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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When Camille Brereton was a little girl, she danced in a group called the Caribbean Singers and Dancers alongside her mom, a singer, and cousins. In elementary school, she started writing her own lyrics in a notebook that had Lola Bunny from Space Jam on the cover and eventually picked up rapping by borrowing friends’... Continue Reading

A recent Media Indigena episode by Rick Harp, Kim TallBear, and Candice Callison examined the debate between the media’s use of the term “protectors” versus “protestors” in reference to Indigenous people acting against the Coastal GasLink Pipeline. The episode opened with commentary about a story titled “War of words: Experts say the Wet’suwet’en actions are... Continue Reading