Canadian politics thread

[Hondaracer]

So I took transit for a year to work before my arrangement changed. Got on at nanaimo and went east

Was literally a daily occurnace to see crack pipes and needles on the ground at both stations I’d go to, not hyperbole at all, a daily occurance. At this point though it doesn’t shock me or anything like that. It would also be a daily occurance to see the addict types arguing on the platforms and pushing their way passed the handicapped gates etc.

In my daily life I -never- talk politics my wife couldn’t care less and it’s moreso I know people like Mike is referencing above than being that myself lol

I just say shit here because it’s easy to type somthing out when I’m bored and I’ve got plenty of free time during the day. The last thing I want to do in person going out is have some discussion on Trudeau or even talk anything remotely politics, because it just feels like a total waste of time and never amounts to anything.

Any reasonably intelligent person I know never talks politics, and outside of the few very wealthy people I see on a regular basis who occasionally complain about health care etc. no one ever goes out of their way to discuss anything to the scale we do here.

I find when you do run into people who, only want to talk politics and how Trudeau is this or that, generally they are losers with a shitty lot in life and are looking to blame anything for their own shortcomings.

My crack pipe observations are moreso a commentary on the general degradation of society as a whole.

[pastarocket]

Originally Posted by 68style

I'm just curious if you listen to a lot of podcasts???

Guy at my condo's gym talks to me every night and he literally says exactly all the same things that you post here... almost word for word... like it's uncanny...

Besides these talking points, keeps telling me every day that the world is going to shit and Canada is going to shit and the financial system is going to collapse and Biden is practically dead and doesn't make his own decisions and Trudeau is going to get shot in the next 2 years and trannies are going to take over public restrooms to jerk off to kids going pee.

Like honestly he's such a nice dude and always been super nice to me, but he goes for a walk every 2nd night to the end of the Iona Beach jetty and back listening to podcasts from right wing nutjobs and has been getting progressively convinced that he's fighting a war just to survive here.

I don't get it man... like I walk the same paths every day and none of this supposed national anarchy and end of days nonsense that's supposedly happening all around us ever gets in my way or obstructs me. It's bizarre.

I just hate seeing the guy get so paranoid and unhappy for no tangible reason. He used to be a total player too, lots of girls just living his life even at 50+ but now he's saying women don't talk to him anymore etc... well no shit I wonder why lol, who wants to hang out with a dude that thinks everything sucks every day. Not saying that's necessarily YOU... but it does make me kinda worried cuz I think you're a good dude too.

I agree with points that you make about some people seeing Canada, and the U.S. for that matter turning into a crime ridden shithole on the brink of financial collapse. Putting blame on the Liberals and for the US, the Democrats for the economic and social problems that we see in Canada and US now.

You might have noticed that TV ads from the Cons about Trudeau and the Liberals promising "change". Then the ads show the Before and After pictures of neighbourhoods that look peaceful and safe, and then turning into homeless zones full of drug addicts and crime. Putting the blame on Trudeau and the Liberals for the "change".

Then I think about the ads later one day. "Does Poilievre and the Cons have the solutions in their election platform to address homelessness, drug addiction, and the opioid crisis?"

What makes me think that the PP Boy and the Conservatives are the party to vote for in the next federal election?

Homelessness and drug addiction have been in Canadian society years before Trudeau and the Liberals formed the federal government. Have these issues gotten worse during the reign of the Liberals? Yes, you can argue that things have changed for the worse.

I don't think that Poilievre and the Cons can adequately address the issues of homelessness, housing affordability, and the opioid drug crisis.

For example, the opioid drug crisis is so complex in nature that you would need multiple levels of government and a great deal of public funding to address the issue. Are municipal governments ready and willing to tackle this drug crisis?

Meanwhile, Vancouver Mayor Sim is getting flack for turning one of the City Hall boardrooms into a gym. A tax payer funded resource is being used as a gym hahah. The mayor cares more about being "energized" after a gym workout than tackling the opioid drug crisis?

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/0...-gym-spending/

[whitev70r]

Sad to see that the power of being Vancouver mayor seems to be getting into his head ... I really thought he might be different.

[pastarocket]

Originally Posted by whitev70r

Sad to see that the power of being Vancouver mayor seems to be getting into his head ... I really thought he might be different.

What makes me angry about Sim's conversion of one of City Hall's boardroom's into a gym is that he is using tax payer funds to turn a room into something that is completely unnecessary.

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/0...-gym-spending/

The article states that city hall has a gym in the building's basement. The mayor is too damn lazy to walk to the basement gym to do a workout?? Asking him to do more work to improve housing in Vancouver or deal with the drug crisis is too much work for the poor mayor haha.

Sim campaigned on a platform of improved management of civic government spending. Sim City is really Spend City under this incompetent mayor!

[Badhobz]

Oh come on. Chinamen w/ power and money ? That’s always a recipe for corruption and abuse. It’s historically a part of our DNA.

[pastarocket]

Originally Posted by Badhobz

Oh come on. Chinamen w/ power and money ? That’s always a recipe for corruption and abuse. It’s historically a part of our DNA.

Sad but true. The truth hurts haha.

[Traum]

Originally Posted by pastarocket

What makes me think that the PP Boy and the Conservatives are the party to vote for in the next federal election?

Homelessness and drug addiction have been in Canadian society years before Trudeau and the Liberals formed the federal government. Have these issues gotten worse during the reign of the Liberals? Yes, you can argue that things have changed for the worse.

I don't think that Poilievre and the Cons can adequately address the issues of homelessness, housing affordability, and the opioid drug crisis.

If anything, the standard Conservative playbook calls for cutbacks to social services and support programs. So the homelessness and drug addiction issues will only get worse on the frontlines.

[CivicBlues]

Originally Posted by Badhobz

Oh come on. Chinamen w/ power and money ? That’s always a recipe for corruption and abuse. It’s historically a part of our DNA.

What about Mayor Chow in Toronto, granted she's a woman but she's as popular and woke as they come apparently.

Not to downplay your whole chinaman schtick but this is more of a "put the beancounters in charge and watch things go to shit" that we're seeing more and more of like at Boeing.

[Badhobz]

Give her some time. Same shit.

Egos get big, people get used to power and cannot envision letting go. All that selfless reasons for entering politics (if there is such a thing) goes out the window quite quickly.

[CivicBlues]

Did you know 4 of the top 6 cities in Canada are now run by Asians?

East Asian Mayors for Vancouver and Toronto

South Asian Mayors for Calgary and Edmonton

[Traum]

IIRC, Gondek and Sohi are both getting some pretty low approval ratings, esp Gondek. Seems very unlikely that she can make it for another term if she decides to try again next year.

For the time being, Chow (Por Por) has done a fabulous job in TO. But she'll be 70 when the next municipal election rolls around, so who knows if she'd still want to keep going.

[Hondaracer]

Like.. to my previous point..

I was out around Scott road and 88th today, went to the Burger King there, 5-6 person homeless encampment right on the boulevard at that strip mall

I drive home, 4-5 people actively camping right against Trail appliances at Grandview and Rupert. 2 tents in the baseball diamond right across the street

Drive another blocks, bunch of strung out people laying up against super store

Sweeeeeeeettttt

Like I said previously, the next time you drive from say, nanaimo up Kingsway to metro/royal oak, have a good look at the gas stations, vacant buildings, cooridoors between buildings..

When I went to the dispensary at Kingsway and Willingdon last week the manager inside was freaking out that a drunk homeless guy had kept coming in and threatening staff.. when I drove away up Kingsway I looked out beside the dispensary and there must have been 10 people strung out in the little alley behind it

[mikemhg]

We all knew Sims was going to be garbage, the problem was people didn't show up to vote, and Stewart was as likeable as a wet fart.

Sims is Chip Wilson's lapdog. His entire agenda was to keep property taxes low, suck the police union's dick with money, sell off public goods to corporate entities (get ready for Kitsilano Pool sponsor by TELUS), and disinvest in services.

He had no plan, or real agenda, he said that himself after getting in.

This is my biggest gripe about conservative governments, they talk a lot of game, sell you a million promises, but they always do the same crap every time.

[Badhobz]

Who in their right mind would want to get into politics anyways ? To “serve” your
Constituents?!? Give me a break. I rather see those motherfuckers burn.

People are generally self serving idiots. Anyone who goes about becoming a life long politician is just a narcissist who likes hearing the sound of their own voice. I can’t name a single politician who wasn’t shady, a liar, or a crook. At least business people are honest about their profiteering. These fuckers walk around like their shit doesn’t stink

[Traum]

Originally Posted by mikemhg

We all knew Sims was going to be garbage, the problem was people didn't show up to vote, and Stewart was as likeable as a wet fart.

I am not defending Sim in any way, but IMO, Stewart has been the most incompetent mayor Vancouver has seen in my entire adulthood, so getting rid of Stewart was a necessity.

[westopher]

Sim is for sure worse, and I didn't believe that was possible.

[Hondaracer]

The Bike Lane removal alone I’ll still give Sim the edge.

Stewart was brutallllll

[68style]

Sim has his dick in so many private entities it's not even funny, he's making BANK in this position... Vancouverites are basically paying for him to party his ass off and set up for retirement right now.

His real estate ventures alone are enough to send any reasonable person into the sunset well taken care of.

[mikemhg]

Oh buddy and you wait until he's out of office.

I guarantee he'll have a board seat, and a cushy consulting/advisory role at some company he's been schmoozing with by the very next day of the election.

You could've seen that coming from a mile away, the guy is a crony, through and through.

I found this tidbit from his Wiki somewhat interesting:

"Robin Chan, who is Sim's uncle, held the role of vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC), a top-ranking organization in the Chinese Communist Party's united front network".

Hmmm, is this the type of outside political influence we've all been talking about?

[whitev70r]

^ I remember Sims getting all righteous and pious when accusations were thrown that China had influence in the mayor election of Vancouver. Why the hell wouldn't China want to influence the outcome of Vancouver mayor - portal to Asia, high Chinese population, lots of China real estate investors.

Stop and think though, 2 of Canada's major cities have Chinese mayors, TO and Vancouver.

Calgary, I think she's brown, Jyoti ... influence from India?

[westopher]

https://globalnews.ca/news/10594818/...p-dispute/amp/
This actually all turned out pretty awesome.
I was very worried that things would boil over here, but cooler heads prevailed and ended with the neighborhood and the homeless encampment working together to fight the politicians for a solution.
I'm truly impressed and feeling pretty proud of those involved. We shouldn't be fighting against those facing homelessness and addictions issues. Cooler heads prevailed, and it shows that those facing these issues are by large not by any means wanting to be a threat to the communities.
The link doesn't post the conclusion, but dialogue between both groups has ended with both of them at city hall looking for help for those in the encampment.

[Hondaracer]

Airbnb ban having its desired effect in eliminating vacations? Lol

This hotel in penticton we used to rent for $280 a night during prime weekend slots 2 years ago, now we are paying $430 a day mid-week. $430 a night for a 20 year old lime scaled shower and dirty towels sweeettt



I can’t believe how expensive shit is in general, go out for beers and apples a couple times yesterday and it’s $120+ at each place for 2 people

5 days at the cabin and a week in penticton will cost us 4-5k all said and done, shit is wildddddd.

What’s also crazy is I was bored and went through my phone deleting hundreds of old photos and came across some receipts from previous trips out snowmobiling, dirt biking etc. with friends over a 3-4 day weekend and a Costco bill with fucking steaks, sausages, all breakfasts, snacks, candy, water, Gatorade etc. for 4-5 people was like $200 back in 2016/17

Wife and I spent $330 on a hastily bought Save-on run with virtually no protein other than eggs and deli meat

[68style]

Travel is crazy expensive now no matter where you go, hotels I used to expect like $130-150 a night was about average even in a smaller town that doesn't have attractions... shit's all $250+ now

[Badhobz]

I’m not sure how normal people making 50-60k a year is surviving. It’s fucking impossible if you have a 2500 mortgage and a car payment. Like literally you’re gonna starve.

This city is so retarded. Either you are in so much excess you can buy trash for lawls or you are dumpster diving food banks for your next meal. Middle class is dead

[68style]

If I was by myself, I'm not 100% sure I could afford to rent the condo I own lol