On Friday, February 6th, Vancouver mayor Ken Sim alleged in a briefing to Chinese-speaking media that COPE city councillor Sean Orr had handed out illegal drugs to people in the street on Christmas Day. This allegation was only brought to public attention on February 24th when repeated on WeChat by Councillor Lenny Zhou. Within two…
Enough Already: Time to give the Downtown Waterfront to the People
Back in 2014, a former highly respected City of Vancouver Planning Director, Ray Spaxman alerted us all to a proposal by Toronto-based developer, Cadillac Fairview. The developer proposed to jam an odd-shaped, bulky office tower on their Waterfront Station site. Thankfully Cadillac Fairview was stopped in January 2015, in the face of widespread public criticism….
Unity by Ultimatum
Ken Sim has become an increasingly unpopular mayor. Unfortunately, he stands a good chance of being re-elected. How can this be? Division among progressive forces. To have any chance of success, Vancouver’s three progressive political parties – COPE, Vancouver Greens, and OneCity — must all get behind one mayoral candidate. To do otherwise will split…
City Hall’s Developer Discount Program
On Thursday February 5, 2026, Vancouver’s Auditor General Mike Macdonell released his department’s Audit of Land Sales and Exchanges in Vancouver between January 1, 2016, and June 30, 2024. We now know with absolute certainty that the City’s Real Estate and Facilities Management department (REFM) – enabled through ignorance, oversight, or complicity by the City…
How Far Can Cuba Bend Before It Breaks?
For many progressives around the world, Cuba has been an inspiration ever since the revolution there in 1959. Making do with very little, Cuba focused its limited resources on education, and health care. With free education from cradle to grave, Cuba has one of the most highly educated populations in the world. Its life expectancy…
Applause Is Easy. Accountability Is Hard.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s inspirational speech at the DAVOS World Economic Forum on January 20, 2026 has been acclaimed by the international community, widely recognized as not just one of the best speeches ever given by a Canadian Prime Minister, but the best. While I too applaud the Prime Minister for his very well thought…
A Ceasefire That Enabled Atrocity
On October 10, 2025, Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza. Many hostages on both sides were released, people celebrated, and the attention of the world turned mostly from Gaza to other conflicts. Israel has clearly taken advantage of that lack of scrutiny. According to…