NarrativeBear

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39851400

Mississauga city councillors are questioning the future of the program, citing safety risks, enforcement struggles and the rising cost of managing the devices.

This year, the program recorded 120,112 trips covering 336,313 kilometres — a seven per cent increase from 2024.

Mahoney criticized using taxpayer dollars to support a private program and noted that police lack the capacity to enforce rules on private devices.

Across 100 citywide parking stations — including corral-style, bike rack-style and painted areas — staff observed an 8.3 per cent non-compliance rate. Dasko asked how compliance was measured, noting multiple instances of e-scooters parked in unauthorized locations.

While Coun. Dipika Damerla said she supports the program, she called for stronger agreements with vendors, suggesting fines if shared devices are not collected within 24 hours when parked outside designated areas.

Municipal enforcement staff cannot issue violations for moving vehicles under the Highway Traffic Act, according to city staff.

Staff said they estimate it will cost $150,000 to expand bike parking stations across the city, using money already approved in the bicycle parking program. Locations, staff said, would be chosen based on ridership volume.

Staff also noted that the investment could support a citywide expansion in 2026, but speeding up the rollout to all parts of Mississauga would require more municipal funding.

Coun. John Kovac urged caution in spending on the program, citing concerns that it could be cancelled in the future, similar to the automated speed enforcement cameras, which were also part of a provincial program.

While the provincial pilot program makes e-scooter use legal, Mississauga’s program is intended to be permanent, with an initial vendor contract of three years and the possibility of extending for two more.

Mississauga city councillors are questioning the future of the program, citing safety risks, enforcement struggles and the rising cost of managing the devices.

This year, the program recorded 120,112 trips covering 336,313 kilometres — a seven per cent increase from 2024.

Mahoney criticized using taxpayer dollars to support a private program and noted that police lack the capacity to enforce rules on private devices.

Across 100 citywide parking stations — including corral-style, bike rack-style and painted areas — staff observed an 8.3 per cent non-compliance rate. Dasko asked how compliance was measured, noting multiple instances of e-scooters parked in unauthorized locations.

While Coun. Dipika Damerla said she supports the program, she called for stronger agreements with vendors, suggesting fines if shared devices are not collected within 24 hours when parked outside designated areas.

Municipal enforcement staff cannot issue violations for moving vehicles under the Highway Traffic Act, according to city staff.

Staff said they estimate it will cost $150,000 to expand bike parking stations across the city, using money already approved in the bicycle parking program. Locations, staff said, would be chosen based on ridership volume.

Staff also noted that the investment could support a citywide expansion in 2026, but speeding up the rollout to all parts of Mississauga would require more municipal funding.

Coun. John Kovac urged caution in spending on the program, citing concerns that it could be cancelled in the future, similar to the automated speed enforcement cameras, which were also part of a provincial program.

While the provincial pilot program makes e-scooter use legal, Mississauga’s program is intended to be permanent, with an initial vendor contract of three years and the possibility of extending for two more.

Explore the Toronto Subway Delay Stats interactive map to see delay stats for each station in the city.

Local residents are speaking out about the installation of RapidTO transit priority lanes on Dufferin Street last week, an already-controversial project adding priority red-coloured lanes along a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the artery since Nov. 16.

A concerned local reached out to blogTO and other media outlets last week regarding a "chemical stench" emanating from the work area between Dundas St. W. and Queen St. W.

RapidTO confirmed in a follow-up email that the substance being used for the red lane surfaces is indeed MMA, which a representative of the project describes as "a durable road marking material widely used in Toronto and other cities for crosswalks, lane markings, bike lanes, and bus lanes. MMA is chosen for its long lifespan, skid resistance, and visibility."

The representative explains that the City uses MMA "because of its durability, fast curing time, and improved anti-slip properties compared to conventional traffic paints," and stresses that the material is non-toxic.

As for the smell, RapidTO maintains that "Open-air application is the recommended method to ensure proper ventilation."

"As with any pavement marking installation, there is an expected level of odour while the material is being placed and curing. MMA in particular has a strong, acrylic-like odour during application."

According to RapidTO, "The smell can be noticeable in the immediate area, but it is temporary and expected to dissipate as the material cures, typically within a couple of days after installation."

"While the odour can be unpleasant, the levels experienced outdoors do not pose a health risk to nearby residents or passersby."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/39262177

Shouts and chants rained down upon politicians at the Ontario legislature Monday as the government passed a housing bill that critics say makes it easier for landlords to evict tenants.

"People over profits," members of ACORN Canada, a tenant advocacy group, chanted from the public gallery at Queen's Park at the time of the vote.

At one point, Premier Doug Ford told the yelling crowd to "go find a job."

It is one of several bills the government has fast-tracked this fall legislative session. It skipped the committee stage altogether.

"This government has ignored public opinion and denied us a voice," said Alejandra Ruiz-Vargas, president of ACORN Canada.

"Bill 60 will worsen homelessness, the mental-health crisis and despair across the province."

They said the bill would accelerate evictions and strip tenants of their ability to defend themselves.

Shouts and chants rained down upon politicians at the Ontario legislature Monday as the government passed a housing bill that critics say makes it easier for landlords to evict tenants.

"People over profits," members of ACORN Canada, a tenant advocacy group, chanted from the public gallery at Queen's Park at the time of the vote.

At one point, Premier Doug Ford told the yelling crowd to "go find a job."

It is one of several bills the government has fast-tracked this fall legislative session. It skipped the committee stage altogether.

"This government has ignored public opinion and denied us a voice," said Alejandra Ruiz-Vargas, president of ACORN Canada.

"Bill 60 will worsen homelessness, the mental-health crisis and despair across the province."

They said the bill would accelerate evictions and strip tenants of their ability to defend themselves.

Levoit Air Purifier Integration for ESPHome with link to github page below. Now I patiently wait for the Levoit 6000s Humidifier.

https://github.com/acvigue/esphome-levoit-air-purifier

Supported models:

• Levoit Core 200s
• Levoit Core 300s
• Levoit Core 400s

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/37966032

The Doug Ford government wants to give itself the power to dictate more of the rules around how Ontario protects its drinking water.

The Ministry of Red Tape Reduction said the process in place to change the rules around drinking water is “overly complex and slow.” It said reforming that process will support housing construction and development, while keeping water safeguards in place.

But one expert said the move will take away power from local committees tasked with protecting their region’s water supply, centralizing it in the hands of the government.

The Doug Ford government wants to give itself the power to dictate more of the rules around how Ontario protects its drinking water.

The Ministry of Red Tape Reduction said the process in place to change the rules around drinking water is “overly complex and slow.” It said reforming that process will support housing construction and development, while keeping water safeguards in place.

But one expert said the move will take away power from local committees tasked with protecting their region’s water supply, centralizing it in the hands of the government.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/37000109

Hundreds of thousands of Highway Traffic Act (HTA) charges that were dropped last year are a sign Ontario’s justice system is failing to live up to its basic functions and puts Ontario on the road to “lawlessness,” said the province’s opposition justice critic.

NDP MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam urged that the provincial government provide more funding of the court system at a news conference outside the Toronto courthouses on Monday, to avoid further impacting road safety.

“Ontario’s justice system is failing its basic promises of fairness, timeliness, and public safety,” Wong-Tam said. “If there are no consequences to offenses, if there are no consequences to crimes committed, we become a land of lawlessness.”

Wong-Tam was responding to numbers uncovered in a CTV News and W5 investigation where more than one in ten HTA charges were dropped before trial.

That number rose from about 57,000 charges withdrawn in 2019 to about 253,000 charges withdrawn in 2024 – around 10 per cent of all charges.

In her news conference, Wong-Tam also added in charges that were dropped at trial for a grand total of 338,000, amounting to 13 per cent of all charges laid under the Act.

Some serious charges were withdrawn at greater rates, including: about 8,924 careless driving charges withdrawn, around 31 per cent of the total; 9,302 driving while suspended charges, or about 32 per cent of the total; and 5,464 stunt driving, nearly 42 per cent of the total.

One of the charges dropped include a driver running a stop sign on Shaw Street in Toronto and colliding with a cyclist. That such incident was caught on video with clear evidence, said Biking Lawyer David Shellnutt.

“The simple slap on the wrist of the Highway Traffic Act ticket and penalty is not even administered. How crushing is that to somebody who remains off work after being injured by someone?,” he said at the news conference.

Another of Shellnutt’s clients, Anna Pratt, said she had been hit while on her bike in 2022.

“I was really badly hurt. I had multiple fractures to my pelvis, in my sacrum, (and) I had a concussion,” Pratt said.

Pratt said she followed the charges laid closely, representing a “sliver of justice that was really important.” But the charges were dropped, she said, without warning.

“I really was beyond disappointed. I was upset. I was angry. And I really felt that I had been completely, completely ignored by the system.”

Trish MacKenzie, the CUPE Local 79 representative for the city’s prosecutors, said part of the problem is a “staffing crisis” in the prosecutors’ offices.

“We’re very concerned about this,” MacKenzie said, adding that there are unnecessary barriers to hiring more people.

“It’s been devastating to the morale of the office. Of course, people feel extremely burdened and overworked and stressed out. There has been difficulty with being able to simply get all the work done.”

An Ontario court judge also pointed the finger at a lack of a file management system to keep track of the volume of cases, saying that was why the system is in “shambles.”