Damien Moule
@damienmoule.bsky.social
Toronto municipal policy wonk, engineer, urbanist, father.
Consider donating to effective charities: https://www.givewell.org/
Consider donating to effective charities: https://www.givewell.org/
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Damien Moule
@damienmoule.bsky.social
· Nov 11
Hello to everyone who found me from a starter pack. For those who don't me, I write (mostly) about housing, urbanism, and Toronto municipal government policy. Here's a thread of some of my longer form writing over the last two years.
FFS. The City's instagram is now also using Perks' boast that most of the housing starts are City projects. This is a bad thing everyone. The housing market fell off a cliff and you're partly to blame. You shouldn't be boasting about it.
www.instagram.com/p/DRSUZ6lkYG...
www.instagram.com/p/DRSUZ6lkYG...
www.instagram.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:57 PM
FFS. The City's instagram is now also using Perks' boast that most of the housing starts are City projects. This is a bad thing everyone. The housing market fell off a cliff and you're partly to blame. You shouldn't be boasting about it.
www.instagram.com/p/DRSUZ6lkYG...
www.instagram.com/p/DRSUZ6lkYG...
Reposted by Damien Moule
New from me at TVO: Green P Delenda Est. www.tvo.org/article/anal...
TVO Today | Current Affairs Journalism, Documentaries and Podcasts
www.tvo.org
November 20, 2025 at 4:59 PM
New from me at TVO: Green P Delenda Est. www.tvo.org/article/anal...
Reposted by Damien Moule
It may be possible to recreate the effect of minimum lot sizes with lot frontage, depth, etc. but removing minimum lot area is a good start. No one should look at a min lot area of 8000 square metres and imagine that it's there for infrastructure or safety reasons. It's mansion zoning for exclusion.
November 20, 2025 at 1:25 PM
It may be possible to recreate the effect of minimum lot sizes with lot frontage, depth, etc. but removing minimum lot area is a good start. No one should look at a min lot area of 8000 square metres and imagine that it's there for infrastructure or safety reasons. It's mansion zoning for exclusion.
Since we're out here dismissing city boards for harmful organizations, can we dismiss the heritage preservation board before they can do more damage?
November 20, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Since we're out here dismissing city boards for harmful organizations, can we dismiss the heritage preservation board before they can do more damage?
Little noticed but as part of Bill 60 the provincial government in consulting on reducing or removing minimum lot size requirements. If they go through with it and do it right, it would be a big deal.
ero.ontario.ca/notice/025-1...
ero.ontario.ca/notice/025-1...
Consultation on Minimum Lot Sizes | Environmental Registry of Ontario
The government is seeking feedback to better understand the linkage between minimum lot sizes on urban residential lands and increased housing options and affordability.
ero.ontario.ca
November 19, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Little noticed but as part of Bill 60 the provincial government in consulting on reducing or removing minimum lot size requirements. If they go through with it and do it right, it would be a big deal.
ero.ontario.ca/notice/025-1...
ero.ontario.ca/notice/025-1...
Got some bone conducting headphones for running. Here's my two run review:
Positives: I can hear all the cars.
Negatives: I can hear all the cars.
Positives: I can hear all the cars.
Negatives: I can hear all the cars.
November 19, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Got some bone conducting headphones for running. Here's my two run review:
Positives: I can hear all the cars.
Negatives: I can hear all the cars.
Positives: I can hear all the cars.
Negatives: I can hear all the cars.
Reposted by Damien Moule
I think we need to revisit the fact that Council spent over a decade calling the $1m houses “middle class housing for normal people” and the $500k apartments “luxury housing for elites”
And then heaped extraordinary costs and obligations onto the latter in order to subsidize the former.
And then heaped extraordinary costs and obligations onto the latter in order to subsidize the former.
November 19, 2025 at 1:31 AM
I think we need to revisit the fact that Council spent over a decade calling the $1m houses “middle class housing for normal people” and the $500k apartments “luxury housing for elites”
And then heaped extraordinary costs and obligations onto the latter in order to subsidize the former.
And then heaped extraordinary costs and obligations onto the latter in order to subsidize the former.
This was last week from @mattyglesias.bsky.social and it seems correct to me.
November 19, 2025 at 12:18 AM
This was last week from @mattyglesias.bsky.social and it seems correct to me.
Mike Colle's AI generated version of people walking hand in hand in a plaza vs. reality. And since it's Mike Colle NIMBYism the instagram post starts of course with we don't need more condos.
November 18, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Mike Colle's AI generated version of people walking hand in hand in a plaza vs. reality. And since it's Mike Colle NIMBYism the instagram post starts of course with we don't need more condos.
Can we not add nearly 100 pages of design guidelines for development along each 2km stretch of road? Please?
secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
secure.toronto.ca
November 18, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Can we not add nearly 100 pages of design guidelines for development along each 2km stretch of road? Please?
secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...
If these were downtown they'd have all been smashed over by cars hopping the curb by now.
A literal row of bollards (over 2 dozen) for no apparent reason line a very short stretch of Victoria Park Ave.
And they're all vintage pre-amalgamation Metro Toronto stock.
#praisethebollard #Toronto #vintage @worldbollardassoc.bsky.social #bollard
And they're all vintage pre-amalgamation Metro Toronto stock.
#praisethebollard #Toronto #vintage @worldbollardassoc.bsky.social #bollard
November 18, 2025 at 5:47 PM
If these were downtown they'd have all been smashed over by cars hopping the curb by now.
I want to point that by this point in the debate the mayor's compromise motion was already introduced and Kandavel already knew there'd be no corner stores and carve out for Major streets in his ward. He got everything he wanted and still took to the floor to whine he was being treated unfairly.
Creating a caricature of your critics in order to dodge responsibility for the negative consequences of your votes is the real immaturity here. If you don't want to be held accountable for the way your votes affect Toronto, maybe councillor isn't the right job for you.
November 18, 2025 at 1:42 PM
I want to point that by this point in the debate the mayor's compromise motion was already introduced and Kandavel already knew there'd be no corner stores and carve out for Major streets in his ward. He got everything he wanted and still took to the floor to whine he was being treated unfairly.
Reposted by Damien Moule
Creating a caricature of your critics in order to dodge responsibility for the negative consequences of your votes is the real immaturity here. If you don't want to be held accountable for the way your votes affect Toronto, maybe councillor isn't the right job for you.
November 18, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Creating a caricature of your critics in order to dodge responsibility for the negative consequences of your votes is the real immaturity here. If you don't want to be held accountable for the way your votes affect Toronto, maybe councillor isn't the right job for you.
Reposted by Damien Moule
" It's just ***an additional 5-feet separation/maintenance offset, a minimum vertical clearance requirement of 24’-0” and modifications to the collision loads as defined in The Design Criteria Manual*** Michael.
What could it cost? $42 million?"
What could it cost? $42 million?"
a woman is sitting at a table in a living room talking to a man .
ALT: a woman is sitting at a table in a living room talking to a man .
media.tenor.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:19 PM
" It's just ***an additional 5-feet separation/maintenance offset, a minimum vertical clearance requirement of 24’-0” and modifications to the collision loads as defined in The Design Criteria Manual*** Michael.
What could it cost? $42 million?"
What could it cost? $42 million?"
The enormous progress in reducing global poverty was led by increases in income to a large number of countries all over the world. But to make further progress, we'll need to figure out what to do in the remaining countries that have seen no significant growth for a long time.
November 17, 2025 at 5:13 PM
The enormous progress in reducing global poverty was led by increases in income to a large number of countries all over the world. But to make further progress, we'll need to figure out what to do in the remaining countries that have seen no significant growth for a long time.
Reposted by Damien Moule
"zoning isn't a constraint in Toronto, the business cycle is"
in a catastrophic housing market a project near my house happens to be inside the recently-designated major transit station area and when the new policy came into effect this summer the developer re-applied for 22 more storeys
zoning!
in a catastrophic housing market a project near my house happens to be inside the recently-designated major transit station area and when the new policy came into effect this summer the developer re-applied for 22 more storeys
zoning!
November 17, 2025 at 3:21 PM
"zoning isn't a constraint in Toronto, the business cycle is"
in a catastrophic housing market a project near my house happens to be inside the recently-designated major transit station area and when the new policy came into effect this summer the developer re-applied for 22 more storeys
zoning!
in a catastrophic housing market a project near my house happens to be inside the recently-designated major transit station area and when the new policy came into effect this summer the developer re-applied for 22 more storeys
zoning!
Calgary and Edmonton both updated their zoning last year to try and plan for the next generation. Calgary is now back tracking. Interested to see if a (larger) price difference starts to develop between the two.
The NIMBYs that won Calgary's municipal election last month are going to roll back last year's new zoning by-law.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Push to repeal blanket rezoning in Calgary takes next step Monday | CBC News
Six councillors and Calgary's mayor have sponsored a motion to repeal blanket rezoning, a policy that has proved divisive since it was passed by the last council. The executive committee will hear the...
www.cbc.ca
November 17, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Calgary and Edmonton both updated their zoning last year to try and plan for the next generation. Calgary is now back tracking. Interested to see if a (larger) price difference starts to develop between the two.
The NIMBYs that won Calgary's municipal election last month are going to roll back last year's new zoning by-law.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Push to repeal blanket rezoning in Calgary takes next step Monday | CBC News
Six councillors and Calgary's mayor have sponsored a motion to repeal blanket rezoning, a policy that has proved divisive since it was passed by the last council. The executive committee will hear the...
www.cbc.ca
November 16, 2025 at 8:41 PM
The NIMBYs that won Calgary's municipal election last month are going to roll back last year's new zoning by-law.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Dear casting directors: if you're going to cast someone as a baseball player and show them pitching a baseball on-screen, please make sure they can actually throw a baseball. I'm talking to you Poker Face.
November 16, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Dear casting directors: if you're going to cast someone as a baseball player and show them pitching a baseball on-screen, please make sure they can actually throw a baseball. I'm talking to you Poker Face.
My question is: they knew Holyday would vote no regardless of what they did (and he did), so why did they carve out any major streets in Etobicoke Centre?
Marked up the Neighbourhood Retail major streets map to try and track the carve-outs from yesterday's Toronto Council vote (secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...).
It's the green highlighted areas with underlying yellow which represents current residential zoning. I don't vouch for it's accuracy.
It's the green highlighted areas with underlying yellow which represents current residential zoning. I don't vouch for it's accuracy.
November 16, 2025 at 12:31 PM
My question is: they knew Holyday would vote no regardless of what they did (and he did), so why did they carve out any major streets in Etobicoke Centre?
I have seen some on Toronto's right immediately go full tinfoil hat on this and I am just going to sit back and enjoy while they spin their wheels trying to make control of the board of the TPA an election issue that anyone cares about.
Mayor Olivia Chow's motion to dissolve the TPA Board and conduct a governance review CARRIES 15-4.
November 14, 2025 at 6:30 PM
I have seen some on Toronto's right immediately go full tinfoil hat on this and I am just going to sit back and enjoy while they spin their wheels trying to make control of the board of the TPA an election issue that anyone cares about.
Reposted by Damien Moule
This will not be news to regular readers, but it's worth noting whenever Toronto council debates housing (or transportation or neighbourhood amenities) that just three of the 25 wards absorbed three-quarters of the city's population growth between 2016 and 2021
November 14, 2025 at 5:07 PM
This will not be news to regular readers, but it's worth noting whenever Toronto council debates housing (or transportation or neighbourhood amenities) that just three of the 25 wards absorbed three-quarters of the city's population growth between 2016 and 2021
Shoutout to my favourite local neighbourhood retail place, UFO, the Vietnamese restaurant/convenience store. Congratulations on going from legal non-conforming to legal slightly-less-non-conforming.
November 14, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Shoutout to my favourite local neighbourhood retail place, UFO, the Vietnamese restaurant/convenience store. Congratulations on going from legal non-conforming to legal slightly-less-non-conforming.
Streets I'm most excited to see what happens to following neighbourhood retail permissions:
Lansdowne, Dufferin south of Bloor, Annette, Harbord, Royal York around Bloor, Dupont, Dundas East, Broadview south of Danforth, Jones, Mortimer, Weston, Woodbine.
Lansdowne, Dufferin south of Bloor, Annette, Harbord, Royal York around Bloor, Dupont, Dundas East, Broadview south of Danforth, Jones, Mortimer, Weston, Woodbine.
November 14, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Streets I'm most excited to see what happens to following neighbourhood retail permissions:
Lansdowne, Dufferin south of Bloor, Annette, Harbord, Royal York around Bloor, Dupont, Dundas East, Broadview south of Danforth, Jones, Mortimer, Weston, Woodbine.
Lansdowne, Dufferin south of Bloor, Annette, Harbord, Royal York around Bloor, Dupont, Dundas East, Broadview south of Danforth, Jones, Mortimer, Weston, Woodbine.
Two funny (to me) consequences of neighbourhood retail:
-The west side of Roncy now allows retail after it was considered impossible for years
-The eastern side of Parkside now also allows retail, further complicating everything going on with that road.
-The west side of Roncy now allows retail after it was considered impossible for years
-The eastern side of Parkside now also allows retail, further complicating everything going on with that road.
November 14, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Two funny (to me) consequences of neighbourhood retail:
-The west side of Roncy now allows retail after it was considered impossible for years
-The eastern side of Parkside now also allows retail, further complicating everything going on with that road.
-The west side of Roncy now allows retail after it was considered impossible for years
-The eastern side of Parkside now also allows retail, further complicating everything going on with that road.