This is VANCOLOUR

This is the first instalment of "Colourful Language" a new, periodic rant featured on This is VANCOLOUR. Centrism in Canada needs to reposition itself back towards strengthening institutions that create equal opportunities for every Canadian in every community. This requires the end of a political culture well-defined by crony capitalism.

Rebeka Breder is the founder and principal lawyer of Breder Law, Canada’s leading law firm in animal law and civil litigation based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She was named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada by Canadian Lawyer Magazine. She founded the first Animal Law section of the Canadian Bar Association and is the founder and current Chair of the Animal Law section, BC Branch. She dedicates a lot of her time to animal protection causes and sits on the Board of Directors of the Vancouver Humane Society. Rebeka’s animal law practice includes: defending “dangerous” dogs, veterinary malpractice suits, general urban animal and wildlife matters, breeder disputes, condominium disputes involving companion animals and pet custody disputes. Rebeka is also the founder of the UBC Animal Law course, and she has been an Adjunct Professor. She has been featured on CKNW Global News 980AM, Global News, CBC News, CTV News, The Vancouver Sun, Daily Hive, and various other media outlets.

Ed Hill is a Vancouver-based comedian. He was voted “Best Vancouver Comedian” by both the West Ender Magazine (2015, 2016) and the Georgia Straight (2016). He has also appeared on AXS TV's "Gotham Comedy Live", "Laughs" on FOX, TED talks, Bite TV’s “Stand up & Bite Me”, and XM Radio’s “Laugh Attack”. He was also invited to perform at the Just For Laughs Northwest Comedy Festival, Comedy Masala in Singapore, Live Comedy Club in Taiwan, the Hong Kong Comedy Festival, NXNE, San Francisco Comedy Festival, and many more. Ed's tweets have also been featured on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon", Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, and other outlets. His third comedy album “Son of Smiley” was released earlier this summer, as was his podcast, also called “Son of Smiley”.

Jody Vance is a veteran TV and radio broadcaster. Her extensive career includes being a sports anchor on CTV, CBC, and Rogers’ Sportsnet. She was a long-standing co-host host on Citytv’s Breakfast Television alongside Riaz Meghji. Currently, she co-hosts “UnSpun” on The Orca Podcasts, alongside former Vancouver City Councillor George Affleck. She is also a columnist for The Orca. She also fills in as a host at CKNW Global News 980AM. A recipient of the Paul Carson Sports Broadcast and Journalism Excellence Award for Leadership, Jody was the first woman in the history of Canadian television to host her own sports show in Primetime.

Steve Saretsky is a Vancouver Residential Realtor and author behind one of Vancouver’s most popular Real Estate Blogs. Steve is widely considered a thought leader in the industry with regular appearances on BNN, CBC, CKNW, CTV and a contributor to BC Business Magazine. Steve is a regular speaker at industry events, hosts an online video series ‘The Saretsky Show’, and authors a weekly newsletter to several thousand readers.

Shaista Kaba Fatehali is a kindergarten teacher, a speaker, an author, and the founder of Thrive Kids BC. She completed her Master of Arts in Education from the University of Nottingham and her Master of Arts in Elementary Education and Teaching at the University of British Columbia. She’s currently finishing her PhD in Early Childhood Education and Teaching at Concordia University Chicago. Her children’s book “Back Home” published by Brandylane Publishers was released in July 2018. She’s been featured on several media outlets, including the Vancouver Sun, CTV Morning Live, Breakfast Television Vancouver, and CBC Radio.

Charis Hogg is the co-host of Jeff, Charis, and Paul morning show on JACK 96.9 FM. An alumnus of BCIT’s Broadcast Journalism program, she co-hosted the Jeff O’Neil Show on CFOX 99.3FM for six years until moving to Saskatoon where she was a Reporter and Weather Presenter with Global News and a radio morning show co-host on the Charis and Joel Show on 96.3 CRUZ FM. She is also the host and producer of the podcast “The Charis Report”, a one-woman show about current events and her life events.

Andrew Wilkinson is the leader of the BC Liberal Party and currently serves as the leader of the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Since 2013, he has been a Member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia, representing Vancouver-Quilchena. He is a former Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services and the former Minister of Advanced Education. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Alberta. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford where he obtained his first degree in law. He then went on to receive his LLB from Dalhousie University. As a medical doctor, he served different communities in British Columbia. As a litigator, he practiced law as a partner in the major national law firm, McCarthy Tetrault. In 2008, he was appointed a Queen’s Counsel.

Anne McMullin is the President and CEO of the Urban Development Institute (UDI), a non-profit association of the real estate development industry in British Columbia. She has previously held positions as the President of the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, the Director of Communications at Port Metro Vancouver, and a reporter for Global TV in Vancouver, while also dedicating her executive time to organizations such as the Jack Webster Foundation, BC’s Knowledge Network, Field Hockey Canada, and other community groups. She has appeared in several media outlets including CKNW, The Vancouver Sun, The Daily Hive, The Georgia Straight, and the Vancouver Real Estate Podcast.

Melanie Green is a reporter for The Star Vancouver on the politics beat. A graduate of Simon Fraser University’s Communications program and Langara College’s Journalism program, Melanie previously held positions at Glacier Media as a reporter and at CBC Radio as an Associate Producer of Current Affairs, where her highlights included coverage of the BC Provincial Election for “The Early Edition” and the production of the five-day human interest series, “Normalizing Burnout”.