Politics
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UCS #117: King David Goes Into Battle
The © Urban Cartoon Syndicate was launched in May 2024, jointly with Spacing Vancouver. Coming out roughly weekly from a group of cartoonists and...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate -
City Primer — Part 6: Why Civic Literacy Matters
Most people do not spend much time thinking about municipal government. They think about finding housing, getting to work, walking their children to...
By Erick Villagomez -
Election 2026: The inter-governmental elephant in the room
In the hall-of-mirrors that is the current mayoral election, as my colleagues John McGrath and Matt Elliott noted, we had the following weirdness last...
By John Lorinc -
City Primer — Part 5: Why Municipal Politics Feels So Broken
A public hearing runs late into the evening. Dozens of residents take turns speaking. Some support the proposal. Others oppose it. City staff present...
By Erick Villagomez -
City Primer — Part 4: Why Cities Are Always Short of Money
Many residents assume cities operate financially in roughly the same way as provincial or federal governments. They don’t. Municipal governments are...
By Erick Villagomez -
UCS #116: What, Me Densify?
The © Urban Cartoon Syndicate was launched in May 2024, jointly with Spacing Vancouver. Coming out roughly weekly from a group of cartoonists and...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate -
Election 2026: How to Read a Candidate’s Platform
This article is part of a series by Christopher Balkaran on ways to approach and engage with the municipal election campaign. Political campaigns must...
By Christopher Balkaran -
City Primer — Part 3: Why Housing Dominates Municipal Politics
It’s possible to attend a Vancouver City Council meeting and come away with the impression that municipal government exists almost entirely to debate...
By Erick Villagomez -
City Primer — Part 2 – How Cities Actually Make Decisions
Many residents encounter municipal government for the first time when a controversial proposal appears in their neighbourhood. A rezoning sign goes up on...
By Erick Villagomez -
City Primer — Part 1 – What Is Municipal Government?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Vancouver is in the midst of profound urban change. Housing costs, population growth, transportation investments, climate adaptation...
By Erick Villagomez -
Election 2026: Culture wars are warping cycling policy
In 2014, I did something I never imagined I would do — especially after years spent as a political staffer watching campaigns from the inside. I put my...
By Eleanor McMahon -
UCS #115: Pulling In All Directions
The © Urban Cartoon Syndicate was launched in May 2024, jointly with Spacing Vancouver. Coming out roughly weekly from a group of cartoonists and...
By Urban Cartoon Syndicate