Gimme Shelter

In early November, as BC’s southern interior got cold enough to be life threatening, a group of community service organizations operating shelters sent a joint letter to municipal officials, Interior Health, and BC Housing essentially withdrawing their services. The letter calls BC’s response to the homelessness crisis “an exercise in futility, at best” and went […]

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What is Vancouver’s Election About?

The Coalition for Progressive Electors (COPE) – Vancouver’s political party for renters and workers – hosted a Rally for Rent Control, on October 2. Incumbent city councillor Jean Swanson (COPE) shared a platform with Seattle’s Socialist Alternative city councillor, Kshama Sawant and other COPE candidates. Jean offered “huge thanks” to “Kshama for the solidarity she’s […]

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Court Puts Landlords Before People

One unelected Supreme Court judge has overturned the democratic decision of the City of Vancouver. The ruling backs the greed of landlords over the need of people. In November 2021, Vancouver council agreed, with only one vote against, to implement rent control on Single Room Accommodation (SRA). These small units, about 100 square feet and […]

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Liberals’ Budget: for Bay Street, Not Workers

The Liberal government’s 2022 budget is a budget for Bay Street, not for working-class Canadians. It’s full of incentives and subsidies for big business, including fossil fuel companies and private developers. It has a housing program that will leave thousands without homes, and a weak and slowly implemented dental program that won’t cover everyone. The […]

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Vancouver Rent Control Victory!

After years of hard campaigning by tenants, the SRO Collaborative and Vancouver City Councillor Jean Swanson, a victory! In mid-November 2021, Vancouver City Council approved real rent control for the private single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels that house many of the city’s most vulnerable people in the Downtown Eastside. SROs are usually small single rooms, about […]

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Students and teachers' unions protesting in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: Teachers’ Trade Union Crumples in the Face of Government Attack

BREAKING NEWS: On August 10, the HKPTU leaders formally disbanded the union, which was founded in 1973. This disastrous state of affairs was unfortunately already clear, as our report says, from the union leadership’s previous capitulation to the outrageous attacks and smears of the government. This further underlines the urgent need for a completely new […]

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