CONTENTS
CALLS TO ACTION
I Love Bike Lanes
Reports have come out that the Ontario government plans to bring forward legislation that would block the installation of bike lanes where motor vehicle lanes would have to be reduced. These changes would severely limit the ability of Toronto and municipalities across the province to expand their networks of safe and protected bike lanes.cycleto.ca
EVENTS
Justice for Aamjiwnaang
When: November 7th, 9:30amWhere: Queens Park, Toronto
Aamjiwnaang has been in the State of Emergency following a Benzene spill in the community from a nearby petrochemical plant. As a result, the community is facing elevated risks of cancer, and profound mental health impacts. This is nothing new; for decades, Aamjiwnaang has had to live with the adverse health impacts of living alongside Ontario’s Chemical ally, where 40% of Canada’s chemical industry is concentrated producing elevated levels of harmful air pollutants. Yet the community has little say over how this industry impacts their health and ancestral lands, while the Crown continues to side with industry. This is the devastating impact of ongoing colonialism, genocide of Indigenous people and environmental racism.
tcan.ca
I Support the Posties
When: Thursday, November 7th, 12PMWhere: Gateway Facility, 4567 Dixie Rd, Mississauga
CUPW is currently in negotiations with Canada Post. They’re fighting to keep good jobs and benefits, decent and safe working conditions for their members.
Together we can ensure that Canada Post can build on its legacy, innovate, expand services and thrive well into the future.
cupw.ca | cupw.ca
Workers for Palestine
When: four Thursdays in November. Register by October 25thJoin Workers in Palestine and Labour Notes for a series of interactive online workshops focused on strengthening organising skills to build real and lasting support for Palestine in our workplaces and unions. Sessions will provide practical tools and real-world examples to help us organise to win.
workersinpalestine.org
Canadian Charities Funding Israeli War Crimes
When: November 8th, 10amWere: Location will be disclosed to registered media only
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese will join Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) Canada and Just Peace Advocates (JPA) to release a groundbreaking report exposing the alarming extent of Canadian charitable funding for organizations implicated in Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity, and what Albanese has termed “settler colonial genocide” in occupied Palestine. The report calls on the Canadian government to take immediate action to suspend the charitable status of these organizations and conduct thorough audits as well as criminal investigations of their activities.
eventbrite.ca | zoom.us
The anti-zionist idea
When: November 8thWhere: University of Toronto
In the opening sentence of his foundational book The Zionist Idea, Arthur Hertzberg writes, “Zionism exists, and it has had important consequences, but historical theory does not really know what to do with it.” This may have been the case in the late 1950s, when The Zionist Idea first appeared, but there is now surplus of scholarship and public writing on the matter of Zionism, in terms of politics, history, and culture. This body of scholarship and knowledge has addressed a wide range of topics, including but not limited to: Zionism as a Jewish national(ist) movement; Zionism as a settler-colonial enterprise in Palestine; Zionism as a civil religion for North American Jews (up until recently); Zionism as the official ideology of the State of Israel as a supposedly “Jewish and democratic” state; Zionism as the principal plank of Israeli-Jewish identity. From this point of departure, there remain many questions to be posed and to be vigorously debated. What is Zionism? What was Zionism? What might Zionism yet become, especially in the aftermath of the ongoing genocide in Gaza?
theantizionistidea.com
An evening with Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel
When: November 8th, 5:30pmWhere: OISE – Auditorium, 252 Bloor St W.
Much has been written about Canada’s violent siege of Kanehsatà:ke and Kahnawà:ke in the summer of 1990, but the newly released When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance is the first book from the perspective of Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, who was the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) spokesperson during the siege.
On November 8, join us for an illuminating evening with Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel — renowned Indigenous land defender, human rights activist, and feminist leader — in conversation with historian Sean Carleton, co-author of When the Pine Needles Fall, along with distinguished scholars Jeffrey Ansloos, Jennifer Brant, Robyn Maynard, and Beverly Jacobs.
oise.utoronto.ca
Zatoun Anniversary
When: November 8th, 7:30pm (doors open at 7pm)Where: Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St W
This is not a retirement party! Zatoun is far from retiring after 20 years as a grassroots organization bringing fair trade olive oil from Palestine. Started in April 2004, from its base in Toronto Zatoun became much-loved across Canada and US. On this special night Zatoun invites the many waves of enthusiastic volunteers and committed supporters to celebrate the milestone together. Even amidst genocide a community needs to celebrate in order to rededicate itself to continuing the struggle. Meet old friends and make new ones!
eventbrite.ca
Beneath the Sun, a public celebration of artist Carole Condé
When: Saturday, November 9th, 2 – 5pmWhere: A Space Gallery, 401 Richmond S W, Suite 110
Carole Condé was a visual artist who, along with partner and collaborator Karl Beveridge, challenged the assumptions and practices of contemporary art and the international art market. Over the past 50 years she worked in collaboration with various trade union and community organizations in the production of her elaborately constructed narrative photographs portraying the lives and issues faced by working people.
aspacegallery.org | akimbo.ca
Fight for Bikes
When: Saturday November 9th, 2pmWhere: Christie Pits Park
Bike lanes are vital for cities, making them safer, healthier, and promoting business. Toronto’s bike lanes are no exception; they are essential to the function of the city, and they are under threat.
Doug Ford’s proposed Bill 212 plans to remove portions of the major bike lanes on Bloor, Yonge, and University, and impedes the creation of future bike lanes. We believe the bill is very dangerous both in terms of what it means for the future of bike infrastructure in Ontario and in terms of the ability of cities to govern themselves.
Meet us at Christie Pits Park on the circular part of the path near Bloor St. on Saturday 9th at 2pm. After a few speeches at Christie Pits, we will bike east down Bloor to Bloor-Yonge. Bring your bikes if you have them!
fightforbikes.org
Gaza Square
When: Every Sunday, 11am to 1pmWhere: 371 Wallace Ave
We’ll be at Gaza square once again this Sunday morning with hot chocolate and coffee, buttons and posters, lawn signs and colourful chalk! Come say hi and meet your fellow neighbours/organizers as we make our presence known and continue to build safety in our community!
Instagram poster
Weekly Phone-zap for Palestine
When: Mondays at 12:30pmWeek after week, we’re keeping the momentum going with our Monday lunchtime zaps.
Our collective action is making waves, but we need to ensure our elected officials continue to feel the pressure until real change happens.
Instagram poster | Register at zoom
Canadian Foreign Policy Hour with Yves Engler
When: Mondays at 6pmJoin 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
The 1949 Noronic Disaster
When: Tuesday, November 12th, 7pmSeptember 2024 marked the 75th anniversary of the fire that destroyed the passenger ship S. S. Noronic in the early morning of Sat. Sept. 17th, 1949, while it was docked at the old Pier 9 in Toronto harbour. Of the 524 passengers on board, 119 died.
The first engine of the Toronto Fire Department arrived just 3 minutes after Captain Taylor had been informed of the fire. The height of the flames caused him to authorize response to a 3-alarm fire, which ordered into action 16 more rigs and Toronto harbour’s two fire boats. But, the fire was beyond suppression. The ship with its lemon-oil-polished corridors of panelling had exploded into an inferno. “It was just like a big chimney, and the fire went through there like hell.”
mailchi.mp
Confronting Scholasticide
When: November 13th, 12:30pmWhere: York Univ, Room HNE 140
“Confronting Scholasticide,” featuring Ahmed Abu Shaban, the Dean of Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine at Al Azhar University Gaza. Dr. Abu Shaban will discuss the systematic destruction of Palestinian education by the Israeli state as well as lived-experiences of the impact of genocide and scholasticide on Gazan students, faculty, administration and institutions of higher learning. We’ll also discuss ways for academics and academic institutions to engage in meaningful resistance to scholasticide and support Palestinian institutions of higher education.
Poster
Class vs. Environmentalism
When: November 13th, 7pmWhere: Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave
The issue of class is often overlooked in discussions about climate change. However, the working class represents a large and powerful political cohort, as evidenced by the widespread efforts across the political spectrum— from the populist right, liberal centre, and progressive left — to win their support. Given this political power, can working classes drive a progressive and ethical just transition? This panel will take stock of the political battle for the working class, centring on questions of environmental justice and possibilities for progressive climate action.
utsc.utoronto.ca
Private clinics are embedding illegal user fees
When: November 13th, 7pmUNDER THE SKIN: How private clinics are embedding illegal user fees into our health care. What OHIP covers, what it doesn’t, what’s illegal, what is upselling…
With Ontario Health Coalition executive director Natalie Mehra.
zoom.us
Right to Strike Under Attack
When: November 13th, 7pmDespite the Supreme Court of Canada’s recognition that the right to strike is a fundamental Charter right, governments and employers continue to undermine workers’ strike efforts through the use of replacement workers, back-to-work legislation, and other measures.
Perhaps even more troubling, some union leaders appear willing to relinquish the right to strike in favour of technocratic labour arbitration processes. Such developments raise the question, what is the future for the tactic that has long been heralded as workers’ ultimate weapon?
eventbrite.ca
War, Peace, and Propaganda
When: November 13th, 7pmJoin us on Wednesday, November 13, 7-9pm, for a free public event to discuss the war in Ukraine and the genocide in Gaza and Canada’s roles in these crises and what we can do for peace and justice. All welcome. Limited spots are available, please register in advance. Location details will be provided before the event to those who register. Attendees will be asked to sign in upon arrival.
docs.google.com
Labour Arts Awards Gala
When: Friday November 29th, 6pm (Doors open 5:30pm)Where: United Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil St
Tickets: $30 unemployed/$60 employed
Join us at the 2024 Labour Arts Awards Gala event where we will come together with labour activists and artists and enjoy dinner, entertainment, a silent auction and more. Bring your friends, local members and family.
This year’s event is in memory of the late artist Carole Condé (June 27, 1940 – July 19, 2024), one of Mayworks’s founders who was dedicated to building an art practice centered around revolutionary social change.
mayworks.ca | eventbrite.ca
ARTICLES
Is Fascism Coming to America?
By Bryan PalmerLeonard Cohen, poet laureate of Canada’s 1960s, offered a closing anthem to the twentieth century in his 1992 lament “Democracy.” In an earlier year of revolt, 1968, Cohen had refused his country’s most prestigious literary prize, the Governor General’s Award. “The world is a callous place,” he reportedly said, “and he would take no gift from it.” He would later be the accepting recipient of many honours, including the Order of Canada.
Source: The Bullet No. 3053
The New EU Commission: A ‘European War Deal’ Next?
By Klaus Drager and Herman MichielAt their summit meeting at the end of June 2024, the European heads of state and government (the European Council) decided that Portugal’s former Prime Minister António Costa will succeed the Belgian Charles Michel as their President. Ursula von der Leyen (UvdL) was confirmed for a second five-year term as President of the Commission. The Commission consists of one person from each of the 27 member states and is sometimes considered as the EU’s executive body, although only the Commission has the right to make legislative proposals.
Source: The Bullet No. 3054
EMPLOYMENT
Education and Equity
The United Steelworkers Union (USW) is the largest industrial union in North America with members working in every province and sector of the Canadian economy.The Union is seeking a new Education and Equity Department Leader at its Canadian National Office in Toronto.
This is an in-office position located out of the Canadian National Office in Toronto, with frequent travel across Canada and, occasionally, the United States. It is a bargaining unit position covered by the Staff Representatives Union, with a starting rate of $137,428.61 to a top rate of $144,879.53, plus per diem and a generous benefit and pension package.
Candidates should submit application and CV by November 15, 2024.
usw.ca