After 11 years of bringing you local reporting, the team behind the Vancouver Observer has moved on to Canada's National Observer. You can follow Vancouver culture reporting over there from now on. Thank you for all your support over the years!

Rafe Mair

Rafe Mair is a lawyer, political commentator and former radio personality and politician in British Columbia, Canada. Mair, a former BC Minister for the Environment has published eight books and written for The Vancouver Sun, The Huffington Post and for online publication, the Tyee. 

Letter to Premier Clark: where's your due diligence on Woodfibre LNG?

Sukanto Tanoto is an amazing fellow. If you haven't heard about him, I won't say you must have just arrived from Mars, but you certainly don't live in the Howe Sound area. Tanoto owns the Woodfibre...
English Bay oil spill, Tories, Harper government

Political leadership nowhere to be found in B.C.

A funny thing happened on April Fools' Day in West Vancouver at Gleneagles Golf Club. There was, you see, a protest with over 300 people, a full house and then some. The funny thing was that no...

Rafe Mair defends James Lunney

I rise to the defence of James Lunney, MP, who has, I believe been unfairly attacked on these pages by Richard Littlemore. First, let me say that I don't know Dr. Lunney and I certainly am not of...

Premier Kathleen Wynne's leadership highlights Harper's lack of it

The Globe and Mail story is short and simple  – "Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is preparing to bring in a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions, an ambitious move that could amount...
Heiltsuk, Herring, DFO

First Nations wisdom bests feds' ignoble herring policy

The recent victory of the Heiltsuk band in Bella Bella over the herring fishery is not only heartwarming, it is significant. It has once again demonstrated that the history and experience of the...