Thursday, October 3, 2024

The Dark Side of City Development: Backroom Deals, Grooming, and the Towering Over Vancouver"

I am disgusted with the direction Vancouver is heading, and it's not just the sea of glass towers that block the mountains and sun. It’s the hidden deals behind the scenes, deals made by people who have no connection to the communities they’re tearing apart. The grooming starts early, and it’s not some wild conspiracy—it’s the reality of how power operates in our society.

City planners, architects, developers, and politicians—they aren’t making decisions over boardroom tables in front of the public eye. No, these choices are made in backrooms, over expensive dinners, bottles of wine, and who knows what else. It’s no secret that the "good old boys' club" still thrives in these spaces. Older men groom younger men for power, wealth, and connections, showing them how to play the game. They wine and dine, make shady deals, and then hand us the bill. We’re stuck with the consequences, and they call it "business as usual."

It’s all done in the dark. Privacy laws protect the powerful, but what about the rest of us? What about the everyday people who wake up one morning and don’t recognize their neighborhood? We’re like mushrooms—kept in the dark and fed bullshit. Towers go up, neighborhoods are priced out, and we’re supposed to just accept it. And why? Because the people profiting from it can simply "write it off."

These backroom deals—hidden behind closed doors and glossy PR campaigns—aren’t just about construction. They’re about erasing communities, driving up rents, and selling our city to the highest bidder. Politicians who were supposed to represent us have been groomed by developers and big business for years. It’s a cozy relationship. They groom each other—developers show politicians how to frame destruction as "progress," while politicians teach developers how to navigate legal loopholes and justify their greed.

It’s no wonder our city is overrun with soulless towers. We were never meant to know what was happening until it was too late. They’ve succeeded in making sure we are nothing but spectators in the transformation of our own homes. And when we try to ask questions or demand accountability? We're stonewalled. "It’s a private matter," they say. "It’s within the law," they claim. But whose laws are these? Laws made to protect the people, or to protect the elite?

Vancouver is becoming a city of glass and steel, but it’s not just the skyline that’s disappearing—it’s the soul of the city itself. Communities are being priced out, the homeless crisis is ignored, and our beautiful coastal city is being hollowed out by greed. And it’s not just happening here. This is a global issue—a direct result of unchecked capitalism and the commodification of housing.

We deserve better. We deserve transparency. We deserve a say in how our communities are shaped. Enough of the secret deals and the grooming of the next generation of corporate puppets. It’s time to shine a light on what’s really happening behind closed doors and reclaim our city before it’s too late.




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