
From the Editor: The last editorial I’ll ever write for The Runner
Columns / September 26, 2020
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You don’t make it easy to say goodbye, KPU. Our relationship has been long — six years long, to be exact — and full of surprises. When I think about my time at this newspaper, I’m brought back to my exhilarating first election as an editor in chief, caffeine-fuelled production days huddled around a desktop,... Continue Reading

KSA Members Say Executives Aren’t Fulfilling their Duties
Features / September 23, 2020
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Koushal Charan, a student member on the KSA Student Life Committee and External Affairs Committee, considers holding executives accountable for their actions part of his job description. Right now, he says his “major concern” is that the KSA executives are “not doing a lot of work.” Executives are expected to dedicate roughly 40 hours per... Continue Reading

UIPAC Calls for Action on Anti-Racism and Reconciliation from Mayor, Council, and Civic Departments
Features / July 21, 2020
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The Urban Indigenous Peoples’ Advisory Committee sent an open letter listing calls for meaningful action on anti-racism and reconciliation by Vancouver’s Mayor and Council, municipal government, police department, school board, and park board on July 7. UIPAC committee member Michelle Cyca says the calls for action were created out of frustration with the City of... Continue Reading

Editorial: Protest During COVID Is Different for Chronically Ill Canadians
Columns / July 18, 2020
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Living through the COVID-19 pandemic and participating in the Black Lives Matter movement simultaneously has proven to be a difficult task for even the healthiest Canadians, let alone people with special mobility needs or chronic health conditions. As an immunocompromised person with chronic health conditions who has a sincere desire to participate in these demonstrations,... Continue Reading

Canada Could Use a Four-Day Work Week
Columns / July 6, 2020
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In New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has sung the praises of the four-day work week as a method for supporting its COVID-decimated tourism economy. She reasons that having three whole days off could encourage people to travel more within their own countries, thereby boosting net tourism revenue without having to rely on visitors from... Continue Reading

Powell Street Music Festival to Celebrate Japanese-Canadian Art and Culture Online
Culture / June 15, 2020
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For the past 44 years, the Powell Street Festival has celebrated Japanese-Canadian art and culture in the historic neighbourhood of Paueru-Gai, located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. This year, due to social distancing requirements, the festival will be presented as an online telethon between 2:00 and 7:00 pm on Aug. 1. According to Heritage BC, “The... Continue Reading

A Self-Education Starter Pack for Non-Black Canadians
Columns / June 12, 2020
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Many non-Black people have decried violent protest as a means of making social change. This opinion is hollow and damaging if those making criticisms do not dedicate themselves to unlearning internalized racism by listening to and uplifting Black voices. We must know the truth supported by fact and testimony before using our voices as non-Black... Continue Reading

Vancouver Addresses Racism During COVID-19 Through Multilingual Awareness Campaign
News / June 1, 2020
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Mayor Kennedy Stewart declared May 29 Vancouver’s Day of Action Against Racism in response to a surge in racist hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic. His proclamation was issued online in six languages as part of a new multilingual awareness campaign led by the city’s Equity and Inclusion Team, based out of the municipal Emergency... Continue Reading

Health Minister Adrian Dix and Chief Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provide an update on COVID-19 on April 3, 2020
Explainer: Phase Two of B.C.’s Covid-19 Restart Plan
News / May 20, 2020
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With phase two of B.C.’s COVID-19 restart plan in effect, businesses and services around the province have reopened their doors. Citizens have been given permission to congregate in groups of six or less, most elementary schools are expecting some students back in September, and overnight camping will be permitted again starting in June. This announcement... Continue Reading

How to Talk to Someone Who Refuses to Socially Distance
Opinions / May 19, 2020
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There have always been some subjects you just can’t bring up at parties. Among them are the tried and true pot-stirrers — Israel and Palestine, American gun rights, and immigration law — as well as some new and controversial topics that pop up every couple of months which keep us at each other’s throats. Before... Continue Reading

Artist Spotlight: Blue Rivera
Columns / May 2, 2020
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Blue Rivera applies hip-hop production to pop sprinkled with latin influences — the sonic trademark of the songwriters behind the project, 21-year-old twins Julián Borderas-Ochoa and Joaquin Borderas-Ochoa. Joaquin plays guitar and sings and Julian plays the bass backed by drummer Stephen Coley, pianist Simon Freeman, and synthesist Hourmazd Naderi. Joaquin and Julian have been... Continue Reading

Getting a Prescription for Government Weed During COVID-19 Was a Breeze
Opinions / April 18, 2020
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I can genuinely say I don’t know how I’d be surviving quarantine if I didn’t have cannabis.Being confined to the house for the indefinite future, and without a regular to-do list to devote myself to, I could very easily descend into madness at any time. Having a daily puff of the devil’s lettuce has insofar... Continue Reading

Government and Grassroot Initiatives Support the DTES During COVID-19
News / April 10, 2020
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Vulnerable communities across Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside are in need of special support as social distancing becomes paramount, global markets shudder to a halt, and the opioid overdose crisis continues to take lives. In recognition of the community’s unique place as a hotspot for two simultaneous crises, representatives from the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Coastal Health,... Continue Reading

New Provincial Guidelines Support Safer Supply During the COVID-19 Pandemic
News / April 7, 2020
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British Columbian policymakers are rushing to adapt as both the COVID-19 pandemic and overdose crisis become increasingly harmful to vulnerable communities. As part of this effort, the provincial government has released a new set of guidelines and resources on safer supply which eliminate some barriers to getting prescriptions for opioids, stimulants, illicit benzodiazepines, tobacco, alcohol,... Continue Reading

From the Editor: How The Runner is Adapting to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Columns / March 22, 2020
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Over a very short amount of time, COVID-19 became a global health pandemic, spurring countries around the world to declare states of emergency and urge residents to stay inside. Here in Vancouver, the last week has been a whirlwind of federal, provincial, and municipal announcements, but citizens are feeling it on the ground too. Our... Continue Reading