CONTENTS

1. CALLS TO ACTION
2. EVENTS
3. ARTICLES
4. EMPLOYMENT

Stop the Public Transit death spiral!

A public transit death spiral is a vicious cycle of service cuts and fare hikes that push people away from public transit and into their cars, further decreasing public transit systems’ revenue, which leads to further service cuts that impact Canadians’ ability to get to work, school, grocery stores, social services, and other essential places.

If this is allowed to happen, it will make cities more congested, increase polluting carbon emissions, and have the greatest impact on society’s most vulnerable – who have no other options.

The federal government has saved public transit from disaster before, and it can do it again. Over the past several years, the federal government has worked with provinces to deliver emergency operating funding for our public transit systems. But ridership levels have still not recovered since the pandemic and that money has now run out.

environmentaldefence.ca

Support PSAC on the picket line

When: As long as PSAC is on strike
Where: pick a location

Workers can’t wait.

PSAC has delivered for Canadians day in and day out. Join us on the picket line to show the government it’s time for them to be there for Canada’s workers. It’s time to take action because our bills can’t wait, and neither can we.

workerscantwait.ca

Making Transit Safe for Everyone

When: April 20th, 6:30pm
Where: 1515 Bloor St W

In light of recent safety concerns related to incidents on the TTC and subway stops in our riding, we will be hosting a community town hall with elected representatives from all levels of government to share information and gather community feedback on this important matter.

twitter.com

Postwar Memory In El Salvador

When: April 21st, 9am to 8:30pm
Where: Quaker Friends House, 60 Lowther Ave

Community members, students, and scholars are invited to join us for a full day conference focused on postwar memory in El Salvador and the Salvadoran Canadian diaspora. The conference is FREE, but space is limited to 75 participants. Lunch, coffee, and dinner are included, and we ask that registered participants attend for the full event. This event is sponsored, in part, by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador, the Salvadoran Canadian Association (ASALCA), and Western University.

geography.utoronto.ca

Sanctions, a wrecking ball in the global economy

When: April 21st, 7pm

The report, “Sanctions: A Wrecking Ball in a Global Economy”, is a comprehensive overview of sanctions on more than 40 countries, imposed by the US and in turn by many of its allies [such as Canada].

It covers both decades-long sanctions against countries such as Cuba, longstanding trade embargoes on countries like Iran and Zimbabwe and recent sanctions against Russia and other countries resulting from the war in Ukraine. What comes through strongly is the “wrecking ball” effect on national economies, with the victims usually being the poorest citizens.

zoom.us

Canadian Foreign Policy Hour with Yves Engler

When: Mondays at 6pm

Join author Yves Engler on Mondays for a weekly news roundup and interactive discussion about Canada’s role abroad. This weekly session will delve into the latest developments on subjects ranging from military affairs and Canada’s role in Ukraine to its contribution to Palestinian dispossession and exploitation of African resources. Join Yves for a critical take on Canada’s foreign policy. Questions, comments and criticisms are all welcome.

zoom.us

ODSP: Raise the Rates

When: April 25th, 11am
Where: Queen’s Park, 110 Wellesley Street West

End Disability Poverty Now.

The Rally for Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Assistance for Children Severe Disabilities (ACSD) is a call to double the rates and lift individuals and families with disabilities and social assistance recipients out of sub-poverty towards a better quality of life.

odcoalition.com | Twitter

Growing our Movements

When: April 26th, 7pm

Part conversation about redistributive justice and part fundraiser for Groundswell Community Justice Trust Fund, this is an invitation to learn about the power of grassroots movements, and a call to action to support them. A cross-class space, this conversation is for you if:
– you’re already supporting grassroots organizing efforts, or you’d like to start;
– you want to support social change that’s led by communities most affected by systems of oppression;
– you want to start or continue to share your own resources (money, networks, material needs, etc.) with social justice organizers;
– you are curious (and maybe a bit intimidated or confused!) by any of the above.

zoom.us

Resurgence of the Mexican Labour Movement

When: April 27th, 2pm
Where: Kaneff Tower 519, York Univ

Over the past year, thousands of workers in factories across Mexico producing goods for multinational corporations from GM to 3M, have joined or formed independent unions, displacing the old pro-employer “protection contract” unions. These struggles have emerged in the context of important changes to Mexican labour law and mechanisms in the new CUSMA/T-MEC/USMCA that penalize corporations which violate workers’ rights to unionize. While fighting to raise wages and improve working conditions, these organizers are also striving to build unions with gender equity, and eliminate violence, harassment and discrimination from the workplace.

yorku.ca

(Anti)Racism in Context of Latin-America

When: April 27th, 5:30pm

Discussion to develop an understanding of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism within our communities & how to be an accomplice against it.

This free community workshop and collective discussion will be a space for students, academic faculty, activists, and community members alike to hear from people within our communities that speak to their lived experiences of anti-Indigeneity, anti-Blackness, persecution and marginalization both within and beyond the academy, and identifying intersecting issues such as working conditions, migration policy in North America, and language barriers.

eventbrite.ca

Film: Haiti Betrayed

When: April 27th, 6pm
Where: Blackhurst Cultural Centre (formerly A Different Booklist), 777 Bathurst St

Please come out and join us for a screening of filmmaker Elaine Brière’s important documentary Haiti Betrayed.

Drawing on the current political situation in Haiti, we will be joined afterward by Jean Jafrikayiti Saint-Vil for a discussion on the latest imperialist interference in the country’s affairs. This discussion will also be live-streamed on our various social media platforms.

Facebook event

MayWorks 2023

When: All of May, 2023

Throughout May, we offer 24 free events with 29 participating artists across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and online. Whether through zine, installation, film, performance or dialogue – the festival presents the realities of contemporary labour.

This year’s artists critically investigate various forms of work from arms manufacturing to flower arranging. Their artworks, informed by personal histories of social activism and research, recognize workers as agents of social transformation.

mayworks.ca

Vancouver’s Sweeps Are Cruel, Costly, and Counterproductive

Less than six months into their term in office Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC majority have made clear their vision for Vancouver: more police, less justice. More inequality, less compassion. Early Wednesday morning (5 April), with traffic cameras at Hastings and Main temporarily (and conveniently) out of service, police and City crews moved in with a massive show of force. All day, they blocked off Hastings, even denying access to media, and systematically displaced people and threw their belongings away.

Source: The Bullet No. 2809

Systemic Violence, Institutional Apathy and Toronto Schools

By Ardavan Eizadirad

In 2007, youth and gun violence were hot topics in Toronto with the death of 15-year-old grade nine student Jordan Manners on May 23 at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute, a high school in the Jane and Finch community. He died in the school hallway from a gunshot wound. The tragedy was the first of its kind in the City of Toronto and in Canada where a student died within a high school. Fast forward to 2023, and we are still discussing the same issues, this time about how the violence has intensified and occurs more frequently in public settings such as schools, malls, and subway stations.

Source: The Bullet No. 2810

Palestinian Trade Unions’ Anti-Apartheid Call

The global trade union movement, which has played a key and inspiring role in its commitment to workers’ rights and human rights more generally, has stood in principled solidarity with the oppressed across the world, adopting concrete, ground-breaking, labour-led sanctions against oppressive regimes. Israel’s systematic destruction of the Palestinian economy, discriminatory and racist laws, and restrictions on freedom of movement and association have a significant impact on the rights and working conditions of Palestinian workers.

Source: The Bullet No. 2811

IJV is hiring

Do you have a knack for organizing databases, a flair for fundraising and a passion to help grow the Jewish left and the Palestine solidarity movement in Canada? Then apply now to work for Independent Jewish Voices!

To apply, please send your CV and cover letter to personnel@ijvcanada.org no later than May 5th, 2023.

Salary: $41,000 is $22.53 per hour (based on a 35 hour work week).

ijvcanada.org