Sam Hiemstra

@kitconpla Director | Rural Gay he/him | Bowling Strikes (decently) & Swinging Golf Clubs (poorly)

[Sam Hiemstra @Sam_Hiemstra]

Mandatory phasing out of X is in progress - follow me on Bluesky for the same amount of infrequent posts!

https://t.co/YM4jWN4yJS

[Pop Base @PopBase]

Today is World Otter Day.

[Region of Waterloo @RegionWaterloo]

Heads up #WatReg: Erb's Road Bridge will be closed April 13-Oct 31 for construction, including replacing the bridge deck, bearings, railings, and making safety upgrades. Detour: Please use Nafziger Road, Bleams Road, and Sandhills Road.

Get full details: https://t.co/S5jINdAw7L

[Ramin Nasibov @RaminNasibov]

Space news is way better than Earth news.

[Ted Hsu @tedhsu]

There's more than one way to do politics. There's a way that's fair, transparent and accountable, and then there's this government’s pay-to-play scheme.

I've always known which side I'm on. #onpoli @OntLiberal

[Tim Louis 🇨🇦 @TimLouisKitCon]

Thank you to Prime Minister @MarkJCarney for visiting Kitchener-Conestoga yesterday for an unforgettable Oktoberfest keg tapping at the iconic @SchwabenClub in Breslau!

Danke to K-W Oktoberfest for organizing and everyone who brought the spirit of Gemütlichkeit to life!

[nina 🪩📨 @ninabubblygum]

phan and tronnor BOTH being confirmed real in 2025

[Variety @Variety]

Robin Williams' daughter Zelda tells fans: “Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad.”

“If you’ve got any decency, just stop doing this to him and to me, to everyone even, full stop. It’s dumb, it’s a waste of time and energy, and believe me, it’s NOT what he’d want. To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to ‘this vaguely looks and sounds like them so that’s enough’, just so other people can churn out horrible TikTok slop puppeteering them is maddening. You’re not making art, you’re making disgusting, over-processed hotdogs out of the lives of human beings, out of the history of art and music, and then shoving them down someone else’s throat hoping they’ll give you a little thumbs up and like it. Gross.”

"And for the love of EVERY THING, stop calling it ‘the future,’ AI is just badly recycling and regurgitating the past to be re-consumed. You are taking in the Human Centipede of content, and from the very very end of the line, all while the folks at the front laugh and laugh, consume and consume."

Read more here: https://t.co/7UkzYSQ2Ja

[Mayor Cam Guthrie @CamGuthrie]

Want to stop a program?
Fine.
Want to disparage cities like Guelph while you do it?
Not fine.

In a follow up to my comments regarding the decision of Premier @fordnation to ban speed enforcement cameras across the province, I wanted to add the following:

➡️ If the Ford government wants to end their own street and pedestrian safety program that is proven to work, so be it. That’s on them. It was their regulations that allowed it to happen in the first place. It was them who promoted the use of these cameras and it was them who encouraged municipalities to adopt these safety measures. We took their lead.
It’s with this backdrop that I can’t let go of the total inaccurate statements made by the provincial government yesterday and today. Because Guelph residents need the truth.
➡️ It’s not a cash grab. If it was, then it was the provinces cash grab because they’re the ones who started the program and set the regulations for what fines could be imposed for people breaking the law. Breaking the law and getting a fine isn’t a cash grab.
➡️ It’s not a tax grab. Cities aren’t taxing every household or business for this speed enforcement program. It’s funded by, you guessed it, those that break the law by speeding. If you don’t speed, you don’t pay. But since the government is now taking this program away, guess what? Every household and business will now pay through property taxes for the road safety initiatives we’re implementing.
➡️ People weren’t getting tickets for going 2 or 4kms over. That is 100% not true. The thresholds are set much higher targeting excessive speeding that poses real risks.
➡️ Enforcement hours were generally scheduled during periods when one could reasonably expect activities around the school.
➡️ The money didn’t go into a slush fund. It went directly (by policy) into a transportation reserve that has funded new pedestrian crosswalks, road safety measures and improvements. Guelph earmarked future revenue for additional traffic calming and more…
➡️ We placed these cameras in school zones. This is where there are the most vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists or other road users. More specifically it’s about our children. Parents have told me they now feel these areas are safer and they’re letting their kids walk or ride to school more independently which is a good thing.
➡️ I can’t speak to other communities that have implemented this program. But Guelph has not done large-scale programs city-wide.
➡️ We have the data. This program worked. When we started it, about 40% of drivers were exceeding the speed limit by a minimum of 10kms. As of July this year that number has dropped to 15%. Even after cameras are removed drivers are going at least 15% slower in the same school zones.
➡️ Guelph exceeded the provincial signage regulations to make sure people were aware.
➡️ All locations were transparently stated prior to operating and available on our website.
➡️ Guelph is willing to work with the Province and other municipalities on a review of the program and would welcome discussions on changes if necessary.
➡️ In the meantime, I hope the province will reimburse any investments or resources that have gone into the start up of this program that the province originally initiated. And, that any new funding for infrastructure would include both capital and ongoing operating expenses incurred by our city.

[Aislinn Clancy @AislinnClancyKC]

Commuters in the fourth largest population centre in Ontario don't have weekend GO train service. It's time to change that.

It's time for the Ford government to step up and bring weekend GO trains to Kitchener.

Let's make it happen.

Add your voice: https://t.co/0DwZEKNLKG

[Merriam-Webster @MerriamWebster]

enshittification | noun | when a digital platform is made worse for users, in order to increase profits

[Yipeng Ge 葛义朋 @yipengGe]

I want to give you some more context as to the “cancellation” of the capital pride parade today in Ottawa. I won’t link the media coverage by mainstream media, but you can look for it, but don’t believe everything you are reading. Especially from the mayor and capital pride.

[Sam Hiemstra @Sam_Hiemstra]

@Bruce_Baker360 @cavanaugh_kait @mikescavanaugh @IanDavidHall @LucasBorchenko @MyahTomasi May or may not be getting tickets... 😎👀

[Sam Hiemstra @Sam_Hiemstra]

@Bruce_Baker360 @cavanaugh_kait @mikescavanaugh @IanDavidHall @LucasBorchenko @MyahTomasi Thank you for all the dedication you've brought to the organization Bruce!! You've inspired me too more than you know ❤️

[Kitchener-Conestoga Provincial Liberal Association @kitconpla]

There was such incredible energy in the room tonight for @MarkJCarney and @TimLouisKitCon! Reach out to get involved and keep our riding red on April 28th. 🇨🇦 #CanadaStrong

[Acyn @Acyn]

Navarro: Bill Clinton had two AG nominees who had to withdraw because they had employed illegal nannies. Matt Gaetz is accused of sleeping with a girl who's almost young enough to need a nanny

[Woke the Dragon @WtDasoiaf]

mags sacrificing herself to save finnick in catching fire

[Sam Hiemstra @Sam_Hiemstra]

If you aren't already signed up for @tedhsu's Weekly Wrap you are missing out!!

https://t.co/tn87uaenP9