I don’t hate cars. Like most North American males I was raised to think cars are cool, and as a design nerd, few objects are more eye-catching. I hate surrendering our streets, our cities and our lives to them. Car dependence isn’t freedom. Great cartoon by @robcowan.bsky.social #CarDependency

In 2 decades experience, @iglikaivanova.bsky.social has never seen the nonprofit sector in such crisis. “There've been downturns and the financial crisis, but I feel like what’s happening to the nonprofit sector now is different. People who used to donate are now clients.”

If we're to create a new Canadian economy as called for by Prime Minister Carney, employees deserve more than inspiration—they deserve a greater ownership stake and voice in the companies where they work say Simon Pek, Lorin Bussan and @1alexhemingway.bsky.social.

Nerdy Sunday! Getting ready for the Fall legislative sitting by baking zucchini muffins and watching a recording of a #Housing webinar from @1alexhemingway.bsky.social from the new @bcpolicy.bsky.social. bcpolicy.ca/2025/10/03/s... #BCPoli #AffordableHousing

If we're to create a new Canadian economy as called for by Prime Minister Carney, employees deserve more than inspiration—they deserve a greater ownership stake and voice in the companies where they work say Simon Pek, Lorin Bussan and @1alexhemingway.bsky.social.

Everyone's talking about BC's "spending problem" but here's what they're not telling you: we're spending the SAME share of GDP as 1998, but collecting far less revenue. BC's deficit isn't about overspending. My analysis: vancouversun.com/opinion/op-e... #bcpoli

Great episode, as always. Canada would be well-advised to accommodate EU elevators codes (and other elements of the building code). Especially in today’s age where we are looking to diversify trade relations and tying ourselves exclusively to the US market has become particularly problematic.

Disappointed to see the reactionary UBCM call for repeal of single stair building legalization in BC. Nearly the entire world builds single stair buildings safely and has been for decades. There’s tons of data. The idea they are inherently dangerous has absolutely no merit to it.

The shortage of housing supply, needed public investment in non-market homes and municipal roadblocks are some of the issues plaguing BC’s housing crisis. Join @1alexhemingway.bsky.social and Sarah Ellis in a webinar to identify where urgent action is needed. Oct 1, noon PT bcpolicy.ca/events

To realize the Right to Housing we need an effective right to build housing. Unfortunately that's not universally understood. E.g. the City of Vancouver has called on the province to declare housing as a human right, but at the same time it continues to severely restrict the building of housing.

Imagine turning a detached home into a 6-story micro tower. I know so many friend groups who dreamed of living this way over the years. With zoning changes, design accommodations and single staircase rules, they could have it.

Join me for @bcpolicy.bsky.social's housing webinar next week. The housing crisis *is* solvable. Register here: bcpolicy.ca/events/

It's the official launch of BC Policy Solutions! Join us for an evening of celebration, community building & hear how we’re working to create true, sustainable change in our province. October 16, 5:30-8:00 PM Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St, Vancouver Light refreshments RSVP party.bcpolicy.ca

Ahhh look at our lineup! 🎤💥 💙 We're so excited to host Compass Card Comedy night next Wednesday, a comedy show FOR transit riders BY transit riders. 💙 Don't forget to grab your tickets! (www.showpass.com/com...)

The provincial housing reforms haven't done nearly enough in the City of Vancouver, the epicentre of the housing crisis. The appointment of Christine Boyle as the new housing minister is a chance for a reset. Read more in my op-ed on the DailyHive: dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc...

Love this! @verosioufi.bsky.social of @bcpolicy.bsky.social looks at how to adopt winning ideas from the Mamdani NYC campaign to BC 👇

BC made labour history with two breakthrough union certifications and the restoration of card-check. Victoria Uber drivers are the 1st platform workers in Canada to unionize and Delta Amazon warehouse workers are the 2nd to unionize in Canada and 3rd in North America. bcpolicy.ca/uber-amazon

This is the idea we presented to the BC legislature’s Special Committee on Democratic and Electoral Reform: **deliberative mini-publics** Check out the video for a quick tl;dr on what mini-publics are, and head to bcpolicy.ca/mini-publics to learn more. #electoralreform #bcpoli #canpoli #vanpoli

City planning is so ridiculous. In one policy they’ll make it hard to build small, modest studio and 1-bedroom homes because they want more “family-sized” homes. Then with the next policy they limit the number of bedrooms for multiplexes, while ignoring the room count for McMansions.

This is great. On all points. Especially appreciate the recognition that Vancouver’s multiplex policy falls significantly below provincial SSMUH expectations and other municipalities have far less restrictive implementations despite demand for housing being higher in Vancouver.

The BC Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform was an engagement model that set a global standard and has been studied & replicated worldwide. Senior economist @1alexhemingway.bsky.social told a legislature committee such a model could strengthen democratic engagement in BC. bcpolicy.ca/mini-pub...

This video is everything. This is how how we keep people moving in growing cities. It is a master class in messaging transit. At @movementyvr.bsky.social, we're doing our best to take this kind of messaging to places like Surrey that desperately need change.

I make no bones about being a car guy and enjoying driving. But I resent being forced to drive everywhere for everything because of poor planning and chronically under funding public transit. Multi model forms of transportation is the best thing for everyone especially for those who need to drive!

It's a housing crisis. Why is Vancouver still banning apartments on the vast majority of residential land? This suppresses both non-market and market housing creation, exporting the city's shortage to rest of the region and province. BC should put its foot down. www.sightline.org/2024/10/09/v...

The Broadway Subway to Arbutus is not enough. With over 156,000 daily trips to UBC, we need SkyTrain all the way! Extend SkyTrain to UBC NOW! 💌 Sign our petition to demand action from all levels of government. Link in bio! #ubc #ubcvancouver #vancouverbc #skytrainvancouver

Housing policy is climate policy; and California’s refusal to allow more housing in temperate, already-urbanized areas near the coast is climate denialism.

This is a good summary of Vancouver's broken planning system (by planning staff!). 871 site-specific zoning districts (27 new ones every year), 3-4 years to get a property rezoned and get a building permit council.vancouver.ca/20250722/doc...

If the feds let Toronto violate their HAF agreement without consequence, then the Housing Accelerator isn't worth the paper it's written on. Every municipality will simply ignore requirements they find inconvenient. www.theglobeandmail....

BC faces big challenges that need robust public investment to adequately address them, senior economist ‪@1alexhemingway.bsky.social told a legislative budget committee‬. Alex outlined our 3 recommendations related to tax policy, housing and social investments. bcpolicy.ca/budget20...

Crises are no time for timidity writes @sethdklein.bsky.social. First published in @nationalobserver.com. bcpolicy.ca/2025/06/...

Canada is not facing a bare cupboard. We have the resources to collectively invest in this country’s future—and the opportunity to design a modern, best-in-class wealth tax. We can lead an emerging international coalition to tax the rich. My latest in Jacobin today jacobin.com/2025/06/weal...

Whoever builds big, bright apartments with balconies over looking parks instead of car sewers is going to get a lot of votes. This is a welcome shift.

Glad this passed. Your regular reminder that housing is good, actually. People derive tremendous value from living in housing. We should allow more of it in more places. And make sure everyone has access to it.

Most workers have no viable alternative to undemocratic work, and so no choice but to suffer its harms. But what if there were an actual legal right to workplace democracy? I argue that there should be. theconversation.com/why-canada-n...

Even many socially minded wealthy Canadians—represented by groups like Patriotic Millionaires—are advocating for higher taxes on the wealthy, i.e., themselves. They recognize extreme inequality is corrosive, and we need to fund public investments to build a stronger, more resilient Canada for all.

"Canada urgently needs robust public investment in our physical and social infrastructure...We also need to reduce the extreme concentration of wealth at the top, which distorts democracy and frays our social fabric" thetyee.ca/Analysis/202...

Alex Hemingway: Under threat from a volatile United States, Canada needs to chart its own path to a more self-reliant, just and equitable economy. We can’t afford austerity or cuts. Or to let the super-rich call the shots on economic and social policy. #uspoli #cdnpoli

A federal wealth tax could raise half a trillion dollars for Canada. Extreme wealth concentration is damaging our economy and society. Taxing the super-rich could fund transformative public investments to build a stronger, more resilient Canada. New report: bcpolicy.ca/wealth-tax

BC’s minimum wage increase is a welcome raise for low-wage workers but far short of a living wage say Anastasia French and ‪@iglikaivanova.bsky.social‬. A living wage is the hourly rate needed to afford essentials like rent, food, transportation and child care.

Great thread. This story also highlights the problem with almost all of Vancouver's "bikeways" - they're narrow canyons between parked cars. This is 10th Ave, the main east-west route in the city, which Ken Sim called a "perfect bike lane" that negated the need for protected lanes on Broadway. (1/2)

Super helpful explainer here from @blakeshaffer.bsky.social on why we need an east-west power grid, how it would work, and how to overcome the historic barriers to doing so: macleans.ca/economy/forg...

At the public hearing for the MEGATOWERS last night, I figured I would have some fun. Council wants a song and dance where we have to beg for more housing, despite a crushing housing shortage...so why not give them a song? Enjoy the Happy Megatowers Polka!

I also want to be clear about something. Supporting this is a litmus test for a councilor. It's a no brainer: over 1000 rental homes, great transit, ZERO renter displacement. Not voting yes on this is a sign the councilor is part of the problem, not the solution. I hope support is unanimous.

The thing about "The Safeway tower doesn't respect the Grandview-Woodland Community Plan" is that the plan was a big waste of time that mostly just preserves the status quo. For example, the "residential character areas" to make sure streets with duplexes near the SkyTrain don't change:

Yep, our land use policy basically means renters have to show up and do a song and dance every time just to get new apartment buildings approved during a housing shortage.

I so very often hear urban planning adjacent folks talk about how new buildings should fit the “existing context.” That if we had low rise housing, we should only make some small step up in density. I think that’s total BS, a 🧵

A recent US survey found that a majority of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents support the concept of employee ownership and would prefer working for a firm owned by employees. It’s time to build the policies to make it possible.

NYC’s congestion pricing is a policy miracle: Less traffic, less noise, faster transit, more business sales, more transit revenue. And it hasn’t produced the negative effects outside the cordon zone we were afraid of. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Democratic workplaces make economies stronger. Simon Pek, Michael Mackenzie and I make the case for democratic employee ownership—and outline policy options to expand the sector—in @jacobinmag.bsky.social today. jacobin.com/2025/05/demo...

To build a more resilient Canadian economy in the face of US threats, put workers in the driver's seat. Michael Mackenzie, Simon Pek and I analyze the role and potential of democratic employee ownership in this moment. bcpolicy.ca/2025/05/06/r...