banner
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
@benmacleod.bsky.social
3.3K followers 740 following 990 posts
Hong Kong / Halifax, urban & transportation things
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
benmacleod.bsky.social
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
10 12 72
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
annahalifax.bsky.social
AnnaHalifax @annahalifax.bsky.social · 10h
NS Health's AI apparently programmed with incorrect information. Covid's primary route of transmission is aerosol (airborne), not droplets/surfaces.
nbcovidinfo.bsky.social
NB COVID info @nbcovidinfo.bsky.social · 17h
Asking NS’s official health AI about airborne transmission, aerosols, etc #NSPoli
Screenshot of asking NS health AI if Covid is airborne. Is Covid airborne? Wednesday, 10:02 a.m. 0 COPY • Nova Wednesday, 10:02 a.m. The primary method of COVID-19 transmission is through droplets, which quickly settle on surfaces within two meters. However, airborne precautions are used during aerosol-generating medical procedures (AGMPs) to minimize the risk of transmission. More information on AGMPs can be found here. Screenshot of asking NS health AI about aerosol transmission. Tell me about aerosol transmission Nova Wednesday, 10:02 a.m. Airborne transmission occurs when airborne particles remain suspended in the air, travel on air currents, and are inhaled by others nearby or some distance away from the source. Control of airborne transmission requires control of airflow through special ventilation systems and the use of respiratory protection. An aerosol-generating medical procedure (AGMP) is any procedy production of + Go to bottom aerosols of va roplet nuclei. Examples of AGMPs include bronchoscopy Screenshot of asking NS health AI if breathing generates aerosols You Wednesday, 10:03 a.m. Does breathing generate aerosols? •Nova Wednesday, 10:03 a.m. While normal breathing does produce some droplets, activities like talking, screaming, coughing, or sneezing produce larger droplets. Labour and delivery are also not considered aerosolized events. Aerosol Generating Medical Procedures (AGMPs) are specific medical procedures that generate aerosols. The AI claimed that breathing generates fewer aerosols than AGMPs so I tried asking for more info. How many aerosols are generated by breathing compared to an AGMP? 0 coPY Nova Wednesday, 10:04 a.m. To best answer your question, could you clarify what context you're interested in? For example, are you concerned about a specific medical setting or a particular activity? #NSPoli
3 12 22
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 5h
Likewise... I will try to time visits to coincide with M4M events!
1
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 9h
Yes! Thank you Ysa.
1
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 10h
Thank you Martyn and Sara!
3
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 10h
It sucks. Good luck to you too. After miserably mistiming my homebuying attempts in 2022, I made concrete plans to move back to Hong Kong (which fell through for various reasons) so Toronto doesn't seem far in comparison!
2 2
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 11h
Just thought I'd try Toronto now that the cost of living there is essentially the same as in Halifax 😭 I'll be back if home prices ever come down
Is it cheaper to live in Halifax or Toronto? This data says the relative costs are comparable | CBC News
In Halifax, the median proportion of household income spent on housing and transportation costs in 2024 was comparable to cities like Toronto, according to recent data from Statistics Canada. The typi...
www.cbc.ca
3 1 18
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 11h
Thanks Jillian!
1
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 11h
If anyone in Toronto is renting out or subletting an apartment that meets my peculiar requirements, please message me! Not having much luck on Facebook. Budget is negotiable.
A one-pager titled "Ben is seeking an apartment" with a photo of said Ben. It says: "Profile: Quiet, respectful, Covid-cautious urban planner from Halifax. Reliable income, non smoker, no pets. Budget: $1500+. Location: Toronto, ideally around Corso Italia, Fairbank, Earlscourt. Date: Flexible, but I hope to move before winter. Requirements: Quiet, Covid-safe. Preferably an upstairs unit. I work from home and need some degree of quietness. Seeking an aprtment with unitized ventilation and a door to the exterior. Desired amenities: Air conditioner, bathtub, in-unit laundry. Contact: macleod.ben@gmail.com or Bluesky message."
6 31 33
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
yuenchan.bsky.social
Yuen Chan @yuenchan.bsky.social · 2d
Happy Mid-Autumn festival to everyone celebrating 🌕🥮
但願人長久，千里共嬋娟
A small, round baked pastry (moon cake) on a china dish featuring a pair of painted rabbits.
2 4 33
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
nsjosi.bsky.social
NSJosi @nsjosi.bsky.social · 4d
October beach day with @benmacleod.bsky.social
A stretch of sand with the sea on the left, clouds above and blue sky in the horizon, with some sun rays peaking through
1 4
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
samaustind5.bsky.social
Sam Austin @samaustind5.bsky.social · 6d
My October E-News. Some bike stats, water conservation, some transportation news (closed bus lane, cancelled roundabout), splash pad, cherry trees, Dartmouth Cove public hearing, and more. Read about it here samaustin.ca/e-news-octob...
E-News October 2025 - Sam Austin
News Bike Lane UsageBike lanes have been a hot topic over the last several months, first with the Mayor’s motion to pause building cycling infrastructure, then with the debate over Morris Street, and ...
samaustin.ca
2 9 23
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 7d
he won Morris Street, truly a feather in his cap (jk we will outwait him)
1 5
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 7d
Yes! From the new bike lane on Cogswell Street to the multi-use path through Sexton Campus.
1 6
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 7d
I like that idea. Every time we (PoPNS) do giveaways on that corner I am distracted by the constant pedestrian-vehicle conflict.
6
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 7d
I wrote "more precast curbs" implying there are currently precast curbs but actually I don't think there are... just flexposts right?
1 2
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 7d
They are giving the bike lane a Hollis Street-style treatment, adding more precast curbs, planters, and raised bus stop platforms. Some of the old brick sidewalks will be replaced with concrete. Here are the tender drawings: drive.google.com/file/d/1D5ko...
1 4
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 7d
that was the plan (and the construction tender was awarded to Dexter back in July)
1 5
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 7d
No visible progress on the Lower Water bike lane upgrades
A man riding a bike in a bike lane on Lower Water Street in downtown Halifax. He is approaching two cars stopped in the bike lane, blocking his path.
1 1 13
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 7d
Does anyone know why all three crosswalks at the Barrington/Spring Garden intersection have crossride-style markings? An error?
A pedestrian crossing on Barrington Street at the intersection with Spring Garden Road in downtown Halifax. It is marked with "crossride"-style road markings that indicate a combined pedestrian-cyclist crossing. The regular crosswalk markings are flanked by outer dashed lines on both sides.
1 6
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 7d
New bike lane on Brunswick Street – soon to form part of a continuous, 1-km protected bikeway from the Halifax Common to the Central Library 🚴‍♂️ #BikeHfx
A freshly paved, two-way bike lane on the western side of Brunswick Street in downtown Halifax, just opposite the old library. The bike lane is fenced off, but the sidewalk remains open. The adjacent street is closed and under construction.
4 9 100
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
mermaidrienne.bsky.social
adrienne @mermaidrienne.bsky.social · 9d
Hi #bikehfx, I have a favour to ask! Does anyone drive and have a bike rack on their car that would be willing to bring me and my e-bike to vintage iron cycles in burnside? (Or have any advice or recommendations for how I can go about this?)
2 4
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 9d
Sad news. Sir Terry was kind and encouraging to me and other junior staff at TFP, and eagerly supported our Hong Kong planning advocacy work, even presenting on our behalf at LegCo in 2016. His books are worthy urban design reading.
news.architectsjournal.co.uk
Architects' Journal @news.architectsjournal.co.uk · 9d
Postmodernist giant Terry Farrell dies aged 87
Postmodernist giant Terry Farrell dies aged 87
www.architectsjournal.co.uk
9
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
ohtheurbanity.bsky.social
Oh The Urbanity! @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 11d
No city in Canada has a “laissez-faire” housing system.

They all strictly regulate what you can build and where. Montreal is a little better (less single-family zoning) but it’s still true here.

When you limit the supply of housing below demand, what happens?

We’re doing this to ourselves.
cultmtl.com
Cult MTL @cultmtl.com · 11d
“Montreal verges on losing one of its most attractive features: affordability. Recent news that rents in Montreal have doubled since 2019 reveal that the city hasn’t taken hard enough action against the greed that’s undermining housing affordability.”

An editorial by @taylornoakes.com.
The Montreal housing crisis — brought to you by predatory landlords, Airbnb profiteers and the politicians who enable them
The Montreal housing crisis — brought to you by predatory landlords, Airbnb profiteers and the politicians who enable them.
cultmtl.com
12 69
benmacleod.bsky.social
Ben MacLeod 馬志斌 @benmacleod.bsky.social · 12d
this is refreshingly clear, accurate, science-based public health messaging
durhamhealthnc.bsky.social
Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH) @durhamhealthnc.bsky.social · 13d
COVID-19 cases are still high, so be sure to know the facts and avoid the myths in order to protect yourself and others.
COVID-19 myths vs. facts. myth: If I’ve already had COVID-19 once, I’m immune from getting it again. Fact: There is no limit on how many times you can get COVID-19. Reinfection is common, and each new infection raises your risk of serious illness, organ damage, Long COVID, and more. COVID-19 myths vs. facts. myth: I won’t get COVID-19 as long as I wash my hands well. Fact: It’s always a good idea to wash your hands, but COVID-19 spreads primarily through the air and respiratory droplets, so handwashing is much less likely to prevent COVID-19 than wearing masks. COVID-19 myths vs. facts. myth: I don’t need to wear masks if I’ve already been vaccinated.Fact: Vaccines can reduce your risk of infection, and if you do get sick after being vaccinated, you are much less likely to experience severe illness or death, but it is still possible to get COVID-19 and spread it to others even if you’ve been vaccinated, so it’s a good idea to keep masking.
1 7 21
Reposted by Ben MacLeod 馬志斌
sujo.bsky.social
Susan Joudrey @sujo.bsky.social · 12d
Someone needs to educate Sean Fraser about how the right appropriates progressive language & ideas to evade or diminish criticism. And, people need a better understanding about how fascism operates because there are MPs in the House who are enemies of democracy.
halifaxexaminer.ca
Halifax Examiner @halifaxexaminer.ca · 12d
Did your Nova Scotia MP stand for a tribute to Charlie Kirk in the House of Commons?
Morning File by @suzannerent.bsky.social
Did your Nova Scotia MP stand for a tribute to Charlie Kirk in the House of Commons? - Halifax Examiner
We contacted all 11 Nova Scotia members of Parliament to find out.
www.halifaxexaminer.ca
1 7 15