I grew up in Kelowna, which is a source of embarrassment for me these days. In October 2017, they created the Good Neighbour Bylaw that restricts panhandling and public noise. Last month, Kelowna City Council was looking to add additional restrictions, which includes making it a ticketable offense to give money to people on the street. Council received significant community pushback because of how it might impact buskers, and that’s what media has focused on. “What about the buskers?” Nevermind that Kelowna City Council lacks empathy towards their low-income and homeless communities, that they are perpetuating the stigmatization and marginalization of these people, let’s worry about supporting the dude who plays acoustic Oasis covers outside Starbucks every weekend. The Good Neighbour Bylaw is a shameful knee-jerk reaction that prioritizes policing over compassion, that pins one neighbour against the other.
Kelowna’s poor bashing isn’t really intended to be the focus of this Editor’s Note, but it illustrates a point: Cities, circumstances, people, everything changes, but it’s how we react and adapt to change that determines the nature of the outcome. In the case of Kelowna, the shameful actions of their City Council in response to broader issue of unaffordability and increased homelessness is a stain on that town.
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CiTR/Discorder has gone through a lot of changes recently, but our mission is still the same — to get people on radio, to get people in the magazine, and to have a damn fun time doing it.
Every year we welcome a new group of Student Executives to provide vision for the station. Over the 2018/19 school year, Kelli Stenson is replacing Halla Bertrand as President, and Danielle Andriulaitis is replacing Dora Dubber as Vice President.
We are also welcoming new staff members, and saying goodbye to others. Ana Rose Carrico is our new Station Manager. She is replacing Eleanor Wearing, who has been the Interim Station Manager since Hugo Noriega’s departure in February. Myles Black is replacing Andy Resto as Music Department Manager, though Andy will continue hosting Shindig, CiTR’s annual battle-of-the-bands competition. CiTR/Discorder is also on the hunt for a new Volunteer Manager this month to replace Eleanor Wearing, who is leaving the station to summer hard and travel.
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This issue of Discorder critically examines changing cultural landscapes, and seeks to explore alternatives. Elijah Teed investigates the recent and impending closures of Vancouver music venues; Chris Yee talks to Centre A about their move to the Sun Wah Centre; Emily Riddle questions The National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls in prairie Indigenous communities; and Real Live Action ventures into reviewing film screenings. On page 19, Discorder talks to Madeline Taylor of CiTR’s Programming Department, and offers a step-by-step guide to making radio.
Cheers to endings and new possibilities.
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- Pull out the April Event Calendar and flip it over for a map of record stores in the Lower Mainland, illustrated by Cian Hogan. Don’t forget to check out the Spring Record Convention at the Croatian Cultural Centre on April 15, and Record Store Day on April 21!