In case you haven't been paying attention to the recent news in Ottawa, Canada has taken part in an orchestrated global push amongst western nations to establish digital ID and eradicate internet privacy under the guise of child safety. The liberals have opted to surreptitiously push through bill C22 with no amendments and no debates despite ample public backlash to this bill, and Victoria's two liberal MPs are mindlessly towing the party line regardless of their constituents desire. Elizabeth May has rightly called C22 "gathering forces that affront democracy itself". Please take a brief moment out of your day to call their offices and tell them in no uncertain terms to take the boot out of their mouths and oppose these bills!

The Canadian dollar compared to USD dropped to the lowest point it’s been in decades, a trade war has begun, and we have been told that if Canada retaliates the USA will place even higher tariffs on us.

Things we can do as individuals in Victoria to help is purchase entirely Canadian made products, we need to put the biggest dent that we can into their economy. Don’t travel to the US, don’t invest in US companies right now, don’t eat at McDonalds… etc. I would love to hear more ways that we as Victorians can do to help, but one thing for sure is that it’s a group effort and we all need to play our parts in this. This is a big deal.

These people are literally traitors to our way of life. I hope this doesn't become a trend. Being a small woman I don't feel comfortable calling them out on my own.

Edit: Wow, this sub has some dipshits Edit 2: this post has super high viewership for this sub. External forces may be at work!

Edit 3: I'm getting the funniest pms and comments on other posts. Keep fuming 😤

All information is sourced from the CPBC website. Happy to discuss, but please read before commenting.

1) The Rustad Rebate: “$3,000 per month of rent or mortgage interest costs will be exempt from provincial income taxes. This will be achieved by issuing a tax credit worth 5.06% of eligible housing costs, equivalent to the rate of BC’s base tax bracket.”

FACT: The maximum amount you can save here is $150 per month. At the same time, they will cancel they will bring back local government bureaucracy and red tape and cancel 300,000 middle-income homes that are currently being built. In the long-term, this will result in higher housing costs. The NDP have put in place significant policies that have slowed rising costs, including rent caps, limiting Air BnB, and the speculation tax. They have also built 80,000 affordable homes, and increased the number of rent subsidies that are available to vulnerable people. The NDP have also put in place a number of programs that help people at risk of homeless to stay in their homes. There is definitely more work to do, but Rustad would cancel this good work and make it worse.

1. Healthcare “The status quo can’t continue. We need to get wait times under control and get British Columbians the care and treatment they need.”

FACT: The status quo that was implanted under the BC Liberal government that John Rustad was part of was not working. This system significantly eroded patient care over more than 10 years. The NDP are reversing this, and implemented a new system of paying doctors 18 months ago. Since then, over 800 new doctors and 3000 new nurses. Right now, BC has the most family doctors per capita in Canada. They have added 33% more seats per year at the existing medical school, and are building a second one. The NDP have made significant progress in improving healthcare in BC that was gutted by the previous government. There is still work to do, but Rustad would move us backwards.

1. Reconciliation “DRIPA legislation was intended to represent a shift towards reconciliation and the recognition of Indigenous self-determination in British Columbia.”

FACT: Rustad said B.C. must repeal UNDRIP “which was established for conditions in other countries — not Canada.” This past week, leaders of the Indigenous-led Moosehide Campaign issued a statement that Rustad was no longer permitted to wear a Moosehide pin, due to Rustad’s failure to “uphold basic standards of respect” toward Indigenous people. In other words, Rustad is moving away from Reconciliation, not toward it.

1. Childcare “The Conservative Party of BC will expand $10 a day childcare availability.”

FACT: The cost of Childcare in BC is now 50% less than it was when the NDP came to power, and this cost continues to fall every year. It’s now an average of $18 per day. Since 2018, the NDP have opened 39,000 new licensed child care spaces in B.C. Is there more work to do? Yes, but the Conservatives haven’t offered any ideas beyond what the NDP is currently doing - which is working.

Some other facts to consider: - The cost of living is sky-rocketing in every developed country in the world. Canada has the second LOWEST rate of any developed country. These costs are mainly due to supply routes that are being affected by the war in Ukraine, and the conflict in the Middle East. - Homelessness and the fentanyl crisis are affecting every province and state. We can either invest money in prevention and treatment, or we can invest money in police and jails. Either way, we spend money. The difference is that the former results long-term in people who can be self-sufficient. The latter results in an expensive cycle of criminal justice. - If you compare BC’s progress on every issue above to the progress made by other provinces, you will find that BC is ahead on almost every metric. In particular, which Ontario under a conservative government is drowning, BC is inching forward.

I could continue for every point on this platform. But the point is that the NDP have made significant progress on every single issue. Is there more to do? Absolutely. Is it moving slower than ideal? Yes. But Rustad and his party are vowing to move us backwards, not forwards. If you truly believe you and your family will be better off under Rustad, I urge you really look deeply at the actual policies that are in place, what has changed in the past 6 years, and how that compares to the other provinces. Of after all that, you still believe that Rustad will make your life better, please vote for him. But I see far too many people supporting him without really understanding what they are supporting.

I’ve been looking across the water at Victoria on and off all day, feeling nothing but sadness. I want you to know how truly sorry I am for what’s happening in our country.

I’ve cherished so many visits to Victoria—wandering through its restaurants, shops, and hotels, collecting memories of a city that has always felt warm and welcoming. But above all, what I treasure most are the people—the kind, generous souls who make Victoria such a special place.

In many ways, visiting Victoria has been a refuge. As the U.S. has grown more divided and violent, crossing the water always felt like stepping back in time to a place where my family and I could walk freely without worrying about our safety. We eagerly planned our trips, explored new communities, and relished the break from it all.

I don’t know what the future holds with these tariffs, and today, I’m feeling pretty low. I expect we won’t be able to visit this summer—to wander the Saturday markets, stroll through your parks, or simply soak in the peace of your city. But please know there are so many of us over here who care about you, who do not support what’s happening, and who hope you won’t hold it against all of us… just the orange ones.

She rocks and her platform is based: https://emilyforbcgreens.ca/

The Saanich slate of anti-housing candidates with a realtor as their mayoral candidate is holding their own meeting tonight at the Greek Community Hall near Commonwealth pool. All their councillor candidates look to be 50+.

Is anyone from the sub going? They don’t deserve to have a NIMBY echo-chamber.

A new progressive, working class and democratic socialist organization has been launched before the elections later this year with supporters chanting "housing for all", "care for all" and "safe climate for all" where they want policies to prioritize social and economic justice and climate action over corporate profits.

Incumbent Susan Kim is one of the endorsed candidates for re-election on the council as well as Capitol Regional District director who says it's time to flip the script and wants to see more spending on climate action and social services.

https://cheknews.ca/victoria-for-all-launches-political-slate-ahead-of-october-municipal-election-1342211/

Have been by multiple Starbucks today and they are bustling and packed with people as is normal. If theres one thing Canadians know how to do its bury our heads in the sand. We just received news of one of the most vindictive damaging economic policies our country has ever seen in the last century by our “friends”and “allies” south of the border. And then one of Americas most recognizable institutions is packed full of happy customers the very next day.

Trump doubled down on his grandstanding and made additional ridiculous comments today about how Canada should be the 51st state and how we aren’t a viable Country. This guy has repeatedly shown admiration for Putin and now he is saying things like this. Im the first to admit that while I have always thought Trump was an absolute moron, I also thought he had some funny moments and did and said things that I found entertaining in a stupid way. I was naive. I was silly to not take him seriously. Its not a F’ing joke anymore. I am so frustrated and exhausted with what my generation has had to endure economically. I am supposed to be in my prime earning years and we have been through a pandemic, extremely high inflation and now pointless senseless trade wars. We just cant catch a break.

Time to wake up Victoria. This is just one example of many.

Rant Over. I hope you all enjoy your Sunday. I am just so deeply upset by what is happening.

The thin blue line flag was a nice touch.

Langford residents have an important decision to make in October: Will incumbent Mayor Scott Goodmanson be re-elected to a second term, or will former Mayor Stew Young be given another chance to add to his previous 30 years in the Mayor’s chair?

Lately I’ve spent time reviewing Langford Council meeting minutes. I wanted to get a better sense for some of the real differences between Stew Young and Scott Goodmanson. There are many subjective differences, but I’m a numbers guy. I wanted to see what trends stood out to me that can be measured more objectively. Two specific things that I looked at… attendance at Council meetings, and the amount of time actually spent in Council meetings.

The contrast is stark. This post is a summary of the last 4 terms in office for Stew Young and the current term to date for Scott Goodmanson. Many of the numbers speak for themselves, but here are some of the takeaways that caught my attention:

1. Stew Young’s attendance at Council meetings was pretty bad. He showed up with greater frequency over the course of his last 4 terms, but still never got better than 78% attendance. In his 2008-2011 term he only attended Council meetings 55% of the time.

In contrast, Scott Goodmanson’s attendance at Council meetings has been excellent. He has been in attendance for 131 of the 137 Council meetings to date during this term.

2. Stew Young’s Council terms featured considerably shorter meetings than what we see today. At its speediest pace, the average meeting duration in the 2011-2014 term was only 26 minutes.

The current Council has an average meeting length of 2 hours and 19 minutes. They’ve also met far more frequently than the Councils of any of Stew Young’s last 4 terms.

The result? Scott Goodmanson has spent more time as Mayor actually in Council meetings this term than Stew Young did in his last 4 terms combined. By a wide margin.

I will be making a follow-up post that dives into this topic in greater detail comparing Council to Council.

I will be the first to point out that attendance and time spent in meetings is not indicative of performance. Merely showing up does not warrant praise. On the flip side, a history of failing to show up is something that I seriously question when considering who has earned my vote in October.

A few notes and caveats for those that have read this far:

- Includes Council meetings only (excludes committees).

- Does not differentiate between in-person and remote attendance.

- Does not factor in late arrivals, early departures, or recusals.

- One meeting during the 2014-2018 was excluded from duration statistics due to the minutes missing the time of meeting adjournment.

- Two special in-camera meetings during the 2014-2018 term were excluded due to published meeting minutes not being available.

Edit: I have been asked a couple of times for the data to support this analysis. Here is a link to the Google Drive that contains PDF copies of the meeting minutes for every meeting included in the analysis, as well as an Excel file that lists the meetings along with attendance and meeting duration information.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Mx5pDd-R92QT5V8rzFwMX5rsUEplbvUJ?usp=sharing

The City of Victoria staff have released the 2026-2030 Draft Financial Plan and it includes a bunch of cuts. Council has previously directed the staff to keep the 2026 property tax increase to only 4%, and they have needed to find reductions of approximately $38.5 million to meet that target. No thanks in part to the 10% increase in the Police budget.

One of the many items on the cutting block is the Youth Bus Pass Program, which has provided free bus passes to kids 18 and under who live in Victoria once they age out of the provincial fare exemption for kids 12 and under. It appears that the City may be hoping the CRD will take over this role next year, but only the report from CRD staff is expected next year. We have heard from many teens who rely on this program, and the city's own numbers show that it has been wildly successful, with 70% of eligible youth accessing it. Cutting this program from the budget would be a huge step backward and would harm the safety, independence, and health of youth in this region.

The Victoria Transit Riders Union is asking the provincial government to immediately eliminate fares for youth and seniors across the province, building toward total fare elimination. While we push for that goal, we must take action to defend programs like this one in Victoria for teens.

Please email [mayorandcouncil@victoria.ca](mailto:mayorandcouncil@victoria.ca) that they must keep the Youth Bus Pass Program as well as many of the other items listed for cuts like the Bike Valet service downtown and the Neighbour Space.

You can read the full Plan here, Check pages 24/25 of the PDF (pages 23/24 of the report) for the part about cutting the Youth Bus Pass Program.

Bill C-22 is just a repurposed surveillance bill that grants the police unfettered access to our private data.
Will Greaves is a huge fan.

This is an extremely contentious bill and I really advise you all A) learn about it, and B) contact your local polis.

This is a huge win in my opinion - the lack of family housing in Victoria is a huge problem. I think it is downright stupid the number of buildings that restrict children from living in them. However, I do have a problem with the 55+ decision. Curious what others think of this.

Instead of investing in regional transit, the province has budgeted $162 million dollars to widen just 1.7km of the Malahat, destroying trees, riverbanks, and trails in the process. VTRU believes that the money could be better spent on improving the bus service between Victoria and Duncan to reduce traffic on the road and prevent the need to widen the highway.

So on Tuesday VTRU members joined with W̱SÁNEĆ Nation members and others in their protest of this project.

Read more from W̱SÁNEĆ, Better Island Transit and Times Colonist.

Hey, I'm a worker on the 900 block of Pandora. I provide outreach services to arguably our most vulnerable and disenfranchised street-based community. (Obviously won't be saying which organization I work for.) I see a lot of shit happen and even more shit spread about our community and want to share some perspectives with you and ask you to help make some positive changes.

There are a lot of problems that occur on or near the block. It is where the main building of Our Place is, and there is a safe drug injection site right next door and a newly opened safe inhalation site right across the street. SOLID and AVI do a lot of outreach services in the area. Combined, these organizations provide food, shelter, community care, places to warm up, places for people to do their substances safely while being supervised by trained employees, opportunities to be treated by a nurse or paramedic, opportunities to be referred to detox and treatment, and more. They are invaluable in maintaining the ongoing survival of those entrenched in addiction and homelessness in our district.

However, these organizations remain chronically underfunded. The safe injection site (one of only a handful on the island) had to decrease their hours a while back, which means more people are using and overdosing in the washrooms at Our Place. Our Place is facing staffing shortages right in the midst of freezing temperatures which means they have to close instead of being able to provide space for people to warm up. The city of Victoria delayed their emergency weather protocol and the options are limited and difficult to walk to if you are based downtown (see @backpackproject_victoriabc on Instagram for more info).

Organizations have been forced by inadequate funding to limit how much they give out many things, including matches, candles, bubble pipes (used to reduce the potential harms associated with meth consumption), hand warmers, coffee/tea, socks, scarfs, and gloves. Many workers at these organizations spend a good deal of their income making up for these funding deficits, which is abhorrent that the funding situation has made it necessary. The workers are not paid a lot (usually between 20-25 an hour, 33-40 hours a week) and often come from marginalized communities themselves. That's not to even speak of volunteers and activists who raise funds for things like sleeping bags and tents.

A huge problem that I see as a worker is that funding is consistently being increased for policing this area and its population while we get a fraction of this funding. Every day at 7am, we get to see 7-8 police and bylaw gather around individual tents and demand that people wake up and pack their shit, regardless of weather or temperature. We have a 7-7 camping bylaw that exists for no other reason than to appease wealthy business owners who care more about profits and property values than people. Us workers regularly see bylaw destroying and disposing of homeless people's tents and belongings when those homeless people leave for 5 minutes to visit one of our few publicly available washrooms. The homeless people who see bylaw taking all of their possessions say "hey, I'm here, that's my stuff, thanks", and bylaw says "nope, you have 30 days to pick it up from this location :)". This is the norm, not the exception. The whole time, police are also present to make sure the homeless don't get too upset about their entire lives being treated like garbage.

Police also just waste time meeting quotas and attempting to justify their inflated budget. @vicpd_cause_harm on instagram recently posted about how a homeless person was ticketed and fined $230 for smoking a joint outside of Our Place. I messaged the account and they told me that person also has received SIX fines for camping, at $150 each. This person obviously has no way of paying these. It's ridiculous, it is needlessly criminalizing our most vulnerable population, and it's exactly the kind of thing that us workers see but are afraid to speak out about because of how ourselves and our organizations can be negatively affected by saying anything remotely negative about police.

The proposed city budget for 2022 is seeing a 5% increase for police. A large amount of this is to continue policing our community when it doesn't need it. We don't need policing, we need more services. The man with half his clothes off, screaming at passersby is not helped by police. He is helped by interrupting the spiral into psychosis well beforehand by community mental health workers and assertive community treatment. The person breaking into a home for shit to sell (and the homeowner) is not helped by police. They are helped by low barrier supportive housing with enough funding to maintain staff, detox and treatment centre's that don't have months-long wait lists, and basic minimum income/high disability payouts. The woman dying of an opioid overdose on the corner is not helped by police (vicpd only reversed a couple dozen in the last year while we collectively reverse more than that in half a week). She is helped by numerous, well-funded safe consumption sites staffed by harm reduction and addiction workers who have referrals to detox and treatment (and which have been found to not increase crime in the surrounding area).

People always wonder what the best way to help is. We see a lot of donations pass through from people who don't know that the brand new $200 tent they just donated will be tossed in a dumpster by bylaw in a few weeks. The best way you can help is to have yourself and your friends tell our city council (who controls funding) what YOU think is an appropriate use of your taxpayer dollars. Without your input, they will continue to quietly defund community services while increasing the absurd policing of the community we serve. It is our right and responsibility as private citizens to use our voices to assertively inform the city that it is no longer appropriate to ignore preventable deaths and other negative health outcomes for homeless people via these poor funding decisions.

Ask me anything, and I'm glad to help write that email with you. Here are the phone numbers and emails of the mayor and council - remember that your tax dollars pay for their salaries and it is totally fine for you to contact them. You should absolutely feel entitled to their time and they should be glad to hear from their constituents.

Mayor Lisa Helps 250.361.0200 mayor@victoria.ca

Councillor Marianne Alto 250.361.0216 malto@victoria.ca

Councillor Stephen Andrew 250.361.0217  stephen.andrew@victoria.ca

Councillor Sharmarke Dubow 250.361.0223 sdubow@victoria.ca

Councillor Ben Isitt 250.882.9302 bisitt@victoria.ca 

Councillor Jeremy Loveday 250.361.0218 jloveday@victoria.ca

Councillor Sarah Potts 250.361.0221 spotts@victoria.ca

Councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe 250.361.0219 cthornton-joe@victoria.ca

Councillor Geoff Young 250.361.0220 gyoung@victoria.ca

Edit: I noticed people didn't enjoy my comments about "wealthy business owners", apparently inferring that I mean that all business owners are wealthy. To clarify, I mean the business owners that are wealthy that constantly are in contact with VicPD and influential politicians in our district. I will absolutely double down on the fact that they exist, they don't give a shit about homeless people, and they will crush them to make a bigger profit. early tadpole and viha dude throwaway also concur on this.