Disillusioned, satirist Bruce Sinski leaves City of North Vancouver

Bruce Sinski is hanging his brush after four years of painting the politicians of the City of North Vancouver in sharp, sometimes lurid, colours.

With an acerbic wit and no-holds barred style of cartooning, Sinski’s blog, mystacheonline.com, entertained and informed citizen as much as it riled politicians who ended up on the wrong side of the biting brush strokes.

But the blog, Sinski says, has run its course and will disappear soon.

“There is nothing more to editorialize as this city’s majority electorate are in favour of more density, traffic congestion and housing unaffordability.  A city unwilling to slow down its pace of development – thanks but no thanks,” he says.

No other person would be more thankful of the blog’s disappearance than outgoing Mayor Darrell Mussatto, who was Sinski’s favourite target. It was, in fact, the reason why he started the cartoon blog in the first place using it to cast a harsh light on what he viewed as the Mayor’s nefarious agenda of relentless development.

Sinski, who announced his candidacy but later dropped out of the elections race, had given up on the City of North Vancouver long before the election results were announced on October 20.

Fed up of the relentless development, traffic nightmares, and politicians he felt didn’t listen to people, he had decided it was time to move away from the city. The results of the elections have only helped put more wind in his sails.

“I have no intention in retiring and spending at least the next eight years under a roof of climatic construction—A city unwilling to change course. With the city electing a pro density mayor, every neighbourhood should be weary in what the new mayor and the councillors have in store for their neighbourhood,” he says.

He has now made a new home in Cochrane, Alberta, a small community 30 kilometres from Calgary. He lived in Alberta for 27 years and says living in unassuming downtown Cochrane would help him to advance his film and video carer and give him a chance to start a quiet new chapter in a town where there are no high-rise condo towers or rush hour traffic.

Bruce has some advice for anyone who may want to follow his path and start a blog. First, grow some thick skin. The blog and its creator should be willing to take criticism and never let unfavourable feedback get in the way of the writing.

He would also encourage people to use video clips and art work and of course pictures to make it lively. His final piece of advice: “Never write a blog when you are in a bad or vindictive mood. And the minute your blog becomes work and not play or no longer serves its purpose like mine has – stop.”