katelyn Boo-urns @katelynburns.com · 23h

I wrote a little about some of the little details you might have missed in this video and why it hit me so hard as a trans person this morning:

www.burnsnotice.com/you-have-to-...

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phyphor @phyphor.one-dash.org · 22h

I often compare Mamdani to Sir Sadiq Khan because a lot of people have a sort of low-level, unconscious Islamophobia where they assume that a Muslim will have some innate bigotries that make them unsuitable to be a mayor of a multicultural city but the reality is evidence shows they are great at it.

Katelyn Boo-urns @katelynburns.com · 23h

I wrote a little about some of the little details you might have missed in this video and why it hit me so hard as a trans person this morning:

www.burnsnotice.com/you-have-to-...

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 22h

Years ago, we visited London with youngest, 15. Got bored at one point and rented him a bike share for a couple of hours. Best few dollars spent ever on vacation; peace and quiet, joy and happiness never came so cheap. #explore

Bikes bring the freedom car ads promise @tomflood.bsky.social

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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 1d

Military families on day 9 of the shutdown lining up at the food bank

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