Henrik Bechmann (Toronto) 🇨🇦 #staywoke
@henrikbechmann.bsky.social
Retired software dev. he/him.
I sometimes discuss City of Toronto budget design and support issues.
IMO government is a collective enterprise, and should be fully transparent and forcefully managed for all, and for the health of the planet.
I sometimes discuss City of Toronto budget design and support issues.
IMO government is a collective enterprise, and should be fully transparent and forcefully managed for all, and for the health of the planet.
City of Toronto Financial Planning Division has obviously abandoned its open sourcing of City of Toronto budgets.
Too bad because there was a lot of interesting detail in there.
OTOH the open source spreadsheet hasn't balanced for years (in spite of my notifying them), and it has a lot of ...
Too bad because there was a lot of interesting detail in there.
OTOH the open source spreadsheet hasn't balanced for years (in spite of my notifying them), and it has a lot of ...
November 6, 2025 at 4:05 PM
City of Toronto Financial Planning Division has obviously abandoned its open sourcing of City of Toronto budgets.
Too bad because there was a lot of interesting detail in there.
OTOH the open source spreadsheet hasn't balanced for years (in spite of my notifying them), and it has a lot of ...
Too bad because there was a lot of interesting detail in there.
OTOH the open source spreadsheet hasn't balanced for years (in spite of my notifying them), and it has a lot of ...
Here is Mamdani and his family
November 5, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Here is Mamdani and his family
This chart jumped out at me. Black unemployment much higher than average.
October 22, 2025 at 1:17 PM
This chart jumped out at me. Black unemployment much higher than average.
September 21, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Dressed for fall.
September 20, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Dressed for fall.
Also read @zey.bsky.social Zeynep Tufekci
September 10, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Also read @zey.bsky.social Zeynep Tufekci
I mean... beautiful, elegant, sexy, and muted, all at the same time.
Plus she's gaining more and more respect. See reviews of her role in Christy, which earned her a standing ovation at TIFF.
One of a kind.
Good for her.
Plus she's gaining more and more respect. See reviews of her role in Christy, which earned her a standing ovation at TIFF.
One of a kind.
Good for her.
September 9, 2025 at 9:54 PM
I mean... beautiful, elegant, sexy, and muted, all at the same time.
Plus she's gaining more and more respect. See reviews of her role in Christy, which earned her a standing ovation at TIFF.
One of a kind.
Good for her.
Plus she's gaining more and more respect. See reviews of her role in Christy, which earned her a standing ovation at TIFF.
One of a kind.
Good for her.
Here's an example of cash hoarding. Op budget ~$150M. Actual ~$2B. (from www.toronto.ca/wp-content/u... p.8) Been happening every year for many years now. The staff know this; it's got to be deliberate.
The staff comment on this is that it's "driven" by cap costs. ie. cash diverted from op to cap.
The staff comment on this is that it's "driven" by cap costs. ie. cash diverted from op to cap.
September 8, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Here's an example of cash hoarding. Op budget ~$150M. Actual ~$2B. (from www.toronto.ca/wp-content/u... p.8) Been happening every year for many years now. The staff know this; it's got to be deliberate.
The staff comment on this is that it's "driven" by cap costs. ie. cash diverted from op to cap.
The staff comment on this is that it's "driven" by cap costs. ie. cash diverted from op to cap.
So I think we can add management problems to the mix. As long as you go through the motions (policies and procedures), you're off the hook (until you're not).
Thankfully TTC capital variance was pretty good recently, so maybe some improvement.
Thankfully TTC capital variance was pretty good recently, so maybe some improvement.
September 8, 2025 at 1:03 PM
So I think we can add management problems to the mix. As long as you go through the motions (policies and procedures), you're off the hook (until you're not).
Thankfully TTC capital variance was pretty good recently, so maybe some improvement.
Thankfully TTC capital variance was pretty good recently, so maybe some improvement.
Do you remember when Chris Murray, previous City Manager, was appalled when the TTC capital investment plan jumped from ~$10B in 2018 to ~$33.5B in 2019? (The latter number from Steve Munro). A variance of >300%. As an engineer you must be impressed (in a bad way) by that.
September 8, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Do you remember when Chris Murray, previous City Manager, was appalled when the TTC capital investment plan jumped from ~$10B in 2018 to ~$33.5B in 2019? (The latter number from Steve Munro). A variance of >300%. As an engineer you must be impressed (in a bad way) by that.
Breakfast:
- home made flatbread*
topped with
- sour cream
- blueberries
- real maple syrup
*flatbread made with chickpea flour, and bits of cumin, chilli flakes, salt; leavened with baking powder.
Really good.
- home made flatbread*
topped with
- sour cream
- blueberries
- real maple syrup
*flatbread made with chickpea flour, and bits of cumin, chilli flakes, salt; leavened with baking powder.
Really good.
September 7, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Breakfast:
- home made flatbread*
topped with
- sour cream
- blueberries
- real maple syrup
*flatbread made with chickpea flour, and bits of cumin, chilli flakes, salt; leavened with baking powder.
Really good.
- home made flatbread*
topped with
- sour cream
- blueberries
- real maple syrup
*flatbread made with chickpea flour, and bits of cumin, chilli flakes, salt; leavened with baking powder.
Really good.
August 29, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Well, I'm 75 today. I'm pretty sure that means I'm an oldster now. 😉
August 23, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Well, I'm 75 today. I'm pretty sure that means I'm an oldster now. 😉
Wildfires in Canada right now.
Thanks to this interesting CBC dashboard.
newsinteractives.cbc.ca/features/202...
Thanks to this interesting CBC dashboard.
newsinteractives.cbc.ca/features/202...
August 11, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Wildfires in Canada right now.
Thanks to this interesting CBC dashboard.
newsinteractives.cbc.ca/features/202...
Thanks to this interesting CBC dashboard.
newsinteractives.cbc.ca/features/202...
Changing priorities, and probably reduced (multi-layered) confidence.
"Housing affordability is a big contributor to the decrease in fertility that we are seeing," Western University sociology professor Kate Choi told Global News.
"Housing affordability is a big contributor to the decrease in fertility that we are seeing," Western University sociology professor Kate Choi told Global News.
July 25, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Changing priorities, and probably reduced (multi-layered) confidence.
"Housing affordability is a big contributor to the decrease in fertility that we are seeing," Western University sociology professor Kate Choi told Global News.
"Housing affordability is a big contributor to the decrease in fertility that we are seeing," Western University sociology professor Kate Choi told Global News.
Krugman: Enshittification and the Bitterness of Billionaire Bros
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/enshittifi...
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/enshittifi...
July 21, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Krugman: Enshittification and the Bitterness of Billionaire Bros
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/enshittifi...
paulkrugman.substack.com/p/enshittifi...
Back to the City operating variance reports.
There's an easy fix: normalize the budgets.
- Isolate internal cash transfers
- separate debt principal and interest (principal is internal)
- use standard accounting offsets for recoveries and discounts
Here's an image from one of my articles/10
There's an easy fix: normalize the budgets.
- Isolate internal cash transfers
- separate debt principal and interest (principal is internal)
- use standard accounting offsets for recoveries and discounts
Here's an image from one of my articles/10
July 9, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Back to the City operating variance reports.
There's an easy fix: normalize the budgets.
- Isolate internal cash transfers
- separate debt principal and interest (principal is internal)
- use standard accounting offsets for recoveries and discounts
Here's an image from one of my articles/10
There's an easy fix: normalize the budgets.
- Isolate internal cash transfers
- separate debt principal and interest (principal is internal)
- use standard accounting offsets for recoveries and discounts
Here's an image from one of my articles/10
In the agenda for the TO audited statements, Stephen Conforti says
"The City’s accumulated surplus increased by $2,016 million from $32,730 million to $34,746 million. This change was driven by an increase of $2,564 million in tangible capital assets ..."
I think this is what he was talking about.
"The City’s accumulated surplus increased by $2,016 million from $32,730 million to $34,746 million. This change was driven by an increase of $2,564 million in tangible capital assets ..."
I think this is what he was talking about.
July 5, 2025 at 3:53 PM
In the agenda for the TO audited statements, Stephen Conforti says
"The City’s accumulated surplus increased by $2,016 million from $32,730 million to $34,746 million. This change was driven by an increase of $2,564 million in tangible capital assets ..."
I think this is what he was talking about.
"The City’s accumulated surplus increased by $2,016 million from $32,730 million to $34,746 million. This change was driven by an increase of $2,564 million in tangible capital assets ..."
I think this is what he was talking about.
Fashionable me, haha
May 30, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Fashionable me, haha
Very cool.
May 17, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Very cool.
May 8, 2025 at 2:51 PM
I think this is worth pondering once in a while...
May 3, 2025 at 12:32 PM
I think this is worth pondering once in a while...
Turnout 67%
April 29, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Turnout 67%