This story is so consequential because of the political hit job their arrests & charges represent. They were working in the open, validating their non-profit model with academic rigour. But a right-wing moral panic built enough steam for VPD to drop the hammer. 2/ Legal fund: dulf.ca/dulf-aid-2/

Mayor Alto reminds us that the City made a statement by voting against a decriminalization motion (failed 8-1). She says The Harbour is far more than a safe consumption site and offers several other health services. "Safe consumption is a part of the continuum of health."

Calgary police are on a rampage downtown, using drones to find people and clear them off streets. Posting photos of unhoused folks they arrest (see twitter). It’s collective punishment for social disorder and violence they have failed to improve with prior violence. Film the cops if you see them.

Wondering what the budget has to say about health/healthcare? My take here, gift link: www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Risk of myocarditis is higher after Covid infection than after vaccine. Shocked! Shocked, I say! www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Alcohol still leading cause of substance-related hospitalizations in Canada, with cannabis now a ‘concerning’ second Hospital data for substance use visits now counts CHS, a growing weed-related illness pressprogress.ca/alcohol-stil...

Breaking: Canada's Supreme Court quashes B.C. #ostrich farm's bid to stop cull of more than 300 birds once hit by bird flu www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

If nothing else, eliminating 40,000 public service jobs likely increases the odds @brucefanjoy.bsky.social will not be reelected in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton I asked @dtcochrane.bsky.social about what these job losses mean for public servants and the communities supported by those jobs

🎧 PODCAST: Looking inside Mark Carney’s ‘extremely Orwellian’ austerity budget From $60 billion in cuts to eliminating 40,000 jobs, Canadian Labour Congress Sr. Economist @dtcochrane.bsky.social shares his impressions of the Carney government's first budget live inside the media lock-up in Ottawa

“Our members are highly motivated by the fact that the government treated them with the disrespect that they did, that they will be more than happy to engage in pushing back,” [Alberta Teachers' Association president] Schilling told PressProgress.

Teen Vogue took young people seriously. It's impossible to overstate how important, how rare, and how profoundly needed that is.

Wrote a thing canadahealthwatch.ca/newsletter/2...

"Canadians have asked up to build big, bold things. They expect us to do things differently, so we're going to make generational investments that will build our country," Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne tells reporters ahead of tomorrow's federal budget. #cdnpoli

In response to Alberta’s use of the notwithstanding clause, labour groups are vowing retaliation. Danielle Smith's attack on bargaining rights has unions raising the spectre of a general strike: pressprogress.ca/alberta-labo...

“Bad dope” alerts sadly common these days, but service providers in Vancouver area report increase in ODs past couple weeks (even by today’s stabdards) due to presence of carfentanil From today:

When beat reporters are becoming fewer and far between, it’s good news when a publication adds one instead!

VicPD held a party for their outgoing and incoming chiefs this summer at Government House. They talked repeatedly about how much work it was, and the event seemed strange, so I FOI'd the costs. They spent $22,015 in public money on this event. 🧵 www.needsmorespikes.com/blog/vicpd-p... #yyj #cdnfoi

"On Sunday, October 26, about 40 masked and uniformed Second Sons Canada and Frontenac Active Club blackshirts led by MacKenzie assembled in front of CBC headquarters in Ottawa with a banner reading 'CBC hates white people'. A similar number assembled in front of the CBC building in Regina."

My letter to the editor has been published in the most recent issue of Maclean's Magazine. You can read it on my Substack. jackiedives.substack.com/p/macleans-m...

Well done to these folks. VicPD is now demanding its budget rise 52% over its 2021 level. Nothing to show for any of it. Incidentally, if you're not following @stephenharrison.bsky.social, now is the next best time. bsky.app/profile/step...

UNLOCKED: Last year, Chris Alexander smeared journalist David Pugliese as a Russian asset behind the shield of parliamentary privilege. Yesterday, he was allowed to testify at a parliamentary committee as if nothing happened. www.readtheorchard.org/p/senate-com...

Excited for this!!

To keep yourself current on things healthcare-ish, may be good idea to sign up for this

Medicine Hat emergency room physician Dr. Paul Parks is warning the public about what he asserts is a looming crisis in Alberta’s health-care system that will overwhelm the province’s already over-capacity and understaffed hospitals and lead to unnecessary deaths. #abpoli

As Canada’s measles elimination status is at risk due to health disinformation, @brishti.bsky.social at @pressprogress.ca is stepping up with Pulse Check, a timely health newsletter. First issue delivered on the hype — sign up here: pressprogress.ca/canadian-hea...

Brishti’s work is amazing so sign up to the newsletter, if this is your field or your looking for reliable info.

Hi so I'm about to launch a Canadian healthcare newsletter with @pressprogress.ca If you sign up, I'll be in your inbox 2x a month w exclusive health news, info, research, and more, all broken down and digestible for you. 1st edition goes out soon, see for yourself! pressprogress.ca/pulsecheck/

Bike mechanics are vital to the shift to greener transportation, but they typically do work that’s precarious, low-pay and not backed up by formal training. Mechanics want that to change, but they’ve got a bureaucratic hurdle in the way: a dedicated NOC code. my latest for @pressprogress.ca ⬇️

BREAKING WIN for PWUD: Supreme Court of Canada rules against the Saskatchewan government and police attempt to claw back the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act in R v Wilson. Pivot argued, and the court agreed, the law protects against simple possession convictions, charges, AND arrests at ODs.

The Ford government has announced plans to shred a bunch of tenant protections: news.ontario.ca/assets/files... (pdf, see p. 13-15)

Phenomenal discussion by @brishti.bsky.social & @angierasmussen.bsky.social framing the medical freedom movement in far-right politics. I feel ill thinking of culling hundreds of birds (who has to DO it?), but to risk an H5N1 pandemic because we didn’t? No. pressprogress.ca/podcast-bc-o...

On a new episode of 🔴 @pressprogress.ca SOURCES🔴 health reporter @brishti.bsky.social sits down with virologist Dr. Angela Rasmussen to talk about the very real health risks of zoonotic diseases and the political circus surrounding a particular flock of ostriches pressprogress.ca/podcast-bc-o... 🔶

NEW: On Oct 1, @guyfelicella.bsky.social wrote an op-ed in @calgaryherald.com responding to Marshall Smith’s piece favouring more police power to address drug use. On Oct 6, a defamation notice from Smith to Felicella prompted the Herald to drop Felicella’s piece. drugdatadecoded.ca/i-didnt-know...

The Canadian government passed legislation allowing CSIS to more easily share intelligence with private companies after it was pressed by pipeline builder TC Energy to set up regular “information-sharing” meetings with industry, CSIS and RCMP. thenarwhal.ca/tc-energy-cs...

Ontario cities are clearing homeless encampments. Where are people supposed to go? Amidst a housing crisis with no end in sight, municipalities across the province have been cracking down on the unhoused: pressprogress.ca/ontario-citi...

VicPD board finance chair Elizabeth Cull blames the budget request on a few things, including “the opioid crisis,” “mental health crises,” and “substance use.” Sounds like money could be better spent on things like safe supply and mental health resources, then, not police. Councillors have a choice.

For a deeper dive into the background, here's a thing I wrote about it a couple of weeks ago: rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/last-stand...

H5N1 is exploding in North America right now. I spoke with @brishti.bsky.social about everything BC bird flu ostrich horde: What's their deal? Why cull them? Why can't we test? Are they scientifically useful? Are they pets or meat? ...and lots more! pressprogress.ca/podcast-bc-o...

They've been making headlines in Canada and U.S. for months. B.C. ostriches facing a cull after an #H5N1 outbreak killed 69 birds last winter. On this episode of Sources, virologist @angierasmussen.bsky.social joined me to unpack + #factcheck health/public health questions and claims circulating.

🎧 PODCAST: Ostriches and deer and viruses, oh my! Join PressProgress health reporter @brishti.bsky.social as she goes down a "labyrinthine ostrich hole" with virologist Dr. Angela Rasmussen to learn more about zoonotic diseases and a far-right ostrich farm in rural BC

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak says the AFN is in discussions to repatriate a number of sacred First Nations items from the Vatican Museum.

Changes to foreign student policies in Ottawa are having tangible impacts in small BC communities, as Hazelton loses its local college campus. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

A BC Supreme Court judge has strong words for BC and Canada — and their failure to settle outstanding land claims with the Wet’suwet’en — as he suspended the sentences of three land defenders Friday. thetyee.ca/News/2025/10...

“The troubling thing about this prosecution is that everyone knew what was happening. It seems like [Nyx & Kalicum] are being hung out to dry. As soon as politicians started complaining, all of a sudden VPD—which before was fine—suddenly was not fine.” -Judge 1/ drugdatadecoded.ca/everyone-kne...

It’s rare for governments to establish mew medical schools because they’re so expensive So what will British Columbians get for this massive investment? Priority for local students and a new primary care clinic, for starters More here: www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/ar...

Senator Amina Gerba was sterilized without her consent at a Montreal hospital. @amy61.bsky.social hopes her story can advance a broader reckoning on systemic racism. "I didn't want to talk about it at all. But it was too hard to keep quiet," she says. www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/health/senat...

Nick Seebruch sits down with @royinori.bsky.social, co-founder of @cjjpmedia.bsky.social, to discuss why many journalists in Canada remain hesitant to cover #Palestine.

Defence reporter David Pugliese faced death threats after allegations by a former Conservative cabinet minister cast him as a Russian intelligence asset. Instead of unmasking a spy, Parliament landed a case study in how falsehoods gain traction. thewalrus.ca/a-veteran-report...