Like rats on a sinking ship: Kerry Jang becomes fifth Vision Vancouver politician to announce he won’t seek re-election in 2018. Centrism is dead! We won’t get fooled by a faux-progressive, corporate friendly, neo-liberal sooth-sayer again.

Enter: Is Libby Davies running for mayor?

Although some civic politics junkies might lose their minds hearing that Trevor Linden, Christy Clark and Chip Wilson are serious contenders to become the Non-Partisan Association’s mayoral candidate, those same junkies can calm down because I just made that up.

But then again, according to the following article it doesn’t matter who our next mayor is: Why the ‘Housing Crisis’ Is Really About Globalization. Not to nitpick but ” I — along with most of you reading this article — am quite happily housed”? A tad presumptuous there, Professor!

It is entirely possible, then, that Vancouver’s housing/income/globalization problem is — like many “wicked” problems — essentially unsolvable. Whether we are discussing housing, climate change, biodiversity loss or inequality (all of which are actually symptoms of deeper disfunction), politically feasible policies are ineffective, and policies that might be effective are politically infeasible. In a world of converging crises, where markets have been declared the arbiters of social justice, the die is cast for the continuing erosion of living standards and material expectations for the majority of citizens.

Meanwhile this attempt by the Torygraph at a smear piece on Corbyn hilariously backfires: Jeremy Corbyn announces Labour will buy every homeless person in the country a house. Wow, that is a great idea and totally doable! Oh, you were joking?

Burrard Bridge named busiest cycling route in North America. Gregor may have failed miserably in almost every facet but don’t blame the bike lanes. A mayor can chew gum and walk at the same time. It’s not a zero sum game.

City Council to decide on $360-million Vancouver viaducts demolition on January 31. Cue outraged drivers complaining about hypothetical traffic when they should be more concerned around the issues of homelessness, history and reconciliation.

The eastern terminal of the viaducts were built on land taken from Black and Chinese families. It’s city-owned land. How often does the city get new land? And we’re just handing it over to developers? Shame.

Write a letter: Stand up for Chinatown and Hogan’s Alley for Northeast False Creek Plan.

Meanwhile, BC Liberal leadership candidate Mike DeJong has a great idea to solve the housing crisis! Unleash the private sector!

Hello, bonjour, sat sri akal, ni hao ma – What a diverse crowd in #Vancouver tonight! Let's put deadlines on governments so we can unleash the private sector on the housing crisis. Housing must be available in order to be affordable #bcpoli #bcl8. pic.twitter.com/AontgXVUdd

— Mike de Jong (@Mike_de_Jong) January 29, 2018

Yeah, because it wasn’t the fucking private sector that allowed for rampant speculation in the first place — plus tax evasion, house flipping, money laundering and fraud…

Meanwhile, lobbyist Bill Tieleman wants to allow big corporate money to influence electoral reform referendum. Gross: B.C.’s electoral reform debate: “Yes” side launches campaign.

Some TERFS showed up to last week’s Women’s March: Hearing and Seeing Isn’t Enough: Performative Allyship and Feminism. “If your feminism isn’t Intersectional, it is garbage” – Liz Mars.

Scan of the day:

#AbbotsfordBC #Police responding to a report from a citizen that they found a note inside a bag of bulk walnuts they bought at a local grocery store that reads, “Help! My name is Tina and I am being held against my will at the farm.”

— ScanBC (@ScanBC) January 27, 2018

Shut. It. Down: Granville Street nightclub worker dies after early-morning fight.

If it bleeds it leads. If it smells…it sells? Some Questions for Vancouver’s Serial Porta-potty Arsonist