blake 3:17
20th September 2013, 04:39
I'd thought about posting on squabbles on the Tdot left earlier but shit hitting the fan...
The city has been going through a massive neo liberalization and I had thought maybe there'd been a few quiet victories. The ruling class doesn't announce their defeats anyways, I was wrong.
Three urgent timely ones are :
Taking it Back: Housing, Shelter, Safe Space Now!
Sunday, September 22nd, 2013
3pm
Allan Gardens Park, Toronto
*Meal, Gathering, March and Action
*Bring your mats, tents, sleeping bags and cardboard – prepare to sleep out!
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/337571059707140
The Downtown East area in Toronto is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country. It is also a neighborhood experiencing rapid change as developers aim to buy up and redevelop the area. Governments are paving the way for gentrification by rolling out the red carpet for developers and by cutting vital services like shelters, drop-ins and programs.
As condos go up, rooming houses and single rooms are disappearing rapidly. When neighborhoods change, rent skyrockets. People are dying on the streets of this city because of a chronic lack of affordable and accessible housing. There are close to 90 000 households on a 10 year + long waiting list for social housing and shelters are operating over capacity. Conditions of overcrowding are at a breaking point in the shelter system as the City fails to conform to its own policy of keeping capacity no more than 90%. Meanwhile, jails and prisons - the only type of 'housing' the government is committing to expanding - fill up with people from the neighborhood.
Action is Needed!
Together we have fought for and won many things in this neighborhood over the years. We have stood our ground. On September 22nd we do so again and fight for the basic rights to health, comfort and dignity. We won’t watch the condo towers go up, and services be shut down, as houses sit abandoned, people die on the streets, are harassed in the parks, or are thrown in jails. They have been taking our community piece by piece – it’s time to take it back. Join us on the streets September 22nd, prepare to sleep out – help us fight for Housing, Shelter and Safe Space NOW!
*
ACCESSIBILITY Information: All spaces and march route will be wheelchair accessible using all curb-cuts. A car (not wheelchair accessible) is available for those who need a break during the march. All meals will have meat and veggie options.
--------------------------------------
Calling all organizations, flying-squads and allies – Please support the September 22nd Action. Here’s how:
1) Organize a contingent for September 22nd: join us the day and take on a shift for the over-night. Pick a meet-up spot for your group, bring banners and signs!
http://www.ocap.ca/node/1090
and the fight against WalMart /RioCan shredding Kensington/Bathurst/Trinity-Bellwoods
For those that haven’t been following the story about the proposed Walmart-anchored mall, two months ago Toronto City Council, working with the city planning department, enacted an Interim Control By-law (ICBL) on Bathurst St., meaning that there is now a one-year freeze on all development applications in order to study the Bathurst corridor and create guidelines for development that is appropriate for this street.
What happens next?
RioCan has just appealed the by-law to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), which means their entire proposal could be decided at an OMB hearing in the next four or five months. RioCan is challenging the ICBL, saying it is inappropriate. They’re also asking the OMB to allow re-zoning of 420 Bathurst St., which would enable a 65’ high, 129,000 sq ft shopping mall, anchored by a suburban-sized Walmart to be built in close proximity to Kensington Market and directly adjacent to dozens of homes. Did we mention that the development would include a 300-car parking lot and a large four-bay loading dock? If you’re familiar with the area, you know that traffic is already a nightmare most of the time. Just imagine what it would be like with cars and trucks going in and out of a shopping mall all day.
This huge concern, multiplied by the crippling effect Walmart and other big box stores will have on nearby independent businesses, including those in Kensington Market, has left us with no choice but to take action and fight this development. As the Friends of Kensington Market, we are teaming up with the Kensington Market BIA, the Kensington Market Action Committee, the Bellevue Square Park Residents’ Association, the Markham Street Residents’ Association, the Church of St. Stephen-in-the-Fields, the Kensington Market Historical Society and the countless residents and business owners who will be adversely affected by this development on Bathurst St.
But this whole thing is more than just about one Walmart. This development, if passed by the OMB, will set a dangerous precedent for neighbourhoods across Toronto. If it can happen in our iconic Kensington Market then it can – and will – happen in any neighbourhood.
What you can do:
This is a call to action. We need your help to fight this development at the OMB. RioCan has deep pockets. They have high-powered lawyers and they’ve commissioned several studies, including traffic and market impact reports. These initial reports claim that the development, including Walmart, will have no adverse affects on the surrounding neighbourhoods and shopping areas. Those of us who live, work and visit Kensington Market know that this can’t be true.
If you can kick in a few bucks, it'd be great: https://projexity.com/projects/view/Save-Kensington-Market-from-Big-Box/18
Please support Torontonian John Greyson and Londonian Tarek Loubani who are on hunger strike in an Egyptian prison: http://tarekandjohn.com/ Our right wing government ain't doing eff all.
couple more............
The Tar Sands are Coming to Toronto
Enbridge has begun the process of reversing the direction of its pipeline (Line 9) between Sarnia and Montreal in order to transport their Tar Sands from Alberta to Portland, Maine for shipment around the world. Their goal is to create a third alternative to the controversial Keystone XL pipeline through the U.S. to Texas, and the Northern Gateway pipeline through the B.C. mountains to the Pacific coast.
The reversal of a section of Line 9 from Sarnia to Hamilton has been approved by the National Energy Board. And on November 29 Enbridge applied to the NEB to reverse the flow of the line from Hamilton to Montreal (through Toronto, just north of Finch Ave.).
In addition to the extensive damage to the environment caused by the Tar Sands, the transport of the raw material ("super-hot sandpaper") is far more susceptible to pipeline breaks and damaging spills.
Not only can this toxic and corrosive mixture spread through the soil to threaten property and the water tables; it also crosses 3 major rivers leading to Lake Ontario — the source of our drinking water.
http://www.stopline9-toronto.ca/
Street parties publicize call for $14 minimum wage — just enough to break poverty line
Call centre worker Jenny Kasmalee, 38, can rarely afford new clothing or other personal things on her $10.25 per hour.
“I have always worked for minimum wage,” she said. “It’s not much.”
A minimum wage worker should not be forced to live in poverty, said Lena Evlova, who is self-employed: “There is an argument that if you increase the minimum wage, you will increase spending and you will improve the economy.”
Photos View gallery
Abdul, Rose and Lucille, who didn't give their last names, hold signs with demands for a $14 minimum wage at the "street party" at Jane and Finch.
zoom
Horvath, Kasmalee and Evlova are among scores of Jane-Finch community residents who signed postcards Saturday asking Premier Kathleen Wynne to raise the minimum wage to $14 an hour. At that rate, someone working 35 hours a week would be able to live 10 per cent above Ontario’s poverty line of about $19,000 after taxes for a single person.
The “street party” for a $14 minimum wage outside the Jane-Finch Mall, and a similar demonstration next to the Dufferin Mall in Toronto’s west end, were part of a province-wide campaign by anti-poverty groups pushing for a higher minimum wage. A provincial panel appointed in July is studying how best to set future minimum wage hikes and is expected to report by December.
The minimum wage campaign, which began Aug. 14, is planning similar days of action across Ontario on the 14th of every month in advance of next spring’s provincial budget, when the Wynne government is expected to weigh in on the matter.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/09/14/street_parties_publicize_call_for_14_minimum_wage_ just_enough_to_break_poverty_line.html
much love, rage & solidarity --
Last night I learnt there were more people in Toronto on waiting lists for affordable housing than many cities in the rest of Canada. shit is fucked up
The city has been going through a massive neo liberalization and I had thought maybe there'd been a few quiet victories. The ruling class doesn't announce their defeats anyways, I was wrong.
Three urgent timely ones are :
Taking it Back: Housing, Shelter, Safe Space Now!
Sunday, September 22nd, 2013
3pm
Allan Gardens Park, Toronto
*Meal, Gathering, March and Action
*Bring your mats, tents, sleeping bags and cardboard – prepare to sleep out!
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/337571059707140
The Downtown East area in Toronto is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country. It is also a neighborhood experiencing rapid change as developers aim to buy up and redevelop the area. Governments are paving the way for gentrification by rolling out the red carpet for developers and by cutting vital services like shelters, drop-ins and programs.
As condos go up, rooming houses and single rooms are disappearing rapidly. When neighborhoods change, rent skyrockets. People are dying on the streets of this city because of a chronic lack of affordable and accessible housing. There are close to 90 000 households on a 10 year + long waiting list for social housing and shelters are operating over capacity. Conditions of overcrowding are at a breaking point in the shelter system as the City fails to conform to its own policy of keeping capacity no more than 90%. Meanwhile, jails and prisons - the only type of 'housing' the government is committing to expanding - fill up with people from the neighborhood.
Action is Needed!
Together we have fought for and won many things in this neighborhood over the years. We have stood our ground. On September 22nd we do so again and fight for the basic rights to health, comfort and dignity. We won’t watch the condo towers go up, and services be shut down, as houses sit abandoned, people die on the streets, are harassed in the parks, or are thrown in jails. They have been taking our community piece by piece – it’s time to take it back. Join us on the streets September 22nd, prepare to sleep out – help us fight for Housing, Shelter and Safe Space NOW!
*
ACCESSIBILITY Information: All spaces and march route will be wheelchair accessible using all curb-cuts. A car (not wheelchair accessible) is available for those who need a break during the march. All meals will have meat and veggie options.
--------------------------------------
Calling all organizations, flying-squads and allies – Please support the September 22nd Action. Here’s how:
1) Organize a contingent for September 22nd: join us the day and take on a shift for the over-night. Pick a meet-up spot for your group, bring banners and signs!
http://www.ocap.ca/node/1090
and the fight against WalMart /RioCan shredding Kensington/Bathurst/Trinity-Bellwoods
For those that haven’t been following the story about the proposed Walmart-anchored mall, two months ago Toronto City Council, working with the city planning department, enacted an Interim Control By-law (ICBL) on Bathurst St., meaning that there is now a one-year freeze on all development applications in order to study the Bathurst corridor and create guidelines for development that is appropriate for this street.
What happens next?
RioCan has just appealed the by-law to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), which means their entire proposal could be decided at an OMB hearing in the next four or five months. RioCan is challenging the ICBL, saying it is inappropriate. They’re also asking the OMB to allow re-zoning of 420 Bathurst St., which would enable a 65’ high, 129,000 sq ft shopping mall, anchored by a suburban-sized Walmart to be built in close proximity to Kensington Market and directly adjacent to dozens of homes. Did we mention that the development would include a 300-car parking lot and a large four-bay loading dock? If you’re familiar with the area, you know that traffic is already a nightmare most of the time. Just imagine what it would be like with cars and trucks going in and out of a shopping mall all day.
This huge concern, multiplied by the crippling effect Walmart and other big box stores will have on nearby independent businesses, including those in Kensington Market, has left us with no choice but to take action and fight this development. As the Friends of Kensington Market, we are teaming up with the Kensington Market BIA, the Kensington Market Action Committee, the Bellevue Square Park Residents’ Association, the Markham Street Residents’ Association, the Church of St. Stephen-in-the-Fields, the Kensington Market Historical Society and the countless residents and business owners who will be adversely affected by this development on Bathurst St.
But this whole thing is more than just about one Walmart. This development, if passed by the OMB, will set a dangerous precedent for neighbourhoods across Toronto. If it can happen in our iconic Kensington Market then it can – and will – happen in any neighbourhood.
What you can do:
This is a call to action. We need your help to fight this development at the OMB. RioCan has deep pockets. They have high-powered lawyers and they’ve commissioned several studies, including traffic and market impact reports. These initial reports claim that the development, including Walmart, will have no adverse affects on the surrounding neighbourhoods and shopping areas. Those of us who live, work and visit Kensington Market know that this can’t be true.
If you can kick in a few bucks, it'd be great: https://projexity.com/projects/view/Save-Kensington-Market-from-Big-Box/18
Please support Torontonian John Greyson and Londonian Tarek Loubani who are on hunger strike in an Egyptian prison: http://tarekandjohn.com/ Our right wing government ain't doing eff all.
couple more............
The Tar Sands are Coming to Toronto
Enbridge has begun the process of reversing the direction of its pipeline (Line 9) between Sarnia and Montreal in order to transport their Tar Sands from Alberta to Portland, Maine for shipment around the world. Their goal is to create a third alternative to the controversial Keystone XL pipeline through the U.S. to Texas, and the Northern Gateway pipeline through the B.C. mountains to the Pacific coast.
The reversal of a section of Line 9 from Sarnia to Hamilton has been approved by the National Energy Board. And on November 29 Enbridge applied to the NEB to reverse the flow of the line from Hamilton to Montreal (through Toronto, just north of Finch Ave.).
In addition to the extensive damage to the environment caused by the Tar Sands, the transport of the raw material ("super-hot sandpaper") is far more susceptible to pipeline breaks and damaging spills.
Not only can this toxic and corrosive mixture spread through the soil to threaten property and the water tables; it also crosses 3 major rivers leading to Lake Ontario — the source of our drinking water.
http://www.stopline9-toronto.ca/
Street parties publicize call for $14 minimum wage — just enough to break poverty line
Call centre worker Jenny Kasmalee, 38, can rarely afford new clothing or other personal things on her $10.25 per hour.
“I have always worked for minimum wage,” she said. “It’s not much.”
A minimum wage worker should not be forced to live in poverty, said Lena Evlova, who is self-employed: “There is an argument that if you increase the minimum wage, you will increase spending and you will improve the economy.”
Photos View gallery
Abdul, Rose and Lucille, who didn't give their last names, hold signs with demands for a $14 minimum wage at the "street party" at Jane and Finch.
zoom
Horvath, Kasmalee and Evlova are among scores of Jane-Finch community residents who signed postcards Saturday asking Premier Kathleen Wynne to raise the minimum wage to $14 an hour. At that rate, someone working 35 hours a week would be able to live 10 per cent above Ontario’s poverty line of about $19,000 after taxes for a single person.
The “street party” for a $14 minimum wage outside the Jane-Finch Mall, and a similar demonstration next to the Dufferin Mall in Toronto’s west end, were part of a province-wide campaign by anti-poverty groups pushing for a higher minimum wage. A provincial panel appointed in July is studying how best to set future minimum wage hikes and is expected to report by December.
The minimum wage campaign, which began Aug. 14, is planning similar days of action across Ontario on the 14th of every month in advance of next spring’s provincial budget, when the Wynne government is expected to weigh in on the matter.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/09/14/street_parties_publicize_call_for_14_minimum_wage_ just_enough_to_break_poverty_line.html
much love, rage & solidarity --
Last night I learnt there were more people in Toronto on waiting lists for affordable housing than many cities in the rest of Canada. shit is fucked up