Photos
http://interlog.com/~command/xeno2.jpg
http://interlog.com/~command/xeno1.jpg
The Canadian Public Health Association held a public meeting on Xenotransplantation today in Toronto. A panel of experts - medical, ethical, legal and animals rights - addressed a selected citizen panel of 17 members and a public gallery of ordinary citizens.
Dr. Gary Levy headed the expert panel. He had numerous arguments in favour of cross species transplants. The only strong opposition to Xeno came from people in the public gallery and animal rights activist Liz White on the panel.
In an odd twist the panel's expert on ethics said he wouldn't try to sway us in either direction then he concluded by saying that we don't know what don't know. He feels that the public forums are a good first step. In easier words he wants us to go through some weak consultation then forge ahead with animal to human organ transplants.
My own feeling is that the experts are saying that "because we don't know what we don't know or what in the hell we are doing, we must alter the Charter of Rights and numerous other protective laws in order to facilitate Xeno. Then after we have changed the entire face of law, society, ethics and animals we will have created a new class of citizens that are stigmatized by carrying animal transplants and must live under a regime of illness where nearly all of their rights as citizens have been removed.
Dr. Gary Levy and the supporters of Xeno believe the "challenge is to bring in legislation so the necessary and drastic impositions on individual rights Xeno requires will survive a charter challenge."
Lawyer Megan Evans outlined the legal confusion. It involves the law of consent, privacy law, the Charter of Rights, animal rights, jurisdictional questions, food and drug acts and more.
If you get an organ transplant from a genetically altered pig you must consent to mandatory treatments and to being monitored all of your life. You'll be quarantined if necessary, will give up confidential health information and must bear up against media attention. There will also be restrictions in immigration and mobility law and you won't be allowed to have children.
Yet under existing law we can withdraw consent at any time. That means they would want you to sign a contract to surrender your rights under section 7 of the Charter of Rights … a contract that would be invalid unless the Charter itself is changed.
Next up is third party consent meaning that those in close contact with a patient such as family and spouse must consent to being monitored all of their lives.
The reason for the restrictions is the possibility of PERV Infections. These are viruses that exist in all animal cells and may infect humans and spread to others creating an xenozoonosis epidemic. Meaning we will have introduced diseases from animals into the human chain.
The experts say the probability is low and they also say they really don't know.
In spite of the legal hitches and the frightening possibilities we are told that there are five Canadians that have undergone Xenotransplantation of some form. They are at large and under some form of surveillance.
One woman on the panel said she has received a successful human transplant and calls the restricted rights for animal organs a new Charter of Rights to allow Life. A woman in the audience disagreed. She had a mother who suffered unbearably from a transplant and she describes it as more like a Charter of the Rights to allow people to live in Pain and Misery. That is because transplantation destroys the immune system. The failure rate is high.
If the public hearings have a purpose, it appears to be to garner societal consent or the consent of the public at large for Xeno and the medical/pharmaceutical industry that hopes to profit from it.
Liz White of the Animal Alliance says it has little to do with ethics and more to do with attracting research dollars. We are to engage in risky experiments in preference of public health programs. She feels there are many other ways our finite public health dollars could be used to save more lives. There are 16,000 people who die of smog every year. And though it wasn't mentioned, many people lose livers because the same pharmaceutical companies that want to sell drug cocktails for organ transplant acceptance have already fed us the drugs and foods that killed our organs in the first place.
Dr. Gary Levy likes to say that you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that even if we increase Ontario's abysmal record in human organ donations there will never be enough organs for all of those in need.
Personally I like to say that no matter what we do there will never be enough organs for all of the half dead old geezers who feel they have a right to live on forever in some state of moral and physical ugliness.
Liz White notes that animal rights will not be protected at all under Xeno. There isn't a public watchdog or any way to know the extent of animal cruelty taking place. Animal care committees in research legally prohibit speaking out publicly. Researchers are reviewed by peer committees and the failure of labs to comply is kept secret. She believes Health Canada should say No to clinical Xeno trials on humans and redirect public funds away from research defined by illness to research defined by wellness.
Dave Marshall of Freedom for Animals brought up the issue of incredible animal cruelty with a reading from the public gallery. He notes that Mike Harris gave parent company Novartis 1.5 million to set up here after a connected company, Imutran, got booted out of the UK for animal cruelty.
Here are a few excerpts from that article.
Terrible despair of animals cut up in name of research
http://www.lineone.net/express/00/09/21/news/n1820-d.html
THE SHOCKING truth behind Britain's most high-profile
animal experimentation project is revealed in confidential documents seen
by the Daily Express. The secret papers show horrific animal suffering
despite claims to the contrary
The project, carried out by Cambridge-based Imutran, involves
transplanting genetically modified pigs' hearts and kidneys into monkeys.
Thousands of pigs, monkeys and baboons have been used.
…a baboon which survived for 39 days with a pig heart was suffering
in the last days of its life. Its heart had grown in weight by three times.
…one monkey which had a pig heart attached to the blood vessels in
its neck was seen holding the transplant which was "swollen red" and "seeping
yellow fluid" for most of the last days of its life.
…animals are described as quiet, huddled, shivering, unsteady and in
spasm. Some had swellings, bruising or were seen with blood or puss seeping
from wounds. Others vomited, or suffered from diarrhea.
… over a quarter of the animals died on the operating table or within
a few days because of "technical failures" in the surgical procedures.
In one experiment, this accounted for 62 per cent of lives. In another,
13 out of 22 monkeys died within two days of the operation.
… there have been a number of awful mistakes. One monkey had to be
"sacrificed" when researchers discovered the pig kidney it was about to
be given had been mistakenly frozen.
... it said that a study of nine baboons who had a pig heart sewn onto
their arteries showed that no "transgenic heart underwent hyperacute rejection".
But secret data shows the experiment was actually carried out on 22 baboons.
The company picked nine out of the ten baboons who had lived longest, probably
because they were on different drug regimes. Two of those excluded from
the published paper died after suffering a "hyperacute" rejection to the
organ.
…on average, a baboon survives only seven days after having its heart
replaced by that of a pig. AND it is clear the longest survivors were kept
alive with massive doses of drugs.
….monkeys are transported halfway across the globe in tiny cages. In
one shipment three animals died - probably from suffocation – in a 35-hour
trip from the Philippines. All the animals used for xenotransplantation
experiments at HLS die or are killed. It can be a long exit - a research
goal is to keep the animals alive as long as possible after transplant.
…a female monkey had to be euthanased the day after she was given a
dose of a drug four times higher than recommended. The records note that
she was shaking and grinding her teeth….
------
Conclusion:
Now that we have seen the skewed ethics and cruelty of animal to human organ transplants do we decide to go ahead with Xeno or abandon it?
The answer is that we probably don't have a choice. We can't make choices any more because transnational pharmaceutical companies and the medical establishment have already made our choices for us. That is really what the public consultations are about. They create a forum to lead us and our government toward decisions they have already made.
They want to save us and their profit margin and jobs.
In spite of that we will all die in the final analysis and we will never be able to go back and fix the mistakes we've made … choosing Xeno doesn't have to be another one of those mistakes.
Life is hard enough when we're healthy and strong. Swallowing animal organs and drug cocktails and being too sick to ever fully live and love is a fate worse than death.
People that don't care about incredible cruelty to animals aren't going to care about incredible cruelty to people with animal organs inside them.
So in the end I say let us die and leave the future to
the healthy people that deserve to live it.
----------
Contacts:
Canadian Public Health Association
http://www.cpha.ca/
Xeno site
http://www.xeno.cpha.ca
mailto:xeno@cpha.ca
Have your say
http://www.xeno.cpha.ca/english/questionnaire/survey.asp
-------------
Protesters Oppose Animal
to Human Transplants - Friday May 25, 2001
(Opposition to XENOTRANSPLANTATION Begins
in Toronto)
Photos
http://interlog.com/~command/xeno2.jpg
http://interlog.com/~command/xeno1.jpg
Protesters wearing pig noses and medical gowns gathered at Toronto General Hospital in Toronto today to initiate opposition to XENOTRANSPLANTATION. After flyers were distributed to the public, they marched to the back of the hospital for a vigil where the experimental pigs are kept.
Xenotransplantation a new Medical Horror Story!
Xeno is connected with dangerous new experimental work in genetic engineering. It is the transplantation of organs or tissue from one species to another.
In Xeno animals become enslaved as organ factories. Initial experiments have genetically manipulated pigs with human genes inserted into their DNA.
The pharmaceutical industry really has no idea what the short and long term consequences will be. Incredible ethical question are involved.
Do we want to tamper with the human race and animals in such a way?
Will we be humans or animals or neither?
Is it progress to again torture and tamper with animals?
Can such dangerous experimentation ever be justified, especially when the motive is only profit. (Pharmaceutical companies will sell these organs and the drug cocktails to facilitate acceptance at a price only the rich can afford. A Wall Street Investment Firm estimates the worldwide market for transgenic organs could reach $9B within 10 years)
Why don't we increase donations of human organs and why is this being done in secret? (In April 1998, 12 transgenic pigs arrived secretly at Mirabel airport from Britain. The pigs were engineered with human genes so that their progeny would theoretically make suitable donors to humans in need of organ transplants. The company behind this is Immutran, a British pharmaceutical company, subsidiary of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis. At the same time, there was an announcement of a $1.5M grant from Novartis to the University of Western Ontario to establish Canada's first Xenotransplantation Chair. Later, a collaboration was announced with the University of Guelph, Western and Toronto.)
Can the cruelty of the pre-clinical trails ever be justified? (Pre-clinical trials have occurred at Western. Scientists transplanted kidneys from transgenic pigs into baboons to see how long they could survive with the organs of partly human pigs. Human clinical trials would be at University of Toronto through the Toronto General Hospital.
Protest Sponsored by Freedom for Animals and University of Toronto Animal
Rights Advocates.
Contact Freedom for Animals
email - free_animals@hotmail.com
---------
Mike Harris Attacks Public Education–
May.18.2001
(EMERGENCY SUMMIT on publicly funded private
schools)
* I include a copy of the NDP report back listing upcoming actions at the bottom.
The provincial New Democratic Party held an emergency summit Thursday to plan actions to block the Harris attack on public education. A number of groups will be battling Harris on this issue and they are forming a coalition that will be holding weekly meetings. (See NDP report at bottom). The Liberals and NDP are together on this as Gerard Kennedy announced that the liberals will be campaigning on the issue in all of their ridings and a Tory riding.
Mike Harris has disguised his latest broadside against public education as a gift in the form of a big tax credit for parents who send their kids to private schools.
As one hand gives the other takes away. Right now 85 pools are being closed by the Toronto Board of Education, and Irene Atkinson says the pool closures and numerous other cuts and woes of the public system stem from the fact that the Tories won't provide the money to fund the system. It is a continuing downhill run for public schools and kids that began when Harris brought in a funding formula that crippled schools and caused many to close.
Most private schools are religious based and currently the media and many in that system are portraying the Harris tax credit as a way of bringing equity to the system. But that is untrue. Beating and robbing Peter to pay Paul is not ethical and it is not equity.
This is a Harris version of the negative voucher system that exists in parts of the USA. It will suck the remaining lifeblood from the public system and destroy our greatest accomplishment in public education. That accomplishment being the social diversity and peaceful multicultural society that developed in Toronto because most of us attended public school together and equally.
An ugly vision of a segregated society rises, and for me it comes with a childhood memory of the kids that weren't allowed to play with me because I went to public school and not a private one like them.
Choice is really limited to those with the money to choose, and people of lower income will be left in a gutted public system. We'll have a society of entrenched bigotry and arrogance and at another level the Harris education policies are denying people a university education. He has cut 400 million from the operating budgets of colleges and universities. 88,000 needed seats in the university system will not be available, plus skyrocketing tuition and housing costs are making higher education unaffordable even to those who are wealthy to a degree.
As new private universities build another level of class separation, large corporations can celebrate their increasing control over our finest minds, and over most high school students, who are really just receiving training to go straight into a lower wage job ghetto.
Higher education is disappearing. So where are the ethics and the equity? Supporters of the Harris plans say it is in financial support for private schools. But will this support come without strings attached?
No it won't and the Harris folks are already talking about regulating private schools. In religious schools the purpose is to teach certain values that can only be maintained through avoidance of state control. Yet the separation between church and state is disappearing in Harris' plan with the state becoming a church of sorts.
Religious teachers will have to tell their students that God ran out of money so they had to let the wolf, the Tories and their twenty pieces of silver in the door. They will have to say that they are teaching values when at the same time they sold out and have none.
Perhaps various forms of God, Corporations and Mike Harris will be the Chairman of the Board in our new education system, and there aren't any values in that.
There is a church on every corner and there are businesses on every block if we want to talk to them about their values. We agreed long ago that education belongs to the public. We need a fully funded public system and not this revolting new form of public/private education that Harris, the media and sellouts want to foist on us.
It's time for Mike Harris to stop playing God. And if he can't do that then we have to knock Mike Harris God off of the public pedestal.
Gary
--------
Here is the report back from the NDP
Friday, May 18, 2001
EMERGENCY SUMMIT on publicly funded private
schools
Report back
On Thursday, May 17, 2001 NDP Leader Howard Hampton and NDP Education Critic Rosario Marchese hosted an emergency summit to hammer out a plan of action to defeat the Conservatives $3,500 tax credit for private school tuition. The meeting was held in a committee room in Queen’s Park and was a huge success. The room was overflowing with people passionate about public education and willing fight fiercely in order to defeat the tax credit.
The panel included: Irene Atkinson, Toronto District School Board; Cathy Dandy, Toronto Parent Network; Erin George, Canadian Federation of Students; Gerri Gershon, Ontario Public School Boards Association; Howard Kaplan, Morris Winchevsky Community School; Gerard Kennedy, Liberal Education Critic; Student trustee Dane Liu, Toronto District School Board; Earl Manners, Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation; Emily Noble, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario; Brian O’Keefe, Canadian Union of Public Employees.
The meeting agreed to the following plan of
action:
- form a coalition to defend public education
and defeat the tax credit
- demand public hearings on the government’s
tax credit bill
- wage a letter-writing, petition and lobbying
campaign
- hold an action every Thursday to escalate the
fight
Key dates:
Tuesday, May 22nd Rosario
Marchese in London for a public education meeting
Thursday, May 24th Second public education coalition
meeting in Toronto at 7 p.m.,
25 Cecil St., Steelworkers Hall.
Rosario Marchese in Guelph
for a public education meeting
May 28th to 30th The private school tax
credit bill to be debated in the Legislature
Thursday, May 31st Vigil for public education
at 6 p.m. at Queen’s Park on the day that the Conservatives will decide
on whether to hold public hearings. If we don’t get hearings, the tax credit
could become law on June 4th!
Here are some of the ways you can participate
in this exciting campaign:
- attend one of the public meetings already organized
or plan your own
- write a letter to your MPP, print off a petition
or sign an online petition, and link to our partners by going to www.ontariondp.on.ca
- come to Queen’s Park on May 28th, 29th and
30th between 6:45 and 9:30 for debate of the tax credit bill. Filling the
public galleries will put more pressure on the Conservative government
members
For more information and to get involved email
emergencysummit@ndp.on.ca
call (416) 325-8300 or go to www.ontariondp.on.ca
--------
Photos/Report on The Million Marijuana March
Toronto -
May.5.2001
By Gary Morton
* Here's a report and photos that anyone can
use.
A
Joint in Front of Me
Drummers
The
March
It's
Legal
Cop
Watches Smoke Break
Pot
Smokin' Wheel Chair Folks
More
Pot Smokin' Wheel Chair Folks
--------
Report:
The Reason
This is a young crowd smoking pot
right in front of the police, and as a writer I need to know why they are
here.
"So why are you here, David?"
"Look at it from your perspective.
Why are you here asking me that?"
"Now that you mention it, I can't
remember why I'm here or who I'm taking photos for."
The Issue
The crowd chants - What do we Want?
Legalized Marijuana! When do we Want It? Now!
"And let me reply that this is an
important medical and moral issue. Though I can't remember why marijuana
should be legalized. More importantly, I can't think of any reason for
it being illegal."
"Yes, that is correct. In the absence
of a compelling reason for illegality, weed must therefore be declared
legal."
Smoke Break
The march to the pretty green park
up behind the Harris Hotel is punctuated by smoke breaks. Which irritate
the cops who want to keep everyone moving. But people blow smoke and bubbles
at them and refuse to move until they are ready.
In the Park
In the park people surround a raised
horse statue on a mound and sit there drumming and smoking.
There were 7 to 10 thousand people
in the march a media guy says. 5000 at least.
We forgot the sound system so there'll
be no speeches, another guy says.
Want the rest of this? a kid says.
Then a man with long gray hair begins
a rant. "Next year I want to see more gray hair in this crowd! We live
in the freest country in the world and these people are afraid to come
out! We're proud! We're High! We're Here! ….
And some people are probably still
there drumming and smoking.
-------
War Toys Protest at Kids Candy Store-
April 14.2001
* Click for a small
photo of one of the protesters
Popular Toronto candy store Sugar Sugar (515 St. Clair Ave. West) has devoted a section of its business to the sale of war toys. This drew an anti-war Easter Bunny and a collection of Bunny helpers from Toronto Action for Social Change there today.
Today's information picket involved talking to the public and handing out flyers while parents and very young children came and went from the store.
At issue is the window display of Sugar Sugar which features Warhammer, with a medieval knight holding a sword threateningly above his head while at his feet dozens of toy soldiers prepare to engage in slaughter.
Warhammer advertises itself as a game where "In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war! Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for there is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter and the laughter of thirsting gods."
Facts from the anti-War Easter bunny
are that 3,000 documented studies over the past forty years have confirmed
a direct correlation between exposure to violent games and consequent violence
and desensitization to violence among children and young adults. TASC believes
Sugar Sugar could sell a variety of cooperative games which teach children
the value of building community rather than creating
carnage.
Many people believe that war toys and games don't lead to violence, but the growing movement right now is one that favours rooting concepts of non violence and peace at home and in the local community. Proper nurture can overcome violent human nature.
Apparently Sugar Sugar also bills itself as a nutrient-free zone that sells only junk candy and ice cream.
Toronto Action for Social Change and Homes not Bombs have also been protesting small arms sales by Diemaco in Canada. Small arms are creating terrible carnage world wide. In Africa hundreds of thousands of refugees are being driven between nations and slaughtered by various forces that use small arms. Another protest against Diemaco takes place Sunday, May 13. Meet at Fairview Mall at noon (in front of the Bay, at the bus stop near Wilson Ave. entrance) for a walk to weaponsmaker Diemaco. The protest includes a picnic there.
info from Toronto Action for Social Change
416) 651-5800; tasc@web.ca
--------
Notes on -- IT DIDN'T BEGIN
IN SEATTLE & It Won't End In Quebec.
by Gary Morton April.8.2001
Jaggi Singh of the Anti-Capitalist Convergence (CLAC) engaged an audience at the OISE Auditorium today … and during his talk criticized the auditorium setup, saying that Solidarity Sundays were originally intended as events where people meet in a circle.
Known by police in Quebec as a dangerous radical, Jaggi drew another cloud over himself by revealing his split personality. He first took the stage as John Singer, a proud Canadian business man and member of the liberal party.
Singer gave a fine intro on how the FTAA would promote democracy and create prosperity. Noting among other things, that the text of FTAA would now be released. He then challenged the audience to prove to him that the FTAA is a bad deal.
People took to the mike with blasts against the FTAA, and John Singer adeptly sluffed all of them off, presenting clever arguments that always shifted the blame for social ills away from Free Trade and the FTAA.
Once Singer was through, Jaggi Singh spoke on the issue, informing us that Singer demonstrates how the Canadian government can co-op all of the arguments for democracy and social good we come up with.
He thinks we need a radical break … a whole new train of debate … some real alternative arguments against the FTAA.
CLAC works to make the link between the alphabet soup of the FTAA and capitalism. And the root of the FTAA is another large attempt by global capitalists to exploit labour, sell off culture, etc.
As the FTAA is something that shouldn't be done, CLAC sees no room for debate. All that is happening through debate with NGOs is that social policies are being co-opted as tools to strengthen capitalism. So much so that non Governmental Organizations and politicians now have identical language.
NGOs might want to add labour standards to deals, and global corporations aren't afraid of standards because they are very low and easy to live up to … and in many nations, financially starved local business can't compete.
Jaggi quoted a person (didn't catch the name) who said that the anti-globalization movement is becoming a sort of white rights movement. We are losing more and more of our very weak form of democracy and losing our social services – so we are trying to get into deals like the FTAA with clauses to save ourselves. And that sort of action doesn't address the big picture or the real problems.
CLAC feels it is important to affirm our values of genuine solidarity and get beyond the debate of violence versus non violence. This violence debate is promoted by government and the police as they attempt to justify police state actions by claiming many protesters are terrorists. And the debate runs deep into the movement – I know because a report came back to me recently from a person returning from the home of one of the top political stars of the NDP party. That particular NDP guy delivered a long tirade on how he hates Jaggi Singh and how he's bringing violence into the movement.
In person Jaggi does not appear violent at all and he says that the real violence is Structural Violence created through these agreements. Policies like those of drug deprivation and the displacement of indigenous people are the real violence.
As for the Summit of the Americas
in Quebec – Jaggi says that all of the elements are in place for the police
to act in a brutal way.
------------------
Tooker Gomberg, Erin George – FTAA discussion
at the Green Budget Veggie Dinner
By Gary Morton April.8.2001
After the dinner, a scruffy lot of us pushed the tables aside and created a large circle with the chairs.
Tooker facilitated, John Small filmed the discussion for Independent Media, we went around the circle for introductions … and this news article is the minutes.
Erin George of the Canadian Federation of Students delivered the key speech, to bring about discussion on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
Capsule of Erin's talk – The FTAA has been negotiated in secret since 1994. This deal covers the entire Western Hemisphere, except for Cuba … that is 800 million people and a combined economy of 11 trillion dollars.
Leaders of the 34 participating nations hope to forge ahead at the Quebec Summit of the Americas and get it implemented by 2003 or 2005.
FTAA has little to do with trade, but is more of a corporate bill of rights, combining the most ambitious elements of every other trade agreement. (MAI, NAFTA, etc.)
In this bill of corporate rights profit reigns and economic, social, land, education and even subsistence rights are tossed out.
It is a profit before people deal and it effects everything that is important in our everyday lives. There is no focus on protecting the public good, but there is a widening of the gap between the rich and the poor.
In Toronto we are experiencing a similar effect to the FTAA through the downloading done by the federal and provincial governments. New priorities are police and the security of the wealthy, while labour standards are eroding.
Corporations are allowed to squeeze us for every last penny. Educations is phenomenally expensive – 15,000 a year for a medical education, 21,000 in tuition for an engineering course. Then there are massive cuts and privatization of health care, attacks on women and on pay equity.
These are effects of the same agenda that is pushing the FTAA, affecting us here in Toronto in our daily lives … yet if we think about it in terms of our daily lives, we realize that we can defeat it like we defeated other Free Trade/Investment deals.
Erin concluded saying the movement is broader, more diverse and well organized in comparison to the past. Yet in the past we did have some success, so we should expect to do better now.
…….the talk then moved around the circle with questions on lodging, affinity groups, bus tickets, etc. And I list links to info on that below. I asked if it would be possible to camp out with a tent in the protest area and Erin said do that at LaValle University (not sure of the spelling) or the junior colleges.
The discussion got deeper and perhaps weird and philosophical near the end.
So that's all for now – see you in
Quebec.
--------
Related Events and links
The Anti-Capitalist Convergence (CLAC)
- Montreal (CLAC: La Convergence des luttes anti-capitalistes)
http://www.quebec2001.net
For bus tickets from Toronto to the Quebec Summit
of the Americas
http://www.mob4glob.ca
For Lodging in Quebec
http://www.oqp2001.org
---------
Report – Toronto Protest at
the Finance Ministers' Meeting – April.3.2001
By Gary Morton
This was perhaps the first real day of Spring in Toronto. The cold and gloom were gone, the sun was out and it was 8 degrees. Up at Queen's Park about 400 people showed (some estimates were 1000) for a march to the Four Seasons Hotel on Avenue Rd. where the finance ministers from the 33 FTAA nations were meeting.
There should have been more people, but weren't because most of the planning in Toronto has been around getting people to Quebec. The demo for the finance ministers' meeting didn't get a lot of attention, yet it still had an impressive listing of organizing groups - Asian Canadian Labour Alliance, CAW, Canadian Labour Congress, Canadian Federation of Students, CUPE 3903, Ontario Federation of Labour, Toronto Mobilization for Global Justice, New Socialist Group.
The march itself was spirited and well done with signs, banners, balloons, drums and whistles. We enjoyed the sunshine and the noisy trip up the open streets to the Four Seasons Hotel … where we were greeted by barricades, 800 cops with horseback men, riot squad guys and paddywagons … from eight regional police forces.
All of the streets around the Four Seasons were full of cops and we heard that there were even more on the inside.
Huge, tall and broad the Four Seasons towers over a small corner church, and on a hastily constructed platform connected to the church, police looked down on the demonstration. They wore full armour and aimed combination tear gas and plastic bullet guns at us. Beside them a huge sign said Church of the Redeemer … We are Open! … Unless the Lord Builds the house … their labour is in vain … Who builds it ….
Chanting, drumming and whistle blowing went on for some time. A few undercover men moved into the fringe of the crowd, a statement on the anti-democratic elements of the FTAA got read aloud by Anna and echoed by the crowd. Near the barricades some jostling looked like the beginnings of a few arrests.
One person did get arrested and taken off at the beginning of the march, but there weren't any arrests at the demonstration. Mainly because the entire crowd, led by the organizers, suddenly marched off to a teach-in a couple blocks down the road.
Some people remained holding the road, others began to drift off and in a short while a tiny group of us were left to facing 800 cops.
Those left at the demo or who showed a little later were nearly all alternative media people. Here are some of the names - Tooker Gomberg, Toronto's green mayoral candidate and web video activist. He sat in the middle of the road with a friend. I was present holding one end of a large Mobilization for Global Justice banner brought by web activist Bob Olsen. Also present were Patrick from the Video Activist Collective, Dave from Gene Action, Oriel from Radioactive Feminism, Tom from Eye, Peter from People and Planet Friendly Events, some people from the Free University of Toronto, Jean who is homeless, a chap from Rise Up, and a couple of the people who do the weekly protests on homeless issues at Allan Gardens.
We wanted to hold the road, but failed when an army of police moved in, threatened Tooker with arrest and bullied us off the road.
Stuck on the corner we kept the banners up while all sorts of cops paraded around us. They were pushy and one them slammed my leg with a portion of steel barricade and then tried to pretend it was an accident.
Later in the dark only a handful of us were left so we decided to walk around and try to get into the hotel. That effort failed when police swarmed in from various directions and in the end we went to a nearby restaurant and talked about media plans and Quebec.
In general we were people with a different view of a protest. We felt the teach-in should have been held on the street and that the net and other means should have been used to get more people down. We could have easily held our own against the cops for the entire night and into the next day if people had stayed.
So as it stands now it's after midnight, the finance ministers are feeling wonderful and unopposed. A few of us are going down tomorrow to protest, and we did send an emissary down to the teach-in. He came back saying the folks there weren't going to be helping us.
* Since everyone's into teach-ins these
days, I thought I'd end this with a little teach-in of my own. I dreamed
it up while staring at 700 cops.
--------
Teach-in on Toronto Democracy and Canadian Finance Minister Paul Martin
The city of Toronto is now a megacity composed of six smaller cities. 76 percent of us voted against the megacity idea, but our votes didn't count and the provincial government forced it on us.
Today's march began at Queen's Park, home of the provincial government of Mike Harris. Harris is the local Grand Wizard of Globalization and generally he works to privatize and poison everything. His party stays in power due to money. Wealthy corporations give him millions in campaign dollars that the other parties don't have.
Canadian Finance Minister Paul Martin, often touted as the next liberal Prime Minister is also from Toronto, though he couldn't give a damn about Toronto. Right now angry citizens are meeting across the city due to cuts to libraries, community centres, social programs for the poor, health programs like AIDS programs … all people programs are being cut.
Why? Well because Toronto is about the wealthiest city in the world, and it is also nearly bankrupt. Every year Paul Martin's federal government, and the provincial government suck 5 billion dollars out of Toronto, that isn't returned as services.
We've lost our housing programs, there are a lot of poor and homeless on the street. Right near the Four Seasons, where the finance ministers are sleeping peacefully, there's a 70 year old lady who sleeps in the cold on the concrete with a sign on her that says God Help Me.
On the World Stage Paul Martin is supposed to be the good guy who wants to help poor people and nations … but do people in the poorer nations really need his sort of help? Do they want to be wealthy yet poor and homeless at the same time?
So the lesson here is don't toss a coin up in Toronto or it'll be sucked away on the wind and you'll never see it again.
Another interesting point is that at the demo a reporter stood beside me interviewing the police on their role in democracy. She studiously ignored me while a grinning police spokesman rambled on about how police are the champions of democracy and weren't there to intimidate us.
Let's take a look at police democracy in Toronto – There's Police Chief Julian Fantino, who took to the media waves today to warn activists to behave or else. And how did Julian get his job? Well, actually he never even applied for it. The police services board applied for him, even though they are supposed to pick the chief from a number of candidates. Other candidates for chief walked out in disgust, and as citizen opposition developed the police board decided to hold a fast meeting on a Sunday night to put Julian in quickly.
Julian is known as a fixer. And in other police news, a daily paper today noted that a number of ordinary officers are making more than a hundred thousand a year in pay.
And how about Mayor Mel Lastman. He did win big in the last Toronto election and a key reason for that victory is that our corrupt local media didn't give any real news coverage to anyone but him.
So there you have your teach-in on Toronto Democracy … and soon we'll have the FTAA and probably something even worse … where global corporations are the government.
But hey! Don't forget that
Paul Martin is the good guy and that tomorrow he'll lead the pack as the
finance ministers thunder across the global divide on their white horses,
to bring these grand and democratic wonders to you and your nation.
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Toronto Artists & Kensington
Market Residents
– on the Street Against the FTAA –March.31.2001
* This report by Gary Morton
West of the business towers of downtown Toronto, through some side streets, you enter the radically different environment of Kensington Market. Vegetable, fish, used clothing stores – just about everything you need is in the densely packed market.
Kensington is the sort of neighbourhood that Free Trade deals and the winning global corporations will not tolerate. It exists as a window into a world that isn't all corporate franchises and sterile community.
Residents are currently upset about a McDonalds being installed on a nearby corner … and when Artists against the FTAA, some local residents and supporters planned a small carnival of protest, they knew the issues were local.
The demo went well, beginning with the setup of a banner in support of the market on the corner. An information table went up on the street and some of us hit the local residents with flyers while others did some anti-FTAA Busking, Sidewalk Chalking and Radical Cheerleading. A bucket was used to collect donations of mostly coins.
As a public information effort it was a success. Many people had not heard of the FTAA and took the information. In my own flyering I found black males to be the most receptive. Local resident David Melville already knew many passing people and that helped. Gene Action guy Dwight did well with his handouts on genetically modified foods. It seems that genetically modified corn has become an issue in Kensington as some merchants are selling it without warning to people who are allergic to it.
The weather, a degree or two above zero was about what it will be in Quebec, unless we get lucky. My observation is that the hands and feet get cold within an hour so it is most important to get thermal socks and good gloves for the coldest times of day. Plus a mat if you want to sit.
If anything the event in Kensington reminded me that the FTAA isn't really about conflicts on the US/Canada border and violent people supposedly headed for Quebec – as the media would have us believe. The FTAA is really about your local community, whether it can be local anymore …and whether you'll belong or be alienated.
From the Flyer
FTAA - What will this mean for Kensington Market
With the erosion of small farms, increased control of
land by agri-business and the reduction of food availability our choices
over what we eat will suffer. Crises around the world show that food safety
is at risk.
* And of the course the market itself will be at risk. If huge
multinationals control all the supplies they will eventually buy all of
the market for franchises they control.
--------
Kensington Against the FTAA meets Sundays, 1 pm at the Last Temptation
Café, 12 Kensington
416-654-7153
http://www.mob4glob.ca
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Cruel City Circus
(Toronto – Freedom for Animals Protests the
Garden Brothers Circus and Animal Cruelty – March.24.2001)
It's Toronto, early Spring and Saturday at SkyDome. The Garden Brothers are in town and they want you to bring your kids, plunk down the cash and Step Right up to the Cruel City Circus.
Cruelty – What Cruelty?
Of course the Garden Brothers would have you believe that they rescue animals and that circuses are places that are fun and sweet. What they don't tell you is that they are really prisons where trainers use whips, guns, hooks, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods and stupefying drugs to force animals to perform for audiences of laughing humans.
Circus elephants are hit, beaten, shocked, chained and whipped. They travel in cramped trucks and like the other animals must perform when sick. Bull hooks are jabbed into the sensitive skin on their faces, toes and behind their knees if they don't obey.
Prison conditions are not suited to animals and especially not to elephants as they are social animals that can weep. Captives often have tears running down their faces, and right from the beginning baby elephants are tied down, beaten and starved for a month to break their spirit for the circus.
Freedom Circus
A wicked wind blew down from the tall buildings as we assembled by the walkway into SkyDome and the Circus. It chilled us, and like the horrors of the circus – stung like whips, jabbed, knocked off hats, popped balloons and sent signs tumbling.
But this was the Freedom Circus to protest Garden Brothers, and the will of the protesters prevailed.
Before long parents and kids were streaming into the Circus and we were performing out front. In the cold we found it warmer to march in a circle with signs, so we did that while Sherry, our juggler performed in the centre.
Off to the side our ringmaster, Suzanne held a bamboo whip and used a red sound amplification horn to inform the passing people of the cruel nature of the circus. Scott did large sidewalk chalk art on the walkway and it said - This Way To Torture and Cruel Circus – Animals Have No Choice but You Do.
Jen was on the walkway holding a sign that said Wild Animals Belong in the Wild. Nadia's said The Slave Trade is Alive and Kicking and others had large pictures of animals in chains and cages. Jacqueline and John had a double-sized one of a weakened elephant in chains. Others like Dave, Jean and Susan did the flyer handouts.
To the east of us another group watched. These were people with cameras and notebooks. They said they were a group studying the nature of protesters. So it was rather amusing to have people gawking at us like we were animals of a sort. Except we were there in the biting wind because we wanted to be there and not because we were tortured. And we did stick it out. Freedom Circus lasted for a couple hours and had a solid effect on the circus customers.
So Who are these Weird Protesters?
Yes – who are these folks under study? What do they believe and why are they protesting at the circus when they could be shopping?
Freedom for Animals people are scattered across the age spectrum. Some are quite young, yet others are middle-aged to elderly. In today's crowd there were the Toronto people including women from Kensington Cat Rescue, folks from Niagara Action for Animals, Mississauga and Markam.
They believe in understanding the true nature of animals and in being kind. That's to animals and humans.
The media never tells you this but most animals rights people are vegetarian/vegan. They aren't meat eaters and don't wear fur. Very few of them are single issue protesters and nearly all are well informed on other issues relating to politics and health. Their health is better than that of the mainstream crowd, and some work in health-related occupations - a couple people at today's protest were from Noah's Health Food Stores.
So is there a Happy Ending to all of this?
I'm afraid not and that means the protests must continue, and if you want the circus banned in Toronto you have to phone your city councillor and the mayor and demand it.
Unhappy Ending – Tonight the Garden Brothers are counting the cash and in the city sky-scrapers the cold wind is howling like a demon. Voices of the cruel circus and cruel city echo in the gusts, and down below in the dark the restless animals are in their cages. They are tired, sore and frightened. Soon they'll be on the road and if they are dreaming it is of warp-faced humans that laugh and stare like monsters. They don't know that some of us can be kind. Their masters will not let them attend the Freedom Circus.
Contact Freedom for Animals
email - free_animails@hotmail.com
web - http://ffa.engine.ca/
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Anti-Fur Demo at the IT Nightclub
– March.19.2001
report by Gary Morton
Freedom for Animals held a spirited demo tonight at the IT Nightclub on Church Street. You could call it a trendy event on all sides. Except for the darker side of fur, which is an incredibly cruel factory farming industry that tortures and chews up animals by the millions.
This demo was a near instant thing, called because a press release came out from The Fur Council of Canada announcing a special runway show at IT Nightclub for the opening day of Fashion Week. The presentation was titled FUR IS IT.
The scene out front was one of media, protesters, models, bouncers and designers. City TV arrived first for the media, followed by the Sun. FUR IS IT had two models right on the street. The female model wore a pink fur, while a male model wore a full-length hooded fur created through the deaths of about 70 animals. On the protest side Suzanne had her megaphone announcing that Fur is Dead, as opposed to Fur is It. Or perhaps You're an IT if you think wearing fur is cool. Our front line was a small gang of guys and gals holding graphic signs of tortured animals, Dave handing out flyers, and I was also there, picketing while moving about the street on roller blades.
Apparently Freedom for Animals called this demo so fast that the police never got of wind of it. But a few burly well-dressed bouncers were out making sure we didn't get inside. And down a ways from them was a guy who looked like a secret agent, who watched us through the whole deal.
Throughout the demo dozens of designers and pricey people arrived by taxi, and we got in their faces a good bit. (Shame – get your mad cow coats inside – foot-in-mouth designers.) Few of them wanted to look at us. Most of them seemed surprised.
Perhaps some of the humour in this is that the bouncers didn't know we were coming. They were hired to protect the fur. Yet the Fur Council says this new designer craze for fur has become a strong street trend.
And let me add that in the Church Street area at night you will need three bouncers and a secret agent with you if you plan on wearing expensive furs on the street. That's because there's another street trend called muggers and thieves.
The new sale and design strategy is supposed to alter the view of furs as glamour items and have them seen as casual street wear. This will increase sales and allow them to rev up the engines at the torture farms and churn out more dead animal bodies.
These new fur fashions are said to have street attitude and they are further defined as Urban Chic. So if you want to look like road kill with an attitude, street fur is IT.
There have always been people who think you're nuts if you protest on fur issues. A yuppie screamed stuff to that effect at us, and one young man told our flyer guy that it has always been the way it is or that fur is sort of our heritage. But that's not true at all. Over the last quarter century factory farming for meat and fur has changed things. We've never in history been crueler to animals than we are right now. Of course the human race does come from a background of cruelty. Once we killed each other with axes, yet we don't say it's our heritage and do that now in this city. At least not a lot.
Another concern was that kids might see the graphic signs. But I think kids should see them and maybe a few films about factory farming too so they'll know what they're eating.
A bouncer hit us with the you-don't-care-about-people line. And one demonstrator said that with six billion people destroying the planet he cares more about animals. But as the bouncer turned away I said that I care. I care about people, too. It's the same folks that don't care about animals that also don't care about people, so you have to care about both to be more than half human.
And of course there was the old line that the fur industry can't be stopped ... maybe it can't … at least not quickly … but when the fur industry is trying to brainwash people into thinking Fur is IT, someone has to be out there telling the public that Fur is Cruelty.
Later we walked away. No one got arrested. The bouncers went inside, but the secret agent is still lurking in the dark down there in East Toronto.
Fur Issues - See - http://www.furisdead.com/
Join Freedom for Animals this Saturday
March 24 for the Garden Brothers Circus Protest at the SkyDome 1.30 to
3 pm. 277 Front St W. at John St.
Please contact Mayor Lastman and your Councillor
to ban Circus Animals.
Freedom for Animals
free_animals@hotmail.com
416 596 2331
Group meets on the fourth Monday of each month
7-9 pm at 519 Church Street Community Centre at Wellesley.
--------
Fur Council of Canada
Teresa Éloy, Communications Director
teloy@furcouncil.com
http://www.furworkscanada.com
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519 Church Rallies Against the Budget Cuts – March 13, 2001
Citizens met at the 519 Church Community Centre tonight to rally against cuts to communities being put through in the City of Toronto budget. About a thousand cards opposing the cuts have been signed, and this rally is being replicated in other community centers across Toronto.
Here are a few of the things we as a community may lose because of the unnecessary and sneaky cuts being put through at council.
- Children and Youth Programs: End support
for actual costs of running child care and resource centers. Rejection
of post natal programs and breakfast clubs in eight schools. Elimination
of youth centres in malls.
(Note - We talk about the Olympics, yet we don't
care about our kids)
-Environment: Elimination of all new recycling
programs. Cuts to bike trails and bike programs.
(Note – We're up to our asses in garbage. We've
got no place to put it. Yet we won't commit ourselves to recycling. And
we're choking to death on smog, yet we want to make sure more cars are
on the road by chopping cycling programs.)
-Health Services: Elimination of nursing
care to 78,885 low income and frail seniors. Cutting services to 55,821
people through Planned Parenthood, the AIDS Committee and Youth Link and
Hassle Free Clinic. Cutting dental services to 32,500 seniors and children.
(Note - We really seem to love victimizing the
weakest people in society.)
-Library: 293 hours reduced weekly at 26 libraries,
45,000 fewer items purchased for the libraries.
(Note – And we already have young people that
can't pass literacy tests.)
- Support to Arts, Social Services and Immigrant
Groups: Ten percent cut to the grants programs. 12 percent social services
cut. 12 percent cut to community centres.
(Note: Apparently hundreds if not thousands of
art, music and community groups that use centres and some city funds are
not important any more. Immigrants are not important either, though we
just sold ourselves to the International Olympics Committee as a City that
values Diversity)
Speakers at the 519 Rally revealed some eye opening facts on the cuts and the sad state of city democracy. Probably the most shocking fact is that many councilors, most of them suburban, have no concept of city programs or what they are about. We have elected community reps that don't know what goes on in their own communities.
Consider cuts to AIDS Grants. The system is set up as a grassroots effort that recognizes that different strategies are needed to fight AIDS in various communities. Yet proponents of cuts think they can amalgamate all AIDS groups. They want to turn their backs on community based AIDS treatment. And the risks are tremendous. AIDS is a crisis that is threatening to get out of control among drug users, women and children and gay males. The cuts are an attack on public health. They are dangerous and stupid. Apparently Councillor Kyle Rae referred to councilors proposing these cuts and other community cuts as HUNS.
Denzil Minan-Wong is one councillor Rae attacked. He said Minan-Wong gets quoted in the media but he is really not representative of council. What Denzil is representative of is a group of mostly suburban councilors that are out of touch with their communities. They know little about community centres and programs. Minan-Wong has a growing Asian community in his own area that will face service cuts, yet he is not concerned about it.
Some of these councilors are talking about core responsibilities of the city, and what to cut. Yet none of them, including the mayor are talking to the community to ask what we the people think are important services. Right now the only people doing that are the Humanize Toronto folks. They are going door to door with a survey on that issue. The city isn't supporting that effort.
Kyle Rae is optimistic that council won't go ahead with cuts to community centres if people take the time to fully inform them on the issue. He spoke glowingly of downtown councilors, and pointed out that it is the members from places like North York that have to be reached on the issue.
Maureen of the 519 gave an overview on how efficient Community Centres are – The 519 has 250 programs that are run by volunteers. Only 15 programs are run by staff. Over the last ten years they have doubled the number of centre users and reduced the cost per user by 40 percent. It is a record that private sector businesses could not match.
The cuts will mean that the 519 will close evenings and weekends, lose Sunday drop-in programs, disabled programs, the legal clinic, counseling, meals for the homeless and so on. And keep in mind that the cuts will have a city wide effect as they will also be implemented in other community centres. Currently meetings are taking place across the city, so there will definitely be a large fight back campaign.
Although Kyle Rae may not have intended it, he made some sad points on the phony form of democracy practiced in this city. In advising citizens on opposition to the cuts, he mentioned that cuts have to be blocked before the Budget Advisory Committee makes its final recommendations. The reason is that Mayor Lastman has a policy that allows no changes to be made to the work of that committee.
The public can attend the Budget Advisory Committee meetings, but deputations are not allowed. By the time it gets to council, the councilors will all have made backroom deals with the mayor on what is to go through. What that means is that the City Council meeting running from April 24th to 26th on approval of the final budget is really a farce. It will be a three day exercise in fake democracy, where councilors make grand speeches while they have already made backroom deals.
It appears that not only do they not understand the concept of community, they also do not understand the concept of democracy.
Democracy was never meant to be a media extravaganza that ends in a vote for representatives every few years. It is meant to begin with community. That is why the largest cut is really to democracy. Community centres, programs and volunteer efforts are where it all starts. It begins when people meet in a free and equal forum and decide on the needs of the community.
Today in the Toronto Star publisher John Honderich wrote a column on the Olympic effort by the city elite. His claim was that the city's strength is Diversity. Yet like our city councilors, he hasn't noticed that diversity is being destroyed.
Diversity is being able to meet in our community centres. It is embodied in all of the community and public health programs that reach out to everyone in the city. Diversity is best promoted when programs are free of user fees and grant an equal footing to all residents.
Community and Diversity are the public using tax dollars on behalf of the public. And community can't be provided by the private sector, so once they take it away, they won't be able to sell it back to us.
Our open public circles and free communication will be gone. We'll have miles of shopping malls where people stare dumbly and never talk. We'll have entertainment spectacles and an audience that doesn't participate. We'll have pollution, garbage, AIDS epidemics, needy people without services. We'll have empty consumer stuff the private sector calls community, but is really alienation and social sickness.
Don't let them alienate you, starve you or kill you. Get out and oppose the cuts.
This report by Gary Morton
Thoughts on Living Simply in the Big City–
Sat. March 10.2001
- report by Gary Morton
This half-day workshop took place at the Holy Trinity Church with Fiona Heath as the key speaker. I was there for her talk but had to leave before the workshop.
Fiona explains living simply as a growing movement of people that want a lifestyle geared toward healthy human interaction and development.
Currently alienation and stress are the status quo and transnational corporations have invested in it deeply. They need us to be consumers and not citizens, and our governments have bought into this idea as they now refer to us as customers.
Transnational corporations feel it is important that we be consumers so we can continue to transfer all of the planet's wealth into the hands of a small crowd of billionaires. Currently 358 billionaires control 40 percent of the world's wealth.
Today our individual interactions are competitive, they are based on greed and they isolate us in relationships that are mostly economic. We are taught that money and material goods bring happiness, yet more people were happy in the '50's though we are twice as affluent now.
Living simply involves activities with family, friends, and the community. Things are done to reduce consumption and lighten the ecological impact of human beings. Sustainability in all things is a key goal. As is a return to basic human fundamentals like compassion, authenticity, community, doing what we really want to do and spirituality defined as a passion for something beyond ourselves.
Voluntary simplicity is an inclusive empowering framework allowing people to discover what is best for themselves while building a sense of moral purpose. It is a diverse movement as each individual follows a personal path.
Some common themes
- reflecting on whether your life is at a dead
end, meaning you are not doing what you really want to do.
- reevaluating your judgement of things.
- taking time for family and friends.
- changing social habits and making choices that
make the world better for all of us.
- Reducing automobile travel, meat consumption,
air travel, aiming for energy efficiency in the home, being free of TV
as much as possible.
- Buying local, buying second hand, fair trade.
- participating in simplicity circles and study
groups that engage government at the community and local level.
Philosopher Henry David Thoreau is admired by the living simply movement, though he lived simpler than most of them do. Many people involved in living simply seem to be halfway in consumer society and halfway out of it. They drive but not as much, watch less TV and so on. It is a free movement as individuals follow their own pursuits. And it is an attempt to fight alienation by bringing back family, friendship and involvement in the community.
My question would be – is living simply a genuine threat to the transnationals, or will they be selling us living simply products tomorrow?
A similar thing has happened with religion. Living simply does promote spirituality, yet spirituality and health have been packaged as a commodities for some time. Heavenly visions and eternal health exist in the perfumed nothingness and sun beams floating near the racks of vitamins and organic food at Noah's Health Food store. And we can buy spiritual improvement from ten thousand New Age sources as well as from guilt fostered by the older churches of the Great Religions.
Thoreau has always been my favourite philosopher, and that's because he didn't do anything halfway. Perhaps truly living simply would mean burying the car, tossing the TV out the window, creating a complete new circle of community and embracing spiritualist or humanist beliefs that are totally personal and not completely purchased from someone else.
I wish for a simple answer in life. There doesn't appear to be one.
Information on living simply is available from
Doug Blackburn,
416-413-9903, doug_blackburn@worldvision.ca.
web - http://www.simpleliving.net
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Green Budget Notes-
March.4.2001
By Gary Morton
Tonight Tooker Gomberg and the Free University of Toronto sponsored a public vegetarian dinner and a discussion meeting on the City of Toronto Budget Crisis. The turnout was good and a recommendation from David Melville to meet weekly was adopted.
It became clear that a lot of citizen action is beginning to take place on the budget. Other upcoming events regarding the budget were announced at the meeting..
* Ideas citizens presented tonight
Community Budget Watch begins a campaign tomorrow. They are proposing an action plan to use the next six to eight weeks to form a civic alliance for a fair share of tax revenues and to block cuts to city programs.
A spokesperson for Budget Watch told tonight's gathering the budget crisis has been manufactured through offloading. Some people have recommended the idea of a stabilization fund for the city similar to the funds used to support farming communities.
Another speaker suggested that the Healthy City Program was a proper model for coming up with budget ideas. It is a city program involving a coalition of government, community and business groups.
Porto Alegre came into the discussion as a place where delegates are sent out to get public input and priorities to create a budget. They really take it seriously, and it is a much more democratic model than the system here.
Citizens for a Safe Environment had a speaker present. They are concerned about the 1000 people dying from smog here each year. Banning private autos in the core is one solution being proposed.
City Council and the mayor were roasted
as one man accused them of complicity in creating the entire budget mess.
He doesn't place all the blame on federal and provincial downloading, but
feels that council clearly knows what is going on and does very little
to oppose it.
He continued saying that we have
done the studies and have the solutions but aren't funding them. Council
and others are looking at the budget line by line for what to cut, when
they should be looking line by line to see what parts are vision that went
into the budget for good reasons.
Recycling advocates spoke noting
that we need to make sure that the city sticks with its plan for three
new recycling plants. These plants not only cut waste, they also create
jobs and generate money for the city.
See the Waste Diversion Task Force at
http://www.city.toronto.on/taskforce2010
Methane Digesters are a green idea that also got mentioned. These plants can pay for themselves as cities can save when they buy energy from their own plants.
Use of Park Space is another issue that came up. We use it mainly for recreational space while cities like Paris run community enterprises in parks. One thing they make is honey.
In San Francisco the League of Urban
Gardeners makes honey, herb gardens, oil and other stuff in parks. It is
a system where public parks can begin to pay for themselves and not be
a burden on city budgets.
See http://www.slug-sf.org
Tooker said that the city has pissed a lot of people off with talk of cuts to everything from parks to cycling and we should get the people organized for a united fight against the cuts.
A citizen who felt we should form a citizen council or parliament followed up his recommendation.
I mentioned that city council has never issued a unified statement condemning the federal government and the province for creating Toronto's budget woes through downloading. In the absence of action from them it would be nice if our group would issue a statement condemning them all for their deeds.
Tonight's meeting makes it clear
that the public wants an alliance of citizens groups dedicated to creating
fairer and stable funding in a system made to be democratic and focussing
on public health and sustainable programs. They want fair taxation, recycling,
clean air, community programs and health dealt with in the budget process.
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Freedom for Animals Update-
Feb.26.2001
The Toronto Freedom for Animals
group met tonight and discussed issues and actions for 2001. Here's
a brief update.
McMurder's
Freedom for Animals will be protesting at the McDonald's
Eglinton and Yonge outlet on April 18th. This demonstration will involve
handing out flyers and serving veggie burgers. Animal costumes are needed.
An organizing meeting will take place March 12th at 519 Church Street from
8 to 10 p.m.
McDonald's is disliked because it
- serves junk food and promotes it as nutritious.
- exploits workers - pays low wages with no overtime pay.
- swallows land in poor nations for cattle and grain. The large-scale
meat production wastes resources. Huge quantities of grain produce a small
supply of meat. A plant-based diet with fairly shared land would create
self-sufficiency in food for the people of the planet.
- destroys rainforest land for cattle ranching.
- tortures animals as they are raised without freedom of movement or
access to fresh air and sunshine. Slaughter practices are not humane.
- damages other cultures through the creation of junk food outlets.
Out of Africa into Chains
On Saturday March 24th Freedom for Animals will protest
the Garden Brothers Circus at the SkyDome. This will happen from 1.30 to
3 p.m. at 277 Front St W at John St.
The protest will take the form of a Freedom Circus. People
are needed to hold banners, act as clowns, paint faces, leaflet, drum and
make noise, etc.
For more on Circus Cruelty see - http://www.circuses.com/
Save the Cats
Kensington Market Stray Cat Rescue will be one year old
on April 1rst and something will be planned for that date.
Web site - http://ffa.engine.ca/katweb/katframe.html
University of Torture
Other continuing campaigns are the actions against the
Bay on the fur issue and the actions against the University of Toronto
over Brain Experiments done on Conscious Monkeys.
Fur - See - http://www.furisdead.com/
Brain Experiments on Conscious Monkeys - http://universityoftorture.com/
Meeting Place
Now that the group has the basement hall at 519 Church,
plans are to use it for vegetarian cooking classes, arts and crafts, theatre,
poster making, etc.
About the Group
Freedom for Animals is a meeting place to discuss animal
rights issues and to take action by networking with animal activists locally
and worldwide … organizing events and campaigns year round.
F for A opposes any exploitation of animals, be it for
food, material, science, entertainment, sport, etc.
Contact Freedom for Animals
email - free_animals@hotmail.com
web - http://ffa.engine.ca/
Suzanne Lahaei
phone 416 596 2331
More items of interest
* On Monday March 26th Freedom for Animals meets from 7-9 p.m. at 519
Church Street.
* March 13th is the International Day of Action Against the Seal Hunt
and Freedom for Animals will leaflet at Liberal HQ at Yonge and St Mary
from noon to 1 p.m.
* Protection of Wolves web site - http://www.wolvesontario.org
* Animal Voices - animal rights show, Radio CIUT 89.5 FM, Thursdays
2 to 3 p.m.
These notes by Gary Morton
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Mayan Dreams
- Feb.24.2001
Chiapas - notes on the film and discussion "Dreams
and Words of Wisdom from the Tzotzil and Tzeltal Communities (Chiapas,
Mexico)."
Report by Gary Morton
This film played in the Annex in Toronto and it was followed by a discussion with Fernando Hernandez from Mexico and Food For Chiapas. The event was especially enlightening for people who only know of the issue from articles on the Internet.
A clear picture rises in the film of the deeply rooted and democratic indigenous culture that the forces of globalization have been trying to destroy in Chiapas. It worked to develop contrast in my mind between the capitalists of multi-national corporations and the peoples of Chiapas. Indigenous people come out of this comparison as the winners, having a rich culture and belief system.
In Chiapas the people believe in their dreams, traditional religion, culture and a relationship with the Earth. Local democracy there rises out of the community and includes all residents. The mostly Western based powers of capitalism and colonialism rise in the mind as a simple and cruel breed of people. They want indigenous cultures destroyed so they can privatize their assets, take their lands, kill culture and create societies that have only classes of consumers and cheap labour.
A strong attack began on Chiapas with the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993. Elders of the Mayan communities denounced it as a death sentence as it abolished protection for communally held native lands. Here's a quote from the 4rth Declaration of the Lacandon Rain Forest. "They want to take our land so that our feet have nothing to stand on. They want to take our history so that we and our words will be forgotten and die. They do not want Indians. They want us to be dead."
By 1994 the EZLN or Zapatista National Liberation Army had seized four towns and declared war on the Mexican Government. That was followed up with an Internet revolution. Mexico responded with US military advisors, tanks, planes, thousands of troops and paramilitary death squads. One of the worst incidents of the invasion occurred in 1997 when 46 men, women and children were massacred while praying in a church in Chiapas.
In 1996 the EZLN sat down with the Mexican government and negotiated the San Andreas Accords for Indigenous Rights and Culture. The accords are good in principle, but Fernando Hernandez says the Mexican government has failed to honour them.
The accords represent the protection of indigenous rights across the continent and across the world. Included are rights to education, health, housing, food and clothing. These rights are to be taken in traditional ways. The people of Chiapas do not want a right to education imposed by the Mexican State according to colonialism. Education must be based on local values and it must come from indigenous teachers.
A right to communication and media is contained in the accords and this means indigenous radio, TV, Internet, print media, etc. This would be a peoples media as opposed to the international corporate media of the entertainment conglomerates.
Mexico and the champions of free-trade colonialism want to impose their ideas of health. But that is rejected in Chiapas where health means the right to traditional healing and ceremonies. Housing follows a similar pattern. The people want to keep adobe houses that are cool in the summer and hot in the winter. Adobe houses are believed to carry an essence of the earth that keep the people in a relationship with the land. Western brick and prefab houses are not wanted, as they would be spiritually empty to the people of Chiapas.
The rights of women are also a major issue as women in Chiapas are challenging the beliefs imposed through colonization. Replacing them with spiritual beliefs that are in relationship with the land.
There are still 70,000 troops in Mayan territory and the threat of repression remains. Fernando Hernandez says indigenous people have key demands and they are the withdrawal of troops from Chiapas, the liberation of Zapatista prisoners and the honouring of the San Andreas Accords.
Fernando also had some advice for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that visit Chiapas. And that is to go there and participate in the culture. They don't want groups that go there and build or drop off unneeded technological gifts.
One example from Fernando was of a group that wanted to save the women of Chiapas from the traditional practice of making tortillas by hand. They dropped off a tortilla-making machine that sucked up all the power and ended up as an unused curiosity piece.
Contact Food For Chiapas
836 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario M6G 1M2
Hotline 416 410-3713
e-mail chulel@foodforchiapas.org
web http://www.foodforchiapas.org
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Facing up to the Toronto
Budget Crunch - Feb.19.2001
Gary Morton
A few city councillors showed at the meeting of the Committee on Fair City Taxes tonight.
Here's a capsule of what the four city councillors said.
Downtown gay councillor Kyle Rae (councillor_rae@city.toronto.on.ca) said that Mayor Mel Lastman has turned on councillors, attacking their wages and budgets. Since council has made large reductions since amalgamation Kyle thinks the mayor is being unfair.
Rae feels that we are being left in the dark as to what Mel Lastman and Mike Harris are up to in regards to negotiations on how to deal with the 300 million dollar city shortfall.
A key proposal of Rae's is to put together a committee of captains of industry. We then ask them to share the tax burden, telling them that the quality of life is suffering and that cuts to schooling, libraries, recreation centres and so on must not go through. He sees them as the people who support Harris and the people who can convince Harris to give the city money and the power to tax evenly.
Rae also wants to shut down the Sheppard Subway line, which he says goes from nowhere to nowhere. The province has hit us for 200 million by killing transit grants, so Rae favours telling them that we can't run it and won't run it.
Later Rae ran off to another meeting, saying he was going to save libraries from being cut.
There wasn't any discussion on the captains of industry idea, but it seemed odd to me to think they would decide to raise their own taxes. And who would be on the committee with them to advise support of city social programs?
Councillor Peter Milczcyn (councillor_milczyn@city.toronto.on.ca) of Etobicoke said the city had to fund core services. He then spoke in favour of privatization and contracting out garbage and parks services. He also wants Toronto to get a share of the gas tax, changes to Bill 140 on city taxation powers so that homeowners won't be the only people the city can tax, and a separate assessment class for small business.
Peter's privatization comments drew an attack from the gallery, and later Councillor David Miller said privatizing garbage doesn't save any money. The whole garbage budget is a small item of the whole budget and past examples of privatization showed costs increasing. Waste disposal companies amalgamate to huge international conglomerates, and when there are only a couple of them they raise their charges and make a killing on fees.
I should note that councillors generally support the four principles of Sewell's group. They are - no more cuts in 2001, changes to Bill 140, fair commercial property taxes and that the feds and the province return a portion of the surplus.
Councillor Michael Walker (councillor_walker@city.toronto.on.ca) is angered by the province. He says taxation without representation is not democracy, and he wants us to get out from under Mike Harris' yoke. Walker feels that the city must have taxation powers and get a share of the five billion dollars being exported out of this city every year.
Michael said that great cities invest in their people - that means childcare, social housing, libraries, dental programs for children and seniors, lunch programs and so on. His words were harsh when it came to the Olympics - he wonders how all levels of government can spend billions in public money on the waterfront when libraries are being closed and user fees are being placed on everything that moves. He accused politicians of abandoning the people while funding a bunch of speculators and developers that will make a killing on the waterfront.
Councillor David Miller (councillor_miller@city.toronto.on.ca) said that we'll see the cuts in peoples' teeth when dental programs are chopped. He also had a chart that he displayed - it showed revenues for the feds and the province going sky high while the city remained at the same level of funding as in 1992.
Miller also criticized the mayor for spending 500 million on the waterfront when city programs are facing a crunch. He said that behind this budget crunch is a massive push by the Harris Government to cut people programs in the City of Toronto. The Tories do not like social programs, and this is a plan of theirs to get rid of them.
To conclude - there seems to be a lot of wishful thinking going on. John Sewell wishes the feds would give us moneq. Everyone wishes the province would be fair. Yet the truth is that the province is pushing the whole deal to cut our social programs. They aren't going to be fair and cuts and tax increases will go through.
Near the end I saw David Miller and asked him what would be cut. His answer was that they were working on a plan to stave off the cuts for a couple years. I also mentioned that cutting Target Policing could save the most money. It is policing that doesn't fight crime and no one would care if it got eliminated. Miller's answer was that some councillors are working on that idea.
John Sewell had a good point when he mentioned that this council has never acted in solidarity and issued a statement that points to the province as the root of the problem.
It does seem clear to me that to get anywhere council has to do that. The current strategy where the mayor and councillors scrap over which of them is to blame is not working. Massive public money is being used to line the pockets of international investors and corporations. Governments are killing off all investment in the people that pay them their taxes.
Tenants, taxpayers, councillors,
the mayor, unions and all city groups have to organize to fight the province.
Otherwise we can't win this one. Councillors have to start working to unite
the city because that is what must be done if we are to really face up
to the Toronto budget crunch.
--------
Bay Fur Protest -
Sat.Feb.17.2001
The Freedom for Animals group picketed and petitioned against fur at the Bay today. The Bay was selected for the protest because of its historical background as a trapping company.
Here is some info on fur and cruelty to animals in the trade.
- Animals on fur farms spend their entire lives confined to tiny, filthy cages, constantly pacing back and forth from stress and boredom.
- Some fur animals are killed by anal or vaginal electrocution. Animals killed by electrocution experience the intense pain of a heart attack while still alive. A fur farmer in Maryland killed minks by injecting them with insecticide, causing them to convulse for up to 10 minutes until death. Other killing methods include gassing and suffocation. Trappers usually strangle, beat, or stomp them to death. Some animals are only stunned and may be skinned alive.
- Animals can languish in traps for days. Up to 1 out of every 4 trapped animals escapes by chewing off his or her own feet, only to die later from blood loss, fever, gangrene, or predation.
- Every year, thousands of dogs, cats, raptors, and other so-called "trash" animals (including endangered species like the bald eagle) are crippled or killed by traps.
- Approximately 3.5 million fur-bearing animals--raccoons, coyotes, bobcats, lynxes, opossums, beavers, otters, and others--are killed each year for their fur by trappers in the U.S. Another 2.7 million animals are raised on fur "farms."
More info see - People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals
http://www.furisdead.com/
Animal Rights Meetings Toronto - Freedom for
Animals
free_animals@hotmail.com
phone 416 596 2331
Group meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month
7-9 pm at 519 Church Street Community Centre at Wellesley.
This report by Gary Morton
--------
FTAA - Opposing it Every
Day - Sat.Feb.17.2001
(Brief notes on Free Trade Across the Americas
- Responding to the Human, Environmental & Spiritual Threat)
By Gary Morton
Toronto: Let me begin with a couple of personal observations. There is much talk about the FTAA deal being undemocratic, which has led some groups to ask whether there is any democracy in the first place. In Canada, especially Toronto, we need a new explanation of democracy.
Politicians at the local level, provincial level and federal level will not engage in any meaningful dialogue on strengthening democracy. Steps to erode the democratic system have been taken at all three levels.
Democracy here is now an underground movement of the people. With no hope of reforming the system, citizens are keeping democracy alive in the social justice movement by turning their own meetings, gatherings and affinity groups into circles of democracy that allow everyone to participate, speak and vote.
At today's meeting Anna Dashtgard said there are meetings every day in Toronto as we approach the late April Quebec City FTAA summit. Nearly all of these are openly democratic. They include just about every politically oriented group and individual in the province, and that's a heck of a lot of people power mobilizing to create the anti-Globalization forces as the Canadian movement for democracy.
The liberal government in Ottawa and intelligence groups like CSIS are only reacting by preparing a huge police response. Much of it focussed on anarchists and people they see as international agitators. They are not at all prepared for the huge and growing Canadian movement against the FTAA.
A lot of activity will take place at local levels here, especially through people who can't get to Quebec and older people who are afraid to go because of the police threat. And even the police threat is muted by the fact that many of those attending will have been trained in non-violent direct action.
If things continue at this pace the anti-FTAA campaign will be the largest Canadian political movement since Quebec separatism.
Today's meeting at the Quaker Friends House was addressed by Anna Dashtgard (Common Front on the WTO) and John Dillon (Ecumenical Coalition for Economic Justice). A video "Bye Bye World" was shown.
An early announcement from people present revealed that
Canadian Parliament is debating releasing the draft FTAA text. The Bloc
Quebecois has moved a motion asking for the draft of the FTAA to be brought
before parliament. The motion will be voted on next Tuesday night, February
20,2001. Meetings are being held to organize a blitz of Members of Parliament
and to fill the public gallery in Ottawa.
Contact the Canadian Federal Gov - http://www.interlog.com/~cjazz/pol.htm
Here are a few rough notes from Anna's talk.
A Biblical comparison
Day One - In the beginning the Word was Globalization.
Day Two - The organizations of globalization - The World Trade Organization,
The World Bank, The International Monetary Fund and so on were created.
Day Three - The agreements of globalization were created - GATTS, MAI,
NAFTA, FTAA and so on.
Day Four - The new laws and regulations became active and governments
were sued for attempting to protect their citizens from the bad effects
of the agreeements.
Day Five - Secret panels of bureaucrats were created to rule on the
laws of nations.
Day Six - The air was poisoned, the water was polluted. People saw
their loved ones and children dying and their voting power traded away.
Day Seven - The people revolted.
Like every other speaker, Anna notes that the big winners in the FTAA will be multinational corporations and investors.
The FTAA fits as a key piece in a jigsaw puzzle of agreements. Its part of the picture is an extension of NAFTA to 34 other countries and 800 million people. NAFTA features clauses that hand national powers away to investors and corporations. The FTAA will enhance these clauses and apply them to services. This introduces them for the WTO and GATTS (Agreement on Trade and Services).
Only the military and banking will be excluded, meaning every form of business including things like health care, agriculture, education and public utilities will be open to privatization and ownership and control by transnational corporations that can sue any government that opposes them.
The FTAA is a Beast that will privatize and own every aspect of our lives.
In John's talk he pointed out that the FTAA will cover 800 million people. 150 million people will be consumers that provide a market for increased profits, while 650 million people will be a pool of cheap labour earning less than subsistence wages.
The reason for so many of these international free trade agreements is that corporations and investors want the system set up so that if they can't win what they want in one sphere, they can win it in another.
John points out that the biggest losers under NAFTA were the peasant farmers in Mexico. They lost their farms and were turned into 2-dollar-a-day slum workers. Currently under NAFTA, the majority of children in Mexico are suffering physical and mental problems.
Trade figures under NAFTA do look rosy but transnational corporations are the ones profiting. The Federal Government in Canada is talking about a democracy clause for the FTAA, but read the fine print. The devil will be in the details and the fine words in the preamble won't stand up in court.
Protesters in Quebec City in April will be creating a Freedom and Truth Area of the Americas as a sort of safe zone from corporate and government lies.
A couple key notes from the video "Bye Bye World".
- For every dollar of Global Trade there are a hundred
dollars of costs for Third World Nations.
- By the year 2025 two thirds of the world's population
will be in total or partial water deprivation. Global agreements are depleting
our supplies of clean water that quickly.
--------
The END - There should be a future for everyone, yet the FTAA and multinational corporations will leave 650 million people without a future. They will be the starving, the dying, the poisoned - a world of the walking wounded.
The FTAA does create a limited future for profits and people
labelled consumers. But that future only lasts until our resources are
depleted and the paper economy burns.
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Toronto Budget - The Humanist
Perspective
(Lastman's New Deal a Dark Global Game)
report by Gary Morton - Feb 15.2001
A circle of citizens discussed the city budget tonight at the Humanist Neighbourhood Centre. Mayor Mel Lastman is hailing this budget as a New Deal, but the actual facts coming out from citizens reveal the whole process as a Dirty Deal from the Dark Side of Globalization.
The meeting began with a talk from Karren and Stefan. They are local residents affiliated with a number of social justice, community and planning groups. A general group discussion, questions and answers followed. Here is a capsule of Karren and Stefan's message.
The people that really run City Hall have used the notion of a financial crisis as a tool or weapon against low-income people, people of colour, workers, etc.
Mayor Mel Lastman says he wants to protect Our City and Our Quality of Life, but whose quality of life is he really protecting?
Wage freezes, privatization, user fees and cuts to city social programs and services are not a protection of our quality of life. Privatization at the city level lowers the wages of those who are near the bottom. User fees hurt the poor and cuts to city programs, libraries and recreation centres hurt us all.
Citizens that want to defend the city, but not Lastman's definition of the city are presented with a real challenge.
A New York Strategy is being followed in Toronto. Its highest goal is to open the city for big business, investors and high paid professional workers. The strategy (called Competitiveness) is to subordinate all planning and financial decisions to the priorities of the Masters. They want business taxes kept low, public workers chopped and laid off and the general transformation of city government into a form of private business. Planning controls are to be deregulated so real estate investors can invest wherever they want. Massive public funds are being spent to open areas of the city to real estate development and transnational investors. This is especially apparent with Olympic and Waterfront development.
The city likes to talk about Diversity Management, saying diversity is our strength. They want to put the public relations focus on gays, Carribana and other cultural items to promote the city. Yet this does not go hand in hand with support for equity. The city equity and access committee has no power.
Poverty rates for non-whites are much higher in this city, but there isn't any willingness on the part of city government to deal with racial inequality. The mayor and council will not take on the issue.
There is a focus on attracting tourists, and a final dimension is law and order. The police budget has grown astronomically and is the largest budget item. Yet most of the new money is not used to fight crime, it is used to promote social injustice.
Target policing is used to attack people who are not seen as competitive. Council's idea of a Clean City means arresting poor, homeless and other people that the elite views as Human Garbage. Policing is used as a mechanism to avoid dealing with the root causes of poverty and to hide that poverty so tourists and the well-heeled won't have to cope with the injustice they create.
It all ties in with a shift in the outlook of the Bay Street Elite. They used to see Toronto as the heartland of Canada. Now they see this city as being part of the big Global Game.
The federal government and the province have taken the same view. There isn't a national housing policy, transit policy or social policy. In the area of development, the Harris government has made it impossible for municipal governments to regulate it.
As corporate lobbying continues to increase at the city level discussion has moved to areas that were considered frightening by politicians in the past. They talk about across the board privatization without fear. Open speeches about deep cutbacks to major social programs have become acceptable. Declaring tax increases for homeowners are now just easy words for politicians.
Perhaps Mel Lastman wants to call
this a New Deal - but after hearing the talk at the humanist meeting, I'm
convinced that it isn't a deal at all. The people of this city are being
ripped off. They're taking our money, our democracy. They're creating low
income workers in a city that's too expensive for that, and in the end
they're putting us on the street to be swept up as Human Garbage. If it’s
a Global Game we don't need it. Let's start thinking Local.
--------
The City Budget will be dealt with in committees at city hall all of next week - 19th to 23rd of February. Citizens should attend these meetings. The various committees are being told to recommend cuts so that they will look like the bad guys. The general citizen assessment of council is that councillors will make little deals and vote as Lastman lap dogs. None of them have the guts to fight for Toronto.
Some Budget Info
The total amount of the city budget
is 5.5 to 6 billion dollars. 2.7 billion of the money comes from property
tax. The rest is from the province, user fees, development charges and
so on. The city budget pays for things like firefighters, police, libraries,
parks, welfare workers, the TTC, child care, social housing, social assistance,
some dentistry programs for seniors and children, public health, child
nutrition, rent supplements, subsidies to private business and development
projects like the waterfront and Olympics, transition expenses and so on.
This year downloading from the Federal Government and the Provincial Government has put a squeeze on Toronto. The shortfall is more than 300 million dollars. It is fake crisis to a certain extent because Toronto is taxed and taken every year and 4 billion dollars goes out to the province and the feds that is not returned in services.
The city government doesn't have the power to change things on the larger scale so it is making cuts in the city budget. Yet these cuts and the addition of users fees are not being done in a fair way. User fees will increase from a total of 10 million to about 25 million, and user fees are unfair as increases in recreation programs and TTC fares take a bigger bite out of the pockets of low-income people. These increases are also coming at time when rents have gone up a lot - 26 percent from 1995 to 2000. At the same time, wages for the lowest income people have fallen, even though this is supposed to be an economic boom.
100 million for Waterfront Development
or Olympic spending is budgeted, yet there will be things like cuts to
community centres. A ceiling of 650 million is to be put on the capital
budget and that will mean cuts to city libraries, etc.
--------
The Humanists will be meeting again next week and soon they will be going out in the neighbourhood to take a message on the budget to the people.
Feb 22 - Humanize Toronto Presents
Have a Say in the Budget: An Experiment in Real
Democracy
Want to find out what's going on with money matters
at City Hall and how you can have a say?
On Thursday, February 22, at 7:30 pm, join us
at the Humanist Movement Neighbourhood Centre, 197 Harbord Street (just
east of Bathurst). Free.
Call 416-533-3507 or email humanizetoronto@canada.com
for more info.
HUMANIZE TORONTO: Human Rights,Environment,Real
Democracy.
A project of the Humanist Movement.
Visit an alternative at http://www.web.net/hto
email r.verdecchia@home.com
--------
Report on the Memorial
Rally for Otto Vass - Feb.9.2001
(Police killings and brutality in Toronto)
Heavy cloud cover filtered the light to leaden gloom and on the other side of the road at the 7-Eleven a crowd held picket signs, umbrellas and lit candles in the drizzle. As I walked into the parking lot Anna Willats of the Committee to Stop Targeted Policing was saying, "The police anti-gang squad is the gang we have to watch out for." She also had a few words to say about 52 Division police and their hiring of strippers. Anna says police hire them, rape them and get away with it.
I looked around but I didn't see any police at this rally, and none showed at the march that began a few minutes later. Personal speculation was to the effect that I hadn't seen visible police or undercover men at a number of recent FTAA rallies either, so their new tactics must be to either bug people or pay informers in the movement for info.
The thrust of this rally was to put on a strong memorial for Otto Vass while reminding ourselves and the public of police killings, brutality, racism, Target Policing and attacks on the lesbian and gay community. Following the brief opening remarks, that spirit was maintained as organizers led the crowd out onto Landsdowne and took over the road for a long and angry public march down to P.A.R.C. at 1499 Queen St. West.
Rainwater and slush slicked city gutters that are the new graves of poverty, brutality and globalization, and there wasn't any twilight, just the descending murk of a megacity evening. A number of boisterous chants rang out as the march moved on - No Justice No Peace, No Racist Police - Who Killed Otto Vass, The Police Killed Otto Vass - Not Enough Justice, Too Many Police….
At Queen Street the banner and pickets went out and blocked heavy traffic as we walked the final couple of blocks to P.A.R.C. We then went inside for a continuation of the memorial, and Bob Rose began things by telling us that P.A.R.C. is a gathering spot for psychiatric survivors and people involved in issues of homelessness and poverty. It is a large tabled hall in the downstairs portion, and the art of survivors makes up the décor.
A strong turnout filled this hall, so it appears that Otto Vass has no shortage of friends in 2001.
Dudley Laws of the Black Action Defence Committee moderated the memorial at P.A.R.C. He said that those present probably all knew someone murdered by Toronto Police, and even if we have to march a thousand times we'll bring the police in line.
A song by Brian followed - Free Mumia Abu Jamal and later Dudley led the crowd in a singalong.
Huge posters of Stephen Cann, a former Vice Principal of York Memorial High School, were very visible in the hall. Stephen committed suicide after being beaten in his home by a Toronto police officer.
There were a number of speakers, then later anyone in the crowd who felt like speaking got up to talk.
Joyce Riettie of the Justice for Otto Vass Committee had a message from the family of Otto Vass. She noted that family, witnesses and loved ones of those who have been killed or brutalized by the police are not offered the support that victims of crime get. They are not helped through their trauma and grief. Nothing is done about the loss and psychological damage.
This situation may change as the Justice for Otto Vass Committee has the Special Investigations Unit and the Justice Department together at meetings, discussing bringing in supports.
Danielle announced that a memorial for Edmond Yu will be held on February 20th at 12 noon in Grange Park Toronto. The Four Police Officers charged in the Death of Otto Vass will be in court that same day, February 20th. Supporters are urged to gather at 8.30 am at the court house steps of Old City Hall at Bay and Queen then go into Room 111.
Other speakers included Michelle Monk of Bloor West Against the FTAA and Carol Thames of the Women's Bath House Committee. Michelle noted that globalization has created a polarization of Haves and Have-nots in society, and that police are now used to enforce and maintain the status of those in power. Police no longer represent justice, law or the prevention of crime. Carol stated that police now target every community, even whites, and no one is safe unless they have money.
I believe it was Maria Judas (not sure of the name) a friend of the Vass family, who said that charges against police in the death of Otto Vass should have been 2nd degree murder and not manslaughter. She also felt that the Special Investigations Unit needs improvement … of 1521 cases reported to it charges have been laid in only 44 cases. Earlier Pedro of the Latin American Coalition Against Racism pointed out that the SIU is not an independent body but made up of former police officers. So we must continue to push for a fully independent body.
Pedro also said that Otto Vass was never able to get up to fight back against police so we must fight for him.
Near the end a touching poem called "A Father's Love" was dedicated to Otto Vass.
Report by Gary Morton
Background info from the flyer
February 9 marks six months since
the tragic slaying of Otto Vass. On the morning of August 9, 2000, Otto
Vass visited the 7-Eleven at College and Lansdowne in Toronto. For reasons
unknown, police were called and Otto was escorted peacefully outside. After
further discussions with the police, witnesses say Vass was thrown to the
ground and beaten for four to five minutes - first by two Toronto Police,
then by four of them. Otto never recovered, he died on the spot.
Otto was not wanted by police, nor
was he in commission of a crime - and according to all civilian witnesses
- he presented no danger to the police or community. An eyewitness said,
"They were beating him worse than an animal ... He wasn't fighting back
at all."
On Wednesday October 25, 2000 -
after considerable public outcry, including demonstrations and rallies
- the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), brought charges of manslaughter
against the four officers - Robert LeMaitre, Phillip Duncan, Nam-Nhat Le,
and Filippo Bevilacqua.
But we know that this is only half
the battle. Time and again, police charged in the killing of civilians
have been acquitted. In the wake of Otto's death, a grass roots citizens
committee has been formed, determined to keep up the pressure to win justice
for Otto and his family.
The Justice for Otto Vass Committee demands
- Protection of Witnesses
- An end to Target Policing
- A Federal Inquiry into the state of policing
in Ontario
- The implementation of the recommendations of
Coroner's Juries in police killings.
Phone: 416-656-2232
E-mail:
justiceforotto@hotmail.com
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Taxation Vexation -
Monday February 5.2001
(Report on the public meeting of citizens and
the Committee for Fair City Taxes)
by Gary Morton
This meeting on the Harris Government's tax rip-off of Toronto residents became an interesting event due to diversity of opinion and a bit of passion that came out later.
When I first walked into the Council Chambers at Toronto City Hall, I saw a pacified crowd. The most interesting sight being tenant activist Bob Levitt protesting John Sewell's failure to address the tenant issue. Levitt feels that repealing Harris' Bill 140 would mean tenants would be targeted for more taxes. Tenants have about half the income of homeowners and nearly four times as much in property tax, added in as part of rent. The Committee for Fair City Taxes has some good points but is really a yuppie group according the Levitt.
The key members of the committee were down at the front and came across as factual and respectable. The audience was of a different description. There were people with assessment increases of 20 percent, 50 percent - apparently the highest is 150 percent. On average, increases to a property tax bill here are around 3,000 dollars yearly.
Councillor Olivia Chow gave an address on the proposed city cuts of 120 million. Currently the city is suggesting that 32,000 children and seniors have their dental care cut off. Prenatal care for homeless teens would also be chopped. Seniors Services for 78,500 low-income seniors would die and there would also be cuts in public health programs. 32 libraries will close and 23 community centres and recreation programs for youths will shut down. There will also be a TTC fare hike and bus routes will be eliminated.
Olivia points out that 305 million has been cut from city departments since the creation of megacity. User fees are all up and 2,000 people were fired in staff reductions.
Her solution is to reverse the downloading to reclaim 180 million in lost TTC subsidies, 72 million in provincial downloading and 34 million in social housing costs for a total of 286 million.
She points out that 9.6 million would be raised from a 1 percent increase in residential taxes. If the province would allow the increase to cover residential and commercial properties, 25 million would be raised from a 1 percent increase.
Liberal MPP Mike Colle walked down to the mike asking why everyone was so docile. His point being that we are being ripped off by Harris and are sitting back and taking it.
Mike noted that a basic inequality exists in the area of commercial taxes. These taxes are 100 percent higher in Toronto than those in Barrie and 438 percent higher than those in Parry Sound. Yet education taxes are supposed to be equal. We'll pay 200 million more this year for education.
This is a democracy issue because the tax rate is not debated publicly but decided behind closed doors by Mike Harris. It is taxation without representation and the issue is not the city it is the province of Ontario.
Toronto is the only city in the world that accepts the idea of paying for social services through property taxes. And Mike Colle sees this as a Tory occupation of the city. They have taken over so than can deliver us unjust taxation.
Mike Colle wants citizens to make a 5-minute deputation at an upcoming Public Hearing called Downloading and the Survival of our Cities. This will be at room 151 in the Legislative Building at Queen's Park, Toronto. 9.30 am to 4 pm Thursday February 8, 2001. Call 416 325 8707
John Sewell says Harris' Bill 140 allows the finance minister to create the tax formula, and the current formula increases taxes only on single family homes, co-ops, etc. Not all of the property taxes go to the city. 33 percent of the money goes to the province. In the area of commercial taxes 55 percent goes to the province.
John Sewell's four-point plan is
to
1. Protect City Services.
2. Support a general tax increase for all property
owners.
3. Support the idea of the province taxing commercial
properties in Toronto at the same rate as properties in the surrounding
area.
4. Recover some of the tax surplus generated
in Toronto.
A number of people were involved in the question and answer session. I asked John Sewell why he didn't call for a tax strike, instead of putting forward a four-point plan no one would notice. His reply was that people are afraid to withhold taxes.
Tooker Gomberg wanted to know why city councillors did not attend the meeting. His view is that we start with things we want when dealing with a city budget. We all want proper health care, homes for all, recycling, composting, etc.
He feels the money is there. The 300 million shortfall can easily be found in the 4 billion being sucked out of Toronto every year.
On the four points, Tooker says we need a whole lot more. Let's have a committee figure out how to go ahead with a tax strike. Maybe the city could find a way to shut off the water at Queen's Park, or to drastically increase the Queen's Park electric bill.
Dick Troy of C4LD favoured stopping construction of Mel Lastman's Sheppard Subway and killing funding for the Olympics.
Pat McKendry wanted people to speak for cuts to the police budget. The money saved could be put in for social services.
In the end Sewell called on the group to attend the meeting of the city policy and finance committee on Feb 15th.
MPP Mike Colle called that a waste of time and Tooker said he would support actions at Queen's Park. Arguing about cuts to various departments and services isn't a good strategy from Mike's perspective. He feels the problem has to be dealt with at the source and he was critical of city councillors that got elected on liberal and NDP tickets so they could act like Tories when in office.
"Appeasement rules the day around here," Mike said as he walked away from City Hall.
So in the end we have more than one
movement on the tax issue, with one group focussing on the city and the
rest of us headed for Queen's Park to battle Mike Harris.
---------
Related web site http://www.faircitytaxes.org
--------
Anti-Nike Action- Feb.3.2001
Students Against Sweatshops held
a demo today at the NIKE store, Bloor Street Toronto. There was a strong
turnout and a crowd of mostly young women with picket signs walked in a
circle at the front. Others handed out flyers.
The action was one of many in North
America to support the demands of fired and striking workers at the Kuk-Dong
factory in Atlixco, Mexico.
NIKE sweatshirts for the university
market are produced there, and recently 800 workers walked off the job.
This was after the leaders of a union were fired. The company and the Mexican
government sought to maintain a fake union while disallowing the one legitimately
forming.
Riot police led by the leader of
the company union rushed in with an attack so vicious that 15 people went
to hospital and 200 of the workers decided not to return to work.
Conditions in the factory include
rotting cafeteria food, a 50-hour week at low wages, punishment by blows
to the head and full time child labour.
To protest contact Nike president Phil Knight
vada.manager@nike.com
Mexican President Vincente Fox
vicente@fox2000.org.mx
Students Against Sweatshops-Toronto
sas-toronto@yahoogroups.com
sas-c@tao.ca
---------
FTAA - Canadian Nationalists
Tackle Globalization -
Jan.30.2001
(Free Trade Area of the Americas article)
By Gary Morton
There were two large meetings in Toronto tonight on globalization issues. Tooker Gomberg for the Greens and Dwight Lyons of GeneAction addressed the International Socialists. The meeting being titled OUR WORLD IS NOT FOR SALE: FTAA & How Capitalism Destroys the Planet. I was supposed to attend this first meeting, and the reason I didn't make it is interesting.
Last night I camped out with Tooker at City Hall. This was to support the homeless down there. In the end I froze my feet, and because of soreness didn't want to travel to the socialist meeting.
Homelessness in Canada is an effect of globalization policies. Housing has been downloaded to the City of Toronto, and the city is deeply in debt due to forced municipal amalgamation, another globalization policy.
Negative policies continue to accelerate. In the morning after our campout, Ontario's Grand Wizard for the globalization mob, Premier Mike Harris, sent two of his men down for a press conference. Their announcement to the media was to the effect that Toronto has no debt problem. Their solution being that we sell off all of our assets. Currently Harris' provincial government skims 5 billion dollars off of Toronto taxpayers every year - money that doesn't come back.
I did attend the second meeting, called FTAA, GATS, THE BANK ACT with Paul Hellyer & others. This was put on by Jean Smith and People Against the MAI and it was around the corner from where I live.
I ended up walking in with Paul Hellyer and here is some background on him. He used to be a liberal and in the federal government. At that time he worked to create a national housing policy. The same housing policy that the forces of globalization have killed. Paul is now head of the Canadian Action Party, which is composed of economic nationalists. They oppose neo liberalism and are to the left of Canada's major political parties. CAP, the Greens and the New Democrats pose the only opposition to globalization here at the federal level. There is some opposition in the Conservative Party through David Orchard.
Hellyer said, "A world without borders is like a zoo without cages."
Here is a capsule of his talk.
He says we just came out of an unwanted election with an unwanted result, and he finds no comfort in today's federal level throne speech. It was 59 minutes of platitudinous fluff. It reveals that our government is determined to sell our sovereignty and unless we change course there will soon be no Canada. It is self evident that we are losing our country. Since Free Trade came in 23, 000 companies have been sold off and the sellout is increasing exponentially.
We lose five or six companies a week and the research and development and other good things that come from having Canadian based companies. This erodes the tax base as foreign companies pay less tax.
Issues we must fight together are the FTAA and WTO changes that are almost as alarming. If we don't stop the trend to globalization for-profit health care and education will have open season here. All of the banks will fall under foreign control - and that is happening now with the bank act the liberals have created. Open agriculture will completely destroy our family farms and way of life. We will be dependent on foreign corporations for financing, food, seeds and so on.
We are about two years away from the point of no return. Then we will face annexation as global powers take over. The Canadian flag may remain for another fifteen years or so but it will have no meaning.
Hellyer wants to force debate on these issues in the House of Commons. And he feels we need to unite the opposition into a new political party (a prince or princess in waiting as he calls it) that will form a credible alternative to the liberals. The new party would oppose globalization and understand monetary theory.
He also feels that we should continue to pursue legal challenges on all fronts to block globalization and pursue the political challenge and get these issues before the Canadian people. First making sure that they understand that these agreements are not about trade, they are about investment that favours global corporations.
Christine Ellwell of the Sierra Club of Toronto also spoke and she noted that the club here is focussing strictly on the Peoples Summit and alternative workshops with people from all of the nations involved in the FTAA. The Sierra Club is calling for submissions so they can build a peoples case for environmental protection in all venues.
Christine also noted that the powers behind the FTAA are a very closed group. Very little effort has been made to co-op NGOs. There are very few NGO reps invited to the FTAA meetings.
It seems to fit the pattern. Paul Hellyer says the FTAA is an Arctic to Antarctic agreement that will work to remove democratic decision making in all of the nations included.
Contact:
Jean Smith and People Against the MAI
416-535-6605 jsmith@chem.utoronto.ca
and protest the FTAA in Quebec on April 20-23rd.
--------------
Non-Violent Direct Action
Training
(as applied to the FTAA and elsewhere)
Saturday January 27th 2001
Matthew Behrens of Homes not Bombs and Toronto Action for Social Change facilitated a six-hour Non-Violent Direct Action Training course to a small group at Toronto City Hall today. Participants were from the Gene Action group, which is planning non-violent actions, mostly against supermarket chains on the Genetically Modified Food issue.
Matthew mentioned that FTAA protesters would be getting similar courses for the Quebec action, taught by him and others. His particular course covers all areas from organizing to bail and court. I'm not going to attempt to write a 50-page document covering it all. This write-up is just on a few key points.
You shouldn't be out there protesting without a reason, and Behrens arrives with printouts of philosophical tracts on protest and social justice. Essays and quotes from Thoreau, Zinn, Deats and others.
We did briefly discuss the FTAA organizing and Matthew's opinion on that was somewhat different from some of the main protest organizers. In a 'Brief Report on the from Protest to Resistance' rally held by OCAP/ARA in Toronto, I note that FTAA organizing groups CLAC and CASA say that they do not decide or say what actions are acceptable and what actions are not. Jaggi Singh (jaggi@tao.ca) says a diversity of tactics and solidarity with various groups is needed - a sort of Unity through Diversity thing. On the question - should we be violent or non-violent? One speaker at that meeting said, By any means necessary. This is the first stage of a revolution. We go all the way this time. We don't want anything from the federal government. We want a whole new society. No reforms, we want to wipe this corrupt system out of existence. People are fighting because they have no choice. They are fighting to survive ….
Matthew Behrens had a different position on that. He believes in unity but also that everyone in the movement attending the protest has a right to know exactly what actions will be taken and which groups may be rougher in their tactics than others. Accountability, and how accountability is addressed is a question when some groups plan openly and others plan clandestinely. Diversity of tactics is fine, but everyone has a right to know what to expect, otherwise the actions of one group might negatively impact on another. Matthew favours a tight affinity group model, where every person plays a role. Affinity groups are the many small satellite groups that make up larger groups at a protest action. In these groups everyone is assigned a different task. There might be artists, a media spokesperson, people with medical training, a person off the protest site who holds contact sheets in order to aid those who are jailed, and so on.
CLAC and CASA also support the affinity group model. The opposing model would be large protest groups commanded by a few leaders. Such groups are easily infiltrated by police agents and misdirected. Large poorly organized groups might decide to fight, but they will not survive.
On the question of revolution and going all the way, I noted that the problem we have in areas like the FTAA, Capitalist Free Trade or even Genetically Modified Foods is that the masses either don't fully understand the issues or else they have been brainwashed by the media. There will not be any revolution or any change of attitude unless our message gets through to the masses. A bunch of desperate people trashing things in Quebec will not necessarily get that message through, and they will not kick start any revolution, they will just get beat up by the police. Real strategy means changing the views of the public at large so we can organize them and free the world. The question is how to do that?
So you might say that a large part of what is called diversity of tactics in the protest movement is really an argument over what constitutes violence and whether violence is at all acceptable. And violence isn't always vandalism. There are people at large protests that are violently non-violent and want to pick fights with those using tactics they do not approve of.
Here are a few tips from Matthew.
If you sit you won't be trampled by police horses. The animals will go around you, and when they walk up close you can touch their legs gently with your hand to guide them away.
Pepper spray - Don't use soap or oils or other stuff that absorbs chemicals. There is a special soap that removes oil from the skin, and you can use it before protesting. Wear clothes that will repel chemicals not absorb them and carry a bottle of water with you. Wash pepper spray from the eyes, skin and hair with cold water. Don't take a hot shower as that will open the pores and put you in pain. Some medical people use cottons and mineral oil to swab pepper spray off the skin bit by bit.
There are a number of tactics you can use to avoid being physically hurt when police arrest you, cuff you and drag you off. You must attend the course to learn them and the long arguments on legal stuff and jail. Matthew says that you can't prepare yourself for jail, it is always upsetting. He recommended sitting in a closed toilet stall for an hour to get the idea of the agonizing boredom. Also understand that police are going to lie to you all of the time that you are in there.
On withholding your identity - Matthew says Canada is different from the USA. If you won't give your name as part of a jail solidarity action they simply hold you in custody until such a time as you do. Some release conditions might be softened due to group pressure.
Police at protests expect you to behave in certain ways. Protesters who use original and unexpected non-violent tactics throw the police off, leaving them confused as to what to do. So be original and don't just chant and do everything they expect.
The course also involved some practice in arguing with authority figures, and acting out a demonstration. I played the role of a police officer to get an idea of how police feel. It was not how I expected to feel and we found that male and female police have different motivations.
Police and the establishment divide protesters into four categories - Opportunists, Radicals, Idealists and Realists. Their strategy over time is to isolate the radicals and turn the idealists into realists. Realists will make tradeoffs that weaken the movement, and the opportunists will accept the final policy decisions.
Which of the four are you and at what stage?
And that's about it for this article …. 'nuff said.
This report by Gary Morton for the http://citizensontheweb.com
FTAA page.
http://www.interlog.com/~cjazz/ftaa.htm
Contact Homes not Bombs
Matthew Behrens
416 651 5800
email tasc@web.ca
--------
Brief Report on from Protest to Resistance-
Toronto
Jan.25th, 2001
A Radical Look at the Free Trade Area of the
Americas (FTAA).
This event was put on by Anti-Racist Action Toronto, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and FTAA protest organizers. About 200 people showed to hear a number of speakers, see some short films and answer a few questions in regards to the upcoming FTTA protest in Quebec April 19 to 23.
Since media outlets seem to be phoning me every day looking to contact people mentioned on my web site, I have kept the list of speakers and contact info at the bottom of this post. Perhaps some reporters will read this and be inspired to write something different in Quebec in April.
Here are my rough notes, put out as a long a list of bites. They are not quotations or as accurate or eloquent as the original words. They cover some of the ideas expressed and the gist of them is that groups like the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, Anti-Racist Action, Colors of Resistance, The Anti-Capitalist Convergence, and Summit of the Americas Welcoming Committee don't hold the same beliefs as globalization protesters.
… The State can't be relied on to negotiate global agreements because the State is designed to protect corporations….
… Anti-Racist Action does not follow the economic nationalist line. (* They see the dangers in nationalism and racism that emerges from it.)
… ARA supporters favour international trade based on the local physical nature of the world's people … with workers gaining the full benefits of their labour.
… ARA supporters believe we must simultaneously fight racism and capitalism.
… Fernando of Food for Chiapas mentioned how many groups go to Chiapas to help them. Doing things like installing toilets or something then leaving without ever attending ceremonies or participating in the culture. He says the people of Chiapas don't want help, they want people who come and stay and understand….
… Chiapas is considered a key example of a people fighting against the powers of a corrupt global system.
… Sue said that in Toronto every single night 5000 people bed down on
pavement. We know damn well that globalization is here.
She also mentioned OCAP trying to help a tenant being
evicted for being two months behind in rent. He killed himself before they
got to him. Then there was a woman named Amina, whose two daughters were
sent back by our government to face female circumcision and desolation
in a country with no social supports. Enforcement officers took Amina into
custody and left her five children alone and watching. She also mentioned
Mohawks, and their struggle to toss the structures of the Canadian government
like bridges and towers off of their land. All the above is globalization
to Sue, and she says - That is what we are Fighting.
Sue says Premier Mike Harris has turned Ontario into a
major force of globalization, and OCAPs presence in Quebec will also be
about targeting and taking out the Ontario Government. Quebec will be used
as an organizing and planning ground for what comes next.
… The FTAA will further victimize 500 million people of colour in South America.
… Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) fail to address white supremacy. They like to mention that we are losing citizen power and democracy at a time when democracy doesn't really exist anyway.
… There is systematic oppression based on class, race, etc. Cheap labour and globalization are the same thing.
… There has been an increase in overt racist acts … tip of a growing iceberg of racism stemming from polarization … marginalization of the poor and refugees.
… Capitalism not globalization is the real problem … we need a broad multiracial movement truly aimed at taking out global capitalism….
…. Helene says police in Quebec have engaged in a six-month campaign of threats and intimidation. Police announce new security measures daily. The RCMP knocks on the door of every organizer and activist. The fear campaign is intended to scare the people of Quebec and to put activists against one another.
… There was mention of some NGOs and groups being almost violent in their demands for absolute peaceful non-violent protest. But CLAC and CASA do not decide or say what actions are acceptable and what are not.
… Jaggi say Canadian Intelligence (CSIS) has been visiting door to door in Quebec. He also says the movement has big problems and he questions whose movement it is. He sees genocide against indigenous people and genocide against blacks in the USA. NGOs have in his view bought into some bad ideas. He doesn't think our society is synonymous with NGOs and he doesn't think the working class is synonymous with union leaders. Jaggi says a diversity of tactics and solidarity with various groups is needed. When the poor or oppressed rise up and do some damage, he feels that NGOs and others in the movement should not be rushing forward to condemn them as violent.
… he quoted Shawn Brant as saying the Action is in the Organizing. It isn't just about Quebec, the action is right now … and every day, I suppose. He doesn't like to talk about the politics of resistance but of the politics of liberation.
… Lorenzo says we can make it simple by seeing the leaders at things like the FTAA as a gang of international gangsters … sitting around planning on how to police the world and how to starve people to death.
… On the old question - should we be violent or non-violent? Lorenzo says, By any means necessary. This is the first stage of a revolution. We go all the way this time. We don't want anything from the federal government. We want a whole new society. No reforms, we want to wipe this corrupt system out of existence. People are fighting because they have no choice. They are fighting to survive …
and you have to join them.
Report by Gary Morton
Contact info on the above event
Speakers:
- Helene Vallieres, Summit of the Americas Welcoming
Committee, CASA (Quebec City)
- Jaggi Singh, The Anti-Capitalist Convergence
(CLAC) and Colors of Resistance (Montreal)
- Lorenzo Komboa Ervin, Former Black Panther
and Political Prisoner, Founder of the Black Autonomy Network Of Community
Organizers and author of "Anarchism and Black Revolution" (Kalamazoo, Michigan)
- Fernando, Food for Chiapas (Toronto)
- Sue Collis, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty,
OCAP (Toronto)
- Pauline Hwang, Colors of Resistance (Montreal)
- Steve Swart, Active Transformation (Lansing,
Michigan) and Anti-Racist Action Toronto
For more information on radical organizing against the FTAA please contact:
Anti-Racist Action Toronto
P.O. Box 291, Station B.
Toronto ON M5T 2T2
ara@web.net
416.631.8835
http://www.web.net/~ara
Colours of Resistance
http://www.tao.ca/~colours
colours@tao.ca
The Anti-Capitalist Convergence, Montreal (CLAC)
e-mail: clac@tao.ca
web: http://www.quebec2001.net
tel: +1 514 409-2049
post: 2035, St-Laurent Boulevard, 2nd floor
Montreal, Quebec H2X 2T3 CANADA
Summit of The Americas Welcoming Committee (CASA),
Quebec City
email: la_casa2001@hotmail.com
------------
Tooker Gomberg Announces
Actions at C4LD-
Jan.22.2001
Report by Gary Morton
The wheels of citizen democracy
and discussion continued to turn tonight in Toronto as activist Tooker
Gomberg addressed Citizens for Local Democracy. The meeting, chaired by
Dick Troy was mostly an open forum and strategy session.
A number of local issues were dealt
with then Tooker unveiled a new action plan, which was initially discussed
at a public gathering at Fressen Restaurant and Juice Bar 478 Queen W.
on Sunday.
Here is the info from Tooker's flyer and talk
Action One - Campout with the Homeless
The public is invited to a solidarity
campout with the homeless on Monday January 29th from about 9.30 p.m. onward.
The camp will be at City Hall and on Tuesday morning the group will move
inside for the council meeting.
The action is to take place before
each monthly council meeting to send a message that homelessness in our
nation is not acceptable and that we need affordable housing for all.
Dress warm, bring a tent or soup
and good cheer. All antipoverty groups and active citizens are urged to
attend.
Action Two - Send your Compost to City Hall
Mayor Lastman declared on election
night that recycling was the number one issue. Yet less than two months
into his term the city scrapped the restaurant composting pilot program.
Now is the time to act. If
you don't have space to compost in your backyard, drop off you compostables
at the mayor's office, your councillor's office or Barry Gutteridge's office,
head of the works department, and encourage them to support composting.
Or give us a call and we'll deliver them to your preferred politician or
city worker.
Let's remind these guys that shipping
our garbage south to Michigan is not sustainable, especially when we can
make use of a good resource in nearby Newmarket where they produce biogas
from our discards.
Composting is a simple and ecological
solution, transforming waste into a resource. It can transform over 30%
of what households (and way more of what restaurants) discard. We could
be making biogas, a.k.a. methane, and rich fertilizer out of it. Let's
get going with composting plans city-wide.
Action Three - The Green Princess Margaret Committee
Imagine the block around Wellesley
and Princess Margaret Hospital turned into a green co-op powered by biogas.
From this block the street running down to Allen Gardens would be turned
into a green corridor.
Opening these buildings would create
thousands of rooms for housing that would include people of various incomes.
It would help the homeless and the city has the power to do it.
The Green Princess Margaret Committee
has already signed up members and you can join too.
Contact:
tooker@web.ca
416 532 3939
http://www.GombergForMayor.org
Action Four - Flyer or Newsletter for
Public Distribution
Here Tooker with C4LD and other
groups would put together an issues newsletter to hand out to the public
on the subway, etc.
-----
During the C4LD discussion one man asked Tooker about being followed about and harassed by police here in Toronto. Just after that I announced that the police action to block protests at the Free Trade Area of the Americas Summit in Quebec City on April 20 to 23rd will be the largest police effort in Canadian history. Tooker then announced that he would be in Quebec soon doing FTAA protest organizing, so no doubt he will continue to see the police.
The FTAA is an anti local democracy
agreement that would render cities powerless when it comes to running any
sort of public program. Global corporations and other corporations would
be able to sue and gain privatized control of city programs and services.
All supporters of C4LD should be in Quebec in April to protest. And meeting
chair Dick Troy urged C4Lders to get out and get active with other groups.
--------
Save the Oak Ridges Moraine
in 2001
(Report on the STORMCO Moraine Coalition Planning
Meeting in Toronto - Jan.16.2001
By Gary Morton
* Details on the moraine issue are below this first section.
Debbe Crandall and Christina Sharma
gave an overview on the moraine and initial plans for the 2001 campaign
to save the moraine.
Attending citizens signed up and
it was announced that volunteers are needed for the following positions.
* I'm not sure whether funding, resources or payment is provided for some of them. Phone the contact number at the bottom and ask.
1. A Web Magician will be needed to do updates
to the web site.
2. Public Relations people with writing skills
are needed.
3. A display coordinator with a car and computer
for email - display travels to events around Toronto and Ontario. Plus
volunteers to watch the display at events are needed on an ongoing basis.
4. A public outreach person with a good phone
manner and computer. Promoting networking with member groups and cultural
events.
5. Fundraisers.
6. Volunteers to stuff brochures and people to
do phoning. Would be done mostly by groups of volunteers.
Contact:
http://www.stormco.org
Christina 416-236-7234
rohit.sharma@attcanada.net
There was a good turnout for this meeting and it began with those who showed up introducing themselves. There were various reasons given for wanting to work on behalf of the moraine. Some people were activists. Others were interested individuals or from schools or socially conscious organizations.
The presentation dealt with the moraine situation and I will do a very thin cover of it here. The Oak Ridges Moraine Greenway is a huge area situated above Toronto. Over the next 20 years it will be a key water source for 6 million people. Thirty percent of it is covered in forest and it creates a habitat for rare species. Water contributing to wetlands and to river systems provides the habitat.
Uncontrolled development threatens this area and a lot of prime agricultural land. 26 municipalities all have their own plans and this piecemeal system of planning doesn't work. To save the moraine a province-wide plan is needed. But the roadblock to such a plan is Mike Harris.
The media has promoted misconceptions in regard to the moraine. It focuses on the Richmond Hill area that is really only 1 percent of the moraine. Not only Richmond Hill, but the other 99 percent needs protection. Unrestrained development currently includes the construction of dozens of golf courses and resorts that will suck away 25 percent of the water from the Humber River. Across the moraine there are hotspots of abusive development and STORMCO is producing a map of the moraine and these hotspots.
A second map, this one of the political climate, shows the area Tory blue at the provincial level. Polls have shown that 89 percent of the residents favour protection over development, and that people would change their vote if Mike Harris does nothing.
Stormco and the public are working to lobby Tory MPPs, but it is thought that the office of Mike Harris is working to block these efforts.
There have been three private member bills put forward in the legislature. Liberal Mike Colle had a bill to freeze development. Public hearings are needed on NDPer Marilyn Churley's bill. The Churley bill would change the planning act to protect the moraine. Tory Steve Gilchrist also had a bill. It was to create a moraine plan.
The volunteer positions listed
at the top have to do with a vigorous STORMCO effort that will involve
a radio ad campaign and a huge mass mailing. The City of Toronto is currently
funding three educational displays that are going across the GTA. STORMCO
and its member groups are also looking at staging a large protest, perhaps
on University Avenue in Toronto. In conclusion, this is a very ambitious
effort and most of it must take place before the legislature resumes in
late March.
--------
Tooker Ticketed for Restaurant Protest
- Fri.Jan.12.2001
By Gary Morton
Toronto environmental activist Tooker Gomberg hastily arranged this protest after the city scrapped a food composting pilot plan that collected restaurant food scraps and converted them to biogas at Composting Inc. in Newmarket
The public has shown an interest in our waste woes and restaurants like Fressen at 478 Queen W, where the protest began, want to see a city-wide program to deal with food scraps. Police were also interested. Though Susan and I were the only members of the public arriving at Fressen exactly at the appointed time, three police officers were already there. They approached Tooker and questioned him as to what he was up to. Then we went inside, Mez and Jean-Paul arrived, the staff at Fressen and reps from other restaurants joined us. During that time Tooker and I speculated as to whether police were showing any real integrity through spying on our email group messages.
We ate some free vegetarian food and drank juices while Tooker outlined the issue for the media. Tooker pointed out that Mayor Mel Lastman said Recycling was the Number One Issue during the election. A good program was underway to turn scraps into biogas. Restaurant owners are saying it is easy to do and they want such a program. Yet all we get from the mayor and council are broken promises.
Tooker, a couple restaurant owners and some members of the public then left the restaurant destined for the mayor's office with a bushel of food scraps. Police escorting Tooker didn't wait long before ticketing him and a friend with $190 tickets. Their claim is that Tooker began to move through a light a second before it had completely changed.
At City Hall I carried one side of the scraps bushel, a restaurant owner had the other side and Tooker talked as we walked up. Lastman was not in his office. We were told he was at the rotary club. So in his absence Tooker delivered his protest message to a staffer, the media and a bunch of police and security guards. Police also took photos, as though they were a new form of police media.
Tooker is not blaming everything on the mayor. City staff recommended the program be chopped and they are largely responsible for convincing the mayor and council to break promises. If we are to get anywhere in this city, the voice of the people must override the whining of city staff and promises must be kept.
If the new council is lying to us on the big issues, then you can be sure that we are being given the shaft on all the issues. And that's what seemed to come out a short while later over coffee in the City Hall restaurant. In conversation Tooker mentioned his fury on the homeless issue. This week at a meeting over new shelter beds, Tooker saw even the most progressive councillors turn their backs on the poor.
Cathy Crowe of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee said 75 shelter beds were needed immediately. Yet even councilors like Kyle Rae and Joe Mihevc refused to support the idea of new beds. Olivia Chow was the only councilor acting progressive and she received rude treatment for her efforts.
At the same time homeless people were sleeping outside on the cement at City Hall, and Tooker talked to one of them, who said he was beat up, but the police would not make an arrest for a homeless person.
So the future sure doesn't look too good, does it? We have a council that begins its term by breaking promises, and it holds only one or two truly progressive people.
contact Tooker Gomberg
(416) 532-3939
cell: 834-2453
-------
Gene Action 2001-
report on the Jan.10th Toronto meeting
By Gary Morton
Background:
The Gene Action group stages actions
and has speakers & workshops on Genetic Engineering (GE) and Genetically
Modified Organisms (GMO's). GE and GMO's are a big issue when it comes
to food products in 2001. A timeline is involved when dealing with genetic
issues. Futurists now say that the information age has passed its peak
and we are in a new genetic age that could explode and get out of control
quickly.
--------
Notes:
Do you want a socialist revolution,
a revolution in democracy or a green revolution? I'd like to see all three,
but the Gene Action meeting began with each person giving their name and
why they were there. A list of questions from the people got drawn up and
during the session the regular members answered them. Two thirds of the
people at this meeting were new and had questions on the issue.
Here's a brief recap of facts that came out at the meeting.
In 1981 patents became allowed on life forms. The first was an oil-eating microbe. Commercialization in the food area began in 1996 with the flavor-saver tomato.
Today genetic modification is spreading fast. 60 to 75 percent of products on supermarket shelves now contain GE ingredients. Perhaps the worst thing about genetic modification is that it is commonly done so plants and their cells can hold pesticides, and the same large corporations that do genetic modification sell the pesticides. Eating products that are certified as organic is about the only way to escape genetic modification and harmful pesticide content.
Very little research has been done on the effects of genetically modifying plants and animals, and the small amount of research that has been done has a cautionary effect. Feared results of GE are antibiotic resistance, allergic reactions, and deadly effects of pesticides on humans that consume them. Then there is the possibility of creating super bugs and super weeds while killing off other species. Social effects include the loss of traditional farming to expensive and unsustainable globally controlled GMO's farming, rural decline and depopulation and complete control of the food supply by ruthless multinational corporations.
This cautionary research has not been followed up and scientists have been gagged after releasing test results that were not favourable on GMO's. Government data on the issue is kept secret and access-to-information requests have not yielded anything yet. The system in Canada in regards to GMO's is like the system in Walkerton Ontario, where residents didn't find out that the water was contaminated until the whole town was sick and dying, and a maverick doctor made a connection.
Research dollars are scarce and generally are not available unless you are working to disprove claims of possible harm by GMO's. And these tests done in support of GMO's have been flawed and unscientific. Tests that were meant to be used for industrial chemicals were misapplied to prove GMO's safe for the environment.
The Canadian government gives 600 million a year to the Biotech Industry, yet it only gives 600 thousand a year to the organic farming industry. Organic farming builds the land's health, eliminating chemical fertilizers, pesticides and genetic modification. These are mostly closed loop systems where waste is reused. Organic farmers have a problem in being small. Governments have been more willing to listen to huge international corporations like Monsanto.
There aren't any labeling laws and stores like Loblaws go so far as to have staff cross out No GMO's labels with markers. The government created a labeling committee through Industry Canada, but because it is stacked with a corporate majority, representatives from the public and green non-governmental groups have boycotted it.
Liberal MP Charles Caccia (Caccia.C@parl.gc.ca) did bring up a bill for labeling and it has not been dealt with by Canadian parliament. In spite of that the large media outlets released news reports that led the public to believe that it went through and products will be labeled.
The long term goals of Gene Action are more food security without seed rental fees, and without the governance of global corporations that act as our food landlords.
* Another interesting goal or point is democracy. I attended meetings by three different Toronto groups this week and all three viewed the public as under attack from corporations and other big money interests. The New Socialists wanted the alienated citizen returned to a genuine sharing community. The Citizens for Local Democracy wanted a return of citizen-based government, and Gene Action wants to see the creation of participatory institutions and mechanisms where the public can authentically participate in the decision-making process when it comes to GE and GMO's.
* Gene Action's Biotechnology & Genetically
Engineering Foods Resource Guide is at
http://ecoexplorer.com/GAevents/biotechguide.htm
* The next meeting of GENE ACTION is Wed Feb 7,
7:30 p.m. Toronto - Speakers & workshops on Genetic Engineering (GE)
/ Genetically-Modified Organisms (GMO's). Room 212, 348 Danforth (upstairs
at Carrot Commons, near Chester subway).
More info: geneaction@hotmail.com
phone 416-685-4222
web site - http://ecoexplorer.com/GENEaction.htm
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