Fundraising - Wide - March 26, 2026

Good morning,

Every day as I walk around my neighbourhood, I see the sights and sounds of the Broadway Subway construction. I talk to shop owners who’ve been impacted by road closures, I see the crowds on the 99 B-Line jostling for position on the busiest bus route in the city.

Living in the city is all about tension, between the present and the future, between things that materially impact our day-to-day lives.

That tension is apparent in all of our coverage: fears of local community members about losing access to affordable groceries at Sunrise Market. The loss of music venues like Take Back Your Time from city crackdowns and skyrocketing costs, places that incubate the next generation of local (and national) artists. Anger over different visions of infrastructure upgrades at Kits pool.

The tension comes down to what is valued in our city. Is it the older homes or buildings for new residents? Is it the places we go to eat and have fun? Funding a vibrant arts community? Ensuring future generations can use our treasured community centres?

I bring this up because earlier this month, I wrote about an AI-generated fake news site in Surrey, and how that might be the future of local news. There was also a recent study that showed 20 per cent of videos shown on YouTube to new users are AI.[1]

Covering tension is part of what we do in local media. But AI news and content is done for one reason — not to explore the tension between people and issues, but to monetize that tension through fake outrage.

AI can’t do local journalism. It cannot understand the feelings that a parent has, waiting desperately to find out if their kid made it into swimming lessons. Or the joy of discovering a new local artist. Or the anguish of seniors in Chinatown as they see gentrification sweep through the neighbourhood.

That’s why the Lookout exists. To go out, attend events, meet sources and talk to people, to understand and explore that tension that comes with living with other human beings in Vancouver.

As AI use grows, we’re charting a different path; we’re doubling down on local journalists, on the hard work of telling real stories. AI has no place in writing stories here at the Lookout, and never will.

But this comes at a real cost. Hiring journalists costs money. Sending reporters out to community meetings costs money. Reviewing events and restaurants, without resorting to clickbait, costs money.

Right now, we’re still 24 members short of our 50-member goal this month. And until Mar. 31, you can get 20 per cent off the first year of your membership. 

Hitting these goals is critical for one big reason – we’re almost entirely funded by you, our local Vancouver readers. We have no outside investments to fall back on or wealthy benefactors waiting in the wings. 

If you aren’t convinced about becoming a paying member and funding local news, I get it. It’s a big ask. But what I can tell you is this – your membership is going towards funding the work of local journalists, to explore the issues often under-reported in Vancouver, (and not paying off debts to American hedge funds like some of the other bigger publications).

From community meetings to community arts, to aging infrastructure to debates at city hall, we want to be your voice, an AI-free trusted source of news, to explore and analyze the tensions that exist in Vancouver. As it becomes harder and harder to trust anything online, we want to be a trusted source for community local news.

But we can’t do it without your help. So if you can afford it, please consider becoming one of our 24 new members this month to fund our unique model of local journalism and unlock extra members-only perks (and save 20 per cent off your membership).

Thank you for continuing to read and support our work.

Sincerely,

— The Vancity Lookout team

[1] The Guardian, More than 20% of videos shown to new YouTube users are ‘AI slop’, study finds