Michelle Cyca
LightNews LightNews
banner
michellecyca.com
Michelle Cyca
@michellecyca.com
9.7K followers 1.2K following 700 posts
it's "see-sa"
hot takes bureau chief @thenarwhal.ca
writer @thewalrus.ca
adjunct prof @ubcjournalism.bsky.social
journalist, nêhiyaw, mom, roller skater
she/her ✌️michellecyca.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
michellecyca.com
my kids are listening to Hawksley Workman on my iPod from 2006 & I can truthfully tell them there is no option to put on K-Pop Demon Hunters instead
A generation 3 iPod with the spinny wheel feature playing Anger as Beauty by Hawksley Workman
December 1, 2025 at 12:51 AM
michellecyca.com
the Bow Valley Insider is hiring an “AI-first reporter” to produce ChatGPT articles about Canmore, Alberta, if anyone is looking for a low-paying job that rots your soul ca.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk...
A Very Modern, Al-First Role This is not a traditional journalism job. In fact, it's the opposite. You will not be writing your stories. Al will handle the writing. If that sentence bothers you, this isn't your role. But does that mean we're looking for bad writers? Absolutely not. You still need to be a strong writer, storyteller, and communicator so that you can recognize when Al spits out slop. You're essentially the editor, quality control, and context-builder, making sure the article actually reflects local reality. Think of yourself as a reporter who doesn't type. You investigate, gather, fact-check, shape, and guide. The Al does the drafting. Output Expectations Because the writing is Al-enabled, your time goes into sourcing stories and interviewing. You won't be sitting around drafting paragraphs. The weekly expectation is 7+ articles, between 400 and 1200 words each. This is very achievable within 10 hours/week using an Al-first approach. • Pay: $1,000/month to start • Raises to: $1,200/month after 6 months Example Articles 1000 words: Town of Canmore Closes It's Only Drop-In Childcare Program 400 words: Banff Cleans Up After Overnight Windstorm
November 27, 2025 at 3:30 PM
michellecyca.com
Luigi Mangione, the small-town projectionist from the film “Cinema Paradiso”
A tshirt featuring Luigi Mangione shirtless with pink text reading “I can fix him” and some hearts and doves Text from the tshirt retailer displaying some intriguing AI generated hallucinations: Luigi Mangione I Can Fix Him T-shirts capture the essence of a timeless romantic gesture, promising a testament to unwavering love and a belief in the transformative power of redemption. This iconic apparel line pays tribute to the poignant sentiment expressed by the character of Luigi Mangione in the acclaimed Italian film "Cinema Paradiso." In the film, Luigi, a projectionist at a small-town cinema, utters the unforgettable line "I can fix him" in reference to his troubled and estranged childhood friend, Salvatore. This phrase signifies Luigi's unwavering belief in salvatore's capacity for change and his selfless desire to help him overcome his demons.
November 26, 2025 at 6:51 PM
michellecyca.com
Chotiner is accusing Semafor of doing softball PR for Saudi Arabia!
November 25, 2025 at 2:27 AM
michellecyca.com
was on the radio today responding to @petermeiszner.bsky.social's explanation for why the city is removing 5% of change tables in civic spaces. the TL;DR is even parents & babies in "highly vandalized areas" deserve essential facilities. listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/7eot...
tweet from Peter Meiszner reading "I've heard from some residents concerned about a staff comment in council recently regarding removal of baby change tables. I want to provide more information as to why a small number are being removed--as a headline would likely raise eyebrows. #vanpoli" his tweet contains an excerpt of a report stating the city spent $56,000 over two years repairing vandalism to change tables specifically. a larger image of the quoted report. the text reads "Approximately $520,000 was spent between 2023 and 2025 to repair vandalized assets within our Civic facilities and parks operations. Of this amount, $56,000 is attributable to the replacement of baby change tables in highly vandalized areas of the City. Overall, City-wide vandalism-related repair costs for facilities have increased significantly from approximately $111,000 in 2024 to $260,000 in 2025 year to date. More importantly, the City cannot guarantee compliance with required safety standards, as daily safety inspections are not feasible. For these reasons, these units are recommended for removal While approximately 600 change tables remain in place across City locations, a small number of change tables are planned to be removed from facilities (approximately 5-6%) as they have undergone repeated vandalism and are no longer safe for use. We have heard the concerns raised by the public and remain committed to ensuring Vancouver is a family-friendly city. To support this, we can provide signage to help residents locate the nearest available change table or dispenser."
November 21, 2025 at 4:18 AM
michellecyca.com
there's a change-in being staged at Vancouver City Hall next week, coinciding with the vote on a proposed budget that may see change tables removed from city facilities to "save money" www.instagram.com/p/DRNu5kYksgu/
screenshot of an Instagram post reading "This budget stinks! We demand a change". The date of the event is Nov. 25 at 9am, meeting in the lobby of Vancouver City Hall at 453 W 12th
November 19, 2025 at 4:51 AM
michellecyca.com
the only winner in this whole sordid affair is a Vancouver backpack brand
the first paragraph of Ryan Lizzo's revenge blog post "Part 1: How I Found Out" reading "Olivia had just returned from a reporting trip—at least that’s what she told me it was—and her Herschel backpack, the one with the flap that never quite closed properly, was tossed beside our bed, its contents scattered on the floor." If you don't know anything about this, don't read it, it's terrible.
November 18, 2025 at 5:22 AM
michellecyca.com
as @cityofvancouver.bsky.social mulls removing change tables for budgetary reasons (?), a reminder that my husband and I have been mapping crowdsourced change table locations for the last two years for "fun!" vancouverchangetables.com
a screenshot of the change table map. green icons indicate accessible change tables; yellow change tables indicate change tables available only in women's bathrooms; red indicate businesses without change tables
November 13, 2025 at 3:21 AM
michellecyca.com
weather has really been outperforming the forecast lately. if you are feeling Seasonally Affected may I suggest hauling ass to the beach
A crescent of beach with the city in the background and a blue sky streaked with clouds overhead Sandy beach, golden leaves and mountains A bald eagle in a tree who is pissed because some crows chased him until he dropped his big stick A little creek at Spanish Banks that has been recently constructed, possibly for storm water management
November 9, 2025 at 7:00 PM
michellecyca.com
Some news from me — I'm teaching a new class on freelancing at @ubcjournalism.bsky.social next term as the Asper Visiting Professor. jwam.ubc.ca/news/ubc-jou...
An image from the School of Journalism, Media and Creative Writing website reading "Asper Visiting Professor 2025-2026: Michelle Cyca, Bureau Chief, The Narwhal"
October 30, 2025 at 6:39 PM
michellecyca.com
so fucking tiresome to get emails like this whenever I write about residential school history, truly. people who believe that graves don't exist if they can't see the bodies with their own two eyes possess the critical thinking skills of a baby playing peekaboo.
I hope you are doing well. I read your article on the Walrus on the reality of the current state on implementation of recommendations from that TRC. It truly is unfortunate that implementing these recommendations isn't proceeding with alacrity. One are that is confusing for me is the truth around the Kamloops mass grave site. In your article, you state, "discovery of unmarked graves on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School". However, follow up work hasn't found any mass graves. I have tried to find primary sources on discovery of actual mass graves without success. Can you please share primary sources on this? I have spoken to others who state that though ground penetrating radar found some suggestions of graves, follow up digging did not find any actual graves. Appreciate any help you can provide. Thank you.
September 29, 2025 at 7:53 PM
michellecyca.com
incredible choice for "victim of the Canadian housing crisis"
A screenshot from the National Post article titled "How Canada's short-term thinking sparked a national housing crisis" opening with the plight of a guy named Eddie, who supposedly can't afford a house in Ottawa but also owns a rental property that generates $5,000/month net income
September 29, 2025 at 4:07 PM
michellecyca.com
real question: why are they talking about confining children to the roof of the school? the proposal shows it adjoining Hinge Park, which has playgrounds and fields
rendering of the proposed new elementary school, which is shown next to Hinge Park, a very cute park and playground
September 10, 2025 at 3:37 AM
michellecyca.com
it's only 8am and my day is already derailed by viewing photos of a "Vancouver loft for bibliophiles" that appears to be filled entirely with fake books
photo of a loft with brick walls, a large wood table and a full wall bookshelf lined with suspiciously blank books. the text overlaying the image says "Would you buy it? This $900K Vancouver loft is for bibliophiles" Another shot of the bookshelf wall, which has a sliding ladder and is filled with colourful books that appear to be fake as there is no writing on the spines
August 27, 2025 at 3:14 PM
michellecyca.com
yes I cite that in the article, as well as the problem of contemporary expectations around constant supervision and parental engagement that prevent kids from experiencing the kind of freedom you probably remember from your own childhood.
Like the earliest architects of the national education system, we could look elsewhere for inspiration. In Japan, schools typically have three short breaks between terms and one-third more days of instruction. Children are also less intensively supervised: in Tokyo neighbourhoods, a song is broadcast at 5 p.m. as a daily test of the emergency sound system, but it’s also a city-wide reminder for kids to head home as their parents finish work. Many European countries have similarly-scheduled school years but much more vacation for working adults. Distributing vacation time more evenly across the school year might benefit students, but it won’t address the widespread problem of North American parents who are expected to work fifty weeks per year.
August 25, 2025 at 4:29 AM
michellecyca.com
and what's more, VPD refused to answer questions, give an interview, and may have deleted relevant correspondence about the decision; even VPD's own privacy lawyer seemed surprised by the total absence of messages citing Ken Sim during a period that included his election to mayor & VPD board chair
text from the CTV news article: That was the case when Hurwitz [the VPD privacy and information lawyer] initially received no material from the police chief related to Ken Sim or the election, and sent an additional email to Palmer’s assistant. Noting that the FOI request from CTV News covered the months after Sim was elected mayor, a position that automatically makes him chair of the Vancouver Police Board, Hurwitz asked: “There is nothing?”
August 21, 2025 at 4:16 AM
michellecyca.com
the @cityofvancouver.bsky.social budget survey does not even include an option of raising property taxes more than 5% in order to *increase* the service delivery. (An increase of 5% on a $2m property is less than $300 a year.)
A question reading: Property taxes are the City’s main source of revenue and help fund the services people rely on. For that reason, decisions about property tax rates and service levels are considered together during the budget process. Given this, which of the following do you prefer for managing property taxes and service levels? Select one." Options include raising taxes by 5%, 2.5, 1.5 and 0. Only 5% would maintain service levels, everything else represents a cut. There is a write-in option.
August 20, 2025 at 5:38 PM
michellecyca.com
filling out the @cityofvancouver.bsky.social budget survey and very curious to know who came up with these ethnicity categories... what the hell is "Indigenous general"?
A demographic question on the City of Vancouver budget survey that asks respondents to identify their main ethnic origin. The options for Indigenous include First Nations, Metis, Inuit, Indigenous general, and Multiple Indigenous identities
August 20, 2025 at 5:31 PM
michellecyca.com
I'm sure Marsha Lederman has received many appalling emails and I don't want to minimize how awful that is, but I am astonished that she believes it's a uniquely Jewish experience. For instance, every Indigenous person who talks about residential schools (or anything!) gets a deluge of these emails.
Quote from today's article by Marsha Lederman: "A Vancouver therapist e-mailed me, mocking me for complaining about antisemitism in Canada, given what’s going on in Gaza. Would anyone (therapist or otherwise) dare write that to a member of any other ethnic minority group? Stop complaining; the racism your people are experiencing isn’t valid. Would they even think it?"
August 19, 2025 at 3:04 PM
michellecyca.com
three years ago today I had a fun day on Granville Island for @thetyee.ca and wrote about it: thetyee.ca/Culture/2024...
Michelle holding a Harris's hawk, a little reddish-brown hawk with white feathers under its tail, wearing a falconer glove for protection
August 19, 2025 at 4:02 AM
michellecyca.com
also never forget Ken Sim said that children’s artwork was unfairly intimidating. thenarwhal.ca/vancouver-ci...
councillors and those assembled. “That’s something we won’t tolerate,” he said. “I know how hard it is for people to come here — there’s a fear of speaking, it’s nerve-wracking and if there’s an opinion expressed that may not be aligned with councillors in this chamber — or the mayor — it’s intimidating at the best of times.” Sim agreed the signs should come down. “You made your point, you got your shot in the media. Now let’s make this chamber a safe space for everyone who wants to make their voice heard.” Dominato, who attended by Zoom, asked for clarification: “Is that not artwork that was brought to city hall today by children, representing children?”
August 18, 2025 at 4:08 AM
michellecyca.com
every once in awhile this old viral tweet resurfaces on an Instagram meme account & more than two years later it remains an unbeatable pairing
a tweet reading "asked my kid what she wanted to do over the long weekend and she said 'go to the big library and then eat a croissant.' a flawless itinerary"
August 16, 2025 at 10:41 PM
michellecyca.com
delighted to inform this person who is mad about an interview I gave on @vancolour.bsky.social almost a year ago that in fact, I do own property in B.C. and yes, I am still in favour of the legal recognition of Indigenous rights and title.
text of an email reading: Hello Michelle, Just watched a video posted approximately 11 months ago with you saying private owned property was not on the table with indigenous land claims. Now you can see with the latest court ruling that what you said is totally wrong. John Rustad was right when he said it was an assault on property land owners in British Columbia. The supreme Court may overturn this ruling however it definitely is an assault on private land owners. I wonder if you were a property owner in British Columbia if you would still have the same opinion on indigenous land claims??
August 14, 2025 at 7:41 PM
michellecyca.com
suddenly desperate to know how the military comes up with call signs
Excerpt from CBC News reading “ Radiff, whose military call sign is "Fat Daddy," spoke to CBC from NORAD's headquarters on the Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., to discuss how these high-level defence decisions get made.”
July 20, 2025 at 1:54 AM
michellecyca.com
over 300 locations in the Vancouver (+ surrounding cities) change table map now, if you are taking your baby out for a coffee or a meal: vancouverchangetables.com
a screenshot of the change table map in Vancouver, B.C.
July 19, 2025 at 4:20 PM