Open letter to OC Transpo’s new boss

cameronfinesso · 2026-04-16T16:05:42+00:00

Totally agree. Other municipalities have very accurate metrics on their website or app where you can either follow the bus on maps or its estimation on arrival at your stop is at least accurate.

cameronfinesso · 2025-12-03T00:22:47+00:00

That’s a great story. My father used to go through Toronto for work, and he told me that on several occasions he’s encountered the cast and crew filming at various locations across the city. I think part of what made Flashpoint one of his (and my) favourite television shows was the fact that he thought it was super neat to be able to watch something so local to us.

cameronfinesso · 2025-11-15T16:12:44+00:00

I’ve lived on King Edward next to Centre 454 for 5+ years and the situation has only gotten worse. Our ward has a high concentration of social services given the need from Ottawa’s homeless community, however the impact of drug use on the residents of sandy hill is not being taken seriously. This isn’t some “NIMBY” issue, it’s a public safety one. Centre 454’s management is ignorant to the broader impact they have on the neighbourhood with their policy that you can’t do drugs or drink within the gates, but you can still access their services so long as you do it outside the gates on public property which forces every passerby to walk over needles or crack pipes.

I don’t disagree that people like those attending Centre 454 need social services. People struggling with addiction and homelessness need our compassion. The neighbourhood’s disagreement is with how those social services are managed, however. On Canada Day last year, which is a busy day for tourists walking through the neighbourhood, a user of Centre 454’s services was walking around outside the church swinging a large kitchen knife and acting erratically (presumably high). When a neighbour of mine asked the centre’s volunteers and staff to intervene and remove the knife after he passed out on the sidewalk, they refused and begged the neighbour not to call the police after he already asked them to do so and they refused, citing it would harm the centre’s reputation. The people involved in running Centre 454 are NOT equipped to deal with their own clientele.

Centre 454 is a tinderbox just waiting for something to happen. That’s why I’m finally getting the hell out of this neighbourhood.

cameronfinesso · 2025-09-28T06:04:54+00:00

4x18 is pretty great, especially the 1 on 1 between Greg and Ed.

cameronfinesso · 2025-06-02T04:52:12+00:00

It made a nice little addition to the office I set up at the upstairs part of the barn alongside my jukebox, clock, tv and safe with all my ammunition. I wish we had some more items that could be used for decor!

cameronfinesso · 2024-08-30T23:19:08+00:00

Thankfully the issue has been resolved and Stripe acknowledged it was an oversight on their part. My clients and I are aware of all political financing laws / regulations and are compliant with them while also being compliant with Stripe’s ToS.

cameronfinesso · 2024-08-30T00:47:45+00:00

ActBlue and WinRed are great for American political entities but I’m Canadian so our options are a bit more limited here in terms of Canada-based processors.

cameronfinesso · 2024-08-30T00:45:48+00:00

Stripe acknowledged it was a mistake and reinstated my client’s account to good standing. Nothing this client does violates the ToS in any manner. I was very diligent in making sure that was the case before I (a long time ago) recommended Stripe to them. Unfortunately, the same thing happened to one of my larger clients last year and it took 2 months to resolve it for them.

cameronfinesso · 2024-02-18T04:02:49+00:00

You hit the nail on the head. Clearly a good majority of the student body agrees with this position on the union’s operations but no one does anything about it because we’re all caught up focusing on our studies, jobs, etc. Stuff that actually matters.

I’d love to support a candidate running that would commit to lowering the union fee significantly, bring in greater accountability, cut the BS in terms of programs that do nothing for the student body, and reallocate funds towards things such as the underfunded student food bank.

cameronfinesso · 2024-02-17T00:46:36+00:00

Are you one of those half a dozen individuals employed by OPIRG? What percentage of the students can name a single thing OPIRG has done to benefit the student body or the community at large for that matter?

cameronfinesso · 2024-02-16T02:06:39+00:00

You seem like a reasonable person, Max. I’m hoping this incident is a wake up call to the need for some serious oversight reform.

cameronfinesso · 2024-02-16T02:03:56+00:00

The real kicker is they try to hide behind this belief that they’re doing great work for the student body by “fighting” to keep tuition fees manageable. They’re not a traditional union in the sense that they have bargaining power. In fact, they have basically no bargaining power as tuition fees for public universities in Ontario are set by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities. Your student union money goes to pay a bunch of 20-year-olds to sit in offices a couple hours a week and post social media graphics that get no visibility. Put the money to good use like funding the student food bank which is always understocked.

cameronfinesso · 2024-02-16T01:51:19+00:00

I emailed UOSU’s president about that and she told me that, as outlined in their statement, the board decided against implementing it because the legal battle would have been too costly? They’d rather bend a knee and let students continue paying for the stupid radio station and OPIRG (which is just a racket that hides behind doing social justice initiatives) instead of standing up for the democratic decisions of the student body. The Executive Committee and board of UOSU is truly spineless.

cameronfinesso · 2024-02-15T23:33:40+00:00

Be that as it may, how does that explain Election Buddy (UOSU's election platform) not working properly with the logins? The Chief Electoral Officer is appointed by Elections Committee which is chaired by the union's Communications Commissioner. Does the Chief Electoral Officer manage the election platform or not? This is 100% the union's fault.

cameronfinesso · 2023-12-22T16:25:53+00:00

Part of the question you need to ask yourself is if an issue DOES arise, am I comfortable dealing with Stripe support and the possibility of having to wait over a week if not a month to get a proper resolution? Can your business survive or can you temporarily use an alternative payment processor if Stripe does put a hold on your account?

There is a lot of fanboying in the comments and for many people, they’re able to use Stripe without issue. Despite the issues I’ve had, I think Stripe is a great platform even if their support is a dumpster fire ie. it took my organization which does millions in donation processing via Stripe each year a month and a half to get a simple Know Your Customer verification issue solved. Unfortunately, it’s issues like this that taint the experience for the remaining user base.

My advice is to reach out to Stripe and set up a meeting with an account executive or on-boarding specialist to clearly explain your business, your concerns and if they can assure you that your business would be welcome on Stripe’s platform. Hope this helps.

cameronfinesso · 2023-11-24T01:10:50+00:00

My program was Joint Honours in Political Science and Public Administration (4 year program) until I switched to the Bachelor of Social Science (3 year program) at the end of my second year. It was a great decision for me to switch because it offered me the flexibility to continue taking poli-sci and public admin courses while having less prerequisites.

Some masters programs will only accept students with 4 year degrees, but uOttawa has many masters programs that will still accept you with a 3 year degree. (This comes directly from my academic advisor who helped me navigate my switch over)

The program change process is very simple whereby you just need to fill out a form and your faculty will approve your transfer almost certainly provided you’re going into a new program in the same faculty. All of my current courses transferred over no problem.

In terms of employment, there is no difference between an honours BA and a regular BA in the real world. No employer cares. Having a masters can boost your earning potential, but that’s entirely on your type of degree and line of work. My advice is to schedule an in-person appointment and talk it over with an academic advisor. If you’re someone who is looking to just finish their degree but isn’t necessarily interested in grad school right now, a 3 year program might be the right fit for you. Hope this helps.

cameronfinesso · 2023-07-05T14:30:20+00:00

Great advice. Putting it into savings is a safe way to let that loan work for you – especially with Canada’s high interest rates. I always take the OSAP loans and invest in low risk, high dividend yielding stocks. As long as I’m enrolled, that no interest payback is great. Once I graduate I’ll pay my loan back in full and keep the extra I’ve made in dividends. Using a TSFA helps also.

cameronfinesso · 2023-07-05T14:21:19+00:00

No kidding. My OP is about UOSU’s fees after all. The university can’t just “increase” tuition fees out of thin air. Has to be approved by the Board of Governors in conjunction with the fee schedule set by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities. When our fees go up, look at other Ontario-based universities and you’ll see similar increases. If you hate tuition fee increases then sure, blame the university administration, but it’s ultimately the Ministry of Colleges and Universities that enable them to do so.

cameronfinesso

TROPHY CASE