A lot of people are dunking on this post for various reasons, but I feel constrained to point out there is ZERO evidence that social media ‘debate’ affects people’s opinions in any type of meaningful, large-scale way.

"As an athlete, it feels manipulative. World Athletics is taking advantage of the passion we have for this sport, knowing we're going to do whatever they say to be eligible." www.cbc.ca/sports/olymp...

A couple of thoughts on last night’s @whitecapsfc.com #MLS game: Thomas Müller is *dialed in*. There was some talk about why he has the captaincy, but if you watched the game, you saw a captain. Intense in a good way and the team responded. If he keeps this up, he will be a hero in Vancouver.

Vancouver and Ottawa have been trading that third spot for a few months but crucially, Ottawa no longer has games in hand. Huge road win for #VanRiseFC in the head-to-head matchup 🏔️⬆️ #NSL

“Given the ongoing genocide in Gaza…we call on Sport Canada and Tennis Canada to forbid Canadian athletes to compete against Israeli athletes at the Davis Cup and all other international events.” - 413 🇨🇦 academics, athletes + sports journalists, inc 3 former UN special rapporteurs + an Olympic 🥈ist

My ‘wild hare’ theory on this bitcoin thing is that Ken Sim is just hedging in case he loses the next election. If he can’t be mayor, he’d be happy as a YouTube influencer #VanPoli #BCpoli

What we are witnessing with air Canada is a complete breakdown in Canada's industrial relations regime. It's part of a trend that should be scaring the hell out of average people.

“Air Canada flight attendants will defy the back-to-work order and remain on strike after the federal government ordered binding arbitration to end the work stoppage”

No matter which party is in government, they will take every opportunity to run roughshod over Section 2(d) of the Charter. You have the right to form a union and to strike, except when it's inconvenient, in which case, get your ass back to work. This country is so hostile to labour rights #cdnpoli

Last night, COPE members joined a solidarity picket line with Air Canada flight attendants. Today's move by the federal Liberal government to deny these workers their rights to collective action and collective bargaining is an attack on all working people. 📸 Cody Dilullo #Solidarity #vanpoli

Great week in Calgary with our #officials at the National High Performance Selection Camp and the coaches that will support the program over the next few years. #hockey #officiating

I think it’s simple that a person who doesn’t do a thing and instead allows a machine to do it for them can’t claim to be part of the group or history of the profession. An artist who doesn’t make the art isn’t an artist. A writer who doesn’t write is not a writer. It’s not the ideas but the making.

Here’s an artifact from the future exhibition “Profiles in Cowardice”: An unsigned, pro-genocide editorial in Canada’s most prominent newspaper. (Yes, I understand what an editorial board is; no, that doesn’t make it better)

“It is beyond a doubt that Hamas propaganda has sought to exaggerate certain instances of suffering.” The editorial board of Canada’s national newspaper The Globe and Mail has just published genocide denialism. archive.ph/2025.08.02-1...

Based on the TT trend of the 4 American cities, my #Canadian 4: • Toronto • Montreal • Vancouver • Halifax Honorable mentions: Quebec, Charlottetown, Calgary, St. John’s. Criteria: you have to balance culture, history, overall global relevance.

I genuinely don’t know how to process the liberal/centrist inability to use words correctly. A very prominent, influential federal politician thinks being admonished for their views by people on the internet is “oppression”. And I don’t think it’s a rhetorical device, he really believes it.

Building off Derek's post, I have real difficulty with how Canadian conservatives tend to view the courts as Schrödinger's justice system. They're all-in on the legal system — back the blue, innocent until proven guilty, etc. — until they're the ones interacting with the system.

I get that Toronto is the biggest city and it's a great soccer city. I also get that it's much easier to plan for a fixed site, rather than scrambling to get everything ready based on who qualifies. But god forbid the final is Vancouver-Calgary and there's like 4k people in stadium #NSL

Canada boycotted South Africa, they currently won’t play Russia or Belarus, and in 2022, the govt pressured Canada Soccer into cancelling a game with Iran. How is this different?

This is a minor detail in the larger story, but it is not insignificant: under the current circumstances, there should not be American military aircraft in Canadian airspace for any reason #cdnpoli

I am the first to defend salaries for public officials because we want expertise and we don’t want officials looking for bribes. So it’s disappointing amount of double-dipping and conflicts of interest that are uncovered.

Book 11 ☑️ This #book is a tapestry that represents a small but significant set of experiences during an impactful moment in #Canadian history. It is a fitting tribute to the incredibly-accomplished individuals who freely gave their time and expertise when Canadians needed it.

Book 12 ☑️ I like what this says about our relationship with animals: cats are their own beings (esp rescues) with their own desires and feelings. But we project onto them and convince ourselves that we are in charge, when really the cat (or fate) decides when the relationship begins and ends.

One benefit of actually #reading is that you find specific passages that speak directly to you and stay with you forever. It's not about finding the most profound passage to impress people, but to allow yourself to find something that feels like the author wrote it specifically for you.

I said I had mixed feelings about Breaking4. Here are a lot of them, in today's Fast Women newsletter: fastwomen.substack.com/p/fast-women...

4:06.42 for Faith Kipyegon, the fastest mile any woman has ever run.

Obviously, political movements look different in different countries, but I find it fascinating that all right-wing politicians seem to become cartoonish parodies of themselves. According to OneBC, Rustad is “woke” and The Tyee is “Marxist”because apparently words no longer have meaning.

Greetings from Los Angeles, where the Gold Cup will begin Saturday with a Mexico match - and where protests against ICE raids continue. What happens when the biggest strength of the Gold Cup, and the United States, is seen as a weakness by the U.S. government? open.substack.com/pub/getconca...

Honored and excited to be giving two presentations at this year’s Hockey Conference later this month. The first is based on my masters research into referee decision-making and the second is on a new project to improve officials’ experience thru education on pregnancy and return-to-sport.

The most unfortunate thing is that this has been known since I was an HS senior 15 years ago: the transactional nature of the education system (also the world) is killing student’s incentive to think critically and creatively. Students were primed for the introduction of ChatGPT.

Elizabeth Mantha 135:33 Chad Ingalls 135:33 Sophie Thomson 135:33 Erin Zach 135:33 Ice time. Earned. 🦓

🍁⚽️ In Burnaby for Northern Super League action! First of many games at Swangard — a great spot for this team #woso @vancouverrisefc.bsky.social

“Search ‘Lapu Lapu Day’ and results are about the Vancouver attack. I want to share what the celebrations were meant to be about.”

It is unbelievably frustrating to hear people talk about involuntary treatment when people cannot *voluntarily* access the treatment they need and want.

The topic of alcohol abuse is discussed a lot in the context of hazing (usually) underage athletes and I think there’s a broader discussion to be had about how alcohol consumption/abuse is modeled for these athletes from a very young age (without absolving them of personal responsibility)

Book #7 of 2025 📚 The Guest Cat — Takashi Hiraide This is a beautifully-written novella about impermanence and the weight it can place on our relationships. It’s also about cats, which is a bonus.

A great start to the week with our Esso Cup group in Lloydminster! 🍁🦓 #womenshockey

Key takeaways for me in this game: ↕️ Holly Ward was really good on both sides of the ball. Pushed the attack and got back on defense. 🤝 The chemistry between Quinn and Nikki Stanton really showed. You can see the experience and that pairing will be super important for Vancouver this season.

QUINN, THE FIRST-EVER SCORER IN NORTHERN SUPER LEAGUE HISTORY! From the penalty spot, the Vancouver Rise midfielder broke the deadlock to put the hosts ahead. #NSL 📸 Gordon Kalisch / FastTrackSportsPhotography

It's the eve of the inaugural match of the NSL. I had some thoughts about the stage setting Vancouver, the league, the opportunities, and the moments to come. www.cbc.ca/sports/socce...

2 takeaways from seeing this match in person: 🛡️ The Caps stayed much tighter on the set pieces (esp. 2nd/3rd phase) than in previous games. 🥊 They got on stop and stayed on top. Too often, this team has scored a goal or two and retreated into their shell. Tonight, they just kept hitting Austin.

Book 5 of 2025 📚✅ This is an incredible piece of #hockey history. It's also a timely reminder that many of the historical events of the Summit Series were very different from how the stories were told and re-told over the last 50 years as part of the Canadian myth-making project. #referee #history

This is a very well-written piece but the part I hadn't considered is what is quoted below: For all the support that Canadian governments have given to Israel, they are not an ally. If we were attacked, they would not help us.

🏒 IIHF Women’s World Championship 📍 České Budějovice, Czechia #womenshockey #iihf

Book 4 of 2025 📚✅ I love Elizabeth Nunez (RIP), I love novels set in the Caribbean that are written by Caribbean-born authors, and I love a Shakespeare-inspired framing.

📸🇨🇿 A couple of snaps from an all-too-brief 19-hour stop in Prague.

Book 3 of 2025 📚✅ This book’s greatest strength is what it is not: it’s not trying to convince you of anything. This book is premised on one simple question: what does the data say?

Celebrating #IWD by appreciating all the times I get to rock with these incredible people in sport and #officiating. What a privilege 🙏🏽

Book 2 of 2025 📚✅ Richard Wright is one of the best writers in the English language; doesn’t make this an easy read. His depiction of the dislocation that occurs as the result of American racism is both deeply complex and searingly brutal. A very challenging read, but worth it.