Recently, Vancouver Sun Op-Ed writer Douglas Todd sparked some controversy when he advocated for the abolition of foreign signs, namely Chinese, in Richmond. On the same day of the same paper, Harvey Enchin countered the topic by stating that to restrict Chinese signs would be 'un-Canadian'. A few days later, Todd then shared a few letters, of which he received from people of Chinese or Asian descent, who supported his view. However, these letters are undoubtedly from residents who have already, if not fully, integrated themselves into the English-speaking community. In simplest terms, an immigrant...


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On Friday, December 2nd, 2011, hundreds of high school students from all over the Lower Mainland gathered at Vancouver Technical Secondary School for the International Human Rights Day Symposium, held by Canada ALPHA (Association for Learning & Preserving the History of WWII in Asia). The Symposium consisted of a series of workshops to raise awareness on atrocities that took place during the Asia-Pacific War (1931 - 1945) in advance of December 10th, International Human Rights Day. As a History 12 student, I attended these workshops myself, with the most significant one being about Comfort...


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What is the Occupy Wall Street movement about? Everyone seems to have an answer to this question. Here’s a multiple choice: 1)     It’s an anti-capitalist movement for greater socialism. 2)     It’s a bunch of hippies and unemployables OD’ing, doing yoga, and being a general nuisance. Get a job, losers. 3)     It’s a fight against corporate power in government and in our lives. This is a fundamental effrontery to democracy and a just society. 4)     It’s the latest in the hipster movement. The homeless are often mistaken with hipsters working the hobo-chic...


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I know I’ve said this time and time again, but one of the most important things you can do as a citizen of this country is to get involved in the political process. Or in other words, get informed, and go out and vote. The Vancouver civic elections – that is, the elections for mayor, city councilors, park board members, and school board members – are taking place on November 19th, and it’s just as important as any other election. But I also know it’s hard to start caring. It’s hard to go read about Suzanne Anton’s platform when True Blood is on TV, when you are watching the Canucks...


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It's election time, and it's time to ask the big question: Who Gives a Shit? Like it or not, Canadian youth are largely ignored at Ottawa, and for good reason: we don't vote. Politicians, like all good businessmen, invest their time and energy in projects that will return the most profit, and youths are a losing market. Although there are three million of us across Canada, we allow ourselves to be bullied and swept away. If we don't express ourselves, we're always going to be overshadowed by the corporations, the privileged, the extremists. While people our age at Libya and Syria are putting...


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On June 14th, the Burnaby Board of Education will vote on Policy #5.45, otherwise known to the public as "The Homophobia/Heterosexism Policy." The document was drafted over a span of two years, and has been open to public input in the past 14 weeks; however, the process has taken much longer than anyone had anticipated. Considering the fact that homosexuality has become less of a taboo in the time and place of this situation, why has the policy not been passed yet? Turns out, at the root of its opposition is a group of very unyielding parents. In short, the policy addresses homophobic bullying...


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On May 2nd, 2011, the Conservative Party of Canada won the majority of seats in the House of Commons. On the bright side, it's not the literal end of the world. I could tell you that this is a result of the split Left, or that the Conservatives rode in on boosted credentials from the recession, or that this might signal a fundamental change in Canadian politics. But let's face it, you probably don't care. Let me tell you why you should. Are you an immigrant? Under Harper's minority government, the average time it takes for an immigrant to become Canadian has increased by six months...


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In order to stand out from their rivals, the BC Liberals are introducing new ideas related to elections to grasp the attention of a much younger audience. Liberal candidate Mike de Jong recently spoke to the media of the ongoing problem of a low BC voter turnout, one that is especially low among young people. Generally speaking, half the people in BC no longer vote, and less than a quarter of young voters do not cast theirs at all. De Jong says that lowering the voting age from 18 to 16 will spur political interest among BC youth. Perhaps giving senior high school students a chance to participate...


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