Migrant Spring Marches Held Across Canada, Calling for Status for All

Submitted by David Gray-Donald on Tue, 03/19/2024 - 00:15
Migrants and allies take action to push the slow-moving federal government to introduce a pathway to regularization for all immigrants
Protesters organizing a sit-in at Spadina and Bloor, in front of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland's office. Photo: Andrew Oliphant

A series of nationwide demonstrations for migrant workers rights were held across eight Canadian cities this weekend.

Supporters in Toronto gathered at Christie Pits Park on Saturday demanding permanent residency status for all undocumented people in Canada. The “Migrant Spring” protest also called on the federal government to remove unfair immigration requirements for care workers and to end deportations immediately.

Op/Ed: A Movement for Palestine Solidarity Grows in Surrey

Submitted by JShantz on Sat, 03/16/2024 - 01:58
Palestine solidarity organizing in Surrey.
Protest outside restaurant.
Protesters with Palestine flags and signs.
Protest outside restaurant.
Riot fencing at city hall.
Palestine flag at city hall.
Palestine flag on table with street in background.
Scotiabank protest signs at door of Scotiabank.
Palestine solidarity picketers at Scotiabank.

As I reported recently, the mayor and council for the City of Surrey have been so desperate to keep Palestine solidarity voices from speaking at council meetings in an effort to get the city to vote on a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, that they have taken to locking all residents out of council meetings. They have recently gone so far as setting up new riot fencing to keep the public from even coming within several meters of city hall.

Canadian Police-Involved Deaths in February 2024

Submitted by JShantz on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 22:34
Police killings in February 2024.
Waterloo Regional Police Cruisers. Via Wikpedia.

At least five people were killed in Canadian police actions in February 2024. These deaths include people who were directly killed by police, as in police shootings, or died during police deployments or in police custody. Three people were shot and killed by police in February, one was killed during a police chase, and one died during an arrest while in medical crisis. Two victims were in mental distress at the time police were deployed against them. One person was in a medical crisis.

Op/Ed: Something is rotten in the City of Windsor...the Windsor Police Service

Submitted by JShantz on Mon, 02/26/2024 - 00:59
Police abuse in Windsor, Ontario.
Windsor Police Service Patch.

I was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, and still have connections there. So I keep an eye on goings on in the old hometown and still have great interest in what is happening. It was there that, as a blue-collar kid, I was first set upon, targeted, and harassed by cops, and that I started to figure out what policing was really all about.

Media Release: Toronto town hall on anti-Palestinian racism

Submitted by Manmade88 on Fri, 02/23/2024 - 10:39
Experts will offer attendees actionable strategies, tools and support resources to navigate this challenging climate
Toronto skyline at night. Image: City of Toronto on Flickr

Torontonians from Across the GTA to Attend Emergency Town Hall About the Rise of Anti-Palestinian Racism:   In Our Classrooms, Campuses and Workplaces

WHEN: Friday, February 23, 2024, 7:00pm 

WHERE: Yonge-Dundas Square area (please call for exact location)

LIVE STREAM: TBA

Healthcare workers slam their CEOs for slandering pro-Palestinian protesters

Submitted by Manmade88 on Wed, 02/21/2024 - 16:28
After 15 hospital CEOs in Toronto mischaracterized a peaceful pro-Palestinian rally as antisemitic, many of their employees have joined thousands of voices demanding an apology and retraction of their “fabrications.”
What's been the fallout of the Hands Off Rafah rally in Toronto?
SPIDERMAN4PALESTINE WAVES A PALESTINIAN FLAG ABOVE THE ENTRANCE OF MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL, ONE OF AT LEAST EIGHT ELEVATED SPOTS THEY CLIMBED TO IN THE COURSE OF THE RALLY ON FEB. 12. PHOTO CREDIT: ANNA LIPPMAN.

Toronto healthcare workers are pushing back against their employers, demanding an apology and a retraction for what they say are “false accusations of antisemitism over the fabricated Mount Sinai story.”

Anti-Palestinian racism permeates Canadian institutions, critics say

Submitted by Manmade88 on Wed, 02/14/2024 - 13:25
A recent report detailed over 500 instances of anti-Palestinian racism in 2022 from nonprofit organizations, the media, and governments, but notes the scope of the problem is likely much wider when individual accounts are taken into consideration
What is anti-Palestinian racism?
Screenshot from CTV News report about Selina Robinson’s “controversial” remarks about Palestine.

Referring to pre-1948 Palestine as a “crappy piece of land with nothing on it” — as former BC NDP Minister of Postsecondary Education Selina Robinson recently did — is not just a sign of ignorance but an expression of the anti-Palestinian racism (APR) that critics say runs deep within our institutions and across political party lines. 

Files attached to this post: 
PDF icon Download Anti-Palestinian Racism in Canada - CJPME 2022 Report.pdf (1.23 MB)

Op/Ed: Surrey City Council locks out residents, fails to shut down Palestine solidarity

Submitted by JShantz on Tue, 02/13/2024 - 23:38
Palestine solidarity organizing in Surrey.
Palestine solidarity rally in Surrey with Palestine flags and umbrella.
Palestine solidarity rally at city hall in Surrey.
Palestine solidarity rally at city hall in Surrey.
Palestine solidarity rally at city hall in Surrey.
Palestine solidarity rally at Central City mall in Surrey.
Palestine solidarity rally outside library in Surrey.
Palestine solidarity rally under Skytrain rails in Surrey.
Palestine solidarity rally outside city hall in Surrey.

Palestine solidarity organizing and mobilizations in Surrey, British Columbia (traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Katzie, Kwantlen, and Semiahmoo) have been growing in size and frequency. Now it seems local politicians are getting worried and taking pre-emptive steps to silence voices against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

How an urban village model is tackling Toronto's housing crisis

Submitted by Manmade88 on Tue, 02/13/2024 - 15:55
As many people struggle to find affordable housing in Toronto, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world, some immigrant communities have decided to build their own
How are communities addressing the housing crisis?

Kizito Musabimana is one of more than 1000 Rwandan refugees who came to Canada following the Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsis in the 1990s, which claimed around one million lives in 100 days. After struggling through a period of homelessness in Toronto, and knowing the importance of culture and community, Musabimana would set out to help others from the African diaspora access culturally-sensitive resources, particularly affordable housing.

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