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On Scumbag Developers And The Trouble With Self-Obsessed NIMBYs

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by Sean Orr | Dam straight: Opinion: Site C: Truly awful economics. “So maybe B.C. consumers are unlike everyone else, and buy more as the price rises. That’s Hydro’s bet”. Hey, maybe they’re on to something here! Make hydro-electric power a Veblen good so people in empty mansions can brag about how they are using luxury electricity. Meanwhile, Bill Bennett clarifies that BC LNG is not clean.

How did I miss this? Fazil Mihlar, former Fraser Institute director, tapped as B.C.’s deputy climate minister. I hate to use an outdated and offensive meme but wow, the BC Liberals have gone full retard.

Either that or they seriously don’t give a fuck: B.C. neglected to conduct formal prison inspections for 10 years, says ombudsperson. “Inspections are legally required under the B.C. Corrections Act and in accordance with various United Nations conventions Canada has ratified over the past few decades”. Hopefully that means we could be the target of sanctions, or even drone strikes!

Speaking of drone strikes: RCMP warns Calgary family that their home is on an ISIS hit list. This was one of the most unintentionally entertaining articles I’ve read in a long time. “I got my rifles out” the man said. Why is that so funny? Is my sense of humour getting darker? Should I be worried?

Tweet/Alberta of the day:

Runner up and I don’t care if it’s fake:

The part of the column where I find a way to reference Puscifer: Justin Trudeau to get sobering view of Vancouver’s housing market. Sobering? Because he’s drunk? Drunk with fame? Drunk with power?

When all he really needs to do is follow Kathy Tomlinson: Vancouver developers shutting out regular buyers with insider condo sales.

Hot take: Single family homes: ‘Socialism for the rich,’ says UBC economist. “Davidoff also called for changes to zoning laws. He said a truly free market would not allow for single family detached homes, and would instead result in many more highrises and townhomes”. Yes! Densify Dunbar! Mix-up Marpole! Konsolidate Kerrisdale!

Related: We need to talk about NIMBYs. I’m trying Jessica Barrett. I’m really trying.

This, of course, is not a popular stance in much of the city where the mere suggestion of density begets a knee-jerk opposition from neighbourhood associations largely led by grey-haired owners of coveted single-family homes.

Welcome to the 21st century, Abbotsford! Abbotsford schools to stop handing out bibles.

Gram of the day: Free Couch.

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.