Tea & Two Slices is a long-running local news round-up by NEEDS frontman and veteran dishwasher Sean Orr, who lives and works in Gastown, deeply aware of his privilege.

Affordable is something you can afford: Vancouver rental with $4,000 monthly charge for three-bedroom unit qualifies as affordable housing. “A staff report to council stated that the development at 1805 Larch Street is ‘consistent’ with the city’s definition of ‘for-profit affordable rental housing’.” Oh, weird. Maybe there’s something wrong with the idea of for-profit affordable rental housing in the first fucking place. Maybe the market has utterly failed us. Maybe densifying already inflated land does jack shit for affordability because the developer has to recoup the cost of the land but gets a subsidy because they threw a handful of “affordable” units in the basement.

Nah, but it’s chill. Kennedy sent out his own personal survey that [checks notes] only .2% of the population filled out, so we’re all good: Mayor Kennedy Stewart says survey shows strong support for four-storey apartments in single-family neighbourhoods. “The next opportunity for the public to speak to council on what the City of Vancouver can do to increase rental housing development is coming soon.” We don’t want to increase rental housing development. We want people who make minimum wage to be able to live in this luxury dystopian hellhole. We want co-ops for families. We want rent control. We want the word ‘affordable’ to actually mean something again.

As usual, Demoviction Memes has got us covered:

Meanwhile: Families at West 4th and Collingwood face demoviction. They messed with the wrong tenant:

“Twelve families of moderate income, demovicted to make room for just six townhomes, none rental, that will be well out of reach for most people in this city. Is this the vision for Vancouver? Is this what city council and the mayor mean when they talk about increasing density and affordability? Does it make sense? I think the answer to all three questions is no.”

I like how this article is supposed to make Swanson look bad but just ends up making Kennedy look like he’s in the NPA: Vancouver city council’s current voting record on new market rental housing. The stoy conveniently leaves out what kind of rentals they are but we all know they aren’t affordable.

Something smells fowl here, and it’s not the pigeons: Pigeon feud: North Vancouver approves ban targeting councillor’s neighbour. She literally ran for council, got elected, and used her office to get this guy’s poor pigeons banned? This is some God-tier Karen shit right here. It’s “I’d like to speak to the manager” on steroids.

‘Like a war zone’: 16 overdoses before noon at Vancouver overdose prevention site. This isn’t war. Wars have two sides. This is murder.

Riot Walk tour recounts dark moment in Vancouver’s history. We used to be racist. We still are, but we used to be, too.

Turistas go home! Is ‘Super, Natural British Columbia’ Veering into Overtourism? “Invoking ‘sustainability’ in the face of such numbers is like offering “thoughts and prayers” to the victims of a mass shooting or climate disaster”. Oof.

Recently discovered valley near Revelstoke pitched as new provincial park. I love a new park but…recently discovered? Ok, Columbus.

Salt in the wound: Memphis Grizzlies Set To Debut ‘Vancouver Grizzlies’ Uniforms Saturday Vs. Lakers.

Related:

If the Memphis Grizzlies play a game wearing a jersey that says “Vancouver on it”, they must:

— Bring back the $13 upper deck Sprite Zone
— Have a player demand a mid-game trade for petty reasons
— Bring back Shareef, have him brick a 3 at the buzzer that would tie the game

— Justin McElroy (@j_mcelroy) November 18, 2019

Islandist: Police raid 23-year-old cannabis compassion club in Victoria. Nothing says “weed is legal now” like raiding a compassion club. Again.

Solidarity: MEC staff ‘over the moon’ after Victoria workers vote to unionize