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Maria Dobrinskaya

@mdobrinskaya.bsky.social
421 followers 456 following 192 posts

Politics and books. Cooperative overlapper. Hopeful collapsnik. She/her. #bcpoli #cdnpoli #vanpoli

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Reposted by Maria Dobrinskaya
Andrea Woo @andreawoo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
BREAKING: A BC Supreme Court judge has sided with Jeremy Kalicum and Eris Nyx, who operated an illicit-drug compassion club (Drug User Liberation Front), were convicted of trafficking, and challenged the constitutionality of Canada's drug laws. Trafficking section ruled invalid, convictions stayed.
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Kendra "Gloom is My Beat" Pierre-Louis @kendrawrites.com · 07/09/2026
There's a rich scholarship on why facts don't change minds. There's an even richer scholarship on why even when you know the facts it doesn't alter our behaviors.
theconversation.com
Cognitive biases and brain biology help explain why facts don’t change minds
Here are some reasons for the natural human tendency to avoid or reject new information that runs counter to what you already know – and some tips on how to do better.
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Ellie Mae O'Hagan @elliemaeohagan.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I love the dedication in My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinhem
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Good for her. She was my preferred mayoral candidate, by a long shot, but something had to give in this messy political environment and I’m not surprised that she’s the one showing leadership here. Hopefully this ignites some necessary movement. #vanpoli
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Shannon Waters @sobittersosweet.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
This story is wild and disturbing BC seems to have overstated its natural gas royalties by $1.5 BILLION over 5 years Per the premier's office, it's an administrative error converting units and currency An SFU economist with expertise in royalty structures says that doesn't add up #bcpoli
biv.com
B.C. admits to $1.5B budget error following BIV investigation
Premier's office blames 'administrative error' for missing $1.5B in gas royalties; experts call the government's explanation confusing, and in some cases, demonstrably false
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Going to reread this excellent piece on Dolly “Dolly Parton is the one good thing in our empire’s twilight.”   longreads.com/2021/03/23/t...
longreads.com
The Dolly Moment - Longreads
“Only a society that willfully believes itself ‘post-racist’ could produce such a queen.”
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Michelle Gamage @michellegamage.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
These deaths are due to contamination of the drug supply, which makes it impossible to know the purity and potency of street drugs. The government refuses to regulate the supply and continues to allow these deaths to happen. All policy is a choice, and this is what the current gov is choosing.
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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Those who believe things like this are working hard at not understanding the finite options available to someone whose abuser has not been prosecuted, found guilty, etc. by the law. And how rarely those things happen to abusers, esp. high-status white male abusers.
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Castanet.net @castanet.net · 31/07/2026
Court finds B.C.'s involuntary mental health treatment scheme unconstitutional (BC)
castanet.net
Court finds B.C.'s involuntary mental health treatment scheme unconstitutional - BC News
The British Columbia Supreme Court has given the provincial government six months to reform laws that allow directors of mental health facilities to consent to psychiatric treatments for people who are involuntarily admitted for care.
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Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 15/07/2026
The spouse of fired BC Conservative staffer Lindsay Shepherd is the new director of communications for the BC Conservative caucus www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa & @cosminDZS Director of Communications @BCConservCaucus //Formerly @junonewscom @TPostMillennial +It's pronounced: Jurja | Alumnus: @uwaterloo |

& Journalist O Born April 1 • Joined November 2017 >
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Michelle Cyca @michellecyca.com · 14/07/2026
a really excellent analysis by @arnokopecky.bsky.social & also it is insane that this entire country is premised on a foundational belief that not only is private property sacred but the government should protect owners' investments above all else macleans.ca/longforms/ri...
macleans.ca
A Judge Recognized Aboriginal Title on Private Property. Panic Ensued. - Macleans.ca
How the Cowichan court battle is putting the real meaning of reconciliation to the test
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COPE: The Coalition of Progressive Electors @copevancouver.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
"COPE is a party that rocks the boat ... We know that none of the gains we’ve experienced as a society, whether it’s human rights, fair treatment or shared prosperity, have been won without fighting for it." - @stephanieformayor.bsky.social thetyee.ca/News/2026/07... #FightForVancouver
thetyee.ca
Stephanie Allen Wants to Be Vancouver’s Next Mayor | The Tyee
The former BC Housing exec pledges to use her research and building bona fides to serve the whole city.
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
“It has revealed that, for some progressives, the important markers of a candidate who displays “positive masculinity” are primarily aesthetic, with little concern for whether or not the man in question actually lives the values he presents.”
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
It’s alarming to me how many people who would identify as progressive are supportive of this. It’s “ineffective and harmful policy” that won’t do what’s it’s purporting to and will do and enable a lot of things we don’t want. #cdnpoli
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
“At the same time this is a black and white question of voter suppression. If the government does not create the conditions for people - all people - to cast a secret ballot then the government is failing at democracy not just accessibility.” #vanpoli
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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
How to defeat authoritarianism—lessons from Hungary Two stand out: • Organize BROADLY. • Don’t mince words. Gift link:
nytimes.com
Opinion | This Is the Formula That Defeated Orban. It Would Defeat Trump, Too.
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Joanne Hammond @joannehammond.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
I love a Qing dynasty coin cos it says right on it when and where it’s from—in this case the Beijing mint between 1661 and 1722. That’s an 8,500 km journey to get buried (then excavated!) in the heart of Nlaka’pamux territory at Lytton, BC. #archaeology
Front of a Qing dynasty coin: it’s a dull burnished bronze alloy with a square hole in the middle and four Manchu characters that say Kangxi tongbao, meaning the circulating treasure of Kangxi emperorBack of a Qing dynasty coin: it’s a dull burnished bronze alloy with a square hole in the middle and the Manchu characters for treasure and the Beijing mint
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
every GenXer in #bcpoli right now
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
y’know, you may hear the BCNDP call KLF Maple MAGA and think it’s over the top partisan rhetoric, and then you see this #bcpoli
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Wow
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
This story is just so appalling. MoE conspired with cops to fire democratically elected trustees, over program that cops themselves had said was low priority. And then they withheld evidence from the courts. And it seems everyone is keeping their jobs! #bcpoli thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026...
thetyee.ca
Firing Victoria’s School Board Was an Abuse of Power | The Tyee
The provincial government colluded with police on a costly, undemocratic campaign.
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PressProgress @pressprogress.ca · 27/05/2026
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has recognized coercive control as a form of intimate partner violence. The decision will especially help BIPOC women who face particular barriers in reporting and seeking compensation for abuse. pressprogress.ca/supreme-cour...
pressprogress.ca
Landmark Decision by Supreme Court Recognizes ‘Coercive Control’ as Form of Intimate Partner Violence
The decision will help BIPOC women who face specific barriers in reporting and seeking compensation for abuse
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Wab is just unparalleled in this country as an effective political communicator. #cdnpoli
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COPE: The Coalition of Progressive Electors @copevancouver.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Zero consultation. Zero environmental review. Zero public benefits. Billionaires will get a publicly funded payday. Sign our petition below.
“It’s wrong to push these AI Data Centres on communities without consent. Vancouver already has Stage 2 Water restrictions and an imminent drought. This will drive up hydro bills, and increase water restrictions. Vancouver belongs to us, not tech billionaires.”

Stephanie Allen for Mayor
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Tim Carmody @tcarmody.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
"At the root… lies a technocratic and post-humanist mentality that tends to regard the human person as an object to be manipulated or a resource to be optimized, removing all safeguards against the unchecked pursuit of profit. What prevails is efficiency, rather than… freedom and human dignity"
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Tim Carmody @tcarmody.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
"Our first task is neither to demonize nor idolize technological tools, but to utilize them on the basis of a fundamental principle, namely that truth is a common good and not the property of those with power or influence. We must therefore promote an ecology of communication."
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Tim Carmody @tcarmody.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
The contemporary Catholic tradition calls this "integral ecology": as Francis writes, “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” cannot be separated.
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Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 23/05/2026
On Reddit, Orange County residents are very justifiably angry that local authorities are posting vital evacuation information on X and Instagram…which both require accounts if you want to be able to view videos easily and completely. How many people use neither? This has got to stop.
41 people here
•••
Evacuation orders have been reinstated after a 34,... 416 upvotes • 315 comments
EmptyStrings • 13m
Governments should stop posting stuff only on x. I can't get sound to this video and I'm not making an account or downloading their dumb app. Is there an alternative source?
...
+14
bantha42 • Now
you can append an x url with cancel as in xcancel.com/ to view links etc without an account.
...
4 Vote 心
chubbii_chii • 2m
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYqO-OpSJyd/?
igsh=MzRIODBiNWFIZA==
They also posted it on Instagram
... 1 da a Vote B
reildeilneil • 3m
It's ridiculous that government bodies are still posting to a platform that at best requires you to make an account to view posts (at worst, all the many reasons X Is awtul).
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3 T Vote C
Responsible_Ad3002 • 12m
Can you please provide a summary detail for those of us that can't access X / sound audio?
...
个只
个vV
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Reposted by Maria Dobrinskaya
G. Willow Wilson @gwillow.me · 15/05/2026
Good news, everyone www.cnn.com/2026/05/14/h...
cnn.com
Engaging with arts and culture can slow biological aging as much as exercise, study suggests | CNN
When it comes to slowing down our biological aging, engaging with arts and culture is as beneficial as physical activity, a new study suggests.
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
“Nobody wants a parasocial bestie who shills for the plutocrats who are nullifying their votes, degrading their educations, jacking up their power bill, stealing their wages and rigging the system. There is no feminist case for scaring people into adopting A.I.”
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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
If you thought "I bet Ken Sim is all in on AI", you would be correct
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COPE: The Coalition of Progressive Electors @copevancouver.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
"Public lands have to be used for public housing. For non-market housing, there's some really important levers like community land trusts...So that the people that work in the city can stay in the city and build a life here.” - @stephanieformayor.bsky.social www.biv.com/biv-rss-link...
biv.com
Two more candidates enter race to become Vancouver’s next mayor
Stephanie Allen will be acclaimed May 11 as COPE’s candidate, Colleen Hardwick nominated as Team for a Livable Vancouver’s leader
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Andrea Woo @andreawoo.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
“Cheryl Weeks, a plaintiff and former Vancouver police officer, said she and other prospective class members have found it ‘astounding’ that their claims of sexual harassment are being compared legally to a ‘dispute over a pension plan.’” From Darryl Greer: www.timescolonist.com/local-news/b...
timescolonist.com
B.C. policewomen want lawsuit, not labour arbitration, over alleged discrimination
Cheryl Weeks, a plaintiff and former Vancouver police officer, said she and other prospective class members have found it "astounding" that their claims of sexual harassment are being compared legally...
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isabella zavarise @isabellazavarise.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
“It would avoid us doing drugs in public, doing drugs around children, around elderly folks, just around people who don't want to be around drugs. Right now, we're on the street corners, we're on the sidewalk, and it's inhumane.” www.biv.com/biv-rss-link...
biv.com
Vancouver mayor moves to block opening of downtown overdose prevention site
Vancouver Coastal Health plans to open site in June in building at 900 Helmcken Street
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COPE: The Coalition of Progressive Electors @copevancouver.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
“We need to dream bigger. We need to fight harder. We can win what people really need and do it with integrity.” -Stephanie Allen
Foreground: A Poster, "Stephanie Allen for Mayor - COPE"
Background: Runners in the The BMO Vancouver Marathon
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De Facto Journalism Co-op @defactomedia.ca · 01/05/2026
This International Workers’ Day, we're putting media back in workers’ hands. De Facto Journalism Co-op is a new non-profit of 6 worker-owners producing in-depth journalism focused on justice issues and systems of power. To get our first investigations next week, subscribe here: defactomedia.ca
from left to right: Brishti Basu, Emma Arkell, Mike Graeme, Dustin Godfrey, David P. Ball and Cam Welch
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Five each from COPE, Greens, OneCity, plus three each (so far, I think?) from TEAM, Allam's Vancouver Liberals, and Bligh's Vote Vancouver, is a very crowded not-Ken-Sim's-party field.
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
“The report says the costs associated with femicide totalled $27.6 million annually, while workplace sexual harassment “contributes an additional $86 million each year through reduced productivity and employment churn.” cfjctoday.com/2026/04/14/g...
cfjctoday.com
Gender-based violence costs B.C. $1.12 billion annually, YWCA report says
VANCOUVER — Gender-based violence is costing British Columbia an estimated $1.12 billion each year, says a new report commissioned by the provincial YWCA. The report, titled The Cost of Inaction: Meas...
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Every day I watch the terror grow and every day I have to work, run errands, do chores – how to describe that contradiction, and how to survive it.

'Germany has declared war on Russia. Swimming in the afternoon.'

– Franz Kafka's diary entry, August 2, 1914
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cait (and adonis) @cait.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
in 2016 a group of strangers in Kazakhstan saved a dog from drowning by forming a human chain to reach him. they just unveiled a statue commemorating the event and I'm genuinely about to start sobbing
photo showing the rescuers saving the dog, next to the statue commemorating themcloseup on the base of the statue, showing a dog and a man in a ball cap the top of the statue, where the person at the top of the slope has his hand outstretched so the viewer can "help" pull him up
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Michelle Cyca @michellecyca.com · 23/03/2026
"The panic now visible in British Columbia is not evidence that reconciliation has gone too far. It is evidence that reconciliation has begun to have material consequences." @khelsilem.bsky.social in @macleans.bsky.social: macleans.ca/politics/can...
macleans.ca
Canada’s Reconciliation Panic - Macleans.ca
Indigenous peoples are gaining territory and political and economic clout. Not everyone is ready for what that will mean.
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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Sean Orr has filed legal action against Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim for saying to media without evidence that Orr was dealing drugs on Christmas Day
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Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 @jmcelroy.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Here’s my full video on Day 5 of the Ken Sim and Sean Orr saga. A bit of today’s news, a bit of historical context to the story, a bit of answering @seanorr.bsky.social’s challenge to me earlier this week. I *think* the story will recede now, but given the weirdness of it all, we’ll see!
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Drip, drip, drip… Ken Sim, in his lack of forthright disclosure, or what some might call lying, seems determined to keep this story going 🤔 #vanpoli
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Maria Dobrinskaya @mdobrinskaya.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
I can’t overstate how strongly I oppose this. Yes, time change sucks, but if we’re doing away with it, ALL of the science says permanent standard time is the way to go.
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tamara nopper @tamaranopper.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Many suggest government’s role is providing assistance to people in (a) crisis, limiting our vision of public goods and the state. Like Ruth Wilson Gilmore said, "Public goods should never be means tested. That's the entire point of a public good! And should be as permanent as anything imaginable.“
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Bill Corbett @billcorbett.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Sorry to get radical but I don’t think it’s my job or yours to embrace, accept, understand - and certainly not to use - the thing being sold to us as AI. I don’t like any part of it, so I won’t. I’m missing out? Good, that’s what I want. You’re worried about me missing out? That’s fuckin weird, man.
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Shannon Waters @sobittersosweet.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Amending BC's Declaration Act would "set back our collective reconciliation efforts by decades," say dozens of civil society groups and prominent Canadians in a joint statement "Now is not the time to cede ground to those who cynically spread fear and doubt about that vital work" #bcpoli
wcel.org
Joint Call: BC must recommit to meaningful implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act | West Coast Environment...
Civil society leaders stand with Indigenous peoples in BC and call on Premier Eby and his government not to amend the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
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