Ryan Clayton

N: Yellowknife, NWT
W: Tahsis, BC
E: Montreal, QC
S: Kitchener, ON

Not bad, but I definitely want to travel more.

The emptiness machine I only wanted to be part of something

Lately I'm finding the sludge online overwhelming. open.substack.com/pub/itsryanc...

Current situation A magnitude 8.7 earthquake has occurred 80 miles (136 km) SE of Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka, Russia. A Tsunami Advisory is in effect for B.C. Tsunami Notification Zones A, B, C and D. This includes Haida Gwaii, the north & central coast, & the northeast & outer west coast of Vancouver Island. Strong currents are likely, stay away from the shore. Strong waves and currents are possible. Waves and currents can drown or injure people who are in the water. Currents at beaches and in harbours, marinas, bays, and inlets may be especially dangerous. Do not go to the shore to observe currents or waves

Emergency Info BC’s page on the tsunami advisory www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/event/tsunam...

Due to a variety of events, I don't have a blog post for tomorrow. I will hopefully get back on schedule next week but for now I'm giving myself a break.

Does the Green Party of Quebec even exist anymore?

Germany gave people €1,200/month no strings attached.

They kept working, slept better, switched to better jobs, and even gave more to others.

Turns out, when people aren’t drowning, they swim further.

#UBI doesn’t kill ambition, it frees it.

Knock knock When political canvassing changes minds — or doesn't

Door to door canvassing. How effective is it for a political campaign? I decided to look at actual research papers to find out. open.substack.com/pub/itsryanc...

The Virgin and Chad meme but with Simon and Milo of the Canadian cartoon pop group Prozzak

I made this purely to amuse myself and maybe dozens of other Canadians

This is more energy for the BC Greens than I've seen in most of the last five years combined.

There's one that has a nest just outside my office. It's majestic.

The art and the artist The challenge of enjoying something created by someone awful

Some ruminations on art and its creators, and what to do when the profits from our entertainment are used to hurt people. open.substack.com/pub/itsryanc...

A tale of two leadership races In 2011, two different approaches to leadership contests set the stage for a dramatic election finish

Reminiscing about exciting leadership races gone by. open.substack.com/pub/itsryanc...

What laws actually changed this spring? The legislature passed 14 bills in its first session

The legislature has adjourned for the summer. So, what happened? open.substack.com/pub/itsryanc...

a young boy is riding a scooter in a grassy field . ALT: a young boy is riding a scooter in a grassy field .

Me: I'm curious what this political party is up to. I'll sign up for their mailing list.
*FIREHOSE OF FUNDRAISING EMAILS*
Me: *Unsubscribes*

Another ferry scandal BC Ferries plans to add new ships to its fleet — and now everyone is angry

The NDP are in government, which means it's time for a new ferry scandal. open.substack.com/pub/itsryanc...

Support for same-sex marriage, adoption rights, and discrimination protections remain high, according to Ipsos

Kudos to the city department that got back to me right away to let me know they'd already covered the graffiti by the time I'd sent them an email about it.

Weaving the fringes If the NDP or Conservatives fall, these are the alternatives organizing in the wings

Summer means political parties will be out in their communities trying to earn your support. I took a look at the alternatives to the big two that you might run into. open.substack.com/pub/itsryanc...

In case anyone needs more proof Pride is still needed, this happened this weekend a few blocks from where I live.

Dallas Brodie has officially registered One BC as a political party, with herself as interim leader.

open.substack.com/pub/itsryanc...

The pen is mightier Social conservatives are once again embracing one of their favourite tactics — book banning

While the names of the books change, the themes that people seek to ban remain the same. From Asha’s Mums to The Young in One Another’s Arms to Gender Queer, stories that show queer people in a positive, liberating light are targeted. open.substack.com/pub/itsryanc...

If only there was some kind of poem that mentioned coming for the unionists

We are now one week away and still no one has stepped forward.

The Manitoba legislature has passed Bill 43, adding gender expression to the provincial human rights code.

In this doom and gloom climate, it's important to mark victories like this, to remember that despite the rise of the far right, we can still organize and win for 🏳️‍🌈 people.

The BC NDP lost a vote in the legislature It was on an amendment at a committee, but it shows the limits of the BC NDP's bare majority

The BC NDP may have a majority, but that does not mean they get everything they want. open.substack.com/pub/itsryanc...

Canadian Medical Association to file legal challenge over Alberta law limiting access to treatment for transgender youth Bill 26, enacted in December, prohibits doctors from prescribing puberty blockers, hormone therapies to those under 16

Good to see the Canadian Medical Association fighting back against Alberta’s discriminatory anti-trans legislation.

Leave health care to the doctors, not the politicians.

www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

Canadian Medical Association to file legal challenge over Alberta law limiting access to treatment for transgender youth Bill 26, enacted in December, prohibits doctors from prescribing puberty blockers, hormone therapies to those under 16

In a rare move, the Canadian Medical Association will file a constitutional challenge Wednesday alongside three Alberta doctors against the province’s legislation that limits access to medical treatment for transgender youth. w/ @kkirkup.bsky.social. #ableg www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

Canadian Medical Association to file legal challenge over Alberta law limiting access to treatment for transgender youth Bill 26, enacted in December, prohibits doctors from prescribing puberty blockers, hormone therapies to those under 16

CMA launches legal challenge to Alberta law limiting access to treatment for #transgender youth. Bill 26 bars docs from prescribing puberty blockers, hormone therapies to those under 16, by @kkirkup.bsky.social @alannasmith.bsky.social www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... @theglobeandmail.com

The conceptualization of Western Canada Separatism has been on the ballot in Western Canada since the '80s

Since BC first entered confederation there have been people who have wanted to go it alone. I dug a bit into the history of secession movements in modern BC history. open.substack.com/pub/itsryanc...

A year in review I hope you've enjoyed my posts as much as I've enjoyed writing them

A year ago I decided to channel my political energies into a blog. It's been a lot of fun writing every week and doing deep dives into the minutia of BC politics.

Here are a couple of my "top" posts from the last year. Enjoy! open.substack.com/pub/itsryanc...