Blogger, Artist, Social Media, Web Designer, Photographer- I blog about nouns-people, places and things, even when it's negative I try to put a positive spin on it. @tinawinterlikfb https://tinawinterlik.blogspot.com
Canada, We Need To Talk. Politely. With Just… A Little Rage.
Canada used to be the kid who brought snacks for everyone. We looked after each other. We built programs so people wouldn’t fall straight into the abyss every time the economy had a mood swing.
Fast-forward to now and it feels like the government switched vibes entirely. It’s giving “Reagan meets Trump, but with maple syrup and passive-aggressive politeness.”
“Sacrifice!” they say.
“For who?” we ask.
They smile vaguely and wander off to a private fundraising dinner.
The rich? They’re thriving, thanks.
Corporations? Breaking profit records.
Politicians? Talking about belt-tightening while their belts are made of solid gold and catered charcuterie.
Meanwhile, regular folks are out here doing Olympic-level mental gymnastics trying to afford groceries without selling a kidney on Marketplace.
Housing?
You need:
• Income
• Savings
• Luck
• A portal to a dimension where rent isn’t 80% of your soul
Government relief today looks like:
“Have you tried picking up a side hustle as a unicorn wrangler? Asking for policy reasons.”
Back in the day during the Great Depression, even with fewer resources, governments actually helped. Nearly 1 in 5 Canadians received support because leadership recognized a country collapses when its people do.
Now the message is:
“Pull yourself up by the bootstraps.”
Sir, we are barefoot because the boots were repossessed.
We’re constantly told not to be negative.
To stay polite.
To stop asking uncomfortable questions like: Why does the cost of living keep rising while the cost of caring keeps shrinking?
Canada, we aren’t just tired.
We are WTF-but-in-a-nice-way tired.
Tired of:
• Performative compassion
• “Thoughts and prayers” economics
• Pretending everything’s fine because we’re scared of the alternative
• Leaders telling us to sacrifice while they sacrifice nothing
• Being blamed for not thriving inside a system designed to drain us dry
We deserve a life that isn’t permanent crisis mode.
We deserve governments that don’t treat social safety nets as limited-edition collectibles.
We deserve a country that remembers its heart.
So here’s the most Canadian revolution ever:
Speak up. Ask questions. Demand better.
With a smile, yes.
With a shaky voice if necessary.
With a whole lot of “No… seriously… WTF?”
Because caring isn’t radical.
Expecting fairness isn’t extremist.
And a livable, dignified life shouldn’t be a luxury brand.
🇨🇦❤️ Time to bring back a Canada that takes care of its people. Politely. Fiercely.
🌀 They told us tobacco was harmless.
💊 They said fentanyl would help with pain.
💨 They claimed vaping would help people quit smoking.
But we’ve seen this story before.
🥄 Cocaine was once sold in “tonics” and prescribed by doctors.
🌸 Opium dens were once considered “relaxation” spaces.
👶 Heroin was once marketed as a cough medicine for children.
⚖️ The Cycle Repeats
Every generation is sold the same lie in a new wrapper.
The language changes — but the motive doesn’t.
💰 Profit first.
☠️ People last.
From tobacco ➡️ opioids ➡️ vapes,
the pattern is identical:
1️⃣ Create dependence.
2️⃣ Market it as wellness or sophistication.
3️⃣ Blame the user when the harm appears.
💔 The Cost
Executives smile for cameras, cashing bonuses paid in human misery.
Meanwhile…
💥 Fentanyl-laced drugs flood our streets.
🧒 Kids are groomed through vapes, pills, and false promises.
⏳ Governments act years too late — after lives are lost.
🍁 A Harsh Reminder from B.C.
Here in British Columbia, the government is finally trying to pass the Vaping Product Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act, to hold vape makers accountable for the harm they’ve caused.
But the truth hits even harder —
💸 We just received the first payment from the 1998 Tobacco Settlement.
That’s 27 years later.
🔥 Twenty-seven years to collect the “blood money” for the lies that killed millions.
And now we’re watching the same story unfold again — just in a new package, wrapped in fruit flavours and sleek designs.
🌹 Enough Is Enough
We don’t need more apologies.
We need accountability, transparency, and truth.
It’s time to say never again —
no more corporate “miracles” that destroy lives for profit.
🕯️ We deserve a world where medicine heals, not harms.
🕊️ Where youth are protected, not targeted.
💪 Where truth matters more than money.
From Ghost Train to Wizard Cash: When Community Halloween Gets Pricier (and Less Inclusive) 🎃🚂✨
For many Vancouver families, the Stanley Park Halloween Ghost Train was a fall tradition — simple, imaginative, and affordable. I remember when tickets cost $5, then $10. It meant families from across the city could join in the spooky fun without breaking the bank. 👨👩👧👦🍂
I was one of the first to film and share the train online back when hardly anyone did — not for clout, but because it felt special, and I wanted to share that small sparkle with others. Soon everyone was posting videos and photos: community magic in motion. ✨📹
The good, and the not-so-good
Not every year was perfect. One year the train used a Día de Muertos theme that missed important cultural context — it felt like cultural appropriation rather than careful celebration. I pushed back then because those traditions deserve respect, not to be used as surface-level props. Still, even with flaws, the event felt local and connected. 🕯️🌺
Now: branded, expensive, and complicated
This year the park is hosting a Harry Potter–themed event produced by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences. Tickets are being sold at $70 for children and $86 for adults. For a family of four that easily tops $300 — and that’s before parking, food, or souvenirs. 💸🎟️
City staff expect the event to bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars, and you can see why: it’s a polished, franchised experience aimed at big audiences. But the price tag changes who can realistically attend. It shifts a public tradition toward a luxury attraction. 😕
Inclusion matters — not just price
This isn’t only about affordability. The Harry Potter brand is connected to controversy: J.K. Rowling’s public statements on transgender people have hurt many in the 2SLGBTQ+ community. For trans and queer families (and their allies), walking into a branded, celebratory space tied to those voices may not feel safe or welcoming. That means even if someone can afford the price, they may choose not to attend — which makes “inclusion” a real concern, not a talking point. 🏳️🌈💬
So this becomes two questions at once: who can afford to join, and who feels welcome to show up?
A balanced ask, not a tantrum
I’m not only criticising change for change’s sake. Events evolve, and big producers can bring impressive experiences. But when a public space starts hosting expensive, branded attractions that carry cultural baggage, it’s fair to ask: what kind of traditions do we want for our city?
Affordable & local — traditions that welcome families who can’t afford luxury ticket prices.
Culturally respectful — events that consult and collaborate with communities whose traditions are referenced.
Truly inclusive — spaces where 2SLGBTQ+ people (including trans folks) feel safe and celebrated.
What I hope for
Maybe this sparks a conversation — not a boycott or a pile-on — but creative action. Perhaps local groups, schools, artists, and neighbours could collaborate on new, low-cost Halloween traditions that prioritise accessibility and respect. Imagine pop-up neighbourhood lantern walks, community-run haunted gardens, or storytelling nights in local rec centres — events made by the city’s people, for the city’s people. 🌙✨
Halloween should be for everyone. If you remember the Ghost Train, or if you have ideas for new, inclusive traditions, I’d love to hear them. Leave a comment below — keep it kind, keep it constructive. 💬👇
Lotteries are sold as dreams: the chance to win big, to change your life, to finally escape the grind. And for a lucky few, that dream comes true. Every year in BC, hundreds become millionaires through lotteries.
But here’s the question: Where are they now?
If we’re creating hundreds of millionaires each year, why do we still have people dying on the streets from cold and overdose? Why are there still families living in shelters, seniors choosing between rent and food, and children growing up hungry? If even a fraction of those winnings were shared, wouldn’t we see a different reality?
The Lie We Were Told
When lotteries were first introduced in BC, they came with a promise: The money will go to good causes. We were told the funds would support education, health care, and community programs. But take a closer look.
Only a small percentage of lottery revenue actually goes to public programs.
The rest? It gets lost in administrative costs, advertising, and payouts, leaving the vulnerable to fend for themselves.
Meanwhile, gambling addiction is a silent epidemic. The same system that makes a millionaire of one person destroys the lives of countless others. Families are torn apart, savings are wiped out, and desperation sets in. The same people who buy lottery tickets dreaming of a way out often end up deeper in the cycle of poverty.
The Problem With "Winners"
Winning the lottery isn’t just luck—it’s also a responsibility. You’ve been given something extraordinary, but how often do winners use that gift to lift others?
Too often, winners are blinded by the rush of wealth. They buy houses, cars, and vacations, but forget the world they came from. The suffering they used to see becomes invisible, just like the man lying on cold cement at the bus stop, ignored by passersby.
The Big Picture
The reality is, our society is broken. Gambling was never about helping communities—it’s a profit machine that feeds on hope and despair. The system takes from those who can least afford it and rarely gives back in meaningful ways.
The fact that we’re still seeing people die on the streets, that addiction and homelessness are rampant, and that our mental health system is overwhelmed—it’s all proof that the promises were lies.
A Call to Accountability
We don’t just need generosity from lottery winners. We need an overhaul of the system.
Lotteries should actually fund the programs they claim to support.
Winners should be encouraged—or even incentivized—to contribute to social good.
Gambling addiction needs to be addressed with the seriousness it deserves.
And for the rest of us, we need to stop turning a blind eye. Every time we walk past someone in need without helping, we’re part of the problem. Every time we buy a ticket hoping for our own miracle, we’re feeding the beast.
The Question We Should All Ask
If you were given the gift of wealth, what would you do with it? Would you hoard it, blind to the suffering around you? Or would you use it to make the world a better place?
Because right now, too many people are choosing the former. And until we change that, the cycle of hope, despair, and exploitation will keep turning.
Listen to this before you listen to Robert Kennedy's speech.
Robert Kennedy's Speech- 1966- Listen...after the Power of Song but do listen. (See below) Remember this is 1966, google and look at Wikipedia to see what was happening back then and think about now...the differences, and things that have not changed. Especially listen at the 17:09 mark...but try to listen to all and think and evaluate carefully the whole...about then, now and the future...
Also known as the Ripple of Hope Speech https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Affirmation_Address n the address Kennedy talked about individual liberty, Apartheid, and the need for justice in the United States at a time when the American civil rights movement
was ongoing. He emphasized inclusiveness and the importance of youth
involvement in society. The speech shook up the political situation in
South Africa and received praise in the media. It is often considered
his greatest and most famous speech.
"The
Day of Affirmation speech was a speech given by Senator Robert F.
Kennedy to National Union of South African Students members at the
University of Cape Town, South Africa, on June 6, 1966. In the speech
Kennedy talked about individual liberty, apartheid, and the need for
civil rights in the United States at a time when the American civil
rights movement was ongoing."
Today I feel confused, I am supposed to go to something very special, Moms against KinderMorgan but I am nervous about the weather. I have been working on this blog post all morning. Today is supposed to be a very special day in that there is going to be a cosmic shift. What will happen today I don't know but I feel something, I think my kid is feeling it too, normally she's not really into going to these things but today when I mentioned whether we should just stay home...she questioned me...I think we all feel like this...the truth is sometimes so ugly or so hidden we don't want to see it.
So I send love and light out into the world and pray that this big beautiful moon will push us forward into a more socially and environmentally just world.
This mornings blogpost started when I watched this...and played out as you see it. I hope the message is clear.
Eva Bartlett is a Canadian activist/freelance journalistst. Eva has lived cumulative ~3 years in Gaza, spent time in Lebanon and visited Syria 3 times since April 2014. Anti-zionist, anti-imperialist, pro-justice.
You can find out more about Eva’s trips to Syria on Eva’s Websites:
It's not easy telling the truth and journalists are the first to take the heat. I am not inferring anyone is perfect and I really don't know that much about Mike Wallace other than I remembering watching something that he was the one who really let the people in the US know the atrocities they were doing to the Vietnamese people, setting huts on fire and such and putting that on TV. Until then people didn't know that shit was really happening. That was my understanding... if you read here he spread some terrible untruths but he did some good too... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Wallace
"His career as the lead reporter on 60 Minutes led to some run-ins with the people interviewed. While interviewing Louis Farrakhan, Wallace alleged that Nigeria is the most corrupt country in the world. Farrakhan immediately shot back, declaring "Nigeria didn't bomb Hiroshima or slaughter millions of Indians!" "Can you think of a more corrupt country?" asked Wallace. "I am living in one," said Farrakhan."
In today's bizarre world...WHAT HAPPENED TO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS?
Watch the above video from Standing Rock and then watch this one below from Clayoquot Sound Canada. Very similar tactics.The Corporations have more Rights and Freedoms than actual citizens. They end up having the police turn on the protectors when it should be the corporations that the police should be arresting for crimes against nature and humanity. Where is UNITED NATIONS in this? Do something!!! +United Nations+United Nations Human Rights
"Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through mediums including various electronic media and published materials. While such freedom mostly implies the absence of interference from an overreaching state, its preservation may be sought through constitutional or other legal protections."
"With respect to governmental information, any government may
distinguish which materials are public or protected from disclosure to
the public based on classification of information
as sensitive, classified or secret and being otherwise protected from
disclosure due to relevance of the information to protecting the national interest. Many governments are also subject to sunshine laws or freedom of information legislation that are used to define the ambit of national interest.
The United Nations' 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "Everyone
has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information
and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers"
This philosophy is usually accompanied by legislation ensuring various degrees of freedom of scientificresearch (known as scientific freedom),
publishing, press and printing the depth to which these laws are
entrenched in a country's legal system can go as far down as its constitution. The concept of freedom of speech is often covered by the same laws as freedom of the press, thereby giving equal treatment to spoken and published expression."
Where is #SOCIALJUSTICE? Where are #HUMANRIGHTS? Where is #FREEDOMofThePress?
I want to dedicate this song to the kids in Attawapiskat First Nation and all Indigenous people!! For everyone who is oppressed, for all the poor, homeless, for single moms and people everywhere suffering in poverty. For the youth of this world, for everyone in the world, for Idle No More and Occupy and the Leap Manifesto supporters and a special shout out Bernie Supporters...it's time!!! Come on New York!! Come on Canada! Come on World!!
Rise up rise up) Oh rise and show your power
(Rise up rise up) Everybody is dancing into the sun
(Rise up rise up) It's time for celebration
(Rise up rise up) Spirits time has come
"Fernie described the song's lyrics as having been inspired in part by West Coast First Nations rituals in which young girls would "rise up" at dawn to adopt their adult names as a rite of passage.[3] "
Rise up rise up) Oh rise and show your power
(Rise up rise up) We're dancing into the sun
(Rise up rise up) It's time for celebration
(Rise up rise up) Spirits time has come
We want lovin' we want laughter again
We want heartbeat
We want madness to end, we want dancin'
We want to run in the streets
We want freedom to live in this peace
We want power, we want to make it okay
Want to be singin' at the end of the day
Children to breathe a new life
We want freedom to love who we please
(Rise up rise up) Oh rise and show your power
(Rise up rise up) Everybody is dancing into the sun
(Rise up rise up) It's time for celebration
(Rise up rise up) Spirits time has come
Talkin' 'bout the right time to be workin' for peace
Wantin' all the tension in the world to ease
We wantin' love while walking on the streets
We want to be free, we want that be free
Talking about a new way
Talking about changes and names
Talking about building the land of our dreams
His tightrope's gotta learn how to bend
We're makin' new plans
We're gonna start it again
(Rise up rise up) Oh rise and show your power
(Rise up rise up) Everybody is dancing into the sun
(Rise up rise up) It's time for celebration
(Rise up rise up) Spirits time has come
Rise up now
It's time, it's time, it's time
(Rise up rise up) Oh rise and show your power
(Rise up rise up) We're dancing into the sun
(Rise up rise up) It's time for celebration
(Rise up rise up) Everybody's time has come
Spirits time has come
Spirits time has come
(Rise up rise up) Oh rise and show your power
(Rise up rise up) We're dancing into the sun
(Rise up rise up) It's time for celebration
(Rise up rise up) Spirits time has come
Willing time has come
Spirits time has come
I have a question and I think it is one everyone should be asking...
If you can spend a BILLION $$$$ setting up a DIAMOND MINE, THEN WHY CAN'T YOU TAKE CARE OF THE PEOPLE, WHOSE LIFE YOU ARE DESTROYING/OR WILL DESTROY?
WHY?
From Wikipedia
De Beers Canada officially opened De Beers Victor Diamond Mine,
Ontario's first ever diamond mine on July 26, 2008. De Beers has spent
approximately $1 billion on construction of the mine. It is an open pit
mine located 90 kilometres (56 mi) west of the settlement of
Attawapiskat on Attawapiskat First Nation traditional land.
The company has transferred about $10.5 million to a trust fund held by
Attawapiskat as of January 2011. The Attawapiskat Trust, established
January 1, 2007, receives payments made by De Beers Canada and
Attawapiskat Limited Partnership (ALP) as part of the Victor Diamond
Project Impact and Benefits Agreement (November 3, 2005-11-03)
(Financial Statements Attawapiskat Trust 2012 p. 4). The beneficiary of
the trust includes "all members of Attawapiskat on a collective and
undivided basis (Financial Statements Attawapiskat Trust 2012 p. 4)."[46]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now I have some suggestions for the Attawapiskat First Nation- especially the youth.
Rent, Food, Laundry, just the basics are super expensive.
People out here are so numbed out and disconnected from the land they drink, smoke, jog, yoga, do sports everything to occupy there brains and bodies. But it's because they've lost the traditional ways.
If you happen to be a single mom, it's almost a homeless sentence.
So here's a few suggestions.
Get someone to organize it...maybe make De Beers pay but get you all on Lynda.com and you can learn everything about web design, app design and photography on there.
Learn how to make videos- I can help...lots of info online.
Create a little paradise up there. Life is what you make it, ...as I TELL MYSELF, and my dream is tinyhouse and a garden. HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT TINY HOUSES?
Create some tourism but don't rely on it. Tourism can easily destroy things...trust me I worked on the cruiseships. But a little bit is okay.
If you get really connected to the land again with gardens and harvesting and connect to the elders, and if you study permaculture -you can grow your own food and this is where many wonderful things will occur. We really need gardens here in Vancouver but we haven't figured it out yet. http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2016/03/vancouver-city-we-need-to-grow-our-own.html
YOU COULD MAKE COSTUMES AND PUT ON PLAYS OR MAKE A FILM OR VIDEO!!
Sewing machines would be a good idea, you should ask De Beers for those, and you can make your own fashions.
AUTOTELIC:A thing which is autotelic[1] is described as "having a purpose in and not apart from itself".
Do lots of art JUST FOR FUN and sell it. First Nations art often sells for big money in the cities. This is IMPORTANT - Start a co-op - some kind of fair trade thing- so you receive your fair share and not the middle man.
Here's an art project I did to raise awareness about pipelines and oilspills. It's called #SaveMyCoast
Anyways, I'M HERE FOR YOU!!
Reach out if you want to find out about videos, blogging, web design, I AM HAPPY TO HELP IF I CAN. OKAY?
Just to finish up, a few years ago I tried to make an app for a little town in MEXICO, called Zipolite. I never got it into the playstore, but here's the website I made for the town. http://zipolitemexico.blogspot.ca/
YOU COULD MAKE SOMETHING LIKE THIS. Build an online community.
See mine is all based on my vision.
Maybe you could re-animate it better than I did and make an app for it..
But before you do watch this. This is that perfect world you think we live in. NOTHING could be further from the truth.
Now this is what inspired me to make the app. Chipotle
did something pretty cool there...maybe you can do something similar with your own twist.
The animation encouraged you to download the app, and then you played a game and got a free burrito. Think, how could you put your own spin on it?
WELL , I HOPE THESE SUGGESTIONS HELP!!
Remember this-- This link below might seem odd but YOU ARE THE FUTURE and YOU WILL MAKE THE CHANGEZ. You CAN make the news...and share it on social meda.
OKAY, SENDING LOVE AND LIGHT!! and just for fun a CHERRY BLOSSOM BLIZZARD!!
now, create and share something beautiful with me... I KNOW YOU CAN!! MAYBE MUSIC, DRUMMING, DANCING??? SHOW ME! Show the world!
