So many of those initiatives seem like they are driven by media reporting on inaction resulting in a snap reaction to sway public opinion as opposed to anything done proactively.

The international student thing was 1000000% driven by reporting, they would have been happy to keep the cash cow flowing if outlets hadn’t started reporting on strip malls filled with “colleges”

Ya but Trump was charging exorbitant fees to house all his staff at his various resorts, that is the very definition of corruption.

Let's be honest as well, people have made an issue of every vacation Trudeau has taken, even when he went to buttfuck Tofino.

Conservatives did the same shit to Obama, don't think I forget that. "Oh he's in Hawaii again! Why can't he vacation in Camp David?!".

Meanwhile Trump vacations at his various resorts, bumps up the price for rooms, food, etc., for his staff to ridiculous amounts (literally breaking the emoluments clause) charges the government these costs, and not a single peep. The guy was having world leaders and officials pay for play to stay at his resorts to get "exclusive" access to him. How is that not bribery at its very fundamentals?

I hate whataboutism, but you need to project your ire to the same stuff if your guy is doing it far worse.

This is a dumb mountain to die on IMHO.

I guess being a national leader means no vacations. If anyone who leads by example, it'd be Angela Merkel.

Why should I be concerned about what Trump does?

I'm assuming this was this was due to his penchant for golden showers?

Holy fuck, what a brainfart.

Exorbitant.

I'm not saying you should be concerned about what Trump does, just providing a comparison to something much worse which I don't really hear conservatives speaking about, or even bothered by. Meanwhile a little trip by the drama teacher, and it's pearl cutching time.

It's not consistent.

The international students issue is more than just "strip malls filled with Colleges" though. Even before news of that broke out, there have been an ongoing stream of reports describing how much international students have been getting ripped off, how they are paying sky high tuitions fees compared to domestic students (usually 3 - 5x higher), how they are enrolled in garbage courses irrelevant to the work they seek, how they cannot afford to meet basic needs bcos of work restrictions, etc. All of that reporting has been going on for quite some time, at least since early-ish 2023, if not longer.

Housing difficulties for students is also not new. I remember watching quite a bit of that in Aug and early September.

The strip mall college stuff seems like they are more recently reported, but certainly that is also not a new issue.

The crackdown on too many international student visas is long overdue, but it is not exactly a "new" problem brought up by the media spotlight.

Y not too many Ukrainians, Palestinians, Mexicans, that Quebec border where they just walk over? Cut back on Ukraine spending that should be enough to build some houses

I remember not too long ago when "International Student" meant some young piece of ass from Korea or Japan that local White and Chinese guys would try and bang. Now it's an Indian guy delivering your Uber Eats with an attitude that's getting fucked by the gig economy.

You mean crashing into bridges :lawl::joy:

well yeah that too but crashing trucks doesn't really fit that well into my innuendo laded analogy. Unless you mean tunnels too!

A glimpse into BC’s future:

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Health/wi...egon-106814859

I'm pretty sure that's already happened in B.C. over the last 3 years. If anything the fentanyl crisis is somewhat new to the US in comparison.

Portland was 3-4 years ahead of BC in their hard drug decriminalization, and now they are in a state of emergency.

But Portugal has decriminalized drug users since 2001, which is way way way before any of these states or us did and you love it there :)

Seriously though, I don't think Portland is a good comparison, they have no med system in the USA to treat patients... it's never going to be that bad here... our support systems might suck, but they don't suck anywhere near as hard as they do in the USA.

Portland is downright scary now. I dont dare go anymore. Me and the wifey used to love going down there on weekends to buy shit tax free (when the dollar was on par). Woodburn outlet 4 the win for fat guy clothing

Portugals system isn’t comparable here either. , watch the countless documentaries or news pieces in the last few years about the differences.

I cannot stress enough that there was -no where- in Portugal that’s as bad as countless places in the lower mainland. Spending over a month in Portugal’s biggest cities the amount of tents and people laying across the sidewalk I could count on one hand. Their system is obviously effective in helping people with treatement and recovery.

I honestly think here we’re so far past the point of having a cultural shift/governmental shift to recovery and treatment that it’s FAR more likely we end up like Portland than Portugal. How can you not be embarrassed driving around seeing the shit we see

And it’s not just the DTES now, drive through maple ridge, drive down the freeway at Sumas, drive through west Kelowna. There are tent cities -everywhere-

BC is pretty fu*ked ... heard in the news that BC Chief coroner wanted a safe supply of drugs, free, without prescription, and even available to youths!

Thank goodness Eby isn't high like she is.

Eby underscores 'fundamental' disagreement with B.C. chief coroner on safe supply
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...aths-1.7095428

B.C. Premier David Eby has rebuffed the province's retiring chief coroner's swansong pleas for non-prescription safe supply of drugs, calling it a "fundamental issue'' of disagreement on how to curb the toxic drug crisis.

"I do not believe that the distribution of incredibly toxic opioid drugs without the supervision of a medical professional in British Columbia is the way forward and the way out of the toxic drug crisis,'' Eby told a news conference.

The news was saying today toxic drugs are the #1 killer of people aged 9-50. Worse than everything else including cancer, heart disease, etc.

Fucked up.

BC declared a state of emergency like 3 years ago for the toxic drug crisis did they not?

Thought it was just a “public health crisis” whereas, from my understanding the Portland scenario is like, get federal funding, call in the national gaurd, man power etc. to start triaging people because it’s so bad.

Well that's not a surprise, if the #1 killer of people under 50 is Heart Disease, we got some serious underlying issues. In some other countries, its accidents,suicide or murder.

BTW, when are you moving to Portugal again? I seem to recall you were doing that a couple (few?) years ago now?

Yes I believe we have footage of that:
https://i.imgflip.com/8ea8up.jpg

The EU is my oyster bro

https://i.imgur.com/e2cdeZh.jpeg

My new employment situation complicates things a bit

Hmmmm ....

Authorities investigating massive security breach at Global Affairs Canada
Internal emails describe a month-long security breach affecting 'many' government employees

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/glo...each-1.7099290