Melissa Bowman
LightNews LightNews
banner
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Melissa Bowman
@dtkmelissa.bsky.social
5.7K followers 2K following 3K posts
Passionate about...just about everything! Especially Waterloo Region. 🇨🇦
Author of CitifiedWR blog https://citified.substack.com/
Co-founder of Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard
"Kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight"
https://linktr.ee/dtkmelissa
Posts Replies Media Videos
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Apparently current zoning doesn't allow for it on this lot somehow - so work still needs to be done to improve regulations to allow this kind of thing on all lots - but I still can't see why neighbours should be able to oppose such a reasonable proposal.
A zoning bylaw amendment is required, as the current zoning does not permit semi-detached dwellings. With that amendment, the proposal would meet all other zoning requirements including minimum lot size, minimum setbacks, parking requirements and building height, senior city planner Evan Wittmann noted.
November 28, 2025 at 12:41 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Why? Why do we do this to ourselves? This just feels like a waste of everybody's time. Why on earth do we think we need neighbours to weigh in on this?! Just build it already. www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...
Text: Residents had their first chance to weigh in on a proposal to replace a fire-damaged Kitchener duplex with a new four-unit building.
November 27, 2025 at 11:31 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
I mean, come on.
The new ginormous signs sent out by the province beside the normal-sized existing speed limit sign. A person is holding the new giant sign up and you can only see their hands and feet...because the sign is too damn big.
November 26, 2025 at 11:26 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Just a solid plan right here. Drivers complain that they never saw the sign that simply said there was a speed camera ahead, so the solution is to post these signs with about 4 signs worth of information. Yes, I'm sure that will work very well. www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/artic...
November 26, 2025 at 11:21 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Text: we must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered. -MLK
November 26, 2025 at 12:45 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
"Engineers believe that car crashes are the result primarily, almost exclusively, of driver error. If you look at what we do when there’s a crash, we go out and we try to assign blame. The data that we collect all goes to: who can we point fingers towards." -Charles Marohn buff.ly/kDuwUg2
Text: Was the driver speeding? Was the driver intoxicated? Was the driver distracted on their phone? These are easy questions that prevent us from asking the difficult questions that lead to change.
November 25, 2025 at 12:31 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Thanks, but no. www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...
Text: Earlier in the day, councillors reconsidered wrapping the Ion with ads. “That is a key measure for us to generate some revenue without having to increase fares,” said Coun. Joe Gowing.
November 23, 2025 at 11:14 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
More variety in more neighbourhoods? Yes, please!
Text: “This proposal will facilitate gentle intensification with infill residential development, which is consistent with city policy to provide a variety — and I stress that — a variety of low-rise housing forms to our neighbourhoods,” said senior planner Brian Bateman.
November 22, 2025 at 4:06 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Residents concerned about neighbourhood density: If reasonable developments were proposed, we'd happily accept some changes to the street.
Developer: We'd like to change a semi into a 6-plex.
Some residents: We have concerns. www.therecord.com/news/council...
Text: Concerns have also been raised by area residents about the proposal’s density and compatibility, and whether its four parking spots are sufficient. Zettel said an approval would set a precedent for similar developments in the area in the future, and took issue with the proposed two-storey building on a street of bungalows.
November 22, 2025 at 4:05 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
"Even before the housing market went topsy-turvy, there was a sense in Canada that apartment living was something one did because one had to, or you did while young until you “grew up".

But despite the derision, there is still much to admire about the condo." www.thestar.com/opinion/star...
Text: You get access to gyms, pools, movie or reading rooms, or common areas. Leaving town for even extended periods carries little worry; you just lock your front door and go. Meanwhile, the incessant headaches of house ownership — a driveway to clear of snow or a lawn to mow, a roof to repair or furnace to service, or the endless litany of other chores — is something we avoid almost entirely.
November 21, 2025 at 10:50 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Tomorrow, the next edition of Citified's Council Round-up will land in inboxes. Subscribe today if you don't want to miss out! citified.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:12 AM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Originally, body cameras were marketed "to police forces & gov'ts to more effectively film & prosecute citizens. Attached to officers' chests, these cameras would provide video evidence of minor offenses as they occur, thus facilitating faster sentencing and higher conviction rates." buff.ly/PYBnBfr
Text: The marketing strategy for body cameras, however, changed dramatically after the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson and the ensuing wave of protests. As Karakatsanis explains, Taser and its competitors saw an opportunity to increase their body camera sales by claiming that these devices would reduce police violence and help hold officers accountable—by allowing magistrates to use the recordings against them.
November 19, 2025 at 12:45 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
"The report notes that there is a clear correlation between impact speed and serious injuries, and that the risk curve steepens dramatically between 30 km/h and 50 km/h: “even small increases in speed can lead to disproportionately worse outcomes”.
November 18, 2025 at 12:22 AM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Fortunately the committee of adjustment passed the severance request. I appreciate Thresholds' CEO Eric Philip's comments about the motivation to gift this land back to an Indigenous-led organization. 5/5
“We work in the non-profit sector, where our goal is to help people. If it is not our job, then whose is it? Everyone who is committed to reconciliation should be making these steps. This isn’t an exception, it’s the expectation. We can be both a housing provider and an organization that is committed to building Indigenous relationships.”
November 16, 2025 at 11:45 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Umm, this is how this conversation started with you quoting my post, but yes, I agree it makes sense to end things here.
November 16, 2025 at 7:38 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Indeed.
The Ministry of Transportation said the RSIF is also meant to help pay for increased police enforcement in place of safety cameras in safety zones. It will also be costly to have police officers on the road. “It takes significantly more police officers to pose the same deterrent as one speed camera,” Robertson said.
November 16, 2025 at 2:08 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Too bad Ford doesn't make decisions based on evidence. #ASE www.therecord.com/politics/pro...
Text: As for bigger warning signs and flashing lights, Rothman cited one of her studies that showed more than 40 per cent of drivers were still speeding over the posted limit with “lines and signs” in place. “You need more physically aggressive (infrastructure) and enforcement around schools,” she said of the study’s conclusions.
November 16, 2025 at 2:06 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Unfortunately, we still have these "concerns" from our elected representatives.
Text: Coun. Nicholas Ermeta said residents in his ward have also been calling him with concerns. “A lot of residents are telling me they don’t want the house beside them to be demolished and replaced with a semi,” he said. “They at least want an opportunity to come in and address council and be heard.”
November 15, 2025 at 10:52 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Yes, please! www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...
Text: Where most low-rise areas in Cambridge only allow single detached homes right now, under the proposed new system, other housing types like duplexes, triplexes, and small townhouses could also be built as long as they meet rules around height, setbacks, parking and landscaping.
November 15, 2025 at 10:46 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
And now she pulls out the tired trope that essentially claims it's okay to drive over the limit because everyone else is doing it, too. Gotta love the same logic that's used by teenagers to justify poor choices.
Text: You could get a ticket even if you acted perfectly reasonably — by keeping up with traffic, or because you didn’t notice every time the speed limit changed, which could be multiple times within a few blocks.
November 14, 2025 at 10:17 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Thanks to Luisa for pointing out (unintentionally, of course) that a whole lot of people are driving over the speed limit in school zones - especially given that those ticketed only represent a small portion of people who actually drive faster than the posted limit in these areas.
Text: A lot of us got them. Nearly 56,000 tickets were issued near 17 schools in Waterloo Region by August 2025. A typical ticket costs $108 for exceeding the speed limit by 16 kilometres per hour.
November 14, 2025 at 10:14 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Um...that was kind of the whole point (and then to use revenue from those who didn't slow down to fund more permanent road safety improvements). www.therecord.com/opinion/colu...
Text: Speed cameras have significantly slowed traffic down, because people became so frightened of getting a ticket.
November 14, 2025 at 10:11 PM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Fixed it.
Instead of saying no to community groups, the text has been amended to say no to the wrps budget increase to recognize taxpayers' ability to pay.
November 14, 2025 at 12:32 AM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
Let's give this a try, instead. #WRPS www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...
Changed paragraph to say reductions should come from the police budget increase, not community groups funding.
November 14, 2025 at 12:26 AM
dtkmelissa.bsky.social
"Bottom line: you cannot build a more cost efficient city without the density." -Don Iveson buff.ly/vlHvqMK
Specifically, more activity and more building stock value per linear feet of roads, pipes and sidewalks is net fiscally positive over time. This is one key reason why the city has pushed to drive density way up, both in new developing neighbourhoods, as well as aggressive infill targets for the mature parts of the city. It’s not only financial upside, however, as density also yields more vibrant communities with greater demographic diversity and better conditions for local business; improved population health outcomes through greater walkability; and lower greenhouse gas emissions per household. Bottom line: you cannot build a more cost efficient city without the density.
November 12, 2025 at 12:30 PM