A no messing around guide to the coolest things to eat, drink and do in Vancouver and beyond. Community. Not clickbait.

TEA & TWO SLICES: On Red Gates, The New Jobs Plan, And The Freakonomics of Charity

by Sean Orr | An open letter from the Red Gate to Mayor Gregor Robertson and the Vancouver City Council. It was stuffed into the mayor’s hands as he attended the official opening of the “community art space” known as W2, located right across the street from Red Gates (which was actually supposed to be opened during the Olympics). There are no artist studios, and as far as I could see, no actual art. On the other hand, it does happen to be really, really clean, so…

Teck to increase investment in B.C. Which is a really nice way of saying they are going to take more of it. And sell it. In the form of coal. To China. So they can sell stuff to us.

Coincidentally, Christy Clark’s new B.C. jobs plan just happens to feature eight new mines to open in B.C. by 2015, along with the expansion of nine existing mining operations. Hmm, guess who contributed to who!

Good news? Archdiocese drops $1.25 million on Downtown Eastside complex. The question then arises, what are the politics of poverty, and should it be left to charity? Talk amongst yourselves…I’m a little verklemt.

Actual news and not just a press release: Facebook lets users tell life stories. I mean, they actually printed this on paper. Because someone is going to discover Facebook by reading the bloody Vancouver Sun/Province/Times Colonist.

I’d rather read life stories like this: Lost Girls. “How do two teen girls end up helping murder a 14-year-old boy? And how, in the face of child poverty, systemic abuse, and inadequate resources, can we help provide the rehabilitation they both want”.

Man brings pistols on Toronto-bound Vancouver flight. Can you blame him though? He was going to Toronto.

Tweet of the Day: Simon Lavoie, “Vancouver drivers: it’s raining. Figure it out, or the next 10 months will suck”.

On Ken Sim’s So-Called “Swagger” and ABC’S Class War

Sean Orr is back from his hiatus with a rundown of the local headlines that have been running on a ticker tape through his mind over the past six months...

On Post-Election Recuperation, Platform Paradoxes and Refund Communities

In his latest read of the local news headlines, Sean Orr finds irony in "safety, affordability, and sustainability", and shouts out a bunch of amazing local organizations working on the frontlines.

On Running for City Council, Playing Whack-a-Mole with Homelessness, and the Public Washroom Deficit

In his latest read of the local news headlines, Sean Orr finds a park ranger with a grudge, a gross misuse of air quotes and Tripadvisor slander.

On Living in a City Preoccupied with Street Cleaning, Chandeliers, and Campaigns Against the Homeless

In his latest read of the local news headlines, Sean Orr hones in on the recent Langley shootings, and the ongoing criminalizing and dehumanizing of the homeless population.