Richmond’s lack of dense, affordable housing has created a world where there aren’t enough homes for everyone who needs one (read: everyone), and the ones that do get housed are paying ludicrous prices for a basic human right. A tight, rigid housing market means people will be locked out of our society, quite literally. With a more compact, affordable, and greener land, we can begin to correct these wrongs. People will be able to have more of a financial cushion for when things go wrong, workers won’t have to spend hours of their lives traveling to and from their jobs, and our next generation won’t have to move across oceans to find a home they can afford.

There is no greater time to protect our HEALTH and IMMUNITY by protecting our surrounding ecosystem! Our watersheds will be directly affected by pesticides residues and reduction of forest undergrowth. Their stated "safety practices" are anything but when you look at the bigger picture. We need to protect out forest, water and health! We won't get a second chance.

In mid-May, the VPD announced that they were investigating 29 Anti-Asian hate crimes since mid-March, an alarming spike. This does not even begin to touch on the increase in micro-aggressions experienced by targeted communities since Covid-19. According to Human Rights Watch, governments should take urgent steps to prevent racist and xenophobic violence and discrimination linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, people, more than ever, are turning to the government for leadership and information. We need our government to take a stand not just against Covid, but also against the rise in anti-Asian violence and discrimination.

With millions of Canadians out of work through no fault of their own, it's become impossible for many to keep up with rent, small business owners and residents alike. Premier Ford has stated that "greedy landlords" must work with their commercial tenants or face his wrath - and rightly so. [1] Yet when it comes to residential tenants, Ford calls a very different tune. Ford's government is in the process of ramming through Bill 184, a cruel measure that makes it easier for landlords to evict tenants and makes it harder - in some cases impossible - for tenants to defend themselves in eviction hearings. It also slashes protections against landlords raising rents without notice. Finally, it makes it so that renters can no longer raise persistent disrepair issues at Landlord and Tenant Board hearings. [3] Make no mistake - most landlords are not your friendly mom and pop operations. In fact, in Canada, "mom and pop" landlords make up just 3% of Canadian households. Many landlords are huge financial investment firms who pay a management company to deal with the logistics - the landlord is simply a faceless batch of investors. [4,5] And they're not struggling. According to the Toronto Star, "a top Canadian REIT earned $778 million in rental revenue last year. Its operating expenses (including property taxes and utilities) were about $270 million — leaving $508 million in net operating income, or profits." [6] Premier Ford, you should be ashamed of yourself. You ran on a platform of supporting the "little guy". Yet here we are in the midst of a pandemic, and you're handing power over to faceless and obscenely wealthy corporations to senselessly evict struggling people and take away their ability to defend themselves at the Landlord and Tenant Board. We deserve better, Premier. You named Bill 184 "Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing". Make it live up to its name - strike out the provisions that will turn more people out on the streets or force them to live in chronic disrepair in the name of investor profits. Citations: [1] https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2020/05/20/premier-doug-ford-rails-against-greedy-landlords-for-not-being-fair-to-commercial-tenants.html [2] https://www.blogto.com/real-estate-toronto/2020/05/ontario-bill-184-evictions/ [3] https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/05/27/news/ontario-pushing-through-changes-tenancy-law-crisis-looms [4] https://www.landlordsoftoronto.com/ [5] https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/n7jy8b/dont-worry-about-paying-your-landlord-rent-during-the-coronavirus-crisis [6] https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/thebigdebate/2020/04/28/the-big-debate-can-landlords-afford-to-forgive-rent-during-the-pandemic.html Photo credit: "Crossways Projects, Toronto" by Justin L Walsh (licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Due to price gauging and other expenses in Canada during COVID19 some people myself included couldn't get enough food we asked local food banks for help no one showed up we had 2 days of food left and 2 weeks before we got paid again we had no choice like many many Canadians out there why should we be consequed for needing to feed our families and pay our bills just like everyone else. Anyways got a letter in the mail today stating that next month i may get 200 for the whole month and this is going to be the reality of the 1.something million people who have applied for the Cerb that didnt qualify that just wanted to feed their families or buy new clothes for their kids and since second hand stores are closed people on assistance are being forced to spend money that they would normally save by buying used so in closing please help people on assistance not lose their whole income for months

The ban was created in 1976 to protect the most vulnerable zones of the Rockies. The government is blatantly green-washing by passing the ban as outdated and insisting that other measures that are in place will protect the environment. However, no consultation was taken and experts on climate don't buy the lies. The region in question ALREADY has more activity than was planned and there is a great concerns for local wildlife, but also all our lives as the climate crisis becomes more and more present in our reality.

Everyone deserves to have a say in their future, dignity, and a safe place to live. These are homeless people whose housing needs remain unmet by the city’s current shelter arrangements, which present high barriers for many people, including those who use alcohol or drugs, suffer from mental illness, or cannot manage the required two-week lockdown. The city needs to work with them so that they can live safely - forced evictions will not provide a real solution, but more displacement, harm, and turmoil in our community.

The past couple of months have clearly shown how our safety and well-being depend on leadership that is willing and able to take hold of complex, expert advice and turn it quickly into well-conceived national strategy - built and delivered with supportive collaboration at all levels of government. COVID-19 related policies and programs have been rolled out in mere days and weeks. A pause in partisan thinking is timely -- to ensure we identify, appreciate and commit to memory the kind of leadership we will need as we move forward. Having banged our pots in tribute to the courage and dedication of Canadian health care providers and other essential workers, it is now time to beat drums in appreciation for the leadership Canada has had during the COVID-19 pandemic. We applaud Prime Minister Trudeau, his colleagues and advisors, and the provincial leaders, for a daunting job well done. Specifically, we praise and congratulate the Prime Minister and the Government of Canada for: • encouraging speedy development of health policies necessary to safeguard our health as soon as the dangers of the virus were recognized; • appreciating and responding to wide-ranging economic issues resulting from mitigating actions taken; • holding daily briefings that provide us with the information and the hope we need, with strategies for staying safe, and with announcements of programs that deliver relief to the many sectors of our society. • working on a global response with international bodies and heads of state, and for building collaborations with provincial, territorial and municipal leaders, who have played critical roles in local delivery of a coherent national response to the crisis. • listening to the voice of citizens and swiftly modifying programs to be more inclusive and effective. Our safety has depended on these components of strong leadership and on Prime Minister Trudeau’s ability to keep us marching together toward a shared goal of containing an enormous national threat. We feel privileged to be weathering the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Citizens of many countries have been far less fortunate and we thank Prime Minister Trudeau for his leadership in a time of national crisis.

Pour éviter les pires impacts de la crise climatique, nous devons aller rapidement au-delà de l'essence pour nettoyer les alternatives. Nous ne pouvons pas nous permettre d'attendre. Les transports propulsés par l’essence et le carburant diesel sont la plus grande source d’émissions de carbone des États-Unis, contribuant au réchauffement des températures sur terre et dans les océans, entraînant des catastrophes naturelles sans précédent. L'extraction, le transport, le raffinage et l'utilisation de pétrole et d'essence causent des dommages aux personnes, à l'air, à l'eau, à la terre, aux animaux et aux plantes. Les gaz d'échappement des véhicules à essence polluent l'air, causant l'asthme, les maladies cardiaques et pulmonaires, le cancer, la démence et des milliers de décès prématurés chaque année. L'échappement des véhicules affecte le plus les enfants, les communautés défavorisées et les communautés de couleur, avec des impacts disproportionnés sur la santé, les finances et la qualité de vie. Dans le passé, nous avons adopté une réglementation raisonnable sur les véhicules pour exiger les ceintures de sécurité, les airbags, les convertisseurs catalytiques, le gaz sans plomb et d'autres améliorations pour protéger la santé et la sécurité. Il est temps d'agir à nouveau. L'électricité est déjà viable comme alternative propre à l'essence. Les coûts de carburant et d'entretien d'un véhicule électrique sont déjà moins chers que pour les voitures à essence, et les prix des vignettes des véhicules électriques devraient être moins chers d'ici le milieu des années 2020. Pour protéger la santé publique, purifier l'air, ralentir un réchauffement rapide du climat et promouvoir la justice économique et environnementale, nous demandons à nos responsables locaux, étatiques et fédéraux de veiller à ce que, à partir de 2030 ou plus tôt, tous les nouveaux véhicules vendus soient propres, véhicules zéro émission, pas les véhicules à essence ou diesel.

Between the lockdown and the cancellation of Pride, the Church and Wellesley community, endangered even before COVID-19, may not recover. LGBTQ2S performers, artists, servers, creators and other workers have been particularly hard hit. If our stores, cafes, restaurants and bars close permanently, we will lose an essential, life-saving network for LGBTQ2S youths, now and in the future. When I was a struggling teenager, bullied in school and often lonely, knowing the community was there was a lifeline for me, even if I was too young to go to bars and had to settle on a Starbucks coffee. I was lucky. For me, "it got better." But LGBTQ2S young people are still struggling, and we've seen an increase in hate crimes during the pandemic. Canada and Toronto in particular are recognized as a beacon for LGBTQ2S rights. Toronto Pride is rightfully known around the world, contributing millions to the local economy. Prime Minister, we appreciate that you have marched in the parade and shown your support. But every year, the village shrinks, with queer-opened businesses and venues closing and our once-vibrant community fading. Now is the time for action, before our neighbourhood disappears forever. Please, we need a Rainbow Emergency Fund now.

Paramedics in BC are not considered essential service. This is an outrage. Today PM Trudeau announced a wage increase. Please help our paramedics receive the support they deserve as they put their lives and loved ones on the line to perform daily an unrecognized essential service.

The oilsands have not stopped. Regulations for them should not stop. The Indigenous community has much of its water supply being put at risk. The Alberta Energy Regulator has relieved Imperial Oil, Syncrude, Suncor and Canadian Natural Resources of the responsibility to meet environmental monitoring conditions in their operating licences. This is devastating for the environment and for the people of Northern Alberta, especially the Indigenous community. There was no effort to consult the First Nations community is anyway. This is unacceptable.