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anarchistfish.bsky.social
Matthew Cook
@anarchistfish.bsky.social
520 followers 860 following 770 posts
Social worker on coast Salish Territories.
Shop Stewart in the BCGEU
Lousy Christian, worst anarchist. Politics of the Inferno.
Here for housing advocacy and silly memes
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anarchistfish.bsky.social
Matthew Cook @anarchistfish.bsky.social · Nov 13
This is a great step forward. As a social worker I have been advising people for years to hide the fact that they're married, or in a relationship because being honest could cost them $300 a month, and PWD isn't much to start with.

But it does need to go WAY further...short🧵
susankimyyj.bsky.social Susan Kim 김수잔 @susankimyyj.bsky.social · Nov 13
DROP THE PHONE. FORGET EVERYTHING. THIS IS HUGE.

I have called spousal clawbacks legislated poverty for years.

So many will be able to seek gainful employment, come out from illegal rental units, can get married and file taxes together, and more!

I'm crying on the inside for my PWD friends.
CARGA UPDATE: BC Ends Spousal Caps and Clawbacks, Expanding Support for People Living with a Disability - BC Green Caucus
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 13, 2025NANAIMO, B.C. – The BC Greens and BC NDP have announced that, starting December 1, 2025, couples in which both partners receive disability payments will now rece...
bcgreencaucus.ca
Reposted by Matthew Cook
emilylowan.bsky.social
The lobbyist org accused of genocide denial (CIJA), that Eby has met with and legitimized, is trying to block Hasan Piker from entering the country. If you’re a Hasan fan, or you’re tired of a govt that cares more about lobbyists than workers, we’ve got the movement for you: bcgreens.ca #bcpoli
January 16, 2026 at 7:06 PM
anarchistfish.bsky.social
Dude would invade a country if the teacher promised him a scratch and sniff sticker.
January 16, 2026 at 3:42 AM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
deandettloff.bsky.social
Who could have guessed that giving the Nobel Peace Prize to a person with a historical sycophantic relationship to the US begging for US military intervention in her country was not a subtle flex against the US president after all?
January 16, 2026 at 2:57 AM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
soniatheroux.bsky.social
Unsurprisingly, police culture of no accountability yields pretty brutal behaviours
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Winnipeg police culture 'made it easier to do certain things,' disgraced officer says in psych report | CBC News
Making traffic tickets go away for people was "an unwritten rule" in the Winnipeg Police Service, a disgraced officer said in a psychological report, released Wednesday, that was prepared for his sent...
www.cbc.ca
January 15, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
fairvote.ca
Proportional representation is not a leap into the unknown.

It is a proven system used around the world, and more Canadians are recognizing that we can make it work too.
Screenshot of a National Post article. Visible text includes “NATIONAL POST”; “NDP leadership candidate Avi Lewis. PHOTO BY SPENCER COLBY/THE CANADIAN PRESS/FILE”; “Chris Selley: Electoral reform rears its head again. This time, we should welcome it”; “Anyone who believes in anything halfway bold or outside the dead-centre should be talking about proportional representation”; “By Chris Selley”; “Published Jan 13, 2026”; “4 minute read”; “39 Comments”; “PR would certainly be a “big change,” but many Canadians are convinced it’s entirely possible, despite Canada’s general aversion to “big changes” of any sort. It’s certainly not impossible Canada might implement PR at the federal level.”; “Anyone who believes in anything halfway bold or outside the dead-centre should be talking about it.” Yellow header, white background, stacked panels with photo above text.
January 15, 2026 at 6:49 PM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
susankimyyj.bsky.social
We have what looks like a deceptively shorter set of agendas for Council's consideration today. Mayor Alto leads us with a land acknowledgement. "When we make our decisions, we hope we reflect that history and honour it."
January 15, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
ryankturnbull.bsky.social
My core beliefs are basically:
1) Jesus is Lord
2) The CBC is a Canadian Treasure
3) We should build more transit and bike infrastructure.
January 15, 2026 at 1:06 AM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
deandettloff.bsky.social
Definitely outrageous. This will make the work of government but also civil society and researchers so much more unnecessarily difficult. Frankly it's another signal that the government is not investing in cultivating a participatory democracy.
parismarx.com Paris Marx @parismarx.com · 2d
Quite frankly, it’s outrageous that Mark Carney is cutting Statistics Canada. If he was Stephen Harper or Pierre Poilievre, I feel like this would be getting a lot more backlash.

Carney of all people should know the importance of high-quality data and information about the country.
Statistics Canada to cut 850 jobs in 'dark time' for public service, union says
Federal statistics agency entered its workforce adjustment period Monday, sending notices to thousands of employees.
ottawacitizen.com
January 15, 2026 at 2:52 AM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
deandettloff.bsky.social
I think it's about time we stop saying AI could cause anything. I believe very foolish rich people could cause significant unemployment based on the fact that they are not smart and many sincerely think AI is already making human labor redundant. That's different though.
January 14, 2026 at 10:50 PM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
emilylowan.bsky.social
Mamdani started universal childcare on day 8. Seven years into their $10-a-day plan, the BC NDP is walking away from universal childcare access and is cowardly returning to a failing, income-tested approach. BC families deserve better. #bcpoli
January 14, 2026 at 7:13 PM
anarchistfish.bsky.social
Wow, the NP gets something right... Never thought I would live this long.
January 14, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
fairvote.ca
Worth a read.

When the National Post argues electoral reform should be welcomed, it highlights a simple truth: proportional representation strengthens democracy by making Parliament reflect how people actually vote.

(Link in replies)
Screenshot of a National Post article. Yellow masthead reads “NATIONAL POST.” Headline: “Chris Selley: Electoral reform rears its head again. This time, we should welcome it.” Subheadline: “Anyone who believes in anything halfway bold or outside the dead-centre should be talking about proportional representation.” Byline: “By Chris Selley.” Published Jan 13, 2026. Photo shows a man smiling with clenched fists in front of a dark background. Visible text below includes: “On Sunday, aspiring federal NDP leader Avi Lewis promised that ‘under my leadership, the next time the NDP holds the balance of power in parliament, we’ll have one demand: proportional representation.’” Additional visible paragraphs discuss a Pollara poll and debate over big changes. White background, single vertical panel, headline and image centered near top.
January 14, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
deandettloff.bsky.social
www.fortresspress.com/store/produc...
Book cover: Matthew Bernico & Dean Dettloff Enough Is Enough Degrowth, Capitalism, and Liberation Theology
January 14, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
defundvicpd.bsky.social
Getting every budget increase they’ve wanted year after year, and then getting additional funding that was taken from other city projects is described as “chronic underfunding” by the VicPD chief. These cops live in an alternative reality #yyj #DefundVicPD
Text that reads “In her sixth month as chief constable, replacing the retired Del Manak, Wilson enthusiastically welcomed the return of the foot patrol, which she said was disbanded “as a result of a decade of chronic underfunding and the necessary reallocation of limited resources to respond to the evolving demands of modern policing.””
January 14, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
stephenharrison.bsky.social
VicPD talked on their podcast about how they may involve themselves in the 2026 municipal elections, just like they did last time. Police in politics in #yyj! I left in the lead-in from 2022 where they complained about Isitt comparing the library budget to theirs. open.spotify.com/episode/2xyy...
Todd Mason, 17m 00s: But we got to remember the last few years, first of all, as I can remember, the budget that's been given to us has just been to keep the lights on. That's what they've had to pare it down to, is okay, this is the budget to keep the lights on. And that's the budget we've gotten. So we haven’t had the money to update the fleet, hire officers above attrition, all that sort of stuff. Angela van Eerd, VicPD union president: We're playing catch up. Mason: We are playing catch up. Van Eerd: We are playing massive catch up. Mason: A decade long. Tom Stamatakis, Jr., VicPD union executive board member and media spokesperson: Massive catch up. Mason: So that's why this next election is so huge. If you value public safety and value officers who are not burning out all the time, then you got to get out and vote for people who support public safety. It's as simple as that. … Stamatakis, Jr., 18m 50s: So in terms of the municipal elections, last municipal elections in 2022, we actually were, the union was quite progressive and we conducted a symposium, an online virtual symposium where we invited all the new city councillor electorates to come online. And we had two because there was a lot of candidates. I can't remember how many, but there was like, I think there was like 20 or something like that. And so basically asked each councillor what their views on public safety and specific questions surrounding safety in the City of Victoria, just to give voters the opportunity to see exactly what each person, what their thoughts were and how they were going to progress. We actually got a lot of props from our partners from across Canada. And yeah, we're still debating if we're going to do it again this upcoming year. … And so, yeah, we’ll see what’s going to come with that. Transcript from True Blue Podcast, “VCPU director at large Tom Stamatakis” (02/25/22) Stamatakis, Jr., 26m 00s: I, I think it's just the pivotal road that we need to take in order to get our messaging out. Whether that be social media, um, these podcasts or generally for us to reach out and have people understand the challenges. And not only that, but to also reach out to the demographic of people that maybe, um, haven't heard our voices before. And that is also in an effort to get people out there to vote when it comes time for municipal elections. … Stamatakis, Jr., 27m 00s: I think we, as our union, and the way I would like to move forward in terms of marketing and in media is, is getting out there more so that people understand. … Transcript from True Blue Podcast, “VCPU director at large Tom Stamatakis” (02/25/22) Stamatakis, Jr., 30m 32s: … Ben Isitt comes out with this ideological comment. He's like, “Wouldn't it be great to live in a world where the city librarians get the police budget and the police have to work within the library budget?” And I'm like looking around like what the fuck you know, like what world, that's not even comparing apples and oranges, that's like comparing apples with like this chair. … Matt Waterman: But that, and I agree with you that that's, we're doing it here and I know it's been kind of talked about and from a marketing standpoint or public relations standpoint, is we wanna do it as the, as the next municipal election rolls around, we wanna be out there letting people know that, hey, we're tired of this rhetoric. Garbage rhetoric. Uh, and we want some action. And, and, but the important part is, you're right. We've talked about it. We need to, we need to reach out to the voter that's gonna make a difference. Cause guys who call up in the radio station and say the same thing that live in Central Saanich, it doesn't affect, uh, the outcome of an election. You know, they're not a voter. So, uh, we've talked about it. It's, it's a challenge to get those people out, but, uh, I'm hopeful that we can help influence people. Stamatakis, Jr.: Yeah. So in preparation for that, I think we're, we're structuring in terms of the committee that we have for marketing in just having a structure to see how we roll it out. And plan it out. Um, what's gonna be different avenues that we can reach out to the most amount of people and, and just get more and more people involved. I mean, municipal politics have never been a huge turnout, but I think, yeah, the things that have happened in Victoria recently, it's a pretty hot topic and uh, our hope is that more and more people get out there that will support public safety.
January 14, 2026 at 5:50 AM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
emilylowan.bsky.social
This is the harsh reality of Eby’s LNG experiment. Kitimat is BC’s gas guinea pig — asthma rates are rocketing, the gas flare casts a dystopian 24-hour daylight and rental prices are sky-high. Together, we can get out of this boom-bust cycle and reclaim BC’s economy for working people.⚡️ #kitimat
January 14, 2026 at 2:08 AM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
jenstden.bsky.social
The Narwhal Is Suing the RCMP. Stakes Are High for Journalism, by @tyolsen.bsky.social thetyee.ca/News/2026/01...
The Narwhal Is Suing the RCMP. Stakes Are High for Journalism | The Tyee
The judge’s ruling could reinforce the right of journalists to report from inside police ‘exclusion zones.’
thetyee.ca
January 13, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
jenstden.bsky.social
Some easy things you can do to support local Canadian journalism:
- Click on the link and read the stories
- Sign up for email newsletters if you want to become a regular reader
- Post stories you think are important for others to read to Reddit

Cost: Zero dollars
(Supporting with $$ is also fab)
laurab7.bsky.social Laura Brady @laurab7.bsky.social · 3d
As usual, @rachelgilmore.bsky.social nails it. (The deep value of indie reporting!)
jenstden.bsky.social Jen St. Denis @jenstden.bsky.social · 3d
“Seeing the bikini one was incredibly violating, but then seeing that they could ultimately create a full nude of me felt so embarrassing and so shameful.”

Why the Canadian government needs to act to protect victims of Elon Musk's Grok, by @rachelgilmore.bsky.social thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026...
January 13, 2026 at 5:57 PM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
jenstden.bsky.social
“Seeing the bikini one was incredibly violating, but then seeing that they could ultimately create a full nude of me felt so embarrassing and so shameful.”

Why the Canadian government needs to act to protect victims of Elon Musk's Grok, by @rachelgilmore.bsky.social thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026...
Musk’s Grok Is Abusing Women and Children. Our Government Needs to Act | The Tyee
Where are Canadian lawmakers? Oh, they’re on X.
thetyee.ca
January 13, 2026 at 4:49 PM
anarchistfish.bsky.social
I have been binge listening to The Devil You Know with Sarah Marshall, historical analysis of the Satanic Panic and man it hits all the notes of there we've been and where we're going! Really contextualizes all the Qanon madness, conspiracies, etc.

Episode webpage: www.cbc.ca/radio/podcas...
Podcast News
Podcast News
www.cbc.ca
January 13, 2026 at 12:54 AM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
windward-afa.bsky.social
1/ 619 BC residents died in the 2021 heat dome. Four & a half years later, cooled homes for renters are still lagging.

This is a new rental building: Crystal Apartments at 124 W 20th St in the City of North Vancouver, seeking Feb & Mar 2026 occupancy. It doesn't have cooling.
Brand new building in North Vancouver is close to completion and we are now offering private tours of the nearly finished suites. 1 bedrooms start at $2400. These homes are thoughtfully planned with modern finishes, great natural light, and a layout that makes the most of the space. Heat and hot water are included. Secure underground parking is $125 and storage lockers are available at $60. Suites also have hookups for a portable AC units in the bedrooms and living rooms. These units all face south with City Views starting at level 4. Residents will have access to a rooftop area with beautiful views of the city, ocean, and mountains, along with a quiet workspace on the amenity level. Move ins are being scheduled for February or March and tours are available now. Photos and details can be found at rentnorthvan.com. Message to arrange a viewing.
January 12, 2026 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
defundvicpd.bsky.social
Visit our website for details on how to provide feedback on the updated 2026-2030 Draft Financial Plan. Comments must be submitted by January 23 at 11:59 pm! And share with your friends and family! #yyj #deFundVicPD defundvicpd.org/2026/01/08/v...
A pie chart showing the city of victoria plans a 10.44% property tax increase, with 5.42% going to the city a s 5.02% going to cops
January 11, 2026 at 10:19 PM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
jenstden.bsky.social
RW media is often not funny at all but there are times when it’s hilarious
An email from far-right media outlet Juno News with the title “youth increasingly supportive of SOCIALISM?”
January 11, 2026 at 7:27 PM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
jenstden.bsky.social
Why are the police still posting there

“Let’s be clear: in Canada it’s illegal to distribute intimate images of others without their consent. And it’s illegal to share intimate images of minors.”
January 11, 2026 at 2:13 AM
Reposted by Matthew Cook
jameswsthomson.com
Ok Canada, time to show the same level of global leadership as (checks notes) Indonesia
January 10, 2026 at 4:21 PM