Phil
@philmarfisi.bsky.social
Sidewalk enthusiast. Other interests: public policy, housing, urbanism, Waterloo Region, Ontario politics, #cdnpoli, Star Trek, music, news media, international relations, and the Oxford comma. Democracy is good, actually.
Environment Canada activating more yellow alerts this weekend than Captain Picard would in a month
November 29, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Environment Canada activating more yellow alerts this weekend than Captain Picard would in a month
Reposted by Phil
With TMX the federal Liberals basically did what Carney is promising to do—pushed a pipeline to the coast over BC and Indigenous objections. They even federally funded it, dispensing with the need for a business case.
It didn't even move the needle. Why would a second pipeline be different?
It didn't even move the needle. Why would a second pipeline be different?
November 29, 2025 at 4:56 PM
With TMX the federal Liberals basically did what Carney is promising to do—pushed a pipeline to the coast over BC and Indigenous objections. They even federally funded it, dispensing with the need for a business case.
It didn't even move the needle. Why would a second pipeline be different?
It didn't even move the needle. Why would a second pipeline be different?
Reposted by Phil
As I have been arguing, the policy outcomes are less important than the political ones: legitimation of Alberta as a distinct, sovereign actor entitled to special treatment, and legitimation of alleged grievances.
The attempt to placate will only embolden, because the goal isn't compromise.
The attempt to placate will only embolden, because the goal isn't compromise.
November 29, 2025 at 4:44 PM
As I have been arguing, the policy outcomes are less important than the political ones: legitimation of Alberta as a distinct, sovereign actor entitled to special treatment, and legitimation of alleged grievances.
The attempt to placate will only embolden, because the goal isn't compromise.
The attempt to placate will only embolden, because the goal isn't compromise.
Reposted by Phil
This gets at the fundamentally flawed approach of the federal government: they are trying to find a policy solution to an identity problem.
It is part of the polarized, populist identity to be opposed to an Ottawa and Liberal Canada are not them. No policy will change that, as TMX revealed.
It is part of the polarized, populist identity to be opposed to an Ottawa and Liberal Canada are not them. No policy will change that, as TMX revealed.
Danielle Smith gets booed at UCP convention after mentioning working with Canada
November 29, 2025 at 4:32 PM
This gets at the fundamentally flawed approach of the federal government: they are trying to find a policy solution to an identity problem.
It is part of the polarized, populist identity to be opposed to an Ottawa and Liberal Canada are not them. No policy will change that, as TMX revealed.
It is part of the polarized, populist identity to be opposed to an Ottawa and Liberal Canada are not them. No policy will change that, as TMX revealed.
History doesn't repeat, but it often rhymes.
November 29, 2025 at 8:08 AM
History doesn't repeat, but it often rhymes.
Reposted by Phil
One of the biggest barriers to implementing pro-housing policy is the folk wisdom that building new market rate/mixed-income housing increases rents even though study after study shows that the opposite is the case:
building more housing lowers rents
building more housing lowers rents
Interesting new working paper that studies chains of movers after the construction of a new apartment building in Honolulu.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
uhero.hawaii.edu
November 28, 2025 at 5:27 PM
One of the biggest barriers to implementing pro-housing policy is the folk wisdom that building new market rate/mixed-income housing increases rents even though study after study shows that the opposite is the case:
building more housing lowers rents
building more housing lowers rents
Everyone don't panic but the Lego Enterprise-D comes with saucer separation
November 28, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Everyone don't panic but the Lego Enterprise-D comes with saucer separation
A story that shouldn't be overshadowed by everything else happening today: Quebec is looking to expand its blatantly racist secularism law, that is fundamentally incompatible with Charter rights to freedom of religion.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Quebec moves to expand secularism law, limit public prayer
A new bill introduced in the Canadian province expands on a 2019 religious symbols law with new measures including a ban on face coverings in daycares.
www.bbc.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:15 AM
A story that shouldn't be overshadowed by everything else happening today: Quebec is looking to expand its blatantly racist secularism law, that is fundamentally incompatible with Charter rights to freedom of religion.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Phil
Season 3 of the diplomat just cranks it up each episode. All a boy wants late in the evening.
November 28, 2025 at 3:53 AM
Season 3 of the diplomat just cranks it up each episode. All a boy wants late in the evening.
Narrator: it did not help them long term
Gotta be honest, the levels of online adulation for Mark Carney are starting to get uncomfortably close to 2015 Trudeau levels, and at the risk of sounding like a wet blanket, uncritically embracing the hype train risks missing flaws in the Liberal platform. That doesn't help us long term.
November 28, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Narrator: it did not help them long term
Reposted by Phil
Say what you will about the Conservatives, but at least they would have stabbed you in the front.
November 27, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Say what you will about the Conservatives, but at least they would have stabbed you in the front.
Cabinet resignations based on principle are exceedingly rare in Canadian politics: until today, only 26 cabinet ministers (4% of total since Confederation) had resigned over disagreements with the govt. Trudeau had a few; Harper had one. This is not a decision anyone would make lightly, if ever.
One can agree or disagree with the reasons for his decision, but I hope everyone can see the value of politicians standing by their convictions in this way. www.thestar.com/politics/fed...
Steven Guilbeault resigns from Mark Carney’s cabinet
Before entering elected politics, Guilbeault was a famed environmentalist.
www.thestar.com
November 28, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Cabinet resignations based on principle are exceedingly rare in Canadian politics: until today, only 26 cabinet ministers (4% of total since Confederation) had resigned over disagreements with the govt. Trudeau had a few; Harper had one. This is not a decision anyone would make lightly, if ever.
Reposted by Phil
Reading the MOU as a whole, there's an impression of policy in a time warp. Environmental commitments are fuzzy and down the road; Indigenous engagement amounts to financial inducements to go along with the state. It's as if nothing has been learned the last 15 years. www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/back...
Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding
PREFACE At this pivotal global moment, Canada and Alberta, working closely with Indigenous Peoples and industry, must work together cooperatively, and within their respective jurisdictions, to foster ...
www.pm.gc.ca
November 27, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Reading the MOU as a whole, there's an impression of policy in a time warp. Environmental commitments are fuzzy and down the road; Indigenous engagement amounts to financial inducements to go along with the state. It's as if nothing has been learned the last 15 years. www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/back...
Anywho
Let’s all go around the table and say one word we’re thankful for.
November 28, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Anywho
I love the idea of retrofitting sprawl in theory but am cognizant of a few things:
-change might be frustratingly slow
-strip malls in suburban areas can be on polluted arterial roads
-older strip malls often contain small businesses that can be quite significant to various cultural communities
-change might be frustratingly slow
-strip malls in suburban areas can be on polluted arterial roads
-older strip malls often contain small businesses that can be quite significant to various cultural communities
We need a comprehensive strategy to build upwards - taking existing single-level car-oriented strip-malls and turning them into the kind of mixed-use density that worked in traditional downtowns, with additional towers where there’s transit.
November 27, 2025 at 4:00 PM
I love the idea of retrofitting sprawl in theory but am cognizant of a few things:
-change might be frustratingly slow
-strip malls in suburban areas can be on polluted arterial roads
-older strip malls often contain small businesses that can be quite significant to various cultural communities
-change might be frustratingly slow
-strip malls in suburban areas can be on polluted arterial roads
-older strip malls often contain small businesses that can be quite significant to various cultural communities
Michael jokes but this is kind of the only thread the needle solution to abolishing nodes and corridors, getting family sized apartments, and lessening the supposedly evil grip of towers. Fourplexes and ADUs alone are not going to get us where we need to go.
me: towers are good
them: no, we need nice 4-6 storey, human scale buildings
me: we do! let’s rezone the city so we can get 4-6 storeys everywhere
them: oh no, not like that
them: no, we need nice 4-6 storey, human scale buildings
me: we do! let’s rezone the city so we can get 4-6 storeys everywhere
them: oh no, not like that
November 27, 2025 at 4:26 AM
Michael jokes but this is kind of the only thread the needle solution to abolishing nodes and corridors, getting family sized apartments, and lessening the supposedly evil grip of towers. Fourplexes and ADUs alone are not going to get us where we need to go.
One cool thing about Hamilton, Ontario, is that if you ever want to live out the plot of Mad Max: Fury Road, you can simply get off the 403 onto Main Street West.
November 27, 2025 at 3:28 AM
One cool thing about Hamilton, Ontario, is that if you ever want to live out the plot of Mad Max: Fury Road, you can simply get off the 403 onto Main Street West.
Confirmation that Environment Canada is run by Trekkies (they've moved to a colour coded alert system)
www.canada.ca/en/services/...
www.canada.ca/en/services/...
New: Colour-coded weather alerts - Canada.ca
t.b.d.
www.canada.ca
November 26, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Confirmation that Environment Canada is run by Trekkies (they've moved to a colour coded alert system)
www.canada.ca/en/services/...
www.canada.ca/en/services/...
BREAKING: Famed Chicago brewing school is moving to Canada due to regulatory uncertainty caused by the Trump administration. "The Toronto-Montreal corridor will power the Great Lakes century. It is only fitting that we depart Chicago for this", said no one actually, but they probably thought it.
World-famous brewing institution leaving U.S. for Canada
A renowned American beer brewing school is heading north and getting ready to settle in at a new address in Montreal.
www.ctvnews.ca
November 26, 2025 at 7:59 PM
BREAKING: Famed Chicago brewing school is moving to Canada due to regulatory uncertainty caused by the Trump administration. "The Toronto-Montreal corridor will power the Great Lakes century. It is only fitting that we depart Chicago for this", said no one actually, but they probably thought it.
Reposted by Phil
You would think this can't be real. But I personally witnessed this in Halifax. A man stood up and said "I live next door on the 24th floor and anything over 12 stories isn't appropriate for here, nothing in the surrounding area is that tall"
HRM counsel nodding in agreement at those sage words
HRM counsel nodding in agreement at those sage words
Nearly gagged over this zinger of a headline and then this:
"This is not about being a bunch of NIMBYs, because we’re supportive of housing,” said [one] critic... who lives in a 19-storey building nearby."
"This is not about being a bunch of NIMBYs, because we’re supportive of housing,” said [one] critic... who lives in a 19-storey building nearby."
In Waterloo’s downtown, residents in tall towers fight a plan for even taller towers
Disagreements over height, heritage and density have led some neighbours to oppose twin towers that would be the tallest in the city.
www.therecord.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:38 PM
You would think this can't be real. But I personally witnessed this in Halifax. A man stood up and said "I live next door on the 24th floor and anything over 12 stories isn't appropriate for here, nothing in the surrounding area is that tall"
HRM counsel nodding in agreement at those sage words
HRM counsel nodding in agreement at those sage words
Nearly gagged over this zinger of a headline and then this:
"This is not about being a bunch of NIMBYs, because we’re supportive of housing,” said [one] critic... who lives in a 19-storey building nearby."
"This is not about being a bunch of NIMBYs, because we’re supportive of housing,” said [one] critic... who lives in a 19-storey building nearby."
In Waterloo’s downtown, residents in tall towers fight a plan for even taller towers
Disagreements over height, heritage and density have led some neighbours to oppose twin towers that would be the tallest in the city.
www.therecord.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Nearly gagged over this zinger of a headline and then this:
"This is not about being a bunch of NIMBYs, because we’re supportive of housing,” said [one] critic... who lives in a 19-storey building nearby."
"This is not about being a bunch of NIMBYs, because we’re supportive of housing,” said [one] critic... who lives in a 19-storey building nearby."
Alternatively, 47% of Americans have seen the underappreciated Star Trek: Enterprise season 2 episode "Carbon Creek", which establishes that the Vulcans actually paid us a visit by accident much earlier than April 5, 2063.
Do Americans think aliens have ever visited Earth?
% who think they definitely or probably have …
Ever
U.S. adult citizens 47%
Democrats 51%
Republicans 41%
In recent years
U.S. adult citizens 42%
Democrats 45%
Republicans 39%
today.yougov.com/health/artic...
% who think they definitely or probably have …
Ever
U.S. adult citizens 47%
Democrats 51%
Republicans 41%
In recent years
U.S. adult citizens 42%
Democrats 45%
Republicans 39%
today.yougov.com/health/artic...
![A chart of YouGov polling data with the headline: "Americans are split on whether aliens have visited Earth in recent years ."
The chart's sub-headline is: "How likely do you think it is that aliens have [ever visited Earth / visited Earth in recent years]? (%)."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ke6f766al4swdugyvmvyipuo/bafkreidud3naabaljgrtc7u6kgcsh3lgvpzcjkg3dkrtu2o3p4rqqvqj54@jpeg)
November 26, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Alternatively, 47% of Americans have seen the underappreciated Star Trek: Enterprise season 2 episode "Carbon Creek", which establishes that the Vulcans actually paid us a visit by accident much earlier than April 5, 2063.
*300km/h train set to begin Great Lakes Megalopolismaxing earlier than expected
www.blogto.com/travel/2025/...
www.blogto.com/travel/2025/...
300km/h train through Ontario will happen years earlier than expected
Construction on one of the most ambitious and expensive transportation infrastructure projects to ever be undertaken in Canadian history is now targe…
www.blogto.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:20 AM
*300km/h train set to begin Great Lakes Megalopolismaxing earlier than expected
www.blogto.com/travel/2025/...
www.blogto.com/travel/2025/...
Cambridge should ask Wilmot how it's going with taking the easy way out with their finances (they kept taxes artificially low for a long time and the financial reckoning is just beginning, with an ~18% increase this year)
Disappointed to see Cambridge council pull the typical slimy politician move of making poor financial decisions to “keep taxes low” before an election year only to create worse financial burden in the future to the same taxpayer
This kind of common behaviour disillusions me with western democracies
This kind of common behaviour disillusions me with western democracies
November 26, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Cambridge should ask Wilmot how it's going with taking the easy way out with their finances (they kept taxes artificially low for a long time and the financial reckoning is just beginning, with an ~18% increase this year)