How-Sen Chong
@how-sen.com
Toronto urban environmentalist. 20+ years in climate activism. From Etobicoke. ADHDer. Fancy degrees from McGill and Yale. Posts my own.
Energy and transit should be free. Cars should be an option, not a necessity.
https://how-sen.com/link
Energy and transit should be free. Cars should be an option, not a necessity.
https://how-sen.com/link
Parking lots across Toronto are sorely underused. And that’s because there’s simply too much parking.
In North America, it’s estimated that there are anywhere between 3 to 8 parking spots for every car on the road.
In North America, it’s estimated that there are anywhere between 3 to 8 parking spots for every car on the road.
Parking! In the wknd Toronto Star I write about what to do with our underused parking lots & garages. New data shows lots profound emptiness. There’s more efficient & useful possibilities. City is already building some housing, but NIMBYs are protesting just as the sun rises. Ignore em & go harder.
Shawn Micallef: Let’s fix it: Toronto has more underused parking lots than you’d think. Here’s how to use them better
The subject of parking still seems to drive a lot of what happens in Toronto politics, but the underused lots around the city could be put to better use.
www.thestar.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Parking lots across Toronto are sorely underused. And that’s because there’s simply too much parking.
In North America, it’s estimated that there are anywhere between 3 to 8 parking spots for every car on the road.
In North America, it’s estimated that there are anywhere between 3 to 8 parking spots for every car on the road.
Yup.
![4-panel vertical comic. (1) 100 Years Ago [two people standing next to bicycle with small car nearby] PERSON 1: It’s too dangerous riding a bike with these cars around. I should get a car, too. (2) 50 Years Ago [two people between smaller car and bigger car] PERSON 2 with short hair: Small cars are less safe in collisions with larger vehicles, so I should get a bigger one. (3) Today [two people between big car and even bigger car] PERSON 1: Everyone has huge SUVs now. If I don’t get the biggest one, I’m putting my family at risk. (4) Soon [two people next to large armored car with spiked clubs attached] PERSON 2: If I don’t install more whirling spike clubs, I’ll be destroyed by all the other drivers who...](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreiby6can6k76yzfmv2czxs4pu2l7zie7bqbrpswi7h3ifmiadkuqvu@jpeg)
November 14, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Yup.
This will make these parts of Toronto an even more vibrant place to live, work, and play.
It will also induce more space and transportation conflicts as people insist on driving and parking mostly-empty cars in the core.
The solution cannot be to cater to cars. They take up too much space.
It will also induce more space and transportation conflicts as people insist on driving and parking mostly-empty cars in the core.
The solution cannot be to cater to cars. They take up too much space.
“New small shops and cafés will once again be allowed to open inside some of Toronto’s neighbourhoods, reversing decades of strict planning policy that kept businesses out of residential areas.” www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
New shops and cafés can open in Toronto neighbourhoods decades after being outlawed | CBC News
New small shops and cafés will once again be allowed to open inside some of Toronto’s neighbourhoods, reversing decades of strict planning policy that kept businesses out of residential areas.
na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:15 PM
This will make these parts of Toronto an even more vibrant place to live, work, and play.
It will also induce more space and transportation conflicts as people insist on driving and parking mostly-empty cars in the core.
The solution cannot be to cater to cars. They take up too much space.
It will also induce more space and transportation conflicts as people insist on driving and parking mostly-empty cars in the core.
The solution cannot be to cater to cars. They take up too much space.
The provincial government has axed Toronto's local Green Roofs bylaw, which supports over 1600 jobs and an industry worth $75 million that's spread across the province.
The move has upset green roof companies across Ontario, including these ones based in London, ON.
lfpress.com/news/local-n...
The move has upset green roof companies across Ontario, including these ones based in London, ON.
lfpress.com/news/local-n...
Local firms reeling as Queen's Park sinks Toronto 'green roof' bylaw
Repeal of a Toronto bylaw has sent the London-area green-roof industry into a tailspin with some calling it a “death knell."
lfpress.com
November 12, 2025 at 5:32 PM
The provincial government has axed Toronto's local Green Roofs bylaw, which supports over 1600 jobs and an industry worth $75 million that's spread across the province.
The move has upset green roof companies across Ontario, including these ones based in London, ON.
lfpress.com/news/local-n...
The move has upset green roof companies across Ontario, including these ones based in London, ON.
lfpress.com/news/local-n...
Reposted by How-Sen Chong
“Doug Ford is making people homeless and making the rest of us deal with the consequences. Bill 60 should be called the ‘Create Encampments Faster’ Act,” said Encampment Justice Coalition organizer Diana Chan McNally. www.torontotoday.ca/local/politi...
Toronto housing advocates warn Ford government’s Bill 60 will expedite homelessness
Tenant and housing advocates say changes to the Residential Tenancies Act in Bill 60 will fuel evictions and ‘create encampments faster’
www.torontotoday.ca
November 10, 2025 at 4:29 PM
“Doug Ford is making people homeless and making the rest of us deal with the consequences. Bill 60 should be called the ‘Create Encampments Faster’ Act,” said Encampment Justice Coalition organizer Diana Chan McNally. www.torontotoday.ca/local/politi...
Three hundred collisions across the GTA on a major snow day seems like a lot!
… Then why doesn’t the news report that statistically there are over 130 collisions EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR, just within the City of Toronto?
(Source: TPS Public Safety Data Portal)
… Then why doesn’t the news report that statistically there are over 130 collisions EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR, just within the City of Toronto?
(Source: TPS Public Safety Data Portal)
November 10, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Three hundred collisions across the GTA on a major snow day seems like a lot!
… Then why doesn’t the news report that statistically there are over 130 collisions EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR, just within the City of Toronto?
(Source: TPS Public Safety Data Portal)
… Then why doesn’t the news report that statistically there are over 130 collisions EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR, just within the City of Toronto?
(Source: TPS Public Safety Data Portal)
In Germany, the sale of heat pumps have surpassed those of gas boilers for the first time.
Like Germany, Ontario gets most of our gas from outside the country (in our case, most of the gas coming into Ontario comes from the U.S.)
Yet Ontario has no credible decarbonization plan.
Like Germany, Ontario gets most of our gas from outside the country (in our case, most of the gas coming into Ontario comes from the U.S.)
Yet Ontario has no credible decarbonization plan.
A historic turning point for clean heating in Europe: For the first time, in the first half of 2025 sales of heat pumps in Germany have surpassed those of gas boilers.
This is a big milestone, demonstrating that the transition away from fossil fuels in our buildings is not just a future ambition.
This is a big milestone, demonstrating that the transition away from fossil fuels in our buildings is not just a future ambition.
November 10, 2025 at 1:40 AM
In Germany, the sale of heat pumps have surpassed those of gas boilers for the first time.
Like Germany, Ontario gets most of our gas from outside the country (in our case, most of the gas coming into Ontario comes from the U.S.)
Yet Ontario has no credible decarbonization plan.
Like Germany, Ontario gets most of our gas from outside the country (in our case, most of the gas coming into Ontario comes from the U.S.)
Yet Ontario has no credible decarbonization plan.
Energy is one of the most abundant things in the universe. The only reason it costs so much money is because corporations want to sell us fuel.
Instead of letting us just gather and store it locally, they created an energy system where power would stop if we didn’t buy fuel to power it.
Instead of letting us just gather and store it locally, they created an energy system where power would stop if we didn’t buy fuel to power it.
November 8, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Energy is one of the most abundant things in the universe. The only reason it costs so much money is because corporations want to sell us fuel.
Instead of letting us just gather and store it locally, they created an energy system where power would stop if we didn’t buy fuel to power it.
Instead of letting us just gather and store it locally, they created an energy system where power would stop if we didn’t buy fuel to power it.
Australia has so much solar power that they're offering free electricity during peak hours because solar power is so cheap.
Here in Ontario, Doug Ford is doubling down on nuclear, which is the most expensive form of electricity. And subsidizing it with our tax dollars.
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
Here in Ontario, Doug Ford is doubling down on nuclear, which is the most expensive form of electricity. And subsidizing it with our tax dollars.
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
Australia has so much solar that it's offering everyone free electricity
Australia's extensive solar power penetration makes so much energy that the government wants to offer free electricity at peak hours.
electrek.co
November 6, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Australia has so much solar power that they're offering free electricity during peak hours because solar power is so cheap.
Here in Ontario, Doug Ford is doubling down on nuclear, which is the most expensive form of electricity. And subsidizing it with our tax dollars.
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
Here in Ontario, Doug Ford is doubling down on nuclear, which is the most expensive form of electricity. And subsidizing it with our tax dollars.
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
Many Ontarians don't know that our electricity rates are very significantly subsidized to the tune of billions of dollars.
But instead of building our grid using renewables — the cheapest source of electricity known to humankind — Doug Ford is doubling down on nuclear — the most expensive.
But instead of building our grid using renewables — the cheapest source of electricity known to humankind — Doug Ford is doubling down on nuclear — the most expensive.
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Many Ontarians don't know that our electricity rates are very significantly subsidized to the tune of billions of dollars.
But instead of building our grid using renewables — the cheapest source of electricity known to humankind — Doug Ford is doubling down on nuclear — the most expensive.
But instead of building our grid using renewables — the cheapest source of electricity known to humankind — Doug Ford is doubling down on nuclear — the most expensive.
This is the kind of thing we need in Toronto.
It will make roads safer for everyone, including drivers.
The only people it will annoy are drivers who like to illegally zip around turns at high speeds without stopping.
It will make roads safer for everyone, including drivers.
The only people it will annoy are drivers who like to illegally zip around turns at high speeds without stopping.
Sidewalks shouldn’t stop for side streets, pass it on
November 6, 2025 at 2:03 AM
This is the kind of thing we need in Toronto.
It will make roads safer for everyone, including drivers.
The only people it will annoy are drivers who like to illegally zip around turns at high speeds without stopping.
It will make roads safer for everyone, including drivers.
The only people it will annoy are drivers who like to illegally zip around turns at high speeds without stopping.
My giant 72-inch LED television uses as much power as a single 100W light bulb common in homes fifteen years ago.
November 3, 2025 at 4:17 PM
My giant 72-inch LED television uses as much power as a single 100W light bulb common in homes fifteen years ago.
That’s some incredible baseball playing.
November 2, 2025 at 4:28 AM
That’s some incredible baseball playing.
TIL that the ability for cars to turn right on a red light was an attempt to ‘save fuel’ during the 70s oil crisis—which it doesn’t actually do.
The result: There are people who are dead today who would otherwise be alive and healthy.
And many of those people were drivers turning right on a red.
The result: There are people who are dead today who would otherwise be alive and healthy.
And many of those people were drivers turning right on a red.
Right Turn of Death | Creator Network | A Film by The Greater Discussions
YouTube video by CBC British Columbia
youtu.be
November 1, 2025 at 3:31 AM
TIL that the ability for cars to turn right on a red light was an attempt to ‘save fuel’ during the 70s oil crisis—which it doesn’t actually do.
The result: There are people who are dead today who would otherwise be alive and healthy.
And many of those people were drivers turning right on a red.
The result: There are people who are dead today who would otherwise be alive and healthy.
And many of those people were drivers turning right on a red.
Fun fact: The LA Dodgers used to be the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, because of all the streetcars that ran through New York in the late 1800s. They moved to LA in the 1950s.
Toronto never got rid of our streetcars.
Toronto never got rid of our streetcars.
October 30, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Fun fact: The LA Dodgers used to be the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, because of all the streetcars that ran through New York in the late 1800s. They moved to LA in the 1950s.
Toronto never got rid of our streetcars.
Toronto never got rid of our streetcars.
Streetcars are supposed to come every ten minutes or better. But arrival is highly erratic.
How do we change this? By getting private cars out of the way.
The average car has just one person in it. And is almost never full.
The average streetcar will hold over 100 people several times a day.
How do we change this? By getting private cars out of the way.
The average car has just one person in it. And is almost never full.
The average streetcar will hold over 100 people several times a day.
October 30, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Streetcars are supposed to come every ten minutes or better. But arrival is highly erratic.
How do we change this? By getting private cars out of the way.
The average car has just one person in it. And is almost never full.
The average streetcar will hold over 100 people several times a day.
How do we change this? By getting private cars out of the way.
The average car has just one person in it. And is almost never full.
The average streetcar will hold over 100 people several times a day.
Where you put the line break matters.
October 29, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Where you put the line break matters.
New polling from Toronto Environmental Alliance fielded by the polling firm Abacus shows that Torontonians overwhelmingly support green building standards.
City Hall should listen to Torontonians, not bot-filled comment sections.
#topoli
City Hall should listen to Torontonians, not bot-filled comment sections.
#topoli
The public wants buildings that are climate-safe, well-built, efficient & affordable to operate. Check out our new poll showing strong local support in Toronto for green building requirements. https://loom.ly/MeYNQkk
October 23, 2025 at 5:17 PM
New polling from Toronto Environmental Alliance fielded by the polling firm Abacus shows that Torontonians overwhelmingly support green building standards.
City Hall should listen to Torontonians, not bot-filled comment sections.
#topoli
City Hall should listen to Torontonians, not bot-filled comment sections.
#topoli
New polling by fielded by Abacus Data for @toenviro.bsky.social shows that Torontonians, including those in the suburbs, overwhelming support for green building requirements.
Actions to protect our climate are very popular. But there’s a very loud and angry minority saying the opposite.
Actions to protect our climate are very popular. But there’s a very loud and angry minority saying the opposite.
October 23, 2025 at 3:06 PM
New polling by fielded by Abacus Data for @toenviro.bsky.social shows that Torontonians, including those in the suburbs, overwhelming support for green building requirements.
Actions to protect our climate are very popular. But there’s a very loud and angry minority saying the opposite.
Actions to protect our climate are very popular. But there’s a very loud and angry minority saying the opposite.
The oil and gas industry is responsible not just for our heating climate, but also for selling us cheap, single use, throwaway garbage that is poisoning our environmental and literally seeping into our brains and bloodstreams.
18 cars’ worth of microplastics flow through Toronto’s Don River every year, study finds
More than 520 billion microplastics and 160 kilograms of larger plastics flow into Lake Ontario through the Don annually. Where are they coming from?
www.thestar.com
October 23, 2025 at 1:32 PM
The oil and gas industry is responsible not just for our heating climate, but also for selling us cheap, single use, throwaway garbage that is poisoning our environmental and literally seeping into our brains and bloodstreams.
Great piece by @thekeenanwire.bsky.social, which I'll paraphrase here:
New York achieved the aim of speeding up the flow of car traffic by *refusing to see the aim as being solely to speed up the flow of car traffic.*
New York achieved the aim of speeding up the flow of car traffic by *refusing to see the aim as being solely to speed up the flow of car traffic.*
Edward Keenan: There are two key lessons Toronto’s traffic czar should take from New York City
Here's how Janette Sadik-Khan got the Big Apple moving as transportation commissioner.
www.thestar.com
October 20, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Great piece by @thekeenanwire.bsky.social, which I'll paraphrase here:
New York achieved the aim of speeding up the flow of car traffic by *refusing to see the aim as being solely to speed up the flow of car traffic.*
New York achieved the aim of speeding up the flow of car traffic by *refusing to see the aim as being solely to speed up the flow of car traffic.*
A reminder that social media likes is not the same thing as the real world.
October 19, 2025 at 5:14 PM
A reminder that social media likes is not the same thing as the real world.
There are more people on bikes than there are people in cars in this photo.
We could move more people if we gave cyclists more space.
Most of the energy spent moving a bike is moving the weight of the rider.
Most of the energy expended by a car is moving the weight of the car.
We could move more people if we gave cyclists more space.
Most of the energy spent moving a bike is moving the weight of the rider.
Most of the energy expended by a car is moving the weight of the car.
October 17, 2025 at 12:28 PM
There are more people on bikes than there are people in cars in this photo.
We could move more people if we gave cyclists more space.
Most of the energy spent moving a bike is moving the weight of the rider.
Most of the energy expended by a car is moving the weight of the car.
We could move more people if we gave cyclists more space.
Most of the energy spent moving a bike is moving the weight of the rider.
Most of the energy expended by a car is moving the weight of the car.
Tropical storms should not be hitting Alaska.
We need to get off of oil, gas, and other fossil fuels now. And every community needs take its responsibility to cut fossil fuels and to protect people very, very seriously.
We need to get off of oil, gas, and other fossil fuels now. And every community needs take its responsibility to cut fossil fuels and to protect people very, very seriously.
1 dead, dozens rescued from Typhoon Halong's impact on Indigenous villages in Alaska | CBC News
One person is dead and two are missing in western Alaska after the remnants of Typhoon Halong over the weekend brought hurricane-force winds and ravaging storm surges and floodwaters that swept some h...
www.cbc.ca
October 15, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Tropical storms should not be hitting Alaska.
We need to get off of oil, gas, and other fossil fuels now. And every community needs take its responsibility to cut fossil fuels and to protect people very, very seriously.
We need to get off of oil, gas, and other fossil fuels now. And every community needs take its responsibility to cut fossil fuels and to protect people very, very seriously.
Sometimes being an activist can feel defeating.
But then I remember that humpback whales were considered so endangered that an entire Star Trek movie was made about them in the 80s.
Now, because of the work of thousands, humpbacks are now a classified as a ‘species of least concern’.
But then I remember that humpback whales were considered so endangered that an entire Star Trek movie was made about them in the 80s.
Now, because of the work of thousands, humpbacks are now a classified as a ‘species of least concern’.
October 15, 2025 at 2:39 AM
Sometimes being an activist can feel defeating.
But then I remember that humpback whales were considered so endangered that an entire Star Trek movie was made about them in the 80s.
Now, because of the work of thousands, humpbacks are now a classified as a ‘species of least concern’.
But then I remember that humpback whales were considered so endangered that an entire Star Trek movie was made about them in the 80s.
Now, because of the work of thousands, humpbacks are now a classified as a ‘species of least concern’.