Thread by @windward_afa

1/ On Oct 1, BC Conservative candidate David Splett (North Van-Lonsdale) asked supporters to gather at Keith & Brooksbank later that day to meet John Rustad. I was curious about the location, so I stopped by & posted what I heard. Then the BC Conservatives started to lie. #bcpoli

2/ Rustad's event was across the street from the E Keith supportive housing project approved by the District of North Vancouver in February. I previously heard a Conservative supporter brag that they would get it shut down & knew Sam Chandola (North Van-Seymour) wanted it gone.

3/ I didn't feel like I was walking into a campaign event. I felt like I was walking into another far-right rally (and I've been to an unhealthy number of far-right rallies).

"Are you with us?"
I asked who "us" is.
"The Conservative Party. I know you. Why are you here?"

4/ I stayed—they couldn't exactly prevent me from using a sidewalk, though they certainly weren't happy. John Rustad started walking north up Brooksbank, filming with a media crew. Attendees were corralled near the crosswalk & I didn't hear what was said on the walk up.

5/ I wasn't allowed to get close to Rustand. I was forced into the bike lane and had people from the Conservatives watch me. The audio and video aren't great, but this is what happened. David Splett & BC Conservative volunteers later claimed that this event was about traffic.

6/ And here is a transcript of Rustad's statements, which lasted about a minute and twenty seconds. After Rustad's presentation, people started moving around and the audio worsened.

7/ Apparently this event was entirely about traffic and Rustad didn't comment on 1200 E Keith.

8/ Chris Pistilli is the husband of Danielle Kinchella-Pistilli: the local chapter lead of hate group Action4Canada, an organizer in what became the Freedom Convoy movement, and BC Conservatives candidate David Splett’s campaign coordinator.

9/ Attending the Oct 1 rally was Melvin Bruchet, a former doctor who called COVID a hoax & supported claims that COVID vaccines caused stillbirths at Lions Gate Hospital. He participated in antivax rallies around LGH & in the larger Freedom movement.

10/ On Oct 5, Rustad did take aim at supportive housing, stating that supportive housing in BC will be abstinence-only & located away from neighbourhoods. This was part of a larger announcement in Kelowna banning encampments & warehousing unhoused folks into "secure facilities."

11/ While this played out, District of North Vancouver Councillor Lisa Muri shared a tweet that claims David Eby thinks ALL supportive housing is a failure. The clip of Eby & interpretation of Eby's statement is currently being promoted in far-right spaces.

12/ The Twitter account shared in Muri's Facebook post is yet another wannabe far-right influencer supporting John Rustad while he peddles racism, xenophobia, transphobia, health disinformation, chemtrails & a large assortment of conspiracy theories.

13/ The BC Cons don't view unhoused folks & people who use drugs as human beings. They are threats, criminals. They ruin neighbourhoods & should be locked up away from the rest of society. Radicalization has replaced all of the evidence & successes of Housing First homes.

14/ I am not naïve enough to say that supportive housing is perfect & solves absolutely everything. But there is very little for folks in North Van & it must start somewhere. Rustad undermined a municipal project that will help 65 people for a photo op. That's just ghoulish.