Ryan Jabs
@ryanjabs.bsky.social
Dad who's fascinated by urban planning. Runner of a small #YYJ home development company. Trying to build the right things. www.lapishomes.com
Art by Elizabeth Upton (https://www.instagram.com/living.whimsically.rocks?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&)
Art by Elizabeth Upton (https://www.instagram.com/living.whimsically.rocks?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&)
It’s always hilarious to see the apocalyptic way folks describe the small step of removing car parking requirements… like all of a sudden our roads are going to get more dangerous because we make the things that cause this danger less convenient?
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
New zoning bylaw that could reshape city passes unanimously at council | CBC News
Ottawa city council passed a sweeping overhaul of zoning rules on Wednesday, capping off a years-long process that’s supposed to make it easier to build housing in the city.
www.cbc.ca
January 29, 2026 at 5:30 AM
It’s always hilarious to see the apocalyptic way folks describe the small step of removing car parking requirements… like all of a sudden our roads are going to get more dangerous because we make the things that cause this danger less convenient?
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
From @timescolonist.bsky.social: Rally outside Victoria courthouse calls for action on intimate partner violence.
We need to do more.
www.timescolonist.com/local-news/r...
We need to do more.
www.timescolonist.com/local-news/r...
Rally outside Victoria courthouse calls for action on intimate partner violence
Dozens of people gathered outside the Victoria courthouse Wednesday to demand urgent action in the wake of the death of 41-year-old Laura Gover.
www.timescolonist.com
January 22, 2026 at 5:29 PM
From @timescolonist.bsky.social: Rally outside Victoria courthouse calls for action on intimate partner violence.
We need to do more.
www.timescolonist.com/local-news/r...
We need to do more.
www.timescolonist.com/local-news/r...
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
Introducing CanViz, my little side project over the break to make StatCan tables more accessible.
CanViz - Canadian Data Visualization Tool
Interactive data visualization tool for exploring and analyzing Statistics Canada data tables. Browse thousands of Canadian statistics, create custom plots, and download data in multiple formats.
canviz.mountainmath.ca
January 12, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Introducing CanViz, my little side project over the break to make StatCan tables more accessible.
Why are new multifamily homes so expensive in North America?
This video explains it through elevators, which need a major regulatory overhaul (or just adopt the worldwide standard). If you only have time for one part of this video, watch from 8:20 to 10 (or 11).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or1_...
This video explains it through elevators, which need a major regulatory overhaul (or just adopt the worldwide standard). If you only have time for one part of this video, watch from 8:20 to 10 (or 11).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or1_...
North America's Elevator Problem
YouTube video by About Here
www.youtube.com
January 12, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Why are new multifamily homes so expensive in North America?
This video explains it through elevators, which need a major regulatory overhaul (or just adopt the worldwide standard). If you only have time for one part of this video, watch from 8:20 to 10 (or 11).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or1_...
This video explains it through elevators, which need a major regulatory overhaul (or just adopt the worldwide standard). If you only have time for one part of this video, watch from 8:20 to 10 (or 11).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or1_...
One of the biggest reasons why cities need to design around and actively court and fund car share (not just pile it as another tax on new developments).
You want families to be able to live 99% of their lives car free? You need to provide an option for kids to get to sport.
You want families to be able to live 99% of their lives car free? You need to provide an option for kids to get to sport.
Local man who loves walkable neighbourhoods and the 15 minute city spends life driving to hockey tournaments two towns away.
January 3, 2026 at 8:40 PM
One of the biggest reasons why cities need to design around and actively court and fund car share (not just pile it as another tax on new developments).
You want families to be able to live 99% of their lives car free? You need to provide an option for kids to get to sport.
You want families to be able to live 99% of their lives car free? You need to provide an option for kids to get to sport.
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
WAIT LMFAO THIS GUYS WHOLE ACCOUNT IS JUST THROWING SHIT AT SPEEDING CARS SKKDJDKEKDJEJEK
@povcameron on IG
@povcameron on IG
January 2, 2026 at 6:23 PM
WAIT LMFAO THIS GUYS WHOLE ACCOUNT IS JUST THROWING SHIT AT SPEEDING CARS SKKDJDKEKDJEJEK
@povcameron on IG
@povcameron on IG
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
New speed camera replacement just dropped in Ford’s Ontario
January 2, 2026 at 5:55 PM
New speed camera replacement just dropped in Ford’s Ontario
@victoria.ca (#yyj) councillors should pay attention to this. Your recently adopted OCP uses only a stick and will see very little housing. Any infill homes approved will likely need variances.
Seattle’s regulation will actually see homes built, more family-sized, with more trees & green features.
Seattle’s regulation will actually see homes built, more family-sized, with more trees & green features.
NEW: This is very interesting — Seattle City Council has allowed 8-unit buildings up to 3 storeys, or 10 apartments up to 4 storeys (they call them “stacked flats”) if they add green features (like bioswales or green roofs) or preserve trees, in all residential zones across the entire city!
Seattle Council Approves Eight-Unit Apartment Buildings Everywhere - PubliCola
By Erica C. Barnett Maybe calling them “stacked flats,” rather than “apartments,” was a stroke of genius. On Tuesday, the…
publicola.com
January 2, 2026 at 8:13 PM
@victoria.ca (#yyj) councillors should pay attention to this. Your recently adopted OCP uses only a stick and will see very little housing. Any infill homes approved will likely need variances.
Seattle’s regulation will actually see homes built, more family-sized, with more trees & green features.
Seattle’s regulation will actually see homes built, more family-sized, with more trees & green features.
This is how it works for my family. We’ve done a lot more little, fun and more local adventures because of the cargo bike.
For the #yyj business community, that’s meant more trips downtown and to your businesses and restaurants—because of the cargo bike and with the safe cycling network.
For the #yyj business community, that’s meant more trips downtown and to your businesses and restaurants—because of the cargo bike and with the safe cycling network.
E-cargo bikes sound pretty amazing in this new UK study:
"Parents’ and children’s enjoyment, curiosity, and sense of adventure encouraged additional travel, transforming routine journeys into playful and memorable family experiences."
doi.org/10.1016/j.tb...
"Parents’ and children’s enjoyment, curiosity, and sense of adventure encouraged additional travel, transforming routine journeys into playful and memorable family experiences."
doi.org/10.1016/j.tb...
December 31, 2025 at 6:18 PM
This is how it works for my family. We’ve done a lot more little, fun and more local adventures because of the cargo bike.
For the #yyj business community, that’s meant more trips downtown and to your businesses and restaurants—because of the cargo bike and with the safe cycling network.
For the #yyj business community, that’s meant more trips downtown and to your businesses and restaurants—because of the cargo bike and with the safe cycling network.
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
A @theglobeandmail.com editorial on the shaky basis of development charges. Usually we put special taxes on things we want less of, like cigarettes, and cut taxes on essentials, like groceries. There's a housing shortage and people need homes.
#housing #yyj
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/39c067e...
#housing #yyj
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/39c067e...
Development charges rest on a shaky foundation
The philosophy of ‘growth pays for growth’ no longer makes sense in the midst of a housing crisis
www.theglobeandmail.com
December 29, 2025 at 5:10 PM
A @theglobeandmail.com editorial on the shaky basis of development charges. Usually we put special taxes on things we want less of, like cigarettes, and cut taxes on essentials, like groceries. There's a housing shortage and people need homes.
#housing #yyj
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/39c067e...
#housing #yyj
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/39c067e...
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
“We shall build great cities and towns filled with shops, public parks, and housing options flexible enough to meet evolving needs. And then, a few hundred years later, we shall prohibit them through restrictive zoning.”
“Why would we prohibit them, sir?”
“Nobody knows.”
“Why would we prohibit them, sir?”
“Nobody knows.”
December 28, 2025 at 11:54 PM
“We shall build great cities and towns filled with shops, public parks, and housing options flexible enough to meet evolving needs. And then, a few hundred years later, we shall prohibit them through restrictive zoning.”
“Why would we prohibit them, sir?”
“Nobody knows.”
“Why would we prohibit them, sir?”
“Nobody knows.”
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
SUVs and big Utes "are 44 per cent more likely to kill an adult pedestrian or cyclist in a crash compared with a sedan, and 82 per cent more likely to kill a child" www.theage.com.au/national/vic...
Pedestrian fatalities reach 17-year-high. This trend could be why
Fifty-one pedestrians had been killed on the state’s roads this year as of Saturday – the most in any calendar year since 2008.
www.theage.com.au
December 27, 2025 at 9:30 PM
SUVs and big Utes "are 44 per cent more likely to kill an adult pedestrian or cyclist in a crash compared with a sedan, and 82 per cent more likely to kill a child" www.theage.com.au/national/vic...
Funny that this is still happening 150 years later… provincial and municipalities governments add new requirements to “make homes and neighbourhoods better and safer” all the time. These regulations end up leading to smaller or less livable and more expensive homes, and developers get blamed.
Prior to enacting the regulations, the architect Bernhard Weick predicted that the new regulations would lower living standards of tenements, counter to the stated goal of the new regulations, while also increasing the cost of housing. This turned out to be true and the developers were blamed.
December 26, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Funny that this is still happening 150 years later… provincial and municipalities governments add new requirements to “make homes and neighbourhoods better and safer” all the time. These regulations end up leading to smaller or less livable and more expensive homes, and developers get blamed.
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
Christmas came early for me, with delivery of my new @airspool.bsky.social heat pump. The driving force behind me getting this thing was that it promised to be easy to install, and boy was it ever! Read on to see how I got it on the night it was delivered without drilling a big hole through my wall.
December 24, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Christmas came early for me, with delivery of my new @airspool.bsky.social heat pump. The driving force behind me getting this thing was that it promised to be easy to install, and boy was it ever! Read on to see how I got it on the night it was delivered without drilling a big hole through my wall.
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
Via @sustainabletall.bsky.social : The Swiss are building a 27 storey timber skyscraper in Zurich, with 10-stacked vertical neighbourhoods, each housing 22 apartments. Each neighbourhood is 3-storeys, and has a triple-height shared community space.
December 24, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Via @sustainabletall.bsky.social : The Swiss are building a 27 storey timber skyscraper in Zurich, with 10-stacked vertical neighbourhoods, each housing 22 apartments. Each neighbourhood is 3-storeys, and has a triple-height shared community space.
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
British Columbia has come in 2nd last on the @missingmiddleca.bsky.social HOMES report card, largely because of an unwillingness to restrain fees & unfunded inclusionary zoning imposed by cities ("Anti-Harmful Policies" on the report card), resulting in poor affordability.
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December 23, 2025 at 3:03 AM
British Columbia has come in 2nd last on the @missingmiddleca.bsky.social HOMES report card, largely because of an unwillingness to restrain fees & unfunded inclusionary zoning imposed by cities ("Anti-Harmful Policies" on the report card), resulting in poor affordability.
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This is unfortunately a very good example of why municipal taxes are going up so quickly. Each new transit shelter costs between $45k and $80k. For a shelter. That may not even be needed.
In @saanichbc.bsky.social it’s even higher as they require so much more engineering.
In @saanichbc.bsky.social it’s even higher as they require so much more engineering.
Sad to see one of the last enclosed transit shelters gone. Are there any left that provide full weather shelter? I know that they would get dirty, but that is a maintenance problem... The new ones do little when you have rain + wind.
#victoriabc #yyj #transit
#victoriabc #yyj #transit
December 23, 2025 at 6:07 AM
This is unfortunately a very good example of why municipal taxes are going up so quickly. Each new transit shelter costs between $45k and $80k. For a shelter. That may not even be needed.
In @saanichbc.bsky.social it’s even higher as they require so much more engineering.
In @saanichbc.bsky.social it’s even higher as they require so much more engineering.
I respect Mike a lot, but he’s wrong on this one (even if I don’t like it or wouldn’t build it). These homes are more likely to create community than most larger buildings. They’re also way cheaper to build so should be more affordable.
This may not be the best option, but it should be an option.
This may not be the best option, but it should be an option.
wow this is incredibly bleak
December 17, 2025 at 4:06 AM
I respect Mike a lot, but he’s wrong on this one (even if I don’t like it or wouldn’t build it). These homes are more likely to create community than most larger buildings. They’re also way cheaper to build so should be more affordable.
This may not be the best option, but it should be an option.
This may not be the best option, but it should be an option.
The purpose built rental boom in 🇨🇦 came directly out of a CMHC financing incentive that cut long-term borrowing costs. The program was effectively killed in September as CMHC ⬆️fees by 5-7x.
Projects going in the ground today applied in September. Once these are built, apartment starts will plummet.
Projects going in the ground today applied in September. Once these are built, apartment starts will plummet.
Canadian housing permits jumped 14% in data released today, hitting the 4th-highest level in modern history as multifamily permits hit the 3rd-highest ever
Canada is now on track to allow roughly 300k housing units this year
Canada is now on track to allow roughly 300k housing units this year
December 14, 2025 at 4:14 AM
The purpose built rental boom in 🇨🇦 came directly out of a CMHC financing incentive that cut long-term borrowing costs. The program was effectively killed in September as CMHC ⬆️fees by 5-7x.
Projects going in the ground today applied in September. Once these are built, apartment starts will plummet.
Projects going in the ground today applied in September. Once these are built, apartment starts will plummet.
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
"A forensic collision analysis found that Veinpel's 2021 Ford F-150's passenger-side pillar created a blind spot capable of obscuring pedestrians of Lynza’s height."
These child-killing trucks have no place on our streets.
www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/...
These child-killing trucks have no place on our streets.
www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/...
Family's heartbreak heard during sentencing in Vernon teen's fatal collision - Vernon News
The family of Vernon teen Lynza Henke, who was fatally struck by a vehicle when walking through a marked crosswalk, had a chance to share statements on the impact of Lynza
www.castanet.net
December 13, 2025 at 8:22 PM
"A forensic collision analysis found that Veinpel's 2021 Ford F-150's passenger-side pillar created a blind spot capable of obscuring pedestrians of Lynza’s height."
These child-killing trucks have no place on our streets.
www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/...
These child-killing trucks have no place on our streets.
www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/...
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
Legalizing small apartment buildings, in part by allowing single-staircase designs, increases fire safety
Consultants contracted by Minnesota found that an eight-story single-stair building with 6,000 sq. ft. per floor (building 4) has dramatically lower fire risk than a same-height code-compliant two-stair building with a larger floor plate (building 1) www.dli.mn.gov/sites/defaul...
December 12, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Legalizing small apartment buildings, in part by allowing single-staircase designs, increases fire safety
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
Interesting. How do we make firefighters in B.C. aware of this kind of work?
We need to do this analysis for B.C. code and not succumb to fear mongering
We need to do this analysis for B.C. code and not succumb to fear mongering
Consultants contracted by Minnesota found that an eight-story single-stair building with 6,000 sq. ft. per floor (building 4) has dramatically lower fire risk than a same-height code-compliant two-stair building with a larger floor plate (building 1) www.dli.mn.gov/sites/defaul...
December 12, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Interesting. How do we make firefighters in B.C. aware of this kind of work?
We need to do this analysis for B.C. code and not succumb to fear mongering
We need to do this analysis for B.C. code and not succumb to fear mongering
This is a lot like how munis see parking & transit.
Munis: cars are killing the environment! Getting people out of them is our priority!
People: But I want to drive everywhere b/c you made it convenient & transit hard.
Munis: oh well, I guess we’ll keep making more parking & less transit then!
Munis: cars are killing the environment! Getting people out of them is our priority!
People: But I want to drive everywhere b/c you made it convenient & transit hard.
Munis: oh well, I guess we’ll keep making more parking & less transit then!
Councillor @petermeiszner.bsky.social said X has "become a platform of misinformation, of racism, of anti-immigrant sentiment. There's many posts on there that I find very disturbing."
But he also said that "too many people still rely on it," and so the city should keep using it.
But he also said that "too many people still rely on it," and so the city should keep using it.
December 11, 2025 at 10:49 PM
This is a lot like how munis see parking & transit.
Munis: cars are killing the environment! Getting people out of them is our priority!
People: But I want to drive everywhere b/c you made it convenient & transit hard.
Munis: oh well, I guess we’ll keep making more parking & less transit then!
Munis: cars are killing the environment! Getting people out of them is our priority!
People: But I want to drive everywhere b/c you made it convenient & transit hard.
Munis: oh well, I guess we’ll keep making more parking & less transit then!
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
Next Haakon, supports. He's an air ambulance pilot, has seen the impact of traffic violence on people (and the associated cost.) "This is a very cheap, no brainer, common sense solution to reduce those costs and the impacts on people and our city."
December 11, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Next Haakon, supports. He's an air ambulance pilot, has seen the impact of traffic violence on people (and the associated cost.) "This is a very cheap, no brainer, common sense solution to reduce those costs and the impacts on people and our city."
Reposted by Ryan Jabs
Next is @margiesanderson.bsky.social - strongly supports. Ultimately wants to see a blanket ban on RoR. This motion takes great strides, targetting the most important intersections. Praises ABC majority for expanding LPIs. "But this head start is meaningless if drivers can turn right on red."
December 11, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Next is @margiesanderson.bsky.social - strongly supports. Ultimately wants to see a blanket ban on RoR. This motion takes great strides, targetting the most important intersections. Praises ABC majority for expanding LPIs. "But this head start is meaningless if drivers can turn right on red."