Tea & Two Slices is a long-running local news round-up by NEEDS frontman and veteran restaurant dishwasher Sean Orr, who lives and works in Gastown. He is very aware of his privilege, so there’s really no need to remind him of it.

Now the real work begins: Jagmeet Singh’s win could reboot NDP, but only if party stands on firm socialist ground, says former MPP. “We need to take stands that are in dramatic contrast to liberalism, and neo-liberalism and centrism … no one needs another Liberal party”. Indeed, only in the NDP can one celebrate a win that will put the first non-white leader in the House of Commons on one hand, while fretting about it on the other…

As usual, Beaverton sums this contradiction up with aplomb: NDP members devastated by Jagmeet Singh’s by-election win.

“We signed up a whole bunch of people to vote against Singh and drove them to the polls,” said one dumbfounded partisan. “Now we’re doomed to be a weak third party in Parliament, instead of a moderately strong third party like we’ve been dreaming about.”

This election also had another strange contradiction. Maxime Bernier’s PPC party took 11% of the votes away from the Conservatives. While this is great news, it also means that 11% of people voted for a racist, transphobic, anti-immigrant platform: Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party posts mixed-bag results after its first byelection test.

Meanwhile, provincially: B.C. budget promises $10M for province-wide rent bank. “We want bold social democratic solutions to the affordability crisis and skyrocketing rents”. NDP: “OK great, here are some loans”. Not rent control, not vacancy control, certainly not expropriations and building more public housing. Loans.

Related: A City of Renters Asks: Can We Ban Landlords Who Own Too Much?

Stupid shit bootlickers say:

Anita Place camp resident barricades himself in shelter as more inspections take place. That’s super weird how you spelled “Cops enter person’s home without a warrant” wrong…

BC government officially bans ‘mega mansions’ on farmland. Next step: ban mega mansions.

Surrey second only to Detroit, in North America, for most dramatic home price increases. Interesting to note that a city ravaged by bankruptcy at the behest of an economy dominated by high-end financial services and minimum wage jobs — a city used as a model for the internal contradictions of late capitalism — is on par with a city that simply provides homes for people who can’t afford to live in Vancouver.

Measles outbreak: New case, possible exposures at Canada Line stations. Best comment: “Some kinda BS that you can’t have open alcohol on transit but you’re allowed to bring measles.”

This is pretty funny. In protesting a B-Line in West Van, protesters accidentally show how efficient it is:

This is an impressive demonstration of how many people can be carried within the passenger space of a single B-Line bus. I hope the same demonstration is used with mock single occupancy vehicles next. #WestVan #NorthVan https://t.co/lOUKQyRJsd

— Bowinn Ma (@BowinnMa) February 24, 2019

Scramble pedestrian crossings coming to 2 intersections in downtown Vancouver. Ok, but let’s get drivers to actually stop at regular crosswalks first…

Speaking of which: Is this the worst crosswalk in Vancouver? I’m on the news, not just writing about it! Also, ugh, the comments. Yes, I know there are other bad crosswalks and that is completely not the point.

Metro Vancouver officials want people to think before throwing out clothes. Holy shit, who even throws out clothes? Not once in my entire life have I thrown out clothes.

Bonus: NBA star Jimmy Butler hilariously documents his struggle to make it through this BC hike.