George Milbrandt
@georgemilbrandt.bsky.social
Old Town Toronto business owner and resident. Democracy is too important to be left to politicians alone; make your corner of the world a better place.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
My Christmas wish is that one day our sidewalks will be as wide as our trucks.🎄🎅
December 21, 2025 at 4:02 PM
My Christmas wish is that one day our sidewalks will be as wide as our trucks.🎄🎅
Reposted by George Milbrandt
Pedestrianized streets, when designed well, are year-round fun and animated spaces that are good for small businesses and meaningfully contribute to our quality of life.
December 23, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Pedestrianized streets, when designed well, are year-round fun and animated spaces that are good for small businesses and meaningfully contribute to our quality of life.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
Two powerful letters in the Toronto Star make it clear.
Canada’s real nation building project is not pipelines but a healthy democracy.
Proportional representation would strengthen our country now and for generations to come.
Canada’s real nation building project is not pipelines but a healthy democracy.
Proportional representation would strengthen our country now and for generations to come.
October 26, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Two powerful letters in the Toronto Star make it clear.
Canada’s real nation building project is not pipelines but a healthy democracy.
Proportional representation would strengthen our country now and for generations to come.
Canada’s real nation building project is not pipelines but a healthy democracy.
Proportional representation would strengthen our country now and for generations to come.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
"As the Americans sacrificed 700,000 of their young men on the killing fields of Antietam and Cold Harbor, the Canadian colonists were figuring out how to knit a new nation together despite their divides." / "(Former comrades) resented how the rabble rouser had turned compromiser."
In an age of toxic rhetoric and escalating political violence we need to conjure the spirit of D'Arcy McGee.
He gave his life for the principle that our nation will survive if we focus on what binds us rather than on what divides.
charlieangus.substack.com/p/rethinking...
He gave his life for the principle that our nation will survive if we focus on what binds us rather than on what divides.
charlieangus.substack.com/p/rethinking...
Rethinking D’Arcy McGee in a Age of Political Violence
As the world watches the frightening spiral of political violence in the United States, I have found myself thinking a great deal about D’Arcy McGee.
charlieangus.substack.com
September 28, 2025 at 10:43 PM
"As the Americans sacrificed 700,000 of their young men on the killing fields of Antietam and Cold Harbor, the Canadian colonists were figuring out how to knit a new nation together despite their divides." / "(Former comrades) resented how the rabble rouser had turned compromiser."
Reposted by George Milbrandt
You can be a “car guy” and not like car dependency. You can be a “car guy” and get that too many cars in cities is bad for everyone, including drivers. You can be a “car guy” and be tired of lies & manipulations like “the war on cars.” You can be a “car guy” and know more choice means more freedom.
September 22, 2025 at 8:26 PM
You can be a “car guy” and not like car dependency. You can be a “car guy” and get that too many cars in cities is bad for everyone, including drivers. You can be a “car guy” and be tired of lies & manipulations like “the war on cars.” You can be a “car guy” and know more choice means more freedom.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
For whoever becomes the new Ontario Liberal leader: your first order of business must be demanding a proportional system so no party ends up with only 11% of the seats with 30% of the vote again.
That's how democracy should be.
That's how democracy should be.
September 15, 2025 at 6:21 PM
For whoever becomes the new Ontario Liberal leader: your first order of business must be demanding a proportional system so no party ends up with only 11% of the seats with 30% of the vote again.
That's how democracy should be.
That's how democracy should be.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
Humaniser les rues pour les citoyens et le liant social – plutôt que privilégier la fluidité automobile et les « besoins » de celle-ci, et on obtient de la vie, de la beauté dont nos villes ont besoin pour la pérennité du bien commun. La convivialité piétonne est l'inverse de l'hostilité automobile.
One of the most successful pedestrian streets in the world, the Strøget in Copenhagen, was filled with cars until a 2 year pedestrianization pilot project in 1962. The opposition argued “no cars means no business,” but the street has been a massive retail success, the city’s busiest shopping street.
August 31, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Humaniser les rues pour les citoyens et le liant social – plutôt que privilégier la fluidité automobile et les « besoins » de celle-ci, et on obtient de la vie, de la beauté dont nos villes ont besoin pour la pérennité du bien commun. La convivialité piétonne est l'inverse de l'hostilité automobile.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
"People are already coming to Wasaga. That’s a gift and the town has something very special to capitalize on without giving up any precious provincial land. Yet a sell off is very much of a piece for the Ford government, one that ranges from the Greenbelt to Ontario Place."
#OnPoli
#OnPoli
This weekend I wrote about Doug Ford’s plan to sell off a large chunk of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park. Exactly the opposite of what should be happening: parkland expansion.
Shawn Micallef: Doug Ford’s plan to sell off chunks of this popular beach threatens something we should hold dear
If Doug Ford wanted to create a real legacy, he’d start an aggressive expansion of public parkland in Ontario to keep up with its massive population.
www.thestar.com
August 2, 2025 at 8:19 PM
"People are already coming to Wasaga. That’s a gift and the town has something very special to capitalize on without giving up any precious provincial land. Yet a sell off is very much of a piece for the Ford government, one that ranges from the Greenbelt to Ontario Place."
#OnPoli
#OnPoli
Reposted by George Milbrandt
#HearThis
Beautiful opening procession for the City of Toronto’s celebration of Emancipation Month before the raising of the Black Liberation Flag
This year’s theme, “Nou La” or We are here”, celebrates the Haitian community and Black Francophone excellence.
Beautiful opening procession for the City of Toronto’s celebration of Emancipation Month before the raising of the Black Liberation Flag
This year’s theme, “Nou La” or We are here”, celebrates the Haitian community and Black Francophone excellence.
August 1, 2025 at 5:54 PM
#HearThis
Beautiful opening procession for the City of Toronto’s celebration of Emancipation Month before the raising of the Black Liberation Flag
This year’s theme, “Nou La” or We are here”, celebrates the Haitian community and Black Francophone excellence.
Beautiful opening procession for the City of Toronto’s celebration of Emancipation Month before the raising of the Black Liberation Flag
This year’s theme, “Nou La” or We are here”, celebrates the Haitian community and Black Francophone excellence.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
Bike investment vs. car investment.
July 27, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Bike investment vs. car investment.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
Car-people and bike-people want the same thing. Fewer cars on the streets.
Read this — “I’m a car guy. But I’m also an advocate for public transportation, bike lanes and safer streets. Most readers might do a double take at that statement…”
“Car enthusiasm is not and must not be confused for car dependency.“
Via @usa.streetsblog.org
“Car enthusiasm is not and must not be confused for car dependency.“
Via @usa.streetsblog.org
Guest Column: Car Enthusiasts Can Be Allies In Transportation Decarbonization - Streetsblog Massachusetts
I’m a car guy. But I’m also an advocate for public transportation, bike lanes and safer streets. Most readers might do a double take at that statement, or shake their heads at the idea that car enthu...
mass.streetsblog.org
July 14, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Car-people and bike-people want the same thing. Fewer cars on the streets.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
RapidTO "compromise": "There are always reasonable design solutns ...but why is the economic hit taken by 35,000 people stuck on Bathurst buses each day not given similar weight+consideration as the relatively few businesses that complain?" @shawnmicallef.bsky.social
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
Shawn Micallef: How Doug Ford and Metrolinx dimmed Toronto’s once-bright transit future
Neither the provincial transit agency nor its political boss has given any sign they want to transform the system so it works as good as the world’s best.
www.thestar.com
June 28, 2025 at 7:07 PM
RapidTO "compromise": "There are always reasonable design solutns ...but why is the economic hit taken by 35,000 people stuck on Bathurst buses each day not given similar weight+consideration as the relatively few businesses that complain?" @shawnmicallef.bsky.social
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
Reposted by George Milbrandt
The Beaverton is a fantastic parody account. And yet I 100% seriously support this idea.
Minister of International Trade says Canada should apply for EU membership: "Canada is only 19km from France."
Minister of International Trade says Canada should apply for EU membership: "Canada is only 19km from France."
OTTAWA - Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu has said Canada should pursue European Union membership as part of the government’s plan to diversify trade away from the United States.
www.thebeaverton.com
June 12, 2025 at 3:19 AM
The Beaverton is a fantastic parody account. And yet I 100% seriously support this idea.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
I am in Canada's Globe and Mail today with a piece on the fierce urgency of bus priority. Paywalled, alas.
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Opinion: Bus-only lanes can irritate drivers, but they help city dwellers share limited space
Urban life is all about making compromises so that we share limited space fairly
www.theglobeandmail.com
June 7, 2025 at 4:54 PM
I am in Canada's Globe and Mail today with a piece on the fierce urgency of bus priority. Paywalled, alas.
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Reposted by George Milbrandt
“So when engineers redesigned roads to be more forgiving…they didn’t realize something would happen. By making roads feel safer, they actually encountered drivers to driver more recklessly,” Justine Underhill
Cc: @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social @warontherocks.bsky.social @jessiesinger.bsky.social
Cc: @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social @warontherocks.bsky.social @jessiesinger.bsky.social
spent 3 months of my life making a video to respond to my neighbor who said that curb bump outs and traffic calming caused more crashes...
Full video here: youtu.be/v6LIYQRglnM
Full video here: youtu.be/v6LIYQRglnM
June 3, 2025 at 2:17 PM
“So when engineers redesigned roads to be more forgiving…they didn’t realize something would happen. By making roads feel safer, they actually encountered drivers to driver more recklessly,” Justine Underhill
Cc: @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social @warontherocks.bsky.social @jessiesinger.bsky.social
Cc: @ohtheurbanity.bsky.social @warontherocks.bsky.social @jessiesinger.bsky.social
Reposted by George Milbrandt
This is true. And even if you think this ISN’T the particular problem your city has, it’s always a safe bet that adding more car lanes still won’t solve whatever you think your problem is.
May 30, 2025 at 5:59 AM
This is true. And even if you think this ISN’T the particular problem your city has, it’s always a safe bet that adding more car lanes still won’t solve whatever you think your problem is.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
"Bike lanes restrict road space. Bike lanes have turned streets into parking lots, with residents unable to shop, get kids to events, and seriously impact emergency services & Wheel-Trans."
Actually, no. 100% wrong. Car dependency & too much driving with increasingly large vehicles does all that.
Actually, no. 100% wrong. Car dependency & too much driving with increasingly large vehicles does all that.
Bikeway construction on The Esplanade draws community controversy | CBC News
Some downtown residents say they are opposed to a bikeway on The Esplanade but the city of Toronto says more than half of respondents it consulted four years ago said they supported the project.
www.cbc.ca
May 29, 2025 at 4:00 AM
"Bike lanes restrict road space. Bike lanes have turned streets into parking lots, with residents unable to shop, get kids to events, and seriously impact emergency services & Wheel-Trans."
Actually, no. 100% wrong. Car dependency & too much driving with increasingly large vehicles does all that.
Actually, no. 100% wrong. Car dependency & too much driving with increasingly large vehicles does all that.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
The focus on ridiculous hypotheticals is frustrating too. Toronto and other cities have been adding bike lanes for many years now. Find me examples, with data, of streets that were economically devastated after an install. Surely there must be examples where all these dire warnings came true.
May 29, 2025 at 2:15 PM
The focus on ridiculous hypotheticals is frustrating too. Toronto and other cities have been adding bike lanes for many years now. Find me examples, with data, of streets that were economically devastated after an install. Surely there must be examples where all these dire warnings came true.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
The right way to fix Toronto Island Park: close the airport and link it to the city.
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/90421fe...
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/90421fe...
Airport to park: A bold vision for the Toronto Island
The Globe and Mail offers the most authoritative news in Canada, featuring national and international news
www.theglobeandmail.com
May 21, 2025 at 2:22 PM
The right way to fix Toronto Island Park: close the airport and link it to the city.
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/90421fe...
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/90421fe...
Reposted by George Milbrandt
If, my fellow Canadians, you need any further inspiration to continue to boycott all things American, and that includes actual America, it is vital that we, as a nation, collectively say “Fuck this guy.”
"It’s outrageous that you banned American products from your shelves": The U.S. Ambassador to Canada opened up about U.S.-Canada tensions and what he hopes to see from the new prime minister.
www.politico.com
May 16, 2025 at 10:20 PM
If, my fellow Canadians, you need any further inspiration to continue to boycott all things American, and that includes actual America, it is vital that we, as a nation, collectively say “Fuck this guy.”
Reposted by George Milbrandt
How tall is this Downtown Vancouver building?
The answer isn’t nearly as important as how well it’s designed. Street-lining shops and restaurants with outdoor seating, wide sidewalks, & a double row of street trees creating a “kissing canopy” overhead.
And that height above just means more homes.
The answer isn’t nearly as important as how well it’s designed. Street-lining shops and restaurants with outdoor seating, wide sidewalks, & a double row of street trees creating a “kissing canopy” overhead.
And that height above just means more homes.
May 16, 2025 at 8:41 PM
How tall is this Downtown Vancouver building?
The answer isn’t nearly as important as how well it’s designed. Street-lining shops and restaurants with outdoor seating, wide sidewalks, & a double row of street trees creating a “kissing canopy” overhead.
And that height above just means more homes.
The answer isn’t nearly as important as how well it’s designed. Street-lining shops and restaurants with outdoor seating, wide sidewalks, & a double row of street trees creating a “kissing canopy” overhead.
And that height above just means more homes.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
"a nice store window is inviting, attracting customers by blurring the visual line between inside and outside ... an opaque window has the opposite effect of an appealing one. It discourages walking and makes an area less attractive for shopping and lingering"
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...
Globe editorial: The opaque window of pot rules
Overall, a lighter hand of government is called for when it comes to cannabis
www.theglobeandmail.com
May 12, 2025 at 6:11 PM
"a nice store window is inviting, attracting customers by blurring the visual line between inside and outside ... an opaque window has the opposite effect of an appealing one. It discourages walking and makes an area less attractive for shopping and lingering"
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...
Reposted by George Milbrandt
Toronto too can have great design like this, but only if we sort out the governance. Initiatives like Green Streets have been stalled as Transportation Services, Toronto Water, Urban Forestry, Planning try to agree on who pays for and maintains them.
A clever stormwater grate. In the winter it’s turned to the snowflake symbol, which blocks salt-laden snow runoff from entering the bioswale. In summer it’s switched to the sun symbol to allow stormwater to flow into and irrigate the bioswale. (Bryggervangen “climate street” in Copenhagen by SLA).
May 13, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Toronto too can have great design like this, but only if we sort out the governance. Initiatives like Green Streets have been stalled as Transportation Services, Toronto Water, Urban Forestry, Planning try to agree on who pays for and maintains them.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
“Faces of Islington” mural in Etobicoke by artist John Kuna, featuring images from 100 years of class photos from the local middle school.
May 6, 2025 at 11:32 AM
“Faces of Islington” mural in Etobicoke by artist John Kuna, featuring images from 100 years of class photos from the local middle school.
Reposted by George Milbrandt
