John Ackermann

Look for The Bookshelf Podcast on Spotify, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. open.spotify.com/show/033TEcF...

#ICYMI: @caroloff.bsky.social talks about her new book, True Patriot Love: Reporting from the Front Lines of Canadian Sovereignty. #Bookshelf youtu.be/kv4EQbRgQQY

I’ve been following #bcpoli since I was a kid and this #bcelxn was among the wildest I’ve seen. First BC Conservative government since 1928. Second largest government caucus in BC history. Worst NDP showing in 25 years. This will make one hell of a book someday. I can’t wait to read it.

The Conservatives will end the night fairly close to the 900,000 or so votes they got in 2024. The NDP will go from just under 950,000 votes in 2024 to less than 700,000 this time. Turnout was down — but how much of it was demotivated 2017-2024 NDP voters who stayed home is a massive question.

"We know what we are not. We're becoming what we are," says Carol Off, author of True Patriot Love: Reporting from the Front Lines of Canadian Sovereignty. #Bookshelf johnackermann.substack.com/p/true-patri...

New: The final polls of the BC election campaign are pointing to a Conservative advantage, particularly as it appears the NDP’s support has softened over the last week, according to @ericgrenier.bsky.social at The Writ. #bcpoli #bcelxn

Tonight, the Vancouver Convention Centre markers and Olympic cauldron will be lit up in red, white, and green to commemorate the events of 1956 and the many Hungarians 🇭🇺 who arrived in British Columbia.

Today marks 70 years since the start of the 1956 #Hungarian Revolution. A decade ago, I marked the 60th anniversary with a series of reports based on interviews I conducted while in #Hungary. Here are those reports, as they were filed 10 years ago. johnackermann.substack.com/p/hungarys-r...

New: The BC Conservatives have a five point lead over the incumbent NDP with two days to go until Election Day, according to Leger. #bcpoli #bcelxn leger360.com/bc-election-...

#OTD in 2023, I spoke with @johnibbitson.bsky.social, author of The Duel: Diefenbaker, Pearson, and The Making of Modern Canada. #Bookshelf johnackermann.substack.com/p/dueling-pr...

New: The BC Conservatives continue to lead with 41.7 per cent support, followed by the NDP at 36 per cent, and the BC Greens at 14.6 per cent, according to Mainstreet Research. #bcpoli #bcelxn

New: The B.C. Conservatives hold a narrow three-point lead over the B.C. NDP, 46 per cent to 43 per cent — a margin that amounts to a statistical tie — according to fresh Angus Reid Institute polling. #bcpoli #bcelxn

Vancouver’s Bentall family continues to cast a shadow over the city. But beneath its achievements are a history of violence, infidelity, and personal tragedy detailed in Ken Wyder's new memoir, Kill Not the Butterfly. #Bookshelf @tidewaterpress.bsky.social johnackermann.substack.com/p/kill-not-t...

I voted…and have the sticker to prove it! Get out and cast your ballot today and then make sure to listen to/watch my colleagues provide all that fine municipal election coverage on radio 📻 and TV 📺 tonight and tomorrow morning.

New: Hungary's revolution 70 years later: revisiting the 1956 revolution, 10 years after Europe's migrant crisis. johnackermann.substack.com/p/hungarys-r...

#OTD in 2013, I spoke with Lani Russwurm about his book, Vancouver Was Awesome: A Curious Pictorial History. #Bookshelf @arsenalpulp.bsky.social vancouver.citynews.ca/2013/10/15/n...

New: It's Debate Night in BC, your one and only chance to see the leaders square off. #bcpoli #bcelxn johnackermann.substack.com/p/its-debate...

John Lennon would have turned 86 today. Here is a playlist of my most played Lennon solo songs. And, no, “Imagine” didn’t make the cut. music.apple.com/ca/playlist/...

New: A new Liaison Strategies British Columbia Political Tracker finds the BC Conservatives leading the BC NDP 43% to 37% among decided and leaning voters.

Important to note that you don't have to wait for an invite/notification to make an appointment. I was able to book a COVID/flu shot appointment for the 13th earlier this week.

New: B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announces new immunization measures for the coming respiratory season. #bcpoli

#OTD in 2024, I spoke with Ed Willes, author of Never Boring:  The Up and Down History of the Vancouver Canucks. #Bookshelf @harbourpublishing.bsky.social johnackermann.substack.com/p/a-messy-be...

Today is Publication Day for Shot in Vancouver, Sam Wiebe’s highly readable new history of Hollywood North. A launch party is set for tonight. Details at the end of my review. #Bookshelf @arsenalpulp.bsky.social johnackermann.substack.com/p/shot-in-va...

#OTD in 2025, I spoke with the legendary Brian Stewart about his memoir, On the Ground: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent. #Bookshelf johnackermann.substack.com/p/a-ringside...

“A call to Canadians to take seriously their fundamental identity as citizens.” UBC Political Scientist Max Cameron reminds us about the dangers of division in a timely new book. #Bookshelf #canpoli #bcpoli #bcelxn johnackermann.substack.com/p/divided-we...

I am sad to hear about the passing of local pop culture writer Andrea Warner. I interviewed her about one of her books back in the 1130 days. My condolences to all who knew her. #RIP www.cbc.ca/music/andrea...

Sharing this again in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. My #Bookshelf interview with the legendary Indigenous artist Roy Henry Vickers. johnackermann.substack.com/p/bc-indigen...

New: A new Liaison Strategies British Columbia Poll finds the BC Conservatives at 40 per cent and the BC NDP at 39 per cent support among decided and leaning voters. #bcpoli #bcelxn press.liaisonstrategies.ca/bc-conservat...

WATCH: Novelist Sam Wiebe talks about his new non-fiction book, Shot in Vancouver: Adventures in Hollywood North. #Bookshelf @arsenalpulp.bsky.social youtu.be/YI04tdN2z3s

“A PhD’s worth of research made to look like a bathroom reader." That's now local crime novelist Sam Wiebe describes Shot in Vancouver, his new, highly readable history of Hollywood North. #Bookshelf @arsenalpulp.bsky.social johnackermann.substack.com/p/shot-in-va...

#OTD in 2022, I spoke with @harrisonmooney.bsky.social, author of Invisible Boy: A Memoir of Self-Discovery. #Bookshelf vancouver.citynews.ca/2022/09/25/v...

Enjoyed a night of chill tunes by Hermanos Gutierrez at the Queen E. Theatre. They played for nearly two hours, including material from their brand new album, Los Ojos Del Còndor. I also appreciated the funny stories between the songs and the shout-outs to Jack Johnson and Dan Auerbach. Well done!

A new Angus Reid poll suggests voters are punishing David Eby and the NDP for going to the polls two years early by rewarding the Conservatives with an early eight point lead. #bcelxn #bcpoli angusreid.org/ballot-backl...

#RIP, Pye Dubois.

#bcpoli A key at in the election is: Candidate nominations close at 1 p.m. (Pacific time) October 3, 2026. That is when we will learn how at candidates are running in each district and for which parties.

New: BC NDP leader David Eby returns from Government House to announce British Columbians will indeed head to the polls on October 24, 2026, barely two years since the last provincial election. #bcpoli #bcelxn

NEW: Brent Chapman, BC Conservative MLA for Surrey South, and husband to recently resigned Conservative leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay has resigned and joined OneBC. #cdnpoli #bcpoli

New: B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma issues statement as the province files suit against OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT, following the deadly mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge earlier this year. #bcpoli

#OTD in 2025, I spoke with Bill Arnott — author of A Perfect Day for a Walk by the Water: Exploring Vancouver's Shores. #Bookshelf @arsenalpulp.bsky.social johnackermann.substack.com/p/two-if-by-...

New: Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson has been appointed interim leader of the BC Conservatives. #bcpoli #bcelxn

Digging into Beck’s new “Ride Lonesome” LP, the third in his “sad bastard” trilogy that started with “Sea Change” in 2002 and continued with “Morning Phase” in 2014. A nice soundtrack for the end of summer; still burning bright in places but with a bit of that autumn chill of melancholy in others.

New: Kerry-Lynne Findlay resigns as leader of the BC Conservatives, but remains a candidate in the Abbotsford-Mission by-election. #bcpoli #bcelxn

New: Premier David Eby announces B.C. government will pause Provincial Sales Tax expansion to professional services announced in Budget 2026, citing “ongoing trade uncertainty.” #bcpoli

Beck brings his "Ride Lonesome" tour to Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Monday November 9th.

Today is #NewMusicFriday and new today is "Ride Lonesome," the 15th and latest studio album from Beck, his first in seven years. Also new today are releases by Anthrax, Nicole Atkins, and Mission's Carly Rae Jepsen, among others. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqQm...

The wait is over! Tickets for all 94 events at the 39th annual Vancouver Writers Fest are ON SALE NOW. 🎟️🎉📚 Book your tickets (and find additional box office information) at writersfest.bc.ca/2026-festiva...

New: B.C.’s time zone has a name: Pacific Time or PCT. The switch to permanent daylight time takes effect November 1st. #bcpoli