Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 4h

In 2022, Ken Sim said line item budget comparisons were the cornerstone of his budget policy if he got elected mayor.

In 2025, he voted against it happening for a budget presentation with potentially $100 million in cuts because his newly appointed city manager told him no.

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Reposted by Justin McElroy 🇨🇦

James G @orth.ca · 6h

Vladdy: "DAAAAAA YANKEES LOSE!"

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Reposted by Justin McElroy 🇨🇦

Rebecca Bollwitt @miss604.com · 6h

“A motion calling on the Vancouver Park Board to officially apologize for hosting an upcoming Harry Potter attraction passed Tuesday in a unanimous vote.”

‘This will not happen again’: Vancouver Park Board apologizes for hosting Harry Potter event

A motion calling on the Vancouver Park Board to officially apologize for hosting an upcoming Harry Potter attraction passed Tuesday in a unanimous vote.

www.ctvnews.ca

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 7h

here comes our closer

a baseball stadium with a miller lite sign in the background

ALT: a baseball stadium with a miller lite sign in the background

media.tenor.com

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 7h

the story of the 2025 toronto blue jays is a guy you've barely heard of who plays four positions and has been in and out of the minors for the last three years hitting .491 in scoring position

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 10h

An example is in 2022, when there was an draft plan for a 5% property tax increase, only for it to go to 9.7% after initial council direction, and then 10.7% on the floor when it was passed.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Vancouver's new city council faces 1st big test with next week's first budget meeting | CBC News

City staff has submitted a draft $1.9 billion operational budget for 2023 to council for its Nov. 29 meeting. It has a proposed average property tax increase of five per cent.

www.cbc.ca

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 10h

I will also note that the mayor is also putting out incorrect information over his own motion.

We’ll see what the proposed budget looks like in a month or two, what the discussion is like, and when the actual vote is scheduled.

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 11h

Yes, because that has frequently happened in the past.

Council sets a target, staff say what that will result in, then amendments and horsetrading result in a different number, often created on the fly hours before the vote.

Which may not happen here! But it's why I use conditional language.

Aura/Moom @moomanibe.bsky.social · 11h

while that's true in the strictest sense, the motion today also explicitly ordered the city to discard any other scenarios and prepare no materials or budget plans other than 0%.

Are we really expecting a scenario where they develop an entire alternate plan at the very last second?

AND FURTHER THAT this direction supersedes Council’s June 2025 instruction to develop multiple budget scenarios, and instead establishes a singular focus on achieving a zero percent property tax increase for the 2026 Operating Budget.

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 11h

It's highly plausible that we could see in 3-6 months council voted for a property tax freeze!

But this is the first big vote of a long process, and one of my local politics pet peeves is when people think something *has* happened based on Step 2 of 13 getting the green light.

yes i'm 83 go away

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 11h

What this does do is provide a flashpoint, likely in 6-10 weeks, where the new city manager will give a detailed proposal of what a 0% property tax increase would look like.

Then Sim and ABC councillors will have a choice on whether to go ahead with it, or say "that's too much" and pull back a bit.

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 11h

I know local politics is endlessly procedural, and both politicians and media have an incentive to make things exciting.

But council didn't vote to freeze property taxes today, and nothing is "locked in."

The actual budget will likely be voted in 3-6 months.

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 14h

A number of amendments are being brought forward by opposition councillors, including having a line by line budget comparison or deferring this vote until after the budget survey, but is being defeated on party lines.

Based on timelines, full budget wouldn’t be voted on until early next year.

isabella zavarise @isabellazavarise.bsky.social · 16h

Mayor Sim’s zero means zero motion has been tabled. 43 speakers signed up. According to Sim, this means a zero percent property tax increase. No infrastructure tax increase.

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Reposted by Justin McElroy 🇨🇦

Tyler Olsen @tyolsen.bsky.social · 1d

NEW: I teamed up with @castanetkamloops.net to write this long in-depth account of Reid Hamer-Jackson's three years as mayor of Kamloops. I also talked to the unrepentant mayor for two hours.

thetyee.ca/News/2025/10...

Mayor of Chaos: How Kamloops Politics Became Infamous | The Tyee

Car dealer Reid Hamer-Jackson won office with charisma and ideas. Then the wheels came off.

thetyee.ca

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 1d

a man in a suit and tie is shaking hands with another man in an elevator and saying `` not great , bob ! ''

ALT: a man in a suit and tie is shaking hands with another man in an elevator and saying `` not great , bob ! ''

media.tenor.com

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 1d

deciding to have a child simply so i can name him vladdy

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Reposted by Justin McElroy 🇨🇦

Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) @cajournalists.bsky.social · 1d

Good news! The deadline to apply for the CAJ mentorship program has been extended to Oct 14. Apply now while there's still time!!
caj.ca/programs/mentorship

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Reposted by Justin McElroy 🇨🇦

Rafferty Baker @rafferty.bsky.social · 2d

47 VPD officers were paid more than $100K in OT last year, including 7 constables who more than doubled their possible $140K salaries. One sergeant raked in $239K in OT on top of possible $158K salary.

Meanwhile, the force went $6.5M over its $400M+ budget.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

47 VPD officers made over $100K in OT last year — and one banked $239K, FOI data shows | CBC News

A single Vancouver police sergeant was paid $239,258 in overtime alone last year, on top of the rank's base pay of up to $158,000. The figure comes from a freedom of information request filed with the...

www.cbc.ca

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 2d

is the park board gaslighting me

Jason McLean @jason-mclean.bsky.social · 2d

I saw this at Fraserview Golf Course recently. I think they’re in on the joke.

City of Vancouver van advertising Queen Elizabeth Park as a “hidden gem”

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 2d

when you work in communications for Vancouver Coastal Health and you give up halfway through your job

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 2d

was in line to pay at a cute brunch spot on bowen island when a stranger said “what a hidden gem!” in order to both say hello and troll me and you know i only have myself to blame

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 5d

Four days of celebrating a great friend’s 40th birthday on Bowen Island ahead, and delighted our accommodations are Full Island

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Reposted by Justin McElroy 🇨🇦

Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 5d

brb legally changing my name to Jason Undecided and preparing my 2029 mayoral campaign. will be a shoo-in

Polling Canada @canadianpolling.bsky.social · 5d

Calgary - Mayoral Polling:

Farkas: 16%
Gondek: 14%
Sharp: 11%
Davison: 8%
Thiessen: 4%
Clauson: 3%
Prior: 2%

Undecided: 35%

Leger / September 28, 2025 / n=490 / Online

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 6d

did a national television appearance with @ianhanomansing.bsky.social to talk about my important journalism on municipal property tax policjust kidding it was about heritage minutes and was mostly an excuse for ian to dunk on me

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 6d

incredibly rude of AI video to pander so hard to me

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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 6d

It's Vancouver Budget season, which means it's time for the annual debate over whether the city's property taxes are very high or very low — but year marked with the tension of Ken Sim's proposal to freeze the local portion of property taxes to zero.

Ken Sim proposes Vancouver property tax freeze in his final budget before next year's election | CBC News

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim's final chance at delivering the type of low tax increases he promised in his election campaign will come to a head next week.

www.cbc.ca

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