CONTENTS

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

Stop the removal of Ontario’s bike lanes

On November 25 2024, Ontario passed Doug Ford’s Bill 212, also known as the “Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act”. This bill is not about solving the province’s traffic issues. In fact, it’s likely to make our roads more congested and dangerous.

This bill, presented as a solution to reduce gridlock, could actually do the opposite. A leaked briefing — from Ford’s own cabinet — reveals that removing bike lanes could worsen traffic. Studies show that bike lanes are not only good for cyclists. They also reduce collision risks and make roads safer for everyone.

greenpeace.ca

Drop charges against author Yves Engler

Please take a minute to email the police to drop charges against author Yves Engler. He’s being charged for social media posts opposing Israel’s apartheid and genocide.

actionnetwork.org

Remote Works

Remote work has revolutionized the way we work in Canada.

It improves productivity, enhances work life balance for millions of workers, saves the government money, and reduces traffic and pollution with fewer cars on the roads.

Remote work is how we’ll build the public service of tomorrow. One that uses cutting-edge technology, but still maintains the human touch. That sets the bar for all workers in Canada and puts people first. That focuses on delivering the best services to families and business and saves taxpayers money. That creates a diverse public service from communities all across Canada.

remoteworks.ca

9th Annual Graduate Student Symposium

When: February 20-21
Where: York University and Online

The GLRC is pleased to announce its upcoming 9th annual Graduate Student Symposium: Critical Conversations in Work and Labour. This conference is designed to showcase the scholarship of new voices in labour studies across a diverse range of disciplines. It is our hope that the workshop will provide an interdisciplinary venue for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to share their research in a collaborative and supportive environment.

yorku.ca

The Clock Is Ticking

When: February 20th, 6pm
Where: Dundas Street and Victoria St

Safe Consumption Site closures are set for 11:59 PM, March 31st.

hractoronto.net | Rally poster | Facebook poster

Election Community Meeting

When: Thursday, February 20th, 6pm
Where: Jane Finch Mall

All candidates have been invited. The following have accepted:
– Liban Hassan: Liberal Party
– Jeanne McGuire: Communist Party
– Tom Rakocevic: NDP

x.com

Neocolonialism Today

When: February 20th, 6:30pm

Colonialism is often thought to be part of a distant history. However, it continues to play out today globally, and right here at home.

Join Labour Community Services and Toronto Community Benefits Network as they host this year’s Black History Month panel, which will focus on the continued effects of colonialism (racism, systemic inequity and social injustice), and discuss what can be done to challenge the status quo.

eventbrite.ca

Provincial Election Community Forum

When: February 20th, 7pm

Social Planning Toronto will be sharing resources, fact sheets on key issues (housing, income supports, childcare, safe consumption), questions for candidates, and voting information. A discussion will be held for community leaders to share their priorities and actions they are organizing for the Provincial Election. Youth are encouraged to come out!

Guest Speakers: Beatriz Alas (Get Out the Vote Campaign!/North York Community House), Khairiya Ahmed (Community Leader), John Beebe (Democratic Engagement & Exchange).

socialplanningtoronto.org

Lessons from the US Labor Party for Working-Class Politics Today

When: Thursday, February 20th, 8pm

Following the Democratic Party’s 2024 loss – made possible by the Democrats’ longer-term abandonment of their working-class base in favor of “moderate” wealthy suburbanites and Wall Street financiers – it’s worth returning to the experience of the US Labor Party in the 1990s.

The limits of that effort are well know; most obviously, there’s no Labor Party today. But it is equally clear that failing to develop a working-class alternative to the Democratic Party will only result in workers continuing to drift into the arms of an ascendent right-wing MAGA politics. A new approach to labor left politics is desperately needed.

eventbrite.com

All Power to the People

When: February 21st, 6pm to 22nd, 5:30pm
Where: A Different Booklist, 779 Bathurst St

This year will be 50 years since the end of the U.S. war in Vietnam. The defeat of the U.S. in Vietnam was a moment in world history, it is a shared victory that continues to hold significance for all those resisting against U.S.-led imperial violence today. The long road to Vietnamese independence was paved alongside other oppressed peoples and mass movements around the world–especially the Black liberation struggle and Black power movement.

instagram.com

Save Ontario Science Centre

When: February 22nd, 2pm
Where: Thorncliffe Park Public School, 80 Thorncliffe Park Dr

Join us at Thorncliffe Park Public School in Toronto to call on provincial candidates to commit to reopen, renew, and reinvest in Ontario’s Science Centre.

Speakers will include advocates, community members, teachers, and students.

savesciencecentre.com

Ontario Election Virtual Townhall – Injured Workers’ Rights

When: February 22, 6pm

Online town hall for an all-candidates debate on the rights of injured workers. This will be a great opportunity to hear from candidates representing each party about their goals and perspectives on the rights of injured workers and WSIB issues. These matters impact every worker in Ontario.

In this Town Hall meeting, we will focus on issues that impact injured workers and examine concrete strategies for improvement.

zoom.us

Rally for Cuba

When: February 23rd, 1pm
Where: US Consulate, 361 University Ave

Join our monthly protests to end the immoral US blockade and take Cuba off the US State Sponsors of Terrorism list!

Facebook poster

Solidarity with Professor Joseph Daher

When: February 24th, 2:30pm

We offer our support and full solidarity to our colleague Prof. Joseph Daher, victim of an arbitrary procedure on the part of the UNIL rectorate: the alleged non-renewal of his contract (signed in May 2024) as a Visiting Professor for the spring semester 2025. This sudden, unjustified and unfounded position deprives his students of his teaching at UNIL, despite the fact that his seminar course entitled “History of International Relations Post-1945” has been on the syllabus for months. Students working on their masters dissertations under his supervision have also been deprived of his supervision overnight, which is intolerable.

We demand the immediate reinstatement of our colleague Joseph Daher to his teaching and duties within the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, so that the integrity, honor and reputation of our university may be preserved.

framaforms.org | 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 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

Vigil for Grassy Narrows

When: February 25th, 11am
Where: Queen’s Park

On Tuesdaay February 25th Deputy Chief Bear Copance and Judy Da Silva of Grassy Narrows First Nation will join supporters for a vigil to honour those who have passed and demand that Doug Ford break his silence on the suffering of Grassy Narrows.

freegrassy.net | x.com

What is the basis for hope in the era of Trump?

When: February 25th, 5pm
Where: Friends’ House, 60 Lowther Ave

Informal discussion of “What is the basis for hope in the era of Trump?”

scienceforpeace.org

Celebrate Black History Month

When: Tuesday, February 25th, 7pm

“The long road toward Emancipation: Slavery, Carnival, and Reparations”

Speakers

– Courtney Betty: Lead counsel on Black Class Action
– Bevoria Martin Clarke: CUPE Toronto District Council Retiree Chair
– Valerie Joseph: CUPE Toronto District Council Equity Chair, Co-Chair of CUPE National Racial Justice committee

mailchi.mp

Ethnocracy: Israel’s African Refugees in Canada

When: February 25th, 7pm
Where: 100 McCaul St

Split Screens and the United Jewish People’s Order presents: A screening event, in support of African asylum seekers stuck in limbo in Israel.

This free event, part of the ongoing Split Screens series, will feature Lia Tarachansky’s moving documentary Ethnocracy: Israel’s African Refugees, followed by an expert panel.

eventbrite.com

CONTROL AT WORK in the Age of AI

When: Saturday, March 1st, 7:15pm
Where: Trinity St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St W

You are warmly invited to join us for the 2025 edition of the Leo Panitch School for Socialist Education’s annual winter lecture! We are overjoyed to be welcoming Nicole Aschoff to deliver this year’s lecture. This event marks the third edition of the school’s annual winter lecture, held in the memory of the late Leo Panitch.

Artificial intelligence will bring the final destruction of good jobs. Soon all jobs will be subject to elimination or degradation! Or so we are told. This technologically determinist vision, while pervasive, ignores the power of working people to shape the future.

tickettailor.com

Canada Must Oppose Trump Plan for Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) urges the Canadian government to condemn in the strongest terms US President Trump’s plans to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian people from Gaza. Yesterday, Trump declared that there is no future for Palestinians in Gaza and that the US will “take over” the illegally occupied territory after permanently expelling the population. CJPME argues that this is a clear expression of genocidal intent, and insists that Canada is obliged to consider all means necessary – including sanctions – to protect the people of Gaza from annihilation.

Source: The Bullet No. 3097

Climate Finance and the Limits of Market Fundamentalism

On December 18, 2024, we spoke with Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood, a senior researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), a research institute that contributes to the debates across Canada by providing research and analysis for policymakers, activists, and the general public. Mertins-Kirkwood champions pro-public solutions to tackle the climate crisis by financing public goods instead of offering incentives to private firms. He responds to the recent announcement at COP29 that Canada will dedicate $1.48-billion to mobilize climate-focused investment in vulnerable regions of the world by using public money to ‘derisk’ the private sector in an approach known as blended finance.

Source: The Bullet No. 3098

Ban EU Trade and Business with Israel’s Illegal Settlements

We, the undersigned human rights organizations, trade unions, and civil society groups urge the European Commission to take action to ban all trade and business between the European Union (EU) and Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including East Jerusalem. Such action is essential for the EU and its member states to comply with their obligations under international law.

Source: The Bullet No. 3099

TTCriders Executive Director

TTCriders is seeking a senior non-profit leader to fill the role of Executive Director on a permanent basis. We are seeking a creative, collaborative, strategic leader who is committed to collective, democratic action. The new Executive Director should have a proven track record in campaigning, communications, fundraising, and management. This person should be keen to grow our vibrant organization to help build more transit rider power and win campaigns.

Salary range: $70,000 – $85,000
Application Deadline: Saturday, March 8, 2025 at 9:00am

ttcriders.ca