Once again Blair should resign OR apologize for what happened under his “leadership?” at the Toronto G20. Crimes were committed by people in uniform that aren’t getting to court… The Blame ultimately lies with our Crime Minister; who chose Toronto on short notice to show off our financial district! http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/06/29/toronto-g20-review-of-policing.html...
Occupy Toronto 15 June 2012 by Michael Holloway Leslieville is an East end Toronto neighbourhood that was formerly a small village on the outskirts of Old Toronto. It is centred by Leslie Grove Park at Jones Avenue and Queen Street East – two blocks West of Leslie Street. Leslie Grove Park is the site of the former tree nurseries of Scottish horticulturalist entrepreneur, and village founder, George Leslie. ”Leslieville Pots and Pans: Solidarity With Quebec“ casseroles, started small on May 30th (30 people) and it has held it own over the weeks. Each week about 30 people participate (a core of about 20 plus about 10 ‘random’ (as the kids say) casserolers present each time). On week II (Wednesday, June 6th) the group ventured away from the Park and onto the neighbourhood streets. Week III (J13) this increasingly united and organized group handed out postcard-sized info fliers and about 100 Red Patches with safety pins to neighbours sitting on their front porches, or to people out for evening strolls. The casseroles walks have received a very warm response from almost everyone in the neighbourhood – (two people who live adjacent to the park complained about noise this week – and in a meeting afterwards we decided to spend much less time casseroling right on that corner – more walking casseroles – less rallying). Leslieville Pots and Pans – J13 (via classrageca) As posted earlier here in OccupyToronto (http://occupyto.org/2012/06/casseroles-night-in-toronto/), Casseroles evening walks are taking on the same neighbourhood quality that emerged spontaniously in Montreal’s neighbourhoods after the National Assembly of Quebec passed Bill 78 – the anti-civil-liberties law – on May 18th, 2012. Other neighbourhoods have started organizing on a hyper-local level. The Parkdale Feeder march to Dufferin Grove Casseroles – aka: “manif casserole toronto” – was amoungst the innovator events that is helping to spread this anti-repression, anti-austerity, progressive-economic-policy-movement into Toronto’s neighbourhoods — mirroring the Spanish Indignados tactics from spring 2011. The “manif casserole toronto” itself was an outcome of an OccupyToronto casseroles rally at Dundas Square on Friday May 25th 2012 [edit- 06/15/12] (OccupyToronto Market Exchange – posted May 25,2012 – http://www.facebook.com/OccupyToronto/posts/363075573755575?comment_id=3485563&offset=0&total_comments=6) .. after which participants decided to take the protest out of the core, and into the neighbourhoods. Toronto ‘casseroles’ in solidarity with Quebec – Pots & Pans protest (RAW) – May 30, 2012 (via Sophie Tread – who cycles while recording this – sweet.) Also one of the first neighbourhoods to organize was the “Harbord and Huron Poets“, which the next week became perhaps the best Event title yet, “Annex Casseroles II: Percussion With Repercussions” – which like Parkdale Feeder was a local neighbourhood gathering that fed into the ”manif casserole toronto“, the Dufferin Grove neighbourhood Casseroles gathering. Since the first week more neighbourhoods have joined the movement – here’s a list I put together as part of my Map Admin duties at Casseroles Night’s in Canada (#CNIC): Manif Casseroles Toronto – Dufferin Grove Parkhttps://www.facebook.com/events/391104920936260/ Annex Casseroles II: Percussion With Repercussions http://www.facebook.com/events/246342602138531/ Casserole Night in Christie Pits – for Kids & Adults http://www.facebook.com/events/361611753892660/ Leslieville Pots and Pans http://www.facebook.com/events/222955611155104/ Toronto East Downtown http://www.facebook.com/events/260307904077087/ Seaton Village http://www.facebook.com/events/425457310820641/ Casseroles Night at Withrow Park https://www.facebook.com/events/473497809334193/ Toronto Labor Lyceum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbYvJ92f0fE Check out the Casseroles Night’s in Canada Global Casseroles Map – (Toronto, Ontario, Canada – ALL open) – http://goo.gl/maps/ChU1 Next Friday, June 22, 2012 Quebec is organizing a Grand Manifestation – beginning at 2pm in front of the National Assembly of Quebec, Quebec City – https://www.facebook.com/events/228211827281364/. For those who cannot get to Quebec City, a Montreal event is also planned – http://www.facebook.com/events/100800863395179/ Canada-wide support rallies are being organized, there is something happening here in Toronto but as I publish this, I can’t find a link. Found it! Or one anyway – Courtesy of Peaceworks Canada who is postering around the casseroles movement on Facebook – ”Masquerade Solidarité: Ontario Students United Against Tuition Fees!” – via Ontario Students’ Mobilization Coalition (OSMC) Poster from left to right: Masquerade Solidarité (Toronto), Manifestation nationale le 22 juin à Québec(Quebec City), Global Resistance 06.24(Global). After a handfull of cities joined June 6th, today I note that the Casseroles Movement is continuing to expand in Europe and now South America is networking too. The call is out for next weekend: “June 24 : worldwide resistance day in solidarity with the Quebeckers” (poster on the right) – http://www.facebook.com/events/394006377312364/. This Casseroles tactic marks the first time that a global anti-austerity movement tactic has traveled back across the Atlantic to Europe since the “Indignados” movement migrated West to North America – a movement that became known as #OccupyWallStreet. 🙂 mh...
The Quebec Student “Maple Spring Movement” has shown formidable success in putting the international spotlight upon the demand for affordable and accessible education in Canada; after four months of continuous strikes, observers have remarked that the strikes could be reaching numbers of people on the streets as high as half a million, rivalling the American Anti-War movement of the 60s and 70s. The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) Ontario, officially endorsed the movement in an open letter, signed by a growing signatory of students and professionals who have recognized Montrealers for setting a “heroic example.” CommonDreams.org, a long time progressive alternative US news agency, recently commended the movement for engaging in the “biggest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history,” and emphasized the importance of the strikes, calling the struggle now a “constitutional challenge,” in defiance of the anti-protest 78 law. Labour unions and public interest groups have now been called upon, internationally to show their support, with a sense of urgency, as a solidarity response in wake of sweeping mass arrests, reported to be approaching of as many as 3,000 Montrealers. Last week, Occupy Toronto led a demonstration and march of 500 in sympathy and solidarity with the Quebec Student protesters. They aimed, also, to send a message that Ontarians call on the repeal of bill 78 and stated that they would accept the challenge of pressuring the provincial government to make post secondary education in Quebec and all of Canada affordable and accessible for everyone. In Toronto a small but building mobilization and outreach effort is currently under way through a series of nightly “pots and pans protests” that could continue throughout the summer and culminating in a general strike in the fall. Analogous to the strike, Quebec student groups have asked for supporters to boycott Quebecor Sun Media and other unsympathetic news organizations including the National Post, for what can only be seen as a politically motivated media blackout intended to weaken and isolate the strikers even in the face of violent police action and the government’s unreasonable and undemocratic legislation. Statement by the Ontario Student Mobilization Committee (OSMC): “Post-secondary education in Canada is in crisis. Students in Canada collectively owe the federal government more than $14.5 billion. Ontario’s tuition fees are 23% higher than the national average. Decades of cuts by both the provincial and federal governments have resulted in tuition fees increasing at more than twice the rate of inflation. High fees and debts impose a heavy burden on students and their families. Communities impoverished by social oppressions are unable to access education. Indigenous and undocumented people are completely shut out. As curriculum are standardized and specialized to fit the corporate agenda, class sizes continue to rise with debt. Our system is increasingly corporate-minded, placing profit ahead of education; ironically, however, most of us now graduate to a jobless future. This is not just the plight of students, but symptoms of a broken economic system. It is through well-funded higher education that our society grows and improves. Education is not a luxury, or an expense: it is an investment in the future. For the past few months, as Quebec students have been turning a simple issue of fees into a wider criticism of the neoliberal agenda, in Ontario we have seen our media rejoice at every opportunity to ridicule and discredit a generation saying they want a better world for tomorrow. On June 5th, we will march together in solidarity with the inspiring struggle of the students of Quebec, and to demand accessible education for the people of Ontario! Bring your friends, your voice, your instruments, your flags, your banners, your red squares, and most importantly, your spirit. The time for us to stand up and be heard is now. We must ride the momentum of this historic moment. This is more than a hike, more than a strike, more than Quebec; this is the beginning of a new way of seeing education, not just for now but for generations to follow.” This article was originally published by wearechangetoronto.org http://wearechangetoronto.org/2012/05/27/ontario-mobilizes-to-take-back-education/...
HOW do you get the Bank of Canada to lend money at no interest for Public projects when the governor is a Goldman Sachs alumni; Mark Carney? (I posed this question to many an occupier who talked about the money system OR fractional banking) Discuss…...
All Canadian eyes should be on Quebec now, as the Quebec student movement marks its 100th day of contiuous striking. Initially the movement was prepared to oppose incremental university tuition rates, but as the four months progressed, it took hold as a civil liberties and human rights movement; and through their endurance, and popular support, the world now recognizes Quebec as a leading example of what civil resistance and direct democracy is capable of, as did the Occupy Wall Street and Tahrir Square movements, only a few months prior. Media statement by Occupy Toronto As hundreds of thousands gathered in the streets of Montreal for a general strike in support of Montreal’s student movement, Occupy Toronto led a march of hundreds to show their support for the students and against the repressive Charest government’s moves to criminalize protest. Occupy Toronto is answering the call from Quebec to bring the spirit of the student strike to the rest of Canada, and stands with the rallying cry for free education. “Education, the youth: these are investments, not expenses. And if we aren’t investing in our children, then what is the point of money?” said Roxy Cohen, an organizer with the Occupy Toronto Free Skule. The Toronto march, which started at the University of Toronto’s Hart House today at 2pm, held a general assembly to discuss the march’s route, deciding on a route that ended at Ryerson University. Montreal student activist Laura Dolan addressed the assembly. This isn’t just a solidarity action, Dolan explained. Tuition is already too high across Canada considering places like Mexico can afford free education at the university level without sentencing students into a lifetime of debt. full article: http://wearechangetoronto.org/2012/05/23/4660...
So 6 months ago the St. James encampment was dismantled by circles of police & some outside workers but the movement continues… I heard in the corporate media that we did not have solutions! I emailed the original media team to post solutions but it never made it onto the site until now occupier economies: discussing solutions to growing inequality Nov. 5 to 22… Objective:How to close the gap between the wealthy and the poor? by Question Mark & 50plus voices Stop Crony Capitalism; example an unelected economist now runs Greece and an unelected Goldman Sachs alumni leads Italy $1 Billion will be raised from Wall St. & Industry to ReElect Obama In Canada, the Conservatives got 39.6% of votes successfully cast, 54% of the seats and ALL the power. Solution to First Past the Post is Electoral Reform ie. Proportional Representation Solutions for people who are suffering, sick & working poor/class STOP Fords Cuts Raise minimum wage Raise the taxable income federally to above poverty line levels A serious look at native, people of colour & immigrants Inclusionary Housing Strategy build affordable housing, seniors residences, supportive housing for addiction Tuition Reform/Debt Invest in ECE:Early Childhood Education, nutrition programs, Education, Free post secondary for all who qualify Youth Hiring Incentives Jobs Plan, environmental jobs Worker Cooperatives Civil Society Non Governmental Organizations(NGOs) Not for Profit Management ECONOMIC Progressive Income Taxation to reallocate resources Financial Transaction Tax Inheritance Tax(see U$) Improve Unemployment Benefits Bank of Canada lending at no interest for Infrastructure projects...
Toronto G20 summit police have commited criminal acts like beating up protesters. Kettling people at Queen & Spadina; a day after the police left their cars behind that were later set on fire?! Bliar lied about the law. The police are bad at math because aside from a few people who got within 5 metres of the Summit fence. There were over 1,100 arrests and about 20 something people convicted; sometimes guilty in a plea bargin while the approach for the police will encounter the thin blue line. Bliar should at least apologize if not resign for what happened under his watch even though it was Harper who chose Toronto in the first place likely to showcase Toronto’s financial district when Harper could have added a dozen chairs at the G8 in Huntsville! http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/05/18/toronto-g20-blair.html...
Where the leaders of some of the top economies will talk but not necessarily take action! The NATO summit is to follow in Chicago. Originally the G6; Canada was added to make it G7 & Russia to make it G8. This year Vladimir Putin chose not to attend. While Mario Monti remains an unelected leader from Italy as Francois Hollande of France makes his debut! When Harper first came to power in 2006, Canada had the 8th largest real economy. Under minority Conservative governments & Finance Minister Flaherty; Canada has fallen to 11th place having been surpassed by Brazil, Russia & India while the People’s Republic of China recently became the 2nd largest economy in the World though is not part of the G8. (see BRICs)...
at Ryerson U was an adventure. Being 1 of 3 Occupiers plus 1 Occupy Vancouver guy in the audience was daunting. The academics did their research primarily on secondary sources see corporate media. Having been a person living in St. James Park Oct.- Nov. was able to clarify & ask challenging questions. The students have a career OR few ahead of them & made attempts to professionally communicate their positions. I was fair in my analysis & found my self getting the Q & A rolling on several occations. Aparently they, like the Media did not know we were trying to oppose Corporate Greed or growing inequality. I gave the keynote speaker a piece of my mind on the notion of “corporate social responsibility” being “green washing” Some amusing answers were; capitalism was the lesser evil & if you compare the poor in Canada to the rest of the World we are not so bad (but in my opinion still the poor in a Canadian context.) Here’s the poster & weblinks. I’ll give them points for discussing contemporary issues. Plus I enjoyed the food & cocktails…(smile) http://www.ryerson.ca/artsandcontemporarystudies/index.html http://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/arts/downloads/corpcitizenship.pdf...
*No Work *No School *No Shopping *No Banking *No Housework The winter slumber is over. Time to take the streets! First, take the day off work (if you can get away with it), get together with friends and affinity groups, and engage in smaller direct actions and assemblies around the city during the day! (Let us know what you’ve planned at [email protected]) THEN, at *4:00pm* gather at Nathan Phillips Square for a big rally and march! Finally, Join us at Alexandra park at 9:00pm as we march to an undisclosed location for a 24 hour reoccupation! Documented or undocumented. Paid or unpaid. We are Workers. We are Students. We are Families. We are the 99%. The 1% carry out war, throw us in prisons, make us poor, destroy public services, attack unions, and poison the environment. They deny us freedom and dignity. So We Fight and We Resist. On May 1st, 2012, inspired by 126 years of workers’ struggles, the Arab Spring, the Indignados of Spain, the global fights against austerity, and the Occupy movement, we take to the streets again! On International Workers Day, join us and our allies No One is Illegal Toronto, the May 1st Movement, and dozens of community groups in the city for a rally and march to respect Indigenous sovereignty, insist that no one is illegal, for international workers solidarity, to defend and expand public services, to stop prison expansion and corporate handouts, to end imperialist wars and aggression, to build peoples’ power, and to move beyond capitalism. They are few, we are many. Join us. Media Sponsor: rabble.ca Endorsed & Supported by: Afghans for Peace, CAMP Sis, Canadian Auto Workers Union, Centre for Social Justice, Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid, Committee for the Defence of the Iranian Peoples Rights (Canada Organization), Committee of Progressive Pakistani-Canadians, Communist Party of Canada, DAMN, Greater Toronto Workers’ Assembly, Health for All, International Council of Latin American and Caribbean Women in Canada, International Federation of Iranian Refugees, International Socialists, Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network, Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network, Law Union of Ontario, Maggie’s: Toronto Sex Workers Action Project, Metro Toronto Labour Council, Mining Injustice Solidarity Network, Movement Defence Committee, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, Ontario Federation of Labour, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation District 12, OPIRG Toronto, OPIRG York, ProtestBarrick, Rhythms of Resistance, Socialist Project, Stop the Cuts, Toronto Bolivia Solidarity, Toronto Socialist Action, Trans Film Screenings, Tudeh Party of Iran – Canada Organization, United May Day Committee, Unity Against Unemployment in Iraq, Women’s Coordinating Committee for a Free Wallmapu [Toronto], Workers Action Centre, Workers Community Party of Iran and more… JPEG poster | bw version | Facebook event...
On April 2, 2012 Occupy Toronto’s Monday night New General Assembly passed a proposal to adopt a statement and principles on Decolonization. Please find below the Proposal that passed with the amendments made as proposed at the General Assembly. Thank you and congratulations on a very fruitful and productive GA! April 2nd, 2012 Proposal: For the Monday GA to adopt the following statement and principles on decolonization as a framework for organizing our work through the new GA. Propose that we adopt these principles as a working statement, recognizing we need to seek input from our allies in the city to help build this living document. Decolonizing ‘Occupy’ Toronto Following the rich tradition of Indigenous people and people of colour who have fought for self-determination, decolonizing ‘Occupy’ Toronto means aspiring to win struggles for liberation by placing Indigenous people, people of color, people with disabilities, psychiatric survivors, homeless people, low income or working class people, immigrants, gender non-conforming persons, women, and queers at the center of our collective struggle. In addition, we commit to creating political structures and community events that welcome Toronto’s residents, 47% of whom are people of color. Further, we commit to respecting the lands upon which we organize in our thoughts, planning and messaging to others. We will acknowledge the lands we stand upon before meetings, GA’s and/or public events. As a place of unity, we adopt the following statements as part of a living document upon which we base our struggle against the 1%, corporate greed, colonialism and the exploitation of Mother Earth. 1) We acknowledge that Canada is a colonial and capitalist country, a country of settlers, built upon the land of Indigenous nations; 2) We acknowledge that systemic racism exists in Canada, where Indigenous people and people of colour are disproportionately jailed and impoverished by policies – deliberate or not – that are enforced and enacted by the Canadian State; 3) We demand that the colonial government of Canada honor all treaties signed with all Indigenous nations whose lands are now collectively referred to as “Canada” and that the government respect the right of Indigenous nations to self-determination, with or without Treaty signatures. 4) We recognize that oppression and colonization are systemic, they are a product of histories and contexts that go far beyond individuals and their specific histories; 5) We recognize that oppression and colonization are structural, in that it is not just the hurt feelings of individuals affected but rather the daily grind of lack of housing, of policing, of joblessness, of immense material impacts; 6) We recognize that oppression and colonization are intersectional – that is there isn’t a hierarchy of oppression that any one individual feels but complex structural and systemic inequities that affect an individual and peoples differently; 7) We seek decolonization through transformative processes, rather than through the attainment of reforms; 8 ) We recognize that people are individually traumatized differently, be it through intergenerational trauma or direct experience and require different supports in terms of healing and transformation; 9) We believe that, for us, decolonizing our communities and ourselves requires a collective effort rooted in compassion, wisdom, humility and collective consciousness. 10) We will take direction from impacted communities when organizing around issues that impact those communities directly and respect the sovereign right and knowledge of the individual nations on Turtle Island....
Canada’s largest bank & investor in the Dirty Tar Sands has been benefitting from our tax system by moving money from one institution to another. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/us-sues-royal-bank-canada-massive-fraud-224048570.html...
With yesterday’s Provincial Budget going to a vote in April. Let’s look ahead at the Federal level. In the 2008 election, Harper denied Canada was heading into Recession and Flaherty said we’d have Surpluses as far as the eye could see… At the G20 in November 2008; the various leaders agreed to stimulate their economies by 2% of GDP. The Cons tried to pin it on the Liberals or New Democrats but stimulus was agreed to before the prorogation that saved their butts. The proposed budget introduced by the Cons was to have a $36 Billion deficit which actually turned out to be a $56 Billion for 2009-10 Some $34 Billion deficit for 2010-11. This past January they dropped the Corporate Tax rate from 16.5% to 15% which will push $ 6 Billion towards profits financed by over $34 Billion in deficits by all citizens for 2011-12. The Cons now have a majority and were supposed to give income splitting and small personal tax cuts when they balance the budget. Unfortunately, they will be running deficits for another 4 years. So the gullable voters won’t be getting their break unless they vote for the Cons in 2015. Ha ha suckers!...
So you may have read that Putin was elected again in Russia despite fraud allegations and concerns about government corruption. He’s in for a 6 year term after breaking as the Premier for the past 4, preceded by 8 years as President.(2 – 4 year terms then) The margin was so high and his campaign played it Pro Russia vs “foreign influence.” Russia is twice the size of Canada and has pipelines of power to the European Union.(EU) Meanwhile in Canada; there have and will be protests concerning Electoral Fraud with over some 31,000 complaints of some one pretending to be “Elections Canada” sending non conservatives to the wrong voting location. Which seems to be why Harper is not too concerned given it did not affect conservative voters. Though with 55 ridings in question and the fact that the Conservative Party “majority” was by 12 seats?! Looking to tomorrow in the U$. Super Tuesday has 10 states in play; where Mitt Romney will take the majority and eventually win the Republican nomination. To face Barack Obama; who will raise more money from CEOs & Wall St. to win another presidency. So the kicker is that there are 33 senate races for 6 year terms where the 10 Republic seats look to grow. Where the standing is now 53 democratesque vs 47 republican. 14 OR more wins by the Republicans would give them control of both the Congress & Senate!...
There’s no contest when it comes to CEO compensation The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ annual look at CEO compensation looks at 2010 compensation levels for Canada’s highest paid 100 CEOs and finds they pocketed an average of an average $8.38 million in 2010 – a 27% increase over the average $6.6 million they took in 2009. Even in these turbulent economic times, the average of Canada’s CEO Elite 100 make 189 times more than Canadians earning the average wage. The full report, Canada’s CEO Elite 100: The 0.01% is available here. Source – CCPA website...
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