Category: british columbia

32 posts

CTA v. Neufeld (No. 10), 2026 BCHRT 49: Speech, Power, and the Boundaries of Public Debate

CTA v. Neufeld (No. 10), 2026 BCHRT 49: Speech, Power, and the Boundaries of Public Debate

February 22, 2026

For five years, school trustee Barry Neufeld used social media and public meetings to hammer away at LGBTQ-inclusive education, calling it propaganda and equating gender identity with abuse. What he framed as policy debate became a campaign that the Tribunal found poisoned the workplace for LGBTQ teachers and crossed into unlawful discrimination.

Upholding Professional Standards: The BCCNM Ruling on Amy Hamm and the Legacy of Oger v. Whatcott

Upholding Professional Standards: The BCCNM Ruling on Amy Hamm and the Legacy of Oger v. Whatcott

March 14, 2025

The British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) Discipline Committee recently ruled that Amy Hamm engaged in unprofessional conduct by making discriminatory and derogatory statements about transgender individuals while identifying herself as a nurse. This decision is a critical affirmation that healthcare professionals must provide care without bias and uphold the ethical standards of […]

Innovative Living Options Canada Could Make Easier

Innovative Living Options Canada Could Make Easier

January 23, 2025

This is episode one of a multi-piece review of alternative housing concepts for BC and Canadian households – centering eventually on suggesting suggesting liveaboard households among other innovative approaches to housing offers significant advantages in addressing the housing crisis in coastal British Columbia. Innovative Living Solutions: Adapting to Canada's Housing Affordability Crisis In recent years, […]

Atira Resignation Letter

August 27, 2024

August 27, 2024 Dear Members of the Community, I am saddened to share that I have decided to resign from the Board of Directors of Atira Women’s Resource Society. Atira provides 3,000 units of low-barrier housing for women and their children fleeing violence. I was proud to contribute to its governance during a challenging time […]

Op-Ed: The "Fairness in Women’s and Girls’ Sports Act" – A Discriminatory Misnomer

May 4, 2024

An anti-Trans bill targeting Trans women and girls failed spectacularly in the BC Legislature in May 2024. Ironically called "Fairness in Women’s and Girls’ Sports Act", it was voted down 51-27 at first reading in the BC Legislature, a fate that’s a rarity in BC politics and quite the insult. The immediate rejection of the BC […]

Letter: Local Marine Operators Desperate For Adequate Marine Infrastructure and Clear Comms from Port Authority

April 20, 2024

Dear Vancouver Port Authority, I am writing as a Vancouver resident and the owner of a licensed Canadian fishing vessel to address the significant challenges related to mooring and anchoring within the Port of Vancouver. Your website states: "The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is an arm’s-length federal agency responsible for the shared stewardship of the […]

Enhancing the Lives of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Canadians: A Call to Action For More Governmental Support

Enhancing the Lives of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Canadians: A Call to Action For More Governmental Support

January 2, 2024

In recent years, Canada has made significant strides in recognizing and supporting the rights of transgender and gender-diverse individuals. However, there is still much work to be done before Trans people are able to live their lives free of oppression and bias's harms. To further this cause, it's essential for governmental bodies at all levels—municipal, […]

Anti-SOGI Hatred’s Consequences Harms The Perpetrator Too

Anti-SOGI Hatred's Consequences Harms The Perpetrator Too

September 16, 2023

There's so much hatred in the air right now. In a society that prides itself on diversity and inclusivity, the surge of hate speech and discriminatory speech, particularly anti-SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) rhetoric, presents a concerning paradox. The incitement to discriminate against individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity is not […]

I’m Seeking the Progress Vancouver nomination for Vancouver Council. Here’s why…

I'm Seeking the Progress Vancouver nomination for Vancouver Council. Here's why…

July 21, 2022

Vancouver needs people to want to stay here but over the last 12 years three municipal governments have struggled to bring results to make our Vancouver affordable. The situation is so serious that there are 12,561 fewer under-18s in Vancouver than there were in 2010. That's why I'm seeking the nomination with Progress Vancouver for City Council: for a thriving Vancouver where people can actually afford to live. Find out more about why I think this really matters.

Its time to add covid measures

Its time to add covid measures

January 13, 2022

I’ve asked for three measures that I think will help everyone withstand COVID as the next waves come in my Jan 13, 2022 Vancouver Is Awesome op-ed "3 things that should happen to better protect B.C.'s most vulnerable against COVID-19" and in my January 17 news piece in the Georgia Straight "Morgane Oger: In the […]

Why I Celebrate Labour Day

Why I Celebrate Labour Day

September 7, 2020

Canada's labour movement trains up future activists to continue the hard work that their elders have started to make Canada more just for us all. Labour has consistently shown up at our side in the advocacy work we've done. They can be counted on to stand up for individual workers and the oppressed in the face of unfairness. Each win they help bring ensures all our children, their children have better lives. On Labour Day, I celebrate this.

Temporary Shelter in Parks – Parks Board speaking notes

Temporary Shelter in Parks – Parks Board speaking notes

July 15, 2020

Without safe, governed spaces with basic services in which campers can stay for extended periods of time, without ensuring the safety of everyone in or near our parks, and without addressing dangerous behaviour, the  proposed Vancouver Parks Board bylaws intended to govern temporary shelters offers little that is new that we can believe Parks Board staff are in a position to enforce and imposes undue hardship on those whose conduct they are being deployed to address.

Vancouver Leads The Way: Public Funds Should Never Teach and Reinforce Transphobia.

February 26, 2020

I am mindful Vancouver City Council members must be facing quite a bit of push-back from Vancouver Rape Relief (VRR) and their supporters as a result of today's finance committee vote on the staff recommendation to cancel funding of their outreach and education program. On February 26, the City of Vancouver's Standing Committee on City […]

Parents Letter: “Anti-SOGI Disinformation Incites Hatred Against Our Kids”

Parents Letter: "Anti-SOGI Disinformation Incites Hatred Against Our Kids"

May 29, 2019

Parents: "Jenn Smith has taken it upon himself…to organize public speaking events, where he goes from one community to the next, sharing his presentation to the public. The content of his presentation is misinformation, debunked pseudo-science, conspiracy theories, and a few of his own personal life experiences. Those of us who have LGBTQ2+ children and families consider his presentation dangerous because it incites hate, targeted at our kids and our families."

Stop making it worse for homeless students

October 19, 2018

This October 19, 2018 article is a reprint from an entry I wrote as part of my 2018 Vancouver School Board campaign, in which I received 27,900 votes Stigmatized youth, in particular LGBTQ2+ and indigenous youth, are over-represented in the 2018 Metro Vancouver Youth Homeless Count, published earlier this month. It represents a comprehensive snapshot […]