Not the kind of thing most people do sober.

I guess I do have something to say on the subject, after all. I’m only writing this because I haven’t heard anybody really talking about it, though it’s possible it’s been brought up somewhere.

In the sober days following the embarrassing downtown devastation of one of Canada’s prettiest cities, teenagers have come forward to admit their transgressions and plead for mercy from the general public. Those youthfully exuberant weapons-wielding teenage anarchists fuelled by liquid courage—or cowardice as the case may be—have now recovered from their booze binging and in the remorseful light of day are ashamed of their actions.

I don’t really have any sympathy for the people who, though admittedly caught up in the delirious excitement of destroying private and public property, decided to do things as stupid as stuffing a t-shirt into a police car fuel tank and light it on fire. There are some fairly predictable results to lighting things on fire, and even alcohol doesn’t mentally impair one to the extent that it isn’t obvious.

But who really didn’t see this coming? We here in Vancouver had been joking half-seriously about the 2011 riot for months leading up to the actual day. We knew the chances were that the Canucks would make the Stanley Cup final again, and that if they lost there would be a very high likelihood of violence and carnage.

It certainly didn’t help that Vancouver’s naive leaders decided it would be as harmless as the Olympics to invite hundreds of thousands of partisan fans downtown to witness their brutal Game 7 drubbing at the hands of the Boston Bruins. Whoever thought that was a good idea, or didn’t anticipate the worst possible consequences, should be given a desk job next to a public men’s room, considering everybody with an IQ hovering above 70 knew exactly what was going to happen.

Downtown Vancouver is the perfect storm for a riot, mainly because the choke points in the city make it almost impossible to quickly disperse large crowds. The south and western sides of the downtown core are only accessible by bridges, which means once the riot was underway and the only path out of the city was packed SkyTrain (buses were cancelled), the ensuing bottleneck of bystanders was inevitable. To figure that out all you’d have needed was a map.

But all of this has been dredged up before in recent days. What hasn’t been discussed as much is the exacerbating effects alcohol had on the whole affair. And despite the fact the police closed the liquor stores as early as 4 p.m., most, if not all, of the rioters were blottoed, blasted, blitzed and bombed.

If the Canucks Riot 2011 isn’t a glaring indictment of the harmful effects of alcohol addiction, I really just don’t know what is. The fact that close to 100,000 people went on a collective bender of self-destructive mayhem and carnage all had the common ingredient of beer or liquor is a fairly tell-tale sign that we, as a people, need to curtail our happy hours just a little bit.

When you consider the idea that the worst social aspect of the illegal drug marijuana is it makes people lazy, snack-prone and slow-witted, it still seems utterly benign in comparison to the kind of chaos that alcohol is capable of creating. I mean, this is something that is responsible for murder, assault, riots, vehicular homicide and rape on a fairly regular basis all over the world.

We could play the hindsight game and talk about the police presence, the lack of preparedness and a dozen other factors until we’re blue in the face, but what it really comes down to is that we, as a society, have a drinking problem. Canucks Riot 2011 was just the worst manifestation of it.

Photo: Elizabeth Hames

So, you may think I’m about to tell you what I think about the riot, but I’m not. I said everything I had to say on the evening it happened and it’s all still in my twitter record. But I do want to share something. CKNW host Philip Till had a great monologue this morning on the radio that pretty much sums up my thoughts about the whole thing.

Click on the link and fast forward to exactly 54:33. Enjoy.

(In case there’s any confusion, I don’t condone a single act of violence)

The latest update on the cultural inconvenience of people dying next door is in the Vancouver Sun today. The dubious complaint of condo owners, that a hospice lowers property values, sounds like a perfect reason to build more, given the fact an average home in the city costs $792,000.

Jung said supporters of the hospice have “logical” and “civilized” arguments, such as providing a haven for those near the end of life in a culturally- and resource-rich location. However, he also sympathizes with the Chinese residents protesting its construction due to cultural beliefs.

“The people who live next door are mostly newcomers from Asia,” Jung said. “This way of thinking is formed throughout our lives, especially in our childhood. Suddenly, you are asking them to accept Canadian culture.”

“Suddenly?” Uh, when you bought property in Canada you didn’t think that was the moment you should start accepting the culture?

The city of Richmond is renowned as one of the most “diverse” in Canada, but the term might be a bit of a misnomer. It isn’t diverse so much as it has shifted from the former homogeneous population of European immigrants to the current homogeneous population of Chinese immigrants.

According to the 2006 Census Data (the 2011 Census should represent a vastly different change from these numbers), just over 41 per cent of Richmond residents were born in Canada, while 57 per cent were immigrants. Of that number, at least 51 per cent came from mainland China, with 9,395 arriving between 2001 and 2006. Chinese immigrants represent the largest growing demographic in the city, and the 2011 Census is expected to show at least a 50 per cent gain from the previous number.

In terms of ethnicity, 78,790 people identified as being Chinese in the 2006 Census, or 45 per cent of the population. People who identified as being English, Scottish or simply Canadian combined to represent exactly one third of the population. Given the projected growth rates, ethnic Chinese people should represent a statistical majority when the 2011 Census data comes out.

All of this preamble is only my attempt to show and acknowledge that the city of Richmond is, for all intents and purposes, one that is largely Chinese in ethnicity and identified heritage. So it may come as no surprise, then, that this city operates as a Chinese culture bubble of sorts, in which shopping malls, medical services and other amenities are provided in Chinese. Equally unsurprising is that the residents, who are comfortable with that bubble, would seek only people who really belong there:

An online advertisment for an apartment rental in Richmond has sparked outrage after it stated “only Chinese” need apply.

The offending Craigslist ad was spotted by prospective renter, longtime Richmond resident and former school trustee, Patricia Whittaker.

Whittaker, who is of African origin, was checking rentals in the city centre when she came across the posting for the Mandalay building on Hemlock Drive, by Garden City and Cook roads.

But her disbelief when reading the “only Chinese” conditions quickly turned to anger when the realization set in.

“Chinese only? This is Canada for crying out loud,” said Whittaker, who runs the non-profit Centre for Integration of African Immigrants in New Westminster.

The importance of this advertisement shouldn’t be blown out of proportion, but nor should it be easily ignored, given that historically when such signs have been created by white Europeans, they were condemned for systemic racist and exclusionary attitudes. And although the landlord says she only phrased the advert in that manner because she can’t speak English, and so prefers Chinese tenants, it’s indicative of a multitude of failures in our immigration system.

First, in a city where not speaking English is of no consequence at all, where is the incentive to integrate and learn the mother tongue(s) of Canada? The situation wasn’t rectified by the landlord offering to rent to non-Chinese people, she merely moved it to a Chinese-only newspaper. That doesn’t help people who need to rent apartments, nor does it help the cohesion of a “diverse” society.

Second, where is the essential benefit to Canada of creating a separate and segregated society of Chinese people who don’t feel obligated in any way to adopt an attitude of openness to Canadians who, through no fault of their own, are not ethnically Chinese?

This should serve as a reminder to our government that language preference toward applicants for immigration to Canada should be given to those who will more easily integrate and assimilate into our country and its official languages.

Photo credit: Kristen Thompson, Metro Vancouver News

If you read this article you might actually think nihilistic rebel without a cause Jean Wharf was refused entry to the SkyTrain solely because of a button reading “F**ck Yoga” (without the asterisks).

But the truth is that the whiner was first caught trying to use the transit system without paying and issued a fine. Then when she returned with a paid ticket, she was informed she would have to remove the pin.

Well, there are two things that come to mind when I think about the pin incident, but it’s pretty clear to me that Wharf wouldn’t have been told to remove it if she hadn’t brought attention to herself by sneaking onto the train.

The first impulse might be to defend the free expression of thought as protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but even within that document itself is the flexible language that stipulates there are “reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.”

And given that TransLink is private property, it’s certainly within their right to prohibit vulgar or offensive people that trespass their own rules. It’s the second rule, actually, in their list of 10 posted on their website.

Further to the point, even if I happen to agree with Wharf’s message pertaining to yoga, the use of vulgar language in public should be weighed in conjunction with the social responsibility not to pollute the minds of younger people — and I’m thinking of my 9-year-old son, who is an excellent reader, here — with hateful language.

But aside from all the debate about whether a person should be harassed for wearing a “F**k Yoga” pin or not, the bigger issue here is the fact that Wharf isn’t just telling yoga to fornicate with itself, she’s telling every taxpayer the same thing by jumping the fare. In fact, thanks to nihilists like her and others in no short supply in this city, TransLink is spending $170 million on smart card fare readers and toll gates.

Wharf is the kind of person who “rides for free” through life, assuming someone else will pay her way every time. And it’s probably not entirely her fault. After all, we live in the kind of society that tells irresponsible alcoholics and drug addicts that they’re victims of a disease instead of parasites on the working class.

It’s probably reasonable for Wharf to conclude that paying fares for public transit is something only the sheeple do on their way to their soul-crushing jobs. It’s also probably reasonable to speculate that Wharf doesn’t have a job, or if she does, it doesn’t involve dressing in a manner that requires social observances of things like respect, decorum and decency for others.

If you do want to dress like you hate the world and wear pins expressing your contempt for it, you should probably consider paying your fair way, lest the world turn around and say, no, “f**k you.”

Author’s Note — this post has been modified to remove a pejorative.

I have something in common with noteworthy American journalist and author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas fame, Hunter S. Thompson. We both bombed our job opportunity with the Vancouver Sun. But Thompson did it in fine, epic style. Behold, a letter from October 1958:

I got a hell of a kick reading the piece Time magazine did this week on The Sun. In addition to wishing you the best of luck, I’d also like to offer my services.

Since I haven’t seen a copy of the “new” Sun yet, I’ll have to make this a tentative offer. I stepped into a dung-hole the last time I took a job with a paper I didn’t know anything about (see enclosed clippings) and I’m not quite ready to go charging up another blind alley.

By the time you get this letter, I’ll have gotten hold of some of the recent issues of The Sun. Unless it looks totally worthless, I’ll let my offer stand. And don’t think that my arrogance is unintentional: it’s just that I’d rather offend you now than after I started working for you.

I appreciate the fact Thompson informs the publication of his preexisting interpersonal peculiarities while using the cover letter as an opportunity to demonstrate his writing skill, albeit in a facetiously passive-aggressive manner. Wait, it gets better:

The enclosed clippings should give you a rough idea of who I am. It’s a year old, however, and I’ve changed a bit since it was written. I’ve taken some writing courses from Columbia in my spare time, learned a hell of a lot about the newspaper business, and developed a healthy contempt for journalism as a profession.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s a damned shame that a field as potentially dynamic and vital as journalism should be overrun with dullards, bums, and hacks, hag-ridden with myopia, apathy, and complacence, and generally stuck in a bog of stagnant mediocrity. If this is what you’re trying to get The Sun away from, then I think I’d like to work for you.

Some people burn their bridges after leaving a publication. Apparently Thompson preferred to burn them on the way in. But can you imagine sending a cover letter to the CBC in this manner? It’s a refreshing change from the grovelling, scraping form letters of praise predicting a fruitful and harmonious professional relationship filled with rainbow kisses and sunshine dreams.

The following is a news story I wrote about tonight’s city council meeting in Vancouver. It is not an opinion piece.

More than 160 people registered to speak at Vancouver City Council Monday night as hundreds rallied to oppose a proposal to build a $450 million casino by BC Place.

At least 200 demonstrators gathered outside of City Hall to protest the casino, some wearing yellow t-shirts reading “save our jobs” and holding signs declaring “Vancouver, not Vegas.”

Sandy Garossino, spokeswoman for the anti-casino coalition, addressed the chanting crowd with a megaphone before the meeting.

“Promises of easy money are the easiest promises in the world to make,” she said.

City Council will consider three main components of the hotel and casino proposal: Rezoning the land to include a casino adjacent to BC Place; relocation of the Edgewater Casino from its current site to the rezoning site; and expansion of the casino.

The land is owned by the provincial Crown corporation PavCo, which also owns BC Place. Paragon Gaming, a Las Vegas company, already owns the Edgewater Casino, presently located on the North East side of False Creek.

David Podmore, Chair of PavCo, said that similar large-scale projects in the past were also met with strong resistance, including Expo ’86 and BC Place itself.

“It’s easy to be the critic,” he said to loud boos from the crowd outside. “It’s a lot tougher to be a proponent.”

A raucous heckler walked into council chambers during Podmore’s speech to interrupt him before returning to the gallery. Interruptions during the meeting were common, prompting warnings from Mayor Gregor Robertson.

BC Lottery Corporation president Michael Graydon said 5,500 jobs would be created during construction of the complex, bringing much-needed stability to the Downtown Eastside.

After the presentation by the applicant team, city councillors were given time to ask questions. Several councillors were concerned that not enough public consultation had been done prior to the proposal to measure the impact of the expansion.

“We were assured [in 2004] that the Edgewater would be the casino… there would be no need to go further,” Coun. Tim Stevenson said. “It almost feels like somehow those promises… have been done away with.”

Coun. Ellen Woodsworth was not convinced a proper impact study had been conducted to assess the risk to young people in the community.

“What does it look like when people between 18 and 34 become problem gamblers?” she asked.

The Social Responsibility Fund Agreement of the proposal offers $200,000 to the city annually to mitigate the possible negative impacts of gambling.

Opponents of the proposal, composed of community groups and prominent citizens, have argued that the casino will hurt the neighbourhood and drain money from other businesses.

In 2009 council approved a plan for North East False Creek that guides future redevelopment of the parcels of land in question. This proposed rezoning would contribute approximately 800,000-square-feet of commercial space towards achieving the target of 1,900 full-time-equivalent jobs.

If approved, the expansion of the Edgewater casino would make it the largest in Western Canada, increasing to 1,500 slot machines and up to 150 gaming tables from 600 slot machines and 75 gaming tables.

A discarded Voice newspaper. Photo by Kyla Jonas.

Although journalism school prepares most students for their first job, likely a small-town community newspaper where the big news is a new hockey arena or a bake sale, for the most part the stories are only interesting if you actually attend the school. Since September I’ve written stories about Langara’s new sports logo, proposed installation of security cameras and a water filtration system in the cafeteria. Not exactly your “hard news”.

And then, two weeks ago a student walked into the newsroom claiming that he and two other candidates had been disqualified from the Langara Students’ Union elections, but that the union couldn’t, or wouldn’t, tell them why. The story developed over the course of the week and was published today in the student newspaper. Here is the web version of that story, including a five-minute podcast of the union media liaison, Eli Zbar, who can be heard telling disqualified student Damien Otis:

You offend me to my very core, you pathetic slime… I can see your eyes turning brown, you’re so full of shit.

Well, this morning the controversy went a step farther, when the journalism department got wind that a member of the union was going about stealing newspapers and throwing them in the garbage to hide the story from students. Over 30 enraged journalism students, who had worked hard putting that newspaper together the night before, began the task of hunting down the perpetrators.

Here is the result of that effort.

It’s not deepthroat, but it’s certainly a little bit of drama in our otherwise small-town newspaper.

A Vancouver Province article says that “dozens of angry Asian residents” of an upscale highrise near UBC are going to protest a proposed 15-bed hospice planned next door. According to the residents who are upset, it is a “cultural taboo” to have dying people so close to a residential area (a hospice is a palliative care building for the terminally ill).

One source in the article states 80 per cent of the residents of the 18-storey building are Asian, and are strongly opposed on cultural grounds. But that isn’t the only problem here:

“Units here are worth $1 million,” she added. “We put our life savings into this.”

She said residents are worried the hospice will have a negative impact on their property values.

[...]Qing Lin, who bought a Promontory apartment for $900,000 almost a year ago, said she and her seven year old daughter will have nightmares if the hospice goes ahead.

“We believe that people dying outside will bring us bad luck,” she added. “I’m very angry and upset. If I had known it was going to be a hospice, I wouldn’t buy it for half the price.”

It’s more than a little difficult to accommodate the notion that a hospice is bad luck, even if one were inclined to be sensitive to cultural beliefs. But the idea that it will affect property values is similarly ridiculous. Perhaps the statement should be altered to read that it will affect property values within the superstitious Asian community.

But fear not, overpriced million-dollar condos in Vancouver continue to be unaffected by a proposed hospice. There is certainly no shortage of buyers in this city willing to pay too much for too little.

The article continues:

“It’s very disturbing,” she said. “My kids and I are going to feel so frightened and angry just to think there are dying people so close to us.”

[...]Sharon Wu, chairwoman of the UNA said 60 residents came to a UNA board meeting Tuesday.

“The UNA respects cultural beliefs,” she said. “UBC is planning to address the concerns of the residents. It’s a very emotional and sensitive issue.”

Well, the kids will feel frightened and angry only if the parents happen to pass down this preposterous superstition to the next generation. There is always the option, however, of being more mature about the fact that in a society there are the young and the old, the living and the dying. I’m sure that someone dying next door is a discomforting thought, but I’m also pretty sure it’s a worse situation for the person actually doing the dying.

A little maturity, sensitivity and understanding toward people suffering would seem to me to be the more responsible thing than worrying about the property values of the nearby residents.

[A little birdie told me this story: Blazing Cat Fur]

So if you live in Vancouver you’re probably aware that the “free ride” of being trusted to pay your fare before passing the paid zone is over. The new system will involve fare gates that will open and close based on a new smart card system being developed by Cubic Transportation Systems and IBM Canada.

Here’s the important bits:

Transit users will simply tap the card on special readers to board buses or open fare gates to be installed at SkyTrain and SeaBus stations. The purpose of the fare gates is to reduce fare evasion.

In 2009, transit police issued about 24,000 tickets for fare evasion, and independent audits performed in 2004 and 2008 estimated that the annual loss from unpaid fares at less than three per cent of all trips — between $5 million and $9 million.

A total of $170 million has been allocated for the project. TransLink is contributing $100 million, with $40 million coming from the provincial government and about $30 million being contributed by the federal government for capital costs.

There are numerous logical problems and assumptions being made for this project. Assuming TransLink is losing the higher end of revenues due to fare evasion, $9 million a year, it will take 19 years just to break even on the project. And that’s also assuming that those fare evaders who are costing the system $9 million in lost revenues will now suddenly start being good citizens. Which is sort of like assuming that shoplifters would pay for merchandise just because you add a security guard at the door checking bags.

At the lower end of the estimate, $5 million, it will take TransLink 34 years for this project to break even. And while 19-34 years is certainly a long-term investment with arguable benefits at the end of it, you have to assume that the technology will be obsolete by then. Just look at any 35-year-old technology and ask yourself whether it’s still cost-efficient.

It seems a little inconsistent with TransLink’s stated goal of keeping deficits in check. Perhaps they’re operating under the misapprehension that the kind of ridership they enjoyed during the Olympics will be around to save their budget every year.