So then what are the 'real' facts then? Or the 'reality'?

I think we only heard a snippet of what the pilot offered to the PAX, but I've heard from multiple pilots that frequent or are based out of YVR that there is an ongoing Controller shortage that impacts OTP. It's also been suggested to me that a contributing factor to the Controller shortage is that the existing staff are somehow acting in ways to preserve their Overtime and block the addition of new staff. Again, just what I've been told by people that seem like they should be in the know, but who knows what the real situation is.

If we could hear from someone who ACTUALLY knows what's really going on, that would be great.

For now, what we know is there are lots of delays across the network that are attributed to ATC.