CONTENTS
CALLS TO ACTION
Phase Out Dirty Fossil Gas
The climate emergency becomes more evident every day. While governments the world over invest in renewables to meet their growing electricity needs, the Ontario government is preparing to burn more gas – a fossil fuel – instead.By 2030, greenhouse gas pollution from Ontario’s gas plants will increase by 375 per cent, compared to 2017 levels. By 2040, it will be up more than 600 per cent.
environmentaldefence.ca
EVENTS
Beyond Resistance
When: March 3rd, 9am – March 4th, 5pmThe Institute of Political Economy will be hosting a two-day event over zoom for this year’s annual graduate student conference. English Closed Captioning [auto-generated] will be available throughout. This event is open to the public, but registration is required.
The theme of our conference is Beyond Resistance. We face an era of intertwined crises: climate, capitalism, and colonialism. Our social systems encompassing economic, political, ecological, gendered and racialized forms of oppression are changing at an unprecedented rate. We are in the midst of the sixth mass-extinction event in the planet’s history, yet leadership persists as if it’s business as usual, with policies of endless economic growth. Decolonial, anti-capitalist, feminist and labour struggles are gaining momentum, but as of now they lag behind the exploiters’ access to power, institutions and funds. Struggles for liberation unfold on numerous fronts, demanding the application of new tactics and alternative knowledge. We want to create a space to develop this knowledge.
carleton.ca/politicaleconomy
Climate change in space and time
When: March 3rd, 5pmEric Krause Memorial Lecture with Dr. Kate Marvel: Turning data into stories: climate change in space and time
Climate change is global warming: the average temperature of the planet has already increased by over 1 degree C since the Industrial Revolution. But large-scale averages are hard to grasp; to understand climate change, we need to know how it affects the areas where people live during the course of their lives. This is the scale where stories happen. I’ll show how research helps us sort through the enormous amount of data to reveal the patterns underneath global averages and long-term trends and the stories they tell. This talk will focus on three specific stories.
zoom.us
Power in Relationships: a People’s Response to the Convoy
When: March 3rd, 8pmLeadnow is hosting “Power in Relationships: A People’s Response to the Convoy”. This 1-hour webinar will focus on building a shared understanding about the origins of the convoy, what an effective pathway forward could look like and practical tools to talk to those in your life who are neutral or passively in support of the convoy.
zoom.us
Cutting through the Spin: Russia’s invasion, NATO’s provocation and Canada’s complicity
When: March 4th, 6pmJoin our webinar on Russia’s invasion, NATO’s provocation and Canada’s complicity. Hear from Ukrainian-Canadians, anti-war activists and experts who have been closely following the Ukraine crisis and Canadian foreign policy. They will offer important perspectives ignored by the Trudeau government and the media.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine must be condemned. It’s a flagrant violation of international law and has already caused significant death and suffering.
We must also consider our own government’s role in this calamitous situation.
Featuring Glenn Michalchuk, Radhika Desai, Yves Engler, John Foster, and Tamara Lorincz.
Presented by The Canadian Foreign Policy Institute, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, and World Beyond War Canada.
zoom.us
#StandForPeace with Russia and Ukraine
When: March 5th, 6th?Find an Action, Sign Petition and Read Statement vowpeace.org
For Canadian events contact: lyn@vowpeace.org
Secrets of a Successful Organizer
When: Saturdays, March 5, 12, and 19th, 1-3pmOnce you register, you will receive a link to join via Zoom. We will send emails weekly with links to sessions on the day of the event. Be sure to check all of your email folders, including your spam folder, for the session links and to download and update Zoom beforehand.
Cost: $15 for the whole series. Includes access to all workshops until space is filled. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
labornotes.org
International Women’s Day
When: March 5th, 1pmThis year’s theme: People and the Planet over Profits: Revolutionary Love for All!
iwdtoronto.ca | Livestream | facebook.com/IWDToronto
Rise Up Toronto
When: Saturday, March 5th, 3pmWhere: Christie Pits Park (750 Bloor St W)
The siege of Ottawa and the occupation of border crossings by far-right actors, organizing with a degree of police and political complicity, has spawned a crisis for those who struggle for social and ecological justice, anti-racism, Indigenous sovereignty and genuine democracy.
This Saturday, Andria Babbington will join community activists to show up for the people in Toronto who have suffered the most during the pandemic: shelterless people, low-income, precariously-employed and frontline workers, healthcare workers, women, BIPOC, people with disabilities.
Google doc | Facebook event
Activist Assembly
When: March 6th, 9:30am – 2:30pmAfter two years of a devastating pandemic, and four years of anti-worker policies, Ontario workers and their families need more than just a recovery. We need a just recovery.
That means good jobs and decent work for all workers; a $20 minimum wage; high quality affordable housing; accessible and well funded health care, long term care, education, and other public services; justice for Indigenous people and racialized communities; climate justice and a livable planet; and so much more!
ofl.ca
Putin’s War on Ukraine: History, Analysis, Solidarity
When: March 7th, 1pmRussia’s large-scale invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine is among the most dangerous and disturbing events in recent European history and has occasioned an international crisis. Putin appears hell-bent on occupying all of Ukraine and setting up a puppet regime. While the situation is in flux and it’s unclear how it will play out, it is certain that the human consequences of the war will be horrendous, and the geopolitical consequences perilous.
Speakers: Denys Pilash, Hanna Perekhoda, and Catherine Samary.
eventbrite.com
Roundtable on Land Back
When: March 7th, 7pmThe University of Alberta Political Science Annual Lecture this year is a roundtable discussion of Land Back, happening on Monday March 7. Three eminent activists and public intellectuals — Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, Shiri Pasternak, and Daniel T’seleie — will explore three questions: What brought you to land back, what is land back, and why land back?
The roundtable will be hosted by Matthew Wildcat (Department of Political Science, University of Alberta) with a response from Isabel Altamirano (Department of Political Science, University of Alberta).
zoom.us
What Do Mothers and Caregivers Want?
When: March 8th, 8amThere is an assumption that childcare and/or elder care is all that mothers and other caregivers need. But we are never asked what we think about how we spend our time and the resources we have/don’t have. This survey aims to find out what caregivers of every gender want, including in different countries.
Sponsored by Care Income Now! an international network of grassroots women and organizations coordinated by the Global Women’s Strike campaigning for a care income for all, regardless of gender, who doing the work of caring for people and planet.
zoom.us
Reimagining Safety: What happens when we defund the police?
When: March 8th, 6pmIt’s hard to imagine a world without policing, but Black and Indigenous organizers in our communities are already doing the work. In the context of our communities, our panelists will share their wide array of experience in stepping up where police currently miss the mark and share their imaginings of a safer future. Join us in discussion with El Jones, Marlihan Lopez, Amy Edward, and Jessica Quijano.
eventbrite.com
Nuclear is Not a Climate Solution
When: March 9th, 8pmThe Affected Communities and Allies Working Group of the Nuclear Ban Treaty Collaborative will host a discussion on the devastating impacts of the nuclear disaster in Fukushima and the dangers of parading nuclear energy as a solution to the climate crisis.
This free online webinar will explain why nuclear is not a climate solution and shed light on the underreported impacts of the ongoing nuclear crisis in communities impacted by nuclear energy and nuclear waste.
zoom.us
ARTICLES
LeftEast: Against Putin’s Imperial War Against Ukraine
The members of LeftEast collective are aghast at the violent military aggression that has escalated into war in Ukraine. It threatens to cast our region into bloodshed of a scale that has not been seen in decades. We unequivocally condemn the Kremlin’s criminal invasion and call for the withdrawal of Russian troops back to the international border. While we do not forget the responsibility the US, NATO, and its allies bear for bringing about this war, the clear aggressor in the current situation is the Russian political and economic elite.Source: The Bullet No. 2567
No to War. For a Transnational Politics of Peace
By Transnational Social Strike PlatformIn these weeks we saw the escalation of tensions between world powers under the astonished eyes of those who are struggling to recover their lives from two years of pandemic. We have seen relatives and friends die for COVID and suffer for something that has changed lives for all. When we hoped the pandemic sorrow was about to be over, another war reminds us of the urgent need to collectively fight for a different politics.
Source: The Bullet No. 2568
Stop the War! An Appeal for a Europe of Peace
transform! europe condemns the attack that Russia, under the governance of Vladimir Putin, has launched upon Ukraine. We reject the use of military force against a sovereign state, just as we have previously rejected NATO forces deployment in countries bordering Russia, and in countries of Asia and Africa and Europe. We therefore call for an immediate ceasefire, stop of the bombings, the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine soil and the return to the negotiating table.Source: The Bullet No. 2569
Union Organizing at Amazon
Jonathan Rosenblum interviewed by Tori Fleming and Matt DavisIn 2020, Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama voted on whether to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). The union lost the vote, due in part to the hiring of the infamous union-busting agency, the Pinkertons and an extensive and intrusive anti-unionization campaign. The US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) first found enough evidence of Amazon’s interference at Bessemer to call for a re-vote and, in December 2021, reached an agreement with Amazon about ensuring that Amazon workers’ basic rights to organize are upheld by the company.
Source: The Bullet No. 2570
Lessons for Organizing: From the Depression to Amazon and Beyond
Jonathan Rosenblum interviewed by Tori Fleming and Matt DavisJonathan Rosenblum is a long-time union and community organizer in the US, particularly in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. In part 1 of this interview, Jonathan spoke at length about Amazon’s recent NRLB settlement, and some of the obstacles to organizing at Amazon. Importantly, he also touched on the significance of unions having a sound organizing strategy that centres on building rank-and-file connections with and between workers. In this second part of the interview, Tori Fleming and Matt Davis ask Jonathan further about union strategy, as well as, the degree of difference between labour legislation in the US and Canada, and the continued need to not just hope, but also to organize and fight for a better world beyond capitalism.
Source: The Bullet No. 2571
EMPLOYMENT
VoW is Hiring
Canadian Voice of Women for Peace is looking for a new National Coordinator!Hours: 20 hours/week with flexible hours. Evening and weekend work required.
Compensation: $22/hour with a 3 month probationary period
vowpeace.org