This free paper is useful for Vancouverites. From young, unemployed transit-users to working,…read moresingle professionals, families and seniors. They have a variety of coverage to suit different tastes. There's news, opinion, and entertainment coverage and some interesting features. The dining column is by Tim Pawsey, a man who also knows his wine. There are also lots of classified ads and job listings for practical paper-users. The paper shares space with its readers in a fairly large letters to the editor section. I always like to know what the letter-writers are up in arms about. This paper is a good way to stay in touch with a diverse slice of the Vancouver population. It's owned by media giant Canwest Publishing, that also operates in the US, Turkey and Australia. It owns the National Post, the Victoria Times Colonist, The Province AND the Vancouver Sun and other major papers all over Canada. Not to forget Global TV and a thieves handful of other stations. So don't expect anything too edgy to come from the pages of this truly "mass media" outlet.

For a local free paper, adds aside, there is still some content worth reading and exploring. It has…read morethinned down over the years.

I subscribe to The Georgia Straight on my Facebook feed, so I'm always in the know about upcoming…read moreshows and festivals and events in Vancouver, as well as restaurant openings and new stores coming to town. I really appreciate getting the info on local events in this manner, and it's totally free. Can't beat that! They also, of course, have actual, tangible newspapers (also free) available in hundreds of newspaper boxes emblazoned with "GEORGIA STRAIGHT" logos all around town. I personally only access their info online, but it's great there's a paper edition for those folks who, for whatever reason, don't get their news online. I never really knew there was a brick and mortar edifice for the paper's office (although I suppose it makes sense that there is one). I recently got an invite for a chocolate tasting at their offices here on Broadway. (I see Wendy S. posted a bunch of great photos of the event, but there is no review about it). It was great! (A real Halloween treat for us adults lucky enough to have been invited!). There were gourmet chocolatiers handing out their wares to us in attendance, and tastings of samples of the most divine chocolates I've ever had. I heard some folks in line commenting on an ice cream tasting they attended here a while back, so I guess the GS folks host various tastings throughout the year. What a great way to discover local food companies and products.

So your out and about in the wilds of Vancouver with nothing to do.... your hungry, you want to…read moretake in a show, and maybe check out the nightlife. Well you do one of two things. 1) consult yelp 2) Find a newspaper dispenser on almost every majour street in vancouver and grab yourself a copy of the straight. Great source for dining solutions conveniently listed by type, they list all first run, second run, and independent films playing around the city, a listing of all thing nightlife in vancouver, and if your feeling particularly lost emotionally you can always read the horoscopes.

Recent BC Ferry labour article was very informative. As a red neck I appreciated the factual…read moreinformation. When is management of BC Ferries going to learn that moral of productive crews has long been THE issue - ride your boats and talk to your people. Do YOUR job management!

Reporting is clearly biased and not based on actual facts. Some of their articles are based on the…read moreopinions of just one individual without obtaining any counter viewpoints. Journalism should be based on actual facts and balanced, otherwise it's just fringe opinions that can actually hurt people's lives. I'll skip the Tyee as I can't take it seriously.

I certainly prefer WE over the Georgia Straight. It doesn't seem to be as saturated with…read moreadvertising, and the reporting tends to be a lot more objective. I hate reading articles in the Straight and they're trying to tell me what my opinion should be, no thanks. And then in the articles, such as on the plate with Andrew Morrison, now obviously these are excrutiatingly subject, and we should all know that. Though, his articles tend to have personality, you get the feeling that you are having a conversation with Mr Morrison. All around WE is far superiour to the Georgia Straight, and always provides a great read.

Feel that small soft spot, right near the left of the middle of my twee heart? That's where my love…read moreof the printed word lives. When I first moved to Vancouver years ago, it was a time when the prevalence of the internet and its unyielding powers had yet to take over; a time when MySpace and Tom (hi Tom!) were still *the* place to find out about new music and to make new (online) friends; a time when events and concerts were discovered via the newspaper or word of mouth; a time when when some people in the western world who hadn't heard of Craigslist actually existed. It was a time of the alt-weekly. Naturally, I gravitated toward the two most popular weeklies in Vancouver (one of which I worked for, so can't review, but love nonetheless). Which brings me to WE. Formerly known as the Westender, this paper (it would seem) is really trying to up its game these days. It's always (for as long as I've known it) published Rob Brezny's Free Will Astrology (don't know it? You do now. You're welcome), which I adore; and has a relatively high standard in terms of their editorial choices, but what it's always lacked, is an edge. What made the Westender (now known as WE) any better than the competition? (I'm not even joking about the Free Will Astrology. It was the only reason I picked the paper up) What it was deficient of in the years prior, it's gained the the last year or so. Smart hiring of staff and contract writers has made for a more rich and unique reading experience. Yes, there's still Rants and Raves, but now has additions of the likes of Kurtis Kolt (Vancouver wine darling/expert/consultant/all-around nice guy) and his weekly "City Cellar' column (winos, take note). And though Andrew Morrison has been a restaurant critic for the paper since 2005, his success with his own project, Scout, has made for a much more exposed look into the restaurant scene in Vancouver. Add those to the regular local news and editorials, and this is a quality weekly. It's these, and Rob Brezny that keep me picking the paper up. So keep it up, WE. I think you're hitting a stride.

Now just over one year old, Granville magazine is the city mag for the eco-conscious consumer set…read more Like a green version of Vancouver magazine, it covers what's new, fashionable, or newsworthy in products, stores, restaurants, and trends/movements in the city, but with a eco-friendly slant. For example, it'll show a fabulous new pair of shoes but talk up the fact that they're made with recycled materials or by a fair-trade cooperative, or with some other non-exploitive, sustainable, or local means. Cosmetics that don't harm kittens. Sweatshop-free couture. 100-mile diet and/or ocean-wise-savvy chefs. It's all here. They've also done some interesting articles already, including stuff on bio-diesel co-ops in Vancouver, why we don't have an organics recycling program, eco-friendly cleaning products, and my favourite, bike subcultures in Vancouver. But here's where a star gets taken away - the font they use for features is absolutely awful. It's pretty; it's Bodoni, I think; but it's unreadable. So unless the subject is absolutely fascinating, I often don't finish the longer articles. But if you're one of the many who strive to be stylish and socially conscious at the same time, check out Granville. Most articles are available in full online, although the brown font on off-white is, again, challenging to read.

I look forward to getting my four issues of Granville Magazine each year. The free-subscription…read morepublication focuses on sustainable living with a local twist. The features take an optimistic, informative tone and always reveal a neat aspect of BC life (such as the article about BC cheese). The magazine is, I think, coming up on two years on stands. Compared to some of the other green-focused publications out there I find Granville takes a more urban, accessible approach. I signed up for my subscription online (they advertise it as a one-year trial) and have enjoyed the publication ever since.

For many years, this free quarterly magazine has covered, what else, the world of BC books,…read moreauthors, and publishing. You can pick it up in many indie bookstores, and it will tell you a dangerous amount of information to make you want to read books about stuff you never thought you'd be interested in. At least, that's what it does to me. That's the effect of this local book magazine that publishes mainly positive reviews - the enthusiasm for books jumps off the pages. BC Bookworld also prints great author interviews and round-ups of books on particular subjects, such as little-known bits of BC history. They're also good on news from the bookselling and publishing scenes - profiles of bookstore owners and indie publishers, for example. The layout isn't exactly minimalist and the pages can look cluttered. But just like a good bookstore, you can dive in anywhere and come up with something cool and new to know. Smartypants.

They probably don't want this to be known, but you can drop by their corporate office where they…read morehave a display of their magazines, usually you can get the current and a few months old, and snag a few here and there ;) BC business is my cup of tea, as they have some wedding/travel/TV ones too.

This place's printing services were awesome! They source things over to their factories in Hong…read moreKong and deliver it to your door. I met up with them in seattle. they came down to meet me and dicuss my order (i live in seattle) i was only printing like 5000 business cards but even including the shipping i saved so much more than using vistaprint or any north american printing companies! seriously... offshore printing services with north american quality and management... why hadnt i thought of that!! u should relaly contact them and get a quote.. its free i think their urls like romanprintings.com or something awesome services will definitely use em again