Category: canada

54 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 […]

The Window Is Closing: Trans and Nonbinary Americans Need to Prepare for a Safe Exit

The Window Is Closing: Trans and Nonbinary Americans Need to Prepare for a Safe Exit

February 22, 2025

The situation for transgender and nonbinary people in the U.S. seems to be worsening and quickly. If history has taught us anything, it’s that when a marginalized group is targeted, escape routes can close quickly. For those paying attention, the writing is on the wall: a combination of restrictive laws, court decisions, and rising hostility […]

Entering Canada at a Port of Entry

Entering Canada at a Port of Entry

February 9, 2025

This info sheet may be of particular interest to US passport holders who are transgender or nonbinary and face passport confiscation when leaving the US at a port of entry. A person can enter Canada at a port of entry even if they did not leave another country through an official port of entry. However, […]

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, […]

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 […]

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.

The Erosion of Decency: Free Expression Has no Room For Inciting Discrimination or Hatred

May 10, 2019

On May 2 2019, conservative faith-based group Canadian Christian Lobby, the CCL, held a public talk entitled "The erosion of freedom: How transgender politics in school and society is undermining our freedom and harming women and children". This was the fourth in a series on Vancouver Island that also advertises dates in Metro Vancouver in may. […]

Municipal institutions need to add an anti-discrimination clause to facility rental policies

April 25, 2019

On April 24 2019, I asked VSB Trustees that the Vancouver Public Library Library follow the example of the Toronto Public Library and reserve the right to deny or cancel a booking as follows when it reasonably believes use by any individual or group will be for a purpose that is likely to promote, or would have the effect of promoting discrimination, contempt or hatred for any group or person on the basis of prohibited grounds.