by Sean Orr | If you’re bored, you’re probably boring: Vancouver ‘mind-numbingly boring,’ Economist magazine says. Consequently, and true to form, Vancouver collectively loses its shit. The mayor, the Premier’s ego, Vancouver is Awesome, and Jason Proctor at The CBC have all come out swinging/flailing, but what about the part of it that’s true?

Because if you take the Economist’s definition of “safe”, meaning a lack of street crime, and replace it with, say, NIMBY-fuelled spontaneity-killing over-regulation, then they undeniably have a fair point.

It’s why large-scale events like The Celebration of Light become Stab Nights, or defeats in the Stanley Cup Playoffs turn into a riots. We’re so starved of genuine fun that when it actually happens we just can’t handle it. It’s why the list of shuttered venues is so long; and it’s partly why most local artists and musicians have to leave the city to have any semblance of success. Hell, it’s why I started blogging in the first place.

And it all stems from a long, puritanical history of trying to civilize a raucous mill town.

I’m not saying that fun doesn’t exist here, and I’m not saying things haven’t become exponentially better in recent years, either (thanks in part to VIA, Bored in Vancouver, More Fun City, the Engaged City Task Force and, of course, The Scout List, all of which actively tout the great things to do in this city). I’m just saying we still have a long way to go.

And then this: Vancouver police intend to recover costs from promoters of unsanctioned events. Best comment from my friend Jacob: “Let’s host demonstrations instead of raves or concerts – every single ‘illegal’ event will be a protest.”

But then Bill C-51: My letter from CSIS and why Bill C-51 must be stopped. I’d write and ask for my file but I’d be more terrified if it came up blank. Sean Orr, who? The horror…

And while the Premier is so concerned about being boring, things get exciting: Emails relating to B.C.’s Highway of Tears allegedly deleted. By exciting, of course, I mean it’s one of the single most disgusting moments in recent BC Liberal history, and that’s saying something. “When his concerns continued to be dismissed, Duncan writes, he was told, ‘It’s like The West Wing. You do whatever it takes to win’…” Yes, of course — playing partisan games with women’s lives is exactly like a TV show. These are the people who govern us…

Related: Chief Justice says Canada attempted ‘cultural genocide’ on aboriginals.

Democracy is boring: Transit referendum: Voter turnout just shy of 45%. Could that be a good thing for the Yes side?

No Fish City: The Fish House in Stanley Park to close.

“Like something died, rolled around in poo, then died again”: I Quit Teaching Because Of This Terrifying Incident. I’ve Never Told Anyone About It Until Now.

And now everyone knows about this horrible band: Petition calls for boycott of Canadian venues booking Black Pussy.