It’s been about a week now since the ground-shifting photo of three-year-old Alan Kurdi flooded the media. While I was initially optimistic that this photo would create a fundamental improvement in Canada’s response to the unprecedented refugee crisis I am now, sadly, not so sure. We all remember — well, most of us do —…
Sliding safety standards don’t work in taxis
Recent media coverage has shone a light on the story about the mother of a young infant who was told by the driver of the taxi she had just boarded along with her husband, who uses a wheelchair, that it would take too much time to buckle the baby into the car seat. He advised…
Press release: COPE calls for real public input into a new transportation plan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 28, 2015 COPE CALLS FOR REAL PUBLIC INPUT INTO A NEW TRANSPORTATION PLAN ——————————— Plebiscite process a mockery of democracy Now that the people of Metro Vancouver have rejected the transportation plebiscite, the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) calls on the Mayors’ Council to go back to the people and…
Liberal premiers of two different stripes
Christy Clark and Kathleen Wynne. Two Liberal premiers. Two very different approaches to global warming. In British Columbia, forest fire season is upon us a month ahead of schedule and worse than ever recorded. Thirty new wildfires are expected every day for the foreseeable future. Air quality in greater Vancouver has been the worst it’s…
For good measure: Happiness!
I recently came across a job posting for a researcher for Happy City, an organisation I had not heard of before. Their website says it all: “The life-shaping power of urban design isn’t always obvious. But design has consequences for public health, the economy, and the well-being of every person in the city. The good…
It’s looking like a melt down so what can we do right here?
Like most Vancouverites I’m enjoying the best summer I can remember! Day after day of clear skies, warm sun and beautiful outdoor times. Unfortunately, this recent lengthy bout of consistently dry, sunny weather is the result of cataclysmic changes in global climate — cataclysmic changes that may very well spell the end of our species…
Three Cheers for the Beautiful Game
With Canada playing China in the first game of the first round of the Women’s World Cup in Edmonton on Saturday, I’m very excited. I’ve always been a big fan of the beautiful game, and we’re in for some of the best footy in the world. Monday, June 8 saw the first games kicking off…