The Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at UBC presents the thought-provoking, socially and environmentally-conscious new exhibition Amazonia: The Rights of Nature, on display March 10, 2017 – January 28, 2018. Curated by Dr. Nuno Porto (MOA Curator, Africa and Latin America), Amazonia explores the creative ideas that inspire Indigenous resistance to threats facing the world’s largest rainforest. The exhibition features Amazonian basketry, textiles, carvings, feather works and ceramics both of everyday and of ceremonial use, representing Indigenous, Maroon and white settler communities. Today, these groups confront threats caused by political violence, mining, oil and gas exploration, industrial agriculture, forest fires, and hydroelectric plants. Challenging visitors to examine their own notions towards holistic well-being, the exhibition covers more than 100 years of unsuspected relationships between Vancouver and Amazonian peoples, ideas, and their struggles.

Time:  Check Website
Venue:  Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia
Location:  6393 N.W. Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://moa.ubc.ca/amazonia
Categories:   Nature & Outdoors; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; International

There's a lot at stake for transit riders in the 2018 Toronto City budget. 2-hour transfers and the low income Fair Pass Program are approved but not yet funded. The TTC operating budget will not improve service levels or tackle overcrowding in 2018.

Join TTCriders to make a deputation (3-5 minute presentation) at a City Budget subcommittee meeting. Tell your story and explain why we need more transit funding in 2018 for 2-hour fares, the Fair Pass, and better TTC service.

Sign up here to speak: bit.ly/2kK1Jtw. TTCriders will follow up and register you.

The Budget Committee will hear public presentations on January 8, 9, and 10. Presentations on Jan. 10 are at City Hall.

Time:  9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Toronto City Hall, Auditorium
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/540524252973316/
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

2018 Speaking Tour with Cara Tierney & Behc Jax-Lynx. We are a dynamic duo dedicated to the de-stigmatization of transgender individuals, best practices, gender affirmation, human rights policy (C-16) and equity for universal gender diversity.

We go beyond the basic definitions of transgender, non-binary, gender fluid, gender non-conforming and present a beautiful and expansive understanding of health, well-being, history, art, creativity, allyship, expression and the current human rights legislation Bill C-16. Our backgrounds include art, history, social work, activism, anti-oppression work, education, performance, high fives and Â… humour.

We are offering creative and interactive afternoon professional development workshops designed to foster constructive, affirmative and forward-thinking dialogues on how we can make space for everyone.

Cost: $15/$20 suggested If cost is a barrier please let us know.

See website for further scheduled locations, times and dates.

Time:  1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Venue:  Mississippi Mills Public Library, Almonte Branch
Location:  155 High St., National Capital Region- Almonte, ON
Website:  http://buildingthrougheducationandcommunityknowledge.wordpress.com/
For information contact:  booking@ behcjaxlynx.ca
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Sexuality; Human Rights, Law, Legal

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights presents Michael Petrou in a talk about the Islamic State and its media and propaganda strategy.

Join our President and CEO John Young and award-winning author and journalist Michael Petrou in the first of our brand-new lecture series.

The lecture entitled "More Important than Jihad of the Sword: Islamic State's Propaganda Machine and the Yazidi Genocide" explores how state propaganda prepared the ground, and ensured support, for the mass slaughter and sexual enslavement of Yazidis whose homeland it overran.

The evening will begin with light refreshments, cash bar and mingling, followed by the lecture, a conversation with John Young and Michael Petrou, and a question-and-answer period. The event will wrap up with a book signing and a meet-and-greet with the author.

To purchase tickets contact 204-289-2000.

Time:  6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Venue:  The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Level 1
Location:  85 Israel Asper Way, Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://humanrights.ca/event/islamic-state-propaganda?ts=January%2015%2C%202018%20-%206%3A30p
Phone:  204-289-2000
Categories:   International; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This workshop explores hands on approaches to building equity and meaningful inclusion at the interpersonal and institutional level. This workshop will foster critical thinking about anti oppression allyship and models of organizing and alternative ways of knowing and being will be explored, critiqued and applied.

Speaker:
Rania El Mugammar is a Sudanese Canadian Artist, Arts Educator, Equity and Anti-oppression Educator & Consultant, performer, speaker and published writer. Her work interrogates notions of home, belonging, womxnhood, blackness, migration/exile as they intersect with the identities and places she identities with. Rania is an advocate for womxn's rights, racial justice/black liberation and youth. Social justice anchors Rania's work as she is deeply committed to anti-oppressive practices and inclusion.

Time:  9:00 AM
Venue:  Centre for Social Innovation - ANNEX- Rm 1
Location:  720 bathurst st, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://socialinnovation.org/event_auto/meaningful-inclusion-workshop-jan-16-annex/
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Skills & Training

The Migration Law Research Cluster presents Dr. Bethany Hastie speaking on, "Movement without Mobility? The Labour Migration Paradox." Professor Hastie researches in the areas of precarious labour, and international migration. She has explored issues relating to migrant labour, labour exploitation and human trafficking, irregular migration, and the human rights of migrants. Her scholarship has been published in a wide array of legal and interdisciplinary journals, including Anthropologie et Sociétés, Dalhousie Law Journal, European Journal of Migration & Law, and Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law.

She has presented her research at various national and international conferences and has delivered invited talks at several interdisciplinary migration events, including the Mobility and Politics series at Carleton University, and at the "Transport: Conceptualizing Circulation and Security" conference at UQAM. Professor Hastie has also worked on policy and research projects with an array of organizations, including the Canadian Council for Refugees, the BC Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons, and the West Coast Domestic Workers Association.

Time:  12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Venue:  Robson Hall, University of Manitoba
Location:  224 Dysart Rd., Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://law.robsonhall.com/research/migration-law-research-cluster/
Phone:  (204) 474-9775
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Unsettling the Commons: Social Movements Within, Against, and Beyond Settler Colonialism by Craig Fortier

Part 1 of the Toronto Book Tour, this event will feature a panel discussion with Craig Fortier, Giibwanisi, Rozina Kazi and Nicholas Murray and more.

Drawing on interviews with 51 anti-authoritarian organizers to investigates what it means to struggle for "the commons" within a settler colonial context, Unsettling the Commons interrogates a very important debate that took place within Occupy camps and is taking place in a multitude of movements in North America around what it means to claim “the commons” on stolen land. Travelling back in history to show the ways in which radical left movements have often either erased or come into clear conflict with Indigenous practices of sovereignty and self-determination—all in the name of the “struggle for the commons”, the book argues that there are multiple commons or conceptualizations of how land, relationships, and resources are shared, produced, consumed, and distributed in any given society. As opposed to the liberal politics of recognition, a political practice of unsettling and a recognition of the incommensurability of political goals that claim access to space/territory on stolen land is put forward as a more desirable way forward.

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Another Story Bookshop
Location:  315 Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/132269400887668/
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Native Peoples

In an education system based on Western values and knowledge, Black students go through school feeling alienated and graduate ill-equipped to bring about transformative changes in their communities. Is it not time to restructure the system?

Chizoba Imoka disrupts the perceived Black and "Educated" contradiction and advances an alternative vision of education that acknowledges colonial history, is responsive to socio-political concerns and enables a new generation of social justice leaders to make real change.

Hart House is pleased to present the 18th Annual Hancock Lecture: Black and Educated? Unveiling The Contradictions and Redesigning The Future delivered by Chizoba Imoka and moderated by Dr. Kofi Hope.

FREE for Students and $12 Non-Students

Register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-2018-hancock-lecture-by-chizoba-imoka-tickets-40890201694?aff=es2

Ticket Holders must arrive by or before 6:45PM to be guaranteed a seat.

Time:  7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Venue:  Hart House, Hart House Circle
Location:  Toronto, ON
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The Indigenous Cultural Competency Training is a platform to establish a process of promoting cultural competency for Indigenous relations within Canada. The facilitation is delivered in a sensitive, respectful manner to address complex-issues from a historical narrative that is inclusive to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous attendees.

The training is designed for agencies, organizations, institutions to build a foundational awareness of Indigenous peoples and enhance self-awareness. Through experiential learning the delivery of the training is inclusive within a group based setting to promote dialogue and create a safe space to discuss topics which relate to Indigenous peoples.

The Native Canadian Centre of Toronto is an Indigenous community cultural centre. The Centre welcomes the local community, including guests from across Canada and offers a variety of programs and services.

Time:  9:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Venue:  Native Canadian Centre of Toronto
Location:  16 Spadina Rd, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://ncct.on.ca/indigenous-cultural-competency-training/
For information contact:  michael.etherington@ncct.on.ca
Phone:  416-964-9087 ext 315
Categories:   Skills & Training; Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

While many laud the benefit of digital technologies for the production of digital media - more access, more voices, more ways to tell a story, for example - paying attention to the experiences of workers in digital media demonstrates intensifying struggles underway. This talk presents research on digital journalists' working conditions, both among self-employed/freelance journalists and those employed in digital-first news outlets. I attend to the social and power relations shaping the use of digital technologies and examine the implications for workers, including forced entrepreneurialism, low pay, exploitation of copyrights, overwork, automation, measurement and surveillance, and deepening inequalities based on gender and race. I examine various forms of collective organizing among digital media workers and discuss the challenges and opportunities they hold for democratizing digital media in contemporary capitalism.

RSVP to Attend: thecapitalismworkshop@gmail.com

Time:  6:30-8:30pm
Venue:  CSI Annex, Rm 4, 3rd floor
Location:  720 Bathhurst St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://capitalismworkshop.com/work-and-organizing-in-digital-media/
For information contact:  thecapitalismworkshop@gmail.com
Categories:   Science & Technology; Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language; International

Celebrate Data Privacy Day with a hands-on workshop with Toronto-based developer for the Tor Project, Sukhbir Singh. Mr Singh has been a software developer in the applications and community team of the Tor Project since 2012.

Come learn just how easy it is to use the internet privately! Whether you've never heard of Tor, or have only heard bad things about it, or are a long-time user of the best privacy tool out there, come out and learn from a seasoned Tor developer in a hassle-free, community setting.

Bring your device(s) for a hands-on experience! This event is part of TPL's Digital Privacy project.

Time:  6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue:  Northern District Library
Location:  40 Orchard View Boulevard, Room 200, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT322941&R=EVT322941
For information contact:  jhodge@torontopubliclibrary.ca
Categories:   Internet; Computers; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

AI on a Social Mission is the first major conference on social impact of AI in Montreal. Start ups and NPOs will explain how they use artificial intelligence for their social mission. They will also share with us their experience as a start up or non-profit with a social mission and their dreams for AI and social good.

INFORM & INSPIRE: The event presents brilliant and passionate keynote speakers and panelists that believe in sharing knowledge and supporting a fair and sustainable implementation of AI. You’ll leave with a better understanding of the social impacts of artificial intelligence as well as share your voice on supporting AI with a social mission.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY PANELS: AI, data, social scientists, ethicists, jurists, funding and policy experts come together on social impact of AI.

Panels will discuss, amongst other things, open data and governance, managing data in a not for profit conext, being an entrepreneur with a social mission, challenges and satisfactions, access to AI, impact of AI on human rights as well as ART, AI and Society.

SMALL MULTIDISCIPLINARY DISCUSSION GROUPS: In small groups, we’ll dream up our ideal AI implementation and take a close look at the tools to make it a reality. Inspired by our start ups and non profits with a social mission and our expert panelists, we’ll look into how our society can support non-profit initiatives and socially oriented enterprises. We’ll brainstorm together in multidisciplinary groups and plan towards concrete ways of achieving a fair and sustainable implementation of AI.

This is your voice on a fair and sustainable implementation of AI.

Time:  Thu, 8:30 AM - Fri, 8:30 PM
Venue:  Canadian Centre for Architecture
Location:  1920 Rue Baile, Montreal, QC
Website:  http://www.iaenmissionsociale.com
Categories:   Computers; Communications Industry & Technology; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join the Montreal chapter on January 27 at noon to rally against NAFTA during the negotiations.

Venue TBA

Time:  12:00 PM
Location:  Montreal, QC
Website:  http://canadians.org/event/montreal-rally-against-nafta
For information contact:  inquiries@canadians.org
Phone:  613-233-2773 or 1-800-387-7177
Categories:   Business & Economics; Labour, Workplace, Unions; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

A year ago, thousands of people across Canada joined in vigils and rallies in a show of solidarity with the Muslim community after the Quebec City mosque shooting. Come out on January 27th to Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square at 11AM to show our love and support to the families of Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubaker Thabti, Abdelkrim Hassane and Azzedine Soufiane. Let’s show the world we will not let their murders will not be forgotten! On January 27th, we rally again to say no to Islamophobia and no to hate. Bring your friends.and family! Bring banners and noise makers!Let us take over the Join us and let’s take over the square with messages of peace and unity!

Time:  11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Venue:  Nathan Phillips Square
Location:  100 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2002484709992025/?active_tab=about
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated annually by the United Nations on January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. This year, Italy is the chair country of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. It is a global day of memorialisation for the victims of the Holocaust. Each year, Canadians and individuals all over the world take this opportunity to remember the victims of the atrocities of the Holocaust and reflect on the dangers of antisemitism.

This year, the Museum is proud to partner with the Freeman Family Foundation Holocaust Education Centre of the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, B'nai Brith Canada, Congregation Shaarey Zedek, La Lupa di Roma Lodge and the Dante Alighieri Society in exploring the legacy of the Holocaust and the continuing damaging effects of antisemitism and prejudice in societies across the world today.

Free Event

Time:  2:00 – 5:00 PM
Venue:  The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, MTS Classrooms on Level 1
Location:  85 Israel Asper Way, Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://humanrights.ca/event/international-holocaust-remembrance-day-0?ts=January%2028%2C%202
For information contact:  info@humanrights.ca
Phone:  204-289-2000 or 1-877-877-6037
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Commemorating the Quebec City Mosque Massacre and Call to Action

January 29, 2018 will mark the one-year anniversary of the national tragedy in which 6 Canadian Muslim men were murdered and 19 others were wounded, leaving one man paralyzed.

Through this Day of Action, we will show our solidarity and commitment to say no to Islamophobia, and call for inclusive communities.

Join us in Toronto as we commemorate the lives lost at the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Nathan Phillips Square
Location:  100 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/180821565855219/?active_tab=about
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

I Am Not Invisible is a Truth & Reconciliation Commission Legacy Project and Prisoner Rights campaign to raise awareness about the experiences of Inter-Generational Survivors: Indigenous and African men and women over-represented in Federal Prisons in this era of mass incarceration. We hope to organize a support action network of progressive organizations who will come together to organize healing, mentorship, and support programs to integrate ex-prisoners into the community when they complete their sentences.

Presenters Kevin Harp, Federal Indigenous Prisoner Rights Activist and Norman "Otis" Richmond will be speaking on the challenges of Indigenous and African prisoner's reintegrating into society, and on the Black Prisoner's Rights Movement in North America.

FREE ADMISSION

Time:  6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  A Different Booklist
Location:  777-779 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/137309913630925/
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Sardined? Delayed? Can’t afford the fare?

Join TTCriders’ transit day of action on Tuesday, January 30. We’re calling on John Tory and City Council to fund the promised low-income transit pass, better TTC service to fix overcrowding, and 2-hour fares in the 2018 City Budget.

Now is a crucial time to take action, before City Council votes on February 12 and 13 on the last budget before the election. Without increased funding, TTC will not improve service or fix overcrowding in 2018. The Budget Committee approved funding for two-hour fares and the low income Fair Pass on January 23.

On January 30th join TTCriders as we hand out flyers and talk to thousands of riders impacted by overcrowding, unaffordable fares, and unreliable service. There are 1.8 million transit riders in Toronto. Can you help us reach more riders?

Time:  See schedule
Venue:  TTC subway stations- see schedule
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.ttcriders.ca/cant-get-on-join-our-transit-day-of-action-on-january-30/
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

In person outreach and engaging the public in a 'one on one' or public speaking fashion can easily feel overwhelming, even for the most extroverted of us. So how can you ease the stress, anxiety, and initial barriers to actually getting people to talk to you? Come learn some tips, tricks, and best practices to getting cold glances to melt and strangers to hear you out.

In this workshop we will be covering some of the basic and most common scenarios and how to best navigate each one. For example, fliering on street corners or in university halls, tabling at events, and speaking to a crowd during a public event or action. Each section will be broken down into an hour each and will incorporate participatory activities.

Register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/community-organizing-how-to-connect-with-others-and-gain-support-for-your-cause-tickets-40206722389

Time:  6:30 - 9:30pm
Venue:  University of Toronto (Exact location TBC)
Location:  Toronto, ON
For information contact:  Laura@Toolsforchange
Categories:   Skills & Training; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

World Interfaith Harmony Week is an annual event to be observed during the first week of February starting in 2011.

World Interfaith Harmony Week was proclaimed by the General Assembly in resolution A/RES/65/5PDF document adopted on 20 October 2010. In the resolution, the General Assembly, points out that mutual understanding and interreligious dialogue constitute important dimensions of a culture of peace and establishes World Interfaith Harmony Week as a way to promote harmony between all people regardless of their faith.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/interfaithharmonyweek/
Categories:   Religious

In light of the government's recently developed 'Voices at Risk: Guidelines for supporting human rights defenders', this roundtable discussion proposes to examine the conflicts that arise between Canada's 'economic diplomacy' to facilitate the operations of Canadian mining companies abroad and its human rights obligations to land and water defenders speaking out about the harms they are experiencing - or trying to avoid - from the operations of many of these very same companies. With visiting guests from Mexico and Thompson Rivers University, B.C., this discussion aims to deepen debate, research and action towards consistent compliance with Canada's human rights obligations, which includes the duty to protect human rights from abuse by state and non-state parties.

Please RSVP to jen@miningwatch.ca indicating if you will attend in-person or online. Online call-in details will be provided closer to the date.

Please see eventbrite.ca for schedule details.

Time:  1:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Venue:  Human Rights Research and Education Centre, Fauteux Hall, Room 570
Location:  57 Louis Pasteur, Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/whither-canadian-diplomacy-enabling-mining-companies-or-land-and-
For information contact:  jen@miningwatch.ca
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Mining & Petroleum; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

More than eight years since the murder of Mariano Abarca, an outspoken community leader in Chiapas, Mexico, his son and a group of Mexican human rights defenders will visit Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto from February 5 to 9. Mariano led his community's struggle against the social and environmental impacts of Blackfire Exploration's barite mine.

The delegation will file a complaint over the alleged complicity of Canadian authorities in this case and participate in public events to build solidarity with the ongoing struggle for justice for Mariano. They will also discuss Canada's role and the worsening context of criminalization and violence in mining-affected areas of Mexico.

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Carleton Universiy, 608 Robertson Hall (Senate Room)
Location:  1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/142082579807168/
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Mining & Petroleum; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Rapid advances in technology offer human rights activists' tremendous opportunities. We can now collect new, and richer data than ever before; gather information in dangerous or hard-to-access places and have greater capacity to project our findings and influence key decision makers and media.

But there's a darker side to the technology revolution. Commercial spyware and malware tools are being used to track and disrupt the activities of human rights defenders. Privacy is under assault by governments who gather massive amounts of metadata on their citizens – and those in other countries. Technology is being used by some to spread toxic ideologies, disrupt democracy and distort the truth.

Please join us for a panel of experts to discuss human rights implications in Canada and abroad.

This panel discussion is co-presented by the International Human Rights Program, University of Toronto, Faculty of Law.

Time:  6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Venue:  University of Toronto, Jackman Law Building, Room J250
Location:  78 Queen's Park Crescent West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/darker-side-of-digital-human-rights-implications-of-technology-t
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Communications Industry & Technology; Computers

Join OCHU to fight for better care in our hospitals and long term care facilities.

Time:  12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Venue:  Lakeridge Health
Location:  1 Hospital Court,, Oshawa, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/378172185941940/
Categories:   Health/Health Care; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Menno Simons College invites you to engage with a panel of experts in refugee resettlement, in a conversation entitled, "Refugee Resettlement in Canada: Moving Forward from Lessons of the Past."

Moderated by MSC's Dr. Stephanie P. Stobbe

Panelists:
Mike Molloy - former Ambassador to Jordan & Coordinator of Indochinese Refugee Resettlement Program, co-author of Running on Empty: Canada and the Indochinese Refugees, 1975-1980

Peter Duschinsky - former Canadian Foreign Service Officer & Coordinator of Ethiopian Refugee Resettlement Program, co-author of Running on Empty: Canada and the Indochinese Refugees, 1975-1980

Tom Denton - Executive Director of Hospitality House Refugee Ministry

John Wieler - former MCC Canada Overseas Director

Brian Dyck - MCC Canada National Migration and Resettlement Program Coordinator

Dr. Shauna Labman - Assistant Professor of Law, University of Manitoba

Dr. Stephanie Stobbe - Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution Studies, Menno Simons College

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  University of Winnipeg
Location:  515 Portage Avenue, 3rd Floor Centennial Hall, Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2048952755341830
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Journalist and political activist Desmond Cole will speak to local teens. Other teens and adults are welcome to attend.

Time:  1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Venue:  Annette Street Public Library
Location:  145 Annette Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http:///www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT311818&R=EVT311818
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Children & Youth; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Table-ronde sur le rôle de la diplomatie canadienne dans l'implantation de projets miniers au Mexique et dans les Amériques

Bien que le rôle des ambassades canadiennes ne soit qu'un des nombreux moyens de diffusion de la politique étrangère du Canada pour le secteur extractif à l'étranger, il constitue sans aucun doute un important moyen de concevoir et de mettre en œuvre des approches propres aux projets et aux politiques au niveau du pays. La "diplomatie économique" du Canada dans ce domaine a contribué à faire progresser les conditions propices à l'exploration et à l'extraction de métaux précieux, notamment dans des contextes hautement militarisés et violents.

Time:  5:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Venue:  Chaufferie de l'UQÀM
Location:  175 President-Kennedy, Montreal, QC
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/912597418902932/
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Mining & Petroleum; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

As a result of the nebulous definitions and various exemptions in the Employment Standards Act (2000) and the Labour Relations Act (1995), many workers in Ontario have been unable to organize for decades and have been left without basic workplace protections and rights. The entertainment industry is just one of many sectors where this applies.

As part of the Centre for Labour Management Relations' "Organizing the Unorganized" lecture series, this talk, featuring the Canadian Media Guild, will:

1. Review the history of the factual / reality TV industry in Canada,
2. Explore how workers in this industry are falling through the cracks of Ontario's employment and labour legislations,
3. Examine why these workers' situations have been challenging for their sector's labour unions to address, and
4. Propose remedies being sought through the Government of Ontario.

This talk will also:

A. Assess international efforts to organize similar workers,
B. Compare the challenges these workers face to the situation of others classified as independent contractors, and
C. Discuss how Canada's tax law contributes to undercutting labour rights and workers' abilities to gain a collective voice.

Free Event

Time:  6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location:  1 Dundas St. W., Suite 2310, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/organizing-where-labour-has-no-rights-a-study-of-the-canadian-me
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Media, Entertainment, News, Communications; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

During International Development Week 2018, join the Ontario Council for International Cooperation, the YMCA of Greater Toronto, Canadian Feed The Children and photographer Allan Lissner in a lunch-time presentation featuring Allan's ongoing documentary work on Indigenous Rights issues within Canada, and globally.

This event will include highlights from OCIC's Transformations: Stories of Partnership, Resilience and Positive Change collaborative photojournalism initiative, which is intended to support a new narrative on partnerships, solidarity and sustainable change. This year Transformations features the work of Canadian Feed The Children, Neyaashiinigmiing, Eel Ground First Nation, Garden Hill First Nation and Aki Foods in addressing food sovereignty challenges, supporting community-led initiatives, and working towards holistic community health.

Time:  11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Venue:  YMCA of Greater Toronto
Location:  2200 Yonge Street, 3rd Floor, YMOJA Room, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/picturing-solidarity-tickets-42363599667
Categories:   Native Peoples; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Rebel Knowledge is a social and environmental justice symposium that brings together activists, radical academics, critical researchers, and community organizers to learn, share, and strategize. Aiming to bridge divides and build relationships, Rebel Knowledge is a convergence of academic and community research, activism, and art.

Under the broad theme of 'interlocking struggles', this year's symposium will explore the various ways in which our struggles – and the structures of injustice against which we fight – interact with and depend on one another. We’ll discuss the challenges, contradictions, and possibilities of building interconnected movements and strengthening resistance. From theory to practice and back again, the weekend will be jammed packed with workshops, presentations, panels, art displays, book launches, and interactive discussions.

Some of the topics that will be covered include: climate change, capitalism, and political ecology; feminism, poverty, and animal rights; speculative fiction, pop culture, and social justice; indigenous sovereignty, colonialism, and the politics of solidarity; sexism, gender violence, and fighting back.

Time:  See schedule
Venue:  University of Guelph
Location:  50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON
Website:  http://symposium.opirgguelph.org/
For information contact:  info@guelphcitizenaction.ca
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Environment

The release of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee report (2015) and its 94 recommendations across all sectors have generated increased interest in the area of Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations in Canada. This series will identify an Indigenous framework incorporating values and principles that surround an Indigenous philosophy of balancing the mind, body and spirit. From here, participants will be invited to consider the points of intersection for engagement within this framework. A critical component of this dialogue will be exploring existing tensions and disrupting notions that good intentions alone do not equate to good things for all people.

Dates and times: 4 Fridays 10:30 to 12:00 Noon

Friday, Feb 9, 2018
Friday, Feb 23, 2018
Friday, March 2, 2018
Friday, March 9, 2018

Register free: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/conversations-toward-reconciliation-tickets-38608096857?aff=es2

Time:  10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Venue:  VIU Nanaimo Campus, Bldg. 250 - Faculty of Management, Room 308
Location:  900 Fifth Street, Nanaimo, BC
For information contact:  Sharon.Hobenshield@viu.ca
Categories:   Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Mass anti-regime protests have been taking place in over 100 cities and towns across Iran since December 28, 2017 to express the working and impoverished people's outrage against massive poverty, climbing cost of living, vast corruption and embezzlement by officials on all levels as well as brutal political repression. Protesters demanded "Bread, Job, Freedom" while simultaneously calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran and all its factions.

Over 4000, mostly youth under 25, were arrested during and after these protests. Some major cities like Tehran were facing de facto military control. More than 20 protesters were killed by security forces on the streets while at least 10 have died in detention under torture or suspicious circumstances. Scores have been maimed and persecuted by the security and intelligence forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Student activists have been arrested and put on trial while many labour activists have already been facing prosecution and imprisonment.

Progressive organizations and concerned individuals are urged to attend this rally in solidarity with the protesters and political prisoners in Iran. Mass progressive international solidarity built around this movement and not militaristic policies are the way forward.

All detainees and political prisoners must be freed immediately and unconditionally. An injury to one is an injury to all!

Time:  1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Venue:  Mel Lastman Square
Location:  5100 Yonge St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/1506169239501546/
For information contact:  Shora.toronto@gmail.com
Categories:   International; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Budget Day Rally and Action. On February 12, City council will meet to finalize the budget for 2018. The lives of homeless people depend on the meeting’s outcome. The preliminary budget funds a maximum of 361 new shelter beds this year, less than a quarter of the 1500 that are necessary to deal with their severe shortage. If this preliminary budget passes, then the horror of misery and death homeless people have been subjected to continues. We cannot let that happen.

Two things you can do before February 12:

Call, write or visit your local councillor and tell them budget enough resources to add 1500 shelter beds this year. If you write to your councillor, cc us (ocap@tao.ca). You can find the councillor for your neighbourhood here.
Help spread the word about the action on the 12th. Distribute this call-out, and the poster and flyer for the action within your networks. If you need printed copies, get in touch with us at 416-925-6939 or email us.

Time:  9:00 AM
Venue:  City Hall (Meet just outside the main doors)
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://ocap.ca/wtf-budget-2018/
For information contact:  ocap@tao.ca
Phone:  416-925-6939
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

To mark Black History Month, Visionary Conversations will explore issues affecting the Black community and celebrate its stories.

Panelists:

Devon Clunis is a Canadian law enforcement officer, who was the Chief of the Winnipeg Police Service from 2012 until his retirement in 2016. He was the first ever Black Canadian appointed as a police chief.

Leisha Strachan is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management at the University of Manitoba. Her research interests focus on positive youth development in sport.

Zilla Jones practices criminal defence and human rights/poverty law in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She graduated from the University of Manitoba Robson Hall School of law in 2011 and has her own law firm, Jones Law Office.

Francis Amara is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics in the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. He is the departmental coordinator of medical and physician assistant teaching. His research interest is on curriculum development and models of educational development.

Admission is free but seating is limited. Please RSVP to rsvp@umanitoba.ca or 204-474-9071.

Time:  6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue:  Canadian Museum for Human RIghts
Location:  85 Isreal Asper Way, Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://umanitoba.ca/admin/vp_external/government_community/visionaryconversations/upc
For information contact:  rsvp@umanitoba.ca
Phone:  204-474-9071
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Labour, Workplace, Unions; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

We have long fought for establishing legislative measures to ensure economic justice. The Ontario Pay Equity Act was a key victory in both acknowledging the under-funding of women's work and in bringing in measures to ensure a process by which to achieve pay equity.

The gender pay gap is gender wage theft! Time's up on wage discrimination!

The OFL and the Ontario Equal Pay Coalition will hold a special one-day symposium on Tuesday, February 13, 2018. The session with be delivered by the Equal Pay Coalition’s co-chairs Jan Borowy and Fay Faraday.

This strategy symposium launches the 2018 campaign to close the gender pay gap. Equal Pay Day is coming in April. The gathering on February 13 is a timely and unique opportunity to take stock of the state of pay equity in our workplaces and create new strategies for our workplace and for mobilization in an election year.

The February 13 symposium has three objectives:

to provide a brief technical overview of the pay equity issues your members face;
to identify the demands for Equal Pay Day/Provincial election; and
to mobilize for Equal Pay Day.

Visit website to register.

Time:  9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Venue:  USW Hall
Location:  25 Cecil Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://ofl.ca/pay-equity-symposium-times-wage-discrimination-close-pay-gap-end-gender-wage-t
Phone:  416-441-2731 or 1-800-668-9138
Categories:   Women; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Labour, Workplace, Unions

Saying that political and social oppression is a deeply unjust and widespread condition of life is not a terribly controversial statement. Likewise, theorists of justice frequently consider our obligation to not turn a blind eye to oppression. But what is our culpability in the endurance of oppression?

Commentators:

Shannon Dea (Philosophy, University of Waterloo)
Kerry Rittich (Law, University of Toronto)
Meredith Schwartz (Philosophy, Ryerson University)
Torrey Shanks (Political Science, University of Toronto)

Register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/connected-by-commitment-oppression-and-our-responsibility-to-undermine-it-w-mara-marin-tickets-40312882918?aff=es2

Time:  12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Venue:  Centre for Ethics, Room 200, Second Floor, Larkin Building
Location:  15 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.ethics.utoronto.ca
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The federal government's underfunding of services for First Nations children living on reserves has created a crisis situation for these children and their families. Join ANWHR, for a night of crafts, letter writing and sweet treats as we send messages to our Prime Minister and Members of Canadian Parliament to ask them to Have A Heart for our first Nation Children.

Time:  6:30 PM - 8:00PM
Venue:  Amnesty Office
Location:  1992 Yonge Street, 3rd floor, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.amnesty.ca/events/have-heart-support-first-nations-children-0
Categories:   Children & Youth; Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

In 2017, an estimated average of 333 people died every month from opioid related overdoses across Canada. In response to government inaction in the face of this lethal crisis, people involved in the Toronto Overdose Prevention Society setup an unsanctioned supervised injection site in Moss Park in August. Now, six months later, they still remain there, having saved hundreds of lives. Their defiant actions brought to into public focus this crisis of drug overdoses, which hits poor and homeless communities particularly hard. They forced the reluctant City administration to fast-track the opening of at-least 3 supervised injection sites.

Join us at the February Speakers to learn more about the underlying causes of the opioid crisis, its link to the so-called "war on drugs," and the measures that still need to be won.

Speakers: Zoe Dodd and Matt Johnson

Zoe Dodd is a harm-reduction worker and an organizer with the Toronto Overdose Prevention site.

Matt Johnson is a long time injection drug user and harm reduction worker. He is one of the organizers of the Overdose Prevention Site in Moss Park and continues to fight for an end to criminalization of people who use drugs.

Time:  6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue:  CRC
Location:  40 Oak Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/252386721965371/
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Health/Health Care; Human Rights, Law, Legal

Metis Rights Tour launch: Celebrate the launch of the new Metis Rights Tour with one of our interpreters. Learn about the history of Metis people and the rights they have fought for over the last 200 years.

The Metis Rights Tour will be offered on the following schedule:

10:30 a.m. in English
12:45 p.m. in French
1 p.m. in English
3 p.m. in English

Part of Louis Riel Day events at the museum. See schedule for other events and activities.

Time:  10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Venue:  Canadian Museum for Human RIghts
Location:  85 Israel Asper Way, Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://humanrights.ca/event/louis-riel-day-2?ts=February%2019%2C%202018%20-%2010%3A00
Phone:  204-289-2000 or Toll Free: 1-8
Categories:   Native Peoples; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join us for a day of learning and networking that will focus on building environmental leadership in our school communities. This conference is open to everyone (including teachers, school staff, outdoor education centres, administration, EcoTeam leads, and general public) and is an event not to be missed!

Registration is now open!

*Please note that registration is currently open for adult participants only. Registration for youth EcoTeams and their teachers will open in November. Please note that youth registration will be limited to secondary school students.

Venue:  Le Jardin event centre
Location:  8440 Hwy 27, Woodbridge, Vaughan, ON
Website:  http://ontarioecoschools.org/events-news/superconference-2018/
For information contact:  info@ontarioecoschools.org
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Ontario's long-term care system is in crisis and is less funded than any other province in Canada.

Bill 33, the Time to Care Act, calls for a minimum standard of 4 hours of daily, hands-on care for seniors in long-term care to be the law in Ontario. We got our MPPs to pass it at Second Reading, now we need to get it over the finish line.

Time:  12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Venue:  Queen's Park
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2009530232702877/
Categories:   Health/Health Care; Social Services; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Cyberbullying is a form of online harassment and violence that happens through social media and the Internet. With the rise of populism and the increasing momentum around violence against women, online harassment is shifting. Cyber-racism and cyber misogyny are two terms coined to describe the ways that certain groups have been targeted online.

So what can we do?

This year, on Pink Shirt Day, a national day of bullying prevention, YWCA Metro Vancouver and Hootsuite have partnered to host #Cyberbullying, a discussion exploring how race and gender are connected to cyberbullying. Join us on February 28 for an interactive panel discussion that will feature experts, advocates and youth discussing the root causes, effects, and themes surrounding cyberbullying.

Agenda:
5:15PM-5:30PM: Food, drinks and registration
5:30PM-7:00PM: Panel followed by interactive group discussions
7:00PM-7:30PM: Key takeaways and networking

Time:  5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Venue:  Hootsuite
Location:  5 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/cyberbullying-understanding-its-connection-with-race-and-gender-t
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Internet; Communications Industry & Technology

Celebrated as being one of America's leading young feminists, Dr. Brittney Cooper addresses issues with a fresh, honest and humorous perspective and reminds us that anger can be a powerful source of energy. Join the Department of Communication, Media and Film as Dr. Cooper explores how Black women's eloquent rage makes icons such as Beyonce and Michelle Obama powerful, and keeps us all honest and accountable.

Time:  5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Venue:  University of Calgary
Location:  2500 University Drive, Calgary, AB
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/canwest-global-lecture-dr-brittney-cooper-in-defense-of-rage-blac
Categories:   Women; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The Montreal Institute of Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University (MIGS), in partnership with U.S. Consulate General Montreal are pleased to invite you to a seminar with Rais Bhuiyan, founder of the organization World Without Hate. Mr. Bhuiyan will talk about his experiences as a hate crime victim in the U.S. and his work towards a world without violence.

Time:  12:15 PM - 1:45 PM
Venue:  Concordia University - Sir George Williams Campus
Location:  1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. West, Montreal, QC
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/world-without-hate-a-discussion-with-rais-bhuiyan-tickets-4264730
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

You are invited to our 2018 Transit Summit. The purpose of our Summit is to build the movement for an affordable world class public transit system. This is a key time to advocate for our issues because we have a Toronto and Ontario election in 2018.

The summit will feature at least five skill-building workshops to improve our ability to engage in transit advocacy, and two hours allocated to open discussion on topics of our choosing. This is your opportunity to get involved, meet like-minded people, and help shape the direction of our movement.

$20 entrance fee. Free for current members of TTCriders, and volunteers of co-sponsoring organizations. Please contact us at jess@ttcriders.ca if you're interested in being a co-sponsor or if the registration fee is a barrier for entry.

Location: TBA. It will be at an accessible location near a subway stop. Lunch provided

Time:  10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/393067277801652/
For information contact:  jess@ttcriders.ca
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

LIBERATION, HONOURING OUR SISTERS, CELEBRATING OUR VICTORIES, STRENGTHENING OUR RESISTANCE ON INDIGENOUS LAND!

Rally at 11am at OISE, 252 Bloor Street West. March starts at 1pm.

Time:  11:00AM- Rally and 1:00PM- March
Venue:  University of Toronto, OISE Building
Location:  252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://iwdtoronto.ca/
Categories:   Women; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This event will be held as an action in the aftermath of the verdict released on February 22nd in which Raymond Cormier was found not guilty in the second-degree murder of 15 year old Tina Fontaine. Systematic colonial violence in Canada still remains rampant and we must take action in letting our governments and leaders know that we will not be silenced. I encourage you to take part in this.

Time:  2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Venue:  Nathan Phillips Square
Location:  100 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/202271587190338/
Categories:   Native Peoples; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This event intends to inform the public about the health, social and economic impacts of universal Pharmacare, and intends to help keep this issue at the forefront of the political agenda for Ontario and Canada as a whole.

Keynote Speakers:
Maude Barlow & Prof Emeritus Brian Hutchison

Followed by Q & A with a panel of experts

Free Admission. For parking, there is street parking available nearby, free after 6 PM. Also, the AGB parking lot (see map http://bit.ly/2EtoJck) requires payment only until 7 PM. https://artgalleryofburlington.com/

Please bring your own reusable water bottle

Pharmacare Toolkit - https://canadians.org/pharmacare-toolkit

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Art Gallery of Burlington
Location:  1333 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, ON
Website:  http://canadians.org/pharmacare-toolkit
Categories:   Health/Health Care; Social Policy; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Clean Air Hamilton and the City of Hamilton are pleased to announce the tenth biennial Upwind Downwind Conference. The 2018 conference is focusing on the City of Hamilton’s airshed model, provincial air quality work, practical solutions and new partnerships to address air quality issues in Ontario.

Who should attend:

Health Practitioners
Planners
Sustainability Professionals
Academics
Students; university, college, high school
Community groups
Non-Governmental Agencies

Visit website for schedule.
Registration includes breakfast, refreshments at breaks and lunch.

Time:  8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Venue:  Sheraton Hotel – Downtown Hamilton, 2nd Floor
Location:  116 King Street West, Hamilton, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/upwind-downwind-conference-2018-tickets-37727208095?aff=es2
Categories:   Environment; Health/Health Care; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join us on March 29, at 6 pm, for the 'Where Are You From? Where Are You Going?' exhibition Panel Discussion and Closing Reception, in the Glass Pavilion at Mississauga Celebration Square (beside Central Library).

'Where Are You From? Where Are You Going?' brings together a group of intergenerational Black and Indigenous artists who are using their artwork and voices to take up public space to represent and share perspectives and experiences from their communities and cultures. The discussion will centre these perspectives and bodies which have often been historically silenced or left in the margins of Canadian art.

Time:  Panel Discussion: March 29 at 6:00 PM - 9:00
Venue:  Mississauga Celebration Square
Location:  300 City Centre Drive, Mississauga, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/172359413407649/
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Let's all get together that's one Community United and Duty love and activism, to save Thunder Bay, to save the Earth our home.

Earth Day, we march from Silvercity/ Thunder Bay Cineplex to Wallmart on memorial , where we will circle their lot and show our passion for environmental stewardship and our love for the Earth...but not before we cross through intercity shopping center! A map of the chosen route will be posted as the event draws near.

Feel free to collect trash on the way, we can even provide supplies!

Let's all do our part to #StandUp4CleanUp!

Time:  Sun, 11:00 PM – Mon, 2:00 PM
Venue:  Silvercity Cineplex
Location:  850 May St N, Thunder Bay, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/march-for-mother-earth-tickets-42687508487?aff=ebdssbcitybrowse
Categories:   Environment; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

On March 11, 2011, the world's largest industrial accident occurred - a triple nuclear meltdown - in Fukushima, Japan. An area up to 50 km was evacuated and 160,000 people displaced, most whom have yet to return. Plants and animals are genetically damaged https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPWRinjQKyg&t=13s. Hundreds of thousands of bags of radioactive soil are stranded around the countryside with no waste solution in site, and 300 tonnes of radioactive water flows into the Pacific Ocean daily, contaminating the food chain. The catastrophe is expected to cost the Japanese economy between $200 and $500 Billion.

At this anniversary event well address a new report by Dr. Ian Fairlie, radiation biologist from the UK. His report considers what would happen if a serious nuclear accident, similar in extent to what took place in Fukushima, were to happen at the Pickering Nuclear Station just east of Toronto. The answer is alarming, exacerbated by the fact that Pickering is surrounded by millions of people. Greenpeace is also releasing a new report about Fukushima that will be shared at this event. We'll also discuss viable alternatives to nuclear power in ON, and brainstorm how to achieve a renewable future.

On Thur. March 15, there will be a similar event in Pickering. https://www.facebook.com/events/2192383464121862/

Free event. And please sign our petitions: www.Close-Pickering.ca and www.BuyQuebecPower.ca

Time:  7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue:  University of Toronto Faculty of Arts & Science
Location:  100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/749957985214181/
For information contact:  angela@cleanairalliance.org
Categories:   Environment; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Skills & Training

"We Are the First Generation that Can End Poverty, and the Last that Can End Climate Change"- Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. While the goals represent a shared vision for a better future, the global scope of the goals can feel overwhelming. The SDG dialogue series is an opportunity for people who care about social and environmental issues to connect with each other and learn from guest speakers working in the area of each of the goals. Together we will:

-Explore the issue from a global and local perspective
-Learn about local initiatives to achieve action on the goals
-Identify barriers and share strategies for overcoming these challenges

The dialogue series is organized by and for people who care about taking action on the sustainable development goals. It is NOT an offical UN event.

Time:  6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue:  HiVE Vancouver
Location:  128 West Hastings Street, #210, Vancouver, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/conversations-the-global-goals-tickets-38025585550?aff=es2
Categories:   Environment; Human Rights, Law, Legal; International

What's holding up the Relief Line? When will the TTC get the funding it needs to fix overcrowding and long wait times?

Come and learn what's at stake for transit riders in the upcoming provincial budget, and find out about our plans for a March 27 action.

The 2018 provincial budget will be unveiled soon, with an election around the corner. TTCriders wants the province to restore TTC operating funding and to fund projects like the Relief Line and Sheppard East LRT.

TTCriders member Mike Sullivan will take us through some of these transit issues and explain TTCriders' demands.

PRESENTER BIO:
Mike Sullivan has worked at CBC Radio and as a Union Negotiator. He helped organize and ran the Weston Community Coalition and the Clean Train Coalition. He was a member of Parliament from 2011-2015. He is presently completing a Masters in Environmental Studies at York. He is keenly interested in transit, particularly planning community involvement.

Snacks will be provided and TTC tokens will be available.

Time:  6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Location:  720 Bathurst Street, 3rd floor., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/416576848791308/
For information contact:  info@ttcriders.ca
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Please join us for a Panel Discussion on the options for creating new affordable housing in Parkdale.

Toronto is experiencing a housing affordability crisis. Rents are skyrocketing, pricing low and middle-income people out of their communities, while homeownership is increasingly unattainable for the majority of Torontonians.

In Parkdale and beyond residents have demanded "affordable housing now!" This begs the question what options do we have for creating more affordable housing in Parkdale?

Panellists will provide an introduction to the opportunities and challenges of some of these options including: Cooperative Housing, Affordable Home Ownership, inclusionary zoning, non-profit rental housing and Community Land Trusts.

We will also discuss possible solutions.

Time:  6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue:  May Robinson Auditorium
Location:  20 W Lodge Ave., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/options-for-new-affordable-housing-in-parkdale-tickets-437250929
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

To be held on the traditional territory of the Mississauga of the New Credit First Nation, Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Wendat, and Huron Indigenous Peoples.

This a family friendly event open to allies, media, and general public.

Please be mindful, compassionate, and respectful while in attendance as some survivors may be in an a more emotional state than others as they either may not yet be on or are in the early stages of their journey of healing from the pain of their past

*** Speakers and more details To Be Announced ***

A peaceful 60's Scoop Survivors solidarity rally across Canada in every major city- Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto & Montreal

60s Scoop Survivors across Turtle Island are mobilizing, motivated, and ready to make some noise, raise awareness and build support.

We will gather at noon in Allan Gardens.

Mark your calendars! Invite your friends, community, and allies!
More details to be announced as the planning goes forward !

Time to make some noise!

**Volunteers are needed for this event. If you would like to offer support, please Contact Evan Smith at pastorevansmith@gmail.com or message Sixties Scoop Survivor's National Day of Recognition.

Daamishkooziimin (We are Strong) is a monthly gathering in Toronto for 60s scoop survivors and other Indigenous Adoptees and survivors of the child welfare system. We meet at Council Fire Native Cultural Centre on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 6:30.

Time:  12:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Venue:  Allan Gardens Park and Conservatory
Location:  19 Horticultural Ave., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/133825510766592
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

On the occasion of INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY, the Committee of Progressive Pakistani-Canadians presents:

Hina Jilani the renowned civil and political rights activist on the struggle for human, democratic and women's rights in Pakistan. Ms. Jilani is a terrific speaker: articulate and logical, informative and interesting, radical and militant.

FREE ADMISSION - voluntary contributions gratefully accepted.

Tribute by Professor Murtaza Haider to Hina Jilani's sister and life-long comrade-in-arms, the recently deceased Asma Jahangir the towering political figure of Pakistan who from a young age till her last breath, bravely fought for human, democratic and women's rights and against injustices to religious and national minorities, the poor and the wronged.

- 'Meri Kahani' CPPC video featuring three Pakistani women and their struggles in finding gainful employment after immigration to Canada.

Please help publicize the talk by circulating this announcement to your friends who might be interested and/or posting or sharing it on Facebook pages

Time:  7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Venue:  Ted Rogers School of Management, Rm 1–147, 7th Floor
Location:  55 Dundas Street West (at Bay St), Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/591380277872712/
Categories:   Women; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The world is facing its biggest refugee crisis in almost 70 years. Most attention has focused on Syria, but there are similar stories elsewhere, from Central Americans crossing through Mexico to Eritreans held hostage by gangs in the Sinai Peninsula. While there has been a renewed commitment to refugee protection in Canada over the past year, most global governments are fixated on how to keep refugees out. Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada, will explore just how broken the global refugee system has become and what needs to be done to turn this mounting human rights crisis around.

Alex Neve is the Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada.

Time:  7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Lacombe Memorial Centre, Burman University
Location:  5214 50 Avenue, Lacombe, AB
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/herr-lecture-series-alex-neve-tickets-38342322920?aff=eac2
Categories:   International; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

We have seen increasing numbers of people overdosing and dying from unsafe drugs in the last few years. The effect of this crisis on individuals, families and communities is resulting in increasing fear and concerns. The overdose crisis has lead to changes in harm reduction, healthcare strategies and public health policy.

What is the actual situation in our community?
What is the citywide, national, and global context?
What can individuals and local community organizations do to in response to this challenge?

Join us for a community conversation with individuals and organizations such as the South Riverdale Community Health Centre who are tackling this issue in our community and beyond.

Time:  6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Venue:  Ralph Thornton Community Centre
Location:  765 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/149415959058523/
Phone:  (416) 392-6810
Categories:   Health/Health Care; Pharmaceuticals/Drugs; Social Policy

In celebration of the Equity Offices' 20th anniversary, join us on March 20th, 2018 for the Diversity & Inclusion Round-Table and Tri-Awards Celebration. At this event you will hear from leading practitioners in the fields of equity, diversity and inclusion.

Centered on the principles of collaboration and community building, this round-table discussion is your opportunity to contribute to conversations on diversity and inclusion at Queen's University. The keynote speakers for the round-table discussion will be Dr. Minelle Mahtani and Dr. Sheila Cote-Meek.

In addition to the engaging round-table discussion, attendees will also be part of our annual Tri-Awards celebration, honouring individuals and group accomplishments in the areas of employment equity, accessibility and human rights.
Please help us to plan an accessible and inclusive event by identifying any personal requirements you may have in advance.

Please contact equity@queensu.ca and we will help meet your accommodation and inclusion needs.

Time:  8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Venue:  Robert Sutherland Hall, Queen's University
Location:  138 Union St., Kingston, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/EquityOfficeQU
For information contact:  equity@queensu.ca
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Protect communities, fisheries, tourism and climate from Big Oil
BP, the same company responsible for the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon disaster that spilled 4.9 million barrels of oil, has been approved to drill up to seven exploratory wells off the coast of Nova Scotia as early as this spring (2018).

March 20 to 22, the Council of Canadians is hosting a series of public events exposing the risks of offshore drilling Nova Scotian waters. Antonia Juhasz, investigative journalist, energy analyst and author of Black Tide: the Devastating Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill will speak to the causes and consequences of the largest offshore drilling oil spill in world history. Colin Sproul, fifth generation lobster fisherman and spokesperson for the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen's Association will address the threat drilling and a spill presents to good jobs in fisheries. There will be updates on the status of BP's application, ongoing work led by local groups, the potential impacts on our climate, and ways people can get involved.

Town Hall Tour Stops:

Halifax, March 20
Shelburne, March 21
Lunenburg, March 22

See schedule for time and locations.

Time:  Tues March 20, 19:00 - Thur March 22, 21:30
Location:  Halifax, Shelburne, Lunenburg, NS
Website:  http://canadians.org/NS-offshore-tour
Categories:   Environment; Mining & Petroleum; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March.On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid pass laws. United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the day in 1966, calling on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination. Events in the United States, Quebec and Ontario remind us of how important it is to build a strong movement to stop racism, Islamophobia and discrimination.

Time:  7:00PM
Venue:  Toronto City Hall
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://urbanalliance.ca
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; International

The Canadian Race Relations Foundation's Canada Lecture invites accomplished Canadians to raise awareness and understanding of critical issues related to racism, racial discrimination, and creating social harmony in our society. The program provides a forum for addressing ways and challenges in confronting and eliminating racism and its manifestations, and serves as a unique medium for sharing views, experiences and visions about Canadian identity and citizenship.

In 2018, the Canada Lecture will be delivered by The Honourable Mr. Justice Russell Juriansz, on the theme of Contemporary Issues in Freedom of Expression.

Presented in partnership with the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

Time:  4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Venue:  J140, Jackman Law Building
Location:  78 Queens Park, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-2018-canada-lecture-tickets-43215017280?aff=es2
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Leilani Farha was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing in June 2014. She is also the Executive Director of Canada Without Poverty, a national anti-poverty charitable organization based in Ottawa. A lawyer by training, for the past 20 years Leilani has worked both internationally and domestically on the implementation of human rights for the most marginalized groups.

In Canada, Leilani worked on housing rights issues as the Executive Director of the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA) for 12 years. In that capacity, she helped to launch a historic legal challenge seeking the implementation of UN recommendations for addressing homelessness as a violation of human rights. Internationally, Leilani has actively participated in a number of missions around the world to examine housing and living conditions of marginalized communities and to assist in developing policy responses for the implementation of human rights. Leilani is known as a dynamic and effective advocate for economic, social and cultural rights and for promoting legal protection and access to justice for these rights. She has researched and published widely on issues related to housing rights, including on forced evictions, and securing land and housing rights for indigenous peoples. As a central dimension in all her activities, she has worked extensively on women’s economic, social and cultural rights.

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science 1-430, University of Alberta
Location:  Edmonton, AB
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/visiting-lectureship-in-human-rights-leilani-farha-tickets-419682
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; International

Celebrate World Water Day with us at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema with FREE film screenings followed by a discussion. We have two special films lined up – a Toronto premiere and a North American premiere – both of which are saying 'FRACK OFF!' to oil and gas companies in the name of protecting water.

Together they provide a timely look at fracking and protecting drinking water, especially in light of recent changes to Ontario's Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Act. Timing is everything, before companies stake claims; we need to follow the lead of Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and New York State, which have all banned fracking in their jurisdictions.

Join us for this important discussion, before the 2018 provincial election in June, when we can all consider ways to make this crucial issue, an election issue!

Time:  6:00 - 8:30 pm,
Venue:  Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
Location:  506 Bloor St. W., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.waterdocs.ca/worldwaterday2018/
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

BDSM Writers Con is dedicated to writers and readers of Dominance and submission. We are the ONLY conference in the world to offer writers and readers the ability to discover the complexities of Dominance and submission through workshops, live demos, and fascinating hands-on experiences while you interact with your favorite–and soon-to-be favorite–BDSM authors.

Our host & founder, Dr. Charley Ferrer a world-renowned Clinical Sexologist and BDSM Educator provides you with the secrets you need to know that's got erotic authors like Cris Anson exploring and the Rolling Stone Magazine taking notice.

Due to the nature of this event, ALL participants must be 19 years of age or older!

Location:  Everett WA
Website:  http://bdsmwriterscon.com/
Categories:   Sexuality; Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language

Kinder Morgan is poised to start a key phase of construction on a pipeline and tanker project that would put hundreds of rivers and streams at risk of oil spills -- but a powerful movement is rising up to defend the land, water, and climate.

On March 10th Coast Salish spiritual leaders and members raised a traditional Coast Salish Watch House near the pipeline route which will act as a base for resistance to the project. 10,000 people in Metro Vancouver marched in solidarity on the same day. Now, Indigenous leaders and local residents are preparing to take bold action on the ground.

A massive people-powered confrontation in BC is already tarnishing Trudeau’s reputation as a progressive leader committed to climate action, coastal protection, and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples -- and if we show how big the national movement against pipelines is we can convince the Trudeau Liberals that pushing for Kinder Morgan to be built is not in their best interest.

On March 23rd, people across the country will take to the streets for a National Day of Action to Defend the Water. We’ll gather outside our MP’s offices, and then go inside to deliver samples of water collected from the coastline in BC threatened by Kinder Morgan oil spills. With the power of water from the frontlines of resistance, we’ll demand that our MPs put pressure on Trudeau to stop pushing for the pipeline.

We need as many people as possible to show up so we can send a powerful message. Can you join us? RSVP for your local event now.

Time:  12:00 PM
Venue:  MP Carolyn Bennett's office
Location:  40 Holly St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://act.leadnow.ca/defendthewater/toronto/
Categories:   Environment; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join us for the 2018 Walter Gordon Symposium. The panel will focus on the social implications of counting as it relates to the law and its enforcement. The proliferation of data analytics within police departments and related law enforcement agencies presents important ethical questions for the contemporary relationship between the state and its citizens. We would encourage exploration of the following central questions, among others: who is 'counted' in the eyes of the law; when and how does 'counting' violate civil liberties or disproportionately target marginalized communities; are there legitimate ways in which 'counting' can improve the administration of justice?

Time:  9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Venue:  Campbell Conference Facility
Location:  1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/making-policy-count-the-social-implications-of-data-driven-decisi
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Law Enforcement & Corrections; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Disability and suffering share a complicated and convoluted history. Too often, it is assumed that people with disabilities are suffering their disability, and yet for many people disability is more closely related to who they are as a person than to suffering. Hear first-hand perspectives of multiple ways to relate to suffering, and come away from this module with a renewed appreciation for theologies and pastoral practices that leave space for suffering and yet always practice gracious presence with people with disabilities and those that suffer.

Register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/accessibility-ministry-module-6-disability-and-suffering-tickets-36120594671?aff=es2

Time:  9:00Am - 3:00PM
Venue:  Tyndale University College & Seminary
Location:  3377 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.tyndale.ca/tsfc
Phone:  1-416-226-6620 or 1-416-226-63
Categories:   Disability Issues; Religious; Education

Our objective is to inform conference attendees about sustainability and encourage them to take a systems thinking approach to the sustainability of our communities - locally, regional, and globally. Through hands-on workshops, posters, exhibits, and symposia, we will highlight initiatives taking place in the Peterborough/Kawartha Lakes region that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability in the areas of food security, waste management, alternative energy, the built environment, and social justice. We aim to inspire, and provide the tools for delegates to incorporate sustainable practices and approaches into their everyday lives, both at home and beyond.

Time:  8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Venue:  Fleming College - Frost Campus
Location:  200 Albert Street South, Lindsay, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/eco-health-conference-acting-locally-to-impact-globally-tickets-4
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Please join Communities for Zero Violence as we march in Solidarity with our US neighbors in the March for Our Lives on Saturday March 24, 2018.

We will meet at 10 AM at City Hall (100 Queen St.W). We will have various community speakers at City Hall and Queens Park where our march will end.

The time for change is NOW! We need to let our Government know that we are fed up with our communities being shattered by guns and that we stand side by side with the US students and communities in their fight.

Calling all concerned allies alike! SPREAD THE WORD!

#MarchforOurLives #NeverAgain

Time:  10:00 AM; 11:15 march to US Consulate
Venue:  Toronto City Hall
Location:  100 Queen St.W, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/330959304063980/
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Human Rights, Law, Legal

Transitions toward more sustainable and equitable cities demand that we develop more dynamic transdisciplinary fields and relational practices that can question the very grounds we work from, make room for excluded voices, and open alternative pathways toward change. This lecture addresses intersections between academic research into mobility justice and more activist stances in the face of climate change and social injustice.

What is mobility studies? What is it for? Who does it? What does it do? This talk will specifically explore how we can mobilize pedagogies in ways that extend beyond the classroom to engage with wider publics in re-imagining and re-making extended urban systems including transport, energy, and communication infrastructures that span micro and macro scales, near and far, horizontal and vertical, slow and fast, North and South, onshore and offshore, urban and rural.

Dr. Sheller is a leading scholar in mobilities studies, often credited with co-creating this field. She is Professor of Sociology at Drexel University, where she is also Founding Director of the Center for Mobilities Research and Policy. She is author and co-editor of nine books. She is co-founder and co-editor of the journal Mobilities and Associate Editor of Transfers: Interdisciplinary Journal of Mobility Studies. Sheller is past President of the International Association for the History of Transport, Traffic and Mobility (2014-17).

Time:  6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue:  Centre for International Governance Innovation
Location:  67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/mobility-justice-and-urban-equity-pedagogies-activism-and-sustai
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Transportation & Travel; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Sick of being sardined? Waiting too long for the bus?

You're not alone. Join TTCriders for a Sardine Ride & Rally!

It's time for Kathleen Wynne and our MPPs to fairly fund the TTC in the upcoming provincial budget, so riders get better service and lower fares. Join us!

Time:  11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Venue:  Toronto City Hall
Location:  100 Queen St W, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://eventbrite.ca/e/sardine-ride-rally-tickets-43950259409
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Transportation & Travel; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This event will explore issues of neighbourhood gentrification, access to affordable housing, how cities change, who gets excluded when communities become less affordable and the effective and innovative ways that residents are organizing and forging change to keep Toronto's neighbourhoods a home for all. Contrasts and comparisons will be drawn between New York City and Toronto.

REGISTER: uoft.me/homeistoronto

Time:  5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  William Doo Auditorium
Location:  45 Willcocks St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/196978817702162/
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Kevin Skerrett (Research Officer for the Canadian Union of Public Employees) and Chris Roberts (National Director of Social and Economic Policy for the Canadian Labour of Congress) discuss the significance of their edited book, The Contradictions of Pension Fund Capitalism (Cornell University Press, 2018). Heather Whiteside and Janice Folk-Dawson speak to the issues the book raises for the trade union and working class movements today.

Time:  7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Venue:  Steelworkers Hall
Location:  25 Cecil, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://socialistproject.ca/event/book-launch-contradictions-pension-fund-capitalism/
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Politics & Political Organizations; Social Policy

Excessive Force: Toronto's Fight to Reform City Policing by Alok Mukherjee with Tim Harper. Excessive Force takes the reader inside the G20 debacle; the police push for an ever-growing budget; the battle over carding, which disproportionately targeted the Black community; the police treatment of its own members in mental health distress; and the battles with an entrenched union that pushed back on Mukherjee's every move toward reform. In spite of - or as a result of - all this, Mukherjee played a leading role in shaping the national conversation about policing, sketching a way forward for a new type of policing that brings law enforcement out of the nineteenth century and into the twenty-first century.

Time:  5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Venue:  Heaslip House (7th Floor)
Location:  297 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/excessive-force-torontos-fight-to-reform-city-policing-book-launc
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Law Enforcement & Corrections; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

On behalf the Quill Plains (Wynyard) Chapter of the Council of Canadians, we would like to invite you to the Chapter's upcoming Spring Forum, focusing on the question "Is Your Community Ready for Renewable Energy?"

Speakers:

Stephen Hall, an Industrial Designer in Regina, is passionately interested in new energy solutions, particularly solar. His home-based PV solar system generates over 8 MWh (megawatt hours) of energy annually, which is approximately equal to his family's yearly electrical consumption. He is committed to advocating for solar, smart grids, and distributed energy, with a particular focus on the positive economic impacts associated with sustainable energy solutions. Stephen is hoping to establish a solar power co-operative in Regina similar to that of Saskatoon.

Dr. Mark Bigland-Pritchard, an energy consultant with Low Energy Design Ltd of Saskatoon, will address the questions: Why do the world and your community need local energy democracy? What will the future look like in a green energy economy? What are the potential benefits for local communities, and what changes do we need to make sure they happen? Why has local control been so important to building the green economy globally? Just how urgently do we need to address climate change, and how much can the energy transition help? And more.

Please join us for what promises to be an interesting and informative afternoon - bring a friend - it's FREE!

Time:  1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Venue:  St. Peter's College, Michael Hall, Third Floor
Location:  Muenster, SK
Website:  http://canadians.org/event/quill-plains-wynyard-spring-forum
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Only by collective action can we create an education system where educators have decent working conditions, and where students are free from debt and have access to affordable, high-quality education. To express our collective resolve, CUPE 3903 is calling for a rally and march to oppose attacks on public education by this anti-worker, anti-student provincial government.

We will begin at the Ministry of Labour to protest their anti-democratic and anti-union practices, including forced ratification votes and binding arbitration. We will then march to Queens Park to tell the provincial government that we will not accept further cuts or back-to-work legislation.

A different education system is possible. Together we will build it.

Time:  1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Venue:  Ministry Of Labour
Location:  400 University Avenue, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2061272644084664/
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Find out about Mayor Tory's plan to eliminate four SRT stations and replace them with one SmartTrack/GO station at Lawrence East.

Light refreshments and tokens provided.

Time:  6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue:  McGregor Park Community Centre
Location:  2231 Lawrence Avenue East, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/975939975913994/
For information contact:  scarboroughtransitaction@gmail.com
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Transportation & Travel; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

On the first night of Passover, while some of us and our community sat at seder tables across the country, 18 unarmed Palestinian protesters were shot and killed by Israeli forces.This is not what freedom looks like.

On Monday, April 9th at 5:30pm, we will gather as Jews in rage and sorrow outside the Consulate General of Israel to mourn the deaths of the 18 Palestinian protesters in Gaza by reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish, a Jewish prayer to honour those no longer with us.Please join us in this Jewish ritual of mourning. No knowledge of Hebrew or Jewish ritual is necessary.

We are gathering outside the Consulate because violence against protesters contradict our Jewish values.

In Gaza, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) declared the border a closed "military zone," using the same tactics it uses in the West Bank to arbitrarily restrict Palestinian freedom of movement. A new report from Human Rights Watch just declared Israel's actions as unlawful and calculated, saying "the high number of deaths and injuries was the foreseeable consequence of granting soldiers leeway to use lethal force outside of life-threatening situations in violation of international norms." This is part of the daily nightmare of occupation and anti-Palestinian policies.

Yet from many Jewish institutions, there has been only silence - or, even, worse, full support for Israel's actions. As Jews who believe in freedom and dignity for all, we must resist and reject this.

Time:  5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Venue:  Consulate General of Israel in Toronto
Location:  180 Bloor St W., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://actionnetwork.org/events/toronto-jews-say-stop-the-violence-in-gaza
For information contact:  ifnotnowtoronto@gmail.com
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; International; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join the Council of Canadians, allies, and supporters for a rally in defense of our public health care system. On Monday, April 9th, for-profit clinic CEO Brian Day's court case resumes. If Day has his way, we will have a two-tiered health system, like the U.S.'s, that places corporation's profit over the people's health. This lawsuit is the latest neoliberal assault by corporate forces on public services in an effort to privatize and extract profit off of our health care.

Join us and defend health care as a human right!

Time:  8:30 AM
Venue:  Steps of the Law Courts
Location:  852 Nelson St., Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/1989235964661105/
Categories:   Health/Health Care; Social Policy; Human Rights, Law, Legal

The Water Docs Film Festival is a fascinating program of films on issues facing water systems and the people who live in them here and around the world. After each screening there will be lively Q&A sessions with filmmakers, activists, artists, experts and other related speakers. You can meet interesting community partners and find out ways to get involved.

April 10 is in the Auditorium at OISE at 252 Bloor Street West. April 12-15 are at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema at 503 Bloor Street West. There's a reception on the 12th for Opening Night.

The festival is a joint effort of many great volunteers, partners, donors and supporters who all help to make it happen!

Time:  See schedule for times and location
Venue:  Auditorium at OISE and Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.waterdocs.ca/
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

On April 15, the All Saints church respite site, officially considered to be part of Margaret’s, and located at Dundas and Sherbourne, will shut down. The impending closure will result in Margaret’s losing at least half of its 110 person capacity, forcing at least 55 people to relocate, but no one knows where to. The City has failed to release a plan for the relocation and has not secured a replacement site in the neighbourhood.

Press Conference at 1pm on Thursday, April 12, at south-east corner of Dundas & Sherbourne - the location of Margaret’s respite centre, which will lose at least half its capacity this Sunday.

Time:  1:00 pm
Venue:  south-east corner of Dundas & Sherbourne
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.ocap.ca
For information contact:  Gaetan Heroux & Yogi Acharya, OCAP
Phone:  416 925 6939
Categories:   Social Services

Trade is something that affects all of us – our jobs, our environment and our economy. Please join Maude Barlow, Council of Canadians Honorary Chairperson, at the People’s Trade Agenda Town Hall to have a discussion about how we can build a fair trade future.

This town hall is part of Unifor's cross-Canada community dialogue about how we can do trade differently - so it doesn’t just favour the needs of corporations and wealthy investors. How can we change our approach to trade so it puts people and the planet first?

Time:  5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Venue:  The Sheraton Hamilton Hotel
Location:  116 King St. West, Hamilton, ON
Website:  http://www.unifor.org/en/whats-new/event/peoples-trade-town-hall-hamilton
Categories:   Trade; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Environment

In 2017, nearly half of the refugee claims in Canada made by people who crossed through irregular border crossings between the US-Canada border were made by Haitians. Why were they compelled to go through irregular border crossings? And, why are Haitians who were living in the US for nearly a decade now leaving the US?

Right now, Haitian and Central American immigrants are facing renewed threats against their immigration status both north and south of the US - Canada border. Now, after nearly a decade or more of living legally in the US, nearly 400,000 people primarily from Haiti and Central America are facing deportation as the US Government plans to end the immigration program called the Temporary Protected Status, or TPS.

Join the Caribbean Solidarity Network for a Teach-In on Canada & Haiti: Cultivating a Refugee Crisis, as we discuss how Canada has played a direct role in cultivating Haiti’s instability.

This is a public event open to everyone. Lunch will be served. Please register via Eventbrite so that we can coordinate lunch and materials.

Time:  1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Venue:  Wilson Hall room 2053
Location:  40 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2087007608212025/
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join us for a walk through central Toronto, learning and sharing with the community about our commitment to the Blue Scarf values. This year's specific themes will focus on Protecting & Connecting with our Food, Land, Water. Stay tuned for announcements of presentations at six different stations which will determine the route and starting location. The day will include an action calling for the end of fossil fuel subsidies.

Meeting in Queen's Park NORTH.

Time:  2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Venue:  Queen's Park
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/289349678263257/
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

People from across the Southern Interior will gather in Nelson on April 23rd to oppose the expansion of the Kinder Morgan pipeline and to support First Nations Coast Protectors in their call for the conservation of pristine lands along the pipeline route and the West Coast.

The Forum, called For Our Earth: Join the Movement to Stop Kinder Morgan is being organized by a coalition of local groups supporting safe methods of transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy. It is scheduled for 7-9 pm in the Nelson United Church sanctuary, at 602 Silica Street in Nelson, doors open at 6:30 pm.

Headliners are Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, Joan Phillip of the Penticton Indian Band Council, and Garth Lenz, an internationally award winning environmental photographer who focuses on Canada's role in the ecosystems of the world.

Time:  7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location:  602 Silica Street, Nelson, BC
Website:  http://canadians.org/event/nelson-our-earth-forum-join-movement-stop-kinder-morgan
For information contact:  nadia@netidea.com
Categories:   Environment; Mining & Petroleum; Human Rights, Law, Legal

The media's response to the death of Peter Munk - valourizing a man responsible for countless deaths, widespread sexual assault, and the destruction of entire ecosystems - is a reminder of the power of money. It sets a dangerous precedent - that whatever crimes you commit, whatever devastation you cause, can be forgiven if only you share a fraction of your stolen wealth.

Meanwhile, Peter Munk's legacy exists in many places – sites that are marked by active resistance against the lies and impacts of Barrick Gold.

Join us outside Barrick Gold's AGM as we honour the victims and uplift the demands of communities silenced by the drumming of Munk's accolades.

Time:  9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Location:  88 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/201695080562092/
Categories:   Mining & Petroleum; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Environment

Join us on the day the federal Liberals table legislation to support the Kinder Morgan pipeline (NOTE: date TBC!) on Parliament Hill, 4:30pm to say enough! We will stand in solidarity with Indigenous-led opposition against this broken pipeline plan. We will call our political representatives to account. Bring pots and pans and prepare to be loud!

Please invite your friends, family and colleagues. Note, this rally could be as early as this Thursday, we will change the date as it becomes clearer when the legislation is to be tabled.

It is not acceptable to exclude Indigenous voices from high level meetings on the Kinder Morgan crisis, claim consultations are sufficient when the matter is before the Federal Court of Appeals and ignore free prior and informed consent as outlined in UNDRIP!

It is not acceptable to break a promise to phase out fossil fuel subsidies by proposing to spend tax-payers money on bailing out the Texas-based Kinder Morgan corporation!

It is not acceptable that there continues to be a growing gap between provincial and federal climate plans and our Paris Climate Agreement goals, while we continue fossil fuel expansion!

It is not acceptable to claim interim measures were enough to fix the Harper era broken National Energy Board process for pipelines!

Time:  4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Venue:  Parliament Hill
Location:  Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/823232264551538/
Categories:   Environment; Mining & Petroleum; Human Rights, Law, Legal

April is Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month.

In 20th century, the world has witnessed several horrific genocides.

What role can museums play? How can museums educate the public, and especially youth, about genocide and mass atrocities?

Join our President and CEO John Young and Olesia Stasiuk, General Director of the national Holodomor memorial in Ukraine, for what promises to be an insightful discussion. They will share their perspectives on what works and doesn't work in their own institutions.

Olesia Stasiuk's presentation and discussion with John Young will be delivered in Ukrainian with consecutive translation into English.

The evening includes the screening of the short documentary Covering the Holodomor: Memory Eternal, a collaborative project between the two museums, and an audience question-and-answer period.

A new exhibition from the national Holodomor memorial in Ukraine will be on display during the event, sponsored by Ucrainica Research Institute.

Note: This event will also take place in Saskatoon on April 26 and in Edmonton on April 27. Please see schedule for times and location.

Time:  7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue:  Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Bonnie and John Buhler Hall, Level 1
Location:  Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://humanrights.ca/event/genocide-education?ts=April%2025%2C%202018%20-%206%3A00pm
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Education; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Rosa Luxemburg and Her Ideas: Engaging the Left and Impacting the World

Rosa Luxemburg dedicated her life to the fight against war, poverty, exploitation and any kind of suppression. Yet today in the age of neo-liberalism, we have the same problems as in the beginning of the 20th century. Luxemburg, a versatile Marxist theoretician, excellent journalist, and effective agitator has left us a body of work that may support and impact on the present left. We invite you to present relevant papers on the life and work of Rosa Luxemburg and her close comrades.

Registration [Free]:
Ottokar Luban, Berlin, Germany: oluban@gmx.de
http://www.internationale-rosa-luxemburg-gesellschaft.de/

Conference Language: English

Location:  Chicago
Website:  http://www.internationale-rosa-luxemburg-gesellschaft.de/
For information contact:  Ottokar Luban - oluban@gmx.de
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

April is Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month. What Does "Never Again" Really Mean? The Importance of Genocide Education in Fighting Hate

Please join the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the Armenian National Committee of Canada, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Humura Association, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the St. Vladimir Institute for a program marking Genocide Awareness Month.

The day will feature two panels, one on the importance of education on the history of genocide and the other featuring survivors and descendants of survivors of genocide.

Time:  12:30pm - 2:00pm
Venue:  St. Vladimir Institute
Location:  620 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://humanrights.ca/event/what-does-never-again-really-mean?ts=April%2029%2C%202018%20-%20
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Education; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Commissioners Karen Drake (citizen of the Metis Nation of Ontario) and Maurice Switzer (citizen of the Mississaugas of Alderville First Nation) of the Ontario Human Rights Commission will join Chief Commissioner Renu Mandhane to discuss ways to move forward with human rights in the era of reconciliation and nation-to-nation relationship building. The ideas can help organizations of all sizes to either make first steps or continue the conversation along the path to reconciliation.

Can't make it to the live event? You can join us online! See events page for details.

Time:  12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Venue:  Auditorium, Central YMCA
Location:  20 Grosvenor Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/five-good-ideas-listening-and-learning-indigenous-peoples-and-hum
For information contact:  fivegoodideas@maytree.com
Categories:   Native Peoples; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Our federal government has promised to fix the affordable housing crisis with the recently announced National Housing Strategy. They announced billions of dollars of investments, which will require cost-matching by the provinces and territories. What will the Ontario government do to make sure we don't lose these funds?

The federal government also promised to recognize that housing is a human right. But what does that mean? How can we hold our government accountable to their promise?

Join us for a discussion on what is needed to fix Ontario's affordable housing crisis and what a rights-based approach to housing should look like.

Free event

Time:  12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Venue:  Metro Hall
Location:  55 John Street, Rotunda (rear of building), Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/right-to-housing-community-forum-tickets-44808506449
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join us on International Workers' Day, Tuesday, May 1st on the Departures level of Terminal 1. We meet at the Inukshuks at 1pm.

We will have guest speakers, an amazing hip-hop artist, and lots of sweet treats for you to enjoy with your friends, family, and co-workers. Don't forget to invite your favorite union rep!

This May Day let's celebrate our achievements as co-workers united for a better tomorrow.

Please join us for this family-friendly event!

Time:  1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Venue:  Toronto Pearson International Airport- T1
Location:  6301 Silver Dart Dr., Mississauga, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/181364639336616/
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Drawing the Left exhibit opening and reception, featuring cartoons by and discussion with Union Art Service (UAS) collective members.

The Drawing the Left exhibit highlights cartoonists of the Union Art Service (UAS) collective. UAS was founded by Cy Morris and Mike Constable shortly after the 1976 General Strike against Pierre Trudeau's contract busting Wage Controls. The Wage Control act marks the birth of a neoliberal agenda that saw all the major news media like the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail dump their labour reporters. The unions responded by encouraging their locals to publish news letters to get the story out. And that is where our labour cartoons came in. The art in this show was chosen by the artists.

Time:  7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Venue:  A Different Booklist
Location:  777 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://drawingtheleft.wordpress.com/graphic-art-and-the-left/
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Politics & Political Organizations; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Let's come together to share solutions, common challenges, and to celebrate our successes in helping low-income consumers meet their home energy needs.

Do you know what the Fair Hydro Plan is? Are you overwhelmed by the acronyms? Do you want to know what OESP, LEAP EFA, HAP, and CHPI stand for and how they may be able to assist you or your client to meet their energy needs?

Come to the LIEN annual conference to find out:

• Why electricity prices are rising
• Where to obtain information on free energy conservation and efficiency retrofit programs to help you lower your electricity and gas bills
• How to apply for financial assistance to help you pay for your electricity and gas bills
• Energy as an aspect of the right to housing

Leave with an enhanced awareness and understanding of existing energy assistance and conservation programs.

We hope that the conference results in new and increased collaboration, new approaches, and improved practices across the province.

Time:  9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Venue:  Oakham House, Ryerson University
Location:  63 Gould Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.lowincomeenergy.ca/news-events/2018/04/register-now-for-the-2018-lien-annual-conf
Categories:   Environment; Education; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join us on the day the federal Liberals table legislation to support the Kinder Morgan pipeline (NOTE: date TBC!) on Parliament Hill, 4:30pm to say enough!

We will stand in solidarity with Indigenous-led opposition against this broken pipeline plan. We will call our political representatives to account.

Bring pots and pans and prepare to be loud!

Time:  4:30pm to 5:30pm
Venue:  Parliament Hill
Location:  Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/823232264551538/
Categories:   Environment; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join Wellington Water Watchers & SumOfUs at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in Toronto for the #WaterForLifeNotProfit Rally. Together, we will present 100,000 signatures telling Premier Kathleen Wynne to phase out permits for bottled water for companies like Nestle.

Time:  11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Location:  77 Wellesley St W., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/426412487783370
Categories:   Environment; Food & Beverage; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The Ali Mustafa Memorial Collective is proud to present the work of Allen Agostino, as part of the 2018 Contact Photography Festival.

Allen is the 2017 winner of the Ali Mustafa Award for People's Journalism. In this exhibit, he calls attention to the dire state of fire services in First Nations.

Residents of First Nations are 10 times more likely to die in a fire-related incident than those in the rest of the country. Documentary photographer Allen Agostino’s work shines a light on what it’s like to be an Indigenous firefighter in communities where fire services are woefully underfunded.

Allen is a graduate of the International Center of Photography in New York City. His work has previously appeared on Al Jazeera America, News Day, The Toronto Star, Narratively, Newsweek, The Independent, and Inside Toronto.

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Reception)
Venue:  Livelihood Cafe
Location:  Augusta Ave 254, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2024984687726293/
For information contact:  info@contactphoto.com
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Native Peoples; Human Rights, Law, Legal

Join us for for a Fight for $15 and Fairness outreach blitz at Dufferin and Bloor. We'll have music, balloons, and giveaways. We'll talk to our neighbours about the fight for decent work!

There's a lot at stake in the June 7 Ontario election. Doug Ford and the Conservative Party are opposing our $15 and Fairness agenda and we need to pull out all the stops to elect candidates who will protect and extend our new labour laws.

Although many people see Ford as an anti-establishment candidate, his track record shows he supports corporate interests over workers. It is up to us to expose his Big Business bias. That means having as many conversations as we can before June 7 about Ford's opposition to a $15 minimum wage and fairer labour laws.

Time:  12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Location:  1094 Bloor St W., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/178196896325236/
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

THE ONTARIO LIBERALS ARE PRIVATIZING YOUR PUBLIC TRANSIT, BUT THERE'S STILL TIME TO STOP THEM AND KEEP TRANSIT PUBLIC!

Join us in the fight to Keep Transit Public.

Time:  11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Venue:  Queen's Park
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.keeptransitpublic.ca/
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Equal Justice Canada Social Justice play "You Can't Break My Spirit" praised by school boards across Canada.
The play, Colours of Justice, examines the justice system and asks,"Is It Just?"

If it is unjust, how can we work together to make it better? During this explorative and educational process, the inspiring play "Colours of Justice" teaches children and youth to care about others, to want to change the world for the better and to want to have freedom in its true sense for every individual in the world!

"I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free ... so other people would be free."
- Rosa Parks

You Can't Break My Spirit is suitable for 10 years old and up. No swearing, no sexual content and no violence

Time:  12:00 PM
Venue:  Pamerston Theatre Library
Location:  560 Palmerston Ave., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/you-cant-break-my-spirit-the-colors-of-justice-tickets-3844173727
For information contact:  irene@equaljusticecanada.ca
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Non-profits and social entrepreneurs are increasingly considering social enterprise - a blended value model where business methods are put to work achieving social impacts. This workshop will explain what social enterprise is and what it’s not, then lead participants through an overview of the typical steps in an enterprise's early development. The facilitators will introduce participants to tools for deciding if you’re ready to take on an enterprise, how to clarify your idea, test its feasibility, plan the business model including legal and financial considerations, start-up and then evaluate and strengthen.

Anyone curious about social enterprise will benefit from this half-day session. Non-profit organizations considering the model and economic or business developers wanting to expand their knowledge are particularly welcome. All participants will receive a copy of the Canadian Guide on Social Enterprise, developed by Enterprising Non-Profits.

Time:  9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Venue:  United Way of Winnipeg Learning Centre, 1st fl.
Location:  580 Main St., Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/news/2017/12/13/ccednet-manitoba-2018-workshops
Categories:   Skills & Training; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation's 10th biennial conference will take place in Grand Bend, Ontario, from May 10 - 11, 2018. Plan to experience Lake Huron this spring at this two-day conference, and to help celebrate the LHCCC's 20th anniversary!

The conference will provide a forum for environmental professionals and the general public to learn about issues affecting Lake Huron's coastal environment. Experts from the Great Lakes region will speak about coastal topics, local actions and solutions to environmental challenges. Everyone is welcome!

Each day will begin with a keynote speaker, followed by 3 concurrent sessions. Some of the topics discussed will include Great Lakes water levels, microplastics, turtle species at risk, shoreline cleanup data and its link to citizen science, agricultural environmental concerns and solutions, and the changing ecology and fish communities of Lake Huron.

Time:  See schedule for times and locations
Venue:  Oakwood Resort
Location:  70671 Bluewater Highway, Grand Bend, ON
Website:  http://www.lakehuron.ca/conference
Phone:  (519) 238‐2324 or (800) 3
Categories:   Environment; Nature & Outdoors; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join Arctic geographer and climatologist Mark C. Serreze for a sweeping tale of discovery spanning three decades as researchers came to understand that the Arctic was quickly changing - and disappearing. A gripping scientific adventure story, Brave New Arctic shows how the Arctic's extraordinary transformation serves as a harbinger of things to come if we fail to meet the challenge posed by a warming Earth.

Speaker: Mark C. Serreze is director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center, professor of geography, and a fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is the coauthor of The Arctic Climate System. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Time:  6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Venue:  Royal Ontario Museum, Signy and Cleophee Eaton Theatre, Level 1B
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.rom.on.ca/en/whats-on/brave-new-arctic-the-untold-story-of-the-melting-north
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join us as we commemorate 70 years of NAKBA, and as we stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza who are marching for their right of return!

In 1948, Zionist forces expelled 750,000 Palestinians from their homes to create the state of Israel. Palestinians commemorate this tragedy as the Nakba – the Palestinian Catastrophe.

The ethnic cleansing campaign left hundreds of Palestinian towns and villages destroyed in its wake, and turned two-thirds of the Palestinian people into refugees still struggling for their inalienable right to return- a right enshrined in international law and stipulated in UN General Assembly resolution 194.

On March 30, 2018, on the annual Palestinian Land Day, thousands of Palestinians in Gaza marched to the militarized boundary fence to demand their right to return and an end to Israel's illegal blockade. They were met with violence as Israeli snipers took position behind the fence and above the hills to shoot at the protesters. So far, at least 45 Palestinians have been killed and 5,500 injured.

Palestinian civil society has reiterated its call for a global arms embargo on Israel. It's time for Canada to comply.

This demonstration is proudly organized as the launching event of the Association of Progressive Palestinian Canadians.

Time:  1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Venue:  www.facebook.com/events/833352156872943/
Location:  180 Bloor St. West, Toronto, ON
For information contact:  info@appccanada.com
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; International

The ICT4S conferences bring together leading researchers in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for Sustainability with government and industry representatives, including decision-makers with an interest in using ICT for sustainability, researchers focusing on ICT effects on sustainability and developers of sustainable ICT systems or applications. The conferences feature an innovative format for presenting new research, focussing on participation and conversation rather than passive listening. After four successful annual conferences in Europe, the series comes to North America for the first time, in Toronto in May 2018.

The goals of the conference are to foster critical and constructive discussion of new research results, and to bring diverse stakeholders together to identify and respond to grand challenges in the interplay between sustainability and digital technologies. The conference will feature roundtable discussions of new research, demos of new technologies, and poster presentations of late-breaking research results, along with inspiring keynote speakers and moderated challenge sessions for participants to explore and respond to big challenge questions about the role of technology in creating thriving, sustainable communities.

Time:  See schedule for times and locations
Venue:  Hart House, University of Toronto
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://2018.ict4s.org/
Phone:  416-978-3610
Categories:   Environment; Communications Industry & Technology; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Access Now is excited to bring the seventh edition of RightsCon, the world’s leading event on human rights in the digital age. RightsCon is where human rights experts, investors, business leaders, technologists, engineers, activists, and government representatives from around the world work to build strategies, create partnerships, and drive large-scale, real-world change toward tomorrow’s digital world.

From May 16 - 18, 2018, at the Beanfield Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada, we will see a smarter, brighter, and better RightsCon, more intuitive and community-focused than ever before. There, you will join other experts to take on topical and current issues, showcase your work, and influence global norms.

Together we are tackling some of the most pressing issues at the intersection of human rights, technology, and the internet.

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rightscon-toronto-2018-tickets-38703375839?aff=es2

Time:  Wed, 9:00 AM - Fri, 7:00 PM
Venue:  Beanfield Centre at Exhibition Place
Location:  105 Princes' Boulevard, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.rightscon.org/
For information contact:  conference@accessnow.org
Phone:  1-888-414-0100
Categories:   Science & Technology; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Internet

Join us for an evening with the current General Secretary of the National council of Churches in the Philippines Fr. Rex B. Reyes, Jr. as he talks about the current human rights situation in the Philippines.

Time:  6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  McClure Hall
Location:  300 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/in-defence-of-human-rights-in-the-philippines-tickets-45251039076
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

We are holding an emergency action outside Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland's office to urge the Canadian government to condemn Israel's latest massacre of at least 60 Palestinians and its injury of 2,700 more, including Palestinian-Canadian Dr. Tarek Loubani. We will be providing flags, banners, and leaflets, staging a die-in, and delivering a petition to Minister Freeland's Office.

Time:  12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Location:  344 Bloor St W., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/277265809480741/
Categories:   International; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Wear costumes, bring signs, and get CHILDREN involved (they are our future)! It's a family event! Bring instruments (drums, welcome)! WE ENCOURAGE SPEAKERS! PM ME IF INTERESTED!

On May 19, 2018, activists around the world will, once again, unite to March Against Monsanto. Why do we march? Research studies have shown that Monsanto's genetically-modified foods can lead to serious health conditions such as the development of cancer tumors, infertility and birth defects. In the United States, the FDA, the agency tasked with ensuring food safety for the population, is steered by ex-Monsanto executives, and we feel that's a questionable conflict of interests and explains the lack of government-lead research on the long-term effects of GMO products. Recently, the U.S. Congress and president collectively passed the nicknamed "Monsanto Protection Act" that, among other things, bans courts from halting the sale of Monsanto's genetically-modified seeds.

Time:  11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Venue:  Queens Park North to Old City Hall on Yonge St.
Location:  2 Rean Drive, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/209598539634896/
Categories:   Food & Beverage; Biotechnology; Health/Health Care

Folks we have our date - we are going to go ahead with Tuesday May 22nd 5:00pm EST. Mark it in your calendars and spread the word! Finance Minister Morneau has announced that the federal government is ready to use public money to indemnify the Kinder Morgan pipeline project.

This is a giant blank cheque to a Texas-based oil company, breaking the promise to phase out fossil fuel subsidies.

Join us May 22nd, 5:00pm on Parliament Hill to send a loud message to Minister Morneau and the Trudeau government that this is unacceptable!

We will stand in solidarity with Indigenous-led opposition against this broken pipeline plan. We will call our political representatives to account. Bring pots and pans and prepare to be loud!

Time:  5:00 PM
Venue:  Parliament Hill
Location:  Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://canadians.org/event/ottawa-emergency-rally-separate-oil-and-state-stopkm
Categories:   Mining & Petroleum; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join us at Innis Town Hall for a screening of Director Zack Embree's compelling new documentary Directly Affected: Pipeline Under Pressure.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Director Zack Embree, Managing Editor of the National Observer Mike De Souza, Independent economist and expert intervenor of the National Energy Board Robyn Allan and Environmental Defence's Climate & Energy Manager Patrick DeRochie.

5:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. Registration & Light Fare
6:15 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Film Screening
7:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Panel Discussion
8:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Networking Dessert Reception

Time:  Film Screening 7:30 PM and Panel Discussion 8:00 - 8:30 PM
Venue:  Innis Town Hall
Location:  2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://act.environmentaldefence.ca/page/24090/event/1
Categories:   Environment; Mining & Petroleum; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Leading up to the BC Municipal Elections we are very pleased to bring you a community forum. Comox Valley Global Awareness Network in collaboration with Imagine Comox Valley, the Comox Valley Council of Canadians, and the British Columbia Council for International Cooperation are planning a series of events leading up to the elections to enhance community knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and build their collective commitment to build a more sustainable community. We have organized this initial forum that will offer both candidates and the general public an opportunity to consider the local sustainability frameworks in the context of the SDGs and to explore how we might work collaboratively on a range of issues from housing to food sustainability to transportation. In the weeks leading up to the election we will continue to work with our partners to raise the issue of sustainability in the context of election forums, in the press and on social media.

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Florence Filberg Centre - Rotary Room
Location:  411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay, BC
Website:  http://canadians.org/event/comox-valley-sustainability-forum
For information contact:  cvcouncilofcanadians@gmail.com
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Hey, Manitoba teachers and friends! Join us at our Rally for Public Education at the Manitoba Legislature. Inadequate public education funding is resulting in cuts across the province. Stop the quality of education from being severely eroded.

Time:  4:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Venue:  Manitoba Legislature
Location:  Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/182014299111546/
For information contact:  mbteachers@mbteach.org
Phone:  (204) 888-7961
Categories:   Education; Labour, Workplace, Unions; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Another Story Bookshop, Beit Zeitoun and United Jewish People's Order - Toronto are pleased to host a dual book launch in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of the Nakba.

Pay No Heed to the Rockets: Palestine in the Present Tense
by Marcello Di Cintio
Goose Lane Editions

In 2018, Palestinians mark the seventieth anniversary of the Nakba, a mass eviction that saw more than 700,000 people uprooted and forced to flee their homes in the early days of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Even today, the bitterness and trauma of the Nakba remains raw, and it has become the pivotal event both in the shaping of Palestinian identity and in galvanizing their resistance to occupation.

Efforts at preserving the memory of the Nakba have resulted in an unparalleled body of rich oral testimony, with which historians and other scholars have been able to tell the story of this epochal event through the voices of the Palestinians who lived it. This multidisciplinary collection uses oral history as a means of uncovering new insights both into Palestinian experiences of the Nakba and into the wider dynamics of the ongoing conflict. In drawing together Palestinian accounts from 1948 with those of the present day, the book also confronts the idea of the Nakba as an event consigned to the past, instead revealing it to be an ongoing process aimed at the erasure of Palestinian history and memory.

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Friends House
Location:  60 Lowther Ave (north of Bloor near Spadina), Toronto
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/192131574846048/
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; International

Join Us and Voice Your Concerns. Your area candidates will be attending. Ontario elections will take place on June 7, 2018. Many issues are at stake including: affordable housing, social assistance, transit, police, healthcare, minimum wage, education and childcare.

Hosted by the Jane Finch Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy Task Force.

The Jane Finch TSNS Task Force consists of more than ten community based and grassroots organizations and many community residents. The Task Force was formed in 2014 to ensure that the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy 2020 is implemented meaningfully and that identified domains are improved for this area of the City.

** Refreshments and childcare will be provided

Time:  6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue:  Driftwood Community Centre
Location:  4401 Jane St,, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/465764447189043/
For information contact:  jftaskforce@gmail.com
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Participants in this two-day event will appraise public policies for reducing the risk of six global threats: war and weapons (especially nuclear); global warming; famine; pandemics; massive radiation exposure; and cyber attacks. For information about these crises, see our web site: https://tosavetheworld.ca/ . On the first day we'll have question-and-answer sessions with pairs of experts on each of these threats. Then most participants will have dinner in a restaurant and hear the Globe and Mail journalist Doug Saunders speak about the protection of democracy.

On the second day we will break into separate groups to select the most promising policy proposals for each threat. Then, upon returning to a plenary session, we will compile them to form a one-page-long list of 25 policy proposals called our "Platform for Survival." All individuals and NGOs will be able to endorse it thereafter and use it as a common agenda for campaigns to repair our world and keep it safer for everyone.

Time:  May 30 at 9:00 AM to May 31 at 5:00 PM
Venue:  Room 140, University College, University of Toronto
Location:  15 Kings College Circle, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/1672265346152695/
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Social Policy; International

Overnight Vigil led by the Women of Inspiration Injured Worker Group Cultural showcase to celebrate the resilience of injured workers. Join us for an evening of music, poetry, storytelling, and satire. The 11th annual overnight vigil will follow the cultural event, to remind MPPs that injured workers cannot sleep at night due to pain and poverty, so how can our politicians?

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Queen's Park
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://injuredworkersonline.org/events/injured-workers-day/women-of-inspiration-vigil/
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Health/Health Care; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Injured workers are rising up. Refusing to be held down by the cutting edge of austerity, the injured worker movement is building power, gaining momentum, and demanding transformative change. We are empowered to take back our compensation system.

Between the province-wide Workers' Comp is a Right campaign and the Real Healthcare campaign, we have organized across Ontario to force the Liberal government to respond to our demands. With Injured Workers' Day coming just a few days before the provincial election, we have one more opportunity to show our collective strength and put all the Parties on notice.

No matter who is elected on June 7th, injured workers will be there, standing up for our rights, and calling for dignity and respect.

So join us on June 1st, as we take to the streets and say:

Workers' comp is a right!
We will not give up the fight!

** Accessibility options will be available so that those with mobility difficulties will be able to join the march.

Time:  11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Venue:  Queen's Park
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/180833029238226/
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Health/Health Care; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Doug Ford is a corrupt multi-millionaire whose party's record is one of destroying Ontario's public services, increasing poverty, and intensifying racism and bigotry. A Ford government promises corporate welfare and tax-breaks for the rich, and service cuts for the rest of us who depend on public hospitals, education, roads, transit, income support and decent jobs.

We believe the only way for the struggling people of this province to win is to build determined social movements capable of taking on whoever gets in power. Ford would take the ongoing attack on poor and working class people to a new level, and so a resistance movement powerful enough to confront and defeat him must be built.

Support for Ford is slipping but a hard-right government led by the Conservatives remains a serious possibility. So join us on June 2 to demonstrate opposition to Ford's agenda and to give him a preview of the resistance that awaits him should he become Premiere of Ontario. #FightToWin.

Time:  2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Venue:  Rally at Doug Ford's Campaign Headquarters
Location:  2141 Kipling Ave., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/169472190414610/
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

New award-winning Canadian documentary Modified on genetically modified food. Film followed by short Q&A with film Director Aube Giroux and Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)

Presented by the Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice and the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network

Modified is a first-person documentary-memoir that questions why genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not labeled on food products in Canada and the United States, despite being labeled in 64 countries around the world.

Interweaving the personal and the political, the film is anchored in the filmmaker’s relationship to her mother, a passionate gardener and food activist. Their intimate mother-daughter investigative journey, fueled by a shared love of food and agriculture, ultimately reveals the extent to which industrial interests control our food policies, making a strong case for a more transparent and sustainable food system.

Watch the trailer https://www.modifiedthefilm.com/see-the-film

Time:  2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Venue:  The Bookshelf Cinema
Location:  41 Quebec Street, Guelph, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/movie-screening-modified-qa-with-director-aube-giroux-tickets-453
Categories:   Biotechnology; Food & Beverage; Health/Health Care

The lack of publicly funded, universal drug coverage is a huge gap in Canada's health care system. Canada is the only country with a public health care plan that does not include prescription drug coverage. A universal drug coverage program - also known as pharmacare - would provide all Canadians with access to the prescription medicines they need. People would be healthier and many would no longer have the economic burden of paying for medications out-of-pocket. Canadian employers would also benefit by not having to include expensive drug plans in employees’ benefit packages. In short, pharmacare could save Canadians a lot of money.

Time:  3:00 PM
Venue:  Inverness Fire Hall
Location:  15886 Central Ave., Inverness, NS
Website:  http://canadians.org/event/inverness-national-pharmacare-dr-monika-dutt
Categories:   Pharmaceuticals/Drugs; Health/Health Care; Social Policy

Join Amnesty International (English Section), in partnership with the University of Calgary Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Social Work, and the Werklund School of Education, for a free one-day public conference on human rights. The focus is to foster greater understanding of human rights, stimulate debate about current and emerging issues, and foster greater respect and inclusion for all Canadians.

Time:  Full Day event - see schedule for exact times and locations
Venue:  Science Theatres Building, University of Calgary
Location:  Calgary, AB
Website:  http://www.amnesty.ca/sites/amnesty/files/Human%20Rights%20Conference%20Agenda%20-%20FINAL%2
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Session 1, 3:00pm to 4:30pm
Bouba Housseini (International Development Research Center): Multidimensional Poverty Assesment in Tunisia
Sami Bibi (PEP-Universite Laval): Evaluation of Social Assistance Policies in Tunisia
Paul Makdissi (Department of Economics, University of Ottawa): Subsidies Reforms and Social Justice: Lessons from Egypt

Keynote Talk, 5:00pm to 6:30pm
Ibrahim Elbadawi (Managing Director of the Economic Research Forum for the Arab Countries, Iran and Turkey): Exchange Rates and Poverty in the Arab Countries

The event is free of charge but registration is required.

Time:  3:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Venue:  Faculty of Social Sciences, Room FSS-1030
Location:  120 University Private, Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/inequality-in-the-arab-countries-tickets-46344014194?aff=es2
Categories:   International; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Manitoba Inequality Update: Low Income Families Left Behind.

Ian Hudson and Bonita Cohen will present on their research of Manitoba's changes in income for families with children from the 1970's to 2014. Discussion to follow.

Time:  7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Location:  379 Broadway, Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/201671720445200/
Categories:   Social Policy; Social Services; Children & Youth

Join us for the public opening of the Museum's newest exhibition - Mandela: Struggle for Freedom!

Discover the story of Nelson Mandela and the movement that formed around him.

Featuring a performance by NAfro Dance Productions and free admission to the Mandela exhibition.

All are welcome and there is no charge for this event.

Time:  7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Venue:  Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Bonnie & John Buhler Hall, Level 1
Location:  Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://humanrights.ca/event/mandela-struggle-freedom?ts=June%207%2C%202018%20-%207%3A00pm
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Violence against women and girls is one of the most challenging issues of our time. it is also a fact that People in crisis often look to their faith leaders for guidance and assistance. Religious values of justice and equality mandate us to affirm the dignity and worth of every human being and the right of each person to live without fear or threat of violence. Our religious traditions obligate us to work towards an end to sexual and domestic violence in our communities and in society at large.

Registration free at Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/international-conference-on-violence-against-women-icovaw-canada-tickets-45625046743?aff=es2

Time:  Fri, Jun 8, 2018, 8:00 AM - Sat, Jun 9, 2018, 6:00 PM
Venue:  Norwood Hotel
Location:  112 Marion Street, Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/timetohealcanada/
For information contact:  info@ttoheal.org
Categories:   Women; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

A reading by Tommy Orange, followed by an on-stage conversation with Jarrett Martineau, host of CBC's Reclaimed.

Here is a story of several people, each of whom has private reasons for travelling to the Big Oakland Powwow. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Dene Oxendene is pulling his life together after his uncle's death and has come to work at the powwow to honour his uncle's memory. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil Red Feather, who has taught himself traditional Indian dance through YouTube videos and has come to the powwow to dance in public for the very first time. There will be glorious communion, and a spectacle of sacred tradition and pageantry. And there will be sacrifice, and heroism, and unspeakable loss.

Fierce, angry, funny, heartbreaking, There There is a relentlessly paced multi-generational story about violence and recovery, memory and identity, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people. A glorious, unforgettable debut.

Tommy Orange is a recent graduate from the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He is a 2014 MacDowell Fellow, and a 2016 Writing by Writers Fellow. He is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. He was born and raised in Oakland, California, and currently lives in Angels Camp, California.

Time:  6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue:  Native Canadian Centre of Toronto
Location:  16 Spadina Road, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/tommy-oranges-there-there-book-launch-tickets-46529198084
Categories:   Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join Chen Brill Egri, a campaigner from Amnesty International Israel to hear about Amnesty's work in Israel including its work with refugees and human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Chen Brill Egri has been a Campaigner at Amnesty International Israel for three years. She worked exclusively on the asylum seekers campaign until 2018, and since then has also campaigned on Israeli-Palestinian discrimination, human rights violations at the OPT, and Israel's arms trade with countries that commit gross human rights violations.

In her work, Chen conducts research, writes position papers, reports, statements, lobbies the Knesset and Government, and works with the Israeli media and social media activism. Before joining Amnesty, Chen worked for Peace Now, an Israeli NGO against the occupation and pro two-state solution. She has also worked at other NGOs and government programs in different subjects.

Chen has been activist against the occupation and other human rights violations in Israel for many years. She has a BA in political science and MA in policy of education.

Free event. Light refreshments will be provided.

Time:  6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue:  CSI Annex
Location:  720 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-state-of-human-rights-in-israel-tickets-45594615723?aff=es2
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; International; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Grant Faulkner was homeless when he died in a fire during the winter of 2015 in a makeshift shelter in Scarborough. An inquest has been called the week of June 11th to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death. The inquest is expected to last 5 days and to hear from an array of witnesses. A coalition of groups concerned about homelessness and the lack of affordable housing is mobilizing for justice for those experiencing homelessness.

On Monday, June 11th (the first day of the inquest), join us outside the coroner's court, then help us fill the court room with supporters. We will be calling attention to the systemic circumstances surrounding Grant Faulkner's death and the injustice of homelessness.

Free shuttle buses: Departing from downtown east and west locations at 11:15am, with return trip from the coroner's court at 2:30pm. Free packed lunch. To reserve a seat on the bus: (416) 925-6939.

On Tuesday, June 12th at 12pm, join us at the Toronto Homeless Memorial to remember those who have died as a result of homelessness in Toronto. Location: outside the south door of Church of the Holy Trinity, 10 Trinity Square (behind the Eaton Centre).

Time:  12:00 PM
Venue:  Forensic Services and Coroner's Complex, Court Room A
Location:  25 Morton Shulman Ave., Toronto, ON
Phone:  (416) 925-6939
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Policy

Part of Pride Toronto's 2018 Human Rights Programming, this panel discussion will explore the current struggles and challenges that LGBTIQ refugees have around the world. The panel will explore issues in two particular parts of the world - Egypt and East Africa, and the challenges that LGBTIQ people from these regions face in finding safety. The panel will also discuss current policy issues and how Canada and the global community can better support the migration of LGBTIQ refugees to safety.
Panelists:
Ahmed Alaa Hussein, Egyptian LGBTI activist
Erycom Desire KIziot, Ugandan LGBTI activist
Kimahli Powell, Executive Director, Rainbow Railroad

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Vivian and David Campbell Conference Facility
Location:  1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/pathways-to-freedom-struggles-challenges-for-lgbtiq-refugees-glo
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Electoral observers from Canada were in Venezuela to asses the electoral environment and accompany the Presidential elections.

They will speak to the social and political conditions on the ground, and the role played by Canada and US to impose economic sanctions on Venezuela.

The delegation included members of Unifor, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, The United Church of Canada, Common Frontiers, and Rabble.ca.

Speakers include:

Karen Jarrett - Director of Political and community organizing - New York State Nurses Association

Jim Hodgson - Program Coordinator, Latin America/Caribbean Partnerships - The United Church of Canada

Wayne Milliner - Equity Officer, Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers' Federation.

Humberto DaSilva - Reporter, Rabble.ca

Light finger food and refreshments will be provided.

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  UofT, Sidney Smith Hall, Room 2105
Location:  100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2190860524470376/
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory is currently the longest in the world, at 50 years and counting. The Israeli settlement population continues to grow faster than the Israeli population, annexation legislation is being debated in the Israeli Knesset, and the peace process that ended in April 2014 shows no sign of revival. Gaza has become a serious humanitarian crisis, the Palestinian economy is flat-lining and the predominant mood in the occupied territory is despair. Amidst this gloom, is there any room for optimism for a sustainable and just peace accord between Israel and Palestine?

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Knox Presbyterian Church
Location:  120 Lisgar St., Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/fifty-years-and-counting-is-the-israeli-occupation-sustainable-ti
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; International; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

As part of Adler University's Social Justice Beyond Borders Series, we are inviting Amnesty International to discuss how Canadian companies are impacting human rights abroad, including indigenous rights, access to clean water, displacement, sexualized and gender based violence, and more. Join the Adler community in learning Canada's role in both the problem and the solution!

The event will include tea, coffee, and refreshments and will be followed by a letter writing activity.

Time:  4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Location:  520 Seymour Street, Vancouver, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/social-justice-beyond-borders-canadian-mining-companies-human-rig
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Mining & Petroleum; Native Peoples

Please join us Friday morning at 8:30am at Nathan Phillips Square and show solidarity with fellow cyclists demanding an end to road fatalities of vulnerable road users in Toronto. Together, we'll lie down with our bicycles in silent protest.

Bring flowers, signs, memorial items to post on the TORONTO sign in memory our fallen cyclists.

Time:  Arrive 8:30am Die-in: 8:45am
Venue:  Nathan Phillips Square
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/381137159045237/
Categories:   Transportation & Travel; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

A family-friendly, pedal-powered parade to celebrate cycling on the Danforth.

Bells on Danforth returns for our 7th annual family-friendly group ride on the Danforth. This year the ride starts at Withrow Park (near Wolfrey Ave - one block south of Danforth & Logan) and travels east to the "Oakridge CRC Fun Fair" hosted by Oakridge Community Recreation Centre at 63 Pharmacy Ave, Scarborough, ON M1L 4S9.

Time:  10:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Venue:  Withrow Park
Location:  725 Logan Ave., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/181396555991516/
Categories:   Transportation & Travel; Environment

Are you ready to drive political change and make a difference in your community? Never volunteered on a political campaign, but interested in learning how?

These workshops, presented with DemocracyKit, can be taken individually or as a series. They explain the workings of political election campaigns and deliver practical lessons, tools and connections to get started and make a meaningful contribution to a campaign team, for the upcoming 2018 municipal election in Toronto.

Time:  2:00 p.m.
Venue:  Lillian H. Smith Library
Location:  239 College St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://tpl.ca/democracykitworkshops
Categories:   Government & Public Sector; Politics & Political Organizations

June 16 is a little over one week after the provincial election. We want to keep decent work on the agenda and show that labour is strong. Join the Ontario Federation of Labour and the $15 and Fairness campaign at the ministry of labour to show that community and labour stand united.

Time:  1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Venue:  Ministry Of Labour
Location:  400 University Avenue, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/1722881714446306/
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Ontario Environment Network (OEN) and Protect Our Water and Environmental Resources (POWER) invite you to attend our summer networking and learning event. A combination of inside and outdoor sessions, this event is a don't miss! Mark your calendars to plan to attend one or both days.

Saturday June 16, 2018 9am-5pm (until sunset and beyond) $15 for non members, free for members.

Learn and explore the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals including how and why they can enable the SDGs while enabling the work we do for the environment. A panel including municipal government and a funder will share why they are engaging.

We will also discuss the future of the Ontario Environment Network and Strategic Plan. After close of the meeting, join us in hands on efforts to enhance the resilience of biodiversity by tending and adding to the monarch waystation and pollinator patch. We will have dinner and open bar (cost), story telling and conversation (and maybe even a sing along) around the campfire under the stars.

Sunday June 17, 2018 9am-12pm FREE

The Sanctuary - 13028 Highway 7, Georgetown Ontario L7G 4S4

Join us for a half day bioblitz and property work bee at the Sanctuary where we will do some pond depth mapping, invasive species inventories and more.

Time:  Sat, Jun 16, 9:00 AM - Sun, Jun 17, 12:30 PM
Venue:  Italian Canadian Club of Milton
Location:  104 Tremaine Rd., Milton, GTA, ON
Website:  http://www.oen.ca/event-2954545
Phone:  (905) 877-4766
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

A one of a kind culinary tour with food from some of the world’s most dangerous places tonight!

Time:  6 30pm
Venue:  The Chef’s House
Location:  215 King St. E., Toronto, ON, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eicanada.0rg
For information contact:  Lindsay
Phone:  905 640 2111 ex 5377
Categories:   International

Please join Unify Toronto in collaboration with Pachamama Alliance for "An Introduction to Drawdown," led by Jon Love and Satya Robinson of JLS-Global.ca. By donation. Students attend free.
Project Drawdown is a plan to reverse global warming - to pull carbon out of the atmosphere, as opposed to merely slowing down the rate of emissions.

Time:  6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Venue:  OCAD University, Room 190 (main auditorium)
Location:  100 McCaul Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/introduction-to-project-drawdown-how-we-can-reverse-global-warmin
Categories:   Education; Environment

Join the Nova Scotia Nature Trust for our Annual Conservation Showcase!

You are invited to join the Nova Scotia Nature Trust for a special evening of celebration and appreciation

We will announce new conservation successes and honour some special people who made these accomplishments possible. Enjoy a visual journey through 11,000 acres of protected lands in Nova Scotia. All are welcome!

Light refreshments will be served

Parking available on site for free that evening.

Note: Our Annual General Meeting will be held from 6-7pm. All members are invited to attend. Those interested in becoming a member should contact us at (902) 425-5263.

Time:  7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Venue:  Museum of Natural History
Location:  1747 Summer Street, Halifax, NS
For information contact:  Christina Nunn; events@nsnt.ca
Phone:  (902) 425-5263
Categories:   Environment; Nature & Outdoors

Every three years, ICLEI holds its World Congress to showcase how local and regional governments across our network are advancing sustainable urban development worldwide. The ICLEI World Congress connects them with their peers and strategic partners, and provides a platform for discussions that will inform and enhance their work.

Venue:  Palais des Congrès de Montréal
Location:  1001 Jean Paul Riopelle Pl, Montreal, QC
Website:  http://worldcongress2018.iclei.org/
Categories:   Government & Public Sector; Economic Development

Climate models and decades of satellite data are converging on the unfortunate reality that Earth’s water cycle is changing. Paleoclimate indicators remind us that this has always been the case. Freshwater is constantly being exchanged among the atmosphere, ocean, land and ice reservoirs, while on land, patterns of precipitation, evapotranspiration, flooding and drought are shifting. The evolving water cycle of the 21st century will likely be stronger, more variable, and will result in broad swaths of mid-latitude drying, accelerated by the depletion of the world’s major groundwater aquifers. A well-defined geography of freshwater ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ is clearly emerging. In this public lecture, I will outline the major elements of the global water crisis and discuss what can be done to mitigate them. In particular, I will address what water ‘sustainability' means under such dynamic climate and hydrologic conditions, in particular when coupled with future projections of population growth. Likewise, I will explore how will water managers cope with these new normals, and how food and energy production will be impacted. The responsibility of communicating this changing global water landscape falls squarely on the shoulders of the academic-research community, yet the challenge of doing so is daunting. In this lecture I will review what our latest research tells us, and I will share my personal experiences, positive and negative, with science communication and water diplomacy.

-

Lecturer:

Jay Famiglietti
Senior Water Scientist, California Institute of Technology, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, USA
Canada 150 Research Chair in Hydrology and Remote Sensing
Professor and Director, Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

Time:  5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Venue:  Vancouver Convention Centre West Building, Room 109
Location:  1055 Canada Pl, Vancouver, BC
For information contact:  Kamran Shaikh, kshaikh@prassociates.com
Phone:  7788465406
Categories:   Education; Environment; Science & Technology

In a world where violence forces thousands of families to flee for their lives each day, the time is now to show that the global public stands with refugees.

To do this, the UN Refugee Agency launched the #WithRefugees petition in June 2016 to send a message to governments that they must work together and do their fair share for refugees.

On World Refugee Day, held every year on June 20th, we commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees. This year, World Refugee Day also marks a key moment for the public to show support for families forced to flee.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/refugeeday/
Categories:   International

CANADA’S LARGEST SOLAR ENERGY CONFERENCE

A must-attend event for solar energy professionals, stakeholders and advocates

Connect with the entire spectrum of the solar energy industry at CanSIA’s annual Solar Canada Conference & Exposition. Solar Canada offers unique educational opportunities to gain the latest insight into solar policy frameworks in each of Canada’s provincial markets from industry leaders and influencers. Topics will also include both utility scale and consumer/business focused installations.

See show highlights from 2017: https://solarcanadaconference.ca/attend/show-features/

See who exhibited in 2017: https://www.expocadweb.com/2017sc/ec/forms/attendee/index5.aspx?mode=sal...

See who attended in 2017: https://solarcanadaconference.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Opted-in_SC2...

Limited early-bird registration discount available here: https://solarcanadaconference.ca/news/registration-open-limited-time-dis...

Venue:  BMO Centre
Location:  20 Roundup Way SW, Calgary, AB
Website:  http://solarcanadaconference.ca/
For information contact:  Alex Balis, abalis@hfusa.com
Phone:  +1 773-696-4250
Categories:   Economic Development; Education; Environment

Join us for the Toronto launch of a unique book: Free Public Transit - And Why We Don't Pay to Ride Elevators. Edited by Judith Dellheim of Germany's Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and Jason Prince, of Concordia University in Montreal. It is a collaborative result of an international network of scholars and activists working for fare-free public transit.

The launch will feature a discussion about the promises, challenges and social underpinnings of free public transit and will include co-editor Jason Prince, author Herman Rosenfeld, and transit activists in Toronto.

Refreshments will be served.

Time:  6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Venue:  A Different Booklist
Location:  777 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/503429020054822/
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Transportation & Travel; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Celebrate by learning about a model of reconciliation. Join us for "Reserve 107: Reconciliation on the Prairies"

Time:  7:00 p.m.
Venue:  John M. Cuelenaere Public Library
Location:  125 12 St E, Prince Albert, SK
Website:  http://www.reserve107thefilm.com/
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Native Peoples

Greater economic, infrastructure and employment and health disparities make women more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. And when given the opportunity to participate and influence policy and programs, they are also key agents of change for social, economic and environmental sustainability across sectors ranging from agriculture to governance to natural resources to energy. This roundtable will examine the barriers that currently exist for women's (and other marginalized populations) participation as well as the opportunities and actionable methods for greater participation and leadership in climate solutions. The organizing questions include: What would it look like if there was gender equity and fully inclusive participation in your sector to take action on climate change? What innovative methods of inclusion and participation would you scale up to address climate solutions?

Time:  9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Venue:  Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Simon Fraser University
Location:  580 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/roundtable-on-the-research-and-practice-of-womens-participation-a
Categories:   Women; Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Presented by the Welcoming & Inclusive Communities Network and supported by the City of Red Deer and the Alberta Human Rights Commission, this half-day conference is a chance to gather and explore the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

12:30pm - Registration
1pm - 1:45pm - Lunch and Video Presentations
1:45pm - 2:45pm - Keynote Speakers- Amanda Scout & Roy Pogorzelski
3pm - 4:30pm - Group work and discussion surrounding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) Calls to Action.

Time:  12:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Venue:  Sheraton Red Deer Hotel
Location:  3310 50 Ave., Red Deer, AB
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/truth-and-reconciliation-community-gathering-tickets-45654400541?
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This year, the Council of Canadians' Annual Conference moves to Canada's capital, Ottawa, Ontario. We will bring together chapter activists, supporters and allies for a dynamic weekend event that includes a public forum on Friday, June 22, followed by workshops, plenary panels and more. Join us on Saturday, June 23 for a day of challenging topics and ideas for action.

Every day Canadians face the reality of the Trudeau government's broken promises. From its failure to protect lakes and rivers from Big Oil, to meet internationally-stated climate pollution reduction targets, to provide true consultation on "free trade" negotiations, to make our electoral system democratic, and to fully implement the rights of Indigenous peoples - promises have been made, but not kept. So how do we turn awareness of these broken promises into action? It's simple: we come together to create a groundswell of people power. By working with civil society groups, labour, Indigenous peoples and others we can put forward a positive vision of a better tomorrow and act on it.

Be a part of Groundswell 2018! Join us for the Council of Canadians' Annual Conference and Supporters Meeting. Together, we hold the power to bring about the better Canada and fairer world we know are possible.

Groundswell 2018 will now be held at the unionized venue of The Capital Hill Hotel and Suites in downtown Ottawa and at Ottawa City Hall

Time:  See schedule for times and locations
Venue:  The Capital Hill Hotel and Suites
Location:  88 Albert Street, Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://canadians.org/conference
Categories:   Environment; Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join us on Saturday June 23 for a fun filled day at our Annual Traditional Pow Wow. Free event, open to public. There will be traditional dancing and drumming, craft vendors and information tables, food and drink sales, Red Pepper children's activity area. This year APTN has partnered with us to present a LIVE televised Round Dance at 1:30. This is the fourth year Na-Me-Res has partnered with Fort York to present our traditional pow wow. Many thanks to Canada Heritage and Toronto Arts Council for your generous support towards the success of our Pow Wow.
https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/indigenous-arts-festival/

Location:  250 Fort York Blvd, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2101489690107838/
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Native Peoples

Enjoy a beautiful ride along the Humber River recreational trail to raise funds for better food access. 20 km and 35 km rides.

Venue:  Etienne Brule Park, near Old Mill Station, Humber river
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/parc-parkdale-activity-recreation-centre/p2p/HUMBERR
Categories:   Food & Beverage; Nature & Outdoors

Since Sri Lanka declared its war on the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam over in 2009, coordinated mass attacks by Sinhalese Buddhists on Muslims have been on the rise. Perpetrators have included monks and the police. How do these ongoing attacks flow from the historic anti-Muslim violence of 1915, the island's first reported ethnic riots? How does this new violence reflect or diverge from previous anti-Tamil riots? What do these attacks tell us about Sinhala Buddhist majoritarianism? How has the global War on Terror shaped responses to these attacks? What might this political moment in Sri Lanka teach us about the neo-Nazi rise in Canada?

Importantly: how have communities organized? How have people protected each other? What does friendship look like in moments of acute violence? Who and what is community? Would Tamil-Muslim solidarity be useful in Toronto or in Sri Lanka? What would it look like? What has it looked like?

Time:  6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue:  St. James Town Corner
Location:  200 Wellesley Street East, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/fearsome-and-familiar-buddhist-majoritarianism-and-anti-muslim-at
Categories:   International; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

In memory of women who have died on the streets - Stop the Violence, Reclaim the Streets!

On June 25th, 2018, we will be taking over the streets of Toronto's downtown east neighbourhood to call for an end to gender based violence and the targeting of homeless, street-involved, sex working, Indigenous women, two-spirit, trans and non-binary people. We will gather for the 9th Reclaim the Streets rally and march to demand an end to violence and better housing support and services that everyone deserves!

Reclaim the Streets began in 2009 in response to the death of Carolyn Connolly, an Indigenous woman who was murdered in an alleyway close to Sherbourne and Shuter Street. She is one of thousands of Indigenous women and girls who have gone missing or been murdered in this country, many of whom face the same racism, poverty, homelessness, criminalization and violence that people in the downtown east of Toronto face every day.

Time:  Community Meal and Music: 5:30pm; Rally at 6:00 PM with March at 6:30 PM
Venue:  Regent Park CHC
Location:  465 Dundas St. E., Toronto, ON
For information contact:  josier@regentparkchc.org
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space

By resolution 42/112 of 7 December 1987, the General Assembly decided to observe 26 June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.

Supported each year by individuals, communities and various organizations all over the world, this global observance aims to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/drugabuseday/
Categories:   International

Torture seeks to annihilate the victim's personality and denies the inherent dignity of the human being. Despite the absolute prohibition of torture under international law, torture persist in all regions of the world. Concerns about protecting national security and borders are increasingly used to allow torture and other forms of cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment. Its pervasive consequences often go beyond the isolated act on an individual; and can be transmitted through generations and lead to cycles of violence.

The United Nations has condemned torture from the outset as one of the vilest acts perpetrated by human beings on their fellow human beings.

Torture is a crime under international law. According to all relevant instruments, it is absolutely prohibited and cannot be justified under any circumstances. This prohibition forms part of customary international law, which means that it is binding on every member of the international community, regardless of whether a State has ratified international treaties in which torture is expressly prohibited. The systematic or widespread practice of torture constitutes a crime against humanity.

On 12 December 1997, by resolution 52/149, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 26 June the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, with a view to the total eradication of torture and the effective functioning of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

26 June is an opportunity to call on all stakeholders including UN Member States, civil society and individuals everywhere to unite in support of the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who have been victims of torture and those who are still tortured today.

Recovering from torture requires prompt and specialized programmes. The work of rehabilitation centres and organisations around the world has demonstrated that victims can make the transition from horror to healing. The UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, administered by the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva is a unique victim-focused mechanism that channels funding for the assistance to victims of torture and their families. The UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture accepts donations.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/torturevictimsday/
Categories:   International

Across North American cities, the demand for better public transit is pervasive, yet many local governments lack the sufficient revenue tools to finance the construction of new infrastructure. To resolve this dilemma, some localities have turned to citizens directly, proposing temporary earmarked sales tax increases as a way to finance capital-intensive projects. Why have some communities been more receptive to this funding model than others?

On June 26, IMFG's 2017-2018 Postdoctoral Fellow Matthew Lesch will discuss a new study examining the experiences of Los Angeles County (2008) and Metro Vancouver (2015) with public transit referenda. The findings offer important lessons for other municipalities looking to invest in their public transportation systems.

Registration required.

Time:  4:00PM - 5:30PM
Venue:  208N, North House
Location:  1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://munkschool.utoronto.ca/event/25113/
Phone:  (416) 946-3688
Categories:   Transportation & Travel; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

June 26 is The United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. This day gives us the opportunity to stand united and remind the world that torture is a cruel violation of human rights. Rehabilitation empowers torture victims to resume as full a life as possible. However, rebuilding the life of someone whose dignity has been destroyed takes time and is the result of long-term material, medical, psychological and social support.

In partnership with Amnesty International Canada the event will include Keynote Speakers, Annual community skit involving service users, counselors and volunteers) titled Medical Ethics: Crazy Dance of a Crazy General, survivors showcasing their artistic perfomance, skills and vending tables of arts/craft, jewelery and products by service users and more perfomances from the community. Lunch will be provided.

Space is limited and registration is required.

Time:  12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Venue:  Innis Town Hall Theatre
Location:  2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/triumph-over-torture-international-day-in-support-of-victims-of-t
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; International; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This year on 27 June we celebrate for the first time the Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day. Those enterprises, which generally employ fewer than 250 persons, are the backbone of most economies worldwide and play a key role in developing countries.

According to the data provided by the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), formal and informal Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) make up over 90% of all firms and account on average for 60-70% of total employment and 50% of GDP.

The General Assembly, recognizing the importance of these enterprises, decided to declare 27 June the Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day to raise public awareness of their contribution to sustainable development.
Micro-, small and medium enterprises, the first responders to societal needs

These types of enterprises are responsible for significant employment and income generation opportunities across the world and have been identified as a major driver of poverty alleviation and development.

MSMEs tend to employ a larger share of the vulnerable sectors of the workforce, such as women, youth, and people from poorer households. MSMEs can even sometimes be the only source of employment in rural areas. As such, MSMEs as a group are the main income provider for the income distribution at the “base of the pyramid”.

MSMEs should be the first responders to societal needs and provide the safety net for inclusiveness.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/smallbusinessday/
Categories:   Business & Economics

Another Story Bookshop and Haymarket Books present the Toronto launch for: The Battle For Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster Capitalists by Naomi Klein

Featuring a panel discussion with Naomi Klein and Anwar Knight
Moderated by Rinaldo Walcott

Wednesday, June 27th - 7pm
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom
1214 Queen St West
$10 Suggested Donation at the door

All proceeds from event and book sales will go to JunteGente and Barbuda Silent No More

In the rubble of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans and ultrarich "Puertopians" are locked in a pitched struggle over how to remake the island. In this vital and startling investigation, bestselling author and activist Naomi Klein uncovers how the forces of shock politics and disaster capitalism seek to undermine the nation's radical, resilient vision for a "just recovery."

"We are in a fight for our lives. Hurricanes Irma and Mari­a unmasked the colonialism we face in Puerto Rico, and the inequality it fosters, creating a fierce humanitarian crisis. Now we must find a path forward to equality and sustainability, a path driven by communities, not investors. And this book explains, with careful and unbiased reporting, only the efforts of our community activists can answer the paramount question: What type of society do we want to become and who is Puerto Rico for?" - Yulin Cruz, Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Gladstone Hotel Ballroom
Location:  1214 Queen St West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2120279228244608/
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Another Story Bookshop and Haymarket Books present the Toronto launch for: The Battle For Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster Capitalists by Naomi Klein

Featuring a panel discussion with Naomi Klein and Anwar Knight
Moderated by Rinaldo Walcott

Wednesday, June 27th - 7pm
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom
1214 Queen St West
$10 Suggested Donation at the door

All proceeds from event and book sales will go to JunteGente and Barbuda Silent No More

In the rubble of Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans and ultrarich "Puertopians" are locked in a pitched struggle over how to remake the island. In this vital and startling investigation, bestselling author and activist Naomi Klein uncovers how the forces of shock politics and disaster capitalism seek to undermine the nation's radical, resilient vision for a "just recovery."

"We are in a fight for our lives. Hurricanes Irma and Mari­a unmasked the colonialism we face in Puerto Rico, and the inequality it fosters, creating a fierce humanitarian crisis. Now we must find a path forward to equality and sustainability, a path driven by communities, not investors. And this book explains, with careful and unbiased reporting, only the efforts of our community activists can answer the paramount question: What type of society do we want to become and who is Puerto Rico for?" - Yulin Cruz, Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Gladstone Hotel Ballroom
Location:  1214 Queen St West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2120279228244608/

This is a march to support public services, communities, and marginalized groups of people across Ontario. People across Ontario- young people, old people, academics, activists, workers, artists, healthcare professionals, teachers, parents, and everyday people from all over the province will come together to call for robust public services and to call for equity in public policy decisions. This is a march to call for proportional representation - that it is unacceptable for a party who won 41% of the popular vote to win 61% of the seats, while a party who won 5% of the popular vote only won 0.8% of the seats.

Time:  11 a.m - 2:00 p.m.
Venue:  Queens Park (University and College)
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2088820987998159/
Categories:   Government & Public Sector; Politics & Political Organizations; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Showcasing vintage bicycles, artifacts, and archival photos, BIKE CITY tells the story of the bicycle and its impact on Toronto. Almost a million Torontonians ride today but sharing the road has been a challenge for city builders and citizens for 130+ years.

Venue:  Market Gallery, 2nd Floor, St. Lawrence Market
Location:  93 Front St E, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/history-art-culture/museums/market-gallery/
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Museums; Transportation & Travel

Together, we have built momentum within our communities, workplaces, and province to make gains for decent work. We need your help to keep this momentum going. When Doug Ford was running to be the leader of the Conservative Party, he campaigned on cancelling the $15 minimum wage, and implementing a tax cut instead. Economists have exposed that a tax cut would only save minimum wage earners $800 while an increase to $15 would put nearly $2,000 in the pockets of workers. A $15 minimum wage is clearly a better deal for workers, and communities across the province are eagerly expecting the $15 wage to come into effect on January 1, 2019.

We have seen great successes with the $15 and Fairness Campaign, but our work is not done! These successes would not be possible without your support, passion, and commitment to ensure that workers everywhere in Ontario have access to fair and equitable workplaces.

We will be setting our budget for the year as well as voting on a campaign plan moving forward at this meeting.

Time:  6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Location:  61 Charles Street, Room 216, Oshawa, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/396972240806225/
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Protect Our Strait! Be a voice politicians cannot ignore!

Northern Pulps proposal to discharge 70-90 million litres of treated pulp waste into the Northumberland Strait daily has drawn broad concern from fishermen, citizens, businesses, municipalities, tourism associations, sport fishing groups and environmental organizations. They all say too much is at stake:

​Health of the Northumberland Strait and its many marine species
$2 billion in fish exports annually
$200 million in Northumberland Shore tourism revenue annually
$56+ million sport fishing industry annually
Small business
Property values
Social well-being and quality of life
Make July 6th a day to raise your voice for No Pipe in Our Strait. Join us to be a force that politicians cannot ignore.

RALLY BY LAND
12:00 pm Citizen March
Gather at Pictou Exhibition Grounds & bring your favourite NO PIPE sign! March will take approximately 15 minutes.

1:00 pm Rally Centre Stage, Hector Quay Marina
Cheer fishing boats into harbour, listen to messages of support, show we are united and strong.

RALLY BY SEA
All boats welcome!
12:30 pm All boats meet at the mouth of Pictou Harbour
12:30 pm Small watercraft to gather along Pictou waterfront shore

Time:  12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Venue:  Pictou County Waterfront
Location:  Pictou County, NS
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2074536972831568/
Categories:   Environment; Forestry, Lumber, Paper; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Main Feature! engages teams of young and old in a car-free urban photo scavenger hunt, exploring how Toronto's theatre history has framed the city's constantly evolving communities. Main Feature! is a one-day adventure that will enhance understanding between generations by exploring cultural history through theaters, not only the variety of film genres but also design and urban navigation of our once thriving Cinema boom!

How it Works
Using archival photos from the early 1900's, teams of two will have six hours to identify long-standing film theatre building locations in the here-and-now. Teams will visit locations throughout the city on foot, by public transit or bicycle to collect points by finding and photographing the building or location, and getting as close as possible to the footprint of the original photographer.

Teams will explore and re-imagine the city's movie theatre, architecture and design, documenting how buildings from the past continue to shape communities, block by block. If possible we encourage cycling as a means of transport for this event. We see cycling as not only a necessary means of transport but as a way to engage with the environment and landscape in a meaningful way. Main Feature! is a wonderful opportunity for cycling enthusiasts to experience this great city on a whole new level and we hope you will join us!

Time:  See schedule for times and locations
Venue:  TIFF Bell Lightbox
Location:  350 King Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.myseumoftoronto.com/programming/myseum-blocks-presents-main-feature/?mc_cid=21e82
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Museums; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space

Join the Museum and the Bosnia and Herzegovina Association of Manitoba in commemorating the 23rd anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

In July 1995, the small town of Srebrenica witnessed the genocide of thousands of Muslim Bosniak boys and men. They were targeted for cultural and religious reasons by the Bosnian Serb Army of Republika Srpska during the Bosnian War.

This memorial event will include discussion on the Srebrenica massacre, the sharing of survivor testimonies as well as a symbolic walk around The Forks National Historic Site.

This event is taking place in partnership with the Bosnia and Herzegovina Association of Manitoba.

Time:  7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue:  Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Level 1
Location:  Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://humanrights.ca/event/remember-srebrenica?ts=July%2011%2C%202018%20-%207%3A00pm
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Education; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join us for a Science and Policy Update.

Guest presenters:

Terry Duguid – Liberal MP (Lake Wpg Basin Innitiative)
Sarah Warrack – Lake Winnipeg Microplastics researcher
Vicky Burns – Save Our Lake campaigner

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Winnipeg Free Press Cafe
Location:  237 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/223591435090886/
Categories:   Environment; Education; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation will host a two-day conference. The purpose of this event is to promote education and awareness of the Gladue Principles / Analysis & the justice sector Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report.

Time:  10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Venue:  MNCFN Community Centre
Location:  659 New Credit Road, Hagersville, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/396793760730609/
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Native Peoples

On July 13th the 2018 annual global Partnership Exchange will take place at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

Organized in the margins of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) by United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP), the Partnership Exchange is United Nations' annual global gathering for reviewing multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments in supporting the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Time:  See schedule
Venue:  United Nation's headquarters
Location:  405 East 42nd Street, New York City, USA
Website:  http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf/PartnershipExchange
Categories:   Environment; International; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This is a march to support public services, communities, and marginalized groups of people across Ontario. People across Ontario -- young people, old people, academics, activists, workers, artists, healthcare professionals, teachers, parents, and everyday people from all over the province will come together to call for robust public services and to call for equity in public policy decisions.

This is a march where people and organizations can gather together to build networks and raise awareness about issues that matter to them. Where speakers representing various causes can share some of their experiences and insights on important issues.

This is a march to advocate for education.

To advocate for expanding healthcare, not cutting it.

To advocate for child care.

To advocate for families.

To advocate for seniors.

To advocate for strengthening our developing communities with vibrant programming, not cutting their funding.

To advocate for marginalized groups across the province.

To advocate for the environment.

To advocate for workers.

To advocate for people of all abilities, and the programs to empower them.

To advocate for the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

To advocate for common sense and progress.

Share WIDELY. Everyone is welcome.

Time:  11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Venue:  Queen's Park
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2088820987998159/
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Social Policy; Human Rights, Law, Legal

With more than 100 exhibitors and 30 speakers, the first edition of the Ottawa-Gatineau ECOSPHERE Fair will be the most complete and important environmental event. Organic foods, health, green housing, new technologies, electric cars tryouts and a Hemp festival.

Location:  Ottawa-Gatineau, QC
Website:  http://www.foireecosphere.org
For information contact:  Éric Ferland, e.ferland@FoireECOSPHERE.org
Phone:  450-538-5005
Categories:   Environment; Health/Health Care

Portrait of a young truck driver, Bangladesh. World Bank/Scott Wallace
Portrait of a young truck driver, Bangladesh. With limited access to education and training, many Bangladeshi youth suffered from unemployment. Launched by UNDP Bangladesh and its partners in 2016, the YES project aimed to increase Youth Employment through Skills in the country. World Bank/Scott Wallace

Young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and continuously exposed to lower quality of jobs, greater labor market inequalities, and longer and more insecure school-to-work transitions. In addition, women are more likely to be underemployed and under-paid, and to undertake part-time jobs or work under temporary contracts.

That is why education and training are key determinants of success in the labor market. But unfortunately, existing systems are failing to address the learning needs of many young people, and surveys of learning outcomes and skills show that a large number of youth have low levels of achievement in basic literacy and numeracy. Skills and jobs for youth feature prominently in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and SDG target 4.4 calls for a substantial increase in the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/youthskillsday/
Categories:   Skills & Training

In 1959 the Cuban people dared to dream a different future for their country. The US government has been trying to destroy that dream ever since by economic blockade.

How do Cuba's accomplishments inspire us?

How can the US blockade be ended?

What role do Canadians have in opposing the blockade?

Speakers:

Gail Walker – Executive Director IFCO/Pastors for Peace
Fr. Luis Barrios – Board President IFCO/Pastors for Peace
Ingrid Izquierdo Sterling - Consul at Cuban Consulate in Toronto
Elizabeth Hill – President Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Toronto
Jim Hodgson – Latin America program coordinator United Church of Canada

Time:  7:00 PM
Venue:  College St. United Church
Location:  454 College St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.ccfatoronto.ca/component/jcalpro/view/481/55
For information contact:  ccfatoronto@sympatico.ca
Categories:   International; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

On this day, people around the world are marking 100 years since the birth of Nelson Mandela. Mandela was born on July 18, 1918.

Everyone is welcome, including the little ones! We'll have interpreters on hand to answer your questions and guide you through in-gallery activities.

To honour the legacy of the late President of South Africa, we are offering free admission to all galleries, including Mandela: Struggle for Freedom from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The United Nations asks people everywhere to mark "Nelson Mandela International Day" by making a difference in their communities.

Time:  5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Location:  85 Israel Asper Way, Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://humanrights.ca/event/celebrate-nelson-mandela?ts=July%2018%2C%202018%20-%205%3A00pm
Categories:   Education; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Every year on 18 July — the day Nelson Mandela was born — the UN asks individuals around the world to mark Nelson Mandela International Day (18 July) by making a difference in their communities. Everyone has the ability and the responsibility to change the world for the better, and Mandela Day is an occasion for everyone to take action and inspire change.

For 67 years Nelson Mandela devoted his life to the service of humanity — as a human rights lawyer, a prisoner of conscience, an international peacemaker and the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa.

Nelson Mandela International Day 2018 marks 100 years since the birth of Nelson Mandela. The Centenary is an occasion to reflect on his life and legacy, and to follow his call to “make of the world a better place.”

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/mandeladay/
Categories:   International

Stewardship is the act of maintaining or improving a naturalized area, helping to ensure natural areas provide clean water, air, food and shelter. The Food in the Park program will explore connections between stewardship actions and food security through three main program elements: supporting native wild plant populations through direct stewardship actions, foraging for wild edibles, and tending to and harvesting from the Downsview Park education garden.

At Downsview Park, stewardship is fun, easy and meaningful!

-Connect with your food through nature
-Take home free food
-Protect your food through stewardship; give more than you take!

Our stewardship programs will run through September 2018. Please check event to confirm program dates and times.

Time:  See schedule for details
Venue:  Downsview Park
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://en.downsviewpark.ca/educate/Stewardship
For information contact:  Allison Best
Phone:  416-952-2160
Categories:   Environment; Food & Beverage; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

In an effective backlash against the #MeToo and gay #Pride movements, Doug Ford today announced that he is trashing the updated, well-researched 2015 Sex Ed Curriculum and replace it with the previous 1998 curriculum. Ford also CANCELLED Plans to update the curriculum with Indigenous Content. This is an unprecedented assault on students' right to a fair and up to date education and is a deliberate insult to the LGBTQ+ and Indigenous communities of Ontario.

Time:  11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Venue:  Lawn of the Ontario Legislature - Queen's Park
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/450242485439253/
Categories:   Education; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

We are excited to be presenting two walking tours which explore Toronto's, first immigrant neighbourhood, breathing life into a lesser known chapter in Toronto's past through theatrical presentations and animated talks led by John Lorinc & Tatum Taylor. These walking tours will allow participants to experience The Ward through the lens of four resilient women, whose stories contribute to the rich history of this storied Toronto neighbourhood:

Jean Lumb: The owner of a Chinese restaurant who helped bridge the Chinese community with various politicians and Torontonians, ultimately breaking down barriers through Chinese culture and Chinese food specifically.

Cecilia Reynolds: Joined the African-American community in Toronto after escaping slavery and initiated a longstanding correspondence with her former enslaver in order to obtain freedom for her mother and brother.

Annie Whelan: Was an Irish immigrant who became a bootlegger in order to support her family.

Elizabeth Neufeld: A Jewish American social worker who established, Central Neighbourhood House, the first settlement agency in Toronto.

We hope to see you there!

See link to register.

Time:  11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Venue:  Church of the Holy Trinity
Location:  19 Trinity Square, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/myseum-on-the-move-women-of-the-ward-walking-tour-tickets-4709502
Categories:   Women; Education; Arts & Culture

Celebrate the 235th anniversary of the birth of the Liberator, Simon Bolivar.

Aniversario del natalicio del Libertador Simon Bolivar

Meet at the Statue of Simon Bolivar

"The United States appear to be destined by Providence to plague America with misery in the name of liberty."

"Los Estados Unidos parecen destinados por la Providencia a plagar la America de miserias en nombre de la libertad." - Simon Bolivar

Time:  6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Venue:  Trinity-Bellwoods Park
Location:  Dundas St W. & Crawford, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/295977687809498/
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Learn about electricity generation sector solutions to global warming that are already in place and in action in Toronto. Discover how you can help empower humanity's response to global warming by accelerating what is already working.

Time:  6:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Venue:  Friends House
Location:  60 Lowther Avenue (meeting room), Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.drawdown.org/, www.unifytoronto.ca/
Categories:   Economic Development; Environment; Science & Technology

A unique opportunity to listen to Canadian Nobel Laureate John Polanyi, and distinguished Pakistani scientist and peace activist A.H. Nayyar on one of the most important topics of our time.

2 PM (Meet and greet at 2, program to begin at 2:30 PM)

Note: There is no fee to attend. Donations on Pay as you can basis welcome.

Time:  2:30 PM
Venue:  Northern District Library, Gwen Liu Room (Rm 200)
Location:  40 Orchard View Blvd., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://toronto.carpediem.cd/events/7444909-ending-explosions-lectures-by-john-polanyi-a-h-na
For information contact:  Munir Pervaiz Saami
Phone:  416-891-1807
Categories:   International; Economic Development; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Our world face many challenges, crises and forces of division — such as poverty, violence, and human rights abuses — among many others — that undermine peace, security, development and social harmony among the world's peoples.

To confront those crises and challenges, their root causes must be addressed by promoting and defending a shared spirit of human solidarity that takes many forms — the simplest of which is friendship.

Through friendship — by accumulating bonds of camaraderie and developing strong ties of trust — we can contribute to the fundamental shifts that are urgently needed to achieve lasting stability, weave a safety net that will protect us all, and generate passion for a better world where all are united for the greater good.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/friendshipday/
Categories:   International

Human trafficking is a crime that exploits women, children and men for numerous purposes including forced labour and sex. The International Labour Organization estimates that 21 million people are victims of forced labour globally. This estimate also includes victims of human trafficking for labour and sexual exploitation. While it is not known how many of these victims were trafficked, the estimate implies that currently, there are millions of trafficking in persons victims in the world.

Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims. Children make up almost a third of all human trafficking victims worldwide, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. Additionally, women and girls comprise 71 per cent of human trafficking victims, the report states.

In 2010, the General Assembly adopted the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, urging Governments worldwide to take coordinated and consistent measures to defeat this scourge. The Plan calls for integrating the fight against human trafficking into the UN's broader programmes in order to boost development and strengthen security worldwide. One of the crucial provisions in the Plan is the establishment of a UN Voluntary Trust Fund for victims of trafficking, especially women and children.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/humantrafficking/index.shtml

Come one, come all - and get ready for the Freedom Train 2018 - leaving Union Subway station on Tuesday, July 31st at 11:30 PM.

The TOR Freedom Train celebration is a community initiative to recognize the historical significance of the Underground Railroad and Emancipation Day in Canada

Make sure to get there for 10:30pm to secure your space

Time:  11:30 PM
Venue:  Union Subway station
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://twitter.com/freedomtraintor
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Arts & Culture; Education

The World Breastfeeding Week is coordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), a global network of individuals and organisations concerned with the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding worldwide based on the Innocenti Declarations, the Ten Links for Nurturing the Future and the WHO/UNICEF Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding.

World Breastfeeding Week 2017 is about working together for the common good, with the theme “Sustaining Breastfeeding Together.” WHO, along with UNICEF and other partners, will call on advocates and activists, decision-makers and celebrants to forge new and purposeful partnerships.

Website:  http://www.who.int/life-course/news/events/2017-breastfeeding-week/en/
Categories:   International

Eglinton-Lawrence MPP Robin Martin won the June election by just 957 votes - a significant majority of Eglinton-Lawrence residents didn't vote for her, and she should be worried that with moves like this, the tide is already turning against her.

Help us show Robin that her constituents don't support plunging Toronto’s political system into chaos in the middle of an election, with no mandate, no evidence, and no consultation! We'll be talking to our fellow residents, collecting signatures on a petition that we’ll deliver to Robins constituency office with a strong message that our communities will not tolerate these bully tactics. Please stay tuned for details on joining us to hand-deliver the petition and message!

ARE YOU COMING TO HELP COLLECT SIGNATURES? If so, please MESSAGE us on Facebook with your cell phone # to CONFIRM your attendance. Latecomers to the canvass can call or text 647-780-5835. When you arrive, look for the folks dressed in red and holding clipboards!

Time:  5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Venue:  Outside SOUTH entrance to Lawrence West Subway Station
Location:  655 Lawrence Ave W., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/257414838392284/
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

On Friday August 3, 2018, Ethiopian UNICEF Youth Ambassador Hannah Godefa, Enheed and Cuso International will host a documentary short film viewing and conversation on the fight to eradicate the dangerous practice of female genital mutilation.

Join activist Hannah Godefa as she travels to the remote village of Afambo in Ethiopia’s Afar region to meet with local community leaders.

VICE Impact Spotlight: The Fight to End Female Genital Mutilation in Ethiopia

Speakers:

Hannah Godefa, UNICEF Youth Ambassador
Hanna Mohammed, Enheed Communications Manager
Sarah Pentlow, Cuso International Global Lead, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion

Time:  See schedule
Venue:  CSI EVENT SPACE
Location:  192 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://socialinnovation.org/event_auto/community-conversations-that-matter-fight-to-end-fgm/
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Children & Youth; International

2 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT: TIME TO BAN THE BOMB

Speakers: Dr. Ira Helfand, co-President, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War - Setsuko Thurlow

Featured Performers:
Grammy-Nominated Flautist Ron Korb - Nagata Shachu Japanese Taiko & Music Group - Pax Christi Chorale - Raging Grannies

4:30-6:30 pm: Community & Craft Tables
6:30 pm: Commemoration Ceremony with speakers and performers
8:40 pm: Lantern Ceremony, City Hall Reflecting Pool

Hiroshima-Nagasaki Poster Display:
Toronto City Hall Rotunda, August 6-11, 10 am-5 pm

Time:  4:30 PM - 8:40 PM
Venue:  Peace Garden, City Hall
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.hiroshimadaycoalition.ca/
Categories:   International; Human Rights, Law, Legal

ICCE 2018: 7th International Conference & Exhibition on Clean Energy

ICCE 2018 provides a platform for researchers, scientists and Industry experts to share their work while the participants from industry can promote their products. This is an excellent opportunity for the delegates from industry and institutes to interact with the their colleagues.

Venue:  Laval University
Location:  Quebec City, QC
Website:  http://icce2018.iaemm.com/
For information contact:  ICCE2018@iaemm.com
Categories:   Environment; Science & Technology

There are an estimated 370 million indigenous people in the world, living across 90 countries. They make up less than 5 per cent of the world's population, but account for 15 per cent of the poorest. They speak an overwhelming majority of the world's estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures.

Indigenous peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live. Despite their cultural differences, indigenous peoples from around the world share common problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples.

Indigenous peoples have sought recognition of their identities, way of life and their right to traditional lands, territories and natural resources for years, yet throughout history their rights have always been violated. Indigenous peoples today, are arguably among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of people in the world. The international community now recognizes that special measures are required to protect their rights and maintain their distinct cultures and way of life.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/indigenousday/
Categories:   Native Peoples

Come to Fair ECOSPHERE, the largest environmental fair in Quebec. We bring together hundreds of exhibitors and speakers who share insight on reducing our ecological footprint.

The event is free. Welcome all!

Come to the Old Port, near the Quai de l'Horloge.

Time:  See schedule
Venue:  Old Port, near the Quai de l'Horloge
Location:  Montreal, QC
Website:  http://foireecosphere.org/en/
Phone:  (514) 883-9411
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

On 17 December 1999, in its resolution 54/120, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) that 12 August be declared International Youth Day.

Since the adoption of Security Council Resolution S/RES/2250 (2015) in 2015, there is growing recognition that as agents of change, young people’s inclusion in the peace and security agenda and in society more broadly, is key to building and sustaining peace. Another Security Council Resolution S/RES/2282 (2016) reaffirms the important role youth can play in deterring and resolving conflicts, and are key constituents in ensuring the success of both peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts.
"Youth Building Peace"

International Youth Day 2017 is dedicated to celebrating young people’s contributions to conflict prevention and transformation as well as inclusion, social justice, and sustainable peace.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development committed to fostering peaceful and inclusive societies and affirmed that “Sustainable development cannot be realized without peace and security”. Goal 16 aims to ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. The World Programme of Action for Youth, which provides a policy framework and practical guidelines to improve the situation of young people, also encourages “promoting the active involvement of youth in maintaining peace and security”.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/youthday/
Categories:   Children & Youth

IATSE Local 58 has been locked out by the the Board of Governors of Exhibition Place and Mayor John Tory.

This lock out comes after months of negotiations for a new collective agreement. The union says it was clear from the outset of talks that the Board of Governors did not want to reach an agreement.

The safety of all events at Exhibition Place will be compromised by companies bringing in less skilled workers to set up and supervise events. We have already seen a few instances of very unsafe conditions happening by the unskilled scab labour brought in to Exhinition Place. The plan is being driven by the Mayor's office, to the benefit of the major corporations, such as Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, that mount events at venues on Exhibition Place.

Join us as we Rally at City Hall on August 13th 11:30am - 2:30pm to drive our message home at city hall. We want the Mayor, and the Board of Governors to reverse the decision to lock out our members and ensure the work done at Exhibition ground can be done efficiently and safely again.

The meet up point will be the Toronto sign. See you all there! Please check in with a rally captain when you arrive. The will be wearing hi-vis vests.

Time:  11:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Venue:  Toronto City Hall
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2065342147049362/
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The Writers at Woody Point literary festival in Woody Point, Bonne Bay, Newfoundland had its inaugural season in 2004. The festival is organized and presented by Friends of Writers at Woody Point and, each year, has played to sold-out audiences. This year, as in the past, the event will be hosted by CBC Radio’s Shelagh Rogers, host of “The Next Chapter" a show about Canadian writing and writers.

Website:  http://www.writersatwoodypoint.com/
Categories:   Arts & Culture

Three Rotarians from the local Uxbridge Rotary Club Ontario are going to be travelling as part of a group to Malawi in mid-September to visit Emmanuel International Canada’s project sites and also to assist in refreshing classrooms by helping to paint and applying colorful alphabet and numeric stencil borders on the walls of the primary grade classrooms.

The classrooms were originally built by a group of Rotarians from the GTA. If you would like to assist the current team going, the Rotary Club is collecting coloured pencils (not wax crayons) and pencil sharpeners.

The goal is to collect by Sept 6th over 10,000 gently used pencils so that each of the 900 children may receive multiple pencils for their use.
So please drop off pencils at Emmanuel International Stouffville 3967 Stouffville Road L4A 8A2 or email Lindsay@eicanada.org

Alternatively, you may donate cash to purchase supplies in country which also helps the local economy. Cash donations over $10.00 are eligible for a tax donation receipt.

Time:  Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm
Venue:  Emmanuel International Canada Head Office
Location:  3967 Stouffville Road, STOUFFVILLE
Website:  http://www.eicanada.0rg
For information contact:  Lins O'Connor
Phone:  9056409422
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Economic Development; Education

Are you interested in learning about sea-level rise in your region? You are invited to participate in a free Sea-Level Rise Workshop!

- Learn about sea-level rise in Saint John, the facts and the predictions
- Engage with others to discuss how sea-level rise is affecting your community
- Interact with local maps to put what you have learned into perspective
- Learn about tools that are currently available to help plan for sea–level rise

Refreshments will be served.

RSVP Zaheera Denath: zaheera.denath@nben.ca, or 855-4144

Time:  6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue:  Saint John Regional Library
Location:  1 Market Square, Saint John, NB
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2022483208004724/
For information contact:  zaheera.denath@nben.ca
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Skills & Training

On June 20, 2018, our government introduced the Accessible Canada Act: An Act to Ensure a Barrier-Free Canada. The Accessible Canada Act represents the most significant piece of federal legislation for the rights of persons with disabilities in over 30 years - we are finally putting "Nothing about us without us" into action, legally requiring the participation of people with disabilities in decision making that directly impacts their lives. Join me for an informative Town Hall and bring your questions and comments about this critical issue.

We have now confirmed our panel of expert guests! Our panel includes:

Jeff Adams (Canadian Paralympian and a six-time world champion in wheelchair sports)
Luke Anderson (Executive Director, Stop Gap Foundation)
Connie Dejak (President and CEO, Runnymede Healthcare Centre)
Nancy Smith (Accessibility and Built Forms Specialist/Building Code, Government of Ontario)
Deborah Gold (Executive Director, Balance for Blind Adults)
Renu Mandhane (Chief Commissioner, Ontario Human Rights Commission)
Madeline Burghardt (Director at Large, West Toronto KEYS to INclusion)
I hope you can join us! Please register, as space is limited.

Time:  7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Venue:  Swansea Town Hall (Rousseau Room)
Location:  95 Lavinia Avenue, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/town-hall-on-rights-for-persons-with-disabilities-tickets-4859497
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Disability Issues; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Run for Palestine (RfP) is a family oriented, fun filled day that welcomes all memebers of the community where participants can walk or run 5 Km our newly introduce 10 Km walk or run to raise funds for much needed humanitarian projects helping the Palestinian people.

The event will take place on Saturday August 18, 2018 along the beautiful sceneries of Martin Goodman Trail (Sir Casimir Gzowski Park), located on the Humber River in Toronto. After the run, there will be food available, a bazaar, and entertainment. The trail accomodates wheelchairs and strollers.

TIME

Registration Time: 9:00am - 10:15am

Race Start Time: 11:00am

Entertainment until 2pm

CHECK IN & REGISTRATION LOCATIONS

Park name: Sir Casimir Gzowski Park

Address: 2001 Lake Shore Boulevard West, Toronto, ON (Across the street from this location)

Google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/T2284CLCyax

Time:  9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Venue:  Sir Casimir Gzowski Park
Location:  2001 Lake Shore Blvd W., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/164424610903344/
For information contact:  toronto@runforpalestine.com
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; International; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

To commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Christie Pits riot, the Toronto IWW General Defence Committee Local 28, in partnership with other community members and antifascist organizations, is hosting a family-friendly community BBQ on Sunday, August 19th, from 11am to 4pm.

Join us in Christie Pits Park - the location of the baseball game where the uprising began - for food, friends, and solidarity against fascism.

Time:  11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Venue:  Christie Pits Park (Christie subway station)
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2155229231412723/
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Human Rights, Law, Legal

"Every year on World Humanitarian Day, we shine a spotlight on the millions of civilians around the world whose lives have been caught up in conflict. On this day we also take a moment to honour the brave health and aid workers who are targeted or obstructed as they set out to help people in need, and pay tribute to the government employees, members of civil society and representatives of international organizations and agencies who risk their lives to provide humanitarian aid and protection." — UN Secretary-General, António Guterres

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/humanitarianday/
Categories:   International

Please join us for the book launch of There's Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous & Black Communities by Ingrid Waldron.

-Dr. Ingrid Waldron is Director of the Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities & Community Health Project (The ENRICH Project).

-Dorene Bernard is a Mi'kmaq grassroots Grandmother, residential school survivor and water protector from Indian Brook, Nova Scotia.

-Louise Delisle is the founder and president of the Black Pioneers Acting Troupe and is from Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

Everyone welcome to this free event. Books will be available for sale.

Time:  6:30 PM
Venue:  Tatamagouche Centre
Location:  259 Loop Route 6, RR#3, Tatamagouche, NS
Website:  http://www.tatacentre.ca
For information contact:  info@tatacentre.ca
Phone:  902-657-2231
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Environment; Native Peoples

This award-winning documentary spans the globe to uncover the dirty secret behind the manufacturing of our blue jeans. Narrated by clean water supporter Jason Priestley, RiverBlue follows international river conservationist, Mark Angelo, on a journey that uncovers the dark side of the fashion industry. Speaking with fashion designers and water protectors world-wide, RIVERBLUE reveals stunning and shocking images that truly change the way we look at how our clothing is made. This groundbreaking documentary examines the destruction of our rivers, its effect on humanity, and the solutions that inspire hope for a sustainable future. An exquisitely crafted, fascinating, emotional and moving documentary turned global agent for change.

Join us for a screening of this film with a short presentation by the Upper Canada Fibreshed about local textile communities organizing for change.

Watch the trailer by following this link: http://indiecanent.com/movies/river-blue/

Time:  6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Lakehead University - Orillia Campus
Location:  Orillia, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/river-blue-movie-screening-tickets-47367820426?aff=ebdssbdestsear
Categories:   Environment; Fashion, Clothing, Textiles; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The date 23 August marks the anniversary of the 1791 insurrection of enslaved men and women in the western part of the island of Santo Domingo, which, on proclaiming its independence reverted to its original Amerindian name: Haiti. The uprising conveyed a universal demand for freedom that transcends all limits of time and space. It speaks to humanity as a whole, without distinction of origin or religion, and continues to resonate now with undiminished force.

Ignorance is our enemy: it is used as an alibi by the indifferent who state that “we cannot change anything”, and sanctions the lies of those who claim that “they did not know”. .

Irina Bokova
UNESCO Director-General

By means of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, UNESCO aims to recall the crucial importance of the transmission of history in order to shed light on the fight against all forms of oppression and racism today. The 1791 uprising triggered a shockwave that has set the course of peoples’ liberation struggles and of human and civil rights movements for over 200 years. It crystallized the issues, concepts and principles with which it is essential to be familiar in the present fight against modern slavery and human trafficking. We are counting on the teaching of this history to place tomorrow’s citizens on the path to peace and dignity.

By proclaiming the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024), the United Nations General Assembly hopes to eradicate the social injustice that is a legacy of that history and to combat racism and racial discrimination. Freedom of rights, hard-won by force, must be translated into real freedom through public policies that guarantee to people of African descent the full exercise of economic, social and political equality, and full and equal participation in society. The 1791 uprising, like so many others across the world, shows us the way, but the path ahead is still long.

Website:  http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/internationa
Categories:   International

The 16th Vancouver Latin American Film Festival takes place from August 23 - September 2 at The Cinematheque, SFU Woodward's, and VIFF Vancity Theatre. With over 70 films from across Latin America and a Spotlight on the Andean Region, this edition of the festival is going to be amazing!! Everyone is welcome and all films have subtitles in English. Tickets and info at www.vlaff.org

Venue:  The Cinematheque, SFU Woodward's, VIFF Vancity Theatre
Location:  Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.vlaff.org
For information contact:  info@vlaff.org
Phone:  604-708-5657
Categories:   Arts & Culture; International

Arts of Resistance: Politics and the Past in Latin America illustrates how communities in Latin America use traditional or historical art forms to express contemporary political realities.

Displaying art and performance by artists in Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, El Salvador, Ecuador and Chile, and paying special attention to marginalized communities, this exhibition explores the role of creativity during times of political turmoil.

Latin American culture and folkloric arts are already well known abroad but we’re inviting visitors to take a closer look, to understand the political and social significance of these artistic traditions. For example, one of the works on display will be a contemporary codex, or pictorial manuscript, from Mexico. Written using pre-Hispanic symbols, this work tells the story of the forced disappearance in 2014 of 43 students in Ayotzinapa, Mexico. This work connects pre-contact Mesoamerican peoples and the Spanish conquest with Neo-colonialism and racism in Mexico today.

This is a unique opportunity for visitors to learn about Latin American politics through the lens of contemporary art. This exhibition demonstrates how objects can embody important historical and cultural memories and has the potential to influence how Latin American art and culture are showcased in museums and galleries.

Venue:  Museum of Anthropology
Location:  6393 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://moa.ubc.ca/exhibition/arts-of-resistance/
Categories:   Arts & Culture; International; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Multicultural festival.

Location:  Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.rusvan.org
For information contact:  info@rusvan.org
Phone:  604-687-5762
Categories:   International; Automotive & Cars

Camp United Nations for Girls Winnipeg 2018 is a political leadership program that introduces girls ages 9 to 15 to international politics and the work of the United Nations.

The program begins with a lesson on the history of the United Nations and its purpose. This is followed by an explanation of the structure, leadership and the rules of procedure of the United Nations starting with the General Assembly and subsidiary organs. Participants learn about the specific work undertaken in the United Nations’ boards, commissions, committees, councils and panels and working groups. Prior to convening the General Assembly, each participant will be assigned a country and guided through researching her country. When the General Assembly convenes delegates will give speeches, negotiate with other delegates, caucus and propose resolutions along with amendments before finally voting.

Time:  9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Venue:  Courtyard by Marriott - Winnipeg Airport
Location:  780 Powerhouse Rd., Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://www.girlsinpolitics.org/
For information contact:  info@girlsinpolitics.org
Phone:  1-202-660-1457 Ext. 2
Categories:   Children & Youth; Women; Politics & Political Organizations

Fifty years ago, growing numbers of Americans rose up against the twin evils of war and racism. Outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August 1968, peaceful protestors were savagely attacked by the police minions of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley while Party bosses inside were busy crushing the hopes of peace candidates whom the majority of Democratic primary voters had supported.
We need a revived and unified movement for peace and social justice TODAY – one that links the struggles against racism, poverty and police violence in the United States to our government’s unending wars and military domination abroad. We call on peace, anti-poverty, anti-racist, immigrant rights and other progressive organizations, and all persons of conscience.

Time:  12:00 pm
Venue:  Richard J. Daley Plaza
Location:  50 W. Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/214920352553277/
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

How can an island nation support 23 million mouths with eco-friendly and sustainable agriculture?

One woman has made it her mission to discover the gems and stories hidden in Taiwan's booming world of local, environmentally sustainable and healthy farming. Travelling throughout the island and meeting farmers, growers, brewers and producers, Yen-Chun Lu has amassed dozens of unique stories - each as good and as rich as the land that they are grown from!

Discover the tastes and stories that inspired us to cross oceans and continents - Let's Savour Taiwan!

Aug 25th
Boulevard Tent Pavilion / 12:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Aug 26th
Boulevard Tent Pavilion / 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Formosan Kitchen
Aug 25th
Brigantine Room / 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Time:  See schedule for time and locations
Venue:  Harbourfront Centre
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://taiwanfest.ca/lets-savour-taiwan/
Categories:   Food & Beverage; Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Once again we are HAPPY to host a peaceful parade for Equal Topless Rights!

The date for the event will be on August 26.

The departure of the walk is in Front of the Safeway on Robson St, east of Denman.

The time of Gathering is noon and we start walking at 12:30 pm.

We are going to walk to the Vancouver Art Gallery at the corner of Robson and Hornby.

It is legally top-free for everyone including all of you ladies!

All genders are welcome to join us. I would like to invite men to either cover their nipples with an X made out of tape or to wear a bra or bikini top. The reason being that if women have to cover, then men should cover too…

We know that it is legal in BC, but people are sexualizing women when they are practicing their rights and making them feel very uncomfortable.

Join us to make a better world together!

Location:  1766 Robson St., Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/535836803517037/

Burning Man is an annual event in the western United States at Black Rock City – a temporary city erected in the Black Rock Desert of northwest Nevada, approximately 100 miles (160 km) north-northeast of Reno.

Burning Man is a network of people inspired by the values reflected in the Ten Principles and united in the pursuit of a more creative and connected existence in the world. Throughout the year we work to build Black Rock City, home of the largest annual Burning Man gathering, and nurture the distinctive culture emerging from that experience.

Mission Statement
The mission of Burning Man Project is to facilitate and extend the culture that has issued from the Burning Man event into the larger world.

Vision
Burning Man Project will bring experiences to people in grand, awe-inspiring and joyful ways that lift the human spirit, address social problems and inspire a sense of culture, community and personal engagement.

Program Areas
Burning Man provides infrastructural tools and frameworks to support local communities in applying the Ten Principles through six interconnected program areas, including Arts, Civic Involvement, Culture, Education, Philosophical Center and Social Enterprise.

Venue:  Black Rock City, Nevada
Website:  http://burningman.org/
Categories:   Arts & Culture

Opioid crisis, the pornification of culture, the rise of magical thinking, the spreading of violence and hate, waves of suicides, deep social polarization, and a disenchanted population ruled by a reality-TV star. Sound familiar?

Chris Hedges presents his new book, America, The Farewell Tour, where he describes the systemic problems that neither the left nor the right are addressing, and exposes the corporate coup d'etat that has taken hold of his country, with catastrophic consequences for the rest of the world.

This talk will be hosted by Habiba Nosheen, Emmy and Peabody award-winning investigative journalist and filmmaker, and host of CBC's The Fifth Estate.

Time:  7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue:  Bram and Bluma Appel Salon - Toronto Reference Library
Location:  798 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/chris-hedges-who-killed-the-american-dream-tickets-48618529330
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Government & Public Sector; Politics & Political Organizations

Indigenous activist Alanis Obomsawin uses interviews and landscape photography to show viewers what action-driven decolonization looks like. She focuses the camera on a small community in the Norway House Cree Nation to examine their unique approach to education and healing.

Free!

Time:  6:30 pm
Venue:  Vancouver Public Library, Carnegie Branch
Location:  401 Main, Vancouver, BC
Phone:  604-665-3010
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

There's a dozen ways to please a woman with your hands. Make it a kinky woman and your options are endless! Presented by Redrobin, come check out this class and demo where we'll explore the many fun ways to play with the female anatomy including petting, slapping, fingering, fisting and more!

Please note - the doors will be locked at 7:40pm sharp!

Cost: $50

Time:  7:30 pm
Location:  369 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.artofloving.ca/event/fingering-fondling-and-fisting-live-demo-aug-28th
Categories:   Sexuality; Women

Dark Odyssey is proud to announce the return of our seven day Sex, Kink, & Spirit festival that takes the best aspects of DO plus inspiration from other kink festivals around the world. Summer Camp brings together kinksters, queers, swingers, spiritualists, TNGers and old hands alike. With a stunning array of workshops and special events, massive playspaces, and world renowned vendors, Summer Camp encourages you to create your own erotic vacation.

Dark Odyssey was created in 2003 as a wholly unique experience, built to bring together sexuality, spirituality, education, and play in a fun, supportive, non-judgmental environment where fantasy becomes reality. Since that time, Dark Odyssey has become the home of top-notch play spaces, creative amenities, and inspiring events where people can have truly immersive experiences.

As a community, Dark Odyssey is a melting pot of diverse identities and interests that welcomes people of all genders, sexual orientations, and erotic persuasions. We are sex-positive with interests as diverse as BDSM, swinging, Tantra, body modification, Master/slave relationships, erotic role-playing, sacred sexuality, polyamory, Paganism, cross-dressing, and sexual adventure. We appreciate that everyone has their own fetishes, kinks, and turn-ons, and we strive to make room for them all in an open, tolerant and inclusive atmosphere.

Venue:  Northern Maryland
Website:  http://darkodyssey.com/summerfest/
For information contact:  info@darkodyssey.com
Phone:  510-206-0875
Categories:   Sexuality

Come and join us for this lively talk on the female prostate; the G Spot. We'll show you expert finger techniques, discuss positions and toys as well as cover the anatomy of this exquisite pleasure centre in women. If you're curious to see one and watch a woman ejaculation, our educational video clips will be shown and you'll even have handouts to take home.

Cost: $20

Time:  7:30 pm
Location:  369 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.artofloving.ca/event/g-spot-ejaculation-aug-29th
Phone:  604-742-9988
Categories:   Sexuality; Women

Join our weekly hands-on show-and-tell / open house at Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of British Columbia Library for an introduction to our space and our unique materials and collections. The event is open to the general public, as well as the UBC community. No need to RSVP, just drop in to learn what RBSC is all about!

Time:  11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Venue:  Irving K. Barber Learning Centre
Location:  1961 East Mall, UBC, Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://rbsc.library.ubc.ca/
Phone:  604-822-2521
Categories:   Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language; Publishers & Publishing

Pipeline proposals are a flashpoint of environmental controversy in Canada, and especially British Columbia. While they are partially about the risk of oil spills, they are a symptom of larger unaddressed policy issues, including Canada's international commitments to reducing climate change and respecting Indigenous rights. Can Canada still build pipelines while respecting these commitments, and under what conditions? What role can citizens play in helping to address these controversies?

Science World is hosting a related exhibit called GroundTruth: Anatomy of a Pipeline. The photographer, Andy Wright, will also be on hand to answer questions before the talk begins.

Time:  7:30 PM
Venue:  Science World at Telus World of Science
Location:  1455 Quebec, Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.kpu.ca/scienceworld
Phone:  604-599-2000
Categories:   Environment; Mining & Petroleum; Native Peoples

Recently, B'nai Brith Canada launched a smear campaign against the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW). CUPW has taken a principled stand in defence of Palestinian human rights. As a result, CUPW has become the latest victim in a long list of smear campaigns launched by B'nai Brith Canada to silence human rights defenders who are critical of Israel's violations of international law. Enough is enough. Please join us in communicating to B'nai Brith that we will no longer remain silent in the face of its constant attacks on those who demand freedom and justice for the Palestinian people.

Time:  4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Location:  15 Hove St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/264199770856386/
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; International; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The Montreal Fetish Weekend is Canada’s largest international gathering of its kind. Set in the world’s fetish-friendliest city in the downtown Gay Village area, it is a grand celebration of alternate lifestyle. An urban fetish happening unlike anything else in the world. You are the star!

The MFW is indeed an event welcoming of all communities, a celebration of our Fetish Pride during a fabulous week-long international fetish holiday!

From fantasy-themed events to chill and play after-parties, from heavy rubber fashion to pin-up retro-style, the MFW offers in-hotel workshops, lounge, fetish market, after-parties, formal fetish dinner and all-night play party and a series of nearby night-time soirées and parties as well as a kinky picnic, street fashion show and the incredible fetish photo walk.

At the MFW we take great attention to insure that everyone feels welcome. MFW is the most hospitable fetish event you will experience.

Venue:  Hôtels Gouverneur
Location:  1415 St-Hubert, Montreal, QC
Website:  http://montrealfetishweekend.com/
Categories:   Sexuality

The Master/slave Conference (MsC), celebrating our 15th anniversary, is the largest, longest and most comprehensive educational event solely dedicated to Master/slave relationships. Owned and produced by MTTA, Inc. - an educational non-profit organization - MsC takes place every year over Labor Day Weekend becoming a five day-four night event with more educational and network opportunities than other events of this nature.

Venue:  Westin Tysons Corner
Location:  Falls Church, Virginia USA
Website:  http://masterslaveconference.org/
For information contact:  http://masterslaveconference.org/contact-us/
Categories:   Sexuality; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual

With the accelerating progression of climate change, we need eco-friendly options for everything. How can an island nation support 23 million mouths with sustainable agriculture?

Taiwanese artist Yen-Chun Lu has made it her mission to save the environment and shape consumer choices, using art to amplify their stories and message of sustainability. Discover the "Let's Savour Taiwan" exhibition, and prepare to be inspired - Eat Good! Eat Smart!

Admission is Free!

Event Dates and Times:
Sept 1 11am - 10pm
Sept 2 11am - 10pm
Sept 3 11am - 6pm

Time:  11am - 10pm
Venue:  Multiple locations- Downtown Vancouver
Location:  Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://taiwanfest.ca
Phone:  604-263-9311
Categories:   Food & Beverage; Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Fun for the Whole Family

Join us for the last day of our Summer Season. It's old-fashioned fun complete with games of chance, entertainment, demonstrations, a children's craft, and market vendors.


Plus FREE carousel rides (compliments of Burnaby Parks, Recreation & Culture Commission and CUPE Local 23).

Time:  11:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Venue:  Burnaby Village Museum
Location:  6501 Deer Lake Ave, Burnaby, BC
Website:  http://www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca/
For information contact:  bvm@burnaby.ca
Phone:  (604) 297-4565
Categories:   Children & Youth; Nature & Outdoors; Museums

The TTC belongs to Toronto. We pay for it through our TTC fares and our property taxes.

Transit workers and transit riders are coming together to stop Premier Doug Ford's plan to break apart the TTC. His plan will mean higher fares, less say for riders, and worse service.

Join TTCriders and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 at the 2018 Labour Day Parade to launch our joint campaign and march for public transit.

Meet at the corner of Queen St. and York St. at 9:00am sharp at the TTC streetcar for the launch. Parade leaves at 9:30am.

Time:  9:00 AM
Venue:  Corner of Queen St. and York St
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://act.ttcriders.ca/launchsept3
For information contact:  info@ttcriders.ca
Phone:  647-775-8185
Categories:   Transportation & Travel; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

No one should be forced to choose between paying for groceries and the medication they need. The Red Deer Chapter of the Council of Canadians invites you to an upcoming panel discussion on pharmacare we're hosting with the Alberta Council on Aging on the morning of Tuesday, September 4. Come learn more about what universal, publicly-funded coverage for medication could look like in Alberta, and what the barriers and opportunities are to getting there.

Time:  9:00 AM
Venue:  Golden Circle Seniors Resource Centre
Location:  4620 - 47A Avenue, Red Deer, AB
Website:  http://canadians.org/event/red-deer-panel-discussion-pharmacare
For information contact:  coc.reddeer@gmail.com
Categories:   Health/Health Care; Pharmaceuticals/Drugs; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

In the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development adopted in September 2015, the United Nations recognizes that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. The Agenda also calls for a spirit of strengthened global solidarity, focused in particular on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable. It also acknowledges the role of the diverse private sector, ranging from micro-enterprises to cooperatives to multinationals, and that of civil society organizations and philanthropic organizations in the implementation of the new Agenda.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth in the Agenda can be grouped into six critical areas: people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership. They have the potential to transform our lives and our planet by providing the framework needed for philanthropic institutions to enable all people to contribute to the betterment of our world.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/charityday/
Categories:   International

Celebrate this Labour Day with FilmSocial's screening of Pride (2014)! Pride is the powerful story of the London-based Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, a support group formed during the tumultuous 1984-85 miners strike. At a moment when the left seems confounded by the supposed silos of "identify politics" and "class," Pride points to how identity and class are shaped by struggle and reminds us of the transformative power of solidarity.

Time:  7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Venue:  Cinecycle
Location:  129 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2097179960534503/
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual; Mining & Petroleum

Many more details + events to come for Salt Spring Pride 2018!

EVENTS:
Queer Poetry, Open Mic: Thurs. Sept. 6, at the library *no cost

Karaoke night: Thurs. Sept. 6, *tickets on sale soon

'Coming Out, Coming In' queer community gathering: Fri. Sept 7, Fulford Hall

Dance: Saturday September 8, Fulford Hall *tickets on sale soon
Hosted by DAISSI - Diverse and Inclusive Salt Spring Island

Join us for a people-powered, non-corporate, community-driven Pride.

We acknowledge that Pride is taking place on unceded Tsawout, Cowichan, Coast Salish territory.

Venue:  Multiple
Location:  Salt Spring Island, BC
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/saltspringpride
For information contact:  saltspringpride@gmail.com
Categories:   Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual; Performing Arts

A call to action for sustainable businesses. Join us for the Canadian SDG Business Forum 2018 and celebrate the Global Compact Network Canada’s 5th Anniversary!

Join business leaders at the Canadian SDG Business Forum on September 7 in Toronto for a day of innovation and collaboration towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals for a more sustainable Canadian private sector.

The Canadian SDG Business Forum will be a special platform for business leaders to foster multi-stakeholder dialogues, catalyze new partnerships, and explore innovative solutions to accelerate the SDGs in Canada.

The Forum will also focus discussions on some of the key themes from the G7 Summit to be held in Charlevoix, Quebec, and also the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Please see the agenda and speakers at http://www.globalcompact.ca/sdgforum2018/

Time:  See agenda for times and speakers
Venue:  The MaRS Discovery District
Location:  101 College St. and 661 University Ave., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.globalcompact.ca/sdgforum2018/
For information contact:  network@globalcompact.ca.
Categories:   Environment; Business & Economics; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Our symposium opens on the evening of Friday, Sept. 7, 2018, and closes at noon on Sunday, Sept 9. Topics to be tackled:

• What is the status of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza under international law?

• What does the 4th Geneva Convention say about Jewish settlements?

• What are Israel's obligations to the Palestinian people? What are the rights and obligations of the Palestinian people and their leadership?

• What role should international law play in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

• What are Canada's legal obligations under the UN Charter and 4th Geneva Convention?

The Israel, Palestine and International Law symposium is sponsored by (alphabetical order): Independent Jewish Voices Canada, Mennonite Church Manitoba Working Group on Palestine-Israel, Peace Alliance Winnipeg, United Jewish People's Order (Winnipeg), and the Winnipeg Centre Federal Green Party Association.

For more information about the symposium, please see website.

Time:  September 7, 6:00 PM to September 9,12:00 PM
Venue:  Fort Garry Hotel
Location:  222 Broadway, Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://www.israelpalestinelawsymposium.ca/wp/
For information contact:  david@israelpalestinelawsymposium.ca
Categories:   International; Politics & Political Organizations; Human Rights, Law, Legal

International Literacy Day, celebrated annually on 8 September, is an opportunity for Governments, civil society and stakeholders to highlight improvements in world literacy rates, and reflect on the world's remaining literacy challenges. The issue of literacy is a key component of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by world leaders in September 2015, promotes, as part of its agenda, universal access to quality education and learning opportunities throughout people’s lives. Sustainable Development Goal 4 has as one of its targets ensuring all young people achieve literacy and numeracy and that adults who lack these skills are given the opportunity to acquire them.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/literacyday/
Categories:   Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language

The Night of the disappeared is a night of remembering the people who were disappeared by authoritarian regimes because of their advocacy for freedom and justice.

They spoke and were persecuted for standing up for liberation of their people. It will be a night of songs, poems and other forms of liberating cultural expressions to honour those who were disappeared and have sacrificed their lives to build a world where rights are valued. We would like to invite you to be a part of this historical event.

All are welcome and there is no charge to attend.

Time:  7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Venue:  Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Location:  Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://beta.humanrights.ca/night-of-the-disappeared
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Arts & Culture; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The climate is heating up and so are we!

Torontonians won't stand by while our federal and provincial governments are actively destroying our chances to create a livable future.

For all of us.
For our children.

On September 8, gather together to challenge our dependence on oil and gas. Demand a swift transition to a green, sustainable economy. Rally in front of 361 University Avenue just south of Armory Street. March to follow up to Queen's Park!

Time:  12:00 PM - 2:15 PM
Venue:  361 University Avenue
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/469285956903762/
Categories:   Environment; Mining & Petroleum; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

For the past 4 years, the western backed Saudi-led coalition have targeted everything in Yemen. The list includes hospitals, factories, bridges, water tanks, power stations, school, universities, wedding halls and even cemeteries! This has caused a severe damage to the Yemeni economy and tens of thousands of people have lost their lives. According to a recent UN report, Yemen is the world's worst humanitarian crisis and more than 75% of the population need humanitarian aid and protection because of the Saudi imposed blockade on Yemen.

Recently the coalition added a new target to their list: children. On August 9th, in the city of Sada'a, Saudi’s jet have targeted a school bus with a 500-pound laser-guided bomb. 51 people who died in the airstrike, 40 of which were children, and 79 people were injured.

5 days ago, an attack killed at least 22 children and four women fleeing fighting in the Al Durayhimi district, which sits south of the port city of Hodeidah.

On September 8th, The Yemeni Community in Canada and their friends in the Canadian community will go on a protest to request the Canadian government to condemn such massacres and cancel the arms deal they have with Saudi.

Please join us and show support to the Yemeni people and help save their lives!

Time:  2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location:  344 Bloor St W., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2151832481750394/
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; International; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Attendees will have the opportunity to "Meet The Trees" while taking part in tours, demonstrations, research exhibits, full-family activities, live music and plant sale. Come connect with Arboretum staff and volunteers to learn about trees that you won't find anywhere else in Canada.

Time:  10 AM - 3 PM
Venue:  Arboretum Centre University of Guelph
Location:  50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON
Website:  http://www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/
For information contact:  arbor@uoguelph.ca
Phone:  5198244120
Categories:   Nature & Outdoors; Environment; Children & Youth

Nature produces energy by slow, cool, implosive means - by a centripetal inward motion, while our present culture uses explosive centrifugal (outwards) movement, which is wasteful and many times less powerful and effective. It also uses up the Earth’s resources and pollutes her ecosystems. This workshop will examine the nature of energy, how energy flows and sustainable systems that draw on the power of the sun, water and wind.

We will explore systems as simple as geothermal tanks and passive solar techniques, to more active systems like Rocket Stoves, geosolar and thermal mass. A hands-on building of a solar dehydrator. This workshop will leave you with an firm understanding of energy and the possibilities of collection, storage and flow.

Time:  9 AM - 5 PM
Venue:  The living centre
Location:  5871 Bells Rd, London, ON
Website:  http://www.thelivingcentre.com
For information contact:  Lorenna Kacera - info@thelivingcentre.com
Phone:  519-652-9109
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Canada's National Organic Week is the largest annual celebration of organic food, farming and products across the country. Hundreds of individual events showcase the benefits of organic agriculture and its positive impact on the environment. Organic represents a vibrant alternative food system and an alternative option for clothing, personal care and cleaning products.

Last year, events included anything from pickling workshops to recipes contests, farm tours, or organic food and drink tastings in retail locations across the country. If you want to get involved in organic week this year check out our Organic Week events section of our website or plan an event in your community...

Venue:  Across Canada
Website:  http://organicweek.ca
For information contact:  info@organicweek.ca
Phone:  613-482-1717
Categories:   Farming; Environment

This is a fundraising cycle ride in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign. The SLF sends 90% of funds to carefully selected community projects in 15 African countries. The funds are used in support of African grandmothers who have undertaken the nurturing, safety and education of some of 14 million children orphaned by AIDS.

Time:  8:00 AM
Venue:  Whitecliff Seniors Residence
Location:  15505 16th Ave, Surrey, BC
Website:  http://solidaritycycle.weebly.com
Categories:   Health/Health Care; Women

World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD), on 10 September, is organized by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP). WHO has been co-sponsor of the day. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness around the globe that suicide can be prevented.

In past years, over 300 activities in around 70 countries were reported to IASP, including educational and commemorative events, press briefings and conferences, as well as Facebook and Twitter coverage.

Website:  http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/wspd/en/
Categories:   Health/Health Care

The Internet: a place of great promise and wonder, or a dystopian nightmare of crass commericalism and mass surveillance? Or both? Or something else entirely? Whatever it is, the Internet has radically reshaped many aspects of our lives, including our notions of privacy and security.

Join Digital Justice Lab director Nasma Ahmed (https://digitaljusticelab.ca) and academic Ksenia Ermoshina (https://citizenlab.ca) for an engaging discussion on the Internet of the 21st century and its perils and prospects for our privacy.

This talk is part of Toronto Public Library's Digital Privacy Expo - A full day series of discussions and hands-on demonstrations, featuring industry experts and TPL staff.

Get all your questions about digital privacy and online security answered!

Engaging discussions and privacy tech demos happening all day in our newly-renovated public library.

Find our other events in the Expo on Eventbrite, or at tpl.ca/digitalprivacy

Time:  10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Venue:  North York Central Library Auditorium
Location:  5120 Yonge St, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/privacy-and-security-on-the-21st-century-internet-a-big-picture-
Categories:   Communications Industry & Technology; Internet; Security

Find out what is happening to the Ontario Disability Support Program – and what we can do about it

Featured Speakers:
Jennefer Laidley, Income Security Advocacy Centre
Andrea Hatala, ODSP Action Coalition
John Clarke, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty

An open discussion will be held following presentations by the featured speakers to explore the different ways we can work together to raise the benefit rates and improve ODSP.

Free Admission and Free Refreshments

Time:  2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Venue:  St. Stephen's Community House
Location:  91 Bellevue Ave, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/223004208562544/
Phone:  416-924-4244, ext. 25
Categories:   Disability Issues; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This anthology is an outcome of five years collaboration and research by Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights, an international research and participatory documentary project based in Africa, the Caribbean, India and Canada. It is a book for activists as well as academics and researchers and all those interested in advancing social justice and rights for LGBTIQ people.

Time:  6:30 PM
Venue:  Glad Day Bookshop
Location:  499 Church Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2095244394129208/
Categories:   Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Professor Ronald F. Ingleharts' recently published book, Cultural Evolution: People's Motivations are Changing, and Reshaping the World, argues that people's values and behavior are shaped by the degree to which survival is secure; it was precarious for most of history, which encouraged heavy emphasis on group solidarity, rejection of outsiders, and obedience to strong leaders. For under extreme scarcity, xenophobia is realistic: if there is just enough land to support one tribe and another tribe tries to claim it, survival may literally be a choice between Us and Them. Conversely, high levels of existential security encourage openness to change, diversity and new ideas. The unprecedented prosperity and security of the postwar era brought cultural change, the environmentalist movement, and the spread of democracy. But in recent decades, diminishing job security and rising inequality have led to an authoritarian reaction. Evidence from more than 100 countries demonstrates that people's motivations and behavior reflect the extent to which they take survival for granted - and that modernization changes them in roughly predictable ways. This book explains the rise of environmentalist parties, gender equality, and same-sex marriage... and the current reaction producing Trump, Brexit, and France's National Front, through a new, empirically-tested version of modernization theory.

Time:  6:00PM - 8:00PM
Venue:  Isabel Bader Theatre - Victoria University in the University of Toronto
Location:  93 Charles Street W., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://munkschool.utoronto.ca/event/25868/
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; International

Join us for this celebration of indigenous culture with storyteller Maya-waasige ("The Man From the Up Right Light") as he shares traditional Ojibwe, Boodawaadomi and Anishnaabe tales. Recommended for ages 6+. Adults welcome.

Call for more information.

Time:  2:00 PM - 4:00
Venue:  Toronto Public Library - Riverdale Library
Location:  370 Broadview Avenue, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/indigenous-storytelling-with-maya-waasige-tickets-49154425209?aff
Phone:  416-393-7720
Categories:   Native Peoples; Arts & Culture; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Artist Will Kwan's text installation will be visible along the stretches of the industrial retaining walls of Toronto's Don River. Kwan's work speaks to the intersection of audience and public space, to community expectations for urban parks in general and for the Don River Valley Park in particular.

Kwan's artworks always begin with research into his surroundings, leading to projects that examine the role of institutions in shaping economic and cultural realities. In this case, using a striking blue that mirrors the sky, Kwan’s text challenges the conception of ownership in a public space and instead reclaims the space as a common good.

Kwan has watched the transformation of the Don River Valley and its surrounding neighbourhoods closely, and has taken a keen interest in the area's revitalization and re-naturalization efforts.

His project builds from these observations and questions about the nature of "publics." The resulting piece is both provocative and humorous, outlining the ways in which endlessly differing (and sometimes opposing) groups and individuals occupy Toronto and its parks.

Time:  This installation is open to the public at all times. It will be on view for approximately five year
Venue:  Lower Don Trail
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.evergreen.ca/whats-on/event/will-kwan-a-park-for-all/#date
For information contact:  drvp@evergreen.ca for more information.
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Last month we buried a tireless defender and champion of human rights. Bromley L. Armstrong helped found the Toronto Joint Labour Committee on Human Rights, CARIBANA, Urban Alliance on Race Relations, and the Jamaican Canadian Association in his nine decade lifetime of leadership. His legacy lives on in the union activists that continue his work, demanding justice and fighting against racism, acknowledged by the annual Bromley L. Armstrong Award.

On Monday, September 17th, the Labour Toronto and York Labour Council along with Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Urban Alliance on Race Relations and The Jamaican Canadian Association will hold a memorial for Bromley at the OFL Building from 6-8pm, with music, speakers and video remembrances of his amazing journey.

Every union activist in Canada should know the story of Bromley - his work absolutely represents our core values. Watch the videos "Welcome to Dresden" and "Welcome to Canada" at youtube.com/LabourCouncil

Time:  6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Location:  15 Gervais Drive, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/memorial-for-dr-bromley-armstrong-tickets-49728149233
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Labour, Workplace, Unions; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

As the Doug Ford Conservatives unpack their agenda, towns and cities across Ontario are getting ready for the October municipal elections.

In Toronto, much of the early public debate leading up to the elections has been narrow and dominated by the Tories' Bill 5, which proposes to cut in half the number of wards for Council elections. Debates about specific City issues have been limited, pitting a few right-populist voices from the Conservative Party against liberal and progressive voices from the Liberal or New Democratic Party. Ford's shadow looms over every discussion and risks constraining debate about the mildest reforms even further.

This public forum seeks to keep alive more expansive political horizons about possible futures for Toronto. Organizers from various social movements will come together to discuss a range of issues – from migrant solidarity and economic justice to jobs, housing, transit, the environment, and the nature of electoral politics. They will bring ambitious and radical perspectives that engage with but go beyond the policy planks gaining the most attention in the corporate media.

Time:  6:30 - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Friends' House (Quakers)
Location:  60 Lowther Ave, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/1677852065657291/
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Sept. 21st is a special day. A time to celebrate the great harvest and abundance from what was planted in spring and nurtured through the warm and gracious summer months - in our crops, our adventures, our relationships, Earth connection and spiritual growth.
As well, we will be joining 200 countries all over world and 80 million people who will be celebrating Peace on this International Day of Peace, established by the United Nations.

The Evening Will Include:

Opening welcome
Gratitude Ceremony
Equinox-Peace Meditation
Setting intentions for the new cycle
Fire Ceremony
Closing meditation
Potluck - time for sharing and camaraderie
Potluck: Please bring your favourite vegan dish.. Please bring your own dish to eat on, cutlery a cushion or chair for outdoors. Blankets will be provided.

RSVP PLEASE - THANK YOU

Bring a song or poem or story of peace if you have one. Thank you.

Time:  6:30 - 9:00 PM
Venue:  The Living Centre
Location:  5871 Bells Rd., London, ON
Website:  http://www.thelivingcentre.com/
For information contact:  info@thelivingcentre.com
Phone:  519-652-9109
Categories:   Nature & Outdoors; Food & Beverage

The Sustainable Goals cover a broad range of issues, including poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, gender equality, water, sanitation, energy, environment and social justice.
SDG 16

Sustainable Development Goal 16 “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions” calls for promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

A peaceful society is one where there is justice and equality for everyone. Peace will enable a sustainable environment to take shape and a sustainable environment will help promote peace.
The theme for the International Day of Peace in 2018 is “The Right to Peace - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70”

The theme celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.
The Universal Declaration – the most translated document in the world, available in more than 500 languages - is as relevant today as it was on the day that it was adopted.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/
Categories:   International

This will be a student led protest, in which multiple actions are expected to be held in response and revolt against the injustices being committed across Ontario classrooms at the hands of the (dis)honourable Doug Ford. Including cuts to the Truth and Reconciliation actions and the health curriculums being offered.

Many students across Ontario ranging in ages are looking to fight against this and stand their ground.

Those organizing this day have many available resources and will readily and eagerly assist students in planning their respective actions.

We are working on holding walk-outs between 1-3 on Friday September 21st, as well as encouraging those participating to wear the colour purple and use the hashtag #WeTheStudentsDoNotConsent


Please message Decolonize Schools on Facebook or @decolonizeont on Twitter or Instagram

Time:  1:00 PM
Venue:  Ontario-wide
Location:  ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/604365633298705/
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Children & Youth; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This one-day symposium focuses on immigration, HIV/AIDS, gender identity, family acceptance, faith, and the mental health of Caribbean LGBTQ diasporic communities, with presentations, panel discussions, cultural performances, and supportive resources.

Time: Arrival - Registration - 9:00am
Welcome - 10:00 am
Conclude/End - 5:00 pm

Breakfast and lunch will be provided to registered attendees. Registration is required, click here http://BreakingSilences2018.eventbrite.com.

Keynote Speaker:
Jason Jones, LGBTQ+ Human Rights Activist

Time:  9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Venue:  Buddies in the Bad Times Theatre
Location:  12 Alexander S, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/breaking-silences-a-caribbean-lgbt-people-of-color-symposium-tic
For information contact:  info@CaribbeanEqualityProject.org
Categories:   Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Since 1960, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace has passionately and tirelessly worked towards creating a peaceful world. As Canada's oldest national feminist peace group, VOW fights for a world that is free from violence, war, nuclear weapons, and gender inequality.

Join #WomenShapingPeace for brunch on September 23 and learn how you can take action to make our feminist vision of peace a reality!

We are very excited to have Ray Acheson and Medea Benjamin as our special guests.

Time:  10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Venue:  Metro Hall, Room 308
Location:  55 John St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/inspirational-women-brunch-shaping-peace-through-feminism-tickets
Categories:   Women; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Since 1960, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace has passionately and tirelessly worked towards creating a peaceful world. As Canada's oldest national feminist peace group, VOW fights for a world that is free from violence, war, nuclear weapons, and gender inequality.

Join #WomenShapingPeace for brunch on September 23 and learn how you can take action to make our feminist vision of peace a reality!

Time:  10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Venue:  Metro Hall
Location:  55 John Street Room. 308, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://vowpeace.org
For information contact:  info@vowpeace.org
Categories:   Women; Politics & Political Organizations

Discussion with investigative journalist Niranjan Takle on his expose of the culpability of the highest leadership of India's ruling Hindu nationalist BJP in the murder of a judge, and on the challenges for independent and critical media under its increasingly fascist rule.

Time:  5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Venue:  Ryerson University, Room 358, Podium Building
Location:  350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/discussion-with-niranjan-takle-journalist-on-the-fascist-trail-ti
Categories:   International; Politics & Political Organizations; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The Word On The Street is a national celebration of literacy and the written word. Each September, in communities coast to coast, the public is invited to participate in hundreds of author events, presentations, workshops, and to browse a marketplace that boasts the best selection of Canadian books and magazines you’ll find anywhere. There is always plenty to see and do at Canada’s largest book and magazine festival, and best of all, The Word On The Street and all of its events are FREE!

Website:  http://thewordonthestreet.ca/
Categories:   Arts & Culture

South African writer Sisonke Msimang talks about her book "Always Another Country", where she interweaves her personal journey with her political awakening in America and Africa, her euphoria at returning after many years in exile and her disillusionment with the country's new elites.

Taiye Selasi called Msimang's book, A Memoir of Exile and Hope, an "artful meditation on exile and return, womanhood and motherhood unfolding against the backdrop of post-apartheid South Africa…"

Hosted by Vicky Mochama.

Time:  6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Venue:  Bram and Bluma Appel Salon - Toronto Reference Library
Location:  798 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sisonke-msimang-exile-and-home-tickets-48852184198
Categories:   Women; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; International

Inspired by Barack Obama's Of Thee I Sing, Wab Kinew celebrates the stories of Indigenous people throughout time. Kinew has created a powerful rap song, the lyrics of which are the basis for the text in this beautiful picture book, illustrated by the acclaimed Joe Morse.

Come see Kinew in conversation with Candy Palmater.

Time:  7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue:  Bram and Bluma Appel Salon - Toronto Reference Library
Location:  798 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/wab-kinew-go-show-the-world-tickets-48043643832?aff=eac2
Categories:   Native Peoples; Arts & Culture; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Do the ongoings of Provincial and Municipal politics lately have you wondering if the world is ending, and asking on a practical level, what can I do?

Do you need a place to ask what seem like questions you should know the answer to without being judged? Questions like:

What does a city councillor do?
Why is the TTC frozen in time?
Why is my rent so high and will it ever go down?
How do I know if I am "progressive"?
Am I gentrifying my neighbourhood?

As a community hub, the Gladstone Hotel wants to help! Leading up to our October 22nd Mayoral Election, each Tuesday evening will be home to a civic engagement series, guest curated by Zahra Ebrahim! Each event will be a place to ask and learn from experts what exactly is happening in local politics, to meet people asking the same questions you are, and help YOU understand how to make an informed decision on Election Day.

Held also on: Oct 2, Oct 9, Oct 16.

Time:  Doors open at 6:00 PM, Discussion at 7:00
Venue:  Gladstone Hotel
Location:  1214 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2408375179180219/
For information contact:  reservations@gladstonehotel.com
Phone:  (416) 531-4635
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Professor Welch holds the CIGI chair of Global Security at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and is Professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo. He is the author of seven books in the area of war and peace, two of which have won book awards. and the editotr of several more books.

Time:  7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue:  University of Toronto, University College, Room 140
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/notes/science-for-peace/inaugural-peace-lecture/1822754891112277/
Categories:   International; Politics & Political Organizations; Military

Thomas King is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, scriptwriter and photographer of Cherokee and Greek descent. His critically acclaimed, bestselling fiction includes Medicine River; Green Grass, Running Water; Truth and Bright Water and The Inconvenient Indian, a work of non-fiction which won several national prizes and has been described as destined to become a classic of historical narrative. Hear him discuss Cold Skies, one of his DreadfulWater mystery series.

Time:  7:00 PM - 8:00
Venue:  Bram and Bluma Appel Salon - Toronto Reference Library
Location:  798 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/thomas-king-cold-skies-tickets-48043760180?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Categories:   Native Peoples; Arts & Culture; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Come and enjoy the launch of Christo Aivalis' new book, The Constant Liberal: Pierre Trudeau, Organized Labour, and the Canadian Social Democratic Left. There will be paperback copies for sale on a special early release, light refreshments, and brief remarks by the author about his book and the relevant lessons it has for today's Canada.

Historians, political scientists, and political historians are the primary audience for this book, but it will also find readers among scholars of political economy, economics, industrial relations, and Canadian studies. It will appeal broadly to those interested in the life and thinking of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the Canadian social democratic left, and liberalism/neo-liberalism.

This event is being co-sponsored by the Toronto Workers' History Project and the University of Toronto's Department of History.

All are welcome!

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Steelworkers' Toronto Area Council - STAC
Location:  25 Cecil Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/498585297233763/
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Dinner and auction.
Keynote speaker Steve Jones, President of the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches Canada.

Time:  5:30 pm
Venue:  Springvale Baptist Church
Location:  3885 Stouffville Road, Witchurch-Stouffville, ON
Website:  http://www.eicanada.org
For information contact:  Kirsten Jerry
Phone:  905 640 2111 ex 5373

What if your country was swallowed by the sea?

The Pacific Island nation of Kiribati (population: 100,000) is one of the most remote places on the planet, seemingly far-removed from the pressures of modern life. Yet it is one of the first countries that must confront the main existential dilemma of our time: imminent annihilation from sea-level rise.

While Kiribati's President Anote Tong races to find a way to protect his nation's people and maintain their dignity, many Kiribati are already seeking safe harbour overseas.
Set against the backdrop of international climate and human rights negotiations, Anote's struggle to save his nation is intertwined with the extraordinary fate of Tiemeri, a young mother of six, who fights to migrate her family to New Zealand. At stake is the survival of Tiemeri's family, the Kiribati people, and 4,000 years of Kiribati culture.

Panel & Discussion to follow
$10.00 tickets at the door
Members and senior discounts

Time:  6:45 - 10:00 PM
Venue:  Mayfair Theatre
Location:  1074 Bank St, Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://group78.org/conference-2017/
For information contact:  Sarah Bowles - group78@group78.org
Phone:  613-565-9449 ext. 23
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Environment; Human Rights, Law, Legal

Accumulating evidence shows the world's ecosystem careening towards ever more unpredictable and disruptive outcomes, even as the global community's responses become increasingly disjointed and incoherent. If this course is not altered, the global community faces an existential crisis that, similar to the use of nuclear weapons, could spell the end to civilization as we know it, and perhaps of humanity itself.

The aim of the conference is to identify policies, actions and forces to be mobilized to achieve transformation to a fully sustainable society, in every nation state and globally.

The conference will examine questions such as:

The complex context of the Climate Challenge, nationally and internationally, and the policy framework required to address it.
The leadership needed to promote global cooperation in addressing the Climate Crisis in a timely manner.
Creating coherence between green public policies and related socio-economic policies such as military and trade agreements.

Venue:  Cartier Place Suite Hotel
Location:  180 Cooper St., Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://group78.org/conference-2017/
For information contact:  Sarah Bowles - group78@group78.org
Phone:  613-565-9449 ext. 23
Categories:   Environment; Government & Public Sector

Ageism is a widely prevalent and prejudicial attitude that stems from the assumption that age discrimination, and sometimes neglect and abuse of older persons is a social norm and therefore, acceptable. It is a reality in some form in all societies, and finds expression in individuals' attitudes, institutional and policy practices, as well as media representation that devalue and exclude older persons. In 2014, Governments around the world adopted a resolution at the Economic and Social Council that recognized ageism as "the common source of, the justification for and the driving force behind age discrimination."

Such discrimination shapes how older persons are treated and perceived by their societies, including in medical settings and workplaces, creating environments that limit older persons' potential and impact their health and well-being. The failure to tackle ageism undermines older persons' rights and hinders their contributions to social, economic, cultural and political life.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/olderpersonsday/
Categories:   Seniors

The International Day of Non-Violence is marked on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.

According to General Assembly resolution A/RES/61/271 of 15 June 2007, which established the commemoration, the International Day is an occasion to "disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness". The resolution reaffirms "the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence" and the desire "to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence".

Introducing the resolution in the General Assembly on behalf of 140 co-sponsors, India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr. Anand Sharma, said that the wide and diverse sponsorship of the resolution was a reflection of the universal respect for Mahatma Gandhi and of the enduring relevance of his philosophy. Quoting the late leader's own words, he said: "Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man".

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/nonviolenceday/index.shtml
Categories:   Security

As the world around us increases in technological complexity, our understanding of it diminishes. Underlying this trend is a single idea: the belief that our existence is understandable through computation, and more data is enough to help us build a better world.
In his brilliant new work, leading artist and writer James Bridle surveys the history of art, technology, and information systems, and reveals the dark clouds that gather over our dreams of the digital sublime.

Time:  7:00-8:30 PM
Venue:  Housing Works
Location:  126 Crosby Street, New York, NY
Website:  http://www.versobooks.com
For information contact:  verso@versobooks.com
Categories:   Science & Technology; Arts & Culture; Information, Libraries, Research

DomCon is The World’s Premier Professional and Lifestyle Domination Convention. The convention is the result of Mistress Cyan’s dedication over the years to bring a better understanding of BDSM in The Adult Alternative Lifestyle and to bring the BDSM, Leather, Fetish and Professional Communities together to share our common interests, celebrate our diversity and promote awareness through education and social interaction.

DomCon brings the lifestyle and professional BDSM communities together for a weekend of social and educational interaction with themed socials, parties, classes and workshops, panel discussions, stage shows, vendors and exhibitors. So, come join the world’s top Dominatrixes, Switches, submissives, Bondage & Fetish Models, Webmasters, Fetish Photographers, Performing Artists, Educators and Lifestyle Practitioners for an fun, educational, and unforgettable experience.

Location:  New Orleans
Website:  http://www.dom-con.com/
For information contact:  MistressCyan@gmail.com
Phone:  504-962-0500
Categories:   Sexuality

Held annually on 5 October since 1994, World Teachers’ Day commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the 1966 UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which celebrated its 50th anniversary during last year’s edition. The 1966 Recommendation constitutes the main reference framework for addressing teachers’ rights and responsibilities on a global scale.

Website:  http://en.unesco.org/themes/teachers/world-teachers-day
Categories:   Education

We have reached an unprecedented moment in planetary history. Humans now affect the Earth and its processes more than all other natural forces combined.

Another collaboration from Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky and Nicholas de Pencier, Anthropocene: The Human Epoch is an exploration of the complex and indelible human signature on the Earth. The third in a trilogy of films including Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Watermark (2013), the film captures the most spectacular evidence of human influence, while taking time to reflect on the deeper meaning of what these profound transformations signify.

Time:  See schedule for details
Venue:  Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://ago.ca/events/anthropocene-human-epoch
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Members of the Indigenous Environmental Justice Project (IEJ Project) will introduce the concepts of environmental justice and will present recent research findings. The IEJ Project is a SSHRC-funded initiative based out of York University whose research aims to develop a distinctive environmental justice framework that is informed by Indigenous knowledge systems, laws, concepts of justice and the lived experiences of Indigenous peoples.

Presented by Meagan Dellavilla, a member of the IEJ Project. This talk will focus specifically on youth engagement in the environmental justice movement. Using arts-based research methods, Meagan's work seeks to ensure young people's voices are included in the construction of an Indigenous-informed environmental justice framework.

Presented as part of Toronto Public Library's Our Fragile Planet program series.

Time:  7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue:  Beaches Branch - Toronto Public LIbrary
Location:  2161 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT353356&R=EVT353356
Categories:   Environment; Children & Youth; Native Peoples

World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health.

The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.

Website:  http://www.who.int/mental_health/world-mental-health-day/en/
Categories:   Health/Health Care

Climate Action Network is thrilled to announce the third annual ClimaCon, an event for heroes from every corner of the Canadian climate movement to come together, learn, share stories, build relationships, and have fun.

ClimaCon2018 will take place at the York University campus in the brand new York University Student Conference Centre in Toronto, ON on October 10 & 11, 2018. CAN-Rac's annual general meeting (AGM) will take place during the conference.

Time:  See schedule for details
Venue:  York University Student Conference Centre
Location:  4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/climacon2018-tickets-43905981974
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Ground Truth: Testimonies of Destruction and Return is an exhibition focused on two counter investigations concerning the Palestinian-Bedouin villages of Al-Araqib and Umm al-Hiran in the Naqab/Negev region of southern Israel.

The first investigation presented is based on the products of an ongoing research project – a collaboration between the inhabitants of Al-Araqib, Zochrot, and the Forensic Architecture research agency at Goldsmiths, University of London. The project aims to collect, document and produce historical, spatial, legal, and material evidence mapping historical remains that attest to the sedentary settlement of Al-Araqib’s indigenous inhabitants on their land – a moment before they disappear.
The second investigation focuses on the killings of Yaqub Musa Abu al-Qi’an, resident of the village Umm al-Hiran, and of the Israeli police officer Erez Levi on October 18, 2017, during a police raid aimed at demolishing the village to make space for a new Jewish settlement. Shortly after, the Israeli government and police claimed that Levi’s death was the result of a ‘terror attack’ by al-Qi’an, and suggested that he had links to the terrorist group ISIS.
Forensic Architecture’s investigation of the events, in collaboration with the photographic The investigation uncovers the few seconds in which the incident unfolded, and the months-long process of investigation and exposure, telling these stories against the long-term historical context of the region.

Venue:  Italian Academy for Advanced Studies
Location:  1161 Amsterdam Avenue, New York
Website:  http://www.zochrot.org/en/event/56372
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Military

Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the Girl. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
EmPOWER Girls: Before, during and after crises

The world’s 1.1 billion girls are a source of power, energy, and creativity – and the millions of girls in emergencies are no exception. This year’s International Day of the Girl (IDG) on October 11 marks the beginning of a year-long effort to spur global attention and action to the challenges and opportunities girls face before, during, and after crises.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/girlchild/
Categories:   Children & Youth

Indigenous artist and actress, and one of Quebec's best known young poets, Natasha Kanape Fontaine, in conversation with American/Quebecois writer Deni Ellis Bechard about their joint work which explores the history of anti-Indigenous racism in Canada.

Time:  1:00 - 2:00 PM
Venue:  City Hall
Location:  100 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT360387&R=EVT360387
Categories:   Native Peoples; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This year's Symposium, Adaptive Urban Habitats by Design, will be held at OCAD University and aims to generate important discussions surrounding the role that art and design can play in developing adaptive, low carbon cities. By exploring how ecology meets tactical urbanism, the Symposium will showcase real-life examples of how technology, policy, green infrastructure and strategic design can come together to transform cities.

Time:  See schedule for exact times and locations
Venue:  OCAD University
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://climateconnections.ca/symposium/
For information contact:  Nishal Shah
Phone:  647-455-1293
Categories:   Environment; Design; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space

Program Highlights:

Rebecca Vilkomerson: Executive Director, Jewish Voice for Peace
Diana Buttu: Palestinian Canadian lawyer, former spokesperson for the PLO
Hannah Gold: Writer, Youth Worker, Community Organizer with JEWDAS - Radical Diasporist Collective, U.K.
Mark Tseng-Putterman: Writer, Phd candidate Brown University, member Jews of Color & Sephardi/Mizrachi Caucus of JVP

See the IJV Canada web site for full conference details.

Time:  See schedule for times
Venue:  Beverly Hall (Polish Combatants Centre)
Location:  206 Beverley St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://actionnetwork.org/ticketed_events/independent-jewish-voices-br10-year-annivers
Categories:   International; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Burkinabe Rising showcases creative nonviolent resistance in Burkina Faso. A small, landlocked country in West Africa, Burkina Faso is home to a vibrant community of artists and engaged citizens, who provide inspiration to the rest of Africa and the rest of the world. Through music, film, ecology, visual art, and architecture, the people featured in this film are carrying on the revolutionary spirit of martyred Burkinabe President Thomas Sankara (1949-87).

Time:  6:30 PM
Venue:  A Different Booklist
Location:  777-779 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/1855072744539788/
For information contact:  grilator@gmail.com
Categories:   International; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Arts & Culture

This conference is a gathering of teachers and educators, students and community partners whose mission is to create a space for educators and activists to share ideas and resources. We aim to build community and to foster courage among those who are challenging systems of oppression. The conference has a focus on inquiry, activism, and student empowerment. Participants will meet allies and learn strategies to support their teaching practice.

This year's conference theme is Engaging Controversy, inspiring educators to enter into vital conversations with and about the communities that they serve.

Tickets are $45.00

Time:  9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Venue:  ETFO Provincial Office
Location:  136 Isabella St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.teachingforjustice.org/
Categories:   Education; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Human Rights, Law, Legal

Transit in Toronto is in crisis. While the population continues to grow, there are no planned expansions to the transit infrastructure. And yet, transit is essential for people to access the city's social and cultural life. It is particularly troubling that many working class communities currently suffer from inadequate transit service. Moreover, if current plans for privatizing transit are realized this crisis will only become more acute. And yet, various plans for transit reform promising better service have also been floated. What should working class communities make of these proposals? What are the key issues related to transit in the city, and the possibilities of mobilizing for change?

Time:  1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Venue:  Downsview Public Library
Location:  2793 Keele Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2166058496985684/
Categories:   Transportation & Travel; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Organized by the Labour Council in partnership with the United Steelworkers, this is an opportunity to send a loud message to the Minister of Labour (and Queen's Park) that Ontario needs to keep strong labour and employment laws. Doug Ford's government has said that it will stop the minimum wage increase to $15 (scheduled for Jan 1, 2019) and roll back other key pieces of the hard won Bill148. It took the labour movement over a decade to get the minimum wage raise, emergency leave, scheduling rights etc. We cannot lose it all to a regressive agenda from Queen's Park.

Time:  12:30 PM
Location:  400 University Avenue, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/251715398866409/
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

With this year's theme of Mapping Canada's Bioeconomy: Drivers, Roadblocks and Bridges, #BNDC 2018 will serve as a cross-country checkup to showcase how government, industry, academia and communities throughout the country are navigating towards a sustainable bioeconomy future. Join us in discovering how growth in the sector can allow us to achieve Canada's transition to a low-carbon economy, and why a competitive national bioeconomy will serve as a key element for acting on the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

Please visit bndc2018.biomassnorth.org for full details!

Time:  Tue, 8:30 AM - Thu, 5:00 PM
Venue:  Valhalla Inn Hotel
Location:  1 Valhalla Inn Road, Thunder Bay, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/biomass-north-forum-2018-mapping-canadas-bioeconomy-drivers-roadb
Categories:   Economic Development; Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join your neighbours in Etobicoke Centre and Lakeshore on October 17th to talk transit. Hear from community leaders and transit riders about the issues, and how you can get involved.

Elected officials and municipal candidates are invited to attend the townhall. Public transit connects our communities and is the top issue in the municipal election on October 22nd.

FREE event. Register now to save your seat. Event schedule coming soon.

Event sponsors: LAMP Community Health Centre, South Etobicoke Transit Action Committee, TTCriders.

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Martin Luther Church
Location:  2379 Lake Shore Blvd West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2188873434693538/
Categories:   Transportation & Travel; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the declaration by the General Assembly, in its resolution 47/196 of 22 December 1992, of 17 October as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Call to Action by Father Joseph Wresinski — which inspired the observance of October 17 as the World Day for Overcoming Extreme Poverty — and the recognition by the United Nations of the day as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/povertyday/
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Please join us on this book tour for discussions about how corporatization has undermined public services in Canada and what we can do promote social justice, human rights and democracy.

Speakers include:

Waasekom, Water advocate, community organizer and ceremonial helper from the south eastern shoreline of Lake Huron, Saugeen First Nation will speak on the inherent Life and Personhood of our great ancestor Lake Huron and the water.

Emma Lui, Water Campaigner for the Council of Canadians will speak about Nestle, Blue Communities and other water issues outlined in her chapter in Corporatizing Canada

Time:  6:30 PM
Venue:  Mary Campbell Housing Cooperative
Location:  587 Talbot Street, London, London, ON
Website:  http://canadians.org/event/london-corporatizing-canada-book-tour-event
Categories:   Environment; Government & Public Sector; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Steven Pinker claims to detect and explain long term trends towards a more peaceful world. Of central importance to his argument are the universalist values that emerged during the Enlightenment: human rights, moral equality, and the use of evidence and reason (as opposed to culture and superstition) to support public policy and international relations. The paper will accept, for the sake of argument, that the long-term trend towards peace that Pinker's statistics find. However, it will argue that peace is not the necessary outcome of liberal humanism. Science, human rights, and liberal democracy can also be used as justifications for war. Whether humanity develops along peaceful or warlike paths is not a mechanical product of the values of one historical period, but whether and to what extent people and policy focus on our shared vulnerabilities and needs. Philosophy's role in the promotion of peace is to defend the reality of shared human interests and needs and to challenge any impediment to their satisfaction, including those that are generated by liberal-democratic capitalism.

Time:  7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue:  Ramsay Wright Laboratories Room 110 25 Harbord Street (Univ. of Toronto)
Location:  25 Harbord Street (Univ. of Toronto), Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/social-and-global-peace-does-philosophy-have-anything-to-contribu
Categories:   International; Education; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

A talk by Dr. Amanda Coles, Arts and Cultural Management / Employment Relations, Department of Management, Deakin Business School, Deakin University, Australia

Dr. Coles' talk will present the main findings from a forthcoming 2018 research report prepared for the Ontario Arts Council that provides an overarching synthesis of existing data on the status of women in the arts in Ontario/ Canada. The report covers six sectors: visual arts, dance, theatre, literature, music, and media arts/screen, and is the first comprehensive cross-sectoral report of its kind in the Canadian context. She will present an analysis of key indicators that illuminate our understanding of the organisation of work and labour markets, occupations, career paths, training and professional development, leadership and governance, and reward and recognition programs.

Artists and cultural workers tell stories through their work. Stories are a means by which we share our personal and collective experiences as a society. The products of the arts and cultural industries not only reflect our social world, but shape it. Gender inequality in the arts and cultural industries consequently must be understood as both an employment equity issue for the artists and cultural workers telling their stories, as well as socio-cultural issue for the audiences and publics who consume their stories.

Time:  2:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Venue:  L.R. Wilson Hall Room 5001, McMaster University
Location:  1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/176018359977918/
Categories:   Women; Arts & Culture; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Canadian privacy, protected since the 70s… right?

Real-time electronic surveillance in Canada is, since laws passed in the 1970s, supposed to be subject to strict accountability standards.

Today, government agencies use a range of technologies to conduct mass surveillance that just a few decades ago would seem like science fiction: phones can be invisibly tracked in real-time; our location histories are available going back years; malware can be used to hack into our cars, phones, or computers.

Citizens and legislators should understand the level of surveillance governments are exercising on our private lives and why.
The government’s take?

The Canadian government struggles with the rise of encryption and its hampering of law enforcement and security efforts, use of social media, and adoption of cloud computing services, while the fact is that they have access to more data, more easily, than ever before.

What’s the deal with this?

Time:  6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Venue:  Mozilla Lounge
Location:  366 Adelaide St West Suite 500 (5th floor), Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.com/e/government-mass-surveillance-in-canada-law-policy-and-reality-ti
Categories:   Science & Technology; Security; Human Rights, Law, Legal

Toronto Local Immigration Partnerships invite you to an interactive workshop about confronting the stigma faced by vulnerable newcomers with mental illness.

This is a “train the trainer” workshop. Participants will be provided with a short PowerPoint presentation with talking points that they can use to briefly present the information they learned with their organizations.

CONTENT:

Understand the impact of stigma on vulnerable newcomers;
Learn about the difference between “mental health” & “mental illness”;
Explore differences in the understanding of mental illness across cultures;
Learn how to talk to vulnerable newcomers with mental illness, including appropriate terminology to use;
Understand what trauma-informed care is, and why it is so important.

This workshop is being developed and facilitated in partnership with Craig Currah, Case Worker and Recreational Therapist, Centre for Mental Health and Addiction (CAMH).

Time:  9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Venue:  Family Services Toronto, Sterling Room
Location:  355 Church St, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/mental-health-confronting-stigma-tickets-50739344746?aff=ebdssbde
For information contact:  NNadine@sschto.ca
Categories:   Health/Health Care; Disability Issues; Human Rights, Law, Legal

Truth & Reconciliation Commission The aim of Circles For Reconciliation is to establish trusting, meaningful relationships between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous peoples as part of the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

If you have an accommodation need for a planned meeting or event due to a disability, please email juanita.muise@utoronto.ca and she will do her best to make appropriate arrangements.

Time:  4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Venue:  University of Toronto - Scarborough
Location:  HW-212A (In Market Place Cafe), Toronto, ON
Website:  http://utsc.utoronto.ca/news-events/events/indigenous-truth-and-reconciliation-commission
For information contact:  juanita.muise@utoronto.ca
Categories:   Native Peoples; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

From coast to coast to coast, over 300 educators will have the opportunity to gather to learn, share and connect at this made-in-Canada environmental education conference.
The theme for the 2018 Conference is Classrooms to Communities (C2C) which envisions learners and educators being deeply connected to place, community and planet, able to effectively communicate their stories of connectedness, and taking responsibility to do so.

Venue:  St. Eugene Mission Resort on Ktunaxa Nation land
Location:  Kootenay Rockies, BC
Website:  http://eecom.org/
Categories:   Education; Environment

What would you make with a Star Trek Replicator? Dr. Julielynn Wong shares her inspiring stories on using 3D printers to make affordable life-saving and life-changing supplies. She explains how using technology with empathy can support environmental stewardship, poverty reduction, social justice, human rights, and accessibility issues.

Registration starts: Saturday September 1, 2018 @ 9:00 AM

Time:  2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Venue:  Toronto Public Library - Agincourt Library
Location:  155 Bonis Avenue, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/3d-printing-technology-the-impact-on-future-tickets-47977016548?a
Categories:   Communications Industry & Technology; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Blue Dot Toronto invites you to rally for environmental rights at the Centre for Social Innovation (Regent Park Lounge) followed by a march to Yonge-Dundas Square.


Speakers for the event include:

Lee Maracle, renowned Stö:lo poet, author, and activist

Angela Bischoff, Outreach Director at the Ontario Clean Air Alliance

Isaac Crosby, Urban  Agriculture Educator at Evergreen Brick Works 

Hilary Martin, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Ted Rogers Leadership Centre, Ryerson University

Valerie Lannon, Organizer, 15 and Fairness

This event is part of the Blue Dot National Day of Action, during which communities across Canada are raising awareness about the need to legally recognize the right to a healthy environment. The next federal election will be held a year from now, providing a great opportunity for Canadians to ask politicians where they stand on environmental rights.

Time:  2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Venue:  Centre for Social Innovation, Regent Park Lounge
Location:  585 Dundas St East, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/blue-dot-toronto-2018-environmental-rights-talk-and-action-ticket
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join ONE Archives at the opening reception for the exhibition Michael Childers: Distortions. Guest curated by Joseph Daniel Valencia, the exhibition channels the legacy of the abstracted, elongated, and mirrored body set forth in photographs by André Kertész and Bill Brandt, avant-garde films by Jean Cocteau, and sculptures by Henry Moore. With Distortions, Childers liquifies reality and constructs a new language to explore notions of beauty, the erotic, and the bizarre.

Time:  2:00pm-4:00pm
Venue:  ONE Gallery, West Hollywood
Location:  626 N. Robertson Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA
Website:  http://www.onearchives.org/join-us-at-the-opening-reception-for-michael-childers-distortions
For information contact:  askone@onearchives.org
Phone:  (323) 419-2159
Categories:   Sexuality; Arts & Culture

Have you visited the recycling centre and local landfll? Now is your chance!

Come and tour the waste management site and then meet up with the rest of us who are taking more action! The tour of the recycling centre will inspire all of us and make us want to do more than we already do. This meet-up is designed so we can all discuss how as a community and individuals we can improve upon the current challenges we face.

Celebrate Waste Reduction Week with a free, one-hour guided bus tour of the Waterloo Waste Management site. We suggest reserving a spot on one of the last tours at 11:30, 12:30 or 1 PM and then meeting up with us afterwards!

Time:  See website for schedule
Venue:  Coffee Culture Cafe & Eatery
Location:  215 The Boardwalk #1, Kitchener, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/zero-waste-meet-up-region-of-waterloo-recycling-landfill-tour-tic
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

To Confront the Bi-Partisan War Machine

In response to the continuing march of military aggression by the USA and to put an antiwar agenda back on the table of activists, we are calling for an Women's (and allies) March on the Pentagon tentatively sent for the 51st anniversary of the 1967 big antiwar event in DC and subsequent march on the Pentagon that had 50,000 people!

If you don't like Trump (and who doesn't), we have something for you too! Just think TRUMP'S BLOATED FINGER IS ON THE NUCLEAR BUTTON!

However, this is NOT, nor will it turn into a Get Out the Vote Rally for the Democrat 1/2 of the War Party. This is a principled call to action against the entire rotten Empire.

Location:  pin Washington, District of Colum
Website:  http://www.MARCHONPENTAGON.com
Categories:   Military; Government & Public Sector; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Our Annual Film Festival comprises carefully selected documentaries, reflecting a wide array of contemporary issues – including the environment, women’s rights, and Aboriginal issues. Films are often accompanied by panel discussions and talks by film-makers.

We will have food available and aim to create a social atmosphere where discussion can thrive and people can connect. Our main lobby is filled with booths with representatives from various non-profit organizations in the Ottawa community.

Venue:  the Arts Court
Location:  2 Daly Ave #240, Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://oneworldarts.ca/one-world-film-festival-2018/
For information contact:  oneworldfilmfestival@oneworldarts.ca
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Environment

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action was published in 2015 to address the legacy of residential schools and to advance the process of Canadian reconciliation. The TRC calls to action touched upon a number of priority areas for Indigenous peoples, including but not limited to: child welfare, education, health, language and culture. This event is an opportunity for the Ryerson community to share and discuss the steps taken – and the steps needed – to respond to the Calls to Action on Education, in particular.

Time:  10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Venue:  Tecumseh Auditorium
Location:  55 Gould Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.ryerson.ca/socialjustice/social-justice-week/2018/10/annual-truth-and-reconciliat
Categories:   Education; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

We often hear land acknowledgements at events but do we pause and really think about what they mean? Beyond those few minutes, how connected do we feel to the land we walk on? Join us in a walk around Ryerson campus and surrounding area to discuss the Indigenous related history of the area, as well as visit contemporary Indigenous community spaces. We will consider the Tkaronto Indigenous community's past, present and future to build connection to space through time.

Speaker Bio:

Jon Johnson is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. Jon's research is focused on urban land-based Indigenous Knowledge in Toronto and their representation through oral and digital forms of storytelling. He is also an organizing member of First Story Toronto, an organization that is engaged in researching and preserving the Indigenous history of Toronto through tours, mapping, and other initiatives.

Time:  1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Venue:  Ryerson Statue (starting point)
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.ryerson.ca/socialjustice/social-justice-week/2018/10/indigenous-walking-tours/
Categories:   Education; Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Three Canada Reads Finalists talk about Indigenous stories in the national competition- the successes and the difficulties they face.

Join award winning authors Katherena Vermette (The Break), Tracey Lindberg (Birdie) and Cherie Dimaline (The Marrow Thieves) in a moderated panel about their experiences.

Time:  7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue:  Toronto Reference Library- Bram & Bluma Appel Salon
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT356869&R=EVT356869
Categories:   Native Peoples; Arts & Culture; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Economist Mike Moffatt from Western University has tallied up what Doug Ford has proposed to cut. The total is a whopping $22 billion that Doug Ford proposes in cuts from provincial revenues over three years. That means that we would lose $22 billion from the money that our province uses to fund health care, education, roads, transit, and all our social programs. In context, the Harris government of the 1990s — you remember, the government that forced mass hospital closures, amalgamations, privatization and cuts — cut $15 billion (current $) over their first four years. So Ford’s cuts would be worse if we don’t stop them.

Please join us. A show of strength is vitally important at this juncture. We know that the people of Ontario are with us. No one wants more cuts. The overwhelming majority of Ontarians oppose health care privatization. We need to mobilize, to make visible the public demand to improve our public health care. We need to inspire people to stand up and make cuts and privatization impossible. We can do this. We’ve done it before. But we need you

Time:  12:00 PM
Venue:  Queen’s Park Toronto (outside Ontario Legislature)
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca/
For information contact:  ohc@sympatico.ca
Phone:  416-441-2502
Categories:   Economic Development; Health/Health Care; Government & Public Sector

Racial profiling. Failure to adequately investigate the killings of gay men. Mishandling of sexual assault cases. Excessive use of force with sometimes fatal consequences.

Policing in Toronto has attracted considerable controversy and calls for greater accountability. This event explores the role grassroots activists play in reforming policing in Toronto. It also explores what role, if any, Ryerson University should play in re-training officers to improve policing. The event will offer context and historical background to problems in policing and examine the relationship between Ryerson and the police.

Time:  3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Venue:  Thomas Lounge
Location:  55 Gould Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.ryerson.ca/socialjustice/social-justice-week/2018/10/the-force-that-is-with-us-im
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Law Enforcement & Corrections

Wild, connected, diverse! Can these works really describe North America's fourth largest city? That is the aim of the City of Toronto's first Draft Biodiversity Strategy released for public review in July 2018. The Strategy aims to make Toronto more wild, connected and diverse by increasing the quality and quantity of natural habitat; designing the built environment to be more bio-diverse and have less impacts on the natural environment; and increasing access to and awareness of nature in the city.

The Strategy arises from the City's highly successful Biodiversity Booklet Series which was developed by a broad range of experts and citizen scientists to create awareness about the remarkable variety of plants and animals that also make their home in Toronto. It also arises from the Toronto Official Plan which recognizes the importance of a healthy natural environment to strong communities and a competitive economy and directs that the built environment 'will support bio-diversity'.

The draft Biodiversity Strategy will be undergoing review throughout the fall and winter and the final Biodiversity Strategy will be considered by City Council in spring 2019. The Strategy supports other City initiatives such as the Toronto Ravine Strategy and Pollinator Strategy.

This event is open to the public and registration is not required.

Time:  6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Venue:  University of Toronto, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design
Location:  1 Spadina Crescent, Mediatheque (Room 200), Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.daniels.utoronto.ca/events/2018/10/23/wild-connected-diverse-toronto-biodiversity
Categories:   Environment; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Since 2011, Ysidora Chaupe Acuna and her family have been defending their family farm and four highland lakes against the expansion of Newmont Mining Corporation in the highlands of Cajamarca, Peru. The corporation wants to drain the lakes to get at the gold beneath them and to turn one into a tailings containment pool for storing bio-hazardous mining waste. A Peruvian court ruled in favour of the family in 2014; a US Federal Court decided that it did not have jurisdiction in the case in 2017; and the family's tenuous struggle against eviction continues in a country where 60 environmental activists have been reported killed in the past 10 years.

Time:  2:30 - 4:30 PM
Venue:  Osgoode Hall Law School - IKB 2027
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://cerlac.info.yorku.ca/event/defending-land-and-water-in-peru-the-acuna-chaupe-family-v
Categories:   Mining & Petroleum; Environment; Human Rights, Law, Legal

Organized by the Office of The Vice President, Equity and Community Inclusion, soup & substance event will have experts dismantle the police response in two high profile, high-risk situations in Toronto, showcasing the role of institutional oppression in preventing a just outcome for marginalized communities. They will examine and explore the circumstances and outcomes related to the death of Andrew Loku, and the circumstances that led to the creation of an external investigation into the missing person(s) and the LGBTQ+ community. This will be followed by a discussion on effective community strategies utilized in both situations, to advocate for systemic change.

Time:  1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Venue:  7th Floor Heaslip House
Location:  The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, 297 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.ryerson.ca/socialjustice/social-justice-week/2018/10/analysis-of-the-toronto-poli
Categories:   Law Enforcement & Corrections; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This moderated discussion presents an opportunity for everyday, ordinary Torontonians to reflect on how they might collectively impact decision-making in the City of Toronto. It serves as a forum for citizen-led groups to reflect not only on the municipal elections, but also to discuss strategies moving forward for impacting decision-making in the future.

Time:  10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Venue:  Thomas Lounge
Location:  55 Gould Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.ryerson.ca/socialjustice/social-justice-week/2018/10/the-vote-and-beyond-reflecti
Categories:   Government & Public Sector; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The annual observance of Disarmament Week, which kicks off on the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (24 October), was first called for in the Final Document of the General Assembly's 1978 special session on disarmament (resolution S-10/2). The document called for abandoning the use of force in international relations and seeking security in disarmament. States were invited to highlight the danger of the arms race, propagate the need for its cessation and increase public understanding of the urgent tasks of disarmament.

In 1995, the General Assembly invited governments, as well as NGOs, to continue taking an active part in Disarmament Week (resolution 50/72 B, 12 December 1995) in order to promote a better understanding among the public of disarmament issues.

Arms Trade Treaty

Every year during the annual United Nations Treaty Event much of the attention has been focused on the Arms Trade Treaty. The Treaty, regulating the international trade in conventional arms – from small arms to battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships – entered into force on 24 December 2014.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/disarmamentweek/
Categories:   International

The bus service along the Keele corridor, especially the #41, is ranked among the worst in the city. It is too crowded, the service is far too infrequent, and the TTC keeps raising fares - even as taxes on the wealthy are cut. And if plans to privatize the transit system are realized, this will only get worse. The working class people who use the Keele route deserve better. Come canvas for an hour or two on October 25th (any time from 5:00 to 7:00) to help us win improved transit service for our community!

Time:  5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Venue:  Keele and Wilson (north east corner)
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/2757434577615912/
For information contact:  actionkeele@gmail.com
Categories:   Transportation & Travel; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Ryerson University is located at the centre of Toronto's overdose epidemic. It is also the neighbour to a number of organizations that are leading the way in harm reduction initiatives. The overdose crisis and other substance use often goes hand in hand with poverty, homelessness, the criminalization of drugs, and the impacts of colonization and racism in Canada. In response to the crisis, many universities are adopting harm reduction approaches to improve safety and address substance use among students, staff, and the broader community.

This session engages community activists and service providers in a discussion about harm reduction initiatives. Harm reduction service providers, university personnel, and students will engage in a dialogue about how universities can support harm reduction efforts on campus and in the community. This session will be an opportunity to discuss the current key issues and initiatives in taking a harm reduction approach to substance use in the City of Toronto. The event will be facilitated by Kim Bailey, Director of Outreach, Community Engagement and Partnership Development at the Faculty of Community Services.

A resource table will be provided by Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

If you require any accessibility accommodations to ensure your inclusion in this event, please contact laytonchair@ryerson.ca

Time:  12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Venue:  Thomas Lounge
Location:  55 Gould Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.ryerson.ca/socialjustice/social-justice-week/2018/10/do-something-harm-reduction-
For information contact:  laytonchair@ryerson.ca
Categories:   Health/Health Care; Pharmaceuticals/Drugs; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This event will critically examine the role social work norms and practices play in Child Welfare Services to uncover why there are disproportionately high rates of children in care from Indigenous, Black, and low income families. Students will hear from practitioners, researchers, and service users who have been directly impacted by the system and who will share their personal experiences and reflections. Examples of socially progressive campaigns and/or successful strategies will provide ideas and models for positive change.

The first 90 minute session focuses on what is currently taught or not taught in universities about overrepresentation of Indigenous and Black children in the system and shed light on new research, analysis of policies, laws and practices. This session asks: What is needed to reverse the tide of overrepresentation? How can research and informed critiques of current child welfare policies support better results? What needs to change or be improved in the education and training of Social Work students in Child Welfare, particularly as it relates specifically to Indigenous and Black peoples?

The second 90 minutes session focuses on advocacy and activism. This session asks: How have scholars, service users, social workers, and activists worked to achieve better outcomes for Indigenous and Black youths/ families? What are some of the success stories we can learn from?

Time:  9:00 AM - 10:30 AM (Session 1); 10:45 AM - 12 PM (Session 2)
Venue:  Thomas Lounge
Location:  55 Gould Street
Website:  http://www.ryerson.ca/socialjustice/social-justice-week/2018/10/reversing-the-tide-the-power
Categories:   Children & Youth; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

PiF is celebrating its 19th year with yet another lineup of groundbreaking documentary films focusing on environmental and ecological issues. The festival includes over 50 Canadian and international films, family programs, an industry conference and free screenings for post-secondary students. Don't miss special events highlighting the extraordinary contribution of influencers with our Eco-Heroes, David Suzuki, John Francis, and Jennifer Keesmaat.

Venue:  Multiple - http://planetinfocus.org/film-fest/venues/
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://planetinfocus.org/
For information contact:  Danielle Howson - danielle@planetinfocus.org
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Environment

Join the Williams Lake chapter and the District Chamber of Commerce for this panel discussion.

Sally Watson, NDP candidate Cariboo Chilcotin during last provincial election, and Michael Atwood with the Council of Canadians will represent the pro-electoral reform side on the panel, while Donna Barnett, Cariboo Chilcotin MLA and Mike Morris, Prince George-Mackenzie MLA will represent the con-electoral reform position.

Everyone welcome!

Time:  6:30 - 8:30 PM
Venue:  Lake City Secondary School, Williams Lake campus
Location:  Williams Lake, BC
Website:  http://canadians.org/event/williams-lake-proportional-representation-panel-discussion
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

British Columbians will be voting from Oct. 22 through to Nov. 30 on whether to adopt an electoral system based on proportional representation (PR) for our provincial elections.

In view of the upcoming referendum the Comox Valley Chapter is hosting an information session with Barb Berger, Chair Fair Vote CV in which she will discuss the three choices of PR voting systems being presented on the mail-in referendum ballot.

Time:  1:30 PM
Venue:  Rotary Hall, Filberg Centre
Location:  411 Anderton Ave., Courtenay, BC
Website:  http://canadians.org/event/courtenay-understanding-referendum-electoral-reform-bc
For information contact:  cvcouncilofcanadians@gmail.com
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Miriam Garfinkle - A Celebration of Life - Sunday October 28, 4 pm, 918 Bathurst Street, Toronto

Miriam Garfinkle died on September 15, 2018.

Friends, family, neighbours, fellow activists, patients, colleagues, and everyone who knew her are invited to remember Miriam and to celebrate her life on October 28.

We will be gathering on at 918 Bathurst Street at 4 pm, to share memories and stories, tears and laughter, to talk, to look at pictures and videos, and to listen to music that was special to Miriam.

This will be a time for people from Miriam's many worlds to meet and remember together. Miriam was a socialist, a human rights activist, a physician, a naturalist and citizen scientist, an environmentalist, a passionate and committed spokesperson for Palestinian rights, a musician, a gardener, a painter, a loving parent and grandparent, and a true friend to many (including chickadees and chimney swifts).

A web page devoted to "Moments with Miriam" at www.diemer.ca/Miriam/ highlights many aspects of Miriam's life. You are invited to visit the page, and, if your wish, add your own memories, photos, or videos. A second page www.diemer.ca/Miriam/Miriam2.htm features Miriam's articles, talks, interviews, letters, and photos.

When: Sunday October 28, 4 pm - Where: 918 Bathurst Street (on west side, just north of Barton)

Time:  4:00 pm
Venue:  918 Bathurst
Location:  918 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.diemer.ca/Miriam/
For information contact:  Ulli Diemer
Phone:  416-964-5735
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

A growing number of people live in Canada with precarious immigration status. These migrants experience barriers accessing many social services, including education. Despite living in Canada and paying taxes, often for many years, they are unable to apply to university as domestic students and pay domestic fees. They are also unable to apply without fear that their immigration status will be discovered and they may be detained or deported. The term 'precarious immigration status' encompasses a wide range of experiences, including those who have entered Canada as a visitor but overstayed their visa, those who are still undergoing the - often lengthy - refugee determination process, or those who have come on a work-related visa and have lost their job, among many others.

Universities can easily reduce these barriers by admitting academically-qualified students with precarious immigration status and charging them domestic fees. It is important to note that it is legal for a university in Canada to admit students with precarious immigration status. Neither the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act nor the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations provide sanctions to punish institutions that do not enforce the requirement of a study permit. It is imperative that universities carefully consider privacy when admitting students with precarious immigration status, as the fear of their immigration status being released or reported is another major barrier to accessing education.

Time:  12:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Venue:  Centre for Ethics, University of Toronto
Location:  200 Larkin, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://ethics.utoronto.ca/events/542/the-precarious-pathways-project/
Categories:   Education; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Deep Inside Clint Star brings us into the lives of some (extra)ordinary young Canadians. Filmmaker Clint Alberta plays the leading role of Clint Star who invites the viewer to meet his group of Native friends.

Exploring issues of identity, sexuality, and culture (and 500 years of oppression) with humour and grace, Alberta follows Hugo the punk-rocker, Becky, an unfortunate dreamer, Harvey, a young gay man who recently came out, and many others through the ups and downs of life. Known for his playful and creative style, Alberta does not disappoint with this documentary and is not afraid to turn the camera on himself.

Time:  9:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Venue:  Innis Town Hall
Location:  2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/178533933057323/
Categories:   Sexuality; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual; Media, Entertainment, News, Communications

Michael Koncewicz is the Cold War Collections Specialist at the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University. He previously worked for the National Archives at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum where he organized nonpartisan public programs and contributed to the museum’s research and editing process, including the renovated Watergate Gallery. He has a PhD in History from the University of California Irvine and teaches at New York City College of Technology and St. Francis College in Brooklyn. His forthcoming book They Said ‘No’ to Nixon: Republicans Who Stood Up to the President’s Abuses of Power will be published by University of California Press in 2018.

Time:  4:30pm - 6:30pm
Venue:  The Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, Room 10-03
Location:  70 Washington Square South, New York, NY
Website:  http://events.nyu.edu/#!view/event/date/20181101/event_id/212935
For information contact:  tamiment.events@nyu.edu
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Mark your calendars for Thursday November 1 and plan to attend our our Annual General Meeting from 7-8.30pm.

You will have the choice to attend in person at the Sanctuary in Georgetown, or virtually by conference call and web.

Stay tuned for further details and how to register!

- The Ontario Environment Network Team

PS if you are interested in being on the Steering Committee please let us know!

Time:  7:00 - 8:30 PM
Venue:  Sanctuary- Georgetown
Location:  Georgetown, ON
Website:  http://www.oen.ca/
Phone:  905-873-2592
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Discounted Histories is a multi-site exhibition that explores the movement of goods, services, and ideas that form Toronto's retail landscape. Rooted in the physical geography of waterways that connected hundreds of nations through trade routes, and spanning a time of rapidly evolving technology from specialized artisans to mass production, and mail-order catalogues to online shopping; Discounted Histories reassesses part of Toronto's existing historical narrative, by bringing to light overlooked, unseen, and forgotten histories.

Time:  6:30 - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Toronto Media Arts Centre
Location:  32 Lisgar Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.myseumoftoronto.com/exhibition/discounted-histories/?mc_cid=613b852837&mc_eid=e10
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Museums; Trade

Steve Bannon, infamous Trump adviser and David Frum, infamous propagandist extraordinaire have been invited to Toronto for the Munk Debates. Why should you care? Because a world where a known Neo-Nazi and a war mongering right wing imperialist are invited to a debate where the frame is to hear 'both sides' is not the world we deserve. And it is not the world we are trying to build.

The Bannon-Frum Toronto Welcoming Committee invite all folks concerned with the rise of white nationalism and imperialist war to gather at the steps of Roy Thomson Hall to show their solidarity and outrage to those harmed by the hateful ideas,policies, and ongoing actions of BOTH Bannon and Frum. We will welcome them with the faces they fear the most: the faces of Jews, Muslims, Black people, Indigenous peoples, Arabs, trans* people, queers, women, feminists and if you are part of the Axis of Evil, come on down!

Time:  5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Roy Thomson Hall
Location:  60 Simcoe St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/1401207076681549
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

On Nov. 2, a Munk Debate is hosting Infowars' Steve Bannon and Axis-of-Evil fellow David Frum. Bannon and Frum are debating about the conservative movement.

To protest this ridiculous use of Roy Thompson Hall and its requisite energy, Sandy and Nora will be debating: which brand of conservatism is more destructive: Bannon's or Frum's? Sandy and Nora promise that it will be a rollicking evening where the audience will choose the winner.

Time:  7:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Venue:  Ryerson Student Centre
Location:  55 Gould St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/1874457432673162/
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The Black is Back Coalition recognizes that there are countless wars and attacks on African communities that are routinely ignored by the mainstream media as well as by the traditional peace movements.
The assaults on African communities not only here in the U.S., but throughout the Caribbean, throughout Europe and on the African continent itself in the form of proxy wars, police containment, mass incarceration, economic underdevelopment, joblessness etc., are all being swept under the proverbial rug.

The Black is Back Coalition is calling for an end to this indifference.

“On November 3, we rally in Malcolm X Park in Washington, DC, from every community in the U.S. Here we will make our united voices heard; here we will declare our united will to join with the peoples of the world to change the course of history that has enslaved and impoverished the majority for the benefit of the parasitic few,” said Omali Yeshitela, Chairman of the Black is Back Coalition.

Venue:  Malcolm X Park
Location:  Washington, DC
Website:  http://blackisbackcoalition.org/
For information contact:  info@blackisbackcoalition.org
Phone:  (917) 818 0466
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Military

You are invited to a thought provoking event with Amnesty International's Craig Benjamin, Sara Mainville , partner at OKT and Sarah Cox, author of Breaching the Peace: The Site C Dam and a Valley's Stand Against Big Hydro

"Sarah Cox…. shows us how failing once again to commit to reconciliation is also inextricably tied up with disregard for the rights of non-Indigenous families and communities and the prospect of devastating environmental destruction."

Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada

"This long-overdue and excellent book illustrates how money and politics can override concerns about sustainability and the very real spiritual and emotional values that bind us to place. Read this book to understand why Indigenous people and farmers are fighting together to protect their place on the planet."

David Suzuki, award-winning scientist, environmentalist, and broadcaster

Time:  7:00 - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Northern District Library, Gwen Liu Meeting Room (Yonge&Eglinton)
Location:  40 Orchard View Blvd., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.amnesty.ca/events#event=18243343
Categories:   Environment; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Together 2018 is Canada's second annual symposium on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The main event will be held in Edmonton, Alberta, with live-stream and satellite events like ours held simultaneously, across Canada.

Building on the foundation of partnership, innovation, and cross-sector collaboration, Together 2018 is designed to inspire energy, enthusiasm and action on the SDGs in Canada and around the globe.

Together 2018 Toronto will offer live-stream sessions for participants to join nation-wide discussions on Canada's progress on the SDGs and gender equality, with a keynote presentation by Shiza Shahid, co-founder of NOW Ventures and the Malala Fund. This event will serve as a platform to build lasting partnerships and strengthen capacities under our shared vision of a sustainable future. Incorporating the inclusive nature of the SDGs, Together 2018 Toronto welcomes attendees from all disciplines. Participation of youth and emerging development professionals is especially encouraged.

In the evening, get to know Engineers Without Borders Canada Hello 2030 campaign. Connect with changemakers, and take action to build a world of equality, sustainability and prosperity for all.

Time:  11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Venue:  Centre for Social Innovation (Toronto)
Location:  192 Spadina Avenue, Toronto & Edmonton, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/together-2018-toronto-tickets-51037323007?aff=efbevent
Categories:   Environment; Economic Development; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Future Cities Canada is a collaborative platform that harnesses the momentum for change already in progress in cities.

It brings together people, ideas, platforms and innovations from across sectors to address two of the most pressing issues of our time: inequality and climate change and their consequential challenges facing cities.

Drawing on the expertise of its founding organizations and together with a diverse and growing network of partners, Future Cities Canada’s unique collaborative infrastructure will accelerate innovation to build regenerative, inclusive cities of the future.

Venue:  Evergreen Brick Works
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://futurecitiescanada.ca
For information contact:  futurecitiescanada@evergreen.ca
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Architecture; Science & Technology

The 2018 Baptista Lecture commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean with a talk by performance studies scholar Diana Taylor. The lecture will be preceded by a panel highlighting CERLAC's record in supporting activism in the region over the past 40 years, with a particular focus on the CERLAC archives and their uses for understanding activism in Latin America.

Free admission. Reception to follow.

Time:  2:00 - 5:30 PM
Venue:  Joseph G. Green Theater (Centre for Film and Theater), York University
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://cerlac.info.yorku.ca/event/the-2018-michael-baptista-lecture-activism-archives-and-pe
Categories:   Information, Libraries, Research; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Arts & Culture

This year's theme:

The Journey to a Circular Economy

Join the City of Toronto and local waste reduction innovators for a provocative and interactive discussion about the circular economy and becoming a zero waste city. Join the growing movement of waste conscious citizens and learn how you can get involved in making a difference. New this year, in addition to connecting with Metro Vancouver's Zero Waste Conference for 2 sessions, we will also host live and local engaging programming.

Time:  8:30 am - 4:00 pm
Venue:  The Symes
Location:  150 Symes Road, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://eventbrite.ca/e/zero-waste-conference-toronto-tickets-50878771776?aff=ebdssbdestsearc
For information contact:  www.toronto.ca/zwc2018
Categories:   Environment

ZWC 2018 - A global shift is underway. It's called the Circular Economy. The goal? A new way of doing business and developing policy that closes the loop on waste.

This year we'll be exploring how Canadian businesses, communities, and governments are embracing and accelerating their transition to this new model, with topics such as:

• Materials and Design Innovation
• Business Model Transformation
• Technology Innovations
• Plastics Innovation
• Food Loss and Waste

The circular economy is a transformative idea with great promise. But understanding the complexities of this shift demands a solid grasp of the key concepts that underpin zero waste thinking. You need to know which strategies and tactics are having the biggest impact in your sector. Come to ZWC 2018 to find those answers.

The national Zero Waste Conference (ZWC) attracts thought leaders from around the world highlighting the successes, pitfalls, and opportunities they see - as the shift to a circular economy gains momentum.

Now in its eighth year, ZWC 2018 continues to build on our well-earned reputation for compelling speakers, unique perspectives, and valuable business insights.

Time:  November 8, 2018: 8:30 AM - 5 PM and November 9, 2018: 8:30 AM - 2 PM
Venue:  Vancouver Convention Centre West
Location:  1055 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.zwc.ca/details/Pages/default.aspx
Phone:  604-436-6993
Categories:   Environment; Design; Food & Beverage

While the term appears in the headlines and on the lips of everyday internet users, is 'fake news' really the problem? Or are we facing something much more complex? Mark Surman, Executive Director of the Mozilla Foundation, takes us on a winding journey through misinformation, filter bubbles, content sorting algorithms, shady political ads and cyber warfare in an attempt to show what's really going on. At the end he asks: what role can media literacy play in rebuilding our democracies? And where should companies and governments do more?

The internet is one of our most valuable public resources - it's Mark Surman's job to keep it healthy. Mark is Executive Director of Mozilla, the global nonprofit that does everything from making Firefox to standing up for issues like online privacy. Mark is focused on fueling the broader internet health movement by working with citizens, technologists and civic leaders around the world.

Time:  6:00 PM
Venue:  Royal Ontario Museum, Level 1B
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://rom.on.ca
Categories:   Internet; Communications Industry & Technology; Human Rights, Law, Legal

First Doug Ford attacked student access to adequate sex-ed. Now his government is rolling back wages and attacking our rights at work! Students for $15 an Fairness is organizing an action on Friday Nov 9th at 4:00PM. We are meeting at the intersection of Yonge and Bloor to protest the attack on the minimum wage increase.

On January 1st 2019, the student minimum wage would have increased to $14.10, but the government wants to stop this. They want to eliminate 2 paid sick days and new fairer scheduling rights.

Now is the time to fight back to ensure young workers are not forced into poverty wages or precarious working conditions.

Time:  4:00 PM
Venue:  Intersection of Yonge and Bloor
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://15andfairness.org/toronto_nov9
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Bridging Kink, Sex and Spirit

We are thrilled to announce the return of Dark Odyssey: Surrender to the Bay Area for 2018! Come learn, explore, and play in a no holds barred, sexually charged atmosphere. Interactive workshops fill your days, while at night you’ll explore dark dungeons, powerful rituals, passionate scenes, and mind-blowing ecstasy all under one roof in a proven scene friendly hotel in downtown San Francisco.

Join us as we combine sexuality, spirituality, education and play in an immersive environment where fantasy becomes reality. We are omnisexual – straight, gay, bi, queer, trans, and genderqueer. We are leatherfolk, kinksters, swingers, cross dressers, sex educators, Tantra practitioners, Pagans, and perverts. We are vanilla and kinky, beginners and veterans, singles, couples, triads, and more.

Location:  San Francisco
Website:  http://darkodyssey.com/surrender/
For information contact:  info@darkodyssey.com
Categories:   Sexuality; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual

The International Week of Science and Peace was first observed during 1986 as part of the observance of the International Year of Peace. The organization of events and activities for the week was undertaken as a non-governmental initiative; the secretariat for the International Year of Peace was informed of the preparatory activities and the final summary of events that occurred during the week. The organizers sought to encourage the broadest possible international participation in the observance.

Based on the success of the 1986 observance, the organizers continued their efforts in successive years. In recognition of the value of the annual observance, the General Assembly adopted resolution 43/61 in December 1988, which proclaims the “International Week of Science and Peace”, to take place each year during the week in which 11 November falls. The General Assembly urged Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to encourage relevant institutions, associations and individuals to sponsor events and activities related to the study and dissemination of information on the links between progress in science and technology and maintenance of peace and security; urged Member States to promote international co-operation among scientists and required the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly as its forty-fifth session on the activities and initiatives of Member States and interested organizations in connection with the week.

The annual observance of the International Week of Science and Peace is making an important contribution to the promotion of peace. The Week encourages greater academic exchanges on a subject of universal importance while also generating greater awareness of the relationship of science and peace among the general public. Based on observances of Science and Peace Week to date, it may be expected that participation each year will increase, contributing to greater international understanding and opportunities for co-operation in the applications of science for the promotion of peace throughout the year.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/scienceday/week.shtml
Categories:   Science & Technology

Inspired by the legacy of Canada’s second Honourary Citizen, Nelson Mandela, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights in partnership with the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, invite you to “Mandela: Struggle for Freedom” exhibition, followed by the Inauguration of the Nelson Mandela Lectureship in Human Rights with our distinguished guest speaker, Justice Dikgang Moseneke, former Deputy President of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, former cellmate of Nelson Mandela, and the first recipient of the Global Jurist of the Year Award.

"Mandela: Struggle for Freedom” exhibition

"Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years, but he never gave in to hate. Walk in the footsteps of the man they called Madiba and learn the legacy of his struggle for freedom. Witness the struggle for freedom that changed everything." - Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Time:  4:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Venue:  Vivian & David Campbell Conference Facility
Location:  1 Devonshire Pl, University of Toronto's St. George Campus, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/inauguration-of-the-nelson-mandela-lectureship-in-human-rights-ti
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Museums; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

During World Antibiotic Awareness week, 12-19 November 2018, WHO and partners will reach out to the general public, health professionals, governments, farmers, veterinarians, the food and feed industry and others via a social media campaign using infographics, quizzes, and success stories to raise awareness of the need to act on antibiotic resistance and what kinds of steps we can take.

Website:  http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-antibiotic-awareness-week/en/
Categories:   Health/Health Care

During World Antibiotic Awareness week, 12-19 November 2018, WHO and partners will reach out to the general public, health professionals, governments, farmers, veterinarians, the food and feed industry and others via a social media campaign using infographics, quizzes, and success stories to raise awareness of the need to act on antibiotic resistance and what kinds of steps we can take.

Website:  http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-antibiotic-awareness-week/en/
Categories:   Health/Health Care

Join us for the launch of two new books on the remaking of public services in Canada and the United States:

-Our Common Wealth: The Return of Public Ownership in the United States
-Corporatizing Canada: Making Business Out of Public Service

Privatization is deeply unpopular in North America and has been fought successfully. But if the anti-privatization movement only thinks defensively the best we can do is protect the status quo. Reclaiming public ownership, and rethinking the ways in which public services are delivered, is a crucial part of building a more equitable and sustainable public services future.

Speakers:

Thomas Hanna - Research Director, Democracy Collaborative, Washington, DC
Emma Lui - Water Campaigner, Council of Canadians
David McDonald - Professor, Global Development Studies, Queen's University

Time:  6:00 PM
Venue:  Robert Sutherland Hall, Queen's University
Location:  138 Union St., Kingston, ON
Website:  http://canadians.org/event/kingston-future-public
Categories:   Government & Public Sector; Social Policy; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Don’t miss this opportunity to understand practical ways of reshaping Canada’s health care system to improve patient outcomes and value at the 3rd Annual Drug Pricing Policy Summit: Patients Redefining Health Care.

This Summit builds on the 2016 and 2017 Summits which provided unprecedented opportunities for patients, caregivers and patient representatives from diverse disease and disability groups to come together to discuss a shared vision for health care in Canada.

Time:  8:15 am - 4:30 pm
Venue:  Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre
Location:  6 Garamond Court, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://eventbrite.ca/e/drug-pricing-policy-summit-patients-redefining-healthcare-tickets-486
Categories:   Disability Issues; Health/Health Care

Join Brenda Rix, curator of Kathe Kollwitz. Artist of the People, for a new look at Kollwitz's art through the lens of self-portraiture and see how this inspiring artist's work is at its core autobiographical and self-reflective.

German artist Kathe Kollwitz (1867-1945) is a legendary figure in the history of twentieth century art. Primarily known for her legacy as a printmaker she also drew prolifically and created sculptures. Over a career lasting more than five decades, Kollwitz developed a powerful emotional language based on her own experiences, her interaction with working-class women in Berlin and her exposure to the horrors of two world wars.

The talk also celebrates the extraordinary donation of over 170 prints, drawings and sculpture works by Kollwitz recently gifted to the Art Gallery of Ontario by Dr. Brian McCrindle. This is one of the largest collections of the artist's work outside Germany.

Time:  7:00 PM
Venue:  AGO - Art Gallery of Ontario
Location:  317 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://tickets.ago.ca/purchase.aro?id=1277328
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Women; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Rebecca Traister talks about her latest book, Good and Mad, which explores the ways that women's anger has long been viewed - and how 2018 could well mark a turning point in how women's anger can transform society.

This talk will be hosted by Jeet Heer, Twitter essayist (@HeerJeet), cultural journalist, and staff writer for The New Republic.

Time:  7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Venue:  Bram and Bluma Appel Salon- Toronto Reference Library
Location:  798 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/rebecca-traister-the-power-of-angry-women-tickets-48619786
Categories:   Women; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Former residents of Huronia, who have experienced severe violations of their rights, will speak about their lives and advocacy work to advance disability justice. From 1876 until 2009, the Huronia Regional Centre was the largest residential facility for people with intellectual disabilities in Canada.

After the panel discussion and a public question-and-answer session, authors Kate Rossiter and Jen Rinaldi will present their book Institutional Violence and Disability: Punishing Conditions.

Time:  6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue:  The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Level 3
Location:  Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://humanrights.ca/event/survivors-huronia-dialogue-disability-rights?ts=November%2014%2C
Categories:   Disability Issues; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The Ford government is getting ready to announce a series of changes to social assistance. The announcement, due by November 8, is widely expected to introduce sweeping cuts to OW and ODSP.

Since coming to power, Doug Ford has already cut the rate increase to OW and ODSP in half and suspended a series of beneficial changes that were scheduled to come in this fall.

When the announcement comes, it will likely be designed to create confusion and sow division. So join us to make sense of the proposed cuts, to break the isolation, and to talk about how we're going to fight back.

Dinner Provided. Wheelchair Accessible.

Time:  6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue:  St. Luke's United Church
Location:  353 Sherbourne St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/491050318041498/
Categories:   Social Policy; Disability Issues; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Globally, an estimated 422 million adults were living with diabetes in 2014, compared to 108 million in 1980. The global prevalence of diabetes has nearly doubled since 1980, rising from 4.7% to 8.5% in the adult population. This reflects an increase in associated risk factors such as being overweight or obese. Over the past decade, diabetes prevalence has risen faster in low and middle-income countries than in high-income countries.

In 2007 General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/61/225 designating 14 November as World Diabetes Day. The document recognized “the urgent need to pursue multilateral efforts to promote and improve human health, and provide access to treatment and health-care education.”

The resolution also encouraged Member States to develop national policies for the prevention, treatment and care of diabetes in line with the sustainable development of their health-care systems.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/diabetesday/
Categories:   Health/Health Care

The United Nations is committed to strengthening tolerance by fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples. This imperative lies at the core of the United Nations Charter, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is more important than ever in this era of rising and violent extremism and widening conflicts that are characterized by a fundamental disregard for human life.

In 1996, the UN General Assembly (by resolution 51/95) invited UN Member States to observe the International Day for Tolerance on 16 November. This action followed up on the United Nations Year for Tolerance, 1995, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 at the initiative of UNESCO, as outlined in the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and Follow-up Plan of Action for the Year.

The United Nations has launched a new campaign to promote tolerance, respect and dignity across the world. TOGETHER is a global campaign that aims to reduce negative perceptions and attitudes towards refugees and migrants, and to strengthen the social contract between host countries and communities, and refugees and migrants.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/toleranceday/
Categories:   International

Since taking office, Doug Ford and the "Progressive" Conservatives have proven over and over that they are only for SOME of the people. From the insulting Bill 47, to the threat of using the "Notwithstanding clause" to get their way, they've proven to be nothing but glorified bullies. And they are just getting started. They will continue keeping the most vulnerable people down, while slashing the public services the people of this province rely on.

On November 16, at 7pm, the PCs are holding their Victory Party, at their annual convention. Let's be there to welcome them, and to remind them that there is NOTHING here to celebrate.

Time:  5:30 PM
Venue:  Toronto Congress Centre
Location:  650 Dixon Rd, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/1857853127669158/
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Social Policy; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Presenting Kiwi Music & Rock & Roll
Dino Rosta is a Maori artist originally from Patea New Zealand has been in the music industry for over 40 years. He gained his club experience in New Zealand, especially making a regular appearance on the popular Television Network show in New Zealand called "Happen Inn Entertainment appearing with music greats of the time.
Also performing on the night is "Rod Rocks" (Sam Sheridan) who does the Rod Stewart Covers, a special salute to Rod Stewart.

Time:  9pm
Venue:  Hemingways Yorkville Toronto
Location:  142 Cumberland street, Yorkville, ON
Website:  http://https://hemingways.to/
For information contact:  LinsO'Connor
Phone:  9056402111
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Media, Entertainment, News, Communications; Food & Beverage

5PM-7:00PM: Session 1: Why addiction is more than JUST bad behavior

Presenter: Irene Njoroge, RN, BScN, MPH©, Addiction Nurse Clinician and Educator

7PM-8PM: Coffee and Tea will be served (Please bring your own snack)

8PM-9:30PM: Session 2: Know your rights during child welfare and custody process

Presenter: Nancy Wangui, RSW, MSW, RP. Mental Health and Child Welfare Social Worker

9:30PM-10:30PM: Session 3: Q &A

Ask questions anonymously and get answers from a professional panel.

Time:  4:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Venue:  Royal York Baptist Church
Location:  1520 Royal York Rd, Etobicoke, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/end-alcohol-and-drug-use-devastation-empowering-black-families-to
Categories:   Pharmaceuticals/Drugs; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

On the campaign trail to the 2018 Ontario election, Doug Ford raised problems with the provincial health care system and promised his constituents that "help is on the way." Now that Ford is Ontario's conservative Premier, he is not helping the health care system, but putting it-and this vital public service-on the chopping block. Ford is placing our health and the health of our families in the hands of those whose primary concern is to profit, not to meet our needs. How do we stop this? How can we organize to collectively improve rather than privatize and destroy this public good? The last time anything threatening as this happened in Ontario, the labour movement responded with the Days of Action. What can we learn and creatively adapt from that experience?

Join Natalie Mehra and Michael Hurley for a discussion about Ford's threat to the public health care system in Ontario, and what we need to do to secure, rebuild and improve public health care for all.

Time:  3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Venue:  Steelworkers' Hall
Location:  25 Cecil St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/251222448896890/
Categories:   Health/Health Care; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Policy

Black to the Future is an evening of Afrofuturist readings, featuring an engaging talkback Q&A discussion curated and moderated by Trinidadian-Canadian writer, playwright, filmmaker, and community-engaged artist Fiona Raye Clarke. The evening will begin with readings of Afrofuturist works written by Zymbul Fkara, Sharrae Lyon, and Robyn Citizen. Following the readings, audience members will have the opportunity to engage with each writer through a moderated talkback discussion, allowing for the exchange of ideas, feedback, and dialogue surrounding themes of Afrofuturism, Black futures, and more. The evening will conclude with an open reception where participants will have the opportunity to network, meet the writers, and participate in a drop-in, art-making station.

Time:  7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Venue:  Project Gallery
Location:  1151 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/black-to-the-future-tickets-50863895280?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Rents are at an all-time high, newcomers and young people can’t afford to live in the city, and people who need subsidized and supportive housing are being left in the cold. From affordability problems and precarious housing to homelessness across the region – housing is a big issue in the GTHA, that requires a government response.

We have new political leaders, strategies, and housing talk at all 3 levels of government – so what’s next? National Housing Week, Nov 19 – 23, is an opportunity to talk about these issues.

In a panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of Wellesley Institute, housing experts with a range of experiences tackle these issues head-on and share their #1 idea for what the city, province or federal government should to do right now to address the housing crisis.

Time:  7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Venue:  YMCA - Metro YMCA Auditorium
Location:  20 Grosvenor Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://eventbrite.ca/e/under-pressure-5-ideas-for-housing-now-tickets-51672019401?aff=ebdssb
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

United Nations Universal Children’s Day was established in 1954 and is celebrated on November 20th each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare.

November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Since 1990, Universal Children's Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the declaration and the convention on children's rights.

Mothers and fathers, teachers, nurses and doctors, government leaders and civil society activists, religious and community elders, corporate moguls and media professionals as well as young people and children themselves can play an important part in making Universal Children's Day relevant for their societies, communities and nations.

Universal Children's Day offers each of us an inspirational entry-point to advocate, promote and celebrate children's rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for Children.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/childrenday/
Categories:   Children & Youth

Meet author Serge Cipko as he discusses his new book, Starving Ukraine: The Holodomor and Canada's Response.

Dr. Serge Cipko is Assistant Director, Research, at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (University of Alberta).

In the early 1930s, how much did Canadians know about the deliberate starvation imposed on Ukrainian farmers during the Soviet era? Dr. Cipko's book explores the different viewpoints as they appeared on Canadian press at the time of the genocide.

The event will wrap up with a book signing and a meet-and-greet with the author.

The book will be available for purchase in the Museum Boutique.

Time:  6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue:  Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Location:  Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://humanrights.ca/event/book-launch-author-serge-cipko?ts=November%2021%2C%202018%20-%20
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Education; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Returning from recent trips to the region, Toronto Star political columnist Martin Regg Cohn reconnects to the Middle East bureau he left behind as a foreign correspondent, when the peace process held out hope. Then as now, countries are in conflict. Today, people are at war with themselves, within their own countries. The Hundred Years War has evolved from territorial battles into internecine and sectarian strife. Not just Jews against Muslims or Christians, but all against all — not least pious versus secular. Even if the political path seems elusive, other pathways are opening up. How do Canadians connect the dots in a foreign minefield?

Time:  7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Venue:  King's College Circle Room 140
Location:  University College, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-war-against-middle-east-peace-tickets-51110316332?aff=ebapi
Categories:   Military; Politics & Political Organizations; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Returning from recent trips to the region, Toronto Star political columnist Martin Regg Cohn reconnects to the Middle East bureau he left behind as a foreign correspondent, when the peace process held out hope. Then as now, countries are in conflict. Today, people are at war with themselves, within their own countries. The Hundred Years War has evolved from territorial battles into internecine and sectarian strife. Not just Jews against Muslims or Christians, but all against all - not least pious versus secular. Even if the political path seems elusive, other pathways are opening up. How do Canadians connect the dots in a foreign minefield?

Speaker: Martin Regg Cohn is a political columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper. A foreign correspondent for 11 years, he was Chief of the Star's Middle East Bureau in Jerusalem and its Asia bureau in Hong Kong, reporting from more than 40 countries, from Afghanistan to Yemen. He has covered national politics from the Star's Ottawa Bureau and Ontario politics from Queen's Park. He was also Foreign Editor, ran the Comment section, and wrote a world affairs column.

Time:  7:00 PM
Venue:  University College, Room 140
Location:  15 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://scienceforpeace.ca/events/the-war-against-the-middle-east-peace/1542826800/
Categories:   International; Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language; Human Rights, Law, Legal

ADR Institute of Canada holds its Annual National Conference and AGM including two full days of substantive learning, with pre-conference workshops and over 40 stimulating sessions on international and commercial arbitration and mediation, numerous mediation and ADR processes topics, as well as family, workplace, and special interest.

Enjoy exceptional Keynote Speakers, excellent networking opportunities, special industry exhibitors, and hearty CPD points accreditation.

This event is by far the best venue to network with prospective clients and referral sources, and develop strategic relationships that will help you now and into the future. Every major firm and company with an interest in reaching those in the field will want to be associated!

Position yourself and build relationships with national and international industry leaders including in-house counsel, arbitrators, mediators, lawyers, human resource managers and consumers of arbitration and mediation services.

Venue:  Hotel Bonaventure
Location:  900 Rue de la Gauchetière Ouest, Montreal, QC
Website:  http://www.adric.ca
For information contact:  Mounia Doudine - Member Services & Events
Phone:  416-487-4733
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Skills & Training

One of the key goals of Health Promotion Ontario is to advance the critical importance of health promotion through advocacy, knowledge exchange, and professional development for its membership. This year’s conference is intended to serve as a forum for practitioners, researchers, and students to come together to learn about and critically reflect on the ways that important social issues are forcing the field of health promotion to “break new ground”.

Venue:  TBD
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.healthpromotioncanada.ca
For information contact:  www.healthpromotioncanada.ca/contact/
Categories:   Health/Health Care; Consulting & Consultants

From corn to copper and countless resources in between, the Indigenous peoples’ relationship to land and water in Tkarón:to and on Turtle Island runs deep. With hundreds of nations being connected through trade routes, including waterway systems navigated by canoe, the resourcefulness of the Indigenous peoples is as prolific as the goods that were traded.

Join Anishinaabe artist and OCAD Associate Professor Bonnie Devine, for a talk about the significance of land and water to Indigenous nations, the complex trade networks that existed, and the influence of colonial rule.

Time:  6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Venue:  Toronto Media Arts Centre
Location:  32 Lisgar Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/myseum-presents-tkaronto-turtle-island-indigenous-trade-networks-
Categories:   Native Peoples; Museums; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Come join Nov 22 in honour of the National Housing Day of Action!!! Parkdale has had enough of housing crisis. Let's stand in solidarity with our neighbours, those with lived experiences of homelessness, those who are being displaced through reno-victions, and those who are at risk of being displaced- let's keep people in their homes and demand deeply affordable housing be built in Parkdale now!!!

Time:  1:00 PM and March to N. of Queen on Brock, End 5:00 PM
Venue:  Masaryk Cowan Park- Meet-up
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/1877061529075522/
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Policy; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

On 25 November, International Day against Violence against Women, there will be an international conference on Sharia, Segregation and Secularism in central London with 38 notable speakers from 24 countries and the Diaspora who are leaders in the fight for equality, secularism and against far-Right and religious fundamentalisms of all stripes.

Keynote speakers at the conference are Centre for Secular Space Director Gita Sahgal, Southall Black Sisters Director Pragna Patel and Asia Bibi’s Lawyer, Saif Ul Malook. Asia Bibi is a Christian woman accused of blasphemy who was on death row in Pakistan for eight years. Saif Ul Malook successfully defended Bibi and she was released on appeal in November 2018.

Other distinguished speakers at the one-day event include Bangladeshi Writer Bonya Ahmed who survived a brutal attack which resulted in the murder of her husband Avijit Roy; Moroccan Activist Ibtissame Betty Lachgar; FEMEN Leader Inna Shevchenko; Algerian Sociologist Marieme Helie Lucas; Tunisian Filmmaker Nadia El Fani; Polish Secularist Nina Sankari and Women in Black Belgrade Co-Founder Stasa Zajovic.

The leading secularists and veteran women’s rights campaigners will discuss Sharia, Religious Arbitration and Family Law, the Politics of Collusion, Gender Segregation, the Veil, Women’s Bodily Autonomy and Secularism as a Defence of Women’s and Minority Rights.

There will be a dance and public art protest in solidarity with the women’s movement against compulsory veiling.

Location:  London UK
Website:  http://www.secularconference.com
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Women; Religious

One of the most devastating human rights violations

Violence against women and girls is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today.

Gender inequality persists worldwide. Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will require more vigorous efforts, including legal frameworks, to counter deeply rooted gender-based discrimination that often results from patriarchal attitudes and related social norms, as stated by the UN Secretary-General, in his latest report on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/endviolenceday/
Categories:   Women

ATHABASCA is a provocative new drama about global ecological disaster, the extractive industries, and the politics of violence, written and performed by multi award-winning theatre artists Richard Greenblatt and David S. Craig. A marketing executive for a major oil company is suddenly confronted in his office by a desperate journalist turned environmental activist determined to do whatever it takes to shut down the Athabasca Oil Sands. As a fierce life or death struggle between the two unfurls, each holds the other responsible for the looming environmental disaster that threatens us all. The moment we live in makes the exploration of the relationship between theatre and politics more important than ever before. Greenblatt and Craig will read their play, and the political questions it raises and the role theatre can play in contemporary social change will be explored through an interactive Q&A with the audience.

Time:  7:00 PM -10:00 PM
Venue:  Theatre Passe Muraille
Location:  16 Ryerson Avenue, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/athabasca-tickets-51941975848
Categories:   Environment; Performing Arts; Mining & Petroleum

Do you live, work, or travel on King Street? This open meeting is an opportunity to share your experience of the King Street Pilot since its implementation in November 2017. Together we will look at pilot data and engage in a facilitated discussion about the pilot's impact on our public space and day-to-day lives.

FREE event with light snacks & refreshments.

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Metro Hall - Room 308/309
Location:  55 John Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/one-year-in-the-king-street-pilot-tickets-51972104965
Categories:   Transportation & Travel; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The transportation sector accounts for 30% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada. In order to achieve Canada's national carbon reduction targets of reducing GHG emissions by 2030, drastic and effective measures from a variety of stakeholders are needed to work towards the decarbonization of our transportation sector.

This includes: electrification/ EVs, better transit infrastructure, incentive programs, more stringent policies, and technological advancements in emerging sectors like alternative fuels and autonomous vehicles.

Join us on Tuesday, November 27th as our expert panelists weigh in on what lies in the future of Canada's transportation sector, discuss what a truly decarbonized system would look like, and what it will take for us to get there.

The evening will begin with a panel discussion followed by time for audience questions and networking.

Ticket price includes light dinner & refreshments. Registration is first come first serve and spots are limited, reserve your place now!

Time:  6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue:  CSI Annex
Location:  720 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://ceptoronto.org/event-3096383
Categories:   Transportation & Travel; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Environment

The Social Ventures Zone is co-hosting a lecture on the current waste problem in llo llo, Philippines, to support the launch of the World Vision Social Innovation Challenge. This annual challenge competition is open to entrepreneurs and students with big ideas to solve problems around the world for a chance to win $25K. Join us to learn more about the problem at hand and collaborate with other Ryerson community members on a solution.

The Problem? Contributing nearly two million tonnes of mismanaged plastic waste every year into the ocean, the Philippines is ranked as the third worst plastic polluter in the world, behind only China and Indonesia. Aside from plastic waste, the Philippines also improperly manages informal dumpsites, uncollected waste that includes recyclables. As a nation, there is an overall lack of awareness and motivation to improve solid waste management.

FREE

Time:  5:30 PM- 7:30 PM
Venue:  TRSM Commons
Location:  55 Dundas St W., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/change-the-world-take-the-challenge-tickets-52166425182?aff=ebdss
Categories:   Environment; Skills & Training; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

You're invited to a film screening of Sonic Sea - a documentary about protecting life in our waters from the destructive effects of oceanic noise pollution, including seismic.

We can make a difference, compelling industry and the government to chart a more responsible course to protect our marine environment - if we rise up together and demand change.

Time:  7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Venue:  Central United Church Hall
Location:  Lincoln Street entrance across from the Lunenburg Opera House, Lunenburg, NS
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/1246590218816767/
For information contact:  southshore.coc@gmail.com
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

At our first fall meeting we'll be looking at ways to reduce our dependence on plastic. After an overview of the problems caused by plastic in our environment, we'll hear from three speakers with inspiring examples of what can be done:

- Wanjiro Ndungu from Greenpeace, who will tell us about their ocean plastics campaign
- Dayna Stein who is opening Bare Market, Toronto's first one-stop shop for package-free goods
- Sarah Kern who will share about her low-waste lifestyle and her crafty business Upcyclery

Let's get together and explore our own and collective zero-plastic possibilities!

Time:  7:00 - 9:00 PM
Venue:  St. Matthew's United Church
Location:  729 St. Clair West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/greenneighbours21
For information contact:  greenneighbours@gn21.ca
Categories:   Environment; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Nicaragua, one of Latin Americas lowest income countries, has experienced dictatorship, revolution, neoliberalism and authoritarian populism all in the space of forty years. In April of this year, Nicaraguan university students initiated an uprising against the authoritarian regime of president Daniel Ortega that seemed to hold the possibility to redefine the country. Streets exploded with support for students after the unexpectedly lethal government response to peaceful protests against imposed social security reforms, and the movement quickly grew into a widespread but uneasy national alliance. Despite the opposition and its substantial international support, after months of deepening state repression the restoration of "democracy and justice" in Nicaragua seems distant. As the struggle within Nicaragua wages, activists are forced deeper underground and the numbers of exiles grow. Meanwhile, debates in North America continue to rage between so-called anti-imperialist Ortega supporters and the critical anti-authoritarian left.
These debates expose troubling contradictions in twenty-first century internationalism- illustrating the perils of what Rohini Hensman refers to as 'indefensible' anti-imperialism. In this session, long-time Nicaragua solidarity activist-scholar Dr. Lori Hanson will offer an update on the Nicaraguan struggle, highlighting voices from exiled students, and opening a dialogue on what the North American debates reveal about the nature of solidarity today.

Time:  12:00 PM
Venue:  Jackman Humanities Building, Room 318
Location:  170 St. George Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://las.utoronto.ca/events/current/9-public-events/239-nica
Categories:   International; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Join a community picket at Liberal MP Julie Dabrusin's office to support postal workers fight for decent jobs and the right to strike. This is one of dozens of actions happening across Canada to tell the Trudeau government that, despite back-to-work legislation, the fight is not over for postal workers' rights.

Bring your signs, union flags and noisemakers.

This is a Canada-wide event. Please see schedule for your nearest location: http://www.deliveringcommunitypower.ca/day_of_action

Time:  11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location:  1180 Danforth Ave., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.deliveringcommunitypower.ca/day_of_action
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

"The world is well on its way to meeting the target of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030… On this World AIDS Day, I call for a renewed commitment to finish what we have started and to make the AIDS epidemic a thing of the past." — Secretary-General António Guterres

Everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live, has a right to health, which is also dependent on adequate sanitation and housing, nutritious food, healthy working conditions and access to justice. The right to health is supported by, and linked to, a wider set of rights.

Ending AIDS as a public health threat can only happen if these rights are placed at the centre of global health, so that quality health care is available and accessible for everyone and leaves no one behind.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/aidsday/
Categories:   Health/Health Care

Slavery is not merely a historical relic. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) more than 40 million people worldwide are victims of modern slavery. Although modern slavery is not defined in law, it is used as an umbrella term covering practices such as forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, and human trafficking. Essentially, it refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and/or abuse of power.

In addition, more than 150 million children are subject to child labour, accounting for almost one in ten children around the world.

Website:  http://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryabolitionday/
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

In recognition of our current exhibition, Free Education!, we are holding a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon on the theme of radical education throughout history. We’ll work to improve representation of the individuals and organizations involved in radical education movements worldwide — including those represented in our exhibition, and those that are not. We will glean relevant information from our collection at Interference Archive to share through Wikipedia. Our objective is to make information and documentation related to this work more accessible for current and future movement makers, educators, and learners.

Snacks will be provided. Childcare is available if requested by November 28, 2018. Please RSVP or request childcare through this form.

No experience editing Wikipedia is required but please bring a laptop! Experienced Wikipedians will be around to help out, and we’ll be starting the edit-a-thon at 2pm with a brief tutorial to cover the basics.

Time:  2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Venue:  Interference Archive
Location:  314 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY
Website:  http://interferencearchive.org/radical-education-wikipedia-editathon/
For information contact:  info@interferencearchive.org
Categories:   Media, Entertainment, News, Communications; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

In January 2000, Beverley McLachlin was appointed Chief Justice of Canada, the first woman to ever hold the position. In those nearly 18 years, McLachlin oversaw cases that involved key decisions about religion, Quebec secession, marriage rights, cannabis use and other issues that changed the very way that Canadians live. McLachlin talks about her career and how we can make the justice system in Canada accessible to all.

In conversation with Toronto journalist, Rachel Giese.

This event is FREE, but you need to register to attend.

Time:  7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Venue:  Bram and Bluma Appel Salon Toronto Reference Library
Location:  798 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/beverley-mclachlin-justice-for-everyone-tickets-48620354790?aff=e
Categories:   Government & Public Sector; Education

The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. It aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

Building on many decades of UN’s work in the field of disability, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted in 2006, has further advanced the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other international development frameworks, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, the New Urban Agenda, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development.

Website:  http:///www.un.org/en/events/disabilitiesday/
Categories:   Disability Issues

Toronto is rapidly becoming a city for the rich and wealthy developers. Join ACORN members and housing allies to demand REAL affordable housing from John Tory and the new city council.

Time:  11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Venue:  Toronto City Hall
Location:  100 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/196627014607509/
Categories:   Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Policy