CONTENTS

1. CALLS TO ACTION
2. EVENTS
3. ARTICLES

Cancel the Toronto Air Show

The Toronto air show is once again planning to descend on our city from September 2-4. The air show is blatant advertising for militarism, war, and violence, it re-traumatizes victims of war, and its deafening noise disturbs residents across the city over the Labour Day long weekend.

Last year’s air show served as literal paid advertising for Lockheed Martin, a key sponsor and the largest weapons producer in the world. From Ukraine to Yemen, from Palestine to Colombia, from Somalia to Syria, from Afghanistan and West Papua to Ethiopia, no one profits more from war and bloodshed than Lockheed Martin. This show is one way they’ve been trying to sell the Canadian public on their fighter jet—the contentious F35 that Canada is planning to purchase. It’s the most deafening of all the jets over Toronto this weekend.

The air show’s ear-splitting noise is incredibly disruptive, and the greenhouse gas emissions of the jets are through the roof. These are war planes designed to kill people. They shouldn’t be for entertainment.

worldbeyondwar.org

Toxic Toronto

When: August 31st, 6pm meal, depart 6:30
Where: The Pasture, Wellington and York

Come celebrate the launch of MISN’s walking tour app—a Toxic Tour of the City of Toronto’s financial district! In celebration of our launch, we invite you to gather for free food and guided tours. Join us for a shared meal at 6:00pm, after which we will have several groups leaving between 6:30-7:30 to take everyone around on the tour length of their choice and provide a chance to be one of the first to try out our new app. Bring your headphones!

mininginjustice.org

ACORN’s City Wide Forum

When: August 31st, 6:30pm
Where: 519 Church St

Join ACORN members across Toronto to fight for landlord licensing and air conditioning justice! Allies, city councillors, and 100+ community members will be attending.

We’re fighting for stronger regulation of landlords through landlord licensing, and maximum heat bylaws for our beat the heat campaign. Join us, learn more, and fight back!

Call 416 461 9233 or email tofield1@acorncanada.org to RSVP. acorncanada.org | Facebook event

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 the exploitation of African resources. Join Yves for a critical take on Canada’s foreign policy. Questions, comments, and criticisms are all welcome.

zoom.us

Action Against Poverty at Corner Commons

When: Every Tuesday, 5pm – 7pm
Where: Corner Commons (northwest corner of the Jane Finch Mall parking lot)

JFAAP is continuing to hold space for the Jane Finch community to support residents, expand their network, collectively respond to issues, and build on their campaign efforts. They’re excited to build community with returning and new faces this season!

If you have any questions, comments, or would like to reach out about joining, you can contact them at – info@jfaap.com, or (416) 663-2733 ext. 307.

The Media, CSIS and Modern Sinophobia

When: September 7th, 7pm

For over ten years, CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) and other public security agencies have been targeting Chinese Canadians politicians and researchers as a fifth column for the People’s Republic of China.

Some Canadian journalists rely heavily on CSIS in what amounts to a form of modern Sinophobia.

This discussion, featuring Andrew Mitrovica, Midori Ogasawara and Georgia Kelly, will explore the ethics of responsible, anti-racist reporting in an era of misinformation.

zoom.us

The Tenant Class

When: Thursday, September 7th, 7pm
Where: Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St.

Political economist and senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Ricardo Tranjan joins a panel of leading housing affordability advocates and tenants’ union organizers to discuss his trailblazing manifesto The Tenant Class.

The Tenant Class asks, “What if there is no housing crisis, but instead a housing market working exactly as intended? What if rent hikes and eviction notices aren’t the work of the invisible hand of the market, but of a parasitic elite systematically funneling wealth away from working-class families?” Tranjan breaks down pervasive myths about renters, mom-and-pop landlords, and housing affordability, and asserts that organized tenants have the power to fight back against systems of disinformation and exploitation to secure decent homes and fair rent.

Guests: Ricardo Tranjan, Leilani Farha, Sharlene Henry, Douglas Yearwood.

eventbrite.ca

A Closer Look at the Teamster-UPS Agreement

By Sam Gindin

There is a debilitating tendency on the Left to instantly judge bargaining settlements as either sellouts or breakthroughs. But neither the cynicism nor the cheerleading gets us very far in grasping the actual significance of these agreements. Sober assessments pivot on the relative weights given to context, material gains, building the union, and contributing to broader working-class consciousness and organization. But even here, there are differences that extend beyond ‘the facts’. More often than not, disagreements reflect underlying divergences in political perspectives and goals. Making these transparent is crucial to moving forward.

Source: The Bullet No. 2863

France: Voices from Below

By Dimitris Fasfalis

In the political sequence opened by the social movement against the French government’s pension reform (setting the legal retirement age at 64 years instead of 62), official discourse has been constantly commented on, analyzed, and relayed. Attention given to discourses from below has been much weaker in comparison, even if the social movement made it possible to free the voices of workers, a rare and important political fact. The following lines are intended to be a modest contribution to the analysis and safeguarding of these voices from below, which form a “discursive event,” and risk going unnoticed due to insufficient exposure.

Source: The Bullet No. 2864

The Fight for Ecological Transition is Now

By John Clarke

This year’s unprecedented wildfire season in Canada continues without respite, and the results are becoming ever more serious. With long weeks left to go before the conditions driving the fires begin to abate, major urban centres have been threatened and tens of thousands of people have had to be evacuated from their homes and communities. Some of the worst recent developments have been in western Canada. In the Northwest Territories, the situation remains critical and outcomes are still unpredictable, “as firefighters prepare for ‘extreme fire behaviour’ in some areas.” In the face of this threat, “crews were focused on cutting away fuel and ‘strengthening defenses’ around affected communities.”

Source: The Bullet No. 2865