Resources

“I had to sell all of my belongings and now I live in my vehicle, as I need to stay in the lower mainland but cannot find a house in my price range that will accept a pet.”

No one should have to choose between their pet and their home. But in BC 1.6 million renters bear the brunt of the housing crisis and with the lack of affordable housing options, there are even fewer for people who have pets.

The lack of pet-friendly rental options in BC is a barrier to safe housing for pet owners, especially those with lower incomes.

Pets are valued and loved members of many households across the province. Because of the physical and emotional benefits of pet ownership as well as the health and accessibility aspects, restricting pets in rentals is a fairness and human rights concern.

The lack of pet-friendly rental housing was a common theme we found in our BC Eviction Mapping Project. Tenants reported displacement, downsizing and even homelessness due to not being able to find housing that would accommodate their pet.

“[I had] Difficulty finding somewhere to move that allowed pets, had to move to a rougher neighbourhood, further away from work.”

In the BC NDP’s 2024 provincial election campaign, Premier David Eby promised to “stop pet evictions in purpose-built rentals” and recognized that no person should have to choose between their pet and their home.

We call on the provincial government to uphold that promise and prohibit pet bans in rentals. This will help protect the most vulnerable tenants, uphold their rights, and save them from having to choose between safe housing options or homelessness.

“The worst part this time around is that I think [I] have to leave my dog for a few months … We’re looking for pet friendly housing, but I just can’t afford the upfront costs all at once right now when inflation is hitting so hard.”

Use your voice and join us to stand up for tenants and pets across BC. Send a letter to your MLA asking them to prohibit restrictions on pets in any rental housing with five or more units.

You can read more about our suggestions for amendments to the RTA, outlined in our new law reform platform.

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A message from the FIRST UNITED Social Justice Committee

You’ve helped us advocate for issues that affect the community we serve in the Downtown Eastside, including affordable housing and safe supply. Thank you for using your voices to push for change.

The next step you can take is to vote in the upcoming Vancouver by-election, happening on April 5. With important issues on the line, the stakes are high.

Voting is one of the most impactful ways to make a difference in your community. Right now, there has never been a more important time to exercise your democratic rights. FIRST UNITED has been serving the DTES community, including those who live in poverty, have mental health challenges, and people who use drugs, for over a century. Elections are a way to stand up for our community on the issues that impact people directly.

In this by-election, you’ll be voting to fill two vacant City Council seats. Get informed about each candidate and where they stand on issues that are important to you. Read more about each candidate by clicking the links provided here.

Ahead of the by-election, there are still a few all-candidate meetings happening in the city in case you haven’t had a chance to attend yet:

• Sunday, March 30 at 1:30pm-3:00pm at St. James Community Square regarding the Jericho Lands ODP
• Tuesday, April 1 from 7:00pm-9:00pm at Kerrisdale Community Centre Association

Make sure to ask questions about their stances on:

• Supportive housing and plans for more affordable housing in Vancouver.
• The Downtown Eastside and creating safety and dignity for those experiencing homelessness and poverty.
• The toxic drug supply and our need for increased investment in harm reduction and safe supply.
• Reconciliation, Indigenous rights and prioritizing Indigenous voices.

Your vote is important and will influence the future of the city. Thank you.

The FIRST UNITED Social Justice Committee
Jerome Bonneric
Jean Budden
Heather Clarke
Elizabeth KerklaanKatie Koncan
Marcia Lopez
Chris Wrightson

Mayor Ken Sim wants to stop new supportive housing projects from being built in the City of Vancouver. On Wednesday, February 26, the motion “Temporarily Pausing Net-New Supportive Housing Investments in Vancouver to Prioritize Replacing Existing Stock and Promoting Regional Equity” is going to City Council for discussion and vote. This is an opportunity for your voice to be heard on an important issue that will impact thousands in our community, and we need you to join us.

The City of Vancouver acknowledges that “safe, stable and dignified housing is a fundamental necessity for individuals facing homelessness, mental health challenges, and substance use disorders”. As homelessness increases and affordability worsens, now is not the time to inhibit the building of new supportive housing stock. 

Supportive housing makes communities safer. 
Supportive housing is part of the solution to homelessness. 
Supportive housing helps people escape the cycle of poverty. 

Send a pre-written email below to tell Mayor Sim and City Council that you DO NOT support this motion. Tell them that you believe Vancouver and surrounding municipalities in the region need to proactively and urgently build more supportive housing. 

Read more about the issue and the benefits of supportive housing in our op-ed “Safer Communities Start with Supportive Housing”, co-written with the Vancity Community Foundation. 

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Calendar

Advent and Christmas Calendar 2025

As part of the FIRST UNITED Advent and Christmas Calendar, Rev. Lauren Sanders, Indigenous Spiritual Care Chaplain, has prepared a five-part Bible study series. The short Bible studies are to meant offer ways to engage in group or individually.

The Canaanite Woman Said What She Said.

The story of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21–28 offers a rich lens for challenging colonial theology and the doctrine of discovery. What does Jesus’ transformation in this story teach us about listening, humility, and change?

Matthew 15:21-28 (NRSV)
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that moment.

Mark 7:24-30 (NRSV)
From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” And when she went home, she found the child lying on the bed and the demon gone.

Kana’an: Canaan was the southeastern side of the Mediterranean coast, the part that joins Africa to Asia. The Indigenous inhabitants of that region were called Canaanites in Biblical Hebrew, or Syrophoenician in Koine Greek. Canaanites were on their land since before 4500 BCE. There were many different cultures and beliefs of the groups of people living in the land of Canaan. Ammonites, Moabites, Israelites who were never exiled, Phoenicians, Philistines (later called Palestinians), and other nomadic groups were all called Canaanites.

A Conversation with the Text

When the Hebrew scriptures refer to “the stranger” or “the foreigner”, most times it means someone who sojourns through the territory where a community of Israelites are living. These strangers or foreigners agree to live in the community of Israelites, and the sacred texts encourage hospitality and kindness to anyone who chooses to live by the values, mores, and rules of the Israelites. The power dynamic tips on the side of the people who are telling the story… the Israelites.

When the story encounters people who lived on the “land of milk and honey” before the Israelites, the power dynamic becomes flipped. The harmony between the stranger (Israelites) and the original inhabitants is incompatible. This is the political context of Matthew 15 and Mark 7.

The story of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21–28 is one of the most striking moments in the Gospels. It is a story of persistence, resistance, and transformation. It is also a story that challenges colonial theology and the Doctrine of Discovery—a doctrine that has justified centuries of land theft, cultural erasure, and spiritual domination.

Jesus, a Jewish teacher and prophet, enters Gentile territory. The woman he meets is not just a foreigner—she is a descendant of the people displaced by Israelite conquest. Her voice disrupts the narrative.

The woman’s plea is urgent: “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” Jesus’ initial silence and the disciples’ dismissal reflect a theology of exclusion. She is not part of the chosen people. She is not supposed to belong.

But she persists. She kneels. She speaks back. And when Jesus calls her a dog, she responds with a truth that cannot be ignored: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” This is not just clever rhetoric. She refuses to accept the boundaries of belonging. She claims her place in the story. The woman is direct with no shame. She firmly believes in a God that took joy and delight in creating all of creation.

This woman leads a theological intervention, when she challenges Jesus’ wrong lens. We see an image of Jesus as fully human, fully experiencing all of what it means to be human and have an embody theology that does not include all that God has created. Until this intervention, Jesus embodied what he had been taught in society, and an Indigenous woman came into his life and retold Genesis 1.

What happens next is extraordinary. “huh… recalibrating…” Jesus says. Jesus listens. He changes. He affirms her faith and heals her daughter.

This moment of transformation is crucial. It shows that even Jesus, shaped by the cultural and theological norms of his time, can be moved by the voice of the marginalized. It shows that divine compassion is not static—it responds to truth, humility, and courage.

The Doctrine of Discovery declared that lands not inhabited by Christians were available to be “discovered,” claimed, and colonized. It denied the humanity and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples. It justified genocide and spiritual domination.

The Canaanite woman’s story stands in stark contrast. She is not discovered—she speaks. She is not conquered—she resists. She is not erased—she is remembered.

Her voice calls us to reject theologies that exclude. Her persistence invites us to listen to those who have been silenced. Her faith reminds us that transformation is possible.

Deeper Reflection Questions

• How do power dynamics shape the way biblical stories are told and interpreted? What happens when we center the voices of those historically labeled as “foreigners” or “outsiders”?
• What does it mean that Jesus entered Gentile territory in this story? How does the woman’s identity as a Canaanite challenge dominant theological narratives?
• What does Jesus’ change of heart teach us about humility and openness to correction? How might this story inform our own spiritual practices of listening to the voices we are taught not to listen to?
• In what ways does this story challenge the assumptions of the Doctrine of Discovery? What does this story invite you to reconsider in your own theology or practice?
• When you have experienced or witnessed a moment where someone’s voice disrupted a harmful narrative, what kind of transformation happened? How did you feel?

Closing Prayer: A Prayer for Listening and Liberation

God of all peoples and all lands,
You walked into Gentile territory.
You listened to the voice of a woman who refused to be silenced.
You changed, and in that change, we saw the fullness of your compassion.

We come to you now,
As people shaped by stories—some that heal, and some that harm.
Help us to hear the voices that disrupt exclusion.
Help us to welcome those who have been cast aside.
Help us to unlearn theologies that justify domination, genocide, and colonization.

May we be like the Canaanite woman—persistent, courageous, and faithful.
May we be like Jesus—willing to listen, willing to change.
May our communities become places of justice,
Where crumbs are no longer enough,
And all are fed with dignity, truth, and love.

We pray in the name of the One who crossed boundaries,
Who healed with compassion,
And who calls us to do the same.
Amen.

As part of the FIRST UNITED Advent and Christmas Calendar, Rev. Lauren Sanders, Indigenous Spiritual Care Chaplain, has prepared a five-part Bible study series. The short Bible studies are to meant offer ways to engage in group or individually.

David’s Land Conquests

The stories of King David’s military victories in the Hebrew Bible have long been celebrated as signs of divine favor and fulfillment of covenantal promises. But what happens when we read these texts not from the perspective of the conqueror, but from the viewpoint of the conquered? What truths emerge when we listen to the cries beneath the triumphalism?

2 Samuel 5:1-10 (NRSV)
Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Look, we are your bone and flesh. For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The Lord said to you, ‘It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel.’ ” So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here; even the blind and the lame will turn you back,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.” Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, which is now the city of David. David had said on that day, “Whoever would strike down the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, those whom David hates.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” David occupied the stronghold and named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inward. And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.

2 Samuel 8: 1a, 2-6, 13b-14
Some time afterward, David attacked the Philistines and subdued them… He also defeated the Moabites and, making them lie down on the ground, measured them off with a cord; he measured two lengths of cord for those who were to be put to death and one length for those who were to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.
David also struck down the king of Zobah, Hadadezer son of Rehob, as he went to restore his monument at the River Euphrates. David took from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for a hundred chariots. When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand men of the Arameans. Then David put garrisons among the Arameans of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to David and brought tribute. The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
David won a name for himself. When he returned, he killed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. He put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

2 Samuel 12:1-12 (NRSV)
and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. ² The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare and drink from his cup and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared that for the guest who had come to him.” Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; he shall restore the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”

Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul; I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your bosom and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah, and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and in broad daylight.”

A Conversation with the Text

David was the second King of Israel (Saul being the first) to have built a small kingdom, defeated the Philistines, killed their Goliath, and expanded the borders westward. King David’s conquests and military victories in the ancient land of Canaan were seen as fulfilling the promises made to Abraham regarding the land. These verses about David’s conquests have historically been interpreted through lenses that align with colonial ideologies, particularly the Doctrine of Discovery, which has justified the seizure of Indigenous lands under the guise of divine mandate.

These verses describe a sweeping expansion of territory, marked by violence, subjugation, and the installation of garrisons. The Moabites are measured with cords to determine who lives and who dies. The Edomites and Arameans are slaughtered and made to serve David. The theological refrain—“The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went”—echoes through the text, suggesting divine endorsement of conquest. The idea that God grants land to a chosen people, and that conquest is divinely sanctioned, has undergirded centuries of colonial violence.

In this framework, David’s victories are not just historical events; they become archetypes for Christian imperialism. The “promised land” becomes a template for settler entitlement. The “other”—the Moabite, the Edomite, the Jebusite—is rendered disposable, voiceless, and cursed.

When read through a decolonizing lens, these texts become more than historical accounts—they become theological battlegrounds. The idea that God grants land to a chosen people and sanctions conquest has undergirded centuries of colonial violence. But this interpretation is not inevitable. It is shaped by the lenses we choose to wear.

If we decolonize revisionist lenses of King David, we find a charismatic and popular King who is deeply flawed. And yet, God loved David. The “monarch” system that the Israelites asked for was not God’s intention, but the people of God begged. And yet, God loved the people. From God’s steadfast love while the people turn away from God we learn that David’s victories are not divine endorsements but cautionary tales. They reveal the dangers of conflating divine will with political power.

In this framework, the “promised land” is not a blank canvas for settler entitlement—it is a living, breathing relative, already inhabited by peoples with stories, relationships, and sacred responsibilities. The “other”—the Moabite, the Edomite, the Jebusite—is not cursed, but colonized. Their silenced voices call us to repentance, to reparation, and to theological renewal. Just as the prophet Nathan corrected King David, we are also rebuked.

Deeper Reflection Questions

• How have you traditionally understood King David’s military victories? How has your spiritual formation been shaped by narratives of conquest or divine favor? What changes when you read these stories as cautionary sacred texts?
• How does the theological refrain “The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went” challenge or affirm your understanding of divine justice?
• What do we learn from the absence of the voices of the Moabites, Edomites, and Jebusites in these texts? How can we honor the stories of those who are silenced in scripture and in society?
• How does the prophet Nathan’s rebuke of David (2 Samuel 12) model spiritual accountability? In what ways are we, as faith communities, being called to prophetic truth-telling today?
• How can your congregation or community participate in reparative action and theological renewal?

Closing Prayer: A Prayer for Decolonizing Faith

Creator of Land and Life,
You who breathed spirit into soil,
Who called forth peoples to dwell in sacred relationship with Earth and one another—
We come before You, humbled by the weight of history and the hope of healing.

We have read stories of conquest and kings,
Of lands taken and peoples silenced.
We confess the ways our traditions have too often blessed violence for greed,
Mistaking domination for divine will,
And forgetting that Your covenant is rooted in justice, mercy, and love.

Teach us to hear the cries beneath the triumph,
To listen for the voices of the Moabite, the Edomite, the Jebusite—
And all those whose stories were erased.

May we become communities of prophetic courage,
Where Nathan’s rebuke is welcomed,
And David’s repentance becomes our own.

Lead us, O God, not in the path of empire,
But in the way of the One who chose humility over power,
Healing over conquest, and love over fear.
Let our theology be a balm, not a blade.
Let our worship be a witness to justice.
Let our lives be a living prayer of restoration.

In the name of the One who liberates,
Who reconciles,
Who walks with the wounded and the wise—
Amen.

Toast Talks are a series of information sessions during which members of the FIRST UNITED team offer updates, insights, and information about our work to our communities of faith, volunteers, donors, stakeholders, and friends. To make sure you never miss out on invitations to Toast Talks, subscribe to our emails.

Toast Talks July 2025

Here is the digital version of our Summer 2025 Newsletter:

Toast Talks are a series of information sessions during which members of the FIRST UNITED team offer updates, insights, and information about our work to our communities of faith, volunteers, donors, stakeholders, and friends. To make sure you never miss out on invitations to Toast Talks, subscribe to our emails.

Toast Talks March 2025

Here is the digital version of the of our 2024 Annual Report:

Toast Talks are a series of information sessions during which members of the FIRST UNITED team offer updates, insights, and information about our work to our communities of faith, volunteers, donors, stakeholders, and friends. To make sure you never miss out on invitations to Toast Talks, subscribe to our emails.

Toast Talks November 2024

Here is the digital version of the fall edition of our First Things First newsletter below:

Rev. Lauren Sanders, Indigenous Spiritual Care Chaplain, has written a blog in honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Rev. Sanders shares about the truth-telling and truth-listening aspects of truth and reconciliation, and how art—one of the key forms of communication—requires everyone to be a truth-listener.

Art is storytelling, and art is one of the oldest forms of truth that there is. We see art everywhere. When there are archeological digs or when you’re in Indigenous sacred spaces, there’s art. That art is telling a story, and that story tells the truth.  

When we are journeying on this truth and reconciliation journey, it is vital that we look at songs, dances, and all art forms as part of ways to speak truth, hear truth, learn truth, unlearn truths that we don’t need anymore, unlearn lies, and relearn truths that we’ve forgotten about. 

Truth-telling and truth-listening happen together in an open dialog. The truth hits hard, shining light on places within us and around us that we would rather not see or be seen. Allowing those hard truths to confront the lies we have believed takes humility, self-awareness, and courage. As we work to fully accept those hard truths, we realize that telling the truth is also very difficult. Telling hard truths also requires humility, self-awareness, and courage. The vulnerability of both the truth-teller and the truth-accepter is the beginning of trust. Only from that trust can reconciliation be built. 

When we experience art, we have feelings about it. Feelings are the deepest and first way we encounter what we think of as spirit. Our body reacts, our mind reacts, and everything within us reacts when we feel feeling. With art, you’re supposed to feel feeling. That art tells us: this is the artist’s truth. You can like it; you can not like it. You can feel some way about it. But that was the point of the artwork. To feel some way about it. 

When we encounter the hard truths from artwork, particularly Indigenous artwork, we all need to give ourselves space to internalize it and have it become a vital part of us in a way that allows the truth to become ours. The story isn’t to be usurped or subsumed. The truth in the story becomes our common humanity, our connection that breathes solidarity into being… again. In some creation stories, we were all one. We became fractured into “I only” through colonization, systemic oppression, and genocide. Listening to hard truths, whether through art or other means, moves us toward each other. 

This National Truth and Reconciliation Day, I invite you to join us in reflection with the following questions: 

When you’re looking at public art, what do you feel? What are some hard truths? What are the lies you believed? 

Casey Stainsby, Student Pastor, and Rev. Lauren Sanders, Indigenous Spiritual Care Chaplain, hand-painted a maple tree at the FIRST UNITED Spiritual Care office. The tree will be adorned with paper maple leaves designed by FIRST UNITED staff. On each maple leaf, staff wrote a commitment to dignity, belonging, and justice for truth and reconciliation.

“There’s no limits to what could happen with the money,” said a City Councillor recently.

Oh goodness, don’t we know it.

The City is exploring the idea of selling naming rights of parks and public spaces to corporations in an effort to reduce a $500 million infrastructure deficit.

In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with advertising and branding, and massive corporations are constantly vying for our eyes, do we really need to let that infiltrate BC’s natural beauty and public spaces?

But more than that, this initiative appears to be at odds with reconciliation…The City is proposing further profiting from the possession of stolen lands. The City was designated a “City of Reconciliation” in 2014. We invite staff, Councillors, and the Mayor alike to reflect on what selling naming rights for stolen lands means in this context. Is selling the naming rights to stolen lands based in reconciliation?

Look, we understand the need to pay for things. And we understand the benefits to partnering with the corporate sector to achieve goals. And as such, we’d like to offer some insight and constructive feedback to our public sector colleagues on the issue.

We’re currently redeveloping our site into an 11-storey purpose-built facility with four floors of community services and seven floors of affordable housing for Indigenous people (operated by Lu’ma Native Housing Society). The price tag for our four floors of services: a whopping $37 million, of $92 million for the whole building.

FIRST UNITED isn’t a massive organization; our operating budget just crept over $5 million this year. We’re well underway with our fundraising efforts for our new building, but that doesn’t detract from how ambitious it is for an organization of our size.

But we made a deliberate choice when we launched our capital campaign: We chose to not sell naming rights to rooms, spaces, or the building itself. This is actually highly unusual in the fundraising and philanthropic space.

All of the spaces in our new building will be named after Indigenous and spiritual roots of the land and Indigenous leaders rather than donors. And because we know that recognition can be meaningful, instead of naming rights, donors have the opportunity to offer dedications for the spaces they help to fund. But those rooms will be known by their Indigenous-based name first, not by the dedication. And that makes a big difference.

For us, this dedication policy is a core component to putting reconciliation in action.

The neighbourhood we serve is comprised of about 30-40% Indigenous People. The soil we’ve built into is stolen, never-ceded, ancestral land that is not ours. To create a space that is grounded in dignity, belonging, and justice, we decided that it was more important to recognize and honour the history of the land than the names of corporations or wealthy donors.

Our relationship with Indigenous Peoples and our journey through and to reconciliation are more important than money. These are our values, and we’re choosing to live them, regardless of the expense. We believe it is possible to have your actions align with your values, especially when it comes to managing your pocketbook.

We invite the City to reflect on their values regarding the allocation of existing funds. We continue to see the Mayor’s office and Vancouver Police Department’s budgets climb without issue or much in the way of “creative” fundraising. It just happens. It’s dismaying that our public spaces—and opportunities for righting wrongs of colonialism—not given the same type of prioritization for a City of Reconciliation.

Be brave, City of Vancouver. Take a note out of our playbook. Live the values you say you have. And if nothing else, it might not be a great look for your sponsors as you evict houseless residents from these newly-renamed parks.

June 21 marks National Indigenous People’s Day, when we celebrate the history and culture of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people across Canada. To mark the day, we’ve compiled a number of resources and activities to get involved with to celebrate and for you to advance your own learning about Indigenous people.

Events

• National Indigenous People’s Day Celebration at Grandview Park
  June 21, 12:00 – 4:00 pm
  FIRST UNITED will have a booth set up, stop by to say hello and hear what we’re up to!
  
• Block Party on Main Street, between East Hastings and East Pender
  June 21, 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
  Pop up performances from J.B. the First Lady, Mannix, Haida Dance Group, and more
  
• DTES Powwow at Oppenheimer Park
  June 23, 12:00 – 5:00 pm

Reading

FIRST UNITED staff have been encouraged to read the following books by First Nations authors to understand the history and context of colonization in Canada. We highly encourage you to read these important texts:

Five Little Indians by Michelle Good

21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Robert P.C. Joseph

Unbroken: My Fight for Survival, Hope, and Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls, by Angela Sterritt

Local Businesses

Support local Indigenous-owned businesses today and every day.

Massy Books, https://www.massybooks.com/, 229 E Georgia St, Vancouver
All of the above books are available at Massy Books

Decolonial Clothing, https://decolonialclothing.com/, 269 E Georgia St, Vancouver

Talaysay Tours, https://www.talaysay.com/, various tour locations in Vancouver, Sunshine Coast, and Squamish