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Reposted by Toon Dreessen

Reuters @reuters.com · 1d

'When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,' the Norwegian Nobel Committee said as it announced Maria Corina Machado as the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 1d

Lemme look into it. The group we’d bring up to run this has run other camps and programs at different ages so might be possible. If you can fill in form/info (if it lives here or w/me I’ll get buried and loose track…8 mil things on go).

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 1d

Yup! Planning on something via @ottarchfoundation.bsky.social ; gauging interest for next summer. Scroll down! ottarchfoundation.com

Homepage - Ottawa Architecture Foundation

Architect: Bradford Gilbert Architect: Hans-Ludwig Blohm Architect: Moses Chamberlain Edey Architect: Hans-Ludwig Blohm Architect: W. J. Topley Architect: Hans-Ludwig Blohm Architect: Basil Miska Arch...

ottarchfoundation.com

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 1d

Imagine if #OttCity invested in e-bike rebate (say, $1000 per bike, x 1000/year); that’s a rounding error in the city budget but would lift 1000 ppl per year with better transit options; make income based; create secondary stream for youth; add cargo bikes; expand w/better bike infra and bike share

Mike Eliason @holz-bau.bsky.social · 1d

since denver launched its e-bike rebate program - the have sold 10,000 e-bikes and reduced an estimated 1,000,000 car trips - replacing millions of VMTs and reducing air pollution

there are no climate silver bullets... but damn - e-bikes and e-cargo bikes are close

denvergov.org/Government/A...

Denver Celebrates 10,000 E-Bike Rebates

Since its inception in April 2022, Denver has distributed over 10,000 electric bikes (e-bikes) to community members through its pioneering e-bike rebate program. As the first U.S. city to implement su...

denvergov.org

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Occasional Transpo @occtranspo.bsky.social · 1d

@toondreessen.bsky.social doing the heavy lifting! Great to see it. Urban design in #Ottawa needs a metric ton of overhaul.

Sean Devine @seandevine9.bsky.social · 1d

Great to be here with my team at Designing a Better City, organized by @toondreessen.bsky.social. This is an exciting conversation about how to make our city’s built form better, more sustainable and more beautiful.

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Reposted by Toon Dreessen

Sean Devine @seandevine9.bsky.social · 1d

Great to be here with my team at Designing a Better City, organized by @toondreessen.bsky.social. This is an exciting conversation about how to make our city’s built form better, more sustainable and more beautiful.

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Reposted by Toon Dreessen

Miranda Gray @mirgray.bsky.social · 1d

Why have this "Designing a Better City" event?

Design matters.

The City of #Ottawa lags other Canadian cities in design award recognized projects.

We have lots of local talent but most do their work for other places.

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Charles Montgomery @charlesincities.bsky.social · 16d

Neighbors built a protected bike lane between two Atlanta schools for just $10,000. Awesome! youtu.be/vMZ98Dre_Us?... via @YouTube

We built a bike lane!

YouTube video by Hugh Malkin

youtu.be

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recessed.space @recessedspace.bsky.social · 2d

From Bauhaus to birdhouse: world famous architects’ avian designs for charity

recessed.space/00300-From-B...

00300 - From Bauhaus to birdhouse — recessed.space

From Bauhaus to birdhouse: world famous architects’ avian designs for charity In an exhibition at Christies...

recessed.space

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 2d

Likewise, #OttCity can (and occasionally does) try things; embrace ideas and creativity: sometimes there’s a risk involved but we can never eliminate all risk or we won’t do anything. Be bold.

@brigittepellerin.bsky.social

ottawacitizen.com/opinion/city...

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 2d

Oh the stories I could tell you about GAC.

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 2d

Famously infrastructure lasts forever and never needs repair or maintenance; that’s how we’re able to keep taxes so low…. #sarcasm

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 2d

and in other news… my cat just fell from the back of the sofa onto the cushions like the clumsy floppy goofball she is and then looked at me as if to say “I meant to do that”

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 2d

Oh well good. I saw “charges stayed” and got carried away

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 2d

This man is a ghoul. Crap police work and shitty record keeping means he’s free while his victims struggle. Disgusting.

Karen Pauls @karenpaulscbc.bsky.social · 2d

A judge has stayed all charges in the Winnipeg sexual assault case against disgraced fashion mogul Peter #Nygard, finding his Charter right to a fair trial was breached by police failing to retain records related to allegations stemming from the 1990s. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Judge stays charges against Peter Nygard in Winnipeg sexual assault case | CBC News

A judge has stayed all charges in the Winnipeg sexual assault case against disgraced fashion mogul Peter Nygard, finding his right to a fair trial was violated by police failing to retain records rela...

www.cbc.ca

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Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 2d

Dogshit police work means a serial rapist walks.

Where is the justice for the countless survivors of this monster?

Karen Pauls @karenpaulscbc.bsky.social · 2d

A judge has stayed all charges in the Winnipeg sexual assault case against disgraced fashion mogul Peter #Nygard, finding his Charter right to a fair trial was breached by police failing to retain records related to allegations stemming from the 1990s. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Judge stays charges against Peter Nygard in Winnipeg sexual assault case | CBC News

A judge has stayed all charges in the Winnipeg sexual assault case against disgraced fashion mogul Peter Nygard, finding his right to a fair trial was violated by police failing to retain records rela...

www.cbc.ca

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 2d

What they said was conveyed to another person who conveyed it to me; it’s possible there was some paraphrasing in there.

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 2d

I don’t know; I know stretches are okayish with stops/lights at N/S streets but that there’s also a lot of delivery and service/loading spaces on the north side of Gilmore so not sure how “continuous” the bike lane will be (ie, pizza spots, PSAC building/loading and paratranspo drop off zones etc

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 2d

It looks very hard.

Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 2d

I guess. I’m just not really convinced given the general asshattery of some drivers.

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 2d

The contraflow lanes on Gilmour are, to put it mildly, interesting. Without the plastic sticks, they depend on a strip of paint to keep cyclists and cars apart, going in opposite directions. App, staff said the only reason there’s no curb is budget and admitted it’s not safe but 🤷‍♂️

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 2d

Worth sharing this as a regular reminder. #procurement

“Architects and engineers generally operate as independent practitioners providing services and are not subject to detailed control by those whom they serve.”

From the highest court. And yet here we are.

The Canadian Law of Architecture and Engineering, Third Edition by Beverly M. McLachlin and Arthur M.
Grant, LexisNexus Canada Inc. 2020 at page 41
Quote in full:
The architectural and engineering professions in Canada are "self-governing" professions. They are composed of members who qualify to practise their profession by attaining demanding standards of education and practical experience. The significant characteristic of the professions is that it depends on confidence of two kinds for its effective pursuit -the personal confidence of the client in the technical competence of the architect and the confidence of the public at large in the integrity and ethical conduct of the profession as a whole.
Architects and engineers generally operate as independent practitioners providing services and are not subject to detailed control by those whom they serve.
The subject matter of their services is generally of a complex technical nature about which the client is relatively ignorant. For these reasons the client must place trust and confidence in the competence and skill of the professional architect or engineer. This in turn imposes a correlative duty and responsibility upon both the profession and the individual architect or engineer to justify the trust of the public and the individual client.

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 3d

* bus lanes. But bus lands works too I guess. #spaceForBuses

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Toon Dreessen @toondreessen.bsky.social · 3d

This is why we need bus lands on Bank Street. We don’t need extensive consultations or debates or both side-ism to find a “balance;” we need bold action, bold leadership to design public space in the public interest and just do it. @strongtownsottawa.ca

Glen Gower @glengower.ca · 3d

Between the bus-only lanes, and the off-ramp detours, we’ve barely slowed down. Unless you’re on a bus, it’s a parking lot out there.

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Melissa Bowman @dtkmelissa.bsky.social · 3d

"Studies show that if lower speed limits aren’t enforced, more drivers just ignore them. Plus, cities may need to install traffic-calming measures, including speed bumps, roundabouts and bump-outs at crosswalks, to physically force cars to slow down."

Does setting slower speed limits on residential streets make them safer?

Slower speeds reduces the number and severity of collisions so long as they’re enforced

buff.ly

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