Over the course of the last several months, I’ve had the honour and privilege of getting to know a ton of Vancouver election candidates. I’ve really struggled with how to handle support and endorsements, and to be entirely honest, I’m still deciding on council. Not because there are so many that it’s confusing – but because there are truly so many quality options. I’m not sure how many of you have sat on a board before. It’s a labour…
Advance polls for the upcoming municipal election open tomorrow!!! Click here for more details on when and how you can vote and more! I’m not generally one to tell people who to vote for (unless it’s me, ehem), and rarely do I even widely share who I’m voting for until an election is over. It’s up to you to make your own decisions. The important part is that you give a shit enough to engage. In this election…
I have two things in my heart and on my mind right now. Creative Coworkers has a chance to grow our community, and be in a physical space that will better serve the needs of our community. We’ve found a place that is amazing, and have made an offer. It’s the next step for us, for all of us – but it’s currently in jeopardy, ironically because we reached out to our community for support. Having launched a crowdfunding campaign…
I find myself at the crossroads of a bit of a shitstorm, and writing is cathartic for me, so here goes a big long rambling about the last week of my experience, and a bit more. Hopefully by the end you understand how these things are connected to each other – it’s a bit convoluted but I am working towards a point. I started Creative Coworkers to provide space to folks who have difficulty accessing space – whether because they…
I just moved in to a really nice, fairly expensive ($1550/month) one bedroom apartment in the DTES, and I’m having a hard time bridging the divide. I needed to be closer to my work and my community, and I’m glad I made the move. When I walk into my building, I feel like an outsider because the majority of my neighbours have a vision for who should be here, and I’m not it. And then I walk out of my…
Mayor Robertson and Council We have been given the chance, as municipalities, to tailor our cannabis legislation to the needs of our residents and communities. We owe it to our residents to take a deep look at what we want that legislation to achieve. Our decisions can be precedent setting, benefit communities across the country and maybe even around the world… if we get it right. For the past six months, I’ve coordinated a cannabis based opiate substitution…
The back door at the studio faces the north-most alley, right by the tracks, in the DTES. I had a little set of stairs built from the ground to the loading bay. They don’t stand on their own, and they only cost maybe $60 to make – but they’re really important to the space because, well, purpose built stairs. Hanging out on the back stoop, a guy zipping by on his bike comes back around to say “hey the other…
Spoiler Alert: Made you click! This post is about common objections. You should absolutely join the Green Party and participate in selecting your candidates. I’ve been talking to a bunch of people, asking them to support me as a candidate for City Council by joining the Greens. And so many of you have! Thank you so much – I’m super grateful to you. I’ve been noticing a few themes among those who are reluctant to join, so I thought I’d go through…
People are asking me what perspective and priorities I would bring to an elected position. Here are some thoughts. The relationship between the city and small business needs a revision. There should be stronger accountability structures – both carrots and sticks. People should be rewarded for engagement with their community, for getting involved and contributing. But there should also be enforceable penalties for anti-social and anti-community actions and choices. We should take a hard look at anti-vacancy legislation and consider…
Many of you have asked how you can support me in this endeavour, and here’s the first ask, along with a little bit of information on how our municipal electoral system works. I woke up thinking about this at 5 am today. These last five hours of wakefulness, I’ve tried to figure out how to ask you for your help. What I need from you, right now, is to join the Vancouver Green Party so that I can have an…