Roland Cooper

side of a building with a billboard that says smoking tables next to non-smoking tables used to be normal too and picture of child biking beside a truck on painted bike lane

Table For One Please.

"A call for power is not He-Man standing in front of Castle Grayskull," David Eby told reporters regarding BC Hydro's new call for 5,000 GW more power.

I don't know about questions two and three, but Hard Core Logo and Last Night are both so good. I also really liked Universal Language.

100% - I know of no First Nation here that recognized - at any time - a local Metis people.

The closest thing to the Metis experience in BC are the Hawaiians - who briefly created a distinct fusion culture, that was fully absorbed back into Native nations here by the mid 20th Century. 1

This is just a bananas amount of counterfactual hyperventilation fixated on a draft version of a plan that ended up drastically different than what they're freaking out about. "They were going to sell drugs in the streets!" No, they considered market space at Dowler Place and changed their minds.

The Vancouver School Board creating a graphic showing how it's going to take 23 years to build a single school for a centrally planned neighbourhood in the heart of B.C.'s biggest city serves as a hilarious indictment of how planning happens here

(credit to @city-duo.bsky.social for flagging)

When do we get more voluntary care support? I hear waitlists are still bananas.

204. 204 bands unilaterally assert sovereignty over territory within the province, much of which overlaps. For decades, we’ve entertained assertions of sovereignty within our borders and tolerated a de facto veto on development. Indigenous citizens of Canada have already been given every right possessed by their fellow Canadian citizens. Nevertheless, for several years now, BC governments of various stripes have begun signing secret deals with band leaders relinquishing public land and wealth on the basis of their assertions of sovereignty, including, most famously, the deal with the Haida. That agreement enshrines Haida title claims over the Queen Charlotte Islands and did not require the Haida to cede claims of title over private property. Private docks are on the chopping block in Sechelt, public access to Joffre Park has been barred by local bands for two consecutive seasons, and 90 acres of prime real estate — the former Jericho Lands military base in Vancouver — have been transferred. This reorganization of the core structures of British Columbia is transpiring without the consent or consultation of the public.

over on X, MLA Dallas Brodie — a lawyer, allegedly! — is claiming federal and provincial recognitions of Indigenous rights & sovereignty are indulgent charades ("entertaining assertions"!), rather than the result of decades of legal cases won by Indigenous nations

How did it go? Any major takeaways about the local candidates?

THIS IS GREAT: "Cities are meant to change. It's in their nature. Trying to lock a neighbourhood in amber doesn't preserve its character, it leads to stagnation. Vibrant, livable n'hoods are ones that grow and adapt to the people that live in them, not stay single family homes."

Thanks for doing it. It was a lovely evening (at the Vic Curling Club, presented by @richardzussman.bsky.social )

Sudan | A groundbreaking Sudanese documentary capturing everyday life amid crisis garners global acclaim from Sundance to Berlinale. Its success highlights East Africa’s cultural resilience and storytelling power in the face of political and humanitarian upheaval.

Being real for a second: I have never trusted paper or citizenship to protect me from a sufficiently fascist state. If they really want to, they can say “hey let me see your birth certificate” and then rip it up when you give it to them, say “I guess you don’t have one,” and arrest you.

I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped I was stuck in a freezing cell without explanation despite eventually having lawyers and media attention. Yet, compared with others, I was lucky

I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped

*also because ppl keep getting detained by ICE
** and cuz our LGBTQ pals/teammates don't feel safe crossing the border

Trans people have long warned that most of the victims of anti-trans laws and policies would be cis women and girls who don't have the "right look."

Definitely need weight based surcharges, and safety certs need to be based on pedestrian safety as well as passenger safety.

The image is a black-and-white political cartoon depicting a man in a suit standing behind a counter labeled "Republican Platform." He is holding a bottle labeled "Untaxed Whiskey, 20¢ Gal." in one hand and a piece of cloth labeled "War-Taxed Common Cloth, Tariff 84%" in the other. Above the counter, a sign reads, "If you don’t see what you want, ask for it." The cartoon, signed by W.A. Rogers, appears to satirize the Republican Party's economic policies, highlighting the disparity in taxation between luxury items like whiskey and essential goods like cloth.

In 1890, the Tariff Act came into place in the United States. It placed tariffs on imports of up to 50%.
While touted as a way to build American industry, there was also the hope it would force an annexation of Canada. It backfired.
Let's learn more.

🧵1/10

Are there buildings that aren't historic?

Huh, feeling pedantic this morning.

Isn't there an argument against using Chinese tech because then the Chinese government could use it as a weapon? It's so great that that isn't the case for American tech.

VPD initiative reduces street crime in Gastown, Hastings Crossing - Vancouver Police Department Vancouver – A Vancouver Police initiative to improve safety in [...]

Hah, so the VPD are patting themselves on the back for the success they've had with their police initiative to lower crime in the DTES. A couple of problems though...

1. Violent crimes like assault started falling in JULY of that year, before "Project Brighthaven" began.

vpd.ca/news/2025/02...

Feeling better and better about the team's decision not to go down for a while...

Vancouver Island's @docs4saferdrugs.bsky.social will be back outside Royal Jubilee Hospital today and tomorrow with pop-up overdose prevention sites.

They will be joined by former BC Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe, and have support letters from multiple groups eg BC Family Doctors and BC Nurses Union.

Weird shit is the best

Very fun series. The first two were great, and I'm so happy we're finally getting a third.

YouTube video by Oscilloscope Laboratories Universal Language - Official U.S. Trailer - Oscilloscope Laboratories HD

If you want to feel the interconnectedness of things while also laughing and crying this might be the thing for you: youtu.be/y-373fptEXI?...

America, your MAGA leaders are blatantly lying to you about us in Canada, like they pretty much lie about everything, because they’re trying to condition you to be ok with isolating your country and attacking your allies while supporting fascists & dictators.

Even X’s own community notes knows it.

the other day @rebeccaleebligh.bsky.social said that at least 600 people are sleeping outside every night in Vancouver.

$5M would top-up the $500/mth shelter portion of social assistance to market rent for each person for the rest of the year

Thanks @davethompsonvic.bsky.social I didn't know I had a page to watch slowly refreshing all night long.

Class three of the Spada Sola di Achille Marozzo at @thcc-official.bsky.social Victoria was going through his five defenses against the thrust. I had a great time, and I really miss teaching swords full time.