I’m always amazed how when personal upheaval strikes, whether tragedy or happy Big Life Change – your world shrinks down to a tiny little circle. We moved to Canada the day Hurricane Katrina struck, and days later, we were struggling to take in all we had missed. Since the flood
Continue readingTag: toronto and mississauga
wmtc: in which a storm reaches our basement. through the toilet.
Our basement. Last night. Looks like some Stephen King floating around. That wood was once a piece of floorboard. Now a raft. Toilet opening and shutting itself. Last night more than a foot of water and sewage came gushing through the basement toilet. The basement is Allan’s office. And I
Continue readingwmtc: simon says, grumpy bird, and an evil witch: summer reading club begins
Summer is the busiest time of year in the Central Children’s Library. Actually, we are wildly busy any time school is out; the summer is just the most sustained period of busy-ness. Many of my colleagues have been preparing for summer programming since the end of March Break. All through
Continue readingwmtc: ten years since the invasion of iraq: a fundraiser for court martial defence for kimberly rivera
If you’re in the Toronto area, please join us for an evening of community, information, and fundraising in support of war resister Kimberly Rivera. Kim is confined to the Fort Carson, Colorado army base, while her husband and four children (two of whom were born in Canada) are in Texas.
Continue readingwmtc: workers doing it for themselves: fighting the austerity agenda in north america
I’m re-running this, which I wrote for Socialist Worker Canada (now at a temporary site while a new website is being completed). If you are part of this struggle – or if you want to be part of it – and live in the GTA, please join us tomorrow night
Continue readingwmtc: enbridge line 9: all pain and no gain for ontario, quebec, and new england
Have you heard about Line 9? Enbridge has begun a process that would create a third option to get their dirty tarsands oil out of Alberta to sell to the rest of the world. The Keystone XL pipeline would stretch from Alberta to Nebraska. (Gee, what could go wrong?) The
Continue readingwmtc: follow-up memo to children’s aid: we told you so. happy christmas.
Back in May, I blogged about a family in my area who faced a nightmare: social services had threated to remove their child from their home. Both parents have disabilities, and although they had proved themselves completely capable of taking care of a baby, Children’s Aid said they must hire
Continue readingwmtc: walmart workers, marvin miller, rob ford: important stuff that happened while i wasn’t blogging
As the title says, here are some things I thought about while I was taking a blogging break.● Marvin Miller died. Miller should be a hero of both the labour movement and baseball history. He should also be in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Anyon…
Continue readingwmtc: in mississauga: a people’s history of the war of 1812
The Harper Government has spent nearly $30 million promoting The War of 1812, all part of its overall effort to re-brand Canada as a “warrior nation”. History is always worth remembering, but who tells the story? What’s emphasized and what’s forgotten?…
Continue readingwmtc: in toronto: a fundraiser for iraq war resisters, featuring noah richler
The War Resisters Support Campaign presents “TELLING OUR STORY: A Fundraiser for U.S. Iraq War Resisters”, at Innis College Town Hall in Toronto, Friday, December 7, at 7:00 p.m. This very special evening features author Noah Richler reading from his n…
Continue readingwmtc: first they came for pride: city of toronto vs free speech
Last week, I blogged about the ongoing pattern of harassment and discrimination against people who express solidarity with the Palestinian people. This isn’t in the same universe as the oppression endured by Palestine every day; nonetheless, it’s a violation of our own civil liberties and rights, and raises a huge
Continue readingwmtc: illegal detention abroad, censorship and media propaganda at home: solidarity with palestine under attack
As you may have heard, the ship The Estelle, sailing in international waters, was illegally boarded by the Israeli navy, and its occupants taken into custody. Among those being held are Jim Manley, a Canadian, and a former New Democrat MP. The Estelle is part of the Freedom Flotilla movement,
Continue readingwmtc: let them stay: action alert: what you can do to help stop the deportation of war resister kim rivera
See below for actions you can take to help US war resister Kimberly Rivera. We had an amazing community meeting in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto last night. More than 200 people crowded into the Parkdale United Church basement to show their support for their friend and neighbour Kim Rivera,
Continue readingwmtc: stand with the riveras! emergency community meeting weds sept 5 in parkdale
Please attend an emergency community meeting to support U.S. war resister Kimberly Rivera and her family! WHEN: Wednesday, September 5, 7:00 PM WHERE: Parkdale United Church, 171 Dunn Avenue, Toronto WHY: STOP THE DEPORTATIONS! When Kimberly Rivera saw with her own eyes the devastation of war, and the trauma it
Continue readingwmtc: now at summerworks in toronto: the hearing of jeremy hinzman
If you’re in Toronto, you have a unique opportunity to hear the voices of war resisters as you have never heard them before. The Foundry Theatre Company has taken the transcripts of Jeremy Hinzman’s hearings before the Immigration and Refugee Board, and statements by members of the War Resisters Support
Continue readingwmtc: secrets from your sister, one awesome store
Before I begin a series of political posts, here’s a personal-consumer post. I highly recommend the Toronto store Secrets From Your Sister to anyone in the GTA in need of bras or lingerie. When you move to a new city, you have to find new everything. A new doctor, dentist,
Continue readingwmtc: manif casserole toronto: bang on a pot at dufferin grove park
Why should Quebecers have all the fun? If you’re in the Toronto area, you can join a Manif Casserole tomorrow, May 30. People are gathering at Dufferin Grove Park, 875 Dufferin Street, around 8:00. Bring something to bang on and something to bang with (i.e. a pot and a wooden
Continue readingwmtc: what are you doing next saturday night? join the discussion: "can we stop the harper agenda?" featuring brigette depape
On Saturday, May 26, Brigette DePape, the former parliamentary page who disrupted the 2011 Throne Speech, will speak on a panel discussing how we can make her two-word protest a reality. The panel also includes: • Tasha Peters, an Ottawa-based organizer, activist, and member of the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition.
Continue readingwmtc: marxism 2011 program notes: workers fight back: lessons from wisconsin
These are my notes from the 2011 Marxism conference in Toronto. The series starts here. * * * * How can we stop the right?Christine Beckermann, member of ISMay 29, 2011 With the emergence of the Tea Party in the US, Rob Ford’s election in Toronto, and now the Harper
Continue reading