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Reposted by Khelsilem

Jeremy Valeriote @jervaler.bsky.social · Jun 30

Congratulations to the Squamish Nation on securing additional protections for Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Aysáy̓ch.

I’m grateful that protection and management of cultural sites and other significant areas will rest with the Squamish Nation.

ICYMI: Squamish Nation regains 20,000 hectares of ancestral land

Two decades of planning and negotiations result in an historic land use agreement with the province.

www.squamishchief.com

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 29

The Squamish Nation statement on the passing of Bill 15:

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 29

The Squamish Nation opposed Bill 15's approach and assault on First Nations' rights. Bill 15 should be challenged in court for breaking the Province’s laws to consult and cooperate with FNs in developing legislation in alignment with UNDRIP.

Richard Zussman @richardzussman.bsky.social · May 29

NEW - The BC Government has passed Bill 15 by a vote of 47-46 with speaker Raj Chouhan being forced to break a tie. The bill is opposed by FN leaders, municipalities across the province and major business organize nation. #bcpoli

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 29

Arrogance and ignorance are a dangerous mixture. WIll we see more of this from David Eby and his government?

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 29

The passing of Bill 15 is both disappointing and damaging to the BC NDP’s relationship with First Nations.

Many of us thought the era of relying on the courts to defend and protect our rights was over, but the government is foolishly bringing us backwards.

They should be held accountable.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 23

Civil servants sometimes complain about their superiors in this manner because they were once in charge, but now political leaders are reclaiming control.

Political leadership should strive to raise standards in the work of the public service to drive the best possible decisions.

Robert Jago @rjjago.bsky.social · May 23

Much like politics, reporting in Canada suffers from reporters’ lack of business and management experience. What Carney’s doing seems like applying a few different Andy Grove concepts including in process inspection and task based maturity. Which you’d expect at this stage with a new team.

As a new politician, sources say Carney is not yet fully aware of what he needs and doesn’t need to know. The result is that he will ask to read documents that the prime minister shouldn’t need to review or generate an abundance of back-and-forths demanding staff rewrite briefing notes to his liking, two sources detailed.

Article content
“He’s too deep into details already,” said the former Liberal staffer, adding they were frequently surprised by some of the material Carney demanded to see.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 23

The Province has committed to "Support inclusive regional governance by advancing FN participation in regional district boards." (1.11 UNDRIP Action Plan).

How will the Minister of Municipal Affairs @ravikahlon.bsky.social uphold this commitment with Metro Vancouver?
www.biv.com/news/economy...

Metro Vancouver board trims pay, calls on province for governance changes

Elected officials say they need the provincial government to step up to the new governance review committee table and pass legislation to change the board structure.

www.biv.com

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 16

Squamish Nation Responds to Bill-15:

www.squamish.net/concerns-bil...

Letter from Nexwsxwníw̓ntm ta Úxwumixw | Squamish Nation Responds to Bill-15 - Squamish Nation

The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) is calling on the Province to immediately withdraw Bill 15. Khelsilem, Council Chairperson, has written to the Province outlining the Nation’s key concerns...

www.squamish.net

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 14

I appreciate your support for First Nations!

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 14

Landlords set rents at what people are willing to pay. Politicians can influence whether housing is abundant, forcing landlords to compete for renters.

Kingspin @04warrior.bsky.social · May 14

Politicians don’t raise rents. Landlords do. Not everything is political.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

Of course, all of them were voted out between 2015-2018, (= incumbents across all political ideologies tend to lose when inflation rises).

However, it would be good if the discourse then had and the discourse now recognized the various factors responsible for the current problems.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

How many characters in news stories were spent framing the problem at the feet of Gregor Robertson vs. Jason Kenny or Rich Coleman during those years, political figures who had levers to influence the regional housing prices and rents?

Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · May 13

I mean sure.

But also, when Robertson became mayor, the median selling price for an east side home was $600,000.

Today it's $1.8 million.

Folks were angry that working class people couldn't afford to buy in Vancouver anymore, and didn't like that politicians didn't take responsibility.

Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

There is valid criticism of the Vancouver City Council from 2008 to 2018, but it often lacks perspective on the overall context of a left-of-centre City Council w/ a Conservative-run fed & prov government, & regional counterparts who never carried their weight in social housing for the region.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

It can be, but in our history:

1. Fed holds the biggest levers to influence demand

2. Prov holds the biggest levers to influence supply

3. Municipalities at the mercy of the first two.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

Federal governments can massively impact the demand for housing in Canada, concentrated in Canada's largest cities.

Robert Jago @rjjago.bsky.social · May 13

b) Kenney - for forcing through study permit changes in 2014, that added a half million people to the rental market. Disproportionately concentrated in Vancouver.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

Bingo.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

There is valid criticism of the Vancouver City Council from 2008 to 2018, but it often lacks perspective on the overall context of a left-of-centre City Council w/ a Conservative-run fed & prov government, & regional counterparts who never carried their weight in social housing for the region.

karen ward @kwardvancouver.bsky.social · May 13

this chart of social housing starts in metro is illustrative of exactly that

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

Political leaders operate within a political economy and the Overton Window. Advocates often fail to understand this and limit their accountability to just political leaders, while also failing to hold voters accountable for what is permissible under those leaders.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

I also can't imagine the Harper government wouldn't have made similar cuts during their years in power, since they practiced austerity across the board in other key social spending.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

If the Feds maintained its level of federal funding for non-profit & coop housing, relative to inflationary increases, wouldn't the confluence of housing demands still have created an affordability crisis, albeit at a potentially lower intensity for lower-income households?

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

It's easy to review sub-regional government decisions from nearly a decade ago through an ahistorical lens, but Vancouver did not have the YIMBY movement it has today to oppose the alliance of property owners and renters opposing new housing.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

As we're finally witnessing in 2025, regional governments at the state level in the US or the Provincial level in Canada are taking region-wide action on housing supply because micro-regional changes do not significantly impact housing markets.

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

Who was most responsible for Vancouver's housing rents + prices by 2018?

(a) Fed Minister Diane Finley
(b) Fed Minister Jason Kenney
(c) Prov Minister Rich Coleman
(d) Mayor Gregor Robertson

(Reminder: Vancouver represented only 25% of the population of the Metro Vancouver region in 2018.)

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Khelsilem @khelsilem.bsky.social · May 13

What are your thoughts on the new cabinet under Prime Minister Mark Carney?

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Reposted by Khelsilem

Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · May 6

British Columbia's chief coroner has just announced an inquest to publicly review the circumstances that led to Tatyanna Harrison's 2022 death

Some background here: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Advocates, families call for coroner's inquest into deaths of Indigenous women, girl | CBC News

The families of two young Indigenous women and an Indigenous girl whose bodies were separately discovered across Metro Vancouver in disturbing circumstances are calling for B.C.'s minister of public s...

www.cbc.ca

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Reposted by Khelsilem

Jens von Bergmann @jensvb.bsky.social · May 7

Business: We would like to open up shop in this empty storefront.
City: Not so fast, first we convene a kangaroo court in a several month long process to determine if you are deemed worthy, then we will laden you with months of permit wait time, and after renovations you will wait for inspections.

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