Why we need tent cities

It’s a fact that many people in Victoria would rather not acknowledge.
Homeless people are about to house themselves in something other than the usual homeless shelter. Tent city is returning, and this time it’s going to stay aroiund for awhile.
How long have we had a homeless problem in this country? Long enough in my opinion [...]

It’s Time to Come Up With Our Own Solutions (aka the government wants you dead)

What a shock to discover, while scrolling through the news headlines from Victoria yesterday, that Saanich Police (Saanich is one of 14 municipalities in Greater Victoria) were out riding in an RCMP helicopter looking for homeless camps in city parks.
Holy war on the poor, batman! Are you serious? What next, dump agent orange on us, [...]

Stew Young Hates Democracy

Leave it to Stew Young, Emperor, er, Mayor of Langford BC, to get his name in the paper with a dumb-ass quote. During the theft and destruction of indigenous land that he helped facilitate on Spaet Mountain, the local papers were filled with his Stewisms, mostly related to his esasperation that anyone would oppose his [...]

On Trial for Eating Garbage

by Kalanu
Anti-poverty activists across North America will be watching Victoria in the next few weeks to learn the results of two separate court cases that highlight human rights abuses in our city.
The two cases are known to many as ‘The Right to Sleep’, and ‘The Right to Eat’, and both cases challenge the authority of [...]

Don’t Sleep on the Camas

A slight sprinkle of rain woke me at 5:45am this morning.
I had been having those half-asleep dreams where someone wakes me up, or jogs by or otherwise notices that I am sleeping in the park. Not sure how much sleep I’d gotten, but it seemed like a good time to get up.
Here in Victoria it’s [...]

That’s Not What ‘Housing First’ Means

This afternoon, in over 80 locations around BC, citizens concerned with the growing crisis of homelessness in their cities will hold a one hour silent vigil on various street corners.
Protestors in Victoria will have likely read the news in today’s maninstream fishwrap that the city is making moves to protect the Janion Builing, a 117 [...]

Earth Week Marcher Arrested For Leading Parade Off Approved Route; Unarrested by Crowd

Earth lovers gathered in Victoria today for an annual march from Centennial Square to the provincial legislature. Earth Walk, now in it’s 27th year, brought almost a thousand people out into the unseasonable cold and snowy weather.
There was a brief skirmish and stand-off with traffic police assigned to lead the parade when a marcher carrying [...]

Free The Farley Mowat!!

by Kalanu Buffalo
For years I have been following the exploits of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as they take direct action to protect sea life such as whales and seals. As someone who considers himself an eco-warrior because of some tree-sitting and buffalo watching, I am awed and humbled by the actions of the men [...]

Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe Pokes Fun at Panhandlers

What is it with mayors? At the west of the Capital Region, we have the developer’s best friend, Stew Young, whose reign of terror has included greenlighting and championing every development request that has crossed his desk, the worst being ecocidal projects such as Bear Mountain Resort.
In Victoria proper we have a mayor who refuses [...]

Feral University Rabbit population out of control

The astounding proportions of the feral university rabbit population was revealed this week with the formation of the National Campus Wildlife Service, a committee of university grounds management professionals with the mandate of ‘managing the astounding growth of the university feral rabbit population.’
Campus grounds-keeping professionals around the country, when reached for comment, generally commented “They [...]