Category Archives: Vancouver Politics
12 tangible things people can do right now to help stop BC’s opioid crisis
Last year, the British Columbia Coroner’s office reported that 914 people in BC passed away as a result of the opioid crisis. Today, those numbers are continuing to climb. In 2016, fentanyl was detected in more than a third of overdose deaths in British Columbia. Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate narcotic that is 50 to […]
Reflections on Raising and Burning Flags…
As a queer man, the recent burning of the gay rainbow flag at the University of British Columbia has not caused me any lost sleep. I can assure you, however, that I’m not impervious to homophobic threats or attacks, nor am I apathetic to the struggles of the several marginalized communities that I navigate and […]
Community Speaks Out Against Displacement in the DTES
It has been more than two weeks since the City of Vancouver’s decision to crack down on survival street vending on 0-400 blocks of East Hastings St. According to the City, the once-common act of selling wares on the sidewalk will no longer be tolerated, as police presence is set to increase in order to […]
“Critical Muslim Voices and The Elections”: A Conversation with Hasan Alam
Hasan Alam is a lawyer, activist and a founding member of Critical Muslim Voices. A few weeks ago I got the chance to sit down with him and talk about Critical Muslim Voices, what the upcoming federal election means for Muslims, the Islamophobic rhetoric surrounding the elections, and the presence of CSIS (the Canadian Security […]
Remembering the Purple Thistle
I’m chatting with Aliza Bosa in the Purple Thistle Centre. The 2,500-square foot arts and activism space in East Vancouver feels remarkably spacious with only the two of us here, but signs of the centre’s visitors and their creative endeavors linger all around us—things like screen printing tools, paints, books, computers, a bike-repair station, and […]
Social Justice Synonyms #21: “Prostitute”
On Sunday March 29th #facesofprostitution went viral. The hashtag was a response from queer Australian sex worker Tilly Lawless to an article posted on the website Exodus Cry entitled “The Reality of Pretty Woman.” The article argued that Pretty Woman, the 1990 movie in which Julia Roberts plays a sex worker, romanticizes the realities of […]
Event Preview: “maladjusted”
“maladjusted” explores the mechanization of the mental health system with a goal of creating a discussion on how to move towards more human-centred care. This interactive forum theatre is created and performed by patients and caregivers. Organized by Theatre for Living at the Firehall Arts Centre, the performance is going on until March 28. Please […]
“We are immigrants, not criminals”: An interview with Mexican whistleblower Karla Lottini
Karla Lottini (a pseudonym for Karla Berenice García Ramírez) is a Mexican journalist who in 2008 was forced to flee the country after exposing government corruption. She came to Vancouver with her family seeking refugee status, which she was finally granted in 2012. Karla published The Talent of the Charlatans (El talento de los farsantes) […]
Fighting for Justice in Transit: Why You Should Vote Yes in the Transit Referendum
The Metro Vancouver referendum on whether or not to raise the PST by 0.5% to fund transit investments is not going well. Hijacked by activists from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, youth, seniors, low-income people, and other major transit-user demographics have been left out, forgotten, or actively rebuffed from the conversation around transit. The proposal, created […]
I Am Still Here: Reflections on #AmINext
A while back there was a social media campaign called “Am I Next?” which aimed to raise awareness about the numerous murdered and missing Native women in Canada. In solidarity with the campaign, many people changed their Facebook profile picture to a silhouette of a Native woman with a feather in her hair with the […]
