Vancouver’s Most Memorable Quotes from 2011

Credit: Stephen Dyrgas

Vancouver’s Best Quotes of the Year

Vancouverites have a lot to say, and these days, plenty of ways to say it: we tell it like it is in the newspapers, on our cell phones, with Facebook status updates and with the sauciest of tweets.

It’s been a busy 12 months, too, with plenty to comment on, so we had our work cut out for us when we set out to pick our favourite quotes of 2011. These are just 10 of many: add yours below!

• “If I would have myself passing to me, I would have 24 goals, too.” – The Canucks’ Henrik Sedin, after helping brother Daniel reach the 24-goal mark on the season.
• “It is extremely disappointing to see the situation in downtown Vancouver turn violent after tonight’s Stanley Cup game. Vancouver is a world-class city and it is embarrassing and shameful to see the type of violence and disorder we’ve seen tonight.” – Mayor Gregor Robertson on the night of the Vancouver riots.
• “When there’s a large number of criminals and anarchists that have a common purpose and intend to break the law, it’s very difficult to stop that.” – Vancouver police Chief Jim Chu on the Stanley Cup riot.
• “Maced in the face, hit with a Batton, tear gassed twice, 6 broken fingers, blood everywhere, punched a fucken pig in head with riot gear on knocked him to the ground, through the jersey on a burning cop car flipped some cars, burnt some smart cars, burnt some cop cars, I’m on the news….. One word…..History 🙂 🙂 :))” [sic]  – The Infamous Brock Anton, who became the face of the Vancouver riot after this ill-timed and ignorant Facebook post.
• “Bear spotted at Cambie and Georgia. Bears more commonly spotted in the West End.” – Twitter user @vanmag_com, on the North Vancouver black bear that stumbled into the downtown core in early December.
• “The Visionites have such a tenacious and indescribable hold on COPE that even if a COPE person says something positive about a party other than Vision, you’re excommunicated, or threatened with it.” – COPE council candidate Tim Louis after the civic election.
• “I don’t think we can groom a lot of young female leaders if this is the level of comment we have.” – BC Premier Christy Clark on the suggestion she was showing too much cleavage while in the House.
• “He caught me on the side of the head with his cane. I threw the flowers at him and got him with the right cross and I think another one to his belly. On his way down I couldn’t resist kicking him in the ass.” – Lions legend Joe Kapp, age 73, on his altercation with ex-Tigercat nemesis Angelo Mosca during this year’s Grey Cup festivities.
• “We need a change in this stupid, unfair, cruel, greedy market system. One thing the Occupy movement has done is address inequality in a way the corporate media is unable to ignore. Why should the human right to housing be dependent on the market system when it has totally screwed up?” – Veteran anti-poverty organizer Jean Swanson, coordinator of the Carnegie Community Action Project, on Occupy Vancouver.
• “Today he became a Portlandia character.” – Twitter user @teambates on Mayor Gregor Robertson, who was spotted DJing a set at the Biltmore Cabaret last week.