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On Churches Being Mean And Albertans Punching Cougars In The Face

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by Sean Orr | I’ve been saying this all year: 2016 wasn’t that bad. Chris Hadfield: With celebrity death and elections taking the media by the nose, it’s easy to forget that this year saw a great many positives.

Let’s call it the democratization of awareness. Everything seems bad because we know about everything that is happening all the time. That’s not a new or revolutionary thing by any stretch but with Trump’s win a lot of progressives are disillusioned when really they should be energized. After all, we’re becoming more and more liberal everyday, bubble be damned.

I mean, I get that Tea & Two Slices is basically a link dump of totally awful shit, but things like Steve Burgess’ A-Z of bummers is just so sophomoric, if not utterly on point.

Am I hopeful for 2017? Only because late-capitalism is dying. And so are boomers.

Related: 2016 Is Not Killing People. Spoiler: drugs.

Newsmakers: Justin Trudeau, Canada’s image-conscious target. “Take our quiz and match the mugging Justin Trudeau photo-op with the indignation it sparked”.

It’s like the Liberal Party should come out with their own brand of selfie sticks. Wait, what? Man, they are trolling us so hard.

Speaking of which: Here are Canada’s worst Conservative tweets of 2016. I love you Twitter, but you’re breaking my heart.

New Year’s Resolutions: ‘We are the ones who will make a difference,’ says Grand Chief Stewart Phillip. “There’s been a real convergence of commitment in B.C. — of people stepping forward to defend our interests against the predations of the corporate world”.

Tent cities need faster shut down responses to prevent growth: Coleman. You know what will prevent the growth of tent cities? Ending poverty, you jackass.

Meanwhile in Victoria: Victoria church builds wall to keep out drug users, homeless campers. There will be no manger for you, Joseph and Mary, you fucking freeloaders!

Showing them how it’s done: Vancouver mosque operates as homeless shelter due to cold.

Video shows Vancouver residents playing ice hockey on city streets. Yes, it’s terrible but do you really want to spend hundreds of thousands on new ploughs and salt trucks when this happens once every ten years?

Most Canadian headline of the year: Alberta man punches cougar in head to save dog during attack near Tim Hortons.

Bonus: Meet the Indigenous Artist ‘Tagging’ Emily Carr Paintings.

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.