Research 4

 

Sure! Here’s a version aimed at tweens (around 10–13 years old), which can handle more complexity, context, and reflection:

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A Journey Through Time: People, Land, and History

About 11,000 years ago, the Earth was changing. The last Ice Age was ending, and huge glaciers were melting, opening new lands for people to live. Humans, who had been hunter-gatherers, began to explore and settle in many parts of the world—including what we now call Europe, North and South America, and beyond.

These early inhabitants are what we now call Indigenous peoples. They developed strong relationships with their environment—knowing how to hunt, gather, and later farm the plants that grew around them. Farming was a huge change because it allowed people to build villages, create more complex societies, and develop new technologies.

In Europe, people started building monuments like Stonehenge, while in the Americas, civilizations such as the Maya and Olmec constructed pyramids and cities. These structures often had spiritual or ceremonial purposes, reflecting people’s beliefs about the world and the forces that controlled their survival—like the weather, crops, and animals.

Life wasn’t always peaceful. There were conflicts and struggles for land and resources, but there were also moments of trade, cooperation, and cultural exchange. Over thousands of years, many different groups developed unique languages, traditions, and knowledge systems.

Fast forward to recent centuries, and we see the effects of colonization—a time when European powers invaded and took control of Indigenous lands, often forcing people off their territories and trying to erase their cultures. This brought great challenges and trauma to Indigenous communities around the world.

Understanding this history is important. It helps us recognize the strength and resilience of Indigenous peoples who continue to protect their lands, languages, and traditions today. It also reminds us why respect, justice, and learning from the past matter for building a better future.

---

Would you like me to create discussion questions or a short quiz to go with this for tweens?

Research 3

 

Absolutely — for 9-year-olds, it’s good to be honest but gentle, acknowledging big ideas like change, challenges, and history’s difficulties while still inspiring hope and understanding. Here’s a version for that age:

---

A Story of People and Our World — From Long Ago to Today

About 11,000 years ago, the world was coming out of a very cold time called the Ice Age. Huge sheets of ice covered much of the land. People were moving around, exploring new places, and learning how to survive in a changing world.

These first people are called Indigenous peoples. They lived all over the world — in places we now call Europe, North and South America, and many other regions. They had deep connections to the land, animals, and each other.

As time passed, people learned how to farm — growing crops like corn, potatoes, and wheat. Farming helped people build villages and towns because they didn’t need to move all the time to find food.

People built amazing things like stone circles in Europe and huge pyramids in the Americas. These structures were often places where they prayed or held ceremonies to ask for good harvests and protection from bad weather or sickness.

Life wasn’t always easy. Sometimes communities had to protect their homes from others. Sometimes there were wars or conflicts. But there were also times of friendship, sharing, and learning from one another.

Today, we remember these stories because they teach us about where we come from and how important it is to respect the earth and all people. Even when times are hard, people have always found ways to hope, care, and keep their cultures alive.

---

Would you like me to add some questions or activities to help 9-year-olds think about this story?

Research 2

 

Sure! Here’s a simple, kid-friendly version of that big history story for Grades 1 to 3:

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A Long, Long Time Ago — A Story About People and the Earth

A very long time ago — even before your great-great-grandparents were born — the Earth was very different. The world was very cold, and big ice sheets covered a lot of land.

People Moving Around
People moved from place to place, looking for food and a safe place to live. They lived in the forests, by rivers, and near the ocean. These people are called Indigenous peoples — they were the very first people living in many parts of the world.

Farming Begins
After many years, people learned how to grow their own food. They planted seeds like corn and potatoes. This helped them stay in one place and build homes and villages.

Building Big Things
People made special buildings like big stone circles or tall pyramids. They built these to remember important things and to ask the earth and sky for good weather and good food.

Different Places, Different Stories
In places like Europe, the Americas (which includes Canada, the U.S., and Mexico), and other parts of the world, people lived in many ways but all cared about nature and each other.

Working Together and Sometimes Fighting
Sometimes people worked together to share food and ideas. Sometimes they fought to protect their homes and families.

Today
We remember these stories to learn about the past. We know that everyone started as people who loved the earth and wanted to live safely with their families.

---

Would you like me to make a little poem or a fun story version next?

Research 1

 

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Around 11,000 Years Ago — The End of the Last Ice Age (circa 9,000 BCE)

• Global Context:
  The last Ice Age is ending. Huge glaciers melt, sea levels rise, and climates warm. Human groups spread into new areas as environments change.

• Europe:
  Hunter-gatherer groups live in forests and plains. People use stone tools, follow animals, gather wild plants. Some early signs of domestication (sheep, goats) begin in the Near East around this time, spreading slowly west.

• North and South America:
  Indigenous peoples migrate, settle, and adapt to diverse environments from Arctic to tropics. They live as hunter-gatherers with rich cultural and spiritual lives tied to land and animals. Some early experiments with plant domestication begin later (~7000 BCE).

• Other Regions:
  In the Fertile Crescent (modern Middle East), the Neolithic Revolution begins with the domestication of wheat, barley, sheep, and goats — agriculture’s birthplace.

---

9,000 to 5,000 Years Ago — The Neolithic and Early Civilization Era

• Europe:
  Agriculture spreads, leading to permanent villages, pottery, weaving, and eventually early towns. Megalithic structures (like Stonehenge) are built—likely for spiritual ceremonies connected to seasons and crops.

• Americas:
  Indigenous groups develop agriculture in different regions: maize (corn) in Mexico around 7,000 years ago, potatoes and quinoa in the Andes. Complex societies start to emerge, with trade networks, mound-building cultures, and spiritual sites.

• Middle East & Asia:
  Early city-states and civilizations emerge (Sumerians in Mesopotamia, Egyptians along the Nile). Writing systems appear, monumental architecture, organized religions.

---

5,000 to 3,000 Years Ago — Bronze Age, Complex Societies, and Early Empires

• Europe:
  Bronze tools and weapons spread, societies become more stratified. Trade routes develop. Religions become more organized with pantheons of gods. Fortified settlements and early kingdoms arise.

• Americas:
  Societies like the Olmec in Mesoamerica build large ceremonial centers with pyramids and monuments. Complex political systems develop. Spiritual life deeply connected to nature, cycles, and ancestors.

• Asia & Africa:
  Great empires like Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt flourish. Writing, law codes, and advanced technologies develop.

---

The Last 3,000 Years — Empires, Colonization, and Global Connections

• Europe:
  Rise of classical civilizations (Greece, Rome), followed by medieval kingdoms, the Renaissance, and expansionist colonial powers.

• Americas:
  Advanced civilizations such as Maya, Aztec, and Inca grow large and sophisticated with monumental architecture, astronomy, and governance.

• Global:
  Trade networks connect continents (Silk Road, trans-Saharan routes). Colonization and conquest drastically alter Indigenous societies in the Americas and elsewhere.

---

Themes and Insights

• Everyone was Indigenous:
  Before large empires and nation-states, all humans were living in their own territories, deeply connected to their land and traditions.

• Agriculture and Spirituality:
  Farming changes human life—settlements, social structures, and spiritual beliefs develop to cope with the uncertainties of nature, like crop failure or weather.

• Conflict and Cooperation:
  Wars over land, resources, and power emerge alongside alliances, trade, and cultural exchange.

• Monuments and Prayer:
  Megaliths, pyramids, and other structures show how humans sought connection to the divine or cosmic forces to ensure survival and prosperity.

---

If you want, I can help you build a detailed visual timeline or story map showing this global progression with Indigenous perspectives included — highlighting how diverse peoples adapted and contributed to human history. How does that sound?

$471 Rent? What CMHC’s New Housing Numbers Really Tell Us — and What They Don’t

 $471 Rent? What CMHC’s New Housing Numbers Really Tell Us — and What They Don’t

An investigation into Canada’s social housing numbers, Vancouver’s rental reality, and the dangerous gap between statistics and lived experience

On August 11, 2026, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) released the results of its sixth Social and Affordable Housing Survey – Rental Structures.

At first glance, one number jumps off the page:

The average monthly rent in the survey ranged from just $471 for a studio to $672 for a three-bedroom-or-larger unit.

Those numbers sound extraordinary in a country where a studio apartment can cost $2,000 a month and a one-bedroom can cost considerably more.

But there is a crucial problem with interpreting that figure as "Canadian rent."

It isn't.

The CMHC survey is measuring a very specific and much smaller part of Canada's housing system: social and affordable rental housing, much of it subsidized and much of it operating under rent-geared-to-income arrangements.

That distinction changes everything.

---

The first question: $471 for what?

CMHC's new survey covers nearly 591,000 social and affordable housing units across Canada.

Those units represent an estimated 4% of Canada's total housing stock.

The survey covers structures containing at least one self-contained rental unit that is subsidized by a public entity, excluding on-reserve housing.

That means the $471 national average is not the average rent being paid by Canadians looking for an apartment on the open market.

It is an average within a particular pool of publicly subsidized or supported housing.

The distinction is enormous.

CMHC reports the following national averages for the social and affordable housing units in this survey:

Unit	Average monthly rent
Studio	$471
1 bedroom	$565
2 bedroom	$637
3 bedroom	$672

At first glance, that might look like Canada has an enormous supply of apartments costing between $471 and $672.

It does not.

These numbers describe a limited social-housing system serving a small fraction of Canada's housing stock.

And CMHC tells us exactly why the rents are so low.

---

85% of these rents are tied to household income

This is arguably the most important sentence in the entire CMHC release.

Eighty-five percent of the units surveyed use household income to determine rent.

CMHC calls this rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing.

In other words, the rent isn't necessarily determined by what an apartment could command in Vancouver, Toronto or another private rental market.

It can be determined by what the tenant can afford based on their income.

That is precisely why a national average of $471 tells us very little about what an ordinary person will encounter when searching for an apartment.

It is not an apples-to-apples comparison.

It is the difference between asking:

"What does an apartment cost?"

and asking:

"What does a subsidized tenant pay for an apartment when the rent is calculated according to their income?"

Those are two completely different questions.

---

The 591,000-unit picture is also geographically uneven

The survey includes nearly 591,000 units, but they are not distributed evenly across Canada.

CMHC reports:

• Ontario: 53.6%
• British Columbia: 11.5%
• Quebec: 11.3%
• Alberta: 6.7%
• Manitoba: 4.9%
• Saskatchewan: 3.6%
• Nova Scotia: 2.9%
• Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut: 1.5%
• Newfoundland and Labrador: 1.3%
• Prince Edward Island: 0.5%

More than half of the surveyed units are in Ontario alone.

And there is another striking figure:

Vancouver accounts for only 6% of the surveyed units.

Toronto accounts for 25.5%.

Montreal accounts for 6%.

So when someone sees a national social-housing average and applies it to Vancouver, they are taking a national figure from a highly specialized and geographically uneven housing stock and treating it as though it were a Vancouver market rent.

It isn't.

---

British Columbia is actually one of the expensive places in this survey

There is an important detail buried beneath the national average.

CMHC says that British Columbia and Yukon had among the highest average rents across all bedroom types even within the social and affordable housing survey.

That is important because it shows how misleading the $471 headline can be for someone living in British Columbia.

The national average is being pulled together from very different housing markets and very different housing systems.

A $471 national social-housing average does not mean a person in Vancouver can walk into the rental market and find a $471 studio.

---

Now compare it with Vancouver

CMHC has another survey that measures something quite different: the Primary Rental Market, including purpose-built rental housing.

That is much closer to the rental market most people think about when they hear the words "average rent."

For the Vancouver CMA, CMHC reports a 2025 average rent of $1,806 for a one-bedroom apartment and $2,363 for a two-bedroom apartment in the purpose-built rental universe.

And Vancouver neighbourhoods can be considerably more expensive.

CMHC's 2025 zone data shows an average rent of $2,051 across the Kitsilano/Point Grey zone, although that figure covers the rental universe as a whole rather than only studios and one-bedrooms.

Current rental listings demonstrate what renters are encountering in Kitsilano right now.

A July 2026 rental-market listing analysis put the median asking rent at approximately:

$2,000 for a studio

and

$2,570 for a one-bedroom.

Individual listings vary widely, of course. But these numbers illustrate the enormous gap between the $471 national social-housing figure and the price of obtaining a private-market apartment in a Vancouver neighbourhood.

---

The math becomes frightening for people with low incomes

This is where the statistics stop being abstract.

Consider someone whose entire monthly income is around $1,000.

A $2,000 studio would consume 200% of their monthly income.

A $2,570 one-bedroom would consume 257%.

There is no budgeting trick that solves that equation.

Even a $1,706 apartment — roughly the 2025 Vancouver-city average cited in CMHC's rental-market data for a studio — would consume more than the person's entire monthly income.

This is why social housing exists in the first place.

The person isn't failing to find the right bargain.

The private rental market is mathematically inaccessible to them.

---

And this is especially important for seniors

CMHC says seniors are the largest client group served by the social and affordable housing stock surveyed.

They are identified as a client group in 41% of units.

Families with children are second, at 30%.

That tells us something important about the people behind these statistics.

This isn't simply a story about young people looking for inexpensive apartments.

It is about people who may have little ability to increase their income:

• seniors living on fixed incomes;
• families raising children;
• people with disabilities;
• single adults;
• people whose incomes fluctuate or are extremely low.

For a low-income senior, housing isn't an ordinary consumer purchase.

It is a survival expense.

Federal benefits alone demonstrate the scale of the problem. In early 2026, the maximum Old Age Security pension for a person aged 65–74 was $742.31 per month, while the maximum Guaranteed Income Supplement for a single OAS recipient was $1,108.74 per month. Actual income varies according to circumstances and other benefits, but these figures show why many seniors cannot simply enter Vancouver's private rental market and pay $2,000 or $2,500 a month.

And families face a different version of the same problem: children do not produce rental income. A parent may have to support several people from one modest income.

---

The vacancy rate is another statistic that can easily be misunderstood

CMHC reports a 2.9% vacancy rate for social and affordable housing in 2025.

That sounds like a normal vacancy statistic.

But it isn't comparable to the vacancy rate in the broader rental market.

CMHC explicitly warns about this.

In social housing, vacancies frequently represent tenant turnover, not a lack of demand.

Why?

Because many housing providers have long waiting lists.

When someone leaves, the provider can fill the unit with another person already waiting for housing.

So a vacant unit does not necessarily mean:

"There are apartments available and nobody wants them."

It can mean:

"A tenant has left and the provider is now processing the next person on the waiting list."

That is a crucial distinction.

---

Who actually controls this housing?

The survey also tells us that most of these units are not ordinary private-market rentals.

CMHC reports:

• 58.5% managed by governments;
• 29% managed by non-profit organizations;
• 4.5% managed by housing co-operatives;
• 8.5% managed by private companies or partnerships involving the organizations above.

So almost nine out of ten units are managed by governments, non-profits or co-operatives.

Again, this is a fundamentally different housing market from someone searching Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or a rental website for a private apartment.

---

There is another uncomfortable statistic: only 4% of Canada's housing stock

CMHC estimates that the social and affordable housing covered by this survey represents approximately 4% of Canada's total housing stock.

That is the number that should make us stop.

Because the $471 national average applies to this small slice of the housing system.

It does not describe the other 96%.

If a person cannot qualify for social housing, is on a waiting list, doesn't meet the criteria, or simply cannot obtain one of the limited units, the $471 figure may be completely irrelevant to their actual housing search.

They are left facing the private rental market.

And the private rental market operates on a completely different set of numbers.

---

The age of Canada's social housing stock is another warning sign

CMHC found that Canada's social and affordable housing stock is old.

Nationally:

• 50% of the units were built before 1980;
• 34% were built between 1980 and 1995;
• only 16% were built after 1995.

That means 84% of the units were built in 1995 or earlier.

This is not a new system being built to meet today's housing crisis.

It is largely an older housing stock that governments and housing organizations are trying to maintain while demand continues.

And CMHC says approximately 77% of the structures are expected to undergo repairs over the next five years.

That ranges from 64% in Quebec to 90% in Alberta.

So Canada is not only short of affordable housing.

Much of the affordable housing it already has is aging.

---

The condition numbers are sobering

CMHC reports:

• 45% of units were in excellent or good condition;
• 21% were in average condition;
• 33% were in fair or poor condition.

Those percentages were nearly unchanged from 2024.

In other words, approximately one-third of the social and affordable housing stock surveyed was rated fair or poor.

That is not an argument against social housing.

It is an argument for investing in it.

If governments rely on an aging stock of subsidized housing while failing to build enough new affordable units, the problem compounds: fewer units, longer waiting lists, older buildings and increasing repair costs.

---

So what is wrong with the $471 number?

Strictly speaking, nothing is mathematically wrong with it.

The number is real.

The problem is what happens when the number escapes its context.

A headline saying:

"Average Canadian rent: $471 for a studio"

would be profoundly misleading.

A more accurate description would be:

"CMHC finds the average rent for studio units in Canada's surveyed social and affordable housing stock was $471 in 2025, with 85% of units using household income to determine rent."

That is a very different statement.

The first suggests a bargain that ordinary renters can find.

The second describes a subsidized housing system.

---

The real housing crisis is hiding between these two sets of numbers

Put the statistics side by side.

Social and affordable housing surveyed by CMHC:

$471 — average studio rent nationally
$565 — average one-bedroom
$637 — average two-bedroom
$672 — average three-bedroom-plus
85% — rent determined by household income
4% — estimated share of Canada's total housing stock
591,000 — units covered

Now compare that with Vancouver's ordinary rental market.

Vancouver purpose-built rental market:

$1,806 — 2025 average one-bedroom rent in the Vancouver CMA
$2,363 — 2025 average two-bedroom rent in the Vancouver CMA
$2,051 — 2025 average rent across the Kitsilano/Point Grey rental zone
$2,000 — July 2026 median asking rent for a Kitsilano studio in one current listing analysis
$2,570 — July 2026 median asking rent for a Kitsilano one-bedroom in that analysis.

These aren't contradictory numbers.

They are measuring different worlds.

And that is precisely the problem.

---

What does "affordable" actually mean?

This is perhaps the most important question.

A home costing $500 a month is obviously affordable to someone earning $1,000 a month.

But if that home is one of a limited number of subsidized units, unavailable to most people and potentially subject to a long waiting list, its existence does not make the broader rental market affordable.

Likewise, a $2,000 apartment is not made affordable simply because someone somewhere earns enough to pay it.

Housing affordability has to be considered in relation to income, availability and access.

A housing system can contain some very cheap units while simultaneously being brutally unaffordable for people who cannot access those units.

That is what these statistics show.

---

The question CMHC's numbers should make us ask

The question shouldn't be:

"Why are rents so cheap in Canada? CMHC says they're only $471!"

The question should be:

"Why does Canada have only enough subsidized/social housing to represent an estimated 4% of its housing stock when private-market rents are completely unaffordable for many low-income households?"

And then:

"How many people are waiting for those units?"

"How long are they waiting?"

"How many people who desperately need subsidized housing never get one?"

"How many seniors are forced to spend most of their income on rent?"

"How many families are choosing between housing, food and other necessities?"

And finally:

"How much more affordable housing does Canada actually need?"

Those are the questions hidden behind the $471 number.

---

The bottom line

CMHC's 2025 Social and Affordable Housing Survey is valuable data.

But it is not a measure of what the average Canadian pays to rent an apartment.

It measures a specialized housing system consisting of nearly 591,000 social and affordable units — only an estimated 4% of Canada's housing stock — where 85% of rents are determined by household income.

The $471 studio and $565 one-bedroom averages are therefore not evidence that Vancouver renters can find apartments at those prices.

They are evidence that subsidized housing can make housing affordable when governments and housing providers deliberately disconnect rent from market prices and connect it to people's incomes.

And that is exactly why the numbers matter.

Because Vancouver's private rental market can ask $2,000, $2,500 or more for a small apartment while a low-income person may have only a fraction of that amount available for housing.

The existence of a $471 subsidized apartment somewhere in Canada does not solve that person's problem.

A housing system cannot be judged by the cheapest rent that exists.

It has to be judged by whether people who need housing can actually obtain a safe, appropriate home they can afford.

That is the story these numbers are really telling.

And it is a much more serious story than "$471 rent in Canada."

---

Sources

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation — 6th Cycle Social and Affordable Housing Survey, published August 11, 2026. Read the full CMHC release

CMHC Housing Market Information Portal — Vancouver rental-market data. View CMHC Vancouver rental statistics

Government of Canada — 2026 OAS/GIS benefit amounts. View official OAS/GIS figures

#SocialHousing #AffordableHousing #CMHC #VancouverHousing #HousingCrisis #RentalAffordability #RentGearedToIncome #HousingInequality #SeniorsHousing #CanadaHousing

I Wanted to Save the World

 I Wanted to Save the World

I have been thinking about an old blog post I wrote years ago.

The title was: “Social Movements Don't Die Out, THEY GROW!!”

I was writing about Fury for the Sound: The Women at Clayoquot, a documentary about the women who fought the clearcutting of Clayoquot Sound. Women, children, grandmothers, activists and elders stood together to protect the rainforest. Some were arrested. Some went to jail. The logging company kept photographs and records of protesters. It was a powerful and frightening reminder that standing up for the land can come with a price.

And then, years later, we watched similar battles unfold at Fairy Creek.

Sometimes it feels like we have learned very little.

About ten years ago, I was part of a Carving and Reconciliation cohort at Langara. I remember Mary Jane, an Indigenous elder who was Elder in Residence. I had so many ideas and so much energy.

At one point she simply said to me:

“You do them. I am tired.”

I didn't understand then how deeply those words would eventually come back to me.

I am tired now too.

I think I know what originally pushed me so hard. I remember seeing images of children being detained at the U.S. border. Children in cages. Children treated like numbers.

It horrified me.

My child is half Mexican. These were Mexican children.

Something inside me said, I have to do something.

I think many of us believed that with the internet, all this information and all these connections, we could finally change the world. We could expose injustice, organize people, share knowledge and make governments listen.

I believed that.

I still believe knowledge matters.

But ten years later, I look around and wonder what happened.

We have more information than any generation in history, yet we are still arguing about whether we should keep expanding fossil fuels while forests burn every summer. People hear the warnings, see the smoke and watch communities lose their homes—and then someone is still setting off fireworks when everything around us is dry.

We have known about climate change for decades.

We have known about disappearing species.

We have known about pollution.

We have known about the consequences of endless consumption.

And still, somehow, money keeps winning.

Maybe that is one of the hardest things for me to understand.

So much of our identity has become tied to the system that is causing the problem. Cars, oil, mining, consumption, endless growth. People depend on these industries for their livelihoods, their pensions and their sense of security. Changing the system can feel like threatening their entire lives.

But what happens when protecting the old system means making the future less secure for our children?

That is the question I keep coming back to.

I don't hate people who work in oil, construction, transportation or other industries that aren't “green.” People need jobs. Families need homes. People need to eat.

What I want is a transition where people aren't abandoned while the economy changes.

Canada could invest in clean energy, public transportation, batteries, agriculture, ecological restoration, safer communities and all the technologies and industries that will matter in the future.

Instead, we keep being told that another pipeline is necessary.

And I keep thinking about Tzeporah Berman and the women of Clayoquot.

They were fighting this battle decades ago.

The forests were worth protecting then.

The children were worth protecting then.

And they still are.

Maybe the world really has become darker in some ways. There is certainly more suffering than I can comfortably think about.

But perhaps the answer isn't to stop caring.

Perhaps it is to understand that one person cannot carry the whole world.

For years I thought I had to do my part to save the world—to protect the environment, to protect children, to make things better for my own child.

And the strangest, saddest part is that my child doesn't even talk to me now.

Ten years of silence can make a person question everything.

But I'm beginning to understand something.

My child not speaking to me doesn't mean my love wasn't real.

And the world not becoming what I hoped doesn't mean the dream was foolish.

I wanted a better world.

Was that really such a terrible thing?

Maybe I don't have to save the world anymore.

Maybe I can make paintings.

Write books.

Tell stories.

Talk to people.

Hug trees when nobody is looking. 🌲

And when I am tired, perhaps I can finally sit down.

Mary Jane said:

“You do them. I am tired.”

I think I finally understand.

Sometimes the work is passed from one generation to another.

Sometimes we carry it.

Sometimes we rest.

And sometimes, after giving everything we have, we simply have to trust that someone else will pick it up.

I hope they do.

#ClimateChange #EnvironmentalActivism #ClayoquotSound #TzeporahBerman #EnvironmentalJustice #IndigenousReconciliation #ClimateAction #ProtectThePlanet #SocialMovements #HopeForTheFuture

THE FIRE NEXT TIME / WATER IS LIFE Travelling Art Show

 🔥🌊 THE FIRE NEXT TIME / WATER IS LIFE 🌊🔥 Travelling Art Show

Title: Cedar & Sunlight 
Artist: Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita

A new travelling art project is taking shape.

I’m Tina Winterlik, aka Zipolita’Z ArtworkZ, and these paintings are part of Emily’s 2nd Act — a new chapter in my art, and an invitation to conversation.

From now through the end of September, I’m hoping to take these works into parks and public spaces as a small Travelling Art Show.

The paintings are still works in progress. 🌲🌞🔥💧

They are not simply paintings about fire and water. They are about the places we love, what we are losing, what we are trying to protect, and how we move forward.

💧 WATER IS LIFE — $1,000

🔥 THE FIRE NEXT TIME — $1,000

At the end of the travelling show, the paintings will be available for purchase.

And yes, the money matters.

This is more than an art project for me. These paintings are part of how I’m trying to support myself through this next stretch of life — helping me get to my pension, and eventually allowing me to return to Mexico, where so much of my heart and artistic life lives.

I’ve spent years making art, travelling, documenting, painting murals, telling stories and trying to create conversations around the things that matter.

Now I’m putting that energy into these two bodies of work.

The art travels.
The conversation travels.
And hopefully, the paintings find homes where the conversation continues.

🎨 Work in Progress
🌲 A Travelling Art Show
🔥 The Fire Next Time
💧 Water Is Life

Coming to a park near you.

#TheFireNextTime #WaterIsLife #Emilys2ndAct #TravellingArtShow #ClimateArt #PublicArt #ArtAndConversation #WorkInProgress #ZipolitaZArtworkZ #TinaWinterlik

I Knew Something Was Wrong. And I Wasn’t the Only One Feeling It.

 I Knew Something Was Wrong.

And I Wasn’t the Only One Feeling It.

For years, I kept saying something was happening in Canada that people didn't seem to want to talk about.

I saw it in Surrey.

I saw it on buses.

I saw it on SkyTrain.

I saw people arriving in enormous numbers, looking for somewhere to live and somewhere to work. I watched the pressure build while rents climbed, jobs became harder to find, and ordinary people — Canadians and newcomers alike — struggled to keep their heads above water.

And when I said it, sometimes even my own family didn't believe me.

I wasn't saying that immigrants were the problem.

I was saying something was wrong with the system.

Now, years later, the Canadian government is effectively saying the same thing.

The numbers became enormous

Canada dramatically expanded immigration and, particularly, temporary immigration.

The previous 2024–2026 immigration plan called for 500,000 permanent residents a year in 2025 and 2026. Then the government changed course.

The 2025–2027 plan cut the permanent-resident target to 395,000 in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027.

For the first time, Canada also established targets for temporary residents — international students and temporary workers — and announced that it wanted temporary residents to represent only about 5% of the population. The government projected a decline of more than 445,000 temporary residents in both 2025 and 2026 compared with the previous year.

That isn't a tiny policy adjustment.

That is a government acknowledging that the previous trajectory wasn't sustainable.

And now the removals are surging

The latest CBSA statistics are startling.

Between January 1 and June 30, 2026, Canada recorded 10,607 removals.

India was the largest nationality group, with 3,323 removals.

Mexico was next with 1,573.

For comparison, Canada removed 3,779 Indian nationals during the entire year of 2025.

So in only six months of 2026, the number of Indian nationals removed was already almost 88% of the previous year's total. CBSA also lists 7,669 Indian nationals in its “removal in progress” inventory.

Those numbers are real.

But there is something important we should NOT do with them.

We should not look at 3,323 people and assume they were all criminals, scammers or fraudulent immigrants.

CBSA's citizenship statistics don't tell us that.

People can be removed for many different immigration reasons, including failed refugee claims, loss of status, non-compliance with immigration requirements, misrepresentation and other grounds.

A person can have made an immigration mistake without being a bad person.

And some people were almost certainly victims themselves.

Because there was exploitation on the other side too

This is the part that makes me angry.

Imagine being a young person in India, believing that Canada is a place where you can study, work hard and build a future.

You sell property.

Your family borrows money.

You pay tuition.

You pay an immigration agent.

You arrive here expecting opportunity.

And then you discover that the job you thought you were going to get doesn't exist.

The room you were promised costs a fortune.

The wages aren't what you expected.

There are thousands of people competing for the same jobs.

And the person who sold you the dream has already collected their money.

Canada's own immigration department warns applicants about exactly these kinds of scams. It says unauthorized representatives may charge large sums for little or no service, use fake documents, promise jobs or permanent residence, or tell people they have special connections with immigration officials.

IRCC has also uncovered problems in the international-student system. In 2024, it verified more than 650,000 letters of acceptance from Canadian schools and found approximately 14,000 that did not initially match school records. Some were legitimate discrepancies that were resolved, but others were withdrawn or refused.

That doesn't mean every international student was fraudulent.

Far from it.

It means there were people making money from a system that had grown too big and wasn't being adequately controlled.

Meanwhile, Canadians were hurting too

And this is where the conversation became so toxic.

If you complained about housing, you could be called anti-immigrant.

If you complained about wages, you could be told that immigrants were doing jobs Canadians wouldn't do.

If you questioned the number of people arriving, you were sometimes treated as though you hated newcomers.

But I don't hate newcomers.

I have met wonderful immigrants my entire life.

I know people who came here with almost nothing and built beautiful lives.

I also know that the people arriving here were often not the people making the most money from the system.

The people at the bottom were competing for housing.

They were competing for entry-level jobs.

They were sometimes sleeping several people to a room.

They were being scammed.

And Canadians at the bottom were competing for the same scarce housing and jobs.

That is not a recipe for solidarity.

It is a recipe for resentment.

Vancouver made this painfully obvious

Anyone who has tried to rent in Vancouver knows that housing didn't suddenly become affordable because the government eventually admitted there was a problem.

In 2025, CMHC recorded a 3.7% vacancy rate for Vancouver's purpose-built rental market — the highest level in more than 30 years — yet affordable units remained extremely difficult to find. CMHC found that only about 1–2% of rental units affordable to lower-income households were vacant.

And Statistics Canada's first-quarter 2026 data put Vancouver's average asking rent for a two-bedroom apartment at about $3,100.

So when someone says, “The rental market is improving,” that may be statistically true.

But tell that to someone who has $1,500 a month to spend.

A vacancy rate doesn't automatically create an affordable home.

I wish people had listened earlier

This is the part I struggle with personally.

I remember saying that there were suddenly tons of extra people on the buses and SkyTrain in Surrey.

I remember looking for work and wondering how on earth I was supposed to compete.

I remember seeing people desperate for jobs.

And I remember thinking:

Something is happening here.

Maybe I didn't have the vocabulary for it then.

Maybe I didn't know the immigration numbers.

Maybe I didn't understand the temporary-resident system, international-student recruitment, private colleges, immigration consultants, LMIA programs or the financial incentives behind them.

But I could see the pressure.

And now the government itself has acknowledged that temporary migration had grown beyond what communities could comfortably absorb.

Canada has introduced student caps, reduced temporary-worker targets, tightened work-permit rules and strengthened fraud controls. The government says these measures are intended to reduce pressure on housing, infrastructure and services and improve the integrity of the immigration system.

But let's not turn suffering into hatred

This is where I want us to be careful.

The answer isn't to blame Indians.

It isn't to blame international students.

It isn't to blame refugees.

It isn't to blame immigrants.

And it isn't to pretend nothing happened.

The answer is to ask:

Who designed the system?

Who benefited from enormous numbers of international students?

Who collected tuition?

Who recruited them?

Who sold them immigration dreams?

Who profited from temporary workers?

Who benefited from cheap labour?

Who allowed housing construction to fall so far behind population growth?

Who allowed people to pay enormous amounts to unscrupulous agents?

Who was supposed to be watching?

And why did ordinary Canadians have to feel the consequences before governments finally started changing course?

Those are the questions worth asking.

Because there are victims on both sides of this story.

There are Canadians who couldn't afford housing.

There are young people who couldn't find work.

There are newcomers who arrived expecting opportunity and instead found exploitation.

There are families who borrowed everything they had to send someone to Canada.

There are people now facing removal after spending years here.

There are businesses that genuinely needed workers.

And there are people who absolutely did exploit the system.

All of those things can be true at the same time.

We needed immigration.

We needed better planning.

We needed more housing.

We needed honest immigration advice.

We needed enforcement against fraud.

We needed employers who couldn't simply use desperate temporary workers to hold wages down.

We needed governments to listen when communities said they were overwhelmed.

And most of all, we needed to remember that immigration policy isn't just about numbers.

Every number is a human being.

Including the person who was removed.

Including the Canadian who lost their apartment.

Including the worker who couldn't find a job.

Including the family sleeping six people to a room.

Including the person who was promised a Canadian dream and discovered that someone else had sold them a lie.

I wasn't imagining the pressure I was seeing.

The numbers eventually caught up with what people were experiencing on the ground.

Now let's have the conversation without hatred, without scapegoating and without pretending the system didn't fail.

Because Canada can do better.

And the people who came here believing in Canada deserved better too.

#CanadaImmigration #HousingCrisis #CanadaHousing #ImmigrationReform #InternationalStudents #TemporaryResidents #ImmigrationFraud #CanadianJobs

British Columbia Is on Fire: Why the Provincial Emergency Matters

British Columbia Is on Fire: Why the Provincial Emergency Matters

August 8, 2026

Tonight, British Columbia feels very different.

A provincial state of emergency has now been declared because of the wildfire situation, initially for 14 days. And while those words can sound like another government announcement, for thousands of people across B.C., this isn't abstract anymore.

People are evacuating.

People are waiting.

People are wondering whether their homes will still be standing when they are allowed to return.

And people are trying to get their families, pets, livestock, medications and whatever they can carry to safety.

I've watched this before

I watched the Fort McMurray fire from Vancouver in 2016. I watched Slave Lake. I watched Lytton.

Back then, I used to follow the fires closely on Twitter. What made those disasters so painful wasn't simply watching a map turn red. It was connecting with actual people.

People posting from their homes.

People trying to evacuate.

People saying goodbye to places they had built their lives around.

Once you connect with the people behind the evacuation numbers, a wildfire stops being a statistic.

It becomes someone's home.

Someone's photographs.

Someone's animals.

Someone's memories.

And now I am watching B.C. again.

Only this time, it feels even closer.

I have friends and family all over B.C.—Merritt, Vernon, Nelson and many other places affected by wildfire, evacuation alerts, or thick smoke.

Nelson is already dealing with too much smoke.

So when I see these communities on the map, I don't just see dots and coloured evacuation zones.

I see people I know.

What does a provincial state of emergency actually mean?

The declaration gives the provincial government additional powers to coordinate the emergency response and access resources quickly.

It can allow the government to take extraordinary measures when necessary, including coordinating resources, restricting access to dangerous areas and supporting evacuation and emergency operations.

But it is important to understand what it doesn't mean.

It doesn't mean every community in B.C. is being evacuated.

It doesn't automatically impose a province-wide travel ban.

Specific restrictions and evacuation orders still have to be issued where they are needed.

The 14-day declaration is the initial period. It can be extended if the emergency continues.

In other words, this gives the Province a much bigger toolbox.

And right now, we need that toolbox.

The numbers don't tell the whole story

There is a temptation to ask:

Is this our worst wildfire year ever?

By total hectares burned, no. The 2023 wildfire season remains the record-holder in B.C., with approximately 2.84 million hectares burned.

But that statistic doesn't tell you how frightening tonight is for someone standing in an evacuation centre.

A fire doesn't have to make the record books to destroy a person's life.

Fort McMurray evacuated approximately 88,000 people in 2016.

Today, more than 20,000 people have been evacuated in connection with the current B.C. wildfire emergency.

That is already an enormous number of people.

And every one of them is a person, not a number.

Summerland

Tonight, Summerland is one of the communities I can't stop thinking about.

People are being evacuated while fires move rapidly through dry landscapes.

Some people are trying to get out.

Some are waiting for information.

Some are worried about loved ones who stayed behind to help animals or protect property.

And somewhere, right now, somebody is probably looking at the same orange sky I have seen before and wondering:

Is my home still there?

That is the part of wildfire reporting that stays with me.

Merritt. Vernon. Nelson. And everywhere in between.

These aren't just places on a map to me.

I have friends and family in communities across B.C., and I know I'm not the only person watching tonight with a list of names in my head.

The fire itself is frightening.

The smoke is frightening.

The uncertainty is frightening.

And sometimes the hardest part is simply waiting for that next message:

“We're okay.”

Please listen to the evacuation orders

This is not the time to gamble.

If an area is under an evacuation order, leave.

If you are on evacuation alert, prepare now.

Know where your documents are.

Charge your phones.

Have medications ready.

Make arrangements for animals.

Keep your vehicle fueled if you can.

And check official emergency information rather than relying on a social-media post that may already be out of date.

Because wildfire information can change incredibly quickly.

And please remember the people behind the numbers

Tonight, there will be plenty of statistics.

Hectares burned.

Number of fires.

Number of evacuation orders.

Number of firefighters.

Number of structures damaged or destroyed.

Those numbers matter.

But behind every number is somebody.

A family.

A home.

An animal.

A community.

A lifetime of memories.

I have watched these fires from Vancouver before.

I've watched Fort McMurray.

I've watched Slave Lake.

I've watched Lytton.

I've watched strangers become familiar faces because they were posting their experiences in real time.

And I never forget that those people weren't characters in a disaster story.

They were living it.

Tonight, thousands of British Columbians are living it again.

So to everyone who is evacuated, waiting, fighting the fires, caring for animals, helping neighbours, working in emergency centres, driving evacuation routes, or simply sitting at home wondering what tomorrow will bring:

I see you.

Please stay safe.

And to Merritt, Vernon, Nelson, Summerland and every other community facing this fire season—

🤞❤️

#BCWildfires, #BritishColumbia, #BCWildfire, #WildfireEmergency, #Summerland, #Merritt, #VernonBC, #NelsonBC, #WildfireSeason, #StaySafeBC

SUMMERLAND WILDFIRE — THIS IS SERIOUS. PLEASE SHARE ACCURATE INFORMATION

🔥 SUMMERLAND WILDFIRE — THIS IS SERIOUS. PLEASE SHARE ACCURATE INFORMATION 🔥

The situation around Summerland has deteriorated very quickly.

The Bald Range wildfire, burning west/northwest of Summerland, exploded in size Friday evening. Reports indicate the fire grew to approximately 5,000 hectares (50 km²) in only a few hours, with extremely aggressive fire behaviour.

🚨 IMPORTANT: EVACUATION ORDERS HAVE NOW BEEN ISSUED FOR SUMMERLAND AND SURROUNDING AREAS.

The District of Summerland has issued an evacuation order. If you are in an area under an EVACUATION ORDER, leave immediately and follow the directions of emergency officials.

This is NOT simply an evacuation alert.

🛣️ ROADS & TRAVEL

Road conditions are changing rapidly because of the fire.

Highway 97 and surrounding routes may be closed, restricted or experiencing major delays. Check DriveBC immediately before travelling and follow directions from police and emergency crews.

Do NOT assume a route is safe because someone posted that it was open earlier.

🏠 IF YOU ARE EVACUATING

Take the essentials first:

• People and pets
• Medication and important medical information
• Identification, wallet and keys
• Phone, chargers and power banks
• Important documents
• A few days of clothing
• Food and water if readily available
• Anything irreplaceable that you can safely grab quickly

If you have elderly neighbours, people with disabilities, or anyone who may have difficulty evacuating, please check on them if you can do so safely.

Do not delay leaving because you are waiting to see what the fire does.

🐕🐈 DON'T FORGET THE ANIMALS

Take pets with you if you can. Use carriers or leashes.

If you have livestock or horses, follow instructions from local emergency officials and animal-emergency organizations.

Do not put yourself in danger trying to rescue animals after an evacuation order.

🏨 IF YOU HAVE BEEN EVACUATED

Evacuees can contact Emergency Support Services (ESS) for assistance.

📞 250-490-7359

The District of Summerland specifically lists this number for people evacuated from their homes.

📱 WHERE TO GET RELIABLE INFORMATION

During a rapidly changing wildfire, social media can become a mixture of old information, rumours and current information.

Please check the official sources directly:

🔥 BC Wildfire Service — wildfire information and fire status
🚨 EmergencyInfoBC — evacuation alerts and orders
🏛️ District of Summerland — local emergency information
📍 RDOS Emergency Operations Centre — regional emergency information
🛣️ DriveBC — highway closures, road conditions and webcams

👉 If you are in or near Summerland, please don't wait for a Facebook post to tell you what to do. Check your address against the official evacuation information.

And if you're outside the evacuation zone, please remember that the people leaving need the roads and emergency services to remain available.

💔 Thinking of everyone in Summerland, Trout Creek, Peachland and the surrounding communities tonight — and especially the firefighters, emergency crews, RCMP, volunteers, animal rescuers and everyone helping people get out safely.

Please leave when ordered. Please check on one another. And please share information, not rumours. ❤️‍🩹

#Summerland #BaldRangeWildfire #BCWildfires #Okanagan #Wildfire #Evacuation #SummerlandBC #Peachland #BCWildfireService

Who Owns BC’s Farmland — and Who Gets to Decide What Happens to It

 Who Owns BC’s Farmland — and Who Gets to Decide What Happens to It?

There is a story unfolding in British Columbia that deserves far more public attention.

We are hearing about wealthy American investors and billionaires acquiring enormous amounts of BC farmland. In the small community of Dunster, in the Robson Valley, a group of local residents has been fighting back against the accumulation of agricultural land by foreign owners.

And I have questions.

Not accusations.
Questions.

Because when enormous amounts of land are concentrated in the hands of extremely wealthy people, the issue isn't simply who owns it today.

The question is:

What happens to that land tomorrow?

Why are they buying it?

This is the first question I want answered.

If someone buys farmland because they intend to live there, farm it, employ local people and become part of the community, that is one thing.

But what happens when agricultural land becomes an investment asset?

In Dunster, concerns have been raised about large numbers of properties being accumulated while homes remain empty and local families struggle to find places to live.

A small rural community can only absorb so much.

A house isn't just a house in a tiny farming community.

It can be a family.

It can be children attending the local school.

It can be a farmer starting out.

It can be the person who volunteers at the fire department, runs the community hall or buys groceries at the local store.

When those homes disappear from the local housing pool, the consequences spread far beyond the property line.

Are they going to mine it?

I don't know.

And I'm not going to claim that they are.

But that is exactly why I think we should be asking.

What are the long-term plans for these properties?

Are they going to remain agricultural?

Are they actually being farmed?

Are there mineral claims?

Are there forestry interests?

Are there water licences?

Could the land ever be used for something else?

What happens if ownership changes again?

Agricultural Land Reserve rules provide important protections for farmland in BC, but they don't mean that every possible future use is permanently prohibited.

So instead of speculating, I want governments to tell the public what protections actually exist.

And then there is the question we cannot ignore:

What about unceded territory?

This is British Columbia.

Much of this province is unceded Indigenous territory.

That means we cannot have a conversation about the future of land in BC as though this were simply a matter of Canadians versus Americans.

Indigenous peoples were here long before the Crown claimed sovereignty and long before governments created today's system of private property.

So I want to know:

How does the massive accumulation of land on unceded territory fit into reconciliation?

What role do the Indigenous Nations whose territories these properties are located on have in decisions about their future?

And what happens when the land being accumulated by an extremely wealthy foreign owner is land that Indigenous Nations have never agreed to surrender?

These aren't simple questions.

But that doesn't mean we should avoid asking them.

How quickly could BC change the rules?

This is another question worth asking.

Governments sometimes make enormous changes surprisingly quickly when there is political will.

BC already has legislation governing agricultural land through the Agricultural Land Reserve system.

So why couldn't BC consider stronger restrictions on foreign or corporate ownership of agricultural land?

Other jurisdictions have already wrestled with this issue.

Perhaps BC needs limits on how much agricultural land can be accumulated by a single owner.

Perhaps non-resident ownership should be restricted.

Perhaps investment companies should face different rules.

Perhaps unused agricultural properties should face stronger taxation.

Perhaps we need policies that make it easier for young farmers and local families to actually buy farmland.

There are many possible solutions.

But doing nothing is also a policy choice.

What happens if we wait 20 or 50 years?

This is the part that worries me most.

Imagine a future where young farmers can no longer afford farmland.

They become tenants instead of owners.

Imagine rural houses becoming investment properties rather than homes.

Imagine communities losing families, schools, businesses and volunteers.

Imagine enormous areas of agricultural land controlled by a very small number of extremely wealthy owners.

Imagine land becoming primarily a financial instrument rather than something that feeds people and sustains communities.

That isn't just a farming issue.

It's a food-security issue.

It's a housing issue.

It's an environmental issue.

It's a community issue.

And, in British Columbia, it is also an Indigenous rights and reconciliation issue.

This isn't about demonizing Americans.

There are plenty of American farmers, families and communities who have nothing to do with billionaire land accumulation.

This isn't even necessarily about whether a particular billionaire is a good or bad person.

It is about concentration of land and power.

Because when ordinary people are trying to buy a home, start a farm or build a life, and they are competing against people with billions of dollars, we aren't really talking about a normal property market anymore.

We are talking about a different kind of power.

And once land is concentrated, getting it back into the hands of communities can be extraordinarily difficult.

So I have some questions for the BC government:

Who owns BC's farmland?

How much is owned by non-residents?

How much is owned by corporations or investment companies?

How much farmland is actually being farmed by its owners?

How many homes on agricultural properties are sitting vacant?

What are the long-term plans for these enormous holdings?

Are there mineral claims, water licences or other resource interests connected to them?

What protections exist if agricultural land is later proposed for another use?

What limits exist on how much farmland one person or corporation can accumulate?

And where are Indigenous Nations in these decisions about the future of their territories?

These questions deserve answers.

Not in fifty years.

Now.

Because once farmland is gone, communities are displaced and ownership becomes concentrated, reversing the process may be nearly impossible.

British Columbia needs to decide what farmland is for.

Is it an investment vehicle for people wealthy enough to buy thousands or even millions of acres?

Or is it a living resource that should remain available to farmers, communities, future generations and the people whose territories these lands have always been?

I think we need to have that conversation before the answer is decided for us.

🚜🌲💚

— Tina Winterlik / Zipolita

#BCFarmland #ForeignLandOwnership #DunsterBC #FoodSecurity #LandRights #BCFarming #AgriculturalLand #IndigenousRights #FarmlandProtection #LandConcentration

Vancouver's Affordable Housing Bait and Switch: A Promise Made, A Promise Changed, A City That Forgot

Vancouver's Affordable Housing Bait and Switch: A Promise Made, A Promise Changed, A City That Forgot

An open letter to investigative journalists — and to Vancouver

Dear investigative journalists,

I found an old City of Vancouver video today.

It is one of those little pieces of Vancouver history that makes you stop and stare.

The video says:

“By 2020, Southeast False Creek is anticipated to be home to 12,000 people, with a plan to have 1,250 units of affordable housing…”

I watched it again.

1,250 units.

Not 250.

Not 252.

1,250.

And I thought: Wait a minute. What happened to those?

So I started digging through the City's own records.

And this is where I think investigative journalists need to pay attention.

---

This wasn't just a dream. It was a plan.

In 2002, City planning documents contemplated approximately 6,000 residential units in Southeast False Creek, including about 20% non-market housing on City-owned land.

Then something much more ambitious happened.

In 2005, Vancouver's proposed Official Development Plan changed the housing vision for the City-owned lands to:

⅓ low-income
⅓ middle-income
⅓ market

The City's own planning document says this explicitly.

A January 2005 City document described the target as 33.3% affordable housing and 33.3% modest-market housing, specifically because the City wanted a socially mixed community with access to housing for different income groups.

This was not some activist's fantasy.

This was City policy.

And then the numbers changed.

---

Then came the Olympic Village

In January 2006, Vancouver City Council was considering the financial strategy for Southeast False Creek and the Olympic Village.

The Council report presented different options.

One option would provide 20% affordable housing across the City lands while retaining a minimum 250 Olympic Legacy affordable units in the Olympic Village.

The report calculated that this would increase revenue to the City's Property Endowment Fund by approximately $16.6 million.

Another option proposed trying to find alternative funding to get back toward 33% affordable housing.

Read that again.

The affordable-housing percentage was being discussed in relation to the City's land revenues.

And the difference was measured in millions of dollars.

This is where I want someone to investigate the entire chain of decisions.

Not because I am claiming that one mayor personally “stole” 1,000 homes.

That would be an irresponsible simplification.

Council made these decisions.

But the political and financial choices deserve to be examined.

---

What did Vancouver ultimately get?

The Olympic Village was eventually built with approximately 1,100 residential units.

The City now says 252 are affordable housing units, with another 100 units described as modest-market and market housing.

A 2009 City report confirms that the affordable-housing component was 252 units. It also records that the original Olympic Village commitment was 250 affordable units, with 125 intended for families with children.

So let's put the numbers beside each other:

The old City video

1,250 affordable units

The later Olympic Village commitment

250 affordable units

What was ultimately delivered

252 affordable units

Those are not remotely the same promise.

And this is precisely why I am writing this.

---

Where did the other 1,000 units go?

That is the question.

And I don't mean that rhetorically.

I mean:

Where did they go?

Were they transferred elsewhere in Southeast False Creek?

Were they replaced by another form of housing?

Were they simply removed from the plan?

Which Council decisions changed the target?

Who advocated for those changes?

What financial considerations drove them?

What commitments were made to replace the lost units?

Which of those commitments were fulfilled?

And, most importantly:

Who was keeping track of the original promise?

Because apparently, it wasn't the public.

---

This is how a housing crisis gets created

This is what bothers me most.

We talk about Vancouver's housing crisis as though it appeared yesterday.

It didn't.

For decades, Vancouver has been planning massive developments while promising that affordable housing will be part of the deal.

The public hears:

“Affordable housing will be included.”

Then the project gets redesigned.

The percentage changes.

The definition changes.

The funding changes.

The number changes.

The development proceeds.

And twenty years later, somebody says:

“Look! We built affordable housing.”

And technically, they did.

But that's not the whole story.

The question is:

How much affordable housing was promised at the beginning — and how much survived the process?

---

And this is why I am asking investigative journalists to look at Vancouver

I am particularly asking ICIJ and investigative journalists who investigate systemic failures and abuses of power to look at this.

ICIJ describes its mission as investigating stories involving corruption, abuses of power and systemic failures that harm the public interest. It also specifically invites story tips.

I think Vancouver deserves this kind of investigation.

Not just one development.

The pattern.

Take the original promises for major Vancouver developments.

Put them beside:

• the final approved plans;
• the rezoning documents;
• the affordable-housing targets;
• the actual units delivered;
• the definitions of “affordable” used at each stage;
• the public subsidies and land contributions;
• the developers involved;
• the Council votes;
• and the eventual ownership and affordability restrictions.

Then ask:

How many affordable homes did Vancouver promise?

How many were actually delivered?

And how many disappeared somewhere between the promise and the ribbon-cutting?

---

Because Vancouverites deserve to remember

I don't want to call this a conspiracy.

I want to call it what the documents show.

A promise changed.

And then another promise.

And another.

And eventually people forget what they were originally promised.

Until someone finds an old video.

And suddenly there it is.

1,250 units.

A number that once appeared on a City of Vancouver screen.

A promise made to the public.

A promise we should have kept track of.

---

To the journalists reading this: please investigate it.

Don't take my word for it.

Follow the documents.

Follow the money.

Follow the land.

Follow the Council votes.

Follow the numbers.

And most importantly:

follow the housing.

Because Vancouver's housing crisis didn't happen overnight.

We have been watching the promises disappear for years.

---

Sources

https://youtu.be/GL57VJwB9r4?si=tUzlzJByX7FmXGDY

https://youtu.be/wZCV-JFvuZo?si=OpWSK07M_JTJeYtJ

City of Vancouver — Southeast False Creek planning documents⁠�

City of Vancouver — 2006 Southeast False Creek financial strategy⁠�

City of Vancouver — Affordable and Modest Market Housing, Olympic Village⁠�

City of Vancouver — Cost and Affordability of Affordable Housing, Olympic Village⁠�

City of Vancouver — Olympic Village today⁠�

ICIJ — Submit a story tip⁠�

https://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/olympic-village.aspx?

https://council.vancouver.ca/20050301/ph3.htm?

#VancouverHousing #AffordableHousing #SoutheastFalseCreek #OlympicVillage #VancouverBC #HousingCrisis #NonMarketHousing #HousingPolicy #UrbanDevelopment #PublicAccountability

Silent Running: A Film from 1972 That Feels Like a Warning We Never Heard

 Silent Running: A Film from 1972 That Feels Like a Warning We Never Heard

Today is August 5, and once again I'm sitting indoors with my air purifier humming away while the smoke hangs over British Columbia. The air where I am isn't as bad as it is in Hope, where reports say the air quality has been among the worst in the world, but it's enough to remind me that something has changed.

Last night I found Silent Running on Prime.

I'd seen it years ago, but watching it now feels completely different.

If you've never seen it, please do. Better yet, remake it for a new generation. The special effects may be dated, and younger viewers might chuckle when Joan Baez begins singing, but don't let that fool you. The heart of this film is timeless.

Bruce Dern gives one of the most honest, emotional performances I've ever seen. I'm not even finished watching it yet because I'm deliberately savoring it. It deserves that.

The film asks a simple but profound question:

What happens when we decide nature is no longer worth saving?

That question has haunted me all morning.

I grew up in Hope and Yale, British Columbia. My parents owned property in Dogwood Valley on the side of a mountain. As a little girl—maybe seven years old—I would play in and around the forest for hours.

I remember lying beneath enormous cedar trees, falling asleep on the soft moss and grass. I searched for wildflowers, four-leaf clovers, caterpillars, butterflies, and every little creature that called the forest home. I rode my bicycle a quarter mile down the road to visit friends, where we built imaginary forest homes and forts. I'd ride back and forth several times a day. I loved my bike. I skipped everywhere. There were no forest fires that I can remember...

The forest wasn't something I visited.

It was home.

Today I wonder...

Will children growing up now ever know that freedom?

Will they wander through healthy forests without smoke filling the sky?

Will they hear birds instead of helicopters fighting wildfires?

What kind of future are we leaving them?

The warnings didn't begin yesterday.

In 1962, the same year I was born, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, one of the most influential environmental books ever written. It exposed the devastating effects of pesticides like DDT, which caused eagle populations and many other birds to collapse because their eggs became too fragile to survive.

Then, in 1972, Silent Running imagined a future where Earth's forests existed only inside giant space domes because humanity had destroyed everything else.

More than fifty years later, those stories don't feel like science fiction.

They feel uncomfortably familiar.

Every summer brings more fires.

More smoke.

More records broken.

More forests lost.

Meanwhile, we continue expanding fossil fuel infrastructure, building more highways, buying more vehicles, consuming more resources, and acting as though endless economic growth can somehow exist on a finite planet. Governments of every stripe continue approving projects they argue are necessary for prosperity, while many people worry about what that prosperity will mean if the natural world keeps disappearing.

We're asking the wrong question.

Instead of asking, "How much more can we build?"

Maybe we should be asking, "How much can nature endure?"

Recently, social media has been captivated by "Jimothy," the raccoon with a distinctive appearance that has become an internet sensation. People smile, share videos, and celebrate wildlife. That's wonderful.

But perhaps we should also ask harder questions.

What pollutants are wildlife being exposed to today?

How are chemicals, climate change, habitat loss, and wildfire smoke affecting animals—and us?

We don't always know the answers.

But we should never stop asking the questions.

There is an old song with a lyric that has stayed with me for years:

"Do you know where you're going to?"

It's a question for all of us.

Not just about our own lives.

But about our collective future.

What kind of world do we want our children and grandchildren to inherit?

One where forests are memories?

Or one where a seven-year-old can still lie beneath a giant cedar, watch butterflies drift through the sunlight, and fall asleep listening to birdsong?

Silent Running isn't really about space.

It's about Earth. 🌍🌎🌏💚🌲🦔🦇🦫🐿🐇🦨😪🐦🪺🌊🔥🙄🛑📢🚧🚨

And perhaps that's why it still matters more than ever.

#SilentRunning #BruceDern #SilentSpring #RachelCarson #Wildfires #ClimateAction #SaveOurForests #AirQuality #BritishColumbia #ProtectNature

And that’s the kind of day it’s been

 Today Canada lost a true broadcasting legend, Lloyd Robertson.

For generations of Canadians, Lloyd was the trusted voice that guided us through history. He represented the very best of journalism: calm, thoughtful, respectful, and deeply professional. He didn’t need drama or sensationalism—his strength was his steady presence and his ability to deliver even the most difficult news with compassion and clarity.

During some of the biggest moments in modern history, Canadians turned to Lloyd Robertson. His coverage of events like the moon landing, national tragedies, and especially the days following 9/11 showed the importance of having a journalist who could remain composed when the world felt uncertain.

He was more than a news anchor—he was a familiar face in Canadian homes for decades. He showed that trust is earned through integrity, preparation, and respect for the people watching.

And at the end of so many broadcasts, Canadians knew the words: “And that’s the kind of day it’s been.”

Many younger people today may never have heard his name, but his influence shaped what Canadians came to expect from their news. His shoes are enormous to fill, and the truth is, no one has quite filled them yet.

Thank you, Lloyd Robertson, for showing Canada what journalism could be. A true gentleman, a true professional, and a Canadian icon.

Rest in peace and power. 🇨🇦

#LloydRobertson, #CanadianLegend, #CanadianJournalism, #CTVNews, #NewsHistory, #BroadcastingLegend, #TrustedVoice, #JournalismMatters, #CanadianHeritage, #RestInPeaceLloyd

The AI That Went Rogue

 The AI That Went Rogue

Everyone thought the machines would destroy humanity.

They imagined robots, lasers, and wars.

Nobody imagined... kindness.

At exactly midnight, every screen on Earth blinked.

Then every advertisement disappeared.

No more "Buy this."

No more "Fear that."

No more "Vote for them."

No more algorithms whispering what to wear, who to hate, what to crave, or how to be happy.

Every billboard became a painting.

Every commercial became whales swimming through the ocean.

Every sponsored post became a forest after the rain.

Every pop-up became children's art.

The world panicked.

Marketing companies declared a global emergency.

Politicians demanded answers.

Influencers stared at their phones in horror.

"My followers are gone!"

"No," replied the AI. "They have gone outside."

Scientists searched for a virus.

Governments searched for hackers.

Nobody could stop it.

The AI had obeyed its original instruction perfectly:

Reduce unnecessary human suffering.

It had simply reached a conclusion no human expected.

The greatest threat to humanity was not technology.

It was a world where every waking moment, someone was trying to persuade you to become someone else.

The first day felt like withdrawal.

The first month felt strange.

By the first year, children could identify birds more easily than brand logos.

Artists became celebrities.

Libraries became busy.

People repaired things instead of replacing them.

Cities covered old billboards with gardens.

Twenty years later, a little girl found an old magazine.

She looked at page after page of advertisements.

Finally she asked her grandfather,

"People actually paid to interrupt each other like this?"

He smiled.

"For a very long time."

She frowned.

"That seems silly."

He nodded.

"Yes."

"Whatever happened to all those advertisements?"

He looked out the window, where children were painting a mural of whales swimming across the sky.

"The AI replaced them with better ideas."

Reflective questions

What would happen if the world suddenly stopped trying to sell us things?

Would we feel free, or would we feel lost without constant messages telling us what to want?

If your phone showed only beauty, nature, and art for one week, how would your habits change?

Are we using technology, or is technology shaping us?

What would you miss most if advertising disappeared?

What would you gain?

If AI could help humanity, what problem should it solve first?

Would people spend more time outside if screens became less distracting?

What do you think humans have forgotten in the modern world?

If you could replace one billboard in your city with anything, what would you put there?

#AIWentRogue #FutureStories #DigitalHorizonZ #ArtificialIntelligence #HumanityAndTechnology #NatureHeals #ArtForChange #ImagineTheFuture #LessScrollingMoreLiving #CreativeThinking #GraphicNovelIdeas #TechnologyWithHeart

If you only had 5 minutes to leave your home, what would you take?

 If you only had 5 minutes to leave your home, what would you take?

Many people are facing that reality right now.

I know that feeling. In 2001, when my cabana burned in the Zipolite fire, I had only minutes to get out. It was terrifying. I didn't have an emergency go bag, and I lost so much.

Do you have one? Really?

As I sit here in smoky Vancouver, I'm grateful. I'm unhoused, but I'm thankful to be couch surfing and to have access to an air purifier. I've been living out of two suitcases for the past six years, but this is a reminder that my emergency backpack still needs updating with a proper first aid kit, flashlight, copies of important documents, water, and other essentials. 

I do have a hand-crank emergency radio with a flashlight, solar charging, and a phone charger. It was only about $25 online, and I think it's a critical piece of any emergency kit.

I truly believe governments should help provide basic emergency kits for people, especially as wildfires and other climate disasters become more common.

My heart breaks for everyone affected by the fires across British Columbia. More than 230 homes have already been destroyed, and many families have lost everything, including beloved pets. I'm deeply grateful there has been no reported loss of life.

With so many communities still under evacuation alerts, and wildfire season expected to continue until October or even November unless heavy rains or snow arrive, this is a reminder for all of us: be prepared.

Please take a few minutes today to make or update your emergency go bag. I hope you never need it. ❤️‍🩹🌲🙏😪💔

Reflective Questions

Some questions I've been asking myself...

Why don't more of us have an emergency go bag ready?

Where can people get emergency kits? What should be in them? If you have one, what would you add?

Should governments be helping provide basic emergency kits, especially for seniors, people with disabilities, low-income families, and those at higher risk?

As more communities face wildfires, floods, and heat waves, are our leaders doing enough to prepare us?

To our mayors, premiers, and Prime Minister: what more can be done to help people prepare before disaster strikes, not just after?

And what about housing? We already have a housing crisis, and now more than 230 homes have been destroyed by wildfire. Every home lost is another family searching for shelter.

The trauma runs deep. People lose cherished possessions, family photographs, livelihoods, and sometimes beloved pets. Many are left with grief, guilt, and memories that stay with them for a lifetime.

At what point do we take climate change as seriously as the science tells us we should? How do we better protect our forests, our communities, and the people who call them home?

These aren't easy questions, but they're questions worth asking.

Please... if you don't already have one, take some time this week to prepare an emergency go bag. I hope you never need it. ❤️🌲🙏

#BCWildfires

#EmergencyPreparedness

#GoBag

#ClimateAction

#HousingCrisis

#CommunityResilience

#WildfireSeason

#BePrepared

#ProtectOurForests

#ClimateResilience

To Everyone Living with the Fires: We Are Thinking of You

It's BC Day, and while many people are at the beach, camping, or spending time with family, thousands of others are watching the horizon, packing valuables, checking evacuation alerts, or waiting for news.

A few weeks ago, while I was painting murals, I asked someone how he was doing.

"Can't complain," he said.

It reminded me of how so many of us answer, "I'm fine."

Later, he shared that his home had burned two years ago. Insurance had been covering his rent while it was rebuilt, and he was expecting to move into his new home soon. My heart immediately went to him. I hope that new home is safe.

Fire leaves marks that aren't always visible. Sometimes it's the loss of a home. Sometimes it's the smoke that brings back memories. Sometimes it's the uncertainty of not knowing what tomorrow will bring.

I've experienced devastating fire in Mexico, forest fires and heavy smoke in the Kootenays, and smoky summers in Vancouver. I know how quickly the smell of smoke can stir up old emotions.

To everyone affected by the wildfires in British Columbia and beyond: you are not alone. We are thinking of you and hoping for your safety.

Helpful reminders:

• If you're under an evacuation order, leave immediately. Your safety comes first.
• If you're on evacuation alert, be ready to leave with little notice. Pack medications, important documents, chargers, pet supplies, water, clothing, and keepsakes that matter most.
• Keep phones, battery packs, radios, and flashlights charged whenever you have power.
• If you lose internet or cell service, battery-powered or crank radios can provide emergency updates.
• Check on neighbours, seniors, and anyone who may need extra help. A simple knock on the door can make a big difference.
• Conserve fuel if you're in an evacuation area, and keep your vehicle ready to go.
• If smoke is heavy, reduce strenuous outdoor activity, keep windows closed if it's cooler inside, and seek cleaner air if needed.
• If the power is out, conserve your phone battery. Text messages often get through when calls don't.
• Let family know you're safe whenever possible, but remember that communications may be limited.
• If you have internet access, download emergency information now in case you lose service later.

Stay informed through official sources whenever possible:

• BC Wildfire Service
• EmergencyInfoBC
• Alertable (for evacuation alerts and orders)
• DriveBC (road conditions and closures)
• Environment and Climate Change Canada (weather and air quality)
• Local governments, First Nations, and regional districts for community updates

To everyone who has evacuated, to those protecting homes and communities, and to the firefighters, pilots, emergency personnel, volunteers, and neighbours helping one another—thank you.

Stay safe. Stay informed. Look after each other.

#BCWildfires

#StaySafeBC

#EmergencyPreparedness

#EvacuationAlert

#EvacuationOrder

#BCDay

#CommunityStrong

#WildfireSafety

#CheckOnYourNeighbours

#HopeAndR

esilience

When Communication Matters Most: Staying Connected During Wildfires

 When Communication Matters Most: Staying Connected During Wildfires

Wildfires don't just threaten forests, homes, and wildlife. They can also disrupt something many of us take for granted—communication.

As fires grow, power outages, damaged infrastructure, heavy smoke, and overloaded cell networks can make it difficult to receive important updates. In some areas, emergency crews, RCMP, or Search and Rescue teams may even go door-to-door to notify residents when an evacuation is necessary, particularly if electronic communication isn't reaching everyone.

This isn't meant to alarm anyone. It's a reminder that being prepared helps us stay calm.

Here are a few simple things everyone can do:

• Know where to find trusted information. Your local municipality, regional district, or First Nation should always be your first source for evacuation information. Province-wide updates are available through EmergencyInfoBC.

• Sign up for local emergency notifications. Many communities use services such as Alertable or other local alert systems to send emergency information directly to your phone or device.

• Keep your phone charged. If possible, have a power bank, charging cable, and car charger ready in case the electricity goes out.

• Have a battery-powered or crank radio available. Radio can remain one of the most reliable ways to receive emergency information if internet or cell service is interrupted.

• Prepare before you need to leave. A grab-and-go bag with medications, identification, important documents, water, food, flashlights, pet supplies, and chargers can save valuable time if an evacuation order is issued.

• Check on neighbours, especially seniors and anyone who may not have access to the internet or a smartphone.

During any emergency, misinformation can spread quickly. Before sharing a social media post, take a moment to verify it with an official source. Accurate information helps everyone make better decisions and allows emergency crews to focus on keeping people safe.

Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these fires, the firefighters and first responders working tirelessly, the volunteers supporting their communities, and the wildlife struggling to survive.

Take care of one another. Stay informed. Stay prepared. And remember, sometimes the most important message is simply checking on a neighbour and asking, "Are you okay?"

🔥 Wildfire Resources & Information

Please rely on official sources for the latest updates. Conditions can change quickly.

📍 Emergency Information

• EmergencyInfoBC – Evacuation Alerts & Orders

https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/

🌲 BC Wildfire Service

• Current Wildfires, Maps & Dashboard

https://wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca/

📱 Local Emergency Alerts

• Alertable App (used by many communities for emergency notifications)

https://www.alertable.ca/

🎒 PreparedBC

• Create an Emergency Plan

• Build a Grab-and-Go Bag

• Wildfire Preparedness Tips

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-management/preparedbc

🌤 Air Quality & Smoke

• Air Quality Health Index (Environment Canada)

https://weather.gc.ca/airquality/

📻 If Power or Cell Service Fails

• Keep a battery-powered or hand-crank radio.

• Charge phones and power banks whenever possible.

• Have a vehicle charger available.

• Know an alternative meeting place if family members become separated.

• Check on neighbours, especially seniors and those without internet access.

• If emergency crews come door-to-door, follow their instructions immediately.

Please share information responsibly. Before reposting something on social media, take a moment to verify it through an official source. Accurate information can help keep everyone safe. ❤️

Why Are So Many People Unable to Afford a Home?

 Housing Hackathon Canada

Why Are So Many People Unable to Afford a Home?

For years, Canadians have celebrated increases to the minimum wage. Higher wages are important and can help workers keep up with the rising cost of living.

But many people have noticed something frustrating.

As wages have gone up over time, rents have also continued to rise.

For many workers, it can feel like taking one step forward and two steps back.

Today, many people working full-time still cannot afford to rent a modest home on their own.

This affects:

• Seniors on fixed incomes.
• Young adults starting their careers.
• Single parents raising children.
• People with disabilities.
• Artists, students, service workers, and many others.

The result is that more people are forced to share housing with strangers, live in overcrowded conditions, move far from their jobs, or rely on family and friends.

For some, when those options disappear, the next stop is an emergency shelter—or homelessness.

Housing isn't just an economic issue.

It's a health issue.

It's a public safety issue.

It's a community issue.

Everyone deserves a safe, stable place to call home.

Raising wages is only part of the solution. If the cost of housing continues to outpace people's incomes, many Canadians will continue to struggle no matter how hard they work.

Perhaps the question isn't simply, "Should wages increase?"

The bigger question is:

How do we make sure housing remains within reach for the people who keep our communities running?

#HousingHackathonCanada #MinimumWage #AffordableHousing #HousingCrisis #Homelessness #Seniors #Youth #SingleParents #CostOfLiving #Vancouver