Reposted by Michael D'Costa
Two things I’m not sure is widely understood:
1. Many public servants no longer have their own desks and work in transient government co-working spaces
2. Many describe a Kafkaesque existence of going to physical offices only to spend their time on video calls with the people sitting next to them
1. Many public servants no longer have their own desks and work in transient government co-working spaces
2. Many describe a Kafkaesque existence of going to physical offices only to spend their time on video calls with the people sitting next to them
Federal public servants called back to office 4 days a week starting this summer | CBC News
The federal government expects its employees to return to in-office work for a minimum of four days a week starting this July.
www.cbc.ca
February 8, 2026 at 3:22 AM
Two things I’m not sure is widely understood:
1. Many public servants no longer have their own desks and work in transient government co-working spaces
2. Many describe a Kafkaesque existence of going to physical offices only to spend their time on video calls with the people sitting next to them
1. Many public servants no longer have their own desks and work in transient government co-working spaces
2. Many describe a Kafkaesque existence of going to physical offices only to spend their time on video calls with the people sitting next to them
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
This. Is. Awesome.
February 7, 2026 at 12:42 AM
This. Is. Awesome.
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
A baby in a stroller was injured by a car driver, in the exact location where the Ford government forced the city to remove a speed camera.
I am so tired of how the provincial government is actively making our city less safe.
ottawacitizen.com/news/baby-st...
I am so tired of how the provincial government is actively making our city less safe.
ottawacitizen.com/news/baby-st...
Baby in stroller left with minor injuries after near-miss with driver in Kanata
A stroller tipped over following a near-miss with a driver in Kanata on Thursday morning, leaving a baby with minor injuries.
ottawacitizen.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:48 PM
A baby in a stroller was injured by a car driver, in the exact location where the Ford government forced the city to remove a speed camera.
I am so tired of how the provincial government is actively making our city less safe.
ottawacitizen.com/news/baby-st...
I am so tired of how the provincial government is actively making our city less safe.
ottawacitizen.com/news/baby-st...
Thanks, @jleiper.bsky.social & team for posting the recording of your transit data webinar; I watched it last night. Very impressive work by @railfans.ca & @bettertransitottawa.ca ! I'm sure we'll all benefit from it.
youtu.be/LYpqyja1zyI?...
youtu.be/LYpqyja1zyI?...
Transit data webinar HD 720p
YouTube video by Kitchissippi Ward
youtu.be
February 6, 2026 at 4:11 AM
Thanks, @jleiper.bsky.social & team for posting the recording of your transit data webinar; I watched it last night. Very impressive work by @railfans.ca & @bettertransitottawa.ca ! I'm sure we'll all benefit from it.
youtu.be/LYpqyja1zyI?...
youtu.be/LYpqyja1zyI?...
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
This poor family 😥. I'm glad they are (mostly) physically okay.
There's a reason this @tomflood.bsky.social graphic resonates with me and so many others.
Have you ever thought about how your last act might be a final push of the stroller to try and save your kid's life. I have. Far too often.
There's a reason this @tomflood.bsky.social graphic resonates with me and so many others.
Have you ever thought about how your last act might be a final push of the stroller to try and save your kid's life. I have. Far too often.
February 5, 2026 at 10:40 PM
This poor family 😥. I'm glad they are (mostly) physically okay.
There's a reason this @tomflood.bsky.social graphic resonates with me and so many others.
Have you ever thought about how your last act might be a final push of the stroller to try and save your kid's life. I have. Far too often.
There's a reason this @tomflood.bsky.social graphic resonates with me and so many others.
Have you ever thought about how your last act might be a final push of the stroller to try and save your kid's life. I have. Far too often.
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
Important paper. Schools are high-risk environments for respiratory disease transmission MAINLY because classrooms are underventilated. This problem has a workable solution - it just needs political will. Air quality is as important as water quality for public health. MT @martinmckee.bsky.social
Our paper modelling transmission risk in schools is published in Nature Communications. **The relative contribution of close-proximity contacts, shared classroom exposure and indoor air quality to respiratory virus transmission in schools** doi.org/10.1038/s414...
February 5, 2026 at 10:59 PM
Important paper. Schools are high-risk environments for respiratory disease transmission MAINLY because classrooms are underventilated. This problem has a workable solution - it just needs political will. Air quality is as important as water quality for public health. MT @martinmckee.bsky.social
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
I have zero bandwidth to develop the idea, but the last decade has given rise to a gulliblity style, where a source’s statement is treated as the story regardless of whether it’s true or plausible. It creates stories that are technically true but functionally misinformation. You see it everywhere.
i think people should consider the extent to which bannon, a known bullshit artist, knows that you will see this and panic. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Steve Bannon says ICE will ‘surround the polls’ as Trump doubles down on taking over elections
Trump doubled down on his comments to nationalize voting Tuesday during an Oval Office press conference. “If you think about it, a state is an agent for the federal government in elections,” Trump sai...
www.democracydocket.com
February 5, 2026 at 11:54 AM
I have zero bandwidth to develop the idea, but the last decade has given rise to a gulliblity style, where a source’s statement is treated as the story regardless of whether it’s true or plausible. It creates stories that are technically true but functionally misinformation. You see it everywhere.
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
I can tell you why, at least at CTV. I used to chase produce for Newschannel when Power Play was off air.
You'd show up for work, making (in my case) less than 50K a year, and you'd have like, two hours at a time to find someone to speak about XYZ, on national TV, with next to no notice.
You'd show up for work, making (in my case) less than 50K a year, and you'd have like, two hours at a time to find someone to speak about XYZ, on national TV, with next to no notice.
February 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM
I can tell you why, at least at CTV. I used to chase produce for Newschannel when Power Play was off air.
You'd show up for work, making (in my case) less than 50K a year, and you'd have like, two hours at a time to find someone to speak about XYZ, on national TV, with next to no notice.
You'd show up for work, making (in my case) less than 50K a year, and you'd have like, two hours at a time to find someone to speak about XYZ, on national TV, with next to no notice.
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
Why do the police wear bulletproof vests to a press conference? Are they afraid of the media? Towtruck drivers? The public?
February 5, 2026 at 5:13 PM
Why do the police wear bulletproof vests to a press conference? Are they afraid of the media? Towtruck drivers? The public?
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
Daily reminder that the primary benefit of railway electrification is not to reduce railway emissions.
It is to enable faster acceleration which reduces travel time and thereby increases frequency without adding operating cost.
That then attracts more riders and thereby more revenue.
It is to enable faster acceleration which reduces travel time and thereby increases frequency without adding operating cost.
That then attracts more riders and thereby more revenue.
January 9, 2026 at 1:04 AM
Daily reminder that the primary benefit of railway electrification is not to reduce railway emissions.
It is to enable faster acceleration which reduces travel time and thereby increases frequency without adding operating cost.
That then attracts more riders and thereby more revenue.
It is to enable faster acceleration which reduces travel time and thereby increases frequency without adding operating cost.
That then attracts more riders and thereby more revenue.
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
Next time someone asks you about energy and land use, maybe remind them that the ~35 million acres that currently grow corn for ethanol in the US could produce ~15 PWh per year of electricity from solar photovoltaics. That's ~3.5 times more than *total annual generation from all US power plants*.
February 1, 2026 at 8:55 PM
Next time someone asks you about energy and land use, maybe remind them that the ~35 million acres that currently grow corn for ethanol in the US could produce ~15 PWh per year of electricity from solar photovoltaics. That's ~3.5 times more than *total annual generation from all US power plants*.
Next "frequent service" #14 comes in 23 minutes. Thanks, @octranspo.com.
January 30, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Next "frequent service" #14 comes in 23 minutes. Thanks, @octranspo.com.
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
A reminder of the risks of relying exclusively on the F35. Trump will use any available leverage to apply pressure, including on America’s closest allies. Derisking is essential.
January 30, 2026 at 1:04 PM
A reminder of the risks of relying exclusively on the F35. Trump will use any available leverage to apply pressure, including on America’s closest allies. Derisking is essential.
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
I look forward to Doug Ford setting a Cadillac on fire and swearing to ban sales of GM vehicles in Ontario.
NEW: More than 500 autoworkers in Oshawa, Ont., will be out of a job next week, as GM officially cuts its third shift. Premier Doug Ford says the province has a plan, but critics say he's failing in his promise to protect Ontario. #OnPoli
globalnews.ca/news/1164338...
globalnews.ca/news/1164338...
More than 500 Ontario autoworkers prepare for layoffs to hit as GM cuts shift | Globalnews.ca
The move was first announced in May 2025, with plans to shed a third of jobs originally set for November.
globalnews.ca
January 29, 2026 at 8:30 PM
I look forward to Doug Ford setting a Cadillac on fire and swearing to ban sales of GM vehicles in Ontario.
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
As the public, we don't know if or how much OCT staff at junior levels raised issues. We don't know how much Watson suppressed dissenting senior voices (but we know he did suppress dissent at the council table).
The commission / committee provides direct governance. Mayors choose who sits there.
The commission / committee provides direct governance. Mayors choose who sits there.
Many of the people who made these poor decisions are still in roles with the city
I think what frustrates people the most is that there appears to be no accountability
Who should have had their eyes on the long term impacts? Why didn't they? What are we changing to ensure this doesn't happen again
I think what frustrates people the most is that there appears to be no accountability
Who should have had their eyes on the long term impacts? Why didn't they? What are we changing to ensure this doesn't happen again
January 28, 2026 at 9:56 PM
As the public, we don't know if or how much OCT staff at junior levels raised issues. We don't know how much Watson suppressed dissenting senior voices (but we know he did suppress dissent at the council table).
The commission / committee provides direct governance. Mayors choose who sits there.
The commission / committee provides direct governance. Mayors choose who sits there.
Whenever I read Taber, I wonder how much she says applies to Canadian ag.
And whenever I hear about our TFW program, I worry how many of these serious faults it shares.
And whenever I hear about our TFW program, I worry how many of these serious faults it shares.
THREAD
H2A guest worker visas are finally a big enough program that farmers are ready to switch to that instead of undoc'd workers.
That's why they're rounding up undoc'd people.
Farms don't really need them anymore, & they're "too hard to control."
That hasn't changed!
H2A guest worker visas are finally a big enough program that farmers are ready to switch to that instead of undoc'd workers.
That's why they're rounding up undoc'd people.
Farms don't really need them anymore, & they're "too hard to control."
That hasn't changed!
I'm calling bullshit on the media narrative that Trump is "pivoting" and "deescalating" on his ICE raids. The threshold is this: As long as the military occupations and the treatment of US cities as enemy territory continue, there's no pivot. ICE out. 1/
(New piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
(New piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
January 28, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Whenever I read Taber, I wonder how much she says applies to Canadian ag.
And whenever I hear about our TFW program, I worry how many of these serious faults it shares.
And whenever I hear about our TFW program, I worry how many of these serious faults it shares.
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
THREAD
H2A guest worker visas are finally a big enough program that farmers are ready to switch to that instead of undoc'd workers.
That's why they're rounding up undoc'd people.
Farms don't really need them anymore, & they're "too hard to control."
That hasn't changed!
H2A guest worker visas are finally a big enough program that farmers are ready to switch to that instead of undoc'd workers.
That's why they're rounding up undoc'd people.
Farms don't really need them anymore, & they're "too hard to control."
That hasn't changed!
I'm calling bullshit on the media narrative that Trump is "pivoting" and "deescalating" on his ICE raids. The threshold is this: As long as the military occupations and the treatment of US cities as enemy territory continue, there's no pivot. ICE out. 1/
(New piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
(New piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
Donald Trump Is Frightened
Trump wants to appear eager to minimize out-of-control clashes between government militias and protesters. But he doesn’t want to stop the things causing those clashes in the first place.
newrepublic.com
January 28, 2026 at 1:41 PM
THREAD
H2A guest worker visas are finally a big enough program that farmers are ready to switch to that instead of undoc'd workers.
That's why they're rounding up undoc'd people.
Farms don't really need them anymore, & they're "too hard to control."
That hasn't changed!
H2A guest worker visas are finally a big enough program that farmers are ready to switch to that instead of undoc'd workers.
That's why they're rounding up undoc'd people.
Farms don't really need them anymore, & they're "too hard to control."
That hasn't changed!
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
ARGH! It's so frustrating to advocate for public transit in Ottawa when the LRT is such a mess. I wonder if anyone will ever calculate how much we would have saved if we had bought a better train from the beginning? www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/video...
No timeline for return to full LRT service after latest issue discovered
OC Transpo says a lot of work is required to make sure trains on Line 1 are safe to operate, meaning reduced service for awhile. CTV’s Leah Larocque reports.
www.ctvnews.ca
January 28, 2026 at 2:16 AM
ARGH! It's so frustrating to advocate for public transit in Ottawa when the LRT is such a mess. I wonder if anyone will ever calculate how much we would have saved if we had bought a better train from the beginning? www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/video...
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
Fossil fuels are simply not reliable in winter weather.
Fossil Fuels Failed During Winter Storm Fern
Power plant outages in America's largest grid show we can't depend upon fossil fuels
thepowerline.substack.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Fossil fuels are simply not reliable in winter weather.
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
There needs to be a mentality shift. Operating a vehicle that can harm and injure is a privilege that many drivers don’t understand as such. #Carcentric culture needs to die…
The reason why cyclists and pedestrians push back against these types of campaigns is not because we think visibility is bad (I wear hig-viz!), but because it's victim blaming that diverts attention from the real issues: dangerous drivers and poor infrastructure
“Where the built environment separates human skin and bone from lorries, cars, and buses, there is no need for our frantic striving to make fragile bodies hyper-visible”
January 27, 2026 at 4:22 PM
There needs to be a mentality shift. Operating a vehicle that can harm and injure is a privilege that many drivers don’t understand as such. #Carcentric culture needs to die…
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
@helps.octranspo.com @occtranspo.bsky.social if we're going to consistently cancel a route (like the 7:57 48 Carleton at Playfair Residence) could we just remove the route from the sched. until we're ready to put it back? It would help my morning commute if I knew in advance how early to wake up.
January 27, 2026 at 12:39 PM
@helps.octranspo.com @occtranspo.bsky.social if we're going to consistently cancel a route (like the 7:57 48 Carleton at Playfair Residence) could we just remove the route from the sched. until we're ready to put it back? It would help my morning commute if I knew in advance how early to wake up.
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
Cutting taxes to help with affordability is "I couldn't fix your brakes so I made your horn louder", but for politics.
April 18, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Cutting taxes to help with affordability is "I couldn't fix your brakes so I made your horn louder", but for politics.
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
This happens everyday at alarming rates. People are spending easy, 200 a month just to get to work on time.
The city is lucky, that people are wealthy enough to have options, and those that are less fortunate, are largely voiceless.
We're really screwing the pooch here.
The city is lucky, that people are wealthy enough to have options, and those that are less fortunate, are largely voiceless.
We're really screwing the pooch here.
Paid my fare to get into Greenboro station. got downstairs. looked at the board. My bus was cancelled. Took an Uber, and out of pocket four bucks for nothing.
#octranspo
#octranspo
January 23, 2026 at 1:11 PM
This happens everyday at alarming rates. People are spending easy, 200 a month just to get to work on time.
The city is lucky, that people are wealthy enough to have options, and those that are less fortunate, are largely voiceless.
We're really screwing the pooch here.
The city is lucky, that people are wealthy enough to have options, and those that are less fortunate, are largely voiceless.
We're really screwing the pooch here.
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
But here's the thing: when he gets to the part about Ottawa having Canada's lowest property taxes, the response is typically...nothing. And I've been present for several of these speeches. Occasionally, there's mild applause. I wouldn't call it enthusiastic. Tepid, maybe? 4/
January 22, 2026 at 1:53 AM
But here's the thing: when he gets to the part about Ottawa having Canada's lowest property taxes, the response is typically...nothing. And I've been present for several of these speeches. Occasionally, there's mild applause. I wouldn't call it enthusiastic. Tepid, maybe? 4/
Reposted by Michael D'Costa
The beauty of the LRT's opaque ownership structure is that it evades accountability so all of the parties can endlessly point fingers to one another and nobody will *ever* be held to account for the failures.
Everyone who signed off on that structure bears responsibility.
Everyone who signed off on that structure bears responsibility.
New bearing problem forcing OC Transpo to take some LRT cars out of service | CBC News
A newly identified problem with the wheel assemblies on Ottawa's Line 1 LRT vehicles is forcing OC Transpo to reduce the number of cars in service, which could exacerbate crowding on trains and platfo...
www.cbc.ca
January 22, 2026 at 3:16 AM
The beauty of the LRT's opaque ownership structure is that it evades accountability so all of the parties can endlessly point fingers to one another and nobody will *ever* be held to account for the failures.
Everyone who signed off on that structure bears responsibility.
Everyone who signed off on that structure bears responsibility.