Introduction Western separatism, which advocates for the secession of Western Canadian provinces from the rest of the country, has been a recurring sentiment in certain segments of the population in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.  Ongoing issues that contribute to the Western separatist movement are economic disparity, centralized decision-making, and political alienation.  The historical…

Introduction The emergence of the Reform Party of Canada in the 1980s and its subsequent impact on Canadian politics marked a significant shift in the country’s political landscape. Spawned out of growing frustration with the status quo in Ottawa and a desire for grassroots democracy, the Reform Party represented a political shift that challenged the…

Low interest rates

Introduction For the past four decades, Canadians have enjoyed relative stability amid the backdrop of a strong economy. Yet, suddenly many Canadians are struggling to make ends meet.  What’s changed?  Today Canada is experiencing a 40-year high rate of inflation with interest rates at a 22-year high. Canada’s soaring inflation is casting a long shadow…

The Alberta Sovereignty Act On December 8, 2022, the Alberta Legislature passed the Alberta Sovereignty Act.  This act gives Alberta the ability to act as a nation within a nation, something Quebec has done for years. Essentially, Canada is a federation of sovereign, independent jurisdictions.  Inasmuch as the federal government is a signatory to the…

Vancouver’s City Hall is one of the city’s most beautiful art deco buildings.  Construction began in 1935 partly as a make-work project during the depression.  In the end, Vancouver’s City Hall cost $1 million to build and took 330 days to complete.  The building was officially opened as Vancouver’s new City Hall in 1936. Art…

Al & Toby I met Al Arsenault and Toby Hinton in 1998 while working at the WISH Drop-in Centre on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The WISH Drop-in Centre, then located at the back of the First United Church on East Hastings provided dinner and respite for the neighbourhood’s sex trade workers. Al and Toby were well-respected…

Our city is no longer safe, and Vancouver is in desperate need of leadership at City Hall. Sadly, we are seeing increased violent stranger attacks on innocent people in our city. For example, on August 19, 2022, DH Vancouver’s headline read, “Stabbed while walking”: Three stranger assaults took place in under three hours in Vancouver…

When I began working at the WISH Drop-in Centre, on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, I knew little about addiction, street life or the sex trade.  Up until this point my career had been focused on communications and technology start-ups where I spent the bulk of my time behind a computer. Working At WISH Working at WISH…