Steve Lafleur
@stevelafleur.bsky.social
Research Director, Building New Foundations for Economic Growth program @IRPP. 🇨🇦
Pinned
Steve Lafleur
@stevelafleur.bsky.social
· Nov 26
I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by social media.
Since Donnie is ranting about Obama getting a raw deal by *checks notes* getting Canada to pay for the entirety of the Ambassador Bridge, I figured I'd share what I wrote about it in 2012, which I guess with hindsight was right for the wrong reasons.
nationalpost.com/opinion/stev...
nationalpost.com/opinion/stev...
Steve Lafleur: There’s no such thing as a free bridge
The $4-billion earmarked for a new Detroit-Windsor span could instead be used to improve highways all over Canada.
nationalpost.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:24 AM
Since Donnie is ranting about Obama getting a raw deal by *checks notes* getting Canada to pay for the entirety of the Ambassador Bridge, I figured I'd share what I wrote about it in 2012, which I guess with hindsight was right for the wrong reasons.
nationalpost.com/opinion/stev...
nationalpost.com/opinion/stev...
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
30+ states have now adopted policies to boost housing production. Which means exciting opportunities for researchers to study these policies' effectiveness. Some guidance from me, via @niskanencenter.bsky.social, on how to design good state policy evaluations:
www.niskanencenter.org/how-to-evalu...
www.niskanencenter.org/how-to-evalu...
How to evaluate state pro-housing policies: Mind the empirical pitfalls - Niskanen Center
As more state legislatures become laboratories of housing policy experimentation, social science researchers have once-in-a-generation opportunities to evaluate how pro-housing policies are working in...
www.niskanencenter.org
February 9, 2026 at 7:42 PM
30+ states have now adopted policies to boost housing production. Which means exciting opportunities for researchers to study these policies' effectiveness. Some guidance from me, via @niskanencenter.bsky.social, on how to design good state policy evaluations:
www.niskanencenter.org/how-to-evalu...
www.niskanencenter.org/how-to-evalu...
MAGA should be grateful the halftime band wasn't singing in English, given the mood of musicians right now....
youtu.be/qQoIMwLXZ9I?...
youtu.be/qQoIMwLXZ9I?...
GRAMMYs Performance live - War Pigs | Post Malone, Slash, Duff McKagan, Chad Smith & Andrew Watt
YouTube video by Elzo Henschell
youtu.be
February 9, 2026 at 5:02 AM
MAGA should be grateful the halftime band wasn't singing in English, given the mood of musicians right now....
youtu.be/qQoIMwLXZ9I?...
youtu.be/qQoIMwLXZ9I?...
Me (not a football guy): think I'll order dinner right now.
Delivery app: how's Thursday?
Delivery app: how's Thursday?
February 9, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Me (not a football guy): think I'll order dinner right now.
Delivery app: how's Thursday?
Delivery app: how's Thursday?
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
Here’s the situation in the Twin Cities:
Random Bovino-style tear-gassing: Way down
Relentless persecution of immigrants: Unchanged
Thuggish violence against observers: Way up
Random Bovino-style tear-gassing: Way down
Relentless persecution of immigrants: Unchanged
Thuggish violence against observers: Way up
February 8, 2026 at 9:30 PM
Here’s the situation in the Twin Cities:
Random Bovino-style tear-gassing: Way down
Relentless persecution of immigrants: Unchanged
Thuggish violence against observers: Way up
Random Bovino-style tear-gassing: Way down
Relentless persecution of immigrants: Unchanged
Thuggish violence against observers: Way up
The vibes around the Eglinton Crosstown opening are much better than the Finch LRT launch, which is the opposite of what I expected.
February 8, 2026 at 3:37 PM
The vibes around the Eglinton Crosstown opening are much better than the Finch LRT launch, which is the opposite of what I expected.
It's not official until it triggers TTC alerts. 😅
Line 5 Eglinton Regular service has resumed westbound at O'Connor station.
February 8, 2026 at 2:07 PM
It's not official until it triggers TTC alerts. 😅
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
NEW: "Trump’s portrayal of the Haitian community’s role in society is way off....It is difficult to imagine what care for seniors and people with disabilities would even look like without a large immigrant component."
www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-atta...
www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-atta...
Why Trump’s Attack on Refugees Could Hurt Grandma
It’s immigrants from ‘shithole’ countries who care of our elderly, and nobody’s lining up to take their place.
www.thebulwark.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:47 PM
NEW: "Trump’s portrayal of the Haitian community’s role in society is way off....It is difficult to imagine what care for seniors and people with disabilities would even look like without a large immigrant component."
www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-atta...
www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-atta...
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
Thank God it's a lot faster than Finch.
It is like 7:00 a.m. on a Sunday but this feels properly quick.
I'm happy.
It is like 7:00 a.m. on a Sunday but this feels properly quick.
I'm happy.
February 8, 2026 at 12:46 PM
Thank God it's a lot faster than Finch.
It is like 7:00 a.m. on a Sunday but this feels properly quick.
I'm happy.
It is like 7:00 a.m. on a Sunday but this feels properly quick.
I'm happy.
I really need America to go back to being actually great again6 so I can try this sandwich without getting abducted by some masked schlubs and shipped to El Savador.
youtu.be/2nFdWjuMrDI?...
youtu.be/2nFdWjuMrDI?...
The Unofficial Sandwich of Harlem | Sandwich City | NYT Cooking
YouTube video by NYT Cooking
youtu.be
February 8, 2026 at 4:02 AM
I really need America to go back to being actually great again6 so I can try this sandwich without getting abducted by some masked schlubs and shipped to El Savador.
youtu.be/2nFdWjuMrDI?...
youtu.be/2nFdWjuMrDI?...
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
SEN. OSSOFF: “.. why are roving gangs of masked men — who look like they couldn’t pass the Army physical exam — dressed up like pretend Delta Force operators, on our streets, demanding papers, dragging people from their cars, and shooting people to death?”
@acyn.bsky.social
@acyn.bsky.social
February 7, 2026 at 7:38 PM
SEN. OSSOFF: “.. why are roving gangs of masked men — who look like they couldn’t pass the Army physical exam — dressed up like pretend Delta Force operators, on our streets, demanding papers, dragging people from their cars, and shooting people to death?”
@acyn.bsky.social
@acyn.bsky.social
I need America to go back to being America again so I can tweet about how to get stuff built rather than just amplifying people trying to put out the fire next door.
February 7, 2026 at 8:30 PM
I need America to go back to being America again so I can tweet about how to get stuff built rather than just amplifying people trying to put out the fire next door.
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
ICE told nurses this Minneapolis man “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.”
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
February 7, 2026 at 5:54 PM
ICE told nurses this Minneapolis man “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.”
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
ICE has grabbed so many people from their vehicles that there are abandoned cars across Minnesota.
This tow truck driver returns the cars for free as a public service, and he’s been getting death threats.
They hate the helpers.
Which is why must keep helping.
This tow truck driver returns the cars for free as a public service, and he’s been getting death threats.
They hate the helpers.
Which is why must keep helping.
Twin Cities tow truck driver returns abandoned vehicles to families after ICE arrests
Juan Leon sends a "chase" car to check out where abandoned vehicles are located and arranges discreet drop-offs. Since late December, he estimated they have dropped off 250 cars.
www.cbsnews.com
February 7, 2026 at 5:30 AM
ICE has grabbed so many people from their vehicles that there are abandoned cars across Minnesota.
This tow truck driver returns the cars for free as a public service, and he’s been getting death threats.
They hate the helpers.
Which is why must keep helping.
This tow truck driver returns the cars for free as a public service, and he’s been getting death threats.
They hate the helpers.
Which is why must keep helping.
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
You should read this. It is the type of detail that experts in authoritarian regimes see as telling.
In this case, state agents are offered impunity from higher ups, and the legal system is rendered inoperative as a mode of accountability.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
In this case, state agents are offered impunity from higher ups, and the legal system is rendered inoperative as a mode of accountability.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
Prosecutors Began Investigating Renee Good’s Killing. Washington Told Them to Stop.
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:47 PM
You should read this. It is the type of detail that experts in authoritarian regimes see as telling.
In this case, state agents are offered impunity from higher ups, and the legal system is rendered inoperative as a mode of accountability.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
In this case, state agents are offered impunity from higher ups, and the legal system is rendered inoperative as a mode of accountability.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
By the way, for those of you not in MN: Homan’s strategy was to withdraw some agents, so it felt like we were in the denouement of the crisis, and then escalate hard against observers. They’re being incredibly aggressive with observers now. National media may not want to check out just yet
February 7, 2026 at 3:38 AM
By the way, for those of you not in MN: Homan’s strategy was to withdraw some agents, so it felt like we were in the denouement of the crisis, and then escalate hard against observers. They’re being incredibly aggressive with observers now. National media may not want to check out just yet
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
Tuberculosis has been circulating in ICE prisons for months. I wrote it back in August and there is no doubt in my mind that there are way more outbreaks than we're aware of. We have to get people out of these camps.
Tuberculosis Spawning in Crowded, Dirty ICE Detention Centers - The American Prospect
Doctors and medical researchers expect more outbreaks of infectious disease as the Trump administration crams thousands more people into miserable conditions.
prospect.org
February 6, 2026 at 11:17 PM
Tuberculosis has been circulating in ICE prisons for months. I wrote it back in August and there is no doubt in my mind that there are way more outbreaks than we're aware of. We have to get people out of these camps.
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
if you spend any significant amount of time on X the everything app, your brain is being cooked
February 6, 2026 at 2:56 PM
if you spend any significant amount of time on X the everything app, your brain is being cooked
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
Every day
Trump: [says something absolutely horrible]
Media: Why did the president say that
WH: Obviously the president didn't say that
Trump: Yes I did
WH: Ah well nevertheless
Trump: [says something absolutely horrible]
Media: Why did the president say that
WH: Obviously the president didn't say that
Trump: Yes I did
WH: Ah well nevertheless
NEW STORY: Trump admits he was the one who found the video and asked that it be posted from his Truth Social account. Refuses to apologize.
February 7, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Every day
Trump: [says something absolutely horrible]
Media: Why did the president say that
WH: Obviously the president didn't say that
Trump: Yes I did
WH: Ah well nevertheless
Trump: [says something absolutely horrible]
Media: Why did the president say that
WH: Obviously the president didn't say that
Trump: Yes I did
WH: Ah well nevertheless
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
I sincerely hope that JD Vance gets this reaction every single place he goes.
Vice President JD Vance gets roundly booed at the opening ceremony of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympics. "Those are a lot of boos for him, whistling jeering," says the presenter. US athletes receive a warm welcome from fans, though.
February 6, 2026 at 9:34 PM
I sincerely hope that JD Vance gets this reaction every single place he goes.
Let's say this is true. That would mean that random staffers have the ability to tweet from his account unsupervised. An account that moves financial markets, not to mention geopolitics. Seems bad!
Trump now claims it was a "staffer" who posted that racist crap this morning...Sure, Jan.
Join me and @daniellemoodie.bsky.social at 2 pm ET on Substack for a Live discussion!
open.substack.com/live-stream/...
Join me and @daniellemoodie.bsky.social at 2 pm ET on Substack for a Live discussion!
open.substack.com/live-stream/...
LIVE SOON: Racist Covfefe from Racist Convicted Felon Trump: A Live with Danielle Moodie
Starting Feb 6 at 2:00 PM EST
open.substack.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:49 PM
Let's say this is true. That would mean that random staffers have the ability to tweet from his account unsupervised. An account that moves financial markets, not to mention geopolitics. Seems bad!
Reposted by Steve Lafleur
TL;DR Donald Trump is blackmailing the country in exchange for naming rights
Trump wanted Dulles Airport and Penn Station named after him as condition of releasing rail tunnel funds
Funding for the Gateway Project has been held up since October.
www.politico.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:53 PM
TL;DR Donald Trump is blackmailing the country in exchange for naming rights
