on a mission with @ericdlombardi
- Tweets 3,174
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- Likes 8,005
to understand canada, you must first understand that the best election modeller is a 17 year old in ottawa
2025 Canadian Federal Election by Polling Divisions:
I am the first person in Canada to make this, which took me 8 hours, and cleaning up the data alone took me 7 hours.
Please consider a like and repost!
Feel free to ask for any insets (zoom-ins)
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based on my research, i have come to the conclusion that everything is hard and requires a lot of work
therefore, you might as well work on things that are really fun and can one day be really big
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public services are for the public. when you let a small minority of bad actors behave poorly, good people at large will stop using them.
i stopped going to my local library because the last time i went, people were shooting up in front of the book section i needed. just an extremely unpleasant and unsafe experience.
i’ve also been on the streetcar during rush hour, and watch fare enforcement officers check everyone except for the obviously homeless people taking up entire sections with their stuff, while the everyone else is packed like sardines.
creating good public services means creating services that your average, hardworking citizen will want to use.
I am begging liberals and progressives to understand that compassion is not a reason to excuse anti-social behavior that undermines public safety.
We, as a society, once valued decorum so highly that a defining quote from our constitution is “Peace, *Order*, and Good Government”.
I have personally deputed at several, and otherwise supported every initiative to build more shelters in Toronto, and fight for systemic solutions to affordability.
I also know that we, as a society, can afford to shelter people. In fact, it would almost certainly save us money given the burdens it presently places on hospitals, etc. Especially for individuals who present recurring challenges and for whom more institutional solutions are necessary but still inadequate.
I will continue to support shelters, transitional housing, and compassionate involuntary rehab when needed with every chance that I get.
That said, I absolutely understand why neighbours oppose shelters etc. near them when their legitimate concerns for security are treated by many advocates as a form of prejudice. The gaslighting is fast becoming intolerable.
This person is not just “taking a nap”. And I promise the behavior of everyone nearby is to move away, less they experience threatening or erratic behavior that has *become a common experience for many of us on the TTC*.
Is it usually harmless in the end? Yes. But people shouldn’t need to wonder.
It also does a huge disservice to the dignity of many of those struggling with poverty and homelessness who nevertheless behave as good citizens.
It is corrosive when we allow people to believe their victimhood is an excuse for externalizing their problems to the broader public. And there is nobody in any circumstance where a modicum personal responsibility shouldn’t be expected.
And it is absolutely worth saying that the burden of all of this behavior falls the hardest on working and middle class people in our city who don’t have cars as an option.
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ok so the budget lockup. completely new concept for me, let alone experience.
it's this thing where, a couple hours before the budget goes live, a bunch of journalists and stakeholders get locked in a room with no internet or cell service to get a first look. they take your phone at the door and seal it in an envelope.
at 1pm, they go around and hand out usb sticks with the budget on it. a hush falls over the room as everyone plugs in and starts reading.
we had it all planned out and my job was to update canada spends to visualize the budget. i beelined to the appendix tables and started updating data.
it was funny to watch everyone typing away at word docs and meanwhile i'm just rawdogging cursor.
in the last hour, you can tell people are antsy to get out. everyone's making small talk, "so what did you think", etc.
at around 4pm, they announce that the embargo is lifted. half the room rushes out, the other half stays and rushes to get online. some are calling people, some are sending emails, and meanwhile i'm pushing to github.
very cool experience overall. grateful everyday that i get to do these things.
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toronto could cut land transfer taxes and development charges entirely and still run a surplus
Introducing Toronto Spends
See how the City of Toronto makes and spends its money
Thanks to Ajay Matharoo and @jtalms for their work in creating our first municipal spends: canadaspends.com/en/toronto
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after i graduated uni, i went to this week-long summer program in hong kong meant to recruit masters students. i already had a job lined up in the us at that point, i just went for the subsidized vacation.
i was the only north american and they would look at me and my us job offer with awe. in talking with the east and south asians, it was clear that these people had worked far harder their whole lives than me – lots of prep school, competitive testing – and yet they would never have the same access to opportunity as me. the network, the visa pathways, it's just so easy man.
i remember this guy from iran was asking me about canadian masters programs and i was like, why don't you apply to the us too? and he was like, i can't, they banned iranians.
we are born with so much luck, so much more than you realize
Earlier this week I watched a video and it's threw me for a spin since. It's about this village in Bangladesh which is known as the largest brothel in the world.
I feel like I haven't been able to think clearly since. It's heartbreaking. There's a orphanage next to it and the kids have nothing, a little box of personal belongings with used clothes and toys they're proud of. They're still running up to the camera smiling. One of the kids reminded me of my kid and the it really got to me, just start questioning the meaning of everything
Then you hear the story of the women that work in the brothel. It's heartbreaking man. You can donate and stuff but ultimately its a broken system and broken part of humanity.
No real point of me sharing this other than it's crazy how unfair life is. Turns out the single biggest stroke of luck is the situation you're born in. Everything else is a rounding error usually.
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i hate when i tell people what i do and they say that improving canada isn't possible because the culture is too complacent.
that is just not my experience. i only know canadians as hard-working people who want to build a better life for themselves and for their families.
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why is no city in canada offering to permit data centres en masse?
canada has all the natural advantages to entice companies to come:
1. naturally cooler climate
2. an abundance of water to cool
3. an abundance of energy to power
4. an abundance of highly educated talent
5. an abundance of land to build on
and for the municipality it would cost nothing and it would make them rich
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all the build canada trolls being like "the oligarchy tech bros just want to get richer" and "tobi just wants to be elon"
as if it's not ME doing 80% of the work 😤😤
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i vibe coded this in 1 hour on monday. built a little webpage then took a screen recording of it.
i'm interested in creating more visualizations to bring these memos to life. there's so much more possible now because of how quickly things can be done.
if you are interested in exploring this with me, give me a shout on discord.
Subway stops could be 30% faster with automation and platform screen doors. That means faster trips, shorter commutes, and less service disruptions.
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every major street in toronto needs to have explicit priorities. you need to choose between car, transit, bike, pedestrian or on-street-parking. this thing we're doing where we're trying to do it all is not working.
richmond/adelaide: cars first, bikes second
king/queen: streetcars first, pedestrians second
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what did the city do right to get us aqualuna condos and how do we get more like this
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i know this is backwards-looking. that's what he calls himself. i would call him a pollster but he got sued for that.
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We had a key insight from talking to those in politics:
When we go to politicians with ideas for big change, they're like, ok but:
(1) Show me that people actually want this (they're not going to take the risk to propose an idea that'll backfire)
(2) Tell me exactly what to do (otherwise it'll get stuck in years of committees, reports and delays)
So we started Build Canada. Big ideas for bold change in Canada, with specific recommendations of the acts/laws/line items that need to be changed to get them done.
Introducing Build Canada 🏗️🇨🇦
Ideas for a bolder, richer, freer country – backed by Canadian entrepreneurs
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crazy to think that build canada is less than a year old, and ideas that we proposed are in the budget
much more to unpack, and certainly much more i would have liked to see, but i want to take a moment to appreciate the wins that we got here
ON TODAY'S BUDGET
Over the past year, Build Canada has shared bold policy ideas to grow our economy. From finance to government transformation, housing to immigration, the message has been clear: Canada needs to cut wasteful spending, reduce friction for builders, and increase competitiveness.
This budget is a step in the right direction towards growth. It shows that Ottawa is starting to listen to the builders – the people who create innovation, jobs, and prosperity for our country. The budget gets some of the direction right, but lacks the boldness and urgency needed to truly unlock growth.
In particular, we’re encouraged to see:
* Proposals to streamline SR&ED, including “up-front technical approval” and streamlining “the review process by eliminating unnecessary steps”
* Announcements to come to “launch an accelerated pathways for H1-B visa holders”
* Transformation of Interchange Canada into a “Build Canada Exchange” program to bring 50 external leaders into the public service
Which are all ideas we have shared in our memos.
However, many of these budget commitments lack details, a concrete plan, or don’t go far enough. For example:
* Accelerated immigration to attract the world’s best researchers and innovators are announcements of intentions, with “additional details on the launch of recruitment processes [for top researchers to] be announced in the coming weeks” and changes to attract H1-B visa holders will come “in the coming months.”
* Plans to conduct a red tape review to streamline processes, modernise outdated requirements, and eliminate unnecessary steps with results of the review “available in Budget 2026”.
* The analysis in the Build Canada memo found that operational spending reductions of 15-20%, while maintaining commitments to defence, security, retirement and children’s benefits, were immediately possible, rather than the proposed 10% reduction over 5 years
Execution now matters more than promises, more than plans, more than strategies. This government no longer has any excuses or any reason not to act. The real test of this budget, and of the Liberal government’s seriousness, will be whether it can turn these ideas into action.
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Excited to share what i’ve been working on: Posty
Turn your photos into delightful custom cards in seconds. Printed and mailed automatically for you.
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also thank you to @nikitabier for making this launch possible
the greatest customer support from the greatest app in the world
🚀 Announcing Build Toronto
Toronto is Canada’s largest city, its economic engine, and its greatest opportunity. If Toronto thrives, Canada thrives. But we all know the city faces deep challenges: unaffordable housing, strained infrastructure, governance gridlock, and a lack of urgency.
That’s why Build Canada is proud to launch Build Toronto – the first municipal project of Build Canada – to raise the level of debate and spotlight bold, practical ideas that can move this city forward.
We are equally proud to welcome @ericdlombardi as Chair. Eric is a civic leader and housing advocate whose work with More Neighbours Toronto has made him one of the city’s strongest voices for change. He will help guide Build Toronto as we put forward ideas that support growth, prosperity, and ambition for Toronto’s future.
Over the weeks ahead, Build Toronto will publish frequent memos from entrepreneurs and civic leaders on Toronto’s biggest challenges and opportunities. From housing and transit to governance and economic growth, these memos are meant to push all of us – citizens and leaders alike – to think bigger about what Toronto can be.
Toronto has the talent, energy, and openness to lead. What we’ve been missing is urgency. Build Toronto is here to help change that.
👇 Sign up for updates on our website
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Angry and frustrated by US president Donald Trump’s ever-changing tariff threats, more and more Canadians are interested in buying all things Canadian—but are the country’s long-standing interprovincial trade barriers getting in the way? thewalrus.ca/interprovincial…
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crazy the level of talent that's been coming in 🥵🥵
Ok, so we're launching a new experiment: Top Talent, a curated network of the best builders and companies, by 535.
We believe hiring should work more like sports scouting!
→ Talent scouts finding the promising players
→ Building relationships before the draft, not reviewing resumes
→ Making thoughtful matches vs mass applications
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maybe the Great Canadian Advantage is that we’re all from poor immigrant families and deeply know the hustle and grind
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september always feels like the start of something new to me, even more so than january
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what does "solving brain drain" mean?
1. stop the leak – prevent new grads from leaving
2. boomerang – get those that have left to come back
3. poach top talent – get the best people come here, regardless of where they grew up
#2 is the least interesting to me. these people are probably well into their career, have made their riches, and looking to settle down. it's also the hardest to solve – with high friction to move, you need to give them a reason above and beyond their current situation to move.
#3 is compelling. get the best in the world. but we already do this good enough – lots of exceptional talent comes here when the us turns them away.
therefore, we should just focus on solving #1. they are young and they are hungry. they're already here. we just need to give them a good enough reason to stay.
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incredibly excited to share what we've been working on these past few weeks. let's build toronto 🏗️
🚀 Announcing Build Toronto
Toronto is Canada’s largest city, its economic engine, and its greatest opportunity. If Toronto thrives, Canada thrives. But we all know the city faces deep challenges: unaffordable housing, strained infrastructure, governance gridlock, and a lack of urgency.
That’s why Build Canada is proud to launch Build Toronto – the first municipal project of Build Canada – to raise the level of debate and spotlight bold, practical ideas that can move this city forward.
We are equally proud to welcome @ericdlombardi as Chair. Eric is a civic leader and housing advocate whose work with More Neighbours Toronto has made him one of the city’s strongest voices for change. He will help guide Build Toronto as we put forward ideas that support growth, prosperity, and ambition for Toronto’s future.
Over the weeks ahead, Build Toronto will publish frequent memos from entrepreneurs and civic leaders on Toronto’s biggest challenges and opportunities. From housing and transit to governance and economic growth, these memos are meant to push all of us – citizens and leaders alike – to think bigger about what Toronto can be.
Toronto has the talent, energy, and openness to lead. What we’ve been missing is urgency. Build Toronto is here to help change that.
👇 Sign up for updates on our website
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the worst thing to happen to the workplace is that now people will send you a wall of chatgpt text and think they're being helpful
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i'll say it again: the most important problem to solve is that working class people need to feel like working hard will build them a better life
that promise is broken when housing costs eat up so much of your income
The idea that Olivia Chow was going to be Toronto’s housing champion was always a fantasy.
Chow’s brand is progressive, but she’s remarkably regressive on housing.
Her failure on sixplexes should be the final wake up call.
My latest for @TorontoStar: thestar.com/opinion/contribu…
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OAS clawbacks begin around ~$180k for couples, with full clawback at ~$300k
for context, the average canadian couple makes ~$100k
The fastest growing expenditures in the budget are debt charges & seniors benefits.
If we're going to actually tackle public spending especially with an aging population, we need to fix OAS. Starting clawbacks around $100k would save billions and be fundamentally fairer.
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picture this: rapid flashes of us news headlines. $100k h1b, $40T debt, government corruption. music crescendos.
cut to black.
peaceful notes begin to play. fade in mark carney. camera slow zooms in.
“canadians, it’s time to come home”
end scene.
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i hear a lot of discourse about the difference in gdp per capita in canada vs us
@dataghees shared this report by the bank of canada with me. it found that the top 10% of earners account for 75% of the gap in gdp per capita with the us. the top 1% alone account for 40% of the gap.
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the city of toronto is moving forward with increasing developer application fees
i recognize a couple hundred dollars a unit won't make or break a project, but it's just another signal that toronto is not taking the housing crisis seriously
Life goes on. Council votes 17-0 to increase some application fees for developers. secure.toronto.ca/council/ag…
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found this youtube channel that does amazing deep dives on restaurants in toronto
imanishi, big trouble, bar sugo, alma, and more
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canada's bottom 50% earn about the same as the bottom 50% in the us. but the top 1% earn only 40% what the top 1% in the us earn.
shows to me that the problem isn't that our poor are poorer – it's that our rich aren't rich enough.
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1. prices have come down a bit
2. toronto completed ~22k units in 2024
3. toronto grew by ~140k people in 2024
that's 1 unit of new housing for every ~6 new people
so yea, i don't think it's right to say "supply is not helping with affordability" when we have not actually increased supply relative to demand
She's right. Look around you. We had a massive glut of condos that nobody could sell, and prices still barely budged and condos remain out of reach for nearly all. Supply is not helping with affordability and it's *definitely* not helping with homelessness. Stop being obtuse.
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the greatest build in public experiment is playing out in real time on @build_canada's discord
a group of high-agency people across tech, policy, politics – all coming together to build things to make canada better
i don't think there's anywhere else in the world this is happening right now!!!
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a side effect of build canada is that we're curating a list of high-agency people
people who see a problem or opportunity, and just jump in and lead it. true build canada spirit.
We're growing!
Excited to recognize our expanding Build Canada team today, including our new Board Member @FionaMcK and our core volunteers 🙌
Dream. Team.
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my personal wishlist for @535Toronto this year:
- have a studio member reach $1M ARR
- make 50 hires through Top Talent
- run the most well-loved Toronto tech week of all time
stretch:
- see members from the community fall in love with each other
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i've been trying to understand why healthcare sucks in canada. wait times are atrocious and no one can get a doctor and...
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i find journalism very frustrating
like this article is just:
- gov’t says the school board is wasting money
- school board says they aren’t being given enough
but what’s true? i want to see charts comparing the finances of these school boards vs others in the province
there’s so much opportunity to tell more interesting stories
Ford government takes over four school boards — including Toronto public and Catholic — over alleged financial mismanagement trib.al/U9QlxB4
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💥 First successful hire in the books
From start to finish in less than 3 weeks, brought to you by Top Talent
Ok, so we're launching a new experiment: Top Talent, a curated network of the best builders and companies, by 535.
We believe hiring should work more like sports scouting!
→ Talent scouts finding the promising players
→ Building relationships before the draft, not reviewing resumes
→ Making thoughtful matches vs mass applications
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i really like this story. i always thought etransfer exists because of the government, but turns out it's private market cooperation and oligopoly discipline.
i wonder what other rails need to exist in other industries
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many of us want to see this country thrive, and certain people will tell us to cross-stitch instead
many of us want to funnel our energy into productive action, and they will tell us that that lacks self-awareness
🙄
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has anyone ever once considered asking melkuo, one of the founding members of build canada, if i want to take over the government?? 😤
Canada doesn't have its own Elon Musk, but our tech bros also want to play at politics. Why do wealthy tech entrepreneurs think they can—or should—revamp the government? thewalrus.ca/are-a-handful-o…
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full house for @_benjaminparry tonight
deep discussions well into the night, even after doors closed
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i don't associate with anyone who drinks filtered water, a sign of mental weakness and persnicketitude
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if you:
- like buying small nice gifts for your friends/family, or,
- like taking lots of pictures to memorialize moments, or,
- have travelled recently
please dm me! i'm looking to chat with people for some user feedback. i will buy you a coffee/tea!
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i am once again asking why canada has the easiest way in the world for our best and brightest to go work in the us
Highest quality Canadian-born UWaterloo grads are 50% more likely to leave 🇨🇦 than lowest quality. Opposite is true for international student grads at UWaterloo. Why? Foreign students are ineligible for TN visas. Lesson there as 🇺🇸 employers look to TNs as a H-1B substitute.
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my lcd @535TORONTO now shows polymarket odds for the next canadian election
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Ukraine is in a literal, active war and yet they are able to implement open banking. What's Canada's excuse?
Everyday we generate data that shapes the services we receive. But whether it's banking history, medical records or electricity usage, we have very little control over how it's used or shared.
This is particularly evident with financial services. You may have accounts at three different institutions but no easy way to view your complete financial picture. You may want to switch from one bank to another but there are huge costs and long delays.
With open banking, we can change this to give consumers true control over their data.
You would be able to switch bank providers in under 15 minutes without missing a single bill payment or having to update your direct deposit information with your employer. A restaurant owner could connect their point-of-sale system to their accounting software in a few clicks, automatically reconciling daily sales and saving hours of bookkeeping each week.
While we wait around on this issue, other countries have taken action. The UK required its nine largest banks to develop standardized ways for consumers to share their data, sparking a wave of innovation in financial services.
Dozens of other countries including South Korea, Japan and Brazil have followed suit. Even Ukraine, despite an invasion to their country three years ago, is moving forward with open banking. Meanwhile, Canada has been working on this issue for seven years, with still no clear go-live date.
Canada needs to expedite the implementation of open banking immediately, with a go-live of the first phase in 2026.
By implementing open banking swiftly and in the right way, we can start to make progress towards broader data portability across healthcare, telecommunications and more. This will allow Canadians to easily switch providers, compare services, and access innovative new products. For example, a consumer could instantly share their entire mobile service history when shopping for a better plan, pressuring providers to offer better deals.
What we need is a framework for data portability that establishes data portability as a fundamental consumer right.
By empowering Canadians to access, control, and share their data, we will stimulate competition, reduce costs, and unlock innovation across our economy. The time for studies and consultation is over – we must act now to give Canadians control of their data.
Read the full memo below:
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that “spokesperson” would be me
for the record, i think i’ve heard of “the network state” like twice before Jen mentioned it to me. It’s not related to @build_canada in any way.
Sheesh. 🤦🏻 I want a thriving democracy, POGG, and growing prosperity for everyone - not a “network state” whatever that is…
thetyee.ca/News/2025/04/16/B…
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i used to be very diligent about making to do lists and priding myself in not letting anything fall through the cracks
now i'm just like if it's important enough i'll remember
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The City of Toronto has completely lost the plot.
Increasing development charges by egregious amounts at a time when housing starts are cratering. It's outright shameful.
We tax cigarettes to reduce smoking – why are we taxing housing to death during a housing crisis? When taxes can make up 36% of a new home, it's no wonder Canadians can't afford them.
On an average-priced new home in Ontario of about $1,070,000, consumers are paying around $381,000 in various taxes and fees.
These taxes are messy and spread across all levels of government. However, the most pressing issue is with local "Development Charges", one-time taxes that are paid by a developer when creating a new house.
In 2010, Toronto development charges had reached $12,910. Since then they have increased a further 993% to $141,139, far outpacing inflation.
These taxes directly impact the cost of a new home. This difference prices many families and young people completely out of the market, preventing the home builder from selling that home, and ensuring that fewer homes get built. This vicious cycle further inflates the price of homes as new supply dwindles while demand remains high.
The cycle is only getting worse. In 2024 alone, Toronto raised development charges twice, totalling a 40% increase, despite housing starts lagging and new home sales hitting record lows.
It's clear Canada's approach to housing taxation needs reform:
- Reform Municipal Development Charges – Require municipalities to freeze or reduce development charges at no more than $50k per unit to qualify for federal infrastructure funding.
- Eliminate GST on New homes – This will immediately make new housing more affordable.
- Create Home Builder Tax Incentives – Establish a performance-based tax credit system that rewards developers for increased housing starts.
- Harmonize Housing Taxes Across Jurisdictions – Work with provinces and municipalities to create a national framework for housing taxation that eliminates duplicate taxation, establishes consistent principles and reduces the complexity that adds costs and delays.
- Incentivize Commercial-to-Residential Conversions – Establish time-limited tax benefits to accelerate the conversion of underutilized office buildings to residential use.
- Create Housing Tax Transparency – Establish a comprehensive database tracking all housing-related taxes, fees and charges across Canada.
We need to stop taxing the very thing we need more of. Let's stop taxing homes out of existence.
Read the full memo below:
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.@535TORONTO events have the best snacks, representing the full culinary diversity of the best food city in the world
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Wrote a follow-up to reflect on my year so far, including all the things I've worked on and how I'm thinking about the next half of the year
melodykuo.com/blog/a-year-of…
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Ever since I started working out 6x a week I’ve been sleeping less. Used to sleep 8-9 hours and still wake up groggy, now I sleep 7-8 and wake up without an alarm.
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On comparisons to DOGE:
The US has a deficit of nearly $2 trillion. To balance the budget by the end of the current administration, you need to find $1 million in savings every minute.
That's insane.
But if you believe that America's debt is an existential problem, you can understand the urgency at which they're cutting spending. Maybe it doesn't justify exactly how they're doing it (certain things leave a bad taste in my mouth personally), you could argue there are other levers to pull, etc. But at least it contextualizes why.
Now, I don't think our problems are the same in Canada. We have a bit of a spending/debt problem, yes, but not to the same degree (latest deficit is "only" $62 billion). We should get it under control, but I argue that that's not the end-goal like it is in the US.
Instead, I think we have our own existential problem: an inability to build.
What does it mean to build?
- Build companies
- Build housing
- Build transit infra
- Build energy infra
- Build better public services
etc.
Everything is stagnant. Our economy is not growing. Declining productivity and GDP per capita. Young people's happiness is cratering and they're fleeing the country. It's hard to see a good future for people here. The alarm bells are ringing. If we don't take action, I believe we will stagnate into irrelevance.
What if we treated our own existential problems with a similar level of urgency that the US treats theirs?
What if we removed all housing development charges today? What if we removed all interprovincial trade barrier exceptions tomorrow? What if we greenlit a new pipeline the day after?
I personally would welcome more urgent action.
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related: when people complain about stuff, so i ask what is one policy you would change, and they say "just get rid of all the government workers" 🙄
i am begging people to think about things more deeply so we can have interesting discussions!!!
i hate when i tell people what i do and they say that improving canada isn't possible because the culture is too complacent.
that is just not my experience. i only know canadians as hard-working people who want to build a better life for themselves and for their families.
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my pet theory is that solving housing will solve the fertility crisis too:
a great way to make someone want to have kids is to surround them with cute kids.
but you barely see kids in cities anymore because we don’t build enough housing
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i've been thinking a lot about what it takes for canada to be #1 in the world at something.
there are huge advantages in economies of scale and irreplicable knowledge gains if you can do so.
you can see this in how sf dominates in software and no one can even come close. same can be said for nyc with finance, shenzhen with manufacturing.
but there's niche stuff too – asml in the netherlands globally dominates on lithography machines specifically used to create semiconductor chips. (i say niche, but they're a top 30 company by global market cap btw.)
what is it going to be for canada? what can we be #1 in the world in?
it'll probably be something we have natural advantages in – we know we're big on natural resources and have a highly-educated population.
idk if this list holds the answer, but it's a starting point. hoping to figure it out together, thank you.
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most important problem to fix: working class people should feel like if they work hard they can build a better life for themselves and for their families
that is not true today
Fixing this should be the first priority of basically all elected leaders in Toronto and Ontario.
…but we barely talk about it.
After 25 years, young people are worse off in Toronto and barely better off across Ontario.
It cannot continue!
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buildcanada . com / get-involved
word on the street is that if you fill out the volunteer form you'll get an invite to our super secret discord
if @build_canada open sourced its projects, would you be interested in contributing
(outcomes tracker, canada spends tools, etc.)
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It's time to demand more from our government.
Thrilled to be putting in our proposal to bring Radical Accountability to Canada.
Couldn't be more happy to be working on this with someone as passionate, thoughtful and strong as Ben.
The Radical Accountability Project (RAP)
Canada needs its own DOGE
@melkuo and I were galvanized by this proposal yesterday and we started riffing on what this could look like.
This is our vision for a radical accountability project in 🇨🇦
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"Isn't Build Canada just lobbying for changes that benefit the CEOs and their companies?"
1. Lobbying is a defined term in Canada that means you're paid to represent the interests of a particular group. Build Canada team is:
(a) not paid, and
(b) does not seek consensus amongst all. Rather than distilling ideas down to their lowest acceptable version, we favour bold ideas. Maybe not everyone will agree with it and that's okay. We're very explicit about who supports what.
2. All ideas benefit all Canadians. Just because an idea might benefit someone more, doesn't mean it won't benefit you too.
3. No memo proposes corporate handouts or subsidies. Every idea is government spend-neutral or spend-saving. It's the opposite actually – all ideas are about removing rules and restrictions so that people can get back to work, focusing on delivering real customer value rather than navigating bureaucracy.
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