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!

Free Speech

American Sniper and Stephen Harper make war with words

War hawks and their simplistic "us vs. them" mentality don't make us safer— they put all of us at risk

Istanbul protests:“Ordinary people, marching everywhere”

“We are making history,” says a protester marching through Istanbul.

Chinese censors crack down on treasonous porridge: The SinoFile

Beijing is onto the tricks of some of China's most cunning wordsmiths.

Why the Australian DJs should never have made that call to Kate's nurse

The Australian DJ prank which led to a suspected suicide has set the internet on fire. And yet the most fundamental questions around the topic of free speech are almost completely ignored.

Two thousand protest Enbridge oilsands pipeline in Prince Rupert

Prince Rupert police estimate 2,000 people turned out to protest the proposed Enbridge oilsands pipeline in northern B.C.

BC Civil Liberties Association Files Suit Against City of Vancouver For Olympics Speech Restriction Bylaw

Two citizens stood up today against the Vancouver Olympics Committee and the City of Vancouver to oppose a bylaw they say  will infringe on free speech and erode Canada's Charter of Rights and...

Is Your Freedom a Security Risk?

The most significant threat to Vancouverites during the 2010 Games, reasons David Eby, is the criminalization of free speech. Personal expression is not a security risk nor an attack on the...