Imagine living in one of the world’s poorest countries which also happens to be one of the last ruled by an absolute monarch. Now imagine nine of that monarch’s thirteen wives chartering a private jet to take them on a shopping spree throughout Europe and the Middle East. I am, of course, talking about Swaziland, [...]

There’s an old expression – don’t open your mouth until you’ve walked a mile in another man’s shoes. When it comes to homelessness here in the city of milk and honey nothing could be further from the truth. Who willfully chooses to be homeless, to sleep huddled in doorways in the rain, or in a [...]

Today the government of British Columbia announced that it’s spending $23.7 million dollars on purchasing six more hotels on the Downtown Lower Eastside that will be converted into affordable housing. In total, the Province has purchased 16 such hotels. Dave Eby weighed in on the government’s purchases in a recent Vancouver Sun article. Of course, it [...]

I came across the following comment left in response to an article on the Tyee regarding homelessness in British Columbia, particularly Vancouver… “An avalanche of stories on the homeless and the left is bankrupt of any practical ideas. The left calls for housing and treating them in Vancouver, perpetuating the slum we know as the DTES. [...]

According to an article in today’s Globe & Mail, one third of all calls made to the Vancouver City Police have to do with dealing with individuals who are mentally ill. For those of you that are in the dark, we spent the last two decades emptying out our long-term mental facilities and placing people on [...]

Former Un Secretary General Kofi Annan has made an important observation regarding the unrest currently gripping Kenya, and it is one that Kenyan politicians should not overlook – the fact that while political turmoil might have been the impetus for the country’s current strife, it is, in the words of Mr. Annan, evolving into “something [...]

It’s raining, dark; the streets empty and the doorways filled. On the streets you have to wait it out, try to stay dry, try to find somewhere sheltered from it so that maybe you can catch a few hours of sleep in the hopes that it will have stopped. I needed laundry detergent yesterday. I [...]

To be honest, I could probably go on for days about the betrayal of those in New Orleans that have been entirely screwed over by the government, be it local or federal, and the way in which they have been treated while simply attempting to enact their most basic of rights. But the truth is [...]

They stroll the streets and alleys adorned in their bright yellow security jackets – but they’re not Police Officers, they’re members of a private security firm hired to patrol the neighbourhood. Despite their mandate from the local business association that hired them, they have absolutely no legal authority, cannot lawfully touch another person, ask them [...]

Last night’s surprise appearance at the Commodore was fun. I only played a handful of songs – it was more of a night for local up and coming acts – but it was great to pitch in to help raise money for the Vancouver Food Bank through CFOX’s annual Santa Fox Food Drive initiative. This [...]