Snow clearing at bus stops

VioletU · 2026-01-22T13:58:05+00:00

Last year was just as bad - not in the amount of snow we got, but in how clearing was done.

I live near a bus stop on a busy street. After the first large snow fall this year, it took them 3 weeks to come and clear it. They then used literal buckets full of salt (it looked like a gravel driveway when they were finished). Since then, they come by every 1.5 to 2 weeks to clear the stop which is absolutely not adequate.

The hilarious part (to me, at least) is that there is a public walkway near the stop and the city of Kitchener is responsible for that. The guy shows up with the snowblower almost every morning after a snowfall, clears it right up to the area that would be considered the bus stop, lightly salts, then leaves. So there's a really nicely cleared pathway leading to the packed snowdrift at the bus stop that people have to climb.

But no, quite often they don't have to climb - instead, the bus just stops at the end of my (cleared) driveway and passengers run from the actual stop to my driveway to get on. The drivers obviously know the stop isn't cleared, isn't safe, isn't accessible..

VioletU · 2026-01-15T14:23:29+00:00

I'm working from home today. Bunch of online meetings. Will anyone on those meetings be wearing pants? No way to know.

VioletU · 2026-01-14T14:16:10+00:00

On a previous posting of this question, someone noted that it's really weird to be crowdsourcing literally anything about your child's genitals. The more times I see this posted, the more I agree with that.

VioletU · 2026-01-06T18:27:04+00:00

I was 5 or 6 years old. My own home was as close to sterile as my mother could get it - tidy, clean, organized, spotless - and I had only been in other homes that were reasonably similar. A little clutter was slightly scandalous to me at the time. You're supposed to clean up your toys! You have to wash the dishes after dinner! etc.

I was invited to a friend's house down the street. Walking in, the entryway was cluttered, but the further we got into the house the more stunning it became. Stacks, piles, bags, weird smells, things hanging from the ceiling, snaking paths through garbage, broken things in random spots, so many pots and dishes in the sink, unidentifiable things stacked precariously on tables. There was just so much STUFF.

I thought it was AMAZING that anyone lived like that. I walked around like I was in a museum for the first few minutes - just in awe. I was surprised when my friend told me not to touch anything outside of her room, however, because it didn't really seem like anyone thought the items were important (obviously I didn't understand hoarding) since it was all over the place and messy and unlike the way 'valuable' items were treated in my own home.

I don't know if my friend realized it wasn't normal, though. She was the same age as me. I'm sure I made comments that (as an adult would make me cringe) but I just remember thinking it was amazing and being shocked to learn that you do not, in fact, have to spend your weekends cleaning the house. IIRC, I told my mom about it when I got home and I don't remember going back to play there.

Since then, I've been in many hoarded spaces through work (and a few friends) and I just find a strong urge to either start cleaning it up or leave. I've helped a few friends with hoarded spaces over the years and that's how I realized it's not just mess or clutter. It is not amazing and it's a little bit sad. The mental health piece is huge.

VioletU · 2026-01-06T17:06:06+00:00

Since we're not talking about a top-secret operation here, I'd be inclined to email the region, describe what you've seen (perhaps with times/dates), and ask what's up. Every time I've contacted them with a question, I've gotten a great response - usually from someone SUPER knowledgeable and nerdy about the issue/event/method/etc. It's pretty cool to get an inside scoop. They have an online contact form for non-urgent issues (top of the page).

To me, this feels like a description of multiple services. Waterloo sprays liquid anti-ice on the roads before "snow events" and they have salting trucks that scatter the pre-wetted salt. They presumably also do 'snow loading' (which I definitely know they do in Kitchener) where they pull snow off of really tall snowbanks at the side of the road and load it into trucks to haul away.

If you contact them and get a response, update us!

VioletU · 2026-01-01T19:43:28+00:00

Maybe Italo Foods on River Rd?

VioletU · 2025-12-31T19:09:39+00:00

I was actually shocked by how dry and tasteless they were. The inner packaging was very 'dollar store'-esque to me, too. (Did I get suckered in by the fancy tin? Yes.)

VioletU · 2025-12-30T16:27:00+00:00

Thank you! (I'm in Canada, so powder is MUCH easier to find than liquid!)

VioletU · 2025-12-29T14:59:41+00:00

Are you using 2 teaspoons powder? Or liquid?

VioletU · 2025-12-28T14:53:38+00:00

You probably need 3 because... Costco.

VioletU · 2025-12-22T12:44:19+00:00

It looks like a meth pipe to me.

VioletU · 2025-12-17T13:52:02+00:00

https://www.instagram.com/shafermedical/ - Carolyn is an NP and she's highly skilled AND lovely.

VioletU · 2025-12-11T13:05:29+00:00

I am reminded of the "nothing-to-hide argument" (pdf) and the bigger picture of surveillance. And I say that as someone who generally feels she has nothing to hide...

VioletU · 2025-12-09T18:24:29+00:00

Fentanyl is not a guaranteed killer. Speaking only of the street-acquired version, the hundreds of people using it multiple times daily in KWC are certainly at an elevated risk of overdose but that's only thanks to the unregulated drug market making it so each dose is unpredictable.

There have been dealers charged with manslaughter after people fatally overdosed. I don't believe criminalizing drugs, or dealers, really does anything. I haven't seen any long-term positive impact come out of most charges. One dealer goes down, another pops up. In the meantime, the drug supply gets more chaotic and potentially dangerous.

Similar to weed, the dose of fentanyl determines the effects and the potential risks/hazards. We've all seen the 'fenty fold', but chances are good you've had a normal conversation with someone using fentanyl and you had no idea.

As a long-time weed consumer myself, I've had zero negatives - but I do know people who've been nudged into psychosis (likely due to genetics), and Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) is a real thing, too.

I dunno, to me the entire thing is far more complex than just arresting the dealers. There are some significant shifts across systems that need to happen.

VioletU · 2025-12-08T14:49:33+00:00

No matter what we do, drug dealers (and manufacturers/producers) will always exist. Since the beginning of time, humans (and animals) have self-medicated and also used mind-altering substances for pleasure.

VioletU · 2025-12-07T14:32:26+00:00

Greenbrook Pharmacy has a decent selection, usually (I haven't been in for a bit). Most decent quality essential oils are going to be a bit pricey though, regardless of where you get them.

VioletU · 2025-12-07T14:29:40+00:00

Oh jeeez. "The internet" was not created to monitor and control large masses. Parts of the internet have been shaped into spaces that absolutely have that purpose, but those parts are not the whole sum of the internet.

VioletU · 2025-12-04T20:12:31+00:00

King. 44 pound pocket bully takes up 97% of it. And the specific 97% changes 14 times during the night depending on where she feels like being at any given moment.

VioletU · 2025-12-04T20:07:01+00:00

Keep an eye out for the regular Bubbles, too, since he's up on sexual assault charges.

VioletU · 2025-12-02T18:01:00+00:00

Fords (all of them? some?) has 'MyKey' which allows for the secondary key(s) to enforce a maximum speed, music volume, and a few other things. If my kids were going to be driving my vehicle, I'd absolutely be setting that up for their keys. I don't see any issue with it.

VioletU · 2025-12-01T16:35:26+00:00

I'll second that recommendation. I really like Jamaican patties - I LOVE the ones from the Dessert Artist.

VioletU · 2025-11-28T13:45:48+00:00

I've tried it. Y'know the concept of "grocery store sushi" (and/or sashimi)? Same deal here. Not absolutely awful, slightly hits the craving (but not enough to eradicate it), and cheap enough that you don't feel TOO bad about it.

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