You’re correct that no one says that, but that seems to be what’s been happening. So I want the focus to be on the things that are going to deliver the actual results.

But maybe also I can get my head out of my own ass and not derail your enthusiasm for helping things in the here and now. So yeah, I’m with you. But let’s make those things a comma. I want my leaders at the federal, provincial, and municipal level to start moving the needle today, and stay focused in the months and years to come and ensure that the steps they are taking are the ones that are making meaningful improvements.

Normally I’d argue that in our current political system, to state your preference for the policies you want you’d often have to choose the party platform you agree with and base your MLA/MP on that.

But I won’t make that argument, because even just the BC Conservative party itself was trash. The fact that she seems to be the trashiest of the trash but every voter in BC who supported them BC Conservatives are guilty of that same lack of oversight. And I’ll accept some blame for assuming that people would realize this on their own, and not getting out there to help fight against them.

What’s done is done though. And in the here and now, this MLA needs to go.

My take: if you’re too extreme for the extremists who were themselves kicked from the BC Liberals, you’ve got absolutely no business representing a Vancouver riding.

Let’s imagine a world where an unapologetic socialist NDP leader stood up and said: “the market has failed to deliver homes at a price the median Canadian family can affords. So our govt will build homes across the country, employing Canadians and using Canadian products. These will not be luxury condos for the rich, but they will be functional and good, and will be made the wood and materials we used to send to America at a discount. And we will close the gap in 5 years, and deliver public monthly status reports on what we have accomplished.”

After the election, assuming Singh steps down, can we all agree to get someone who says something like that? Pretty please? Because I already got my wish with a perfect candidate to match my way of thinking, and I want you to be waiting in the wings if our way fails yet again.

I’m 100% on board with solutions to help mitigate the short-term effects if we also start building now for the medium and longer terms.

The reason I was being prickly on this is that my home city and province (Vancouver) has been doing these feel-good things for years as a politically expedient distraction and excuse to not prioritize building.

So it scares me when people suggest these as the solution —and I’ll include Carneys announcement in with that same bucket. If folks suggest these as a stop-gap relief to the current situation and are also gonna build our way out? Alright I’m on board with that.

Many of these things you’ve suggested have been tried in various parts of Canada, and while they feel good they haven’t been effective at lowering prices.

We need to build more homes. That’s it. That’s the thing we need to do. Build homes at a faster rate than we add potential new homeowners. Block nimby laws that prevent density and keep building until the prices go down.

Like markets? Enable the market to build em. Socialist? Have the government build em. Someone’s got to. If you want to focus on Airbnb and other feel good stuff fine I won’t stand in your way if we also just build more goddamn homes.

Best wishes to you and yours. Having been through that move — likewise with young kids — it’s not a simple endeavour.

Feel free to reach out here or in DMs if you have any questions about the process.

Absolutely, with this site being a good example of such an alternative approach. I think it’s a good clarification you highlighted that may have been underserved in my original piece.

The technologies involved in the websites I listed are largely free and open source. Many of them can be operated relatively inexpensively.

So we don’t need to cut and paste these things exactly, but we can use them for inspiration of what to build next. What’s been stopping us is the inertia of the network effect — why would I comment on Lemmy and not Reddit; Reddit has the people and so that’s where the discussion goes.

What I was trying to get at is that this is a remarkably unique opportunity to overcome that network effect. People want to sever themselves from American dependencies — not just in Canada but in Europe and further abroad. So it’s an enormous opportunity to bring change — for a technologist this can be very exciting!

Well I moved back in 2018 after making the decision to unwind my commitments in the us back in 2016…

So I think the book has closed on “fad” for me at least.

But anyhow, don’t let me stop you — keep on licking them boots. Get em all nice and polished.

As a former ex-pat Canadian who worked for a major US tech company, this was my message to my former colleagues. I thought some folks here might enjoy it as well.

At the very least, joining with their economic standards is a path we should move towards.

Imagine if a home grown Costco type place sprouted up using the hbc real estate?

If this happens as per the polls, can my dear friends in the NDP please convince Charlie Angus to run one final leadership campaign? Specifically the not-holding-back version we have right now? I’m no pollster but the mood in this country feels absolutely ripe for that were a leadership campaign to happen now.

What is ironic about that? It affects them too. They are among the best-funded sources of journalism and have been pretty consistent in standing up to report on the consequences of the actions that Americans have taken.

Agreed. My concern is that he and his team are closely allied with MAGA and embrace. their propaganda. With his weak personality and his desperation to win the praise of his ideological idols, I expect with a high degree of certainty they will let the US completely steamroll us.

I see lil PP much like someone like Mitch McConnell in the US senate who theoretically knew better but stood aside, and enabled bad things to happen just because it was the “same team.”

Maybe you’re right… I don’t know. I wasn’t kidding when said part of me agreed with you from the start. But regardless, we can’t change the past.

Perhaps you can choose different words than me and reach the Canadian right in a way to help them understand where the path they are going down leads. That they need to choose a different path. I’ll stand with you when you do.

Spraytan and lil PP think we are stupid.

We can and we will prove them wrong.

I don’t know that we have an accurate perspective on what the actual reasons were. Perhaps she’s telling the truth, perhaps she’s selecting truths that paint her actions in the best light.

But to me it doesn’t matter. She had a somewhat reasonable expectation of special treatment because we had been given special treatment before. We are surprised because it is new, this is why it’s being published as news.

The specifics of her mistake don’t matter because we all make mistakes. So if I make a mistake I will be treated like I’d expect them to treat the mistake made by a Muslim person or a Haitian. And that isn’t a risk I’d willingly take, because I do make mistakes sometimes.

This is awesome, can’t wait.

Imagine if this takes off? What about next going to Deep Cove, Ambleside, Horseshoe Bay, Tsawwassen?

Years ago I was visiting Sydney and as a tourist I was impressed with how well they utilized their waterfront for commuting. Really happy to see this happening here and hope it finds success and beyond

The shift from being part of the “safe” group to the vulnerable group took a lot of Canadians by surprise, including me.

And indeed, many in the American left still doesn’t see this in that way. Because the barrel isn’t yet pointed at them. Which implies that many of us — maybe including me — wouldn’t either if the focus was solely on Mexico and central/south America and China.