I think it's cool that all political parties like to go "I DON'T TRUST THE PUBLIC FACTS" when it's convenient to their narrative. We have reams of data from government and private sources, along with endless anecdotes of people negotiating down their rent over the last two years. but whatever man

I need to talk about Sen̓áḵw. This word has been in the news for years, and I still hear it mispronounced constantly—by journalists, politicians, and well-meaning people who just haven't been shown how. It's a word from the Squamish Language. Let me walk you through it. 🧵

“Indigenous Peoples” is not a race. Reducing Indigenous Peoples to a race or ethnicity is race reductionism, and it ignores the legal and political status. Race reductionism is how you can justify mistreating and oppressing a group of people.

The Declaration Act debate made one thing clear: when industry lobbies govt, it's democracy. When First Nations negotiate with the Province, it's "hostage-taking." They agreed to collaborate. Apparently that's a threat to democracy. New on my Substack 👇 khelsilem.substack.com/p/the-declar...

The Declaration Act debate revealed who gets to lobby and who gets accused of hostage-taking

The Province and First Nations agreed to collaborate. Apparently that's a threat to democracy.

khelsilem.substack.com

The FN Leadership Council is calling on all MLAs in BC to vote against Premier Eby's bill to suspend the Declaration Act. They've offered alternatives. Every one was rejected. Eby declared suspension "non-negotiable" & then accused FN of refusing to compromise: khelsilem.substack.com/p/first-nati...

First Nations Leadership Council Urges BC MLAs to Vote Down Declaration Act Suspension Bill

BC's Premier facing growing backlash for his attacks on Indigenous Rights

khelsilem.substack.com

"The province is watching to see whether the Premier has a vision worth defending or only a position worth retreating from." On the Declaration Act, what went wrong, and what a serious fix would actually look like: New piece: open.substack.com/pub/khelsile...

The problem with DRIPA isn't the courts. It's the Premier.

A Premier who triangulates instead of leads is running out of room on DRIPA

open.substack.com

First Nations score another legal victory that recognizes title to 200 square kilometres on the west coast of Vancouver Island: www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/ar...

B.C. Appeals Court sides with First Nation over Aboriginal title on Nootka Island

The B.C. Court of Appeal has overturned a lower-court ruling after finding the judge used an “arbitrary boundary” to determine a First Nation’s Aboriginal title over a swath of Nootka Island off…

ctvnews.ca

NDP Premier Eby is accelerating his heel turn on Indigenous rights. After winning the last BC election by a single seat, the question is whether abandoning FN communities will cost him re-election, given that 5-7 ridings could swing on the Indigenous vote alone. open.substack.com/pub/adampols...

Two Messages, One Premier

Premier David Eby made a mess of Declaration Act amendments. Then he doubled down.

open.substack.com

Vancouver City Council approves a rezoning for MST Nations' Heather Lands with 30% more density to enable the Attainable Homeownership Initiative: 2,940 units sold to the market at a 40% discount to market value, backed by $476.45M in Provincial funding.

This is an excellent write up to share with people in your life who are overreacting to the Cowichan Title Decision written by @khelsilem.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/khelsile...

Setting the Record Straight on the Cowichan Tribes Title Decision

What the Cowichan Decision Really Means — and What It Doesn’t

open.substack.com

What a Mamdani-Style Agenda Could Look Like in Metro Vancouver. I devoured this insightful read from @khelsilem.bsky.social Lots for urbanists to debate here. open.substack.com/pub/khelsile...

What a Mamdani-Style Agenda Could Look Like in Metro Vancouver

What it would take—financially, politically, and institutionally—for Metro Vancouver to match New York’s new progressive vision

open.substack.com

Hey Canadians, Here's a smart essay from the brilliant @khelsilem.bsky.social on the purpose, limits and misuse of "land acknowledgements" Dial down the performance and crank up the pragmatism. Really worth reading. open.substack.com/pub/khelsile...

Understanding the Purpose, Limits, and Misuse of "Land Acknowledgements"

On symbolism, substance, and the limits of public ritual

open.substack.com

I really enjoyed listening to this chat between Jon Stewart and Alastair Campbell: youtu.be/ATAmEgwuu2g?...

America vs. The Rest with Alastair Campbell | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

With traditional allies refusing to join America’s war on Iran, Jon is joined by Alastair Campbell, co-host of “The Rest Is Politics.” Together, they examine what NATO’s restraint says about how this…

youtu.be

If NDP Eby govt rams through amendments without cooperation with Indigenous Peoples, can’t those changes be overturned by the courts? vancouversun.com/opinion/op-e...

Chief Robert Louie: Business depends on clear rights; Premier Eby is risking B.C.’s economy by ignoring them

Chief Robert Louie: Since our self-gov't deal came into force in 2005, we have built one of Canada's most successful Indigenous economies.

vancouversun.com

"The panic now visible in British Columbia is not evidence that reconciliation has gone too far. It is evidence that reconciliation has begun to have material consequences." @khelsilem.bsky.social in @macleans.bsky.social: macleans.ca/politics/can...

Canada’s Reconciliation Panic - Macleans.ca

Indigenous peoples are gaining territory and political and economic clout. Not everyone is ready for what that will mean.

macleans.ca

I still use Twitter/X because I spent years building a sizable audience on it. I joined Bluesky because many of my policy-minded friends did too. I'm also on Threads because that's where close friends are at. So I thought I would try out Buffer as a new tool to post on all three moving forward!

I think it would be a less confusing and time consuming for everyone if OneCity just came right out and said that the only Unity outcome they’re interested in is COPE and the Greens ceasing to exist as independent political parties and encouraging their members to vote for OneCity.

Vancouver housing politics is a bunch of well-housed people who prefer mountain views to the presence of other humans www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/...

Vancouver residents push back on plan they say will obscure rare mountain view

Proposed towers that would obstruct views from Trout Lake put city’s ‘view cones’ policy in spotlight

theglobeandmail.com

Congratulations to the Squamish Nation on securing additional protections for Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Aysáy̓ch. I’m grateful that protection and management of cultural sites and other significant areas will rest with the Squamish Nation.

ICYMI: Squamish Nation regains 20,000 hectares of ancestral land

Two decades of planning and negotiations result in an historic land use agreement with the province.

squamishchief.com

The Squamish Nation statement on the passing of Bill 15:

The Squamish Nation opposed Bill 15's approach and assault on First Nations' rights. Bill 15 should be challenged in court for breaking the Province’s laws to consult and cooperate with FNs in developing legislation in alignment with UNDRIP.

Richard Zussman@richardzussman.bsky.social · last yr.

NEW - The BC Government has passed Bill 15 by a vote of 47-46 with speaker Raj Chouhan being forced to break a tie. The bill is opposed by FN leaders, municipalities across the province and major business organize nation. #bcpoli

The passing of Bill 15 is both disappointing and damaging to the BC NDP’s relationship with First Nations. Many of us thought the era of relying on the courts to defend and protect our rights was over, but the government is foolishly bringing us backwards. They should be held accountable.

Civil servants sometimes complain about their superiors in this manner because they were once in charge, but now political leaders are reclaiming control. Political leadership should strive to raise standards in the work of the public service to drive the best possible decisions.

Robert Jago@rjjago.bsky.social · last yr.

Much like politics, reporting in Canada suffers from reporters’ lack of business and management experience. What Carney’s doing seems like applying a few different Andy Grove concepts including in process inspection and task based maturity. Which you’d expect at this stage with a new team.

The Province has committed to "Support inclusive regional governance by advancing FN participation in regional district boards." (1.11 UNDRIP Action Plan). How will the Minister of Municipal Affairs @ravikahlon.bsky.social uphold this commitment with Metro Vancouver? www.biv.com/news/economy...

Metro Vancouver board trims pay, calls on province for governance changes

Elected officials say they need the provincial government to step up to the new governance review committee table and pass legislation to change the board structure.

biv.com

Squamish Nation Responds to Bill-15: www.squamish.net/concerns-bil...

Landlords set rents at what people are willing to pay. Politicians can influence whether housing is abundant, forcing landlords to compete for renters.

Kingspin@04warrior.bsky.social · last yr.

Politicians don’t raise rents. Landlords do. Not everything is political.

How many characters in news stories were spent framing the problem at the feet of Gregor Robertson vs. Jason Kenny or Rich Coleman during those years, political figures who had levers to influence the regional housing prices and rents?

Justin McElroy 🇨🇦@jmcelroy.bsky.social · last yr.

I mean sure. But also, when Robertson became mayor, the median selling price for an east side home was $600,000. Today it's $1.8 million. Folks were angry that working class people couldn't afford to buy in Vancouver anymore, and didn't like that politicians didn't take responsibility.

Federal governments can massively impact the demand for housing in Canada, concentrated in Canada's largest cities.

Robert Jago@rjjago.bsky.social · last yr.

b) Kenney - for forcing through study permit changes in 2014, that added a half million people to the rental market. Disproportionately concentrated in Vancouver.

There is valid criticism of the Vancouver City Council from 2008 to 2018, but it often lacks perspective on the overall context of a left-of-centre City Council w/ a Conservative-run fed & prov government, & regional counterparts who never carried their weight in social housing for the region.

karen ward@kwardvancouver.bsky.social · last yr.

this chart of social housing starts in metro is illustrative of exactly that

Who was most responsible for Vancouver's housing rents + prices by 2018? (a) Fed Minister Diane Finley (b) Fed Minister Jason Kenney (c) Prov Minister Rich Coleman (d) Mayor Gregor Robertson (Reminder: Vancouver represented only 25% of the population of the Metro Vancouver region in 2018.)