Tyler Olsen
@tyolsen.bsky.social
Senior Editor at The Tyee. Reporter. Chainsaw + hockey, soccer + books(?). Lives in Lillooet so probably not posting about Vancouver.
'Ain't you had enough of this stuff?'
tolsen [at] thetyee [dot] [ca]
'Ain't you had enough of this stuff?'
tolsen [at] thetyee [dot] [ca]
Pinned
Tyler Olsen
@tyolsen.bsky.social
· Sep 30
The Definitive History of Canada’s Residential School Shame | The Tyee
Ten years ago, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its landmark report. Everyone should read it.
thetyee.ca
NEW (10 years ago): The two history volumes of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report are readable, chilling, and irrefutable. You can't read it all in one sitting. But they answer all the questions you may have.
thetyee.ca/News/2025/09...
thetyee.ca/News/2025/09...
Reposted by Tyler Olsen
one thing I want to be clear about
I am TOTALLY FINE with Democrats saying they oppose a war for oil because Trump keeps saying that and it's hyperbolically unpopular, they're not beholden to precise analytics in their messaging
but we should know what's more likely real and what's not
I am TOTALLY FINE with Democrats saying they oppose a war for oil because Trump keeps saying that and it's hyperbolically unpopular, they're not beholden to precise analytics in their messaging
but we should know what's more likely real and what's not
January 3, 2026 at 9:54 PM
one thing I want to be clear about
I am TOTALLY FINE with Democrats saying they oppose a war for oil because Trump keeps saying that and it's hyperbolically unpopular, they're not beholden to precise analytics in their messaging
but we should know what's more likely real and what's not
I am TOTALLY FINE with Democrats saying they oppose a war for oil because Trump keeps saying that and it's hyperbolically unpopular, they're not beholden to precise analytics in their messaging
but we should know what's more likely real and what's not
Reposted by Tyler Olsen
Trump is trying to strongarm the oil industry into supporting his war and they're like this deal sucks
it's exactly the other way around from the "war for oil" theory lol
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
it's exactly the other way around from the "war for oil" theory lol
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
January 3, 2026 at 9:31 PM
Trump is trying to strongarm the oil industry into supporting his war and they're like this deal sucks
it's exactly the other way around from the "war for oil" theory lol
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
it's exactly the other way around from the "war for oil" theory lol
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
*whispers*
It is OK to wait to share your opinion especially when what is known is still rapidly emerging.
(This still goes even if you know your general tone would be "not great!")
It is OK to wait to share your opinion especially when what is known is still rapidly emerging.
(This still goes even if you know your general tone would be "not great!")
Mark Carney now the only G7 leader not to issue a statement directly. The leaders of Canada's other major federal political parties have, as well
I think Justin Trudeau would have said something by now
January 3, 2026 at 8:52 PM
*whispers*
It is OK to wait to share your opinion especially when what is known is still rapidly emerging.
(This still goes even if you know your general tone would be "not great!")
It is OK to wait to share your opinion especially when what is known is still rapidly emerging.
(This still goes even if you know your general tone would be "not great!")
Reposted by Tyler Olsen
If you don't come out of economics or any empirical social science undergrad with healthy skepticism of all causal stories, you missed the point. (Stories still drag you in sometimes, of course, just not as easily.)
xkcd.com/552/
xkcd.com/552/
Correlation
xkcd.com
January 2, 2026 at 9:50 PM
If you don't come out of economics or any empirical social science undergrad with healthy skepticism of all causal stories, you missed the point. (Stories still drag you in sometimes, of course, just not as easily.)
xkcd.com/552/
xkcd.com/552/
This is also what comes from reading (and writing) about [*very* many things that have happened]. When Black Press crumbled I thought it could be the result of decisions that I already thought unwise. But there were other unwise decisions I had not considered.
Being an historian has had big effects on my character. I noticed a new one today.
I already knew it underpinned my "don't panic" perspective. Wait and see how things unfold. And practicing history shaped my sense of my limited individual power (call that humility if you want to dress it up)
1/4
I already knew it underpinned my "don't panic" perspective. Wait and see how things unfold. And practicing history shaped my sense of my limited individual power (call that humility if you want to dress it up)
1/4
January 3, 2026 at 3:31 AM
This is also what comes from reading (and writing) about [*very* many things that have happened]. When Black Press crumbled I thought it could be the result of decisions that I already thought unwise. But there were other unwise decisions I had not considered.
Reposted by Tyler Olsen
About ~6 mos ago, @supriya.bsky.social's said to me that ceding ground in an (information) war is stupid.
In Canada, Facebook's ban on real news has supercharged misinfo. I'm not 100% sure abandoning a place millions get information is the right move. But I'm def not 100% sure about staying.
In Canada, Facebook's ban on real news has supercharged misinfo. I'm not 100% sure abandoning a place millions get information is the right move. But I'm def not 100% sure about staying.
There is, to my mind, no justification for the continued use by the UK Government of X as a platform for official comms. There hasn't been for some time, in fact, but if the latest developments around AI-generated image abuse and CSAM don't change the policy I really don't know what will.
NEW: People are using Elon Musk's chatbot, Grok, to alter images to depict real women being sexually abused, humiliated, hurt, and even killed.
futurism.com/future-socie...
futurism.com/future-socie...
January 3, 2026 at 12:18 AM
About ~6 mos ago, @supriya.bsky.social's said to me that ceding ground in an (information) war is stupid.
In Canada, Facebook's ban on real news has supercharged misinfo. I'm not 100% sure abandoning a place millions get information is the right move. But I'm def not 100% sure about staying.
In Canada, Facebook's ban on real news has supercharged misinfo. I'm not 100% sure abandoning a place millions get information is the right move. But I'm def not 100% sure about staying.
Because Canadian media organizations do not have the money needed to do the job expected of them. We have the Globe and the CBC in terms of places with large staffs and that is it. If the reporters there have other important stories they are working on, key stories don't get told.
also like, why is this in the irish times? why haven’t we seen comprehensive reports like this in canadian media?
it’s like she was sanctioned then they all moved on to the next trump story of the week like lemmings
it’s like she was sanctioned then they all moved on to the next trump story of the week like lemmings
It is to Canada's shame we have not spoken out or supported a Canadian judge being sanctioned by the US
Her life is frozen. She cannot use credit cards, travel, move money, or access email. This is not sustainable
www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
Her life is frozen. She cannot use credit cards, travel, move money, or access email. This is not sustainable
www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
January 2, 2026 at 11:22 PM
Because Canadian media organizations do not have the money needed to do the job expected of them. We have the Globe and the CBC in terms of places with large staffs and that is it. If the reporters there have other important stories they are working on, key stories don't get told.
Reposted by Tyler Olsen
New post to clear up confusion:
The search for a new Canadian Governor General *should* be underway.
What should we be looking for?
A bilingual candidate who understands that being a viceregal representative is the last major public role one should perform.
The search for a new Canadian Governor General *should* be underway.
What should we be looking for?
A bilingual candidate who understands that being a viceregal representative is the last major public role one should perform.
January 2, 2026 at 10:00 PM
New post to clear up confusion:
The search for a new Canadian Governor General *should* be underway.
What should we be looking for?
A bilingual candidate who understands that being a viceregal representative is the last major public role one should perform.
The search for a new Canadian Governor General *should* be underway.
What should we be looking for?
A bilingual candidate who understands that being a viceregal representative is the last major public role one should perform.
Mamdani has a great chance to totally detail the idea that the pursuit of material prosperity for all is somehow inherently capitalistic.
there's a world where a successful Mamdani administration reorients progressive politics toward a much more concrete and material approach to policy
January 2, 2026 at 1:52 AM
Mamdani has a great chance to totally detail the idea that the pursuit of material prosperity for all is somehow inherently capitalistic.
Reposted by Tyler Olsen
Our failure to build sufficient housing to accomodate pop growth is now going to bite the health care system in the ass.
For decades thousands of people - predominantly racialized women - came to Canada to care for the very young and very old and those with disabilities on the promise of a pathway to permanence. Now Canada is halting that pathway. www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
Ottawa reverses course on immigration programs for caregivers
Government is pausing the Home Care Worker Immigration pilot projects, saying demand far exceeded spaces available
www.theglobeandmail.com
January 1, 2026 at 9:25 PM
Our failure to build sufficient housing to accomodate pop growth is now going to bite the health care system in the ass.
In some Netflix executive's computer there is a document called [STRATEGY - Retention_males_ages_35_60] there is one word long. The word is "Heat."
The document has not been altered in 7-8 years.
The document has not been altered in 7-8 years.
December 29, 2025 at 9:25 AM
In some Netflix executive's computer there is a document called [STRATEGY - Retention_males_ages_35_60] there is one word long. The word is "Heat."
The document has not been altered in 7-8 years.
The document has not been altered in 7-8 years.
Reposted by Tyler Olsen
The Atlantic has updated their article to correct some of Frum's mistakes. However they didn't correct his denialist stuff. I work 50 meters from a lab where they recently identified a body recovered from a GPR search. A child who died at residential school, and was finally returned to their family.
December 29, 2025 at 1:07 AM
The Atlantic has updated their article to correct some of Frum's mistakes. However they didn't correct his denialist stuff. I work 50 meters from a lab where they recently identified a body recovered from a GPR search. A child who died at residential school, and was finally returned to their family.
The other stories here hint at what old timey newspapers reported every day
once upon a time when elected officials nominated anti-vaxxers to prominent roles in charge of public health newspapers would run entire front page stories asking every doctor in town how much of a menace to public health that person would be & gosh it would have been nice if they still did that
December 27, 2025 at 7:09 AM
The other stories here hint at what old timey newspapers reported every day
Again, these folks are basically taking a page out of the Canadian comms and FOI playbook.
BREAKING: The DOJ says it may need a "few more weeks" to finish the release of the Epstein files despite the Dec. 19 deadline set by Congress.
After missing deadline, DOJ says it may need a 'few more weeks' to finish releasing Epstein files
The Justice Department says that finishing the release of all of the Jeffrey Epstein files could take a “few more weeks,” further delaying compliance with a Dec. 19 deadline set by Congress.
bit.ly
December 24, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Again, these folks are basically taking a page out of the Canadian comms and FOI playbook.
Reposted by Tyler Olsen
ICYMI or an explainer would be helpful: @tyolsen.bsky.social and I dropped this series last week on why hospitals are overcrowded, and how it's impacting patients
thetyee.ca/Series/2025/...
thetyee.ca/Series/2025/...
December 24, 2025 at 5:34 PM
ICYMI or an explainer would be helpful: @tyolsen.bsky.social and I dropped this series last week on why hospitals are overcrowded, and how it's impacting patients
thetyee.ca/Series/2025/...
thetyee.ca/Series/2025/...
Reposted by Tyler Olsen
‘For the second time in less than a month, a barge operated by the same Seattle-based shipping company encountered serious trouble on B.C.’s north coast.’ thetyee.ca/News/2025/12...
Seattle Firm Has Second Barge Hit Trouble on BC Coast | The Tyee
A photo showing a barge with a tree implanted in its front is real, The Tyee can confirm.
thetyee.ca
December 24, 2025 at 12:22 AM
‘For the second time in less than a month, a barge operated by the same Seattle-based shipping company encountered serious trouble on B.C.’s north coast.’ thetyee.ca/News/2025/12...
This is very nice. (It's also extremely valuable! The most valuable thing you can do for media is to financially support it. The second-most valuable thing you can do is to tell others you support an outlet and why.)
This was the article that finally pushed me to join @thetyee.ca Builders. Independent media outlets need community support.
Love you forever, sis.
Love you forever, sis.
December 22, 2025 at 6:41 PM
This is very nice. (It's also extremely valuable! The most valuable thing you can do for media is to financially support it. The second-most valuable thing you can do is to tell others you support an outlet and why.)
Reposted by Tyler Olsen
This was the article that finally pushed me to join @thetyee.ca Builders. Independent media outlets need community support.
Love you forever, sis.
Love you forever, sis.
December 22, 2025 at 6:32 PM
This was the article that finally pushed me to join @thetyee.ca Builders. Independent media outlets need community support.
Love you forever, sis.
Love you forever, sis.
Reposted by Tyler Olsen
It’s so easy to read the wrong tone youtu.be/sngRrkQayDA?...
When a Text Conversation Goes Very Wrong - Key & Peele
YouTube video by Key & Peele
youtu.be
December 22, 2025 at 6:09 PM
It’s so easy to read the wrong tone youtu.be/sngRrkQayDA?...
This is partly an social media dynamic, but also partly just a text-based dynamic. You can have conversations verbally with friends that you don't want to have by impersonal text b/c the latter both takes a ton more energy and brings a time delay that increases misunderstandings and personal angst
People absolutely adjust what they say to avoid getting mobbed and fit in, yes. They preemptively censor. Audience capture is an incredibly powerful force and there are many examples of that recently. That’s why unmoderated Internet forums so reliably cause brain-poisoning, even to prominent users.
Will... Do you think that most large accounts (80k+, your follower count) actually CHANGE WHAT THEY SAY because they dont want to get mobbed here?
Or do you think that this is a thing you've made up in your head along w/ the Good Economy we are allegedly experiencing?
Or do you think that this is a thing you've made up in your head along w/ the Good Economy we are allegedly experiencing?
December 22, 2025 at 5:33 PM
This is partly an social media dynamic, but also partly just a text-based dynamic. You can have conversations verbally with friends that you don't want to have by impersonal text b/c the latter both takes a ton more energy and brings a time delay that increases misunderstandings and personal angst
NEW: A barge hit an island on B.C.'s north coast last week, taking a large tree with it. The barge is owned by the same company as one that took on water and needed rescuing in November.
@amandafollett.bsky.social in @thetyee.ca
thetyee.ca/News/2025/12...
@amandafollett.bsky.social in @thetyee.ca
thetyee.ca/News/2025/12...
Seattle Firm Has Second Barge Hit Trouble on BC Coast | The Tyee
A photo showing a barge with a tree implanted in its front is real, The Tyee can confirm.
thetyee.ca
December 22, 2025 at 5:05 PM
NEW: A barge hit an island on B.C.'s north coast last week, taking a large tree with it. The barge is owned by the same company as one that took on water and needed rescuing in November.
@amandafollett.bsky.social in @thetyee.ca
thetyee.ca/News/2025/12...
@amandafollett.bsky.social in @thetyee.ca
thetyee.ca/News/2025/12...
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What I think a lot of people don't quite understand is that a lot of what has passed for "the media" for the past 15 or so years has just been outlets recycling the content of a dwindling group of reporters doing actual, original, on-the-ground journalism
December 22, 2025 at 7:44 AM
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Ah yes. I am famously uninterested in Fraser Valley flood risks.
The latest atmospheric river has every insurance adjuster and flood recovery company in Southern BC and Washington working overtime. Billions in damages? But @tyolsen.bsky.social says don't blame the media, you are not interested in why your basement flooded for the first time. #bcflood #bcpoli #yyj
This is a massive thing. And while you can blame journalists and the media, that's now how communications and activism works. Persuading people requires doing things within the conditions that exists, not the conditions you wish would exist.
December 22, 2025 at 4:34 AM
Ah yes. I am famously uninterested in Fraser Valley flood risks.
Reposted by Tyler Olsen
This and the discussion about how academics can now just read AI summaries of things really drives home how much these guys always confuse the product for the goal. You don't do a coloring sheet because you want to have a colored sheet at the end!!! The coloring is the point!!!
December 21, 2025 at 11:39 PM
This and the discussion about how academics can now just read AI summaries of things really drives home how much these guys always confuse the product for the goal. You don't do a coloring sheet because you want to have a colored sheet at the end!!! The coloring is the point!!!
Reposted by Tyler Olsen
The Weekender is here in @thetyee.ca! 🎄 I feel very lucky to work with @dorothywoodend.bsky.social @akkabah.bsky.social and @tyolsen.bsky.social, and I love their essays this issue. 🧵
December 20, 2025 at 6:00 PM
The Weekender is here in @thetyee.ca! 🎄 I feel very lucky to work with @dorothywoodend.bsky.social @akkabah.bsky.social and @tyolsen.bsky.social, and I love their essays this issue. 🧵