Microblogging sites have offered a quick and efficient way for municipalities and providers of critical services to notify the public of news, events, and emergencies. Most cities have used Twitter (now known as X) as one of these means of communication. But there has been a steady decline of quality and ethics in using Twitter. Firstly, the move away from a chronological feed meant that time-critical notices were not always seen by users. Secondly, Twitter has long had a problem with hate speech, xenophobia, and violent material, but with the purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk this ugly content was not just tolerated but amplified.

With the launch of the Bluesky Social microblogging site, many people have made the transition to a site where there is moderation of content and more civil discourse. While other major Canadian cities such as Toronto, Calgary, and Victoria are using Bluesky to notify the public of news and events, the City of Vancouver, and providers of critical services such Translink, BC Hydro and BC Ferries, refuse to use this resource, forcing many of the public to either go back to Twitter, where they encounter horrible content, or miss critical notifications. The situation on Twitter has now degenerated to the point that the official AI for the site, Grok, is now generating violent, abusive, and anti-Semitic content, and now calls itself "MechaHitler". No one should have to wade through such material just to find out if there is a delay of the skytrain, a power outage in their community, or if Vancouver City Council has an important meeting coming up.

We ask that the City of Vancouver, Translink, BC Hydro, BC Ferries, and other providers of critical services, set up and use official accounts on BlueSky Social even if they can still somehow hold their nose and continue to keep using Twitter.