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This core of supporters — making up about 1 to 2 per cent of our daily readership — enables us to pay our writers, keep our articles free and open to all, and not bombard our readers with annoying ads while you try to read.

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— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

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You made it all the way through the article – I hope that means you liked it (or if not ‘liked’ it, gleaned some useful information from it). Tyee articles are known for being quite lengthy, so we appreciate when people spend some quality time with our work.

Listen, I’ll get to the point – the article you just read was made possible because our non-profit newsroom was able to pay a talented journalist to research and write it. And we can only afford to do that because of our business model, which relies on a certain percentage of our readers signing up for our paid membership program called Tyee Builders.

The traditional business model for journalism in Canada has been completely disrupted, and we’re witnessing a slow collapse as corporate newsrooms buy up distressed publications, lay people off, and suck the value out of them before declaring bankruptcy. And it doesn’t help that tech giant Meta has blocked Canadian news on their Facebook and Instagram platforms.

There is another way and we are carving the path.

Between 1 to 2 per cent of people who visit The Tyee contribute financially, but amazingly, that small percentage is enough to fund half of our overall budget. And it means we can operate without a paywall, too. 1 per cent of people giving means 99 per cent of people get access to quality, fact-based journalism from a talented team of journalists who live and work in B.C., Alberta, and across Canada. We think that’s pretty remarkable.

If you’re concerned about the way journalism is heading in Canada and you’d like to do something about it, consider joining Tyee Builders and contributing an amount that works for you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

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Welcome to Tyee’s reader poll.

Tyee Poll: Do You Think Trudeau Should Have Invoked the Emergencies Act?

On Feb. 14, Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act in response to the convoy that occupied Ottawa outside Parliament Hill. It has since been revoked.

What the situation says about our government, law enforcement and Canadian democracy requires deeper reflection.

Some argue Trudeau’s invocation of the Emergencies Act was an attempt to mitigate poor governance after weeks of inaction and offshoot protests across the country. (The blockades in Coutts, Alberta, and at the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, with the U.S. have been dissolved, though their provincial response faced similar criticism).

The declaration to invoke the act was debated in the House of Commons and has since been affirmed. The NDP supported the declaration, while the Conservatives voted against it. Both parties are critical of the government’s response to the protest, suggesting that mismanagement has led to the current crossroads.

With this in mind, we want to ask:

Do you think Trudeau should have invoked the Emergencies Act?

* Please note that all poll answers will be publicly viewable, but anonymous.

Fill out this week's poll.

Please note that Tyee Barometer polls are only intended as a quick and engaging non-scientific snapshot of our readers' opinions on various topics that fit with The Tyee's very broad editorial mandate. They are not intended to be seen as a representative sampling of BC opinion.

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