Tom Jackman

I don't know who needs to hear this, but a "mild covid infection" that results in chronic, lifelong disability is not—and will never be—a mild covid infection.

I’m 11min into the Joe Rogan podcast with Pierre and I just gotta say man Pierre is so likeable. He’s genuinely such a good guy. I don’t give a damn what the polls say, he’s got my support. Joe Rogan said Pierre’s a “very reasonable, intelligent person that makes a lot of sense”

So here's why the BC NDP will keep getting elected. Their brilliant comms team crafts a great feel good story from a tiny piece of cherry-picked data showing 400+ American healthcare workers hired. Quickly amplified by Eby and various MLAs. A great messaging combination of "more HCWs" and "stickin' it to the 'Muricans." Good news and reinforces "we're hard at work delivering what you need." Quickly picked up and parroted by by dozens of media outlets who have been trained to deliver your messages and not ask a lot of touch questions while doing so. Mission accomplished. On the opposition front? Little response. Health critic Anna Kindy at least gets mentioned (briefly) in the CP version of the story, raising the critical issue of retention. Haven't seen anything from the Conservative BC PR, their interim leader, or any of the leadership contenders, who all seem to be busy continuing with their culture war. Closest thing to relevance was a fringe missive from Rustad off on the side railing about HPOA (a legitimate issue) but doing so by defending the persecution of a couple of people most would charitably perceive as extreme wingnuts. Plus a bunch of responses from the true wingnuts still railing against all the firings of HCWs who were fired because of refusing to be vaccinated for COVID. Ditto anything from the BC Greens. This is a story screaming out for a "yes, but…" response, and one that's right up the opposition ally of responsible government and its own core values. Those new workers should be celebrated. That is a good thing! But… How long will they stay given the cost of living and high taxes? Will they find their ability to provide care for the benefit of their patients is being compromised by the extreme govt overreach under the new HPOA, which takes effect in two weeks? While 400 workers added is good, how many have been lost, due to moral injury, health authority overreach and retaliation, inhumane working conditions, …? We can't keep hiring people and having them walk out the door. Why can the NDP so quickly give us these numbers, but not broader numbers of net hiring, or anything about what we actually need? "We're doing our best" is a far cry from managing our health care system effectively with the $40B they spend annually. Where's the transparency? Accountability? Etc. So kudos BC NDP (and especially your comms team). Very well executed. And it reinforces how little you have to worry about from your opposition.

A friend just experienced almost complete hearing loss in one ear after her 4th covid infection. No treatments working. Hearing aid fitting soon.

@SelinaMRobinson Have you considered self publishing a book on campaign finance law?

I wonder if these funds could be considered campaign contributions? Can legal actions against the sitting mayor in an election year (an action that will get you tons of airtime) be considered campaigning? If so, then these funds could be considered campaign funds.

@AaronGunn Your petulant apple boy lost his election but decided to do the undemocratic thing and takeover someone else's seat. He got a do-over even though voters had spoken. Cry more

Mark Carney is currently attempting what is maybe the least democratic thing in Canadian history, cobbling together an illegitimate majority he didn’t earn during the election through backroom deals and who knows what else. If you want a majority government in Canada, you should earn it at the ballot box.

@funtomvids Pierre Poilievre as Robin Hood, Prince of LNG

🟥 Anyone who watches this latest video from Pierre Poilievre will AGREE that, at this point, even HE himself has given up on any hope of ever becoming Prime Minister of Canada ... 👀 He is unserious.

23 year old Ruben Ray Martinez’s last words? “I’m sorry sir”. ICE shot him 3 times and killed him. Renee Good’s last words? “It’s ok I’m not mad”. Alex Pretti’s last words? “Are you ok?” These are the people DHS calls domestic terrorists. Threats. Aggressors. Abolish ICE

other platforms: "dont worry, once you've blocked a user, they can't interact with you at all" twitter: "yes, you've blocked this person, but not only can they still see you, we're going to specially serve your tweets onto their timeline"

Israel is bombarding, literally bombarding, two Middle East capitals, Beirut and Tehran, killing 100s of civilians, and yet the US and UK media continue to portray Iran as the threat to the region. Israel has nukes, but Iran is the nuclear threat. We live in Orwellian times.

We are steadily blaming technology on the cognitive decline of today’s youth, but casually ignoring the repeated COVID infections we allowed them to get because adults refused to wear masks and practice basic mitigation strategies. They lost their taste, smell… and IQ.

@katiederosayyj Priceless. Also, this is definitely dance-worthy news!

NEW - Six years after BC passed legislation to move to permanent Daylight Saving Time, David Eby announces that BC will stay on permanent Daylight Saving Time. When we spring forward in March, it will be the last time the clocks change with the seasons. #bcpoli

The images coming out of Iran are already unbearable. Reports of an elementary school struck by missiles, killing dozens of people, with scores more killed around the country. Fear and chaos in the streets as families run through smoke and search for safety.  The United States and Israel have launched an illegal act of war while Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu speak openly of regime change. This is what Prime Minister Mark Carney says he supports. He has issued a statement so brazenly belligerent that even Conservatives like Jason Kenney are cheering it on. It’s a shameful moment that buries all of Carney’s high-minded rhetoric in Davos under the rubble. These leaders justify this war as serving Iranian liberation. But the courageous movement in Iran that has been fighting tyranny for nearly five decades — and is still reeling from the worst massacre in the country’s modern history in January — will suffer a massive setback from these foreign bombs.  We remember the disastrous outcomes of previous U.S.-led wars of regime change in the Middle East, including in Iraq. They led to hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths, sectarian conflict, and a world that is less safe, not more. The current attacks on Iran must stop now, before the entire region is plunged into conflict, death, and destruction. My thoughts are with the people in Iran and around the world who are watching this unfold with heartbreak and uncertainty.  Freedom will not come from military intervention by outside powers, it can only come from the Iranian people. War is not the way.

Watch the tyrant do the same thing to Greenland or Canada next week. If anything, Trump spent more time laying the groundwork for those future illegal attacks than he did the illegal war on Iran.

We need to stop using industry-friendly PR terms like “age verification” and call it what it is: Digital ID

@jaclynmacrae @jbtwickens @Dave_Eby @bcndp @NikiSharma2 A political party that saves money at the expense of disabled kids isn't much of a party.

Always make sure to read the fine print. #BCPoli #BCEd #Exclusion #NotAllGirls @jbtwickens @Dave_Eby @bcndp @NikiSharma2

Special mention to @Dave_Eby for once again putting a woman at the front of a horrible policy decision - esp a woman whose family benefitted fully from the services now being pulled - so as to deflect from this laundered, unpopular hub model that's going to harm disabled kids.✌️

It's quite depressing living in a place where so-called healthcare professionals refuse to mask even when those same professionals are charged with the health and protection of very sick people. In essence, the people who should know better seem simply not to care.

I am currently in this morning's @BCGovNews AFU cancellation information session. I have asked four questions to this group who consider transparency paramount. At this point in time, all of my questions remain in review. I will share them below. @Dave_Eby @bcndp @NikiSharma2

Well said, Rachel. x.com/i/status/20216…

Never forget the B.C. politicians and political agitators, who couldn't even be bothered to wait until the victims' blood had dried, before they chose to politicize the tragedy in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.