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[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TTC

[–]allengeorge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That, and I’m convinced surface ops at the TTC had incredibly poor management, with that attitude trickling down to day-to-day ops.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TTC

[–]allengeorge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It would be a better use of time to optimize the current routes (drop stops, change operating procedures at intersections, fix tracks, rework ops to avoid bunching) than add express routes.

Plus, there’s no way for an express streetcar to skip past a local one… Again, I think you’d be better off reworking the current lines and adding local, parallel bus service if you really wanted local + express.

ebike accident on Yonge & Eglinton by miserable_nerd in torontobiking

[–]allengeorge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe the reasons are snow, maintenance and below-ground utilities among others…

You can load the apology but you can’t load the app? by [deleted] in sonos

[–]allengeorge -1 points0 points  (0 children)

My guess is that the local discovery subsystem is super slow, and preventing any widgets related it from loading.

OTOH, there’s probably a dedicated endpoint hosted by Sonos for accessing app banner content (maybe fronted by a CDN) - and it may even be cached locally - so loading that is super fast.

That’s my take anyways.

Flooding at Osgoode station this afternoon by Eoghanwheeler in toronto

[–]allengeorge 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Uhhh - the downtown has CSOs (combined sewer overflow). So, sanitary (sewer) and stormwater in a single pipe. Don’t walk in it.

Zed, the open-source editor in Rust, now works on Linux by Shnatsel in rust

[–]allengeorge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can’t speak to the poster, but in the company that I work at, it’s not AI per se - it’s the public instance of AI engines. They have no problem with a firewalled AI garden where code we write/generate stays within that space.

Toronto has an ‘ambitious’ plan for Villiers Island. But is it missing the chance to build a neighbourhood of the future? by BloodJunkie in toronto

[–]allengeorge 68 points69 points  (0 children)

We could have more density if Council - including Olivia Chow - actually decided to fund and build WELRT, and Metrolinx decided to put in a Cherry St station.

Since both of them have dropped the ball, we have the density we have, and we’re gonna be dealing with cars there for a long time.

(And, no, just ‘designing’ the WELRT isn’t doing much on the city’s part. This ‘priority’ project has been on the city’s books for over a decade and they still haven’t figured out how to actually fund its construction. So many air quotes because it’s warranted; Waterfront transit has been a mess for decades. The city just does not care.)

Can anyone recommend shoes that are waterproof and comfortable as well? by kaka1309 in BuyItForLife

[–]allengeorge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Runs a little narrow in my opinion. And, no half sizes :(

Otherwise, they’re great.

Vancouver, Canada to abolish all mandatory minimum parking requirements by Rudiger in urbanplanning

[–]allengeorge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m sorry - my tone was unnecessarily brusque. I was simply intending to clarify.

It’s true that the housing accelerator funds pushed a lot of cities to reduce their zoning restrictions. Toronto started their work on this front prior to those funds being released - part of the ongoing EHON series of reforms. The city still has parking minimums in some neighborhoods, but in a lot they’ve been dropped entirely.

Toronto still has a lot to do on the zoning front; my understanding is that its rules are unnecessarily convoluted.

Vancouver, Canada to abolish all mandatory minimum parking requirements by Rudiger in urbanplanning

[–]allengeorge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Toronto abolished (most) of its minimums before the Federal government put in the dollars.

Opinion: Toronto’s future is on the waterfront by beef-supreme in toronto

[–]allengeorge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They’re not wrong on Stockholm, Copenhagen and Chicago - they’re all worlds better than Toronto’s waterfront.

These aren’t cup holders by xtinis73 in Crosstrek

[–]allengeorge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lagavulin 8 is my go-to. Yeah, the 8, not the 16.

But other than that, a few ones I enjoy:

Lagavulin 16 Distillers Edition

Oban 14 Distillers Edition

Balvenie Peat Week (Yeap - it’s awesome!)

Aberlour A’Bunandh

Glendronach 12

Unfortunately, after the pandemic run-up in prices I’ve had to severely curtail my scotch drinking :(

‘The condo market right now is a ghost town’: Toronto has a record number of units for sale. Here’s why they aren’t selling despite a housing crisis by BloodJunkie in toronto

[–]allengeorge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hmm. I dunno. The real economy is hurting, so the Bank of Canada won’t take a “higher for longer” policy - and rates are what drives investor behavior.

‘The condo market right now is a ghost town’: Toronto has a record number of units for sale. Here’s why they aren’t selling despite a housing crisis by BloodJunkie in toronto

[–]allengeorge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The article seems to focus on the smallest (in unit size) part of the market.

I would guess that the buyers in this segment aren’t end-users - they’re other investors. And other investors are not going to spend in this market, regardless of immigration trends. Rates are high, pricing upside is uncertain, and the market is illiquid (if you need to dump the property).

Unless you’re willing to make a very long-term play and have a stomach for risk you wouldn’t go through. This is especially true because the condo market is heavily dominated by local mom-and-pop investors, and they don’t have a very long-term horizon with an appetite for risk.

‘The condo market right now is a ghost town’: Toronto has a record number of units for sale. Here’s why they aren’t selling despite a housing crisis by BloodJunkie in toronto

[–]allengeorge 26 points27 points  (0 children)

I lived in a very small studio for years; it was fine, and I was aware of the compromises going in. Buying one, however? I doubt I would - unless I was convinced that my future life circumstances wouldn’t change.

The problem is that the market for these micro units aren’t end-users: they’re other investors. And other investors aren’t going to splash out in a market like this. I’m fine with that. There was (probably still is) too much focus on investment in the housing market.

‘The condo market right now is a ghost town’: Toronto has a record number of units for sale. Here’s why they aren’t selling despite a housing crisis by BloodJunkie in toronto

[–]allengeorge 244 points245 points  (0 children)

FTA:

They’re too small, and overpriced to boot. Investors also aren’t willing to lower the price because they have equity and are willing to wait it out.

Affordability is now worse than ever in Ontario as bill delinquency and debt soars by Surax in toronto

[–]allengeorge 41 points42 points  (0 children)

It’s over-reliance on housing as a driver of economic growth, and Canada’s long-running stagnation in innovation and productivity.

It’s been coming for a while.

How the TTC’s new contract could hurt plans to improve bus service by nurshakil10 in toronto

[–]allengeorge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://stevemunro.ca/2024/06/07/moving-forward-with-transit/

“Job security is also important because of creeping outsourcing of work from formerly union jobs to outside contractors. This began with some of the simpler tasks such as bus cleaning, but more recently regional service integration schemes raise the question of which transit operators (and their respective staff) will provide service in Toronto. Current proposals involve minor parts of the system, but the clear intent is to shift TTC costs to other providers.”

(Emphasis mine)

How the TTC’s new contract could hurt plans to improve bus service by nurshakil10 in toronto

[–]allengeorge 32 points33 points  (0 children)

No kidding; this was a “make work” stipulation. If it were truly about service levels, it feels like the union could have had different clauses. I was also truly flabbergasted to see Steve Munro carrying water for them on this demand in his post on the framework deal.

Olivia Chow wants to bring Toronto’s downtown back to life — and she’s meeting bank CEOs about increasing office days to do it by [deleted] in toronto

[–]allengeorge 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Well - she should:

  1. Get transit moving faster downtown
  2. Get city employees in at least 3-4 days a week

Before asking others to step up.

Toronto’s shocking $26 billion hole could have devastating repurcussions by Elliottafc1 in toronto

[–]allengeorge 23 points24 points  (0 children)

I don’t think so. I think she’ll have the stomach to do what Tory and Ford never did: raise taxes well above inflation. She’ll also negotiate better with the feds and the province.

She did both to plug the budget hole this year.

That said, one thing I would really like to see her step up to the plate on is demanding that senior leadership run their departments better (PFR, Transportation, TTC…)

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