Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
@kqf.ca
Co-ops, cycling and civictech in the streets; amateur making, disability justice and decolonization in the sheets. | she/her
w3w: wrong.thin.stencil
w3w: wrong.thin.stencil
Pinned
Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
@kqf.ca
· Mar 11
“Technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic, but misunderstanding one’s place in the function and aims of a system is no excuse for magical thinking.”
— me, Sep 25, 2024, riffing on Arthur C. Clarke in response to a bumper sticker about conspiracy theories
— me, Sep 25, 2024, riffing on Arthur C. Clarke in response to a bumper sticker about conspiracy theories
My mom and dad attribute all kinds of things to the boogeyman of diabetes. I, meanwhile, worked (in a support capacity) at a clinic for diabetes patients that was conducting research trials on new medications when continuous glucose monitors were first becoming widely available.
November 15, 2025 at 10:43 PM
My mom and dad attribute all kinds of things to the boogeyman of diabetes. I, meanwhile, worked (in a support capacity) at a clinic for diabetes patients that was conducting research trials on new medications when continuous glucose monitors were first becoming widely available.
Counting myself among those affected, grateful and sad. Let Alice’s efforts for disability visibility never be in vain or forgotten.
Gutted. We have lost a brilliant voice in the world. Rest in peace Alice Wong @sfdirewolf.bsky.social you were so inspiring to so many of us. Thank you for sharing all your words and for always shining a light on the disability community.
November 15, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Counting myself among those affected, grateful and sad. Let Alice’s efforts for disability visibility never be in vain or forgotten.
This excellent take on the Vancouver budget highlights the silliness in the trope of running a government like a business. We collectively need things markets aren’t good at, and they aren’t *supposed* to be. The absurd reductionism at the heart of the current approach is the real waste of time.
My comments to council regarding the @cityofvancouver.bsky.social proposed “0%” budget that will require cutting the city’s sustainability dept along w cuts to planning and arts.
1/4
1/4
November 15, 2025 at 7:40 PM
This excellent take on the Vancouver budget highlights the silliness in the trope of running a government like a business. We collectively need things markets aren’t good at, and they aren’t *supposed* to be. The absurd reductionism at the heart of the current approach is the real waste of time.
Reposted by Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
The Tyee's health reporter @michellegamage.bsky.social has been working on a two-part series about why it's so difficult to get a wheelchair repaired in B.C.
This is the second story that focuses on solutions, such as a DIY repair session at Our Community Bikes thetyee.ca/News/2025/11...
This is the second story that focuses on solutions, such as a DIY repair session at Our Community Bikes thetyee.ca/News/2025/11...
How to Speed Up Wheelchair Repairs | The Tyee
Systemic changes are needed from government and industry, experts say. In the meantime, users are turning to DIY.
thetyee.ca
November 14, 2025 at 7:59 PM
The Tyee's health reporter @michellegamage.bsky.social has been working on a two-part series about why it's so difficult to get a wheelchair repaired in B.C.
This is the second story that focuses on solutions, such as a DIY repair session at Our Community Bikes thetyee.ca/News/2025/11...
This is the second story that focuses on solutions, such as a DIY repair session at Our Community Bikes thetyee.ca/News/2025/11...
…stories like this are when I start to realize that commercial interests often engage in charm offensives with community, and that I have fallen for them multiple times.
A small, oily fish at the heart of B.C.’s coastal food web will likely disappear without an immediate moratorium on commercial herring fishing, say Saanich First Nations Hereditary Chiefs and conservation groups.
Judith Lavoie reports. #bcpoli
Judith Lavoie reports. #bcpoli
‘We Are Going to Fight to Save the Herring’ | The Tyee
The DFO proposes to expand the fishery. Environmental groups and the W̱SÁNEĆ fear disaster.
thetyee.ca
November 14, 2025 at 4:56 PM
…stories like this are when I start to realize that commercial interests often engage in charm offensives with community, and that I have fallen for them multiple times.
Of all the apps that-other-microblogging-site had that haven’t yet been rebuilt, this public hearing experience is kind of begging for some kind of skeet gallery/curation tool.
November 14, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Of all the apps that-other-microblogging-site had that haven’t yet been rebuilt, this public hearing experience is kind of begging for some kind of skeet gallery/curation tool.
Reposted by Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
Canada is a major importer of fruit, vegetables & fish. As more oil & gas is exported expect equal increases in the cost of food as the planet warms. BC could be self sufficient but our governments are allowing development on #ALR Land protected by the Barrett #NDP. #keepitintheground & #savetheALR
June 15, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Canada is a major importer of fruit, vegetables & fish. As more oil & gas is exported expect equal increases in the cost of food as the planet warms. BC could be self sufficient but our governments are allowing development on #ALR Land protected by the Barrett #NDP. #keepitintheground & #savetheALR
Reposted by Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
It's critically important that communities make distinctions between e-bikes and e-motos when implementing regulations, and that starts with a solid definition of an e-moto. Lumping both into the same regulatory bucket will hinder the expansion of e-bikes as a powerful mobility tool.
November 13, 2025 at 11:06 PM
It's critically important that communities make distinctions between e-bikes and e-motos when implementing regulations, and that starts with a solid definition of an e-moto. Lumping both into the same regulatory bucket will hinder the expansion of e-bikes as a powerful mobility tool.
Reposted by Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
Want to see what government programs are actually worth to working families? Our 2025 Living Wage Report breaks down how each program affects what workers need to earn to make ends meet in Metro Vancouver.
Read our report: bcpolicy.ca/living-wage
#LivingWage #SocialPrograms #bcpoli
Read our report: bcpolicy.ca/living-wage
#LivingWage #SocialPrograms #bcpoli
November 13, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Want to see what government programs are actually worth to working families? Our 2025 Living Wage Report breaks down how each program affects what workers need to earn to make ends meet in Metro Vancouver.
Read our report: bcpolicy.ca/living-wage
#LivingWage #SocialPrograms #bcpoli
Read our report: bcpolicy.ca/living-wage
#LivingWage #SocialPrograms #bcpoli
Reposted by Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
If you aren't happy with customer service you can leave, right? People who use wheelchairs don't have that luxury and are getting stuck in their homes or beds for weeks while they wait for repairs, often without updates.
What the heck is happening?
Dive into my latest @thetyee.ca feature to find out
What the heck is happening?
Dive into my latest @thetyee.ca feature to find out
British Columbians who use manual and power wheelchairs say they’re tearing their hair out trying to get local businesses to service and maintain their wheelchairs. @michellegamage.bsky.social reports.
Why Is It So Hard to Fix a Wheelchair in BC? | The Tyee
Disabled people say companies are struggling to service their equipment, which can trap them in bed or at home.
thetyee.ca
November 13, 2025 at 7:47 PM
If you aren't happy with customer service you can leave, right? People who use wheelchairs don't have that luxury and are getting stuck in their homes or beds for weeks while they wait for repairs, often without updates.
What the heck is happening?
Dive into my latest @thetyee.ca feature to find out
What the heck is happening?
Dive into my latest @thetyee.ca feature to find out
For any locals: I have a spare comp ticket to Jeremy Dutcher’s concert in West Vancouver *tonight*. kaymeek.com/events/jerem...
Short notice — message me if you’d like to join me for the concert at 7:30 (doors 6:30pm).
Short notice — message me if you’d like to join me for the concert at 7:30 (doors 6:30pm).
kaymeek.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:50 PM
For any locals: I have a spare comp ticket to Jeremy Dutcher’s concert in West Vancouver *tonight*. kaymeek.com/events/jerem...
Short notice — message me if you’d like to join me for the concert at 7:30 (doors 6:30pm).
Short notice — message me if you’d like to join me for the concert at 7:30 (doors 6:30pm).
Today would be a great day for someone to build a login-free mirror of the City of Vancouver’s service on you-know-what to follow the speaker’s list progress at today’s special budget council meeting.
November 12, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Today would be a great day for someone to build a login-free mirror of the City of Vancouver’s service on you-know-what to follow the speaker’s list progress at today’s special budget council meeting.
Reposted by Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
One last word on this: there is research on the specific contributions such offices make, by UBC grad Elizabeth Schwartz. Cities are better able to enact green policies when they have independent staff focused on the problem of sustainability. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Developing Green Cities: Explaining Variation in Canadian Green Building Policies | Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique | Cambridge Core
Developing Green Cities: Explaining Variation in Canadian Green Building Policies - Volume 49 Issue 4
www.cambridge.org
November 11, 2025 at 6:01 PM
One last word on this: there is research on the specific contributions such offices make, by UBC grad Elizabeth Schwartz. Cities are better able to enact green policies when they have independent staff focused on the problem of sustainability. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
Casual reminder that the myth of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is a cruel hoax designed to convince poor people from all walks of life that the injustices they face are a result of their own actions, rather than an oppressive system rigged against them.
November 10, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Casual reminder that the myth of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is a cruel hoax designed to convince poor people from all walks of life that the injustices they face are a result of their own actions, rather than an oppressive system rigged against them.
Shout out to the other Elder millennial pop music listeners who have the kind of crossed wires that lead to confusing and/or mentally remixing the two (entirely different in tone and style) songs “Gravity” by John Mayer (2006) and “Gravity” by Soul Decision (1999).
November 9, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Shout out to the other Elder millennial pop music listeners who have the kind of crossed wires that lead to confusing and/or mentally remixing the two (entirely different in tone and style) songs “Gravity” by John Mayer (2006) and “Gravity” by Soul Decision (1999).
Reposted by Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
Holy shit!
Canada, this is exactly why we NEED digital sovereignty.
... so we aren't manipulated by outsiders (who will also steal all our data).
Canada, this is exactly why we NEED digital sovereignty.
... so we aren't manipulated by outsiders (who will also steal all our data).
omg.
Meta clearly trying to polarize the issue of digital sovereignty by running this in the Hub.
Meta clearly trying to polarize the issue of digital sovereignty by running this in the Hub.
November 8, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Holy shit!
Canada, this is exactly why we NEED digital sovereignty.
... so we aren't manipulated by outsiders (who will also steal all our data).
Canada, this is exactly why we NEED digital sovereignty.
... so we aren't manipulated by outsiders (who will also steal all our data).
Reposted by Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
Yikes! @mark-carney.bsky.social budget puts Vancouver transit funding at risk?! How is that strong?
The Budget Announcement giveth,
The small print taketh away.
😐🚌🚊🚎😐
The small print taketh away.
😐🚌🚊🚎😐
November 8, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Yikes! @mark-carney.bsky.social budget puts Vancouver transit funding at risk?! How is that strong?
Got to take in The Space Architect, a short, punchy documentary about architect Constance Adams who worked on several projects at NASA and eventually applied her learnings to climate action. I’m really interested to dig into her legacy projects.
November 8, 2025 at 3:55 AM
Got to take in The Space Architect, a short, punchy documentary about architect Constance Adams who worked on several projects at NASA and eventually applied her learnings to climate action. I’m really interested to dig into her legacy projects.
Reposted by Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
I made a li'l cookbook! *After the Feast* suggests ways to use up leftovers from your big turkey dinners.
The PDF is FREE. If you buy a print copy, $2 will support food security initiatives through the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre.
Please spread the word! 🍗
ivacheung.com/2025/09/afte...
The PDF is FREE. If you buy a print copy, $2 will support food security initiatives through the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre.
Please spread the word! 🍗
ivacheung.com/2025/09/afte...
After the Feast: A Turkey Leftovers Cookbooklet - Iva Cheung
After a couple decades of editing and indexing cookbooks, I took a stab at writing (a small!) one. After the Feast brings together 25-ish of my favourite ways to use up the leftovers from big turkey d...
ivacheung.com
September 30, 2025 at 3:00 PM
I made a li'l cookbook! *After the Feast* suggests ways to use up leftovers from your big turkey dinners.
The PDF is FREE. If you buy a print copy, $2 will support food security initiatives through the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre.
Please spread the word! 🍗
ivacheung.com/2025/09/afte...
The PDF is FREE. If you buy a print copy, $2 will support food security initiatives through the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre.
Please spread the word! 🍗
ivacheung.com/2025/09/afte...
Reposted by Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
In Canada, the CBC might be the kind of entity to help run / coordinate “public service social media”.
With interoperable standards and options for hosting, this could be a mix of shared infrastructure (& moderation) as well as individual orgs like @gandersocial.bsky.social and #CoSocialCa
With interoperable standards and options for hosting, this could be a mix of shared infrastructure (& moderation) as well as individual orgs like @gandersocial.bsky.social and #CoSocialCa
“Given the severity of the threats social media companies pose to democracy and fundamental rights, policy responses cannot merely tinker around the edges,” writes Christine Galvagna. The EU must act now—fund decentralized, public service social media to protect democracy and digital rights.
Public Service Social Media as a Democratic Safeguard | TechPolicy.Press
Christine Galvagna proposes an EU fund to support decentralized, public service focused social media networks to protect digital rights and democracy.
www.techpolicy.press
November 7, 2025 at 4:52 PM
In Canada, the CBC might be the kind of entity to help run / coordinate “public service social media”.
With interoperable standards and options for hosting, this could be a mix of shared infrastructure (& moderation) as well as individual orgs like @gandersocial.bsky.social and #CoSocialCa
With interoperable standards and options for hosting, this could be a mix of shared infrastructure (& moderation) as well as individual orgs like @gandersocial.bsky.social and #CoSocialCa
Watched the movie At The Garden’s Pace at the Architecture and Design Film Festival last night. If you enjoy those long form hand-crafting videos online that takes place outdoors (or other kinds of “competence p*rn”), you’ll probably enjoy it.
November 7, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Watched the movie At The Garden’s Pace at the Architecture and Design Film Festival last night. If you enjoy those long form hand-crafting videos online that takes place outdoors (or other kinds of “competence p*rn”), you’ll probably enjoy it.
Would love to see this rolled into support for Right to Repair advocacy.
Metro Vancouver has received the UBCM Community Excellence Award in Sustainability for our work expanding repair cafes across the region.
Thank you to our member jurisdictions and repair café volunteers for making this possible!
Read more: ow.ly/wrqi50Xo8tV
Thank you to our member jurisdictions and repair café volunteers for making this possible!
Read more: ow.ly/wrqi50Xo8tV
November 7, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Would love to see this rolled into support for Right to Repair advocacy.
The bleariness of the sky in Vancouver right now is off the charts. Just solid 30% grey and getting darker by the moment as the rain pours down.
November 7, 2025 at 12:28 AM
The bleariness of the sky in Vancouver right now is off the charts. Just solid 30% grey and getting darker by the moment as the rain pours down.
Reposted by Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
I signed on to this letter because I refuse to accept the framing of "AI" as inevitable or even urgent. Generative "AI" in particular is slop tech for a fascist era and this rushed "consultation" period is just part of the overall griftosphere that constitutes modern tech.
bccla.org/policy-submi...
bccla.org/policy-submi...
OPEN LETTER to the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation from civil society organizations and individuals opposing "National Sprint" consultation on AI strategy - BC Civil Liberti...
The Honourable Mélanie JolyMinister of IndustryHouse of CommonsOttawa, OntarioK1A 0A6 The Honourable Evan SolomonMinister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital InnovationHouse of CommonsOttawa, Ontar...
bccla.org
November 4, 2025 at 3:53 PM
I signed on to this letter because I refuse to accept the framing of "AI" as inevitable or even urgent. Generative "AI" in particular is slop tech for a fascist era and this rushed "consultation" period is just part of the overall griftosphere that constitutes modern tech.
bccla.org/policy-submi...
bccla.org/policy-submi...
Reposted by Karen Quinn Fung 馮皓珍
What if we could work with our public libraries to create + sustain convivial infrastructures for local news, local 🎶, digital equity, and more? I wrote abt lots of communities that are doing this work, bldg networks of solidarity + resistance, modeling alternatives to extractive commercial systems.
I wrote about public libraries as spaces of civic solidarity, common knowledge, and public infrastructure — all endangered by commercial and federal saboteurs
Extralibrary Loan: Making the Civic Infrastructure We Need
Amid a war on public knowledge, libraries are pushing outward, enlarging the commons through new configurations of civic and creative life.
placesjournal.org
November 1, 2025 at 1:57 PM
What if we could work with our public libraries to create + sustain convivial infrastructures for local news, local 🎶, digital equity, and more? I wrote abt lots of communities that are doing this work, bldg networks of solidarity + resistance, modeling alternatives to extractive commercial systems.