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Cascadia Magazine original:
I’ll Never Own a Home in Vancouver
Poet Chelene Knight has lived in Vancouver most of her life, and she’s seen communities pulled apart by skyrocketing housing costs. In a lyrical essay for Cascadia Magazine, she reflects on the realization she may never own a home in Vancouver, and what uncertainties about risings rents do to people on the margins. We’re very proud to publish this timely essay.
Debate over breaching Snake River dams heats up
After the world’s attention was focused on dying orcas in the Salish Sea, the call for solutions has turned to debate over whether to breach four dams on the lower Snake River in Washington state, reports Lynda Mapes for the Seattle Times. Though some farmers claim the dams provide essential power and irrigation, the feature concludes that demand for power is down, and that a governor’s task force might urge their removal. Meanwhile in a piece at The Tyee, a former CEO of BC Hydro is quoted as saying British Columbia’s rationale for continuing to build the Site C dam is “utter nonsense.” To learn more about the grassroots effort to shut down Site C, read Alison Bate’s feature “Fighting for Peace Valley,” at Cascadia Magazine.
Spokane suing Monsanto over PCBs
The Inlander interviews Peter von Stackelberg, a journalist who helped uncover the “Poison Papers,” which reveal the chemical company Monsanto knew PCBs and many other chemicals were dangerous –and that these revelations are why Spokane is suing the company for contamination of the Spokane River. Meanwhile, the Narwhal reports that a court ruled in favor of the Colville Confederated Tribes in an $8 million lawsuit against Teck Cominco Metals’ smelter in Trail, BC for polluting the Columbia River.
Portland metro area’s huge affordable housing gambit
OPB reports on a ballot measure in the three counties in the Portland metro area that would raise $650 million for affordable housing. The fund would create about 4,000 below-market housing units if the initiative passes. Meanwhile the BC Housing Commission changed course and recommended that allowable rent increases be limited to the cost of inflation.
Transit fare checks in Portland unconstitutional
The Portland Mercury reports on a recent court ruling that found that random fare checks on the Portland area’s light rail system were arbitrary and unconstitutional.
Victoria mayor’s race about bike lanes, housing
The Tyee looks at the race for mayor of Victoria, BC, where the current mayor, Lisa Helps, who was behind creating a huge bicycle lane network, is running against 9 other candidates. Cost of housing is a big cause for concern, as studies show the city could grow by 20,000 people by 2041.
An interview with Indigenous playwright Kim Senklip Harvey
The Georgia Straight has an interview with Kamploops-based actor, playwright and director Kim Senklip Harvey, who is of Syilx, Tsilhqot’in, Ktunaxa, and Dakelh heritage. She talks about her new play, Kamloopa, a comedy about three headstrong Indigenous women. The play debuted in Kamploops and opens in Vancouver tomorrow and runs through Oct. 6.
“All Fall Down,” poetry by Kate Peterson
Over at Crab Creek Review’s blog, you can read Kate Peterson’s gorgeous poem about dealing with death and disease, “All Fall Down.” Peterson is the director of Eastern Washington University’s Get Lit! program.
“You say your disease speaks to you
in low tones, spilling through palm fronds
and spinning you down again. . . ” Read the full poem online here.
That’s today’s selection of arts & news from the Great Northwest! Happy Autumn Moon Festival! ? –Andrew Engelson
Correction: a headline in last Friday’s Cascadia Daily said that Vancouver’s InSite supervised injection site has been open for twenty years. It has actually been open for ten years.
Photo credits: MAX train by Tim Adams via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0,