Daily Log | August 21 – 24: Fourth Letter Sent to the Mayor and City Council
August 21 – 22: Online Petition Surpasses 10,000 Signatures
The public petition initiated on Change.org regarding this matter has now exceeded 10,000 signatures.
I did not start this petition, nor do I have any control over it, but I don’t want to gloss over it with just a passing mention. Ten thousand people, each taking the time to sit down and sign their names. I don’t know the vast majority of them. They gain nothing from this, nor do they owe me anything. They simply feel that what happened is wrong.
Thank you. I mean those two words very sincerely.
August 23 (Sunday): Public Rally at City Hall
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM | City Hall Plaza
On Sunday afternoon, a public rally took place at the City Hall Plaza. I did not organize this rally, and I did not attend.
Some people are constantly trying to paint me as a political figure. If I had gone, I truly would have become one. In reality, I am just an ordinary citizen—a resident. I only need to say this once.
What I really want to emphasize is something else: the people standing in the plaza that afternoon made their own decision to be there. Some took time off work, some brought their children, and some drove in from other cities. No one mobilized them; they went on their own accord. The weight of that means a great deal to me.
Regarding the turnout: I used AI to estimate the crowd size from photos, which came out to roughly 430 to 460 people. This is a photo-based estimate, not an official statistic or an on-site headcount. If someone has a more accurate number, I am open to it. In any official external communications, I simply use the term “hundreds of people.”
August 24 (Monday): Sending the Fourth Letter
Today, I sent a fourth formal letter to Mayor Malcolm Brodie and all City Councillors, copied to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). This letter focused on just two things.
Part 1: A Question from the City on August 13
On August 13, the City’s facility booking department contacted me to coordinate details for the August 23 event. I replied in writing the same day, clarifying that I was not the organizer and would not be attending. At the same time, I asked them a question: Based on what information did the City determine they should contact me?
Their response was clear and prompt: my name had appeared on an event flyer, and staff were currently trying to locate the actual organizers. On August 14, the City confirmed my clarification in writing and updated their records.
In my letter to the Mayor and Council, I wrote:
“The way the City staff handled this is exactly how it should be done. A question was raised, a factual answer was provided, and the record was corrected within two days.”
I mean that sincerely. I criticize what needs criticizing, but I also acknowledge what deserves acknowledgment. When staff do the right thing, I will publicly say so. I will not paint the entire City administration with the same brush just because I am in a dispute with the Council.
Part 2: A Contrast
This was the real reason I wrote the fourth letter.
I asked a City staff member a question: Based on what was my name associated with a certain event?
Two days. A direct response.
I asked the City Council a parallel question, formally and in writing, three times: Based on what was my name associated with the characterization of a motion?
Four weeks. Zero substantive response.
In the letter, I wrote:
“I am not pointing this out to score points. I am saying this because City staff have proven that this type of question can be answered, and answered quickly.”
That was the most important sentence in the entire letter. What frontline staff accomplished in two days, eight elected representatives have failed to do in four weeks. This is not an issue of capability. I didn’t explicitly draw this conclusion in the letter; I simply placed the two facts side by side for readers to see for themselves.
Part 3: The Petition
I also reported the 10,000-signature milestone to the Council, stating explicitly:
“I am reporting this to the Council as a fact, not using it as leverage. Ten thousand signatures is something I believe the Council ought to know.”
Closing
Through four letters, I have consistently asked for the exact same thing:
Please point out which specific sentence in the article supports the characterization adopted by the Council.
Just one sentence is all it takes.
I concluded the letter like this:
“City staff answered a similar question in two days. I still believe the Council can do the same.”
Four weeks, four letters, one question. No one has answered. But I am still leaving the door open. They can walk through it whenever they are ready.
Thoughts Over the Past Few Days
After sending the letter, I actually felt a sense of peace.
Not because I expect a reply—my experience with the first three letters tells me there likely won’t be one—but because I’ve done what needed to be done. I asked what needed to be asked, recorded what needed to be recorded, and gave credit where credit was due. The record is there for anyone to examine.
Over the past month, the phrase I’ve reminded myself of most is: Only do what you can take responsibility for. Don’t use unverified numbers publicly, don’t shout out about ongoing procedural matters, and if staff do the right thing, say they did the right thing.
But today, I want to add one more thing. This has long ceased to be just about me.
Ten thousand signatures, hundreds of people standing in a plaza for an afternoon, and all those whose names I don’t know who privately shared, commented, or mentioned this to a friend—I didn’t do any of that. They did it themselves.
All I can do is keep the record clean, speak accurately, and avoid causing trouble for anyone.
The rest, I leave to October 17.
Status Tracker | As of August 24
| Item | Current Status |
|---|---|
| Formal Letters to Council | 4 sent, 0 substantive replies |
| Change.org Petition | Over 10,000 signatures |
| BCFSA | Case closed; no disciplinary record |
| BCHRT | No relevant complaints as of Aug 11 |
| FOI #2026-164 | Deadline extended to Sept 14 |
| FOI (Event association) | Deadline extended to Sept 28 |
| Ombudsperson (26-005380) | In progress |
| “That Graphic” | Still displayed on the homepages of two City Councillors |
| Countdown to Oct 17 Voting Day | 54 days |
Luxmore Realty | Jason Liu | Author of AI Economics
Infrastructure determines the ceiling; data determines the moat.