Nathan Lauster
@lausterna.bsky.social
UBC sociologist, demographer, housing & urban regulation scholar, author, immigrant, blogs at https://homefreesociology.com/
If you're interested, Mariana Valverde has a nice history of the Bell case, covering much the same legal dispute in Toronto, in Chapter 3 of Everyday Law on the Street! press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Everyday Law on the Street
Toronto prides itself on being “the world’s most diverse city,” and its officials seek to support this diversity through programs and policies designed to promote social inclusion. Yet this progressiv...
press.uchicago.edu
January 10, 2026 at 10:33 PM
If you're interested, Mariana Valverde has a nice history of the Bell case, covering much the same legal dispute in Toronto, in Chapter 3 of Everyday Law on the Street! press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
(these are provincial party polling, of course!)
January 8, 2026 at 1:41 AM
(these are provincial party polling, of course!)
No knock on Liaison in particular (where I can't find x-tabs by age & gender), but I really don't trust anyone's polling of the 18-34 group. I highlight some of the variation we keep seeing when I teach grad stats. FWIW, here's Angus Reid on gender x age for BC, where 55+ had much bigger variation.
January 8, 2026 at 1:40 AM
No knock on Liaison in particular (where I can't find x-tabs by age & gender), but I really don't trust anyone's polling of the 18-34 group. I highlight some of the variation we keep seeing when I teach grad stats. FWIW, here's Angus Reid on gender x age for BC, where 55+ had much bigger variation.
They have other sources of revenue, and they definitely don't just tax dwellings. Lots of other private property!
e.g. Here's City of Vancouver budget revenues (right) & you'll also notice a redistribution of property tax levied AWAY from dwellings (left). council.vancouver.ca/20250415/doc...
e.g. Here's City of Vancouver budget revenues (right) & you'll also notice a redistribution of property tax levied AWAY from dwellings (left). council.vancouver.ca/20250415/doc...
January 7, 2026 at 1:59 AM
They have other sources of revenue, and they definitely don't just tax dwellings. Lots of other private property!
e.g. Here's City of Vancouver budget revenues (right) & you'll also notice a redistribution of property tax levied AWAY from dwellings (left). council.vancouver.ca/20250415/doc...
e.g. Here's City of Vancouver budget revenues (right) & you'll also notice a redistribution of property tax levied AWAY from dwellings (left). council.vancouver.ca/20250415/doc...
The only successful gritty Robin Hood
a cartoon of a fox wearing a hat and sunglasses holding a mug
Alt: Disney's Fox Robin Hood pretending to beg for change
media.tenor.com
January 5, 2026 at 6:48 PM
The only successful gritty Robin Hood
If you're up for run-on funny, Catherynne Valente literally wrote a book called Space Opera which I really enjoyed.
January 4, 2026 at 5:53 AM
If you're up for run-on funny, Catherynne Valente literally wrote a book called Space Opera which I really enjoyed.
To be fair, I attended a Lutheran church in Plano for a little while as a kid (probably AELC), and I don't remember anything like this.
Though I do distinctly remember a plague of black crickets covering the church once.
Though I do distinctly remember a plague of black crickets covering the church once.
December 19, 2025 at 11:20 PM
To be fair, I attended a Lutheran church in Plano for a little while as a kid (probably AELC), and I don't remember anything like this.
Though I do distinctly remember a plague of black crickets covering the church once.
Though I do distinctly remember a plague of black crickets covering the church once.
Nice.
Can you do a quick zoom in on the North Pole?
Can you do a quick zoom in on the North Pole?
December 19, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Nice.
Can you do a quick zoom in on the North Pole?
Can you do a quick zoom in on the North Pole?
Good question.
Fortunately for everyone, that's mostly not my job (I suspect I'd be terrible at it, though I do sometimes get pulled into specific program reviews).
But it definitely should be somebody's job.
Fortunately for everyone, that's mostly not my job (I suspect I'd be terrible at it, though I do sometimes get pulled into specific program reviews).
But it definitely should be somebody's job.
December 19, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Good question.
Fortunately for everyone, that's mostly not my job (I suspect I'd be terrible at it, though I do sometimes get pulled into specific program reviews).
But it definitely should be somebody's job.
Fortunately for everyone, that's mostly not my job (I suspect I'd be terrible at it, though I do sometimes get pulled into specific program reviews).
But it definitely should be somebody's job.