Four Protests and An Election
The Thorn on Thursdays | Sept 9 2021
The Thorn is back after our Summer Siesta!
Here are some recent news stories that occurred while The Thorn was on hiatus but are still deserving of attention:
Local
The Unspoken Epidemic
August 31 was Opioid awareness day. More than 7,700 lives in B.C. have been lost to this epidemic, including more than a 1000 this year. Drug toxicity is now the leading cause of death in B.C. for people between 19 and 39 years of age. The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) held a memorial and protest at Main and Hastings to commemorate the lives lost, and to demand action on safe supply .
In related news, Michael K Williams, the actor most famous for portraying Omar on The Wire, passed away on Sept 7th, from a suspected heroin overdose, after a long struggle with drug addiction.
Burnaby Tree Sit Under Attack!
The tree-sit at Lost Creek in Burnaby that is blocking construction of the Trans-Mountain pipeline in the area is under attack.A large number of Trans-Mountain security and workers arrived at Lost Creek on September 8, to put up fencing to block supplies from reaching the tree-sit.Trans-Mountain appears to be trying to force the tree-sit to disband, either by starving it out, or if that fails, by forcefully removing it.Burnaby Residents Opposing Kinder Morgan Expansion (BROKE) are calling on all available opponents of Trans-Mountain that can make it to the Lost Creek site to come and engage in direct action to try and protect the tree sit, through Friday September 10 at least. Attendees should be prepared to be arrested, should it come to that.Read More: Trans Mountain protesters occupying Burnaby trees ‘under siege’ after fence erected
DSOV Launches Housing For All Campaign at Little Mountain
On September 8, the Democratic Socialists of Vancouver (DSoV) held the public launch of its Housing For All campaign. The rally was held at the former site of the Little Mountain Social Housing, at 33rd and Ontario in Vancouver. Built in the 1950s as BC’s first social housing project using federal government money, the 224 units housed almost 700 people in core housing need.
In 2007 the BC government evicted the tenants, and sold the land to the Holborn Group in a secret contract. In 2015, Holborn built one building with 54 units of “social housing”; however, most of the site continues to sit empty as the land appreciates in value in the middle of a housing crisis. Holborn’s eventual stated plan is to build market condos on most of the rest of the site; however, the recent release of the contract reveals that there is no requirement for Holborn to build any housing, social or otherwise.
MC’d by Stephanie Langford of the DSoV, rally speakers included Derrick O’Keefe (DSoV); Don Davies (NDP candidate for Vancouver Kingsway and MP since 2008); Anjali Appadurai (NDP candidate for Vancouver Granville); Jean Swanson (Vancouver City Councillor); and Doug McCorquodale (Vancouver Ecosocialists); John Irwin (Vancouver Park Commissioner); Laura Stannard (long-time housing activist and the former lead organizer for the citywide housing coalition); Local accordion player and singer Geoff Berner performed a Woody Guthrie song. A statement from Vancouver City Councillor Christine Boyle, who could not attend, was read.
A Housing For All banner and placards were created by local artist Deirdriu Ní Cheocháin (Deer draw). Another local artist, Maddy Andrews, created an effigy of former BC Liberal Housing Minister Rich Coleman.
Persons interested in taking part in the DSOV Housing For All Now campaign can sign up on their website.
Provincial
Rumble at Fairy Creek
At least 886 people have been arrested at Fairy Creek, which has now surpassed the Clayoquot Sound protests in 1993 to become the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history.
After the BC government accepted a request by the Pacheedaht, Ditdaht, and Huu-ay-aht Nations back in June to suspend logging for one year in the central walbran valley where Fairy Creek is located, logging was supposed to stop. Unfortunately, disagreements over what area is covered by the agreement means that logging company Teal Jones has continued to log some of the old-growth forest in the Walbran Valley.
A steady stream of protesters has been continuing to arrive at Fairy Creek, periodically interrupting the logging until the RCMP arrest the protesters. And the RCMP are continuing to enforce media exclusion zones while making arrests, in violation of a court order requiring the RCMP to grant media access.
During the second week of August, RCMP launched a major raid against the main protest HQ at Fairy Creek. Clay Nikiforuk and Aleisha Langmann covered the action for Ricochet.
Inside the raid on Fairy Creek’s HQ: Violence, arrests and media exclusion
The latest report is that Fairy Creek Protesters have once again been removed by the RCMP, and logging has again resumed.
RCMP remove Fairy Creek protesters as trenches fill with rain
National
Canadian Election
A federal election was called on August 16, with voting day September 20. Advanced voting takes place over four days from September 10-13. Voters can apply to vote by mail by Tuesday, September 14th, although mail-in ballots must be received by the local Elections Canada office by September 20. You can vote in person at any Elections Canada office before Tuesday September 14th or at your assigned polling station.
Despite this election being called during the 4th wave of the ongoing COVID pandemic, poll volunteers don't need to get vaccinated.
Two local climate activists are running for the NDP in Metro Vancouver. Avi Lewis, an acclaimed documentary filmmaker, journalist, founding member of the Leap Manifesto, and Green New Deal advocate, is seeking election in West Vancouver - Sunshine Coast - Sea to Sky Country. Prominent environmentalist David Suzuki, as well as several former Green Party candidates, have signed a letter backing Avi. Video.
Avi Lewis: Ecosocialism Is on the March in Canada
In Vancouver Granville, the NDP is running Anjali Appadurai, the local climate campaigner for the Sierra Club. Anjali first came to prominence in 2011 as a youth delegate to the Durban United Nations Climate Summit, where she gave a speech urging world leaders to agree immediately to a deal of binding emission cuts.
Anjali’s campaign received a boost when it was revealed in the media that Vancouver Granville Liberal candidate Taleeb Noormohamed “has sold 41 properties since 2005 — 21 of them after less than a year of ownership — making $4.9 million in the process.” The scandal pegs Taleeb as a likely opponent of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau’s plan to impose a anti-flipping tax on homes sold within one year of purchase.
The Communist Party of Canada has released its platform, which includes Calls to: eliminate income tax for people earning less than $40,000 and raise wealth taxes; build 1 million public housing units; rebuild publicly owned utilities; implement universal pharmacare; abolish the RCMP; settle indigenous land claims; implement pay equity legislation; replace the Temporary Foreign Worker Program with a path to citizenship; end arms sales to Saudi Arabia; cancels the debts of impoverished countries; and so on.
International
The Write Stuff
Irish marxist novelist Sally Rooney released her third novel “Beautiful World, Where Are You”.
Upcoming Events
Democratic Socialists of Vancouver AGM
The DSOV is holding its first ever AGM on Sunday October 3rd & elect its first Steering Committee. Members will be able to nominate & vote for candidates. More information can be found on their website.
Vancouver Ecosocialists Events Page -- List of events both online and from around Metro Vancouver.
Media Roundup
The IPCC Report: Key Findings and Radical Implications -- Brian Tokar in Climate & Capitalism
We Backed BC’s Climate Plan. Now We See It’s Not Enough -- Grand Chief Phillip Stewart, Hannah Askew, Tzeporah Berman and Andrew Gage in The Tyee.
A modest proposal for reimagining Canadian foreign policy -- Bianca Mugyenyi in Canadian Dimension.
Jagmeet Singh’s Support For Provincial NDP Betrays His Promise - Robert Hiltz in Passage.
Harsha Wali’s Border and Rule reviewed - Natasha Lennard in Bookforum.
@pressprogress is launching a new weekly national labour newsletter called Shift Work! Every Friday, receive a roundup of news, strikes and organizing across the country.
Did you know the Thorn has a Patreon? You can support us for as little as $2 a month: