Life in the Lower Mainland (BC, Canada)

💋 The Courtly Kiss: A Playful, LGBT+ Friendly Card Game of Affection and Strategy Looking for a dignified alternative to spin-the-bottle? The Courtly Kiss is a flirty, light strategy game perfect for parties where affection, humor, and a touch of playful competition are on the menu. 💡 Why Play Courtly Kiss Instead of Spin-the-Bottle? Inclusive by Design: No gendered roles, no forced pairings— anyone can kiss anyone. You’re Always Involved: Unlike spin-the-bottle, you never have to sit out to avoid discomfort. Even when you’re avoiding kisses, you’re still playing and making meaningful choices. Graceful Opt-Out: The Ice Queen role gives you a stylish, in-game way to pass on kisses without stopping the fun. Built-In Agency: You can strategically pursue or dodge kisses based on the cards you play, making the game feel playful but empowering. More Suspense, Less Pressure: The outcome isn’t random—it’s a tug-of-war of choices and risks. You always have ways to chang...

This is the Federal version of the municipal proposal to acquire failed housing projects and convert them to subsidized housing . This feels timely not just because of the urgent need for affordable housing but because there's government will to spend for this purpose.

Taking Back Housing Stability: Why Public Acquisition and Takeover of Stalled Developments is a Game-Changer Housing affordability in Metro Vancouver and across BC is one of the most urgent crises of our time. The high cost of rent and the scarcity of affordable options push many middle-class families to the brink, often forcing them to choose between paying rent and other essentials. Traditional affordable housing plans—while helpful—have limitations when it comes to stalled or bankrupt developments, which now represent a significant barrier to increasing housing supply. Our proposal offers a unique and powerful solution: the government steps in to acquire stalled or bankrupt housing projects, completes construction with cost-effective “austere” finishes, and operates these buildings as subsidized rental housing where rent is pegged directly to tenants’ incomes, not volatile market prices. Here’s why this matters—and why it’s different from other housing strategies. The Unique S...

I didn't end up sending this out but after the Food Security Pilot proposal  had been emailed, it occurred to me who else also had big lawns of grass drinking water especially when hot summers demand more prudent use of water.

Burnaby recently had a housing initiative where homeowners could apply for grants to help them modify their homes to have rental suites or laneway homes. While I'm sure this will increase the amount of rental inventory available, I felt that for the average person, the barriers to participation were too high, primarily: Not even knowing how to get started evaluating whether they could add a rental suite or laneway home. The cost of doing so even with the grant. I wondered how homeowners could use their properties to help Burnaby in an extremely simple way, and with GROK AI we came up with the idea of micro-farms. It addresses climate change, water conservation (or at least better water usage than grass), and food security. And all the homeowner needs to do is sign up and not interfere. No access to their home would be necessary, just access to their lawn and external power and water outlets. I'm sure the implementation will end up more complicated than we imagined, but I hope a...