Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
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benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
@benmacleod.bsky.social
3.4K followers 770 following 1.1K posts
Hong Kong / Halifax, urban & transportation things
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Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · Feb 26
this morning, I spoke to Halifax regional council on workplace safety, diversity, and inclusion (again)
A screenshot of a letter that reads: Good morning. Thank you council and staff for the opportunity to speak. My name is Ben MacLeod and I live in Halifax. As you all know, the Strategic Priorities Plan set out the municipality’s priorities and values. It was drafted in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and it outlines how some of council’s priorities translate to action against the pandemic. For instance, the plan states that Corporate Safety will “play a key role in responding to COVID-19” by helping business units develop “effective workplace safety plans [and] safe work practices”. I spoke on the same topic during last year’s meeting. I stated that COVID-19 remains a workplace safety issue that the municipality is failing to mitigate, contrary to the commitments to safety outlined in the Strategic Priorities Plan as well as the municipality’s obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. I also stated that the municipality, in failing to provide safe and healthy work environments, also fails fundamentally to deliver on its commitment to diversity and inclusion. Since then, Human Resources has told me that the municipality still does not have any COVID-19 mitigation in place. In other words, nothing has improved, so I make my plea again today. According to the Strategic Priorities Plan, evidence-based decision making is one of the municipality’s key values. What is the evidence driving the municipality’s policies on COVID? The World Health Organization stresses that the pandemic has not ended. COVID-19 continues to widely circulate, kill, and disable. COVID is not benign. It has been linked to a host of ailments affecting practically all human organ systems. Even mild cases can have long-term consequences. Repeated infections do cumulative damage. With each infection, you roll the dice. There is no cure for Long COVID. The vaccines available to us offer only modest protection against COVID infection and Long COVID. Vaccines are a valuable tool, but they are not the silver bullet we all hoped for. So if evidence hasn’t guided the municipality’s decision-making on COVID-19 since it ended pandemic mitigation in March 2022, what has? I’m sure that many of you cringed when you realised I came to talk about the pandemic. After all, most people speak of it in the past tense. It’s a source of mass psychological trauma. It’s a stressor, and stress can provoke psychological defence mechanisms, such as denial or minimization of COVID-19’s continuing harm. Psychologists refer to coping strategies that do more harm than good as “maladaptive”. In denying the simple reality of the pandemic situation after March 2022, in referring to the pandemic in the past tense, we fail to adapt. This failure is evident in municipal workplaces. The good news is that even though we don’t yet have a cure for COVID-19, we know how to protect workers. Human Resources has stated that the municipality follows provincial health guidance, but it’s clear that the province is not acting in alignment with municipal policy, nor its own legislation. We can do better. If the province isn’t providing evidence-based guidance, look elsewhere. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, a federal agency, advocates “multiple workplace control measures in a layered approach, starting from the most effective, to reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure”. We know how the disease is transmitted. The virus lingers in the air like smoke. We know transmission is curbed through enhanced ventilation, air purification, and high-quality masks. We must also remove the source of the virus from workplaces by promoting remote work and by providing workers adequate, paid sick leave. If this pandemic has a silver lining, it’s that we have learned so much about how to make work safer, healthier, more inclusive, and more accessible. However, these insights are hardly reflected in municipal work today. No one would deny that COVID-19 is a greater risk for certain groups of people. In neglecting to implement any of the proven, affordable mitigation tools at our disposal, the municipality sends a message: certain classes of people are disposable. The unmitigated spread of COVID-19 makes workplaces less diverse, less inclusive, and less safe for all. Please implement evidence-based disease mitigation in municipal workplaces, in accordance with your policies, values, and strategic priorities. Please make public service work safe and inclusive. Thank you. Submitted by: Ben MacLeod Chartered Planner Halifax
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
sujo.bsky.social
Let this short thread radicalize you.
broadwaybabyto.bsky.social Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 16h
Normand Meunier is a Canadian man with quadriplegia who accessed MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) after being left for 96 hours on a stretcher in the ER.

His requests for a specialized mattress were denied.

He wasn't turned regularly.

He developed bed sores so bad, he opted to end his life.
November 25, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
craigmccormick.bsky.social
This is great! I'm sure it will eventually discourage the rat-run drivers that illegally cross Oxford one block away.
benmacleod.bsky.social Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 16h
With Chebucto and Quinpool both clogged with cars tonight, a steady stream of drivers are encountering the diverter for the first time.
November 26, 2025 at 12:10 AM
benmacleod.bsky.social
"Halifax remains among the areas where Killam's rents have the most opportunity to grow. According to its earnings call slideshow, the company estimates its rents are on average 21 per cent below market rates in Halifax."
A 2025 conference call Powerpoint slide by Killam Apartment REIT, a Canadian real estate investment trust. Titled "Rent Growth Opportunity", it has two graphs showing the company's "mark to market" rent growth opportunity, or the difference between the average rents they currently charge versus market rents. Of all cities shown, Halifax has the highest "rent growth opportunity" with Killam's rents 21 per cent below market rents, followed by the Kitchener-Waterloo-Toronto area at 19 per cent below market rents, then Saint John at 17 per cent.
November 23, 2025 at 2:18 PM
benmacleod.bsky.social
Rainy Halifax looks rather nice on the Cogswell webcam tonight
A bird's eye view of a portion of downtown Halifax at night, including Upper Water Street, Granville Park, and the Scotia Square bus terminal along Barrington Street. The sun has just set, and the sky and harbour are coloured a soft, saturated blue. It is raining and all the city lights are reflected on the wet asphalt. There is a long line of cars in both directions on Barrington Street.
November 22, 2025 at 9:39 PM
benmacleod.bsky.social
Construction of the Harvard/Allan diagonal diverter (modal filter) is supposed to begin next Monday and be completed by December 8, according to notices delivered to residents today #BikeHfx
The intersection of Allan and Harvard streets in a residential neighbourhood of Halifax. A cycling is passing through the intersection on Allan St.
November 21, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
yuenchan.bsky.social
And is now doing nothing to mitigate a mass disabling event while mandating presenteeism in schools and workplaces.
November 20, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
scottedgar.bsky.social
It's important for everyone to know that Elon Musk's LLM is engaging in Holocaust denial.

I'll also add that all of the arguments here (about architectural plans and gas residue left in materials on site) were refuted decisively in the 1990s. There is *nothing* here but 30 year old falsehoods.
ldh.fr LDH France @ldh.fr · 7d
La #LDH porte plainte contre la publication de #Grok, l’intelligence artificielle du réseau social X, pour contestation de crimes contre l’humanité.
November 20, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
emmettmacfarlane.com
Your daily reminder that federal government and all our universities are all leaning heavily into this broken, corrupt technological bubble, and they're gonna take us all over the cliff.
November 19, 2025 at 7:29 PM
benmacleod.bsky.social
Handling the homelessness emergency the same way we deal with the COVID emergency: out of sight, out of mind
November 19, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
kwilsonhfx.bsky.social
Resolving emergency response ✅️

Resolving emergency ❌️
November 19, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
cailin.dev
I don't normally write to my MP but I just wrote to my MP about this holy moly
snarkysteff.bsky.social Steffani Cameron 🇨🇦 @snarkysteff.bsky.social · 7d
canadians should read this.

"At the end of September the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), to which all working Canadians outside Quebec are subscribed, held $8 billion of Nvidia stock as its largest single equity holding. In fact, its eight largest stock holdings were all AI stocks."
breachmedia.ca The Breach @breachmedia.ca · 7d
While Canadian politicians are still caught up in their AI love affair, panic is rippling through the industry.

Tech expert @scanthehorizon.bsky.social writes that the AI bubble may be about to burst, with massively damaging consequences for Canadians.

breachmedia.ca/ai-bubble-ma...
November 18, 2025 at 8:47 PM
benmacleod.bsky.social
For anyone lacking access to generational wealth, Canada is a land of limited opportunity with deeply entrenched systems engineered to funnel wealth from renters, immigrants, and young people to the most established classes – the real Canadians, the "part owners", the ones who matter.
mikepmoffatt.bsky.social Dr. Mike P. Moffatt @mikepmoffatt.bsky.social · 7d
Spoiler for an upcoming piece. On average, the income of men aged 65+ in Canada is higher than that of their 25-34-year-old counterparts.
November 18, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
broadwaybabyto.bsky.social
The New York Times obit for Alice Wong doesn’t mention Covid or Gaza

It ignores two of her biggest causes because of political bias

Alice fought tirelessly for Covid mitigations

She fought for the people of Gaza

She rightfully reminded us that the genocide in Gaza is a disability justice issue
November 17, 2025 at 11:31 AM
benmacleod.bsky.social
I did a comparable map for the Halifax peninsula out of curiosity
A map of the Halifax peninsula titled "Change in population density, Halifax peninsula, 1971 to 2021". The peninsula is broken down into 17 census tracts, geographic areas used by Statistics Canada in the collection of census data. The three census tracts around downtown Halifax increased in density between 1971 and 2021, with one recording an increase of 46 people per hectare. The other 14 census tracts were relatively stable in population density or declined.
November 16, 2025 at 1:29 AM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
fernkhahn.com
i'm still masking. indoor air is still unclean and people are constantly getting sick all sorts of ways. no thank you!

the woke part, of course, is recognizing that each covid infection has the potential to do lasting and even lethal damage, especially to immunocompromised people around me
taliabhatt.itch.io Talia "Estro Junkies" Bhatt ♀︎♀︎ @taliabhatt.itch.io · 12d
"my least woke opinion is---"

That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.

Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
November 14, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
thebase16.bsky.social
Metro Transit bus with sunglasses and bass guitar, save me

save me metro Transit bus with sunglasses and bass guitar
benmacleod.bsky.social Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 12d
Here's a couple more (1993)
A 1993 Metro Transit ad with an illustration of a bus playing an electric guitar while wearing sunglasses next to the words "GoTime Go". It says: "Fast. Easy. Convenient. Places to go, people to see, things to do – but don't know when the next bus comes? Call GoTime and go! Just dial 465 and the red four-digit number on your bus stop. Like the one near your house, outside school, near work or even grandma's house. And hear the latest from our lady computer at the other end. Regardless of traffic jams or even the weather, you'll get up-to-the-minute bus stops for all routes that stop at your stop. So why waste your time waiting? Call GoTime and go. For more details, call customer service at 421-6600." Two pages of a Metro Transit riders guide. The page on the left has a drawing of a Metro Transit bus and several paragraphs of text about how buses are a more environmentally friendly mode of transportation than cars. The page on the right is a Nova Scotia Department of Health ad about HIV/AIDS awareness.
November 14, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
terriclarke.bsky.social
I would like to challenge this assertion by an Eastern Passage resident, she said: “It’s not rocket science: you don’t put high-density units in between single-family dwellings. That’s not good city planning.”

I would argue that it is, and a mix of densities is good for cities & their residents.
Eastern Passage housing developments a mistake in more ways than one, say neighbours
HRM looking at exceptions for waterfront developments after unintentional bylaw changes
www.saltwire.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:56 PM
benmacleod.bsky.social
A few more 80s transit ads
A magazine ad with a sketch of the modernistic Woodside Ferry Terminal, a triangular three-storey building on the shore of Halifax Harbour. The ad is titled "Woodside Ferry Terminal" and has several paragraphs of text: "The official opening of the Woodside Ferry Terminal and the beginning of a new cross-harbour service are significant milestones in the development of the metropolitan area transportation network. The new Woodside I ferry can carry up to 400 passengers on each trip and the terminal facilities include parking for commuters as well as bus service to and from the terminal for pedestrians. The Government of Nova Scotia is proud to have helped bring this important new service to reality. While the ferry service specifically benefits the people of Woodside, Eastern Passage, Cole Harbour, and Colby Village, it also contributes to the overall efficiency of the entire metropolitan transportation network. And that benefits everyone." There is a portrait of development minister Roland Thornhill next to the logo of the Nova Scotia Department of Development. A late 1980s magazine ad with an illustration of a Metro Transit bus flying through the clouds. It says: "Fly to the air show. Fly transit. Literally. Priority service onto the base at Shearwater will guarantee transit users the fastest way in and out of the greatest show on earth. Or over earth. And all for just $1.00. No bills, please. Take the Shearwater shutter from the terminal at Alderney Drive. Or park in the Woodside Ferry Terminal lot and zip in from there. For further information, call Transinfo at 421-6600." A late 1980s transit ad titled "Race to the Hydroplane races". It says: "Don't miss the boat to Dartmouth's existing Hydroplane Races. Instead of fighting traffic to the waterfront, take the fast, convenient, relaxing route. Hop aboard Metro Transit and race over. Route 1 Spring Garden travels over Macdonald Bridge – connections to downtown Dartmouth can be made at Dartmouth Shopping Centre to routes 56 Westphal, 57 Mic Mac, 58 portland, 59 Colby Village and 61 Forest Hills. For navigating details, call Transinfo at 421-6600."
November 14, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
wutrain.bsky.social
Checking out Halifax Transit—same buses as in Boston!
Michelle, Mira, Cass & Blaise on the bus in Halifax
November 12, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
dal-english.bsky.social
George Munro Professor Dr Julia M Wright @juliamwright.bsky.social and co-authors in Dalhousie News: @dalhousie.bsky.social @dalfaculty.bsky.social
The CSA’s revised standard on respirators should help us all breathe easier
New draft standards for respirator use recognize the importance of protecting workers and patients in health-care settings, where there is a higher risk of pathogen exposure, write Dal's Julia M. Wrig...
www.dal.ca
November 11, 2025 at 1:20 AM
benmacleod.bsky.social
Dutch Village Road progress pics

#BikeHfx
Urban street in Halifax lined with low-rise apartment buildings and a Dairy Queen sign. The street is under construction and covered in traffic cones. There is an empty gravel space between the freshly paved roadway and new sidewalk where a bike lane will be located in the near future. Another view of Dutch Village Road taken from the Andrew Street intersection looking north. The sidewalk and bike lane on the west side of the street are complete, but only the curbs have been installed on the eastern side.
November 11, 2025 at 5:31 PM
benmacleod.bsky.social
"Staff had to turn away one individual who suffered a stroke"
N.S. patients waited for more than 70 hours in the ER for hospital admission: MLA | CBC News
Paul Wozney says he received a blunt assessment of an overcrowded emergency room where he was told some patients had been waiting over 70 hours.
www.cbc.ca
November 6, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
jasonkoebler.bsky.social
The long-running ideological war on libraries, education, and government workers is not separate from AI boosterism. It is the same ideological war on human knowledge and expertise. In some cases AI is being used to directly supercharge this effort:

www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge
"Fascism and AI, whether or not they have the same goals, they sure are working to accelerate one another."
www.404media.co
November 6, 2025 at 4:21 PM
benmacleod.bsky.social
In many places, these covenants banning multi-unit housing served to perpetuate exclusion and class segregation after racially discriminatory clauses became unenforcable. They continue to keep apartment dwellers out of some of Halifax's most walkable, centrally located neighbourhoods.
terriclarke.bsky.social Terri @terriclarke.bsky.social · 22d
As Halifax deals with a housing crisis, some of the wealthiest Haligonians have a different concern. Residents of some south-end peninsula neighbourhoods are concerned about “losing single-family density”

(Aside: I would definitely not call these the “final” hurdles to development)
Halifax has removed the final hurdle to development in some areas — and neighbours are fighting back | CBC News
A wealthy Halifax neighbourhood with tree-lined streets and grand homes on the Northwest Arm has become one of the latest battlegrounds in the city’s push to build more housing.
www.cbc.ca
November 4, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
brenttoderian.bsky.social
“a global insurance firm that analyzes mortality risk pegged the # of excess deaths at 2% above the pre-pandemic annual mortality rate…that’s 120K unanticipated dead people per year in North America. That’s roughly 2 fully loaded standard commercial jets crashing & killing everyone aboard each day.”
This Physicist Says We Don’t Take COVID Seriously Enough | The Tyee
We downplay the virus at our peril, warns Yaneer Bar-Yam. And children are more at risk than we thought.
thetyee.ca
November 2, 2025 at 5:50 PM