New Year’s Eve: Holding the Door Open ✨

 New Year’s Eve: Holding the Door Open ✨

New Year’s Eve has a strange quiet to it when you really listen. 🌙

Not the loud countdowns or curated celebrations—but the softer moments in between. The conversations that linger. The things people say without realizing how much they reveal. The truths we don’t always have the energy to argue with, but still carry with us.

Tonight, I’m thinking about how different lives can intersect on the same street. 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️

A conversation with a mother and her son—new to the neighbourhood, excited by the view, impressed by the location, confident in their footing. University. Tech jobs. Transfers. Opportunity. When the topic of poverty and addiction surfaced, the words “it’s a choice” landed heavily. I chose not to debate in that moment. Some conversations require not just facts, but readiness—and not everyone is there yet.

But I did say this: poverty doesn’t discriminate forever. Systems don’t either. And if we don’t lift everyone, those systems eventually come for more than we expect. ⚖️

I’m not angry about it.
I’m observant. 👀

This year has taught me that observation is its own form of resistance.

I’ve seen how easily comfort can create distance—and how quickly circumstances can change. I’ve seen how people move into places without understanding the history beneath their feet, the lives pushed to the margins to make those views possible. 🏙️ I’ve also seen kindness where it wasn’t expected, and resilience where it should never have been required. 🌱

Tonight, I’m also aware of absence.
Friends far away, sharing meals. 🍽️
People celebrating together. 🎉
Others, quietly alone.

If tonight looks different than you hoped—if you’re not surrounded by noise or champagne—please know this: presence still counts. A walk. A movie. A favourite treat. A deep breath. Survival itself is not small. 🤍

I don’t believe hope has to be loud.
I believe hope can sit beside grief.
I believe empathy is learned—or it isn’t—and education matters more than judgment. 📚
I believe dignity should never be conditional.

As the year turns, I’m not wishing for perfection.
I’m wishing for awareness.
For softer conversations.
For courage without cruelty.
For communities that understand we are only as strong as how we treat those with the least protection. 🤝

If you’re celebrating tonight, I’m glad.
If you’re grieving, you’re not behind.
If you’re alone, you still belong. ✨

Here’s to a year where we look a little closer,
listen a little longer,
and remember that lifting others is not charity—
it’s survival. 🌍

Gentle wishes for the year ahead.
— Tina 💫

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Reflective Questions 🤔✨

• Where have I noticed comfort creating distance—in myself or in others?
• What assumptions do I carry about people whose lives look different from mine?
• When have I chosen observation over argument, and what did that teach me?
• What does dignity look like in everyday actions—not policies or slogans?
• How can I help “lift” others in ways that are realistic, human, and sustainable?
• What kind of presence do I want to bring into the new year—especially in difficult conversations?

When Housing Policy Traps People in Abusive Relationships 🏠💔

 When Housing Policy Traps People in Abusive Relationships 🏠💔

I recently saw a question posted in a DTES Facebook group that stopped me cold.

Someone living in BC Housing, on disability, paying under $500 a month, asked what would happen if they got married and their spouse moved in.

The responses were almost unanimous:

“Don’t do it.”
“Everything gets f*cked up.”
“You’ll lose your housing.” 😔

That reaction isn’t cynicism.
It’s experience.

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The part no one wants to say out loud 🤐

Policies that tie housing to household income don’t just affect rent calculations.
They shape people’s most intimate life decisions.

They:

• Discourage people from forming families 👨‍👩‍👧
• Punish people for partnership 💍
• And most dangerously — trap people in abusive relationships 🚨

If your housing depends on:

• who you live with
• how much they earn
• whether you are “single” on paper 📄

Then leaving a partner — even an abusive one — can mean:

• losing affordable housing 🏚️
• going back on waitlists that are years long ⏳
• risking shelters, couch-surfing, or homelessness 🧳

That is not a “personal choice.”
That is structural coercion.

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Violence or homelessness is not a choice ⚠️

Middle-class people are often told:

“If it’s abusive, just leave.”

But if you are disabled, poor, or living in subsidized housing, leaving can trigger:

• loss of rent-geared-to-income housing
• benefit reassessments
• bureaucratic delays that don’t care about safety 🧾

So people stay. Not because they want to. But because the system makes survival conditional on endurance 😞

This reality hits hardest for:

• women
• disabled people ♿
• queer and trans folks 🏳️‍🌈
• people without family backup
• people already marginalized by poverty

This is economic abuse reinforced by policy.

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This should not be normal ❌

Housing is supposed to provide safety 🛑
Disability supports are supposed to support dignity ✊

When policies instead:

• keep people single
• keep people silent
• keep people afraid to report harm 😶

Something is deeply wrong.

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A New Year, a New Series 🎉✍️

In the New Year, I will be writing a 10-part blog series examining how housing and social assistance policies in BC affect real lives — not on paper, but in practice.

Topics will include:

• Housing and intimate relationships
• Disability and forced dependency
• Why people stay in unsafe situations
• The gap between “policy intent” and lived reality
• What dignity would actually look like 🌱

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I’m looking for people willing to share their stories 🗣️

If you:

• have lived in BC Housing
• have been on disability or income assistance
• have stayed in a relationship because leaving felt impossible
• or have been punished for honesty about your household

Your story matters.

You can:

• share anonymously 🕊️
• share as much or as little as you want
• simply describe what the policy did to your choices

You can message me privately or comment with
“I want to share”
and I will reach out.

We are not broken.
The system is. 🧱

And the first step to changing it is telling the truth.

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Reflective Questions 🤔✨

1. Have you ever stayed in a relationship because leaving felt financially impossible?
2. How do housing and income rules influence who you can live with — or love?
3. Should access to safe housing depend on marital or household status?
4. Who benefits from policies that discourage partnership among low-income people?
5. What would a housing system designed around safety and dignity actually look like?
6. If these policies existed for middle-class households, would they be tolerated?
7. What stories are missing from policy discussions about “housing stability”?
8. How does fear of losing housing affect people’s willingness to report abuse?
9. What supports would make it possible — not just theoretical — to leave harm?
10. What does dignity mean to you, and where does housing fit into that? 🏠❤️

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When Trust Breaks: Why Ethical Pet Sitting Matters More Than Reviews 🐾

 🐾 When Trust Breaks: Why Ethical Pet Sitting Matters More Than Reviews 🐾

I am a cat sitter and dog walker, and I take this responsibility very seriously. 🐱🐶
Caring for someone’s animal is not a side hustle—it is a duty of trust.

Recently, I saw a heartbreaking post from a daughter trying to locate her mother’s cat. Her mother passed away while traveling, and due to circumstances beyond her control, the daughter could not immediately reach the pet sitter. 📵💔
By the time contact was made, the cat was gone.

Police have now been notified. 🚓
But right now, the family isn’t focused on blame—they just want their cat back. 🐾🏠

That matters.

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🐾 Pets Are Not Property in Practice—They Are Family

Yes, the law still classifies pets as property—but every ethical sitter knows better.
Animals are sentient beings who rely entirely on us for safety, routine, and comfort. 🐈💞

When someone entrusts their cat to a sitter, they are trusting:

• ❤️ Their safety
• 🕊️ Their emotional well-being
• 🔑 Their continuity of care

That responsibility does not disappear when communication is delayed—especially during emergencies, illness, or death.

A delay is not abandonment.
A tragedy is not consent.
⭐ Reviews do not replace ethics.

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🌱 A Code of Ethics for Responsible Pet Sitters 🐾

If you call yourself a professional pet sitter, these should be non-negotiable:

🐾 1. The Animal Comes First

• Never act out of convenience or assumption
• Maintain care while seeking resolution
• Prioritize safety, stability, and routine

📞 2. Exhaust All Contact Options

• Emergency contacts
• Family members
• Vets listed on file
• Written follow-ups and documentation

⏳ 3. Time Is Not Abandonment

• Grief, hospitalization, and death cause delays
• Silence does not equal surrender
• Act slowly, not impulsively

📝 4. Never Transfer or Rehome Without Authority

• No rehoming without written consent or legal direction
• No “assumptions” based on payment or timing
• No quiet handoffs

🧾 5. Document Everything

• Messages
• Dates
• Attempts to resolve
• Decisions made

Transparency protects everyone—especially the animal. 🛡️

🤍 6. Lead With Compassion

• Families in crisis deserve patience
• Grief requires humanity, not policy shortcuts
• Kindness is part of the job

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🚨 Right Now, This Is About Finding a Cat 🐱

This post is not about online attacks or outrage.
It is about bringing a cat home. 🏡🐾

If you are:

• 🐾 A pet sitter
• 🩺 A veterinarian
• 🐕‍🦺 A rescue or foster
• 🏠 Someone who recently took in or adopted a cat under unclear circumstances

Please ask questions.
Please speak up.
Please help reunite this cat with their family. 💔➡️❤️

Grief has already taken enough.

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✍️ Why I’m Speaking Out

I’m writing this because I want people to know:

• 🌱 Many pet sitters take ethics seriously
• 🧠 Professionalism means slowing down
• 🔗 Trust, once broken, harms animals the most

If you are a sitter: be better than the bare minimum.
If you are a pet owner: ask hard questions before you leave.
If you know something that could help: now is the time. ⏰

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💭 Reflective Questions (For Sitters & Pet Owners)

• 🐾 If the worst happened tomorrow, would my pet be protected?
• 📝 Do my contracts prioritize clarity—or convenience?
• 🤍 Am I prepared to respond with compassion, not assumptions?
• 🐱 Would I be comfortable explaining my decisions publicly?
• 🔍 If this were my cat, what would I hope someone would do?

Animals don’t have a voice.
We are supposed to be it. 🐾💬

Moment of Silence for Oaxaca 💔

 A Moment of Silence for Oaxaca 💔

Some news stops you in your tracks

Today I learned that a passenger train derailed in Oaxaca, killing at least thirteen people. I have no words big enough for the sorrow their families must be carrying right now.

What makes this tragedy feel especially close to my heart is that I once rode a similar train in southern Mexico, back in 1990. Long before smartphones, before hashtags, before everything moved so fast. That train was more than transportation — it was connection. People. Stories. Landscapes unfolding slowly through open windows.

Not long after, the trains stopped running. Entire rail lines faded into memory.

When I heard in recent years that trains were returning to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, I felt something I hadn’t expected: hope. Hope for reconnection, for slower travel, for communities linked again not just by roads, but by shared journeys.

That’s why this loss feels so deeply sad — beyond statistics, beyond headlines.

Behind every number is a person who woke up that morning expecting to arrive somewhere. Someone who had plans. Someone who was loved.

Tonight, I hold space for the families grieving in Oaxaca. For the injured. For the communities shaken. For everyone who believed, as I did, that the return of the trains symbolized renewal.

May the victims be remembered with dignity.
May their families find support and care.
And may we never forget that progress must always place human lives first.

With a heavy heart,
Tina Winterlik

🕯️

When We Are Hurting — Who Is Helped First? 💔🏠

When We Are Hurting — Who Is Helped First? 💔🏠

There is something I’ve been struggling to put into words for a long time, because it feels dangerous to say out loud. Not because it isn’t true — but because truth has become uncomfortable.

Canada is hurting. 😔

People are unhoused. People are couch surfing, living out of suitcases, staying where they are “allowed” but not welcome. People who worked, paid taxes, raised children, and did what they were told are now invisible in their own country.

And yet, when the war in Ukraine began, help moved quickly. 🇺🇦💸

I watched as Ukrainians arrived in Canada and were housed — some immediately placed in Airbnbs after COVID, while locals were being told there was “nothing available.” I watched emergency supports appear overnight. I watched compassion mobilized with speed and efficiency I had never experienced myself.

And I need to say this clearly:

This is not resentment toward Ukrainians.
This is grief — and confusion — about priorities. 😞

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The Question We’re Not Allowed to Ask ❓

Why was housing suddenly possible? 🏡

For years, we were told:

• There is a housing shortage 🏚️
• There is no funding 💸
• There are long waitlists ⏳
• There are “complex cases” 📄

Then suddenly, units appeared.

Airbnbs that had displaced locals during the pandemic were now available. Temporary housing became immediate housing. Emergency funds flowed without the months (or years) of assessments, rejections, and silence so many Canadians experience.

So the question becomes unavoidable:

If housing was possible then — why wasn’t it possible before? ❗

And why isn’t it possible now? ❗

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Compassion Should Not Be a Competition 💛

We are constantly pushed into false binaries:

• Care about Ukrainians or care about Canadians
• Support refugees or support the unhoused
• Be compassionate or be critical

But compassion is not finite. 💖

What is finite is political will. ⚡

It is possible to believe:

• Ukrainians fleeing war deserve safety and dignity
  and
• Canadians should not be left without shelter, support, or hope 🏠❤️

When we fail one group to help another, something has gone very wrong with the system — not with the people.

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Context Matters — Even When It’s Uncomfortable 🌍

The war in Ukraine did not emerge from a vacuum. Tensions had been building for years — political, economic, military. NATO expansion, regional power struggles, historical grievances — these things don’t excuse violence, but they do explain how the world arrived here.

Yet nuance disappears once bombs fall. 💣

War becomes “good versus evil.”
Spending becomes “necessary.”
Questions become “disloyal.”

Meanwhile, at home, suffering is normalized. 😢

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What It Feels Like From the Inside 👁️‍🗨️

When you are unhoused or housing-insecure, this isn’t theoretical.

It feels like:

• Watching money move effortlessly — just not for you 💵
• Being told your situation is “unfortunate” but permanent 🏚️
• Seeing urgency applied everywhere except where you stand 🛑

It feels like being a citizen only on paper. 📄

I didn’t lose my home because of laziness or bad choices. Many people didn’t. We lost it because housing became a commodity, not a right — because policies failed, wages stagnated, and safety nets were quietly dismantled. ⚠️

And when help finally appears — but only for others — the pain deepens. 💔

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The Hard Truth 🗣️

Canada has the resources. 💰

What it lacks is the courage to:

• Treat housing as infrastructure, not investment 🏗️
• Admit decades of policy failure 🕰️
• Extend emergency-level compassion to its own people 💛

War spending is fast because war is politically useful. 🪖
Housing the poor is slow because poverty is inconvenient. ⚠️

That is the contradiction we are living inside. 😞

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A Call for Shared Humanity — Not Silence ✨

This is not a call to turn inward or shut doors. 🚪❌

It is a call to open them wider — and stop deciding who deserves dignity based on headlines, geopolitics, or optics. 🌏❤️

If we can house people fleeing bombs,
we can house people freezing on sidewalks. 🏠❄️

If we can move billions overnight,
we can move systems that have been stuck for decades. ⏳💪

And if asking these questions makes people uncomfortable —
maybe that discomfort is overdue. ⚡

Closing the Year: A Quiet Reckoning

 Closing the Year: A Quiet Reckoning

As this year comes to a close, I find myself less interested in tidy summaries and more drawn to honesty.

This was not a year of easy answers.
It was a year of noticing—what feels broken, what feels fragile, and what still quietly works despite everything.

I thought often about balance. About how life once moved at a human pace—when food came from gardens, when vendors walked the streets, when people relied more on one another than on systems that now feel cold and transactional. Progress has brought convenience, yes—but it has also brought distance, burnout, and a constant sense of urgency that doesn’t sit well with the soul.

This year reminded me how much we’ve lost touch with slowness, with dignity, with simple connection. It also reminded me how resilient people are—especially those living on the margins, navigating housing insecurity, rising costs, censorship, and systems that rarely listen.

I continue to write because silence feels more dangerous than speaking.
I continue to observe because stories matter—especially the ones that don’t fit neatly into headlines or algorithms.

There were moments of exhaustion this year. Moments of grief. Moments where retreat felt safer than engagement. And yet, there were also moments of beauty: shared meals, remembered places, small kindnesses, and the steady pull of creativity that refuses to disappear.

As the year closes, I’m not making grand resolutions.
I’m carrying forward intentions instead:

• to stay curious
• to stay grounded
• to tell the truth as I see it
• and to remember that change often begins quietly, long before it becomes visible

Thank you to those who read, reflect, question, and return.
Thank you for holding space for nuance in a world that prefers noise.

Here’s to a gentler turning of the page.
May the coming year bring more balance, more humanity, and more room to breathe.

— Tina

Take A Break

🎄✨ A Christmas Pause Filled With Love & Light ✨🎄

Hi beautiful souls 💖🌎

After blogging non-stop this year (seriously… full madwoman mode 🤪💻), I suddenly noticed my scheduler is packed right up to December 10!

And honestly, it felt like a little whisper from the universe:
Slow down. Breathe. Celebrate. Recharge.

So I’m officially taking a little Christmas Break 🎅🌟
I’m not sure how long — maybe until the New Year, maybe until my heart says “GO!” again.
But don’t worry… you’ll know when I’m back ✨

As the twinkling lights return and the nights grow long, I want to send you all some warm, glowing love:

• 💞 May you feel loved — whether you’re surrounded by family or spending the season quietly on your own.
• 💞 May you remember you are NEVER truly alone — we are all connected.
• 💞 May you feel gratitude for the small things: warm tea, soft blankets, kind smiles.
• 💞 May Mother Earth feel our gentleness this season.
• 💞 May we share a little more kindness in a world that deeply needs it.

The world feels wild right now — the news, the struggles, the uncertainty —
but there is still so much light, so much goodness, and so much hope inside each one of us. 🌍🔥💫

Let’s hold that close.
Let’s share it.
Let’s wrap the world in a little more love. ❤️

Thank you for being here with me — for reading, caring, sharing, supporting, laughing, crying, and walking this strange, beautiful journey together.

I’m grateful for you.
I’m grateful for this Earth.
I’m grateful for this moment.

✨🎁 See you after my little holiday pause — refreshed, inspired, and ready for a bright 2026. 🎁✨

With all my heart,
Tina / Zipolita 💖🎄🌟

Before I Take a Break… One Last Thing

Before I Take a Break… One Last Thing

I promised myself I was going to take a little break from blogging, but with everything happening right now in Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley, I felt like I needed to say one last thing.

The Nooksack River is overflowing again — the same issue that triggered the devastating flood of 2021. People are being evacuated, roads are closing, and families are watching the water rise just like before. It’s heartbreaking and frightening, because deep down we all know this didn’t need to happen again.

This land holds memory.
Sumas Prairie was once Sumas Lake, and every time the storms come, it feels like the land remembers what it used to be. Mother Earth is exhausted from being reshaped, drained, pushed, and covered with industrial farming, fertilizers, and endless pressure. Sometimes it feels like she’s trying to wash everything clean, not out of anger, but out of a desperate need to restore balance.

And the hardest part?
So much of the help people desperately need depends on leadership that seems more interested in politics than human lives. Disaster aid cutbacks, slow responses, and endless finger-pointing leave communities to fend for themselves when what they need is compassion and action.

I’m thinking about everyone in Abbotsford, Sumas Prairie, Chilliwack, Mission, and all the places in the Fraser Valley that are facing this storm tonight.
Stay safe. Look out for each other. Check on your neighbours.

I’m going to step back from blogging for a bit now, like I said I would. But I couldn’t walk away without saying this.

Take care, everyone. 💛
— Tina / Zipolita

Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 10: The Future of Cannabis

🌿 Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 10: The Future of Cannabis

The cannabis landscape continues to evolve rapidly. The future will shape how we use, regulate, and benefit from this plant.

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🌱 Policy & Regulation

• Ongoing discussions about equity programs, cross-border rules, and youth education.
• Regulations may shift on edibles, concentrates, and public use.
• BC is balancing economic growth with public health and safety.

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💡 Trends & Consumer Awareness

• Functional use: Focus on pain relief, stress reduction, and creativity.
• Sustainability: Energy-efficient growing and environmentally conscious practices are rising.
• Education-first approach: Awareness campaigns and harm-reduction strategies are crucial for youth and first-time users.

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🌸 Respect & Responsibility

• Cannabis should be treated like a powerful plant medicine, not just recreation.
• Respect potency, dosage, and personal tolerance.
• Learn about strains, terpenes, and safe consumption methods.
• Advocate for safe, informed use in your community.

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🔑 Takeaways

• The future of cannabis depends on education, equity, and responsible use.
• Potency, strain selection, and harm reduction are critical for safety and wellness.
• Cannabis can enhance creativity, relieve stress, and improve quality of life, but only when used intentionally and respectfully.

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When “Care” Becomes Control: The Terrifying Reality of Forced Treatment in BC

By Tina Winterlik (Zipolita) — December 9, 2025

Every day I read something that makes me question what kind of society we’re becoming — but this one hit like a punch to the gut.

Did you know that in British Columbia, right now, today, the government can detain you as an involuntary patient, declare you “deemed” to have consented, and subject you to forced psychiatric treatment — including physical restraints, isolation, heavy drugs, and even electroconvulsive therapy — without you or your family having any say at all?

It sounds like something from a dark chapter in history we thought we had left behind. But it’s happening here, now, and quietly.

A Case That Should Have Shocked the Province

A retired nurse from Victoria was subjected to roughly 300 rounds of electroconvulsive therapy and forced medications while detained as an involuntary patient. Her trauma became part of a long-running BC Supreme Court challenge against the province’s “deemed consent” laws.

What “deemed consent” means:
If a doctor detains you under the Mental Health Act, the law automatically assumes you agree to anything they decide to do to you. Even if you say no. Even if you’re capable of making your own decisions. Even if your family begs them to stop.

What Makes It Even More Disturbing

What makes this so bizarre — so dystopian — is that BC is also the province where doctors and social workers can declare that parents have “no right” to make medical decisions for their own children, while at the same time saying those same children are “mature enough” to make life-altering mental health decisions alone.

So adults can lose their rights. Parents can lose their rights. Children are handed responsibilities they cannot possibly understand.

And if the system fails them, as it so often does — if they spiral, or struggle, or become overwhelmed — the same system can then scoop them up and say: “Now you meet criteria for involuntary care.”

How Is This Still Happening in 2025?

• BC has the most extreme forced-treatment laws in Canada.
• We are the only province where involuntary patients automatically “consent” to whatever treatment doctors choose.
• Oversight is weak and appeal rights are often symbolic.
• The public largely doesn’t know this is legal — the harms are hidden inside medical and legal systems that silence victims.

For decades, no one challenged it — because the people harmed the most are the least able to fight back. Trauma, stigma, poverty, disability, homelessness… these are not the people politicians listen to.

But now a major constitutional challenge has reached the BC Supreme Court, and the judge is deliberating right now. The province appears to be moving to expand forced treatment — a move some see as trying to shore up the law before a possible court decision.

This Isn’t Compassion. It’s Control.

I want to be clear: mental health support is essential. People in crisis deserve safety, stability, and compassionate care.

But forced treatment without rights? Without consent? Without due process? That’s not care. That’s not safety. That’s not health. That’s paternalism at its ugliest.

“Forced treatment will further erode trust and disengage people from care.” — DTES healthcare worker Blake Edwards

Because how do you build trust when people fear they can be taken, restrained, medicated, or shocked — legally — against their will?

We Can’t Ignore This Anymore

This isn’t a fringe issue. It’s a human rights crisis hiding in plain sight.

If this can happen to a trained nurse, imagine what happens to people who have no power, no lawyer, no family advocate, no visibility.

No one should lose their bodily autonomy because a system is too overloaded, underfunded, and outdated to provide real care.

It’s time for British Columbia to rethink the balance between safety and human rights — because right now, that balance is shattered.

Read more about the case and the legal challenge here: tinyurl.com/y6s33au6

If you found this important, please share — and consider commenting below with your thoughts or personal experiences.

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NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! — A Grinchy Christmas Rant About Leaf Blowers

 🎄💚 NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! — A Grinchy Christmas Rant About Leaf Blowers 💚🎄

It’s the season of twinkly lights, warm drinks, and trying our very best to hang onto a scrap of holiday cheer…
🎅✨
But nothing — and I mean NOTHING — crushes that fragile December peace faster than the screeching roar of a LEAF BLOWER.

Those things fire up and suddenly you go from “fa-la-la-la-la” to “NOOOOISE! NOOOOISE! NOOOOISE!” like the Grinch hearing the Whos sing at full volume. 💥😤

💚🔥 If Dr. Seuss were alive today…

He wouldn’t need Whoville for inspiration.
He’d just walk down a Canadian street in December and hear a gas-powered blower shrieking like a tiny jet engine and say:

“Ah yes.
The anti-Christmas spirit has arrived.”

🎄🧠 This Noise Is Breaking People

Constant noise isn’t harmless.
It’s not “just annoying.”
It’s stress, pressure, and mental overload all at once.

Leaf blowers raise anxiety, interrupt sleep, spike blood pressure, and make people feel on edge. And in a world already dealing with housing insecurity, illness outbreaks, poverty, and constant winter darkness… the LAST thing anyone needs is a mechanical gremlin screaming in their ears. 😖🔊

No wonder everyone’s losing it.
Even the Grinch had a reason for snapping!

💚🌍 Environmentally, They’re the Opposite of Holiday Spirit

You know what’s not festive?

❌ Pollution
❌ Microplastic clouds
❌ Gas fumes
❌ Stirring up dust, mould & rodent droppings
❌ Scaring wildlife
❌ Wasting fuel to move leaves five feet

🎁 Meanwhile…
A rake is quiet.
A broom is peaceful.
Neither destroys your sanity or the planet.

Imagine a world where the only winter noise you hear is jingling bells, soft footsteps, wind through the trees, and the distant “ho ho ho”… not a two-stroke engine screaming at the sky. 💚🎅

🎄✨ We Deserve Peace on Earth — and Peace on the Sidewalk

Cities could ban them tomorrow and nothing bad would happen.
In fact:

🌟 Birds would return
🌟 Children could nap
🌟 Neighbours wouldn’t rage-scroll
🌟 The air would be cleaner
🌟 Communities would feel calmer

All from getting rid of one ridiculous machine.

It’s the easiest Christmas miracle imaginable.

So yes — call me the Grinch, the green one, the grouchy one —
💚😤
But I’m declaring it:

🎁💚✨ BAN THE LEAF BLOWER ✨💚🎁

For our health.
For our peace.
For our sanity.
And for the faint hope of a silent night — or at least a quieter one.

Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 9: Debunking Myths & Stigma

 🌿 Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 9: Debunking Myths & Stigma

Even after legalization, myths and stigma around cannabis remain. Education helps users and society make informed decisions.

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❌ Common Myths

• “Cannabis is harmless” – False. High-THC products carry risks: anxiety, panic, psychosis.
• “Everyone wants to get super high” – False. Many users seek pain relief, sleep, or creativity, not extreme intoxication.
• “Only criminals grow cannabis” – False. Legal growers are diverse: small craft, Indigenous communities, and large licensed producers.

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✅ Facts to Know

• Cannabis potency is much higher today than in past decades.
• Products have measured THC/CBD ratios and lab testing in legal retail.
• Education and awareness reduce risk and stigma, making cannabis safer for all users.

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🔑 Takeaways

• Separating fact from fear empowers responsible use.
• Cannabis can be therapeutic, creative, and recreational, but potency and individual tolerance matter.
• Public understanding is improving, but stigma and misinformation persist.

Shigella Outbreak in Victoria

 Shigella Outbreak in Victoria Highlights a Society in Crisis

There’s a new Shigella outbreak spreading through the homeless community in Victoria and the South Island, and health officials are sounding the alarm.
But let’s be honest: this outbreak is not just about bacteria.
It’s about us—and what we’ve allowed our society to become.

Shigella spreads where people don’t have bathrooms, where there’s no place to wash hands, and where sanitation relies on luck and charity rather than human rights. It spreads in exactly the kind of conditions we’ve created by ignoring homelessness, cutting services, and pretending that people can survive without access to the most basic essentials.

Island Health has confirmed multiple cases, and the number is likely much higher. People are getting sick because they’re living outside in extreme weather with no hygiene, no clean water, and no safety net. And somehow, we keep acting shocked—like these outbreaks are unpredictable tragedies instead of completely preventable consequences.

This isn’t “just a homeless issue.”
This is a public health warning.
When the most vulnerable get sick, that illness doesn’t politely stay inside a tent. It spreads. It grows. It adapts.

If we don’t take care of people, something much worse is coming.
Outbreaks like this are a symptom of a larger collapse—a society where we’ve normalized suffering, ignored poverty, and built a world where basic human needs are treated as luxuries.

How can a rich, developed country not maintain safe public washrooms?
How can cities install hostile architecture but not places to shower?
Why are people punished for being poor, then blamed when illness spreads in the conditions they were forced into?

This outbreak is a mirror.
It’s showing us exactly who we are and what we’ve chosen to ignore.

It doesn’t have to be this way.
We could choose compassion.
We could choose housing instead of band-aids.
We could choose washrooms, showers, and dignity.
We could choose to treat every human being like their life matters.
Because it does.

Until we do, outbreaks like this won’t be rare.
They’ll be the new normal.
And if we let society break this far without action, something far worse than Shigella will be waiting on the horizon.

What Toxic Paints Was Vincent van Gogh Using?

🌻 The Van Gogh Museum Shared Something Fascinating Today…

They posted a reconstruction of Sunflowers showing what the colours looked like when Vincent first painted them — and wow.
The bright yellows we see now, the ones that make you squint a little, were once even more vivid, almost glowing orange. Scientists recreated his original chrome yellow pigments, and the difference is stunning.

But here’s the thing the post didn’t mention:

Those brilliant colours came at a cost —
Vincent was working with some of the most toxic paints ever made.

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🎨 What Toxic Paints Was Vincent van Gogh Using?

In the late 1800s, artists' paints were intense, luminous… and often full of heavy metals, poisons, and unstable chemicals. Van Gogh loved bold colour, and many of his favourites were dangerous.

Here are the worst offenders:

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🟡 Chrome Yellow (Lead Chromate) – TOXIC

The hero of Sunflowers.
Ingredients: Lead + chromium
Risks: Extremely poisonous.
Behaviour: Darkens over time with light exposure — exactly why the painting looks deeper and duller today.

Vincent used multiple types of chrome yellow because he was obsessed with capturing light.

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⚪ Flake White / Lead White – HIGHLY TOXIC

Ingredients: Lead carbonate
Risks: Severe neurological damage, cumulative poisoning.
He used it constantly for mixing and highlights.
Van Gogh often worked with his fingers, meaning straight exposure.

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🔴 Red Pigments – Mercury & Lead

Vincent’s reds included:

• Vermilion (Mercury Sulfide) → mercury-based, very toxic
• Red Lead → poisonous, turns brown with age
• Alizarin Crimson → safe but fades easily

This is why reds in many of his works look softer today.

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🟢 Emerald Green – Arsenic!

Made from arsenic + copper, this pigment was infamous for poisoning artists, printers, and even wallpaper factory workers.

Van Gogh used it sparingly, but even a little was dangerous.

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🔵 Cobalt & Cerulean Blues

Not the worst, but still contain:

• Cobalt salts (toxic in powder form)
• Chromium compounds (carcinogenic when inhaled)

They were expensive, so he used them carefully but passionately.

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🟣 Manganese Violet

Contains manganese — toxic in high concentrations.
Safer than arsenic or lead, but still no joke.

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🧪 And how did artists survive all this?

Sometimes they didn’t. But most suffered slowly.

Artists frequently:

• licked their brushes to make a point
• painted in tiny, poorly ventilated rooms
• handled wet paint with bare fingers
• breathed pigment dust while mixing paints
• worked obsessively for long hours

Van Gogh showed symptoms that overlap with chronic lead exposure:

• stomach pain
• irritability
• neurological issues
• mood swings and mental strain

We can’t say it caused his struggles — but it was certainly a hidden factor.

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🌻 So when we look at Sunflowers today…

We’re seeing:

• colours that have chemically transformed
• pigments that were once dangerously bright
• art created through materials that harmed the artist who used them

The painting isn’t just aging —
it’s evolving, darkening, and carrying the chemical story of its time.

Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 8: Cannabis & Creativity

🌿 Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 8: Cannabis & Creativity

Cannabis isn’t just for relaxation or recreation — many people use it to enhance creativity, focus, and artistic expression.

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🎨 How Cannabis Can Inspire

• Mind opening – Certain strains, especially Sativa-dominant, may help users think differently or break out of rigid thought patterns.
• Flow states – Cannabis can assist in long-form creative projects, music, art, or writing.
• Stress relief = creativity boost – Reducing mental tension allows more focus and inspiration.

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🌱 Tips for Using Cannabis Creatively

1. Choose your strain wisely – Sativa or hybrid with uplifting terpenes like Limonene or Pinene.
2. Micro-dose first – Too much THC can overwhelm your mind instead of enhancing it.
3. Set the environment – Comfortable, inspiring spaces improve results.
4. Combine with tools – Journals, sketchbooks, instruments, or digital apps for flow.
5. Respect timing – Cannabis can lengthen time perception; plan accordingly.

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🔑 Takeaways

• Cannabis is a tool — not magic — for creativity.
• Balance dosage, strain, and environment for safe, effective results.
• Just like essential oils, respect the plant and its potency.

FIFA, Trump, and the Infantino Circus: Vancouver’s Housing Crisis Left Behind

 FIFA, Trump, and the Infantino Circus: Vancouver’s Housing Crisis Left Behind

By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita

I woke up today and saw the headline: “Trump receives FIFA Peace Prize.” And honestly? I was gobsmacked. Not shocked — nothing surprises me anymore — but stunned at how absurd the world has become.

A “Peace Prize” from… FIFA?

FIFA — the organization famous for bribery scandals, corruption, shady deals, and ignoring human rights — has decided they are now the judges of “peace.”
That’s like giving a “Healthy Eating Award” to a fast-food clown.

Even better: they didn’t dust off an old award. No, they literally invented the “FIFA Peace Prize” this year — and handed it to Donald Trump. The very first winner. Cue the drumroll for a stunt nobody asked for.

Enter Infantino — the Power Baby

Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, is the one presenting the prize. Honestly, the name fits him perfectly.

Infantino — it sounds like a baby, doesn’t it?
A baby who wants the spotlight.
A baby who wants praise.
A baby who cries for attention and takes, takes, takes.

And FIFA gives him everything he wants.

He strutted onstage at the World Cup draw with Trump like they were starring in some political talent show. The whole thing felt like a PR stunt dreamed up by two men who crave applause more than accountability.

Why people are frustrated

Because this isn’t about football.
It’s not about peace.
It’s about ego, optics, and using a global event to push political narratives.

Meanwhile:

• Fans struggle with rising ticket prices
• Workers die building stadiums
• Countries go broke hosting tournaments
• And FIFA keeps telling everyone:
  “Football unites the world.”

Sure.
If by “unites” you mean “unites powerful men in backroom deals.”

And Vancouver knows the real cost

Let’s not pretend this kind of mega-event magic doesn’t have a human cost — especially here in Vancouver. We’ve lived through it before. During the 2010 Olympics, promises to protect renters and build affordable housing were forgotten. Low-income units were lost to renovations and conversions. Homelessness shot up as people were pushed out of their homes to “clean up” the city for visitors.

Today, as FIFA rolls in for the 2026 World Cup, activists in the Downtown Eastside are already warning that we’re repeating the same playbook: prioritizing tourist optics over local people’s right to housing. Meanwhile, homelessness continues to climb, affordable units sit empty, and ordinary Vancouverites — renters, seniors, and families — are left behind. Mega-events may make headlines, but for the most vulnerable, they bring displacement, stress, and broken promises.

The world has gone strange

It’s moments like this that make you feel like we accidentally fell into a parody timeline — where organizations with terrible ethics hand out awards about ethics. And everyone is just supposed to clap.

Not me.

Final thought

I didn’t expect much from FIFA.
But this?
Creating a peace prize out of thin air just to hand it to Trump?

Peak circus. Peak chaos. Peak Infantino.

What's next? I am afraid to look😬🤔😱👀

Police Watchdog Clears Officers in Death of Vulnerable Man — And This Is Why the System Is Broken

 

Police Watchdog Clears Officers in Death of Vulnerable Man — And This Is Why the System Is Broken

By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita
December 2025

Another man has died in the Downtown Eastside — unarmed, naked, vulnerable, already pepper-sprayed — and once again, the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) has cleared the officers involved.

And once again, the public is left asking:
How does someone in crisis end up dead after a police encounter… and no one is held responsible?

This isn’t “anti-police.”
This is about basic human dignity and a system that refuses to take responsibility when something goes horribly wrong.

This was someone’s son, brother, father — a human being in distress. And instead of help, he ended up another heartbreaking headline followed by the same four words we hear far too often:

“No wrongdoing was found.”

A Naked Man Is Not a Threat — He Is a Person in Crisis

When someone is naked in public, it is almost always a sign of:

• mental health crisis
• overdose
• extreme fear
• medical distress

In other words, this person needed care, not force.

Pepper spray alone incapacitates anyone. It causes choking, panic, blindness, and confusion. After being sprayed, a person is essentially defenseless. So how does someone in that state end up dead — and the report still finds officers acted “reasonably”?

The Watchdog System Is Not Truly Independent

The IIO is supposed to investigate police-involved deaths, but the pattern is painfully clear:
case after case ends with no accountability.

It’s still the same structure:
police actions being judged by a system built around police culture, police procedures, and police narratives.

No matter how many times we hear “independent,” the results speak for themselves.

And this raises the most important point:

Police cannot truly investigate themselves — not directly, not indirectly, not through agencies intertwined with their systems and assumptions.

We need something far stronger.

We Need Outside Accountability — Not Internal Recycling

For cases like this — where a vulnerable person dies and the public is expected to simply trust the findings — Canada needs an external, international level of oversight.

Other countries use:

• civilian-led panels with real power
• international human rights observers
• external forensic review teams

Why don’t we?

Why are we still using a model where the watchdog is structurally linked to the very institutions it is supposed to hold accountable?

If an officer from another country killed a naked, pepper-sprayed man in custody, you can bet international agencies would demand answers.

Why should Canadians expect anything less?

This Is Bigger Than One Case

It is about how we treat people in crisis.

It is about how many families are left without answers.

It is about a system that consistently says:

“Nothing to see here.”

And if this was your dad… your brother… your son…

Would you trust that outcome?
Would you trust a system that polices itself?

We Need a Real Solution

This tragedy highlights what so many communities have been demanding for years:

• civilian-only, non-police mental-health crisis teams
• medical-first responders
• trauma-informed specialists
• mandatory external oversight from outside the police structure
• and yes, even international human-rights review panels for cases where a death occurs in custody

Because if a naked, unarmed, pepper-sprayed man can die and the system still says “no wrongdoing,” then the system is not broken — it is working exactly as it was designed.

And that is the real problem.

Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 7: Public Health & Harm Reduction

 🌿🌿 Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 7: Public Health & Harm Reduction

While legalization has improved access and regulation, education and harm reduction are still critical — especially for youth and first-time users.

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⚠️ Risks to Know

• High-THC products: Increased risk of anxiety, panic, or psychosis.
• Youth exposure: Teen and early 20s brains are more sensitive to THC.
• Mixing substances: Alcohol or other drugs can amplify negative effects.

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🌱 Harm Reduction Strategies

1. Start low, go slow – Small doses first.
2. Know your product – Check THC/CBD ratios, lab testing, and terpene profiles.
3. Use safe spaces – Avoid unsafe or public locations where you may feel stressed or judged.
4. Avoid high-potency concentrates if new – Shatter and wax are potent; respect their strength.
5. Separate functional vs recreational use – Know if your goal is pain relief, stress management, or a recreational high.

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🌸 Cannabis as Medicine

• Cannabis can be functional, creative, and therapeutic.
• Treat it like essential oils or other plant medicines: respect potency, dosage, and the effects on your mind and body.
• David Suzuki’s recent documentary highlights the importance of education and awareness around potency, youth exposure, and public health.

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🔑 Takeaways

• Cannabis use is safer when intentional, informed, and measured.
• Education and access to information are still major gaps in BC.
• Respect potency and choose products based on goal and experience, not peer pressure.

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Why We Should Be Skeptical of Global News’ Latest “Welfare Fraud” Story

Why We Should Be Skeptical of Global News’ Latest “Welfare Fraud” Story

By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita

Mainstream media has a long history of pointing fingers at the poorest people in society, and Global News has just revived one of the oldest tropes in the book: the “welfare cheats costing taxpayers millions” narrative.

Their recent report claims that “millions of dollars in subsidies” were given to people who “don’t qualify,” based on anonymous whistleblowers and an investigation with few details. It sounds dramatic—but when you dig deeper, the story reveals more about media bias than about social assistance.

And yes, we should be questioning it.

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The Real Bias: Blaming the Poor Instead of Examining the System

The headline frames the issue as:
➡️ People exploiting the system.
But the real issue is far more complex, and Global conveniently ignores the parts that don’t fit their narrative.

Missing from the story:

• How many cases were actually examined
• Whether the “improper payments” were intentional or administrative errors
• Whether caseworkers are overloaded and undertrained
• Whether the problems come from BC’s patchwork of programs, confusing rules, and outdated systems
• How much contractors, consultants, and executives are costing taxpayers by comparison

This isn’t balanced reporting—it’s fear-based framing.

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Where Are the Real Numbers?

If millions were truly being misdirected, a responsible investigation would include:

• the percentage of total caseload affected
• clear statistics
• explanations of how eligibility errors actually occur

But Global doesn’t provide this, because it’s not really about transparency—
it’s about creating a narrative that grabs attention.

Without context, “millions” sounds huge. But the Ministry of Social Development handles billions in programs. Errors—especially unintentional ones—are inevitable in any large system.

So why focus only on the smallest, poorest corner of the budget?

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Convenient Silence About the Real Money Trail

Here’s what Global didn’t investigate:

• Non-profit executives earning $200k–$400k+ while running “poverty services”
• Millions in public contracts for homelessness programs that still fail to reduce homelessness
• BC Housing’s historic mismanagement and lack of oversight
• Rent supplements going straight to landlords—not tenants
• Private companies profiting off poverty through outsourcing and case management

Why doesn’t this get headlines?
Because it challenges powerful institutions, not vulnerable people.

It’s always easier to punch down.

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This Narrative Has Been Weaponized Before

In the 90s and 2000s, stories just like this were used to justify:

• cutting social assistance
• increasing surveillance on the poor
• tightening restrictions on parents, disabled people, and seniors
• making eligibility nearly impossible
• criminalizing poverty instead of fixing it

We’ve seen this movie before. And the ending is always the same:
real people get hurt.

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The Human Impact: Fear, Shame, and Distrust

What Global doesn’t mention is the emotional toll these stories take.

People who are:

• barely surviving
• living in unsafe housing
• navigating health issues
• dealing with trauma
• looking for stability

…are now told the public is watching them, judging them, and assuming they are criminals.

This is not how a caring society treats its most vulnerable.

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We Need Better Journalism—Not Scapegoating

A truly responsible investigation would:

• analyze systems
• question policy design
• interview advocates and support workers
• verify statistics
• expose structural problems, not individual ones

But sensationalism sells.

Balanced reporting?
Not so much.

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Final Thoughts

Let’s be clear:
If the system is making mistakes, the Ministry should fix them.
If workers are overloaded, they need support.
If guidelines are unclear, they need rewriting.

But turning this into a story that blames struggling people—without context, without nuance, and without data—is irresponsible and harmful.

We deserve journalism that sheds light, not heat.

And we deserve a social safety net that supports people instead of punishing them.

Winter Fair at Vanier Park — Tomorrow

 

❄️✨ Winter Fair at Vanier Park — Tomorrow! ✨❄️

A Wonderful Community Event You Don’t Want to Miss

Tomorrow is the Winter Fair at Vanier Park, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most heartwarming community events of the season. If you're looking for something festive, creative, affordable, and meaningful—this is it!

📍 Where: Vanier Park – @vanmaritime & @museumofvan
📅 When: Saturday, December 7
🕚 Time: 11am–5pm
🎟️ Entry: By Donation to both museums!
(Yes, you can tour both museums for whatever you can give. Total win.)

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🎁 Handmade Treasures, Local Artists & Community Spirit

The Winter Fair brings together an amazing lineup of local vendors, artists, and makers. Whether you're looking for gifts, holiday inspiration, or simply a beautiful day out, you’ll find plenty to explore.

✨ I’ll be there too!
Come visit my Steamer Trunk Art Studio setup, filled with:

• Handmade clay ornaments
• Beaded hangings
• Original paintings
• Festive displays and unique artwork

Each piece is made with heart — and with a purpose.

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❤️ Giving Back Through Art

My ornaments are $20 each, and $10 from every ornament goes directly to the Food Bank.
Partial proceeds also support:

• The Vanished Project
• Union Gospel Mission
• A local artist in need

When you shop from me at the fair, you’re supporting community in a real, tangible way.

Limited quantities — bunnies, bears, deer, elephants, unicorns, angels, polar bears, moose — so come early if you have your heart set on something special!

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🎶 Bonus: The False Creek Ferry Ballet

Right after the fair, don’t miss the delightful @falsecreekferry ballet — a whimsical Vancouver tradition that always brings big smiles.

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❄️ See You There!

Bring a friend, bring your kids, bring your holiday spirit — tomorrow is the perfect day to support local artists, enjoy two museums by donation, and celebrate community warmth during the winter season.

I can’t wait to see you there! 🎄💖

Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 6: The Business of Bud

 🌿 Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 6: The Business of Bud

BC’s cannabis industry is booming, but it’s a mix of big corporations, craft growers, and regulation challenges.

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🏢 Big Players vs Craft Growers

• Large Licensed Producers

  • Dominate retail and supply chains.
  • High-capital investment, marketing power, and economies of scale.
  • Often produce consistent but less “boutique” products.

• Craft & Small Growers

  • Focus on quality, terpenes, and specialty strains.
  • Struggle with licensing, high fees, and compliance costs.
  • Many previously operated underground and now face barriers to entering the legal market.

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📊 Market Forces

• Price vs Quality – Legal prices are higher than black market, but quality and testing are guaranteed.
• Consumer Demand – Shifts toward high-CBD products, edibles, and concentrates.
• Supply Challenges – Seasonal crop issues, regulation changes, and limited retail space affect availability.

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🌱 Sustainability & Responsibility

• Energy-intensive operations – Indoor grow facilities use large amounts of electricity.
• Environmental concerns – Water use, pesticides, and waste need careful management.
• Social responsibility – Equity programs aim to support marginalized communities but are still limited.

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🔑 Takeaways

• BC’s cannabis industry is complex and evolving.
• Both big and small growers shape what you see in stores.
• Responsible consumption means understanding market realities, sourcing ethically, and respecting potency.

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A Bus Ride That Says Everything: When Public Transit Becomes a Health Hazard in B.C.

 🚨 A Bus Ride That Says Everything: When Public Transit Becomes a Health Hazard in B.C.

By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita

Yesterday I had one of the worst bus rides of my life — and it exposed exactly how broken things have become in British Columbia.

I was sitting in the back when three men got on. They looked rough. Within seconds it was clear they were high, agitated, and not fully present. Two held vape pens, and the whole time I was bracing myself, terrified they would start vaping fentanyl — because that’s happening now. There are videos online of bus drivers being forced to evacuate buses because someone started vaping toxic drugs on board.

As they talked, they spoke horribly about a woman they knew, accusing her of having lice. One had his pants half down — a sign of street-level sex work and exploitation. And when I stood up to leave, the smell hit me so hard I nearly threw up. This wasn’t normal “body odour.” It was the smell of untreated infections, unwashed clothing, and human suffering.

And this group was heading to a warming shelter.

This is what the public is encountering daily now.

This isn’t just “unpleasant.”
This is a health hazard, a safety hazard, and a sign of systemic collapse.

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🧩 This Isn’t About Blaming Individuals — This Is About a System That’s Failing Everyone

What I witnessed wasn’t three “bad people.”
It was the result of:

• Untreated mental illness
• Toxic drug dependency
• No access to consistent hygiene
• Overfilled shelters
• Poverty so deep it’s become survival mode
• A province that keeps reacting instead of preventing

The city bus shouldn’t be a rolling emergency room.
It shouldn’t be a refuge of last resort.
It shouldn’t be the only safe, warm place left for people in crisis.

But that’s what’s happening.

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🚍 Transit Riders Are Not Safe. Drivers Are Not Safe. The People in Crisis Are Not Safe.

What we have now isn’t compassion — it’s neglect disguised as “harm reduction.”

Passengers shouldn’t be exposed to:

• Possible fentanyl contamination
• Violent outbursts
• Severe untreated infections
• Extreme odour that signals real health risks
• Verbal harassment
• Physical unpredictability

And the people suffering shouldn’t be forced into crowded public spaces because there’s nowhere else to go.

Everyone is losing.

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🔧 What Needs to Change — and Who Needs to Step Up

Here’s who can fix this, and how:

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➤ 1. BC Ministry of Health & Mental Health and Addictions

You need to:

• Fund mandatory intake assessments at shelters
• Provide immediate-access detox and treatment, not years-long waitlists
• Deploy outreach medical teams to warming shelters and bus exchanges
• Ensure crises are treated as medical emergencies, not “lifestyle choices”

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➤ 2. BC Housing

You need to:

• Create dedicated shuttle services for warming shelters and supportive housing
• Require hygiene facilities (showers, laundry) before sleeping mats
• Stop pushing people in crisis onto public transit

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➤ 3. TransLink and Coast Mountain Bus Company

You need to:

• Implement smoke/vape detection alarms onboard
• Increase transit security presence during shelter hours
• Train drivers with rapid removal protocols for health hazards
• Restore safety for riders who rely on buses daily

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➤ 4. Local Governments

You need to:

• Advocate for proper treatment funding
• Create daytime hygiene centres
• Expand public washrooms and laundry access
• Stop pretending “more shelters” fixes the root issue

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➤ 5. MLAs Across All Parties

You need to:

• Stop the political silence
• Admit this is harming everyone — including the people you claim to protect
• Push for actual treatment, not endless pilot programs
• Treat transit safety as an emergency issue

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❤️ This Is Not About Hate — It’s About Survival and Dignity

We urgently need a public safety system AND a public compassion system.
Right now, we have neither.

People shouldn’t be forced to ride in conditions that make them sick.
People in crisis shouldn’t be so neglected that other passengers gag from the smell of untreated infections.

This isn’t “normal urban life.”

This is collapse.

And ignoring it will not make it disappear.

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📣 To everyone who can help: We’re asking you — pleading with you — do your job before someone gets hurt.

Because yesterday, sitting on that bus, it felt like we were already too late.

Part 5 – Community Responses and Solutions

Part 5 – Community Responses and Solutions 🌱🤝

As British Columbia faces rapid gentrification, rising crime, and complex employment dynamics, communities are seeking ways to adapt, protect residents, and foster inclusivity. While challenges are significant, there are also inspiring examples of grassroots initiatives, advocacy, and collaboration that offer hope. ✨

1. Grassroots and community initiatives 🏘️

Local organizations and neighborhood groups are actively working to:

• Support small business owners facing crime and vandalism.
• Provide resources for fair employment practices, including workshops on workers’ rights.
• Create spaces for dialogue between long-term residents and newcomers to foster understanding and cooperation.

2. Policy and government interventions ⚖️

Provincial and municipal governments are exploring ways to:

• Strengthen tenant protections and housing affordability programs.
• Regulate foreign worker and student employment to prevent exploitation.
• Provide support to small business owners affected by crime, including enhanced security and legal guidance.

3. Building bridges in multicultural communities 🌐

Efforts are underway to:

• Encourage hiring practices that balance language and cultural diversity with local inclusion.
• Promote mentorship programs connecting experienced local workers with new immigrant entrepreneurs.
• Increase awareness of social services, fair employment rights, and anti-exploitation resources.

Why this matters 💡

Communities thrive when everyone has access to fair opportunities, safe neighborhoods, and mutual respect. By addressing gentrification, employment inequities, and crime proactively, BC can create neighborhoods where both newcomers and long-term residents feel valued and secure. ✅

Final thoughts ✨

The story of BC’s neighborhoods is not just about investment, crime, or employment—it’s about the people who live, work, and contribute to their communities. Solutions require collaboration, empathy, and a willingness to act collectively. As residents, business owners, and policymakers come together, there is hope that BC can balance growth with inclusion, safety, and fairness. 🌱

Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 5: Potency, Strains & Terpenes

 Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 5: Potency, Strains & Terpenes

The cannabis market today is vibrant but confusing. Potency, strains, and chemical profiles make a big difference in effects, function, and safety.

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💎 Potency: The Big Shift

• Weak pot vs concentrates: Cannabis today is far stronger than the mild flower of the 1980s and 1990s.
• Shatter & wax: THC 70–90% vs 10–15% in traditional flower.
• Risks: High THC can trigger anxiety, paranoia, or psychosis in vulnerable users — particularly teens and young adults.

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🌱 Strains & Profiles

• Indica: Relaxing, often used for sleep or stress relief.
• Sativa: Energizing, commonly used for creativity or focus.
• Hybrids: Combinations, effects vary depending on THC/CBD and terpenes.

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🌸 Terpenes: Nature’s Aromatherapy

Terpenes are aromatic compounds that influence effects, just like essential oils:

• 🌿 Linalool (lavender-like) – calming, anti-anxiety.
• 🍋 Limonene (citrus) – energizing, mood-lifting.
• 🌲 Pinene (pine) – alertness, memory support.

Understanding strain and terpene profiles helps consumers choose cannabis for specific goals — not just “the strongest high.”

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🔑 Takeaways

• Modern cannabis potency is not the same as the pot of past decades.
• Strains and terpenes allow users to tailor effects to function and wellness.
• Education and awareness are essential — don’t rely on marketing or peer pressure alone.
• Respect potency: like aromatherapy oils, cannabis is medicine, not just recreation.

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Part 4 – Real Estate Boom, Gentrification, and Crime

Part 4 – Real Estate Boom, Gentrification, and Crime 🏘️💰

British Columbia’s urban landscape is changing rapidly. Immigrant investors, including those from India, have been buying land, condos, and towers, reshaping neighborhoods across the province. These changes bring economic growth, but also create pressure on housing, local culture, and community safety. 🏙️

One striking example is the visibility of new real estate marketing. Faces of real estate agents, medical workers, and business owners now adorn bus stops, billboards, and transit hubs, signaling both opportunity and a shift in neighborhood identity. While these businesses contribute to the economy, they also reflect gentrification pressures that can displace long-term residents and reshape local communities. 🌆

The link to crime 🚨

• Rising gentrification and rapid economic changes can create social friction.
• Some business owners and tenants report extortion, scams, and theft—practices that were less common in the past.
• Neighborhoods with high property turnover and new investment sometimes experience increased street disorder and crime, affecting both residents and small business owners.

Community impact 🌐

• Displacement: Long-term residents may be forced to move due to rising rents or cultural exclusion.
• Economic tension: Small businesses, like the Patels’ store in Nanaimo, struggle to stay afloat amidst crime and rising property costs.
• Cultural shifts: Neighborhood character can change rapidly, altering the social fabric and creating divisions among old and new residents.

Why this matters 💡

Gentrification isn’t just about real estate—it affects jobs, safety, community identity, and social cohesion. When rapid economic growth intersects with crime and exploitation, it creates a complex environment that can be difficult to navigate for both newcomers and long-term residents.

In the final part of this series, we will explore community responses and potential solutions, highlighting efforts to balance economic growth, inclusivity, and safety in BC neighborhoods. 🌱

Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 4: Social Justice & Equity

 🌿 Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 4: Social Justice & Equity

Legalization solved some problems — but left others. The history of cannabis in BC is deeply intertwined with social justice issues.

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⚖️ Who Was Criminalized?

• 🚫 Past convictions: Many people, especially youth and marginalized communities, faced arrests and fines for cannabis cultivation or possession before 2018.
• 📉 Economic impact: Criminal records limited access to jobs, housing, and education — consequences that persist today.
• 🌎 Indigenous communities: Laws often ignored Indigenous governance and traditional practices, criminalizing long-held cultural uses of the plant.

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💼 Who Benefits Today?

• 🏢 Large licensed producers dominate retail, while smaller craft growers face barriers: licensing fees, regulatory complexity, and high startup costs.
• 🤝 Equity programs exist but are limited; those previously criminalized sometimes find it hard to enter the legal market.
• 🌿 Grassroots growers: Many still operate in informal or grey markets due to the high cost and complexity of legal compliance.

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🔑 Key Takeaways

• Legalization is a step forward, but it’s not justice for everyone.
• Equity, fair access, and community inclusion remain unfinished work.
• Awareness of who benefits and who is left behind is crucial for responsible consumers and advocates.

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The PayPal Mafia: How One Startup Rewired Silicon Valley — and the World

🌐 The PayPal Mafia: How One Startup Rewired Silicon Valley — and the World

The “PayPal Mafia” is one of the most legendary alumni groups in tech history. The term refers to a tight-knit circle of PayPal founders and early employees who, after leaving the company in the early 2000s, went on to reshape nearly every corner of the modern digital world.

From electric cars to social networks, space rockets to AI, YouTube to Yelp — their fingerprints are everywhere.

But their influence isn’t just technological. It extends into politics, ideology, global finance, venture capital, and even the way governments talk about “innovation.”

Here’s a clear look at who they are, what they built, and why they still matter today.

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💼 Who Are the PayPal Mafia?

These are the most well-known members — people who used their PayPal experience as a springboard into building the next wave of tech giants:

Elon Musk

• Founded X.com, which merged with PayPal
• Later founded Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, The Boring Company
• Acquired Twitter/X, changing global media and political discourse

Peter Thiel

• Co-founded PayPal
• Co-founded Palantir Technologies
• Early investor in Facebook
• Influential right-wing political donor and strategist
• Co-founded Founders Fund

Max Levchin

• Co-founder of PayPal
• Founded Affirm (massive fintech lender)
• Co-created Yelp
• Backed multiple tech startups

Reid Hoffman

• Early PayPal executive
• Co-founded LinkedIn
• Venture capitalist at Greylock Partners
• Important figure in AI ethics and Democratic politics

David Sacks

• Former COO of PayPal
• Founded Yammer (acquired by Microsoft)
• Venture capitalist and political influencer
• Prominent voice in tech and U.S. policy debates

Keith Rabois

• Early PayPal executive
• Major investor in Square, Opendoor, Stripe
• Deeply embedded in Silicon Valley’s power networks

Roelof Botha

• Former PayPal CFO
• Became a leading partner at Sequoia Capital, one of the most powerful VC firms on the planet

Jeremy Stoppelman & Russel Simmons

• Early PayPal employees
• Co-founded Yelp, shaping the way people review and choose businesses

Luke Nosek

• PayPal co-founder
• Co-founded Founders Fund with Thiel

Chad Hurley, Steve Chen & Jawed Karim

• Early PayPal employees
• Went on to create YouTube, forever changing media, entertainment, journalism, and politics

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🚀 Why the PayPal Mafia Still Matters

1. They Built the Modern Tech Landscape

Tesla, LinkedIn, YouTube, Palantir, Affirm, SpaceX, Yelp, and dozens more — many of today’s biggest companies originated from this group.

Their combined influence rivals entire countries.

2. They Transformed Venture Capital

Members of the PayPal Mafia now control billions in startup funding.
They decide which companies get built — and which never leave the ground.

3. They Drive Political Ideology

Peter Thiel and others have pushed libertarian, pro-innovation, and anti-regulation ideologies into:

• AI governance
• national security
• privacy debates
• free speech debates
• political campaigns

Their ideas influence laws, elections, and global narratives.

4. They Shifted Power From Banks to Tech

PayPal disrupted traditional finance — and the people behind it later created the blueprint for fintech, crypto, and decentralized systems.

5. They Control Platforms That Shape Global Conversations

Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter/X is a prime example of how deeply intertwined tech power and public discourse have become.

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🧩 The Bigger Picture

The PayPal Mafia is more than a quirky nickname.
It represents a massive transfer of power in the early 2000s:

• from old institutions → to young technologists
• from banks → to fintech
• from traditional media → to social platforms
• from politicians → to billionaires with algorithms

Some see the group as visionaries.
Others see them as too powerful, too political, and too unregulated.
Both views can be true at the same time.

What’s undeniable is that their influence is still growing.

Part 3 — The Second Marriage: Vautrin & A Larger Family

 🌼 Part 3 — The Second Marriage: Vautrin & A Larger Family

By her mid-twenties, Mary Ann Maranda dit le Frisé had already lived through what many would call a lifetime of trials — early marriage, the loss of children, migration, and survival under colonial pressures. Yet her story was far from finished.

After her first marriage to Joseph Brulé, Mary Ann entered a second union with Jean Baptiste Vautrin. This marriage would shape the next chapter of her life, expanding her family and carrying her into new territories.

With Vautrin, Mary Ann bore nine children. In a time when survival was never guaranteed, each child represented both hope and vulnerability. Her household must have been alive with the sounds of children’s laughter, the cries of babies, the rhythm of work, and the persistence of a mother’s care.

Unlike the Brulé years, this period brought a measure of stability. Yet challenges were never far away: frequent moves, political changes as the U.S. and Britain asserted control, and the ongoing displacement of Indigenous peoples. Through all of this, Mary Ann’s ability to nurture and raise a large family was an act of resistance in itself.

Her children with Vautrin connected her story to other families and communities, weaving together French Canadian settlers and Indigenous heritage. These ties formed the foundation of many families who would later build their lives in British Columbia.

Even as Mary Ann’s life grew fuller, she carried the weight of her early years — the Catholic Mission, the loss of children, the displacement from her homelands. Yet she kept going, and with each child she brought into the world, she ensured that her people’s spirit would endure.

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✒️ Historical Note: Family & Survival in Colonial Times

Large families were common among both settlers and Indigenous peoples in the 19th century. For Indigenous women married under Catholic authority, raising children became not only a personal duty but also a form of survival. Despite assimilation pressures, cultural memory often lived on through mothers who passed down stories, traditions, and resilience to their children.

Mary Ann’s family — spanning Brulé and Vautrin marriages — reflects this survival strategy. Each surviving child was a thread tying the past to the future, ensuring that despite colonial disruption, Indigenous bloodlines, languages, and histories would not vanish.

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🌿 Reflective Questions

1. What might daily life have looked like for Mary Ann raising nine children with Vautrin?
2. How does the survival of so many children contrast with the losses of her earlier years?
3. In what ways did women like Mary Ann carry culture forward through their families, even under colonial pressures?
4. How do large families reflect resilience in the face of historical trauma and displacement?

Part 3 – Foreign Workers, Students, and Exploitation

Part 3 – Foreign Workers, Students, and Exploitation 🎓💼

British Columbia relies heavily on foreign students and temporary workers to fill labor gaps across retail, service, and hospitality sectors. While these workers bring skills, energy, and cultural diversity, their presence also exposes a troubling side of BC’s employment landscape: exploitation and scams. 😟

Many immigrant-owned businesses hire foreign students or temporary workers because they are flexible, willing to work long hours, and often unfamiliar with local labor laws. This creates a vulnerable workforce, sometimes subjected to:

• Unpaid or underpaid wages 💵
• Excessive work hours or unsafe conditions ⚠️
• Misleading contracts or false promises about employment and visas 📄

These practices are not always intentional fraud, but the lack of regulation and oversight means that workers often have little recourse, while businesses benefit from cheap labor. 💸

Impact on the community 🌐

• Local unemployment: Long-term residents can find themselves competing with a workforce willing to accept lower pay and longer hours.
• Social tension: Language barriers, cultural differences, and employment inequities create divisions within neighborhoods.
• Economic imbalance: Exploitation of foreign labor can distort wages and working conditions in certain sectors, making it harder for local workers to negotiate fair compensation.

The connection to crime and scams is also notable. Some unscrupulous operators may charge fees for jobs, training, or work permits—practices that verge on extortion. This adds another layer of concern for communities already facing gentrification pressures and rising cost of living. 🚨

Why this matters 💡

Foreign students and temporary workers are an integral part of BC’s economy, but without proper protections, both the workers and local communities suffer. Exploitation fuels social tension, economic inequity, and, in some cases, contributes indirectly to crime.

In the next installment, we will examine how the real estate boom, gentrification, and rising crime intersect, and how these forces collectively reshape neighborhoods in BC. 🏘️

Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 3: Safe, Responsible Use for Function & Creativity

🌿 Cannabis in British Columbia — Part 3: Safe, Responsible Use for Function & Creativity

Cannabis today is more than just a “high.” Many people use it for pain relief, stress reduction, creativity, or mental wellness. With the rise of high-potency products like shatter, it’s crucial to use cannabis responsibly and intentionally.

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🎯 Understanding Your Goal

Before choosing a product or method:

• 💡 Functional use: pain relief, sleep, or stress management.
• 🎨 Creative use: enhancing artistic, musical, or writing inspiration.
• ⚠️ Recreational intensity: purely for psychoactive effects — higher risk, especially for young adults.

Knowing your goal helps select strain, product, and dosage, and prevents “accidental overdoing it.”

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🌱 Choosing Products Wisely

• Flower / Pre-rolls: Mild to moderate THC, versatile, controllable.
• Concentrates (shatter, wax): Potent, fast-acting — treat like medicine, small doses only.
• Oils & Tinctures: Great for measured, discreet dosing; easier to adjust.
• Edibles & Drinks: Long-lasting; start with micro-doses because effects take 30–90 minutes.
• Topicals: Non-psychoactive, useful for pain, inflammation, or skin issues.

Tip: For functional purposes, balanced THC:CBD ratios are often safer than extremely high THC alone.

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🛡️ Harm Reduction Tips

1. Start low, go slow – Especially important for high-potency products.
2. Micro-dose – A little at a time helps gauge effects without risk.
3. Know your environment – Comfortable, safe space reduces anxiety and accidents.
4. Stay hydrated and nourished – High THC can increase heart rate and cause dehydration.
5. Separate functional vs recreational sessions – Know if the goal is creativity, focus, relaxation, or pure fun.

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🌸 A Lesson from Aromatherapy

Just like essential oils, cannabis is potent, natural medicine.

• 💜 Lavender calms the mind, supports sleep, and eases stress.
• Cannabis strains have specific profiles: THC, CBD, and terpenes (like citrus, pine, lavender scents) can influence effects on mood, focus, and pain.
• Respecting the plant, dosing intentionally, and learning about strain profiles is key to safe use.

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📺 Educate Yourself

David Suzuki’s recent video (link) highlights:

• The potency problem and mental health concerns, especially for youth.
• Why education and evidence-based guidance are essential for anyone considering cannabis use.
• Insights into regulation, environmental impacts, and community responsibility — emphasizing that cannabis is not just a recreational commodity but a plant medicine that deserves respect.

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✅ Key Takeaways

• High-potency cannabis can be powerful, useful, and beneficial — when used responsibly.
• Understanding your goals (pain, creativity, stress, fun) determines the right product, dosage, and method.
• Treat cannabis like a medicine or essential oil: start small, respect potency, and educate yourself.
• Public education remains limited — stigma and misinformation are still barriers.

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Part 2 — The First Marriage: Brulé Family Struggles

 🌺 Part 2 — The First Marriage: Brulé Family Struggles

At just fifteen years old, Mary Ann Maranda dit le Frisé was married to Joseph Brulé. Still barely more than a child herself, she entered into the life of a wife and mother under the watchful eye of the Catholic Mission that had baptized and schooled her.

Marriage for Indigenous girls in those years was rarely a matter of choice. The pressures of colonial society, the authority of the church, and the merging of French Canadian and Indigenous families all shaped her path. For Mary Ann, marriage meant not only survival but also a way of binding families together in uncertain times.

Mary Ann and Joseph began their family in the Oregon Territory. Their lives were marked by constant change — movement from settlement to settlement, uncertainty about land, and the looming shadow of colonial expansion. For a young mother, each birth was both joy and risk.

Together, they had six children, though tragedy soon struck: four of them died in infancy or early childhood. Such loss was heartbreakingly common at the time, especially for Indigenous and mixed families who often lacked stable homes, medical care, or community support.

Only two daughters survived — one of them was Ellen Brulé, Mary Ann’s daughter who would later marry Joseph Poirier and continue the line that leads to me today.

The Brulé years tested Mary Ann deeply. By her twenties, she had endured the loss of multiple children, the instability of migration, and the burdens of adulthood placed on her since she was only a girl. Yet through Ellen and her surviving children, her bloodline and resilience carried forward.

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✒️ Historical Note: Indigenous Women & Early Marriages

In the mid-1800s, many Indigenous girls were married in their early teens. This was not always Indigenous tradition but rather a consequence of colonial influence. Catholic missionaries encouraged early marriages to “stabilize” families under European values and to prevent unions outside church control.

For Indigenous women like Mary Ann, these marriages often meant heavy responsibilities at a young age, frequent childbearing, and little say in their futures. Despite this, they found ways to nurture culture, strength, and survival in their children — even when much was taken from them.

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🌿 Reflective Questions

1. How might Mary Ann have felt, being married at fifteen and losing four of her six children?
2. In what ways did the Catholic Church’s influence shape family life in the Oregon Territory?
3. How does Ellen Brulé’s survival and later marriage to Joseph Poirier symbolize resilience across generations?
4. What lessons can we learn today from the strength of young Indigenous women who endured so much at such an early age?