[opirgyork] Weekly Digest - March 25th 2010

Thu Mar 25 15:28:30 PDT 2010

Greetings all!

Make sure to come out to our 2010 AGM! (And check out the many 
events/jobs/ACTIONS below)
Here are the deets:

York Students and Community Members are invited to:
2010 Annual General Meeting of the Ontario Public Interest Research 
Group @ York U

Tuesday April 6
Student Centre (York U)
Room 307 - 3:00pm

Refreshments and Food served!
Bus tickets and child care provided

* Revolutionary updates from Working Groups
* Tales of resistance from OPIRG staff
* Defying the June G20 meeting
* Solidarity work with other organizations
* Radical constitutional amendments and anti-capitalist financial reviews
* A special rebellious performer will make a surprise appearance!

OPIRG-York is an umbrella organization that facilitates activism and 
advocacy on social and environmental justice issues at
York University and beyond! If you need childcare for the meeting, or 
any other questions, please email opirg at yorku.ca

and.......

G8/G20 Food, Justice and community Mobilization in Toronto
TUesday March 3th
530pm - 7pm
GSA (Student Centre RM.430)

The G8/G20 summits are taking place on June 25th-27th in Huntsville and 
Toronto. Come learn about the corporate and colonial effects of these 
summits,
community organizing in Toronto, and how you can get involved in 
resistance against G8/G20. Enjoy some delicious snacks while we learn 
about food justice!

Featuring:
Deborah Barndt - artist, educator and food justice activist
Speaker from the Toronto Community Mobilization Network, TBA

------------------------------------------

1) TONIGHT! I (heart) Alt. Media PARTY
1A) TONIGHT! Blazing the Indigenous Feminist Trail
2) PANEL DISCUSSION: CANADA-COLOMBIA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
3) Fifth Community Mobilization Network Open Planning Meeting for G8/20
Resistance in Toronto
4) The Second Annual Toronto Mapuche People’s Solidarity Film Festival
5) April 6/7: Stand with Grassy Narrows Asubpeeschoseewagong Anishinabek
6) April 9-11: Toronto Anarchist Assembly
7) Poverty and the Provincial Budget - Public Forum, April 6
8) Raise The Rates - Rally and March on the McGuinty Government (April 15th)
9) JOB POSTING: OPIRG TORONTO Admin/Finance Coordinator
10) Queer Lite: Happy(er) Paps: Pap Testing 101 for LGBQ Women Workshop
11) Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA) NEW MEMBERS MEETING
12) Fast for The Climate Change Accountability Act
13) ACTION: HELP SAVE THE FIRST NATIONS UNIVERSITY!!!
14) Vandana Shiva speaks about capitalism and equity
15) Myths of Progressive Zionism: Labour, Race, Gender and Colonialism
16) ENDING ON MARCH 28th - How we Forgot Here...
17) The Fifth Annual Good For Her Feminist Porn Awards (April 9)
18) No One Is Illegal! May Day of Action

-------------------------------------------------

1) What: The "I (heart) Alt Media" party
When: Thursday March 25th @ 9pm
Where: Cinecycle 129 Spadina Avenue,
Near Queen and Spadina
Who: Featuring woot-woot-artists like Garbageface, John Rose,
Anand Rajaram, Kay Pettigrew, Bob Wiseman, D'bi Young,
and DJ Nick Red & DJ B#
Why: Because you love alt media

Usually finding good news is harder than finding a good party.

Luckily on Thursday, March 25th, you're going to be able to find both.

That night Groundwire, Upping the Anti and the Toronto Media Co-op are 
hosting an epic, fun-filled evening with music, drinks, an art auction 
by artist CoCo. 
http://coreychristophercomely.com/cocoasartist/home.html, a raffle and 
other awesome events in order to raise as much money as we can. The G20 
is coming to Toronto in late June 2010 and we are trying to set up the 
infrastructure necessary to cover it. We need journalists, writers, 
equipment, publications and cash to make it all happen.

We are hoping you can help us out.

Our goal for the G20 is to provide a platform to provide daily analysis 
and updates using both audio, video and feeds. Our goal for the evening 
is to dance, have tons o' fun and make a lot of money.

Don't know much about the Toronto Media Co-op, Upping the Anti or Ground 
Wire? Websites and a short description of the various media projects can 
be found below.

Get ready for a night to remember. See you on the 25th!

---------------------------------------

1A) From Land Sovereignty to Reproductive Justice Freedom Fighting:
Blazing the Indigenous Feminist Trail

March 25, 7-9pm / 252 Bloor W, Rm 2-212 / Free, wheelchair accessible

"Indigenous Feminism" has been taken up as more than just a “theory” by 
Indigenous academics and activists throughout Turtle Island and beyond. 
But still many people reject the term. What does “Indigenous Feminism” 
constitute? Is it just about women? Isn’t feminism a “white-woman’s” 
thing? Isn’t land really the only issue?

A powerhouse evening featuring two incredible women who have shaped and 
continue to blaze the Indigenous feminist trail, and who will never be 
defined solely by one theory.

Featuring
Andrea Smith, co-founder of Incite! Women of Color Against Violence and 
the Boarding School Healing Project

Lee Maracle, award-winning poet, novelist, performance storyteller, 
scriptwriter, actor, and writer in residence at First Nations House at 
University of Toronto

Moderated by Jessica Yee, founder and executive director of the Native 
Youth Sexual Health Network

Introduced by Eileen Antone, OISE Professor and Director of Aboriginal 
Studies and the Centre for Aboriginal Initiatives, University of Toronto

Featuring an opening performance by the Red Slam Collective

Presented by the Centre for Women’s Studies in Education (CWSE)
Co-sponsored by the Indigenous Education Network and the Native Youth 
Sexual Health Network

E-mail cwse at utoronto.ca for more information

--------------------------------------------

2) Corporate profits or human rights- Which should Canada champion in 
Colombia?
PANEL DISCUSSION: CANADA-COLOMBIA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

hursThursday, April 8, 2010 , 2010
7–9 P.M. (doors7 -7 - 9 pm (doors open at 6.30)
WHERE: New Horizons Auditorium, 1140 Bloor St. West (at Dufferin)

MODERATOR: Andrew Cash, NOW columnist, Davenport NDP candidate

SPEAKERS:

Peter Julian, federal NDP Trade Critic

Jasmin Hristov, author, Blood & Capital: The Paramilitarization of Colombia

Carleen Pickard, Council of Canadians

Sid Ryan, President, Ontario Federation of Labour
Yhony Muñoz, OPSEU International Solidarity activist

Canada is set to sign a sweeping trade deal with Colombia—our 
hemisphere’s most egregious human rights violators where violence against
indigenous peoples, Afro-Colombians, workers, farmers and journalists is 
a regular occurrence. More labour leaders and human rights activists
are killed in Colombia than in any other country in the world. Yet, 
shockingly, this free trade deal does not contain substantive conditions to
protect human rights. Instead, there is one obscene clause that would 
have Colombia pay fines when a labour leader or human rights activist is
killed by the state military or by paramilitaries tied to the 
government. Why is Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, with the 
support of some
Liberal members in Parliament, pushing such a bad deal?

SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS:

CAW

OPSEU

Ontario Federation of Labour

Latin American Solidarity Network

CUPE Ontario International Solidarity Committee

Council of Canadians.

-----------------------------------------------

3) Fifth Community Mobilization Network Open Planning Meeting for G8/20
Resistance in Toronto

8 April, 2010
6:30pm (meeting expected to run 2 hours)
2nd Floor, 519 Church Street
519 Church Street Community Centre

Community based organizers and activists from across Ontario and Quebec
are invited to an open planning meeting focusing on Toronto's response to
the G8/G20 Summits on 8 April, 2010.

We will be updating on schedule, handing out posters and flyers and
talking logistical details.

The Community Mobilization Network is organizing the community based
outreach, independent media, convergence for the days of action leading up
to and during the G8/20 Summits in Ontario (June 25-27,2010). Our previous
meeting had over 150 people present.

If you are unable to attend but would like to participate in one of the
committees, get more information or host a G8/G20 related event, email
community.mobilize at resist.ca

If you haven't done so already - join our announcements list
email community.mobilize at resist.ca

and the facebook group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=236150947036

Also, our new website is going to be launched any day, keep visiting
http://g20.torontomobilize.org

Twitter: http://twitter.com/g20mobilize

-----------------------------------------------------

4) The Women's Coordinating Committee Chile-Canada presents:

Mapuche: The Rebirth of the Warrior
The Second Annual Toronto Mapuche People’s Solidarity Film Festival

See more: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=367033371921&ref=nf

***In Benefit of the Mapuche Communities in Conflict of so-called Southern
Chile, affected by the violent Earthquake***

In Memory of Matias Catrileo, Alex Lemun, and Jaime Collío, murdered by
the repressive forces of the Chilean State.

MARCH 27th and 28th 2010 @ Victoria College Campus (University of Toronto)

Grand Opening: Saturday March 27th Beginning @ 7PM

INDIGENOUS SOVEREIGNTY NIGHT

@ The Birge Carnegie Reading Room
95 Charles Street West (on the corner of Queen’s Park Crescent, just east
of Museum Station)

Presenting the EXCLUSIVE PREMIERS of the documentaries:

“The Voice of the Mapuche” (La Voz Mapuche) [Mapuche Nation, Wallmapu] 2009.
“Chile” 2009. 113 minutes.
"Day Zero” [Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, 2006]
Report Back on the Anti-Olympics Convergence, Vancouver 2010.
Plus Panel Discussion and Much More...

Sunday, March 28th: Get Ready for the G20: More than 200 Years of
Resistance...

@ The Cat’s Eye
150 Charles Street West

The Premier of 5 documentaries that reflect the impunity, the repression,
the plunder, the corruption and responsibility of the State and its
various complicit governments in the economic, cultural, and territorial
dependency and depredation of our peoples and their natural resources
throughout almost 200 years...

1PM: “Balseros” [The Raft Refugees] Cuba (2005)
3:15PM “Atenco: A State Crime” [Atenco: Un Crimen de Estado] (Mexico 
2007)***
5PM: “The Landless. On the Paths of America” (Brazil, 2004)
6:30 PM – “Memory of Plunder/ Social Genocide” Argentina (2005)
8:30PM “Aniceto: Reason of State” (2009)

***All Films with English Subtitles***

(Except Films with ***)
***March 27th – Full Opening Night - $10 @ the Door
***March 28th - $8 in advance/$10 @ the Door per screening
*** $30 – Entire Festival

-------------------------------------------------

5) Stand with Grassy Narrows Asubpeeschoseewagong Anishinabek

Please join us in Toronto as we demand justice for our people and
protection for the water, air, and forests that give life to us all.

Public Talk. Tuesday April 6, 6:30 p.m. Steel Workers Hall, 25 Cecil St.
(S of College, E of Spadina).

River Run - creative march and rally. Wednesday April 7, Noon. Meet at
Grange Park (Beverley St. S of Dundas, behind the AGO). Together we will
form a wild river that will flow to Queen’s park to deliver our demands on
World Health Day. We invite Indigenous people to wear your regalia.
Others are invited to wear blue, or dress as your favourite wild creature.

To endorse, donate, or for more information contact us at:
riverrun2010 at gmail.com

40 years ago our people were poisoned with mercury by a paper mill that
contaminated our river upstream. Our people are demanding justice because
we are still dealing with the ongoing health impacts of this avoidable
disaster. We want to sound the alarm that this poison will affect
everyone if we don’t stand together to protect our water.

For decades our GNAA grassroots people have been on the front lines of the
movement to defend the earth, and to uphold Indigenous self-determination,
culture, and spirituality. We have kicked out logging giant Abitibi for
now, but there is still much work to be done. This is a great opportunity
to show your support, and to join us in the fight to protect the water,
air, land, creatures, and rights that we all depend on.

-----------------------------------------------

6) Toronto Anarchist Assembly
April 9, 10, 11

Friends,

It’s time for us to gather. To assemble and talk to each other. To bring
together folks who secretly or not so secretly identify with anarchism,
and continue to build a larger and more vibrant community. Building on
last year’s ‘Toronto Anarchist Gathering’ this will be a bigger and better
weekend of events including panel discussions, booktables, workshops,
social events and more.

25 Cecil Street

http://torontoanarchistassembly.blogspot.com/

------------------------------------------------

7) Poverty and the Provincial Budget
Health, Jobs, and Resistance

The McGuinty government will release Ontario's 2010 budget on March 25th.
Even before the predicted cuts to public services, poor and working 
people are
being forced to endure the devastating brunt of the recession. From 
piecemeal
job cuts to impudent attacks on social programs, provincial policies are 
already
starving Ontario families.

We should be outraged, but we shouldn't be surprised; attacks against poor
people are standard fare in Ontario. In previous decades, grassroots 
movements
have responded to such attacks with mass mobilization. Join us to discuss
what we can do now.

Tuesday, April 6
7pm
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)
252 Bloor St. West, Room 5260

Featuring:

John Clarke, Organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty.

Michael Hurley, President of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions
and Vice-President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Ontario.

Dr. Roland Wong, Occupational and Community Medicine Physician.

Sponsored by:
Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG-Toronto) www.opirgtoronto.org
University of Toronto Health Studies Students' Union
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) www.ocap.ca
Health Providers Against Poverty www.healthprovidersagainstpoverty.ca

OISE is an accessible location.

For more information about this event, contact OPIRG-Toronto at 
opirg.toronto at gmail.com.

-------------------------------------------------

8) Raise The Rates - Rally and March on the McGuinty Government

Thursday, April 15th, 2010
12 Noon
Allan Gardens Park (Sherbourne and Gerrard)
*Free Meal

WE DEMAND:
-Raise Welfare and Disability rates by 40% now!
-Stop the attacks: Give us the Special Diet!
-Defend Public Services

In 2003, the Liberals were elected on the promise of ‘change’. Those
empty promises did nothing to end poverty. For poor people there is no
difference between McGuinty and Harris: same program, different
facade. The reality is that poor people in Ontario are worse off than
we were 15 years ago. And now, things are about to get even worse.

The Government is looking at taking away the Special Diet in this
year's Provincial budget, and maybe raising the total rates by a
measly 3%. If this happens - thousands of people in this province are
going to be thrown in to a serious crisis. People on OW and ODSP live
on rates that are shamefully inadequate. Since the 1995 cuts by the
Harris government, these rates have been reduced in real terms by at
least 40%. People are forced to choose between paying the rent or
buying food. In slashing the Special Diet now - the government is
taking away the one thing that people on Social Assistance had left to
try to get-by.

Governments responded to the economic crisis by giving billions of
dollars in bailouts and tax cuts to failed corporations and banks. Now
they are looking to get that money back in the way of serious Social
Cutbacks. The Special Diet is an example of this, but Housing, Social
Assistance, Childcare, and all Public Services are under threat. We
know that any cuts will result in an even bigger explosion of poverty
and suffering in this Province for poor and working class people.

If we let the government write our future, it will be bleak. We are
calling on poor and working people in Ontario to organize and fight
back.

We won’t pay for their crisis or their deficit. We demand the right to
a decent income and a future free of poverty. Raise the Rates by 40%
Now! Join us on April 15 and fight for the right to decent income!

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
www.ocap.ca / 416-925-6939

---------------------------------------------

9) JOB POSTING: Administration and Finances Coordinator, OPIRG Toronto

The Ontario Public Interest Research Group at the University of Toronto 
(OPIRG Toronto) is a student funded, volunteer-driven, not-for-profit, 
community/campus organization mandated to facilitate action, education 
and research around issues of social and environmental justice. OPIRG 
Toronto strives to provide an anti-racist, trans and queer positive, 
accessible, harassment-free space for students and community members to 
utilize and further develop skills as community organizers while making 
links with larger movements in working for social change. OPIRG-Toronto 
also provides information and resources to its members and the broader 
community.

OPIRG welcomes the contributions that individuals from marginalized 
communities bring to our organization, and invites aboriginal people, 
people of colour, women, gays, lesbians, bisexuals, trans and 
queer-oriented people, single parents, members of ethnic minorities, 
immigrants and people with disabilities to apply.

The Role of Permanent Staff

Permanent OPIRG staff are members of the Canadian Union of Public 
Employees (CUPE) local 1281. Because volunteer turnover is frequent, 
permanent staff ensure the organization’s stability. They maintain the 
organization’s integrity, assist volunteers in their activism and 
networking, and facilitate problem-solving to address internal 
structural deficiencies.

This is a full-time position. OPIRG Toronto is located on a university 
campus and follows four-month semester university cycle. Work load 
varies depending on the time of term. Evening and weekend work is 
expected and is regulated by the collective agreement. The work 
environment has little day-to-day supervision. The Administration and 
Finances Coordinator works cooperatively with the Volunteer and 
Programming Coordinator, in continual consultation with OPIRG 
volunteers. Both staff members provide monthly reports to the Board of 
Directors.

QUALIFICATIONS:

* An explicit, integral and dedicated commitment to anti-racism and 
anti-oppression
* Ability to prioritize work and manage numerous tasks simultaneously
* Ability to work well with students, community volunteers and staff in 
a small workplace environment
* Experience with bookkeeping and financial management and knowledge of 
accounting software (Quickbooks)
* Experience writing and administering grants
* Familiarity with current social justice and environmental campaigns, 
and familiarity with campus organizing issues
* Self-directed and able to take initiative and meet deadlines in a 
loosely structured and unsupervised, dynamic work environment
* Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills
* Strong organizational, office coordination and time management skills
* Understanding of consensus decision-making and ability to work in 
groups within this framework
* Commitment to apply an anti-oppression analysis into all levels of 
organizing and decision-making

OTHER ASSETS:

* Knowledge of the Toronto communities, University of Toronto campus and 
local NGOs, social and environmental justice organizations
* Capacity for basic website maintenance or HTML skills.
* Familiarity with anti-oppression work as it relates to areas of focus 
at the OPIRG, such as indigenous solidarity, migrant justice work, 
Palestinian human rights, environmental justice, anti-poverty work.
* Knowledge of the PIRGs generally and/ or OPIRG-Toronto specifically
* Experience coordinating projects, campaigns and events
* Experience creating promotional and educational materials

RESPONSIBILITIES:
With the support of the Board of Directors and staff, the Administration 
and Finances Coordinator is responsible for the following work.

Financial management

* Banking: accounts payable, payroll, annual budget, audit, financial 
records
* Write and submit grant proposals
* Administer Working Group funds
* Report to the Board of Directors and campus levy-administering groups.
* Creating monthly financial reports to the Board of Directors.
* Participate in fundraising activities as required and/or appropriate.

Record Keeping

* Maintain and build systems that support organizational learning and 
memory: overall filing systems, archives, operating manuals, computer 
systems, organizational policy.

General Administration

* Manage sponsorship proposals, endorsement requests, and room booking 
requests.
* Managing the office and online events board, job board and housing board.
* Implement board policy as it relates to work responsibilities.
* Participate in job description and work plan development.
* Participate in hiring processes.
* Acquire training for professional development as appropriate and/or 
required.
* Supervise grant staff as required and/or appropriate.
Office organization

* Maintain and order office supplies
* Participate with other staff and volunteers in the maintenance of 
regular office hours, cleaning, maintenance, and improvements.
* Assist in maintaining files and archives in areas of work 
responsibilities.

Communication and Organizational Representation

* Correspond with levy administering groups, and with relevant 
administrative bodies at the university about: funding, campus status, 
space issues, maintenance.
* Committees: Represent OPIRG-Toronto to University Administrative 
bodies and committees.
* Answer/respond to email and phone inquiries, forward inquiries 
responsibly.
* Respond to media inquiries.

Resource Centre

* Participate in joint committee with the Centre for Women and Trans 
People to develop budgeting and promotion for the library, and resource 
purchasing.
* Assist library users.

Project and Event Assistance

* Assist board, other staff, action groups and volunteers with 
event/project planning and event follow-up with Administrative and 
Financial support.
* Coordinate layout and submissions for OPIRG Action Speaks Louder 
newsletter
* Assist with anti-oppression training and program implementation.
* Coordinate planning of the Annual General Meeting.
* Assist the Volunteer and Programming Coordinator in 
programming/coalitions as appropriate and/or required (e.g. 
Disorientation Week, Tools for Change).
* Assist the Volunteer and Programming Coordinator with recruitment, 
orientation, placement, training, & supervision of volunteers.
* Assist with the maintenance of volunteer database, and support, 
evaluation & appreciation of volunteers/action groups.

Promotion and Outreach

* Coordinate printing of OPIRG materials. Assisting Action Groups in 
printing and mechanisms for promotion (online, etc).

Participating in Decision-Making

* Attend board meetings, staff meetings, working group & committee 
meetings when needed. Assist in the development and implementation of 
policy.
* Attend OPIRG provincial meetings & staff meetings.
* Assist with Board elections through the AGM and orientation

Employment Terms:

This is a full-time permanent staff position with 30 hours per week at a 
rate of $19.44/hour with extended health care & benefits as defined 
under the Collective Agreement. All newly hired employees shall be 
considered to be on probation for six months from the commencement date 
of employment.

How to Apply:

Applicants must provide a resume, cover letter, three references (with 
phone numbers) and one-page statement about “Community organizing and 
working through oppression and privilege.” This page is intended to give 
the hiring committee a sense of your community organizing experience and 
how you locate/understand yourself within that work. We encourage 
applicants to describe the contributions and experience that they, as 
individuals who identify with marginalized communities, would bring to 
the OPIRG organization in their cover letter. Applications that do not 
include a statement will not be considered for short listing.
For the purpose of the statement it is important to note that 
OPIRG-Toronto sees anti-oppression as a process which acknowledges the 
existence of systemic oppressions (including, but not limited to, 
racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and ableism). Through practices 
and policies, we seek to actively identify, challenge, and address 
oppression wherever it exists, in all its various forms.

Deadline for Submissions: Thursday April 1, 2010 5PM
Position Start Date: ASAP

Please drop off applications to the attention of:
Hiring Committee
OPIRG-Toronto, 563 Spadina Ave, Room 101
North Borden Building - University of Toronto
Toronto, ON, M5S 2J7

Or email: opirgtoronto.hiring at gmail.com
or fax: 416-971-2292

The OPIRG Office is open Monday to Thursday, 11am-6 pm. Please contact 
the office by phone with any questions: 416-978-7770.
OPIRG Toronto thanks all applicants, but only those applicants selected 
for an interview will be contacted, no later than 9pm on Tuesday April 
6. Should an interview candidate be unable to attend the interview in 
person, we can likely accommodate with an alternative arrangement. 
Please indicate in your cover letter if you think such accommodations 
will be necessary.

-------------------------

10) Queer Lite: Happy(er) Paps: Pap Testing 101 for LGBQ Women Workshop

Presented by “Check It Out: Queer Women Need Paps Too!”--Tuesday, March 
30th

When: 3:30-5:30pm (NOT 6:00-8:00pm)

Where: Rm. 322 Student Centre (CWTP Lounge)

This creative arts-based workshop will initiate a discussion on health 
care for LGBQ women, and provide information on Pap testing. Topics 
include: finding a healthcare provider, advocating for your Pap test, 
building comfort with your cervix and body, learning about the link 
between sex and cervical cancer, and tips on making your Pap test more 
comfortable. Trans women and men are welcome to attend the workshop, but 
the materials will primarily be focused for cis women since it’s pretty 
cervix focused. Trans men with cervixes can also find information at 
www.checkitoutguys.ca

“Check It Out: Queer Women Need Paps Too!” is a campaign to raise 
awareness amongst LGBQ women and their healthcare providers that we need 
Pap tests too. This is a project of the Queer Women's Health Initiative, 
a partnership between Planned Parenthood Toronto, Sherbourne Health 
Centre, Rainbow Health Ontario and Women's College Hospital . Additional 
community partners include: Asian Community AIDS Services, Good For Her 
and Women's Health in Women's Hands. “Check It Out: Queer Women Need 
Paps Too!” is generously supported by TD Bank Financial Group.

Because our bodies matter. Because informed choices are the best kinds. 
Because we deserve it.

The workshop will be conducted by Arti Mehta of Planned Parenthood Toronto.

Snacks and Refreshments will be provided.

Looking forward to seeing you here!

--------------------------------

11) Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA) NEW MEMBERS MEETING

Date: Thursday April 1st
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), Room 4422
252 Bloor St West, Toronto (St. George Subway Station)\

The Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA) and its associated
committees are holding a new members meeting for all those interested in
getting involved in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign
against Israeli Apartheid.

In 2005, 170 Palestinian civil society organizations issued a call for
international solidarity in the form of an organized BDS campaign that
involves a consumer, academic and cultural boycott. CAIA has responded to
this call by initiating BDS education and action in Toronto. The ever
growing and successful Israeli Apartheid Week is one example of such
coordinated effort. Join us at the new members meeting to find out about
other ongoing efforts and how to get involved in the Palestine solidarity
movement.

Refreshments will be provided.

For more information contact endapartheid at riseup.net

-----------------------------------------

12) Please spread the word about our growing Facebok group and Bill C-311:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=361963750008

We probably only have until the end of April.

Canada has an opportunity to take an historic leadership role in solving 
climate change. Bill C-311 is also known as the Climate Change 
Accountability Act. There is a huge difference between Stephen Harper's 
made in USA, weak, greenhouse gas targets and the ambitious targets in 
Bill C-311. If we want to avoid a more than two degree increase in 
temperature, a climate change tipping point, then our M.P.s must vote 
for this historic Bill. That's why I, Dante Ryel, have been 
participating in a water-only fast from March 3rd, the Day parliament 
resumed, until I can be assured that Bill C-311 will become law.

The NDP introduced Bill C-311 and the Bloc Quebecois will support it. We 
must pressure the leaders of the Liberal and Conservative parties to 
vote yes on Bill C-311. In fact, all we need is Liberal support! 
However, the Liberals have made no commitment and many people are scared 
that some in the party will vote no. We need to pressure them. Stephen 
Harper's Conservatives have consistently voted against Bill C-311, and 
have prevented any meaningful progress on climate change. The duration 
of my fast will be determined by the Liberals and/or the Conservatives 
because neither party has made a commitment to the bill.

Thank You,

Dante Ryel

--------------------------------------

13) The Canadian government is trying to cut funding/shut down the ONLY 
First Nations university in Canada.
See the video for more details, and please forward widely to write a 
letter to politicians.

!!!!Take Action!!!!!

Please watch the Four Friends video

The Four Friends video can be found at 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zc1xmmQlOY, then:

1. Send this video to FOUR Friends
2. Go to http://fnuniv.wordpress.com/letter/
3. Print the letter of support and send it to your MP, Minister of 
Indian Affairs, and/or the Prime Minister.

DRAFT LETTER

Dear [name of politician]

I am deeply concerned at the seeming indifference the government is 
displaying toward the faculty and staff at First Nations University who 
will be casualties of the irresponsible decision to close down the only 
Aboriginal university in Canada.

The closure of First Nations University would be unprecedented in Canada 
– no other Canadian university has ever been closed. I fear that such a 
closure could reflect deep-seated racial antipathy toward First Nations 
people.

The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations has shown good faith in 
initiating the changes required to bring the governance structures at 
First Nations University into conformity with those of other 
universities. A working group with representation
from all stakeholder groups is currently developing a revised funding 
and governance model for First Nations University. The University of 
Regina has expressed its willingness to support First Nations University.

Therefore I find it incomprehensible that the government continues to 
pursue a course of action that in the long run will be detrimental to 
all Aboriginal people, to the province of Saskatchewan and to Canada’s 
international reputation.

I urge you, in the strongest terms, to support the continued operation 
of First Nations University. As my representative, please urge the 
federal [provincial] government to reconsider its decision to withdraw 
funding for First Nations University and find a way to ensure its survival.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Yours sincerely,
____________________________

-------------------------------------

14)
The Ryerson Students' Union & CESAR proudly presents:

Keynote: Dr. Vandana Shiva Ph.D.

FRIDAY March 26
Doors @ 6:30PM, 7pm start
 From Boom to Bust: How Capitalism is Equity’s Burden and OUR Problem
LIB072, 380 Victoria St. (this is one block east of Yonge along Gould at 
the corner of Victoria St. and one block north of Dundas)

** FREE for Ryerson students with student id and $5 for community
Tickets available at the Member Services Office, Student Centre (55 
Gould St.) or at the door while supplies last.

Vandana Shiva is a physicist, ecologist, feminist activist, editor and 
author of many books, and the Vice President of Global Movement Slow 
Food International. She is quoted in documentaries such as the 
Corporation and Flow.

Then join us for the Global Awareness After-Party
9PM-Midnight
Thomas Lounge, Student Centre - 55 Gould St.
Spoken word, song and dance expressions of global consciousness through art.
Food and Cash Bar. ALL AGES

NOTE: We will also be collecting donations for the Toronto Women's 
Bookstore during these events.

Hope you can join us!
In solidarity, denise hammond

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15) Myths of Progressive Zionism: Labour, Race, Gender and Colonialism

Friday, March 26, 2010
Time:
7:30pm - 9:30pm
Location:
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), Rm 5260
Street:
252 Bloor St. West (at St. George subway)

with:

Dana Olwan - Assistant Professor of Gender Studies, Queen's University; 
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR), Kingston

Katherine Nastovski - Graduate student, Social and Political Thought, 
York University; Labour for Palestine, Toronto

Moderator: Herman Rosenfeld, retired CAW staff person

Organized by: Not In Our Name (NION) Jewish Voices Opposing Zionism 
(http://www.nion.ca)

---------------------------------------

16) “Airlines don’t just move bodies; we move all that desperation. We 
fly all those dreams.”

The Movement Project presents:

How We Forgot Here

by Gein Wong, Marika Schwandt, Malinda Francis and Eva Rose Tabobondung

March 22 - 28, 2010 (one week only!)

Tuesday - Saturday 8pm, Saturday & Sunday 2pm (Monday 8pm Preview PWYC)
Walnut Studio Loft 83 Walnut St. (W. of Bathurst, S. of King - next to 
Stanley Park)

Tickets:
$15 advance at The Toronto Women’s Bookstore (TWBS), located 73 Harbord 
Street.
$20 at the door | ($2 from your advance ticket will go towards the TWBS)
Receive a free copy of Gein Wong's new CD 'Burning Money for You' with 
each ticket.

Following the tremendous success of last year’s sold out workshop 
presentations, The Movement Project invites you to join them onboard 
Eagle Airlines, Canada’s newest Indigenous-run airline, for the fully 
mounted production of How We Forgot Here. On this flight you will be 
immersed in a pulsating, multi-artistic journey of memories that reveal 
the complexities of migration and settlement in Toronto.

How did we get here? Where are our ancestors from?
What have we forgotten along the way?

With visual projections, film, theatre, live electronic music, and 
spoken word poetry, your trip aboard Eagle Airlines will call upon the 
multiplicity of voices easily lost in the city hustle.

Featuring: Malinda Francis, Rosina Kazi, Marika Schwandt, Ryan 
Symington, Eva-Rose Tabobondung and Gein Wong

The Movement Project consists of playwright, poet and music composer 
Gein Wong (2010 KM Hunter Award in Theatre nominee); actor and dancer, 
Marika Schwandt (Spotlight Award, The Art of Catching Pigeons by 
Torchlight Summerworks 2009); and filmmaker Malinda Francis (a.k.a. 
docuvixen).

Bringing artists together from multiple disciplines, The Movement 
Project was formed in 2007 to capture the often silenced narratives of 
those who have come to live in Toronto and in Canada through various 
processes of migration. Informed by interviews and countless personal 
conversations, How We Forgot Here invites the audience to consider some 
of these stories and the process it takes to call a place ‘home’. With 
support from the Ontario Arts Council, How We Forgot Here is the first 
'movement' in a series of performances to be developed in the coming years.

www.themovementproject.ca

---------------------------------------------

17) Our special Fifth Anniversary celebrations are guaranteed to be 
unforgettable! Featuring awards in categories including Hottest Kink 
Film, Sexiest Straight Movie, Steamiest Trans Movie and many more!

Hosted by Morgan Brayton (www.morganbrayton.com),with special 
correspondent Ryan G. Hinds.

Friday, April 9, 2010 at 9:00pm
Location:
Berkeley Church
Street:
315 Queen Street East

+ ILL NANA (check out 
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1263892736&ref=mf for more info!)

+ Saucy and inventive "Bollywood burlesque" from MASTI KHOR

+ The show-stopping bombshell COCO LA CREME ( see 
http://skintightouttasight.com for more info)

+ DJ COZMIC CAT Spinning awesome tunes so you can shake your moneymaker 
long into the night

+ a verrrry sexy silent auction and raffle, tasty treats, and an amazing 
good time to be had!

Please join us as we welcome adult performers and directors from far and 
wide including Nica Noelle, Shine Louise Houston, Tristan Taormino, 
April Flores, Dylan Ryan, Courtney Trouble, Astrid Glitter, Judy Minx, 
Julie Simone, May Ling Su, Sophia St. James, Jiz Lee, Madison Young, 
Tina Horn, and many more.

Tickets: $15 advance/$20 door
$25 for combo tickets to awards + screening
$75 for VIP tickets (both awards and screening, + VIP pre-party, 
priority seating and gift bag worth over $250 - Limited availability - 
VIP ticket price goes to $100 after March 15)

Tickets available at Good For Her (175 Harbord Street) or online at 
http://www.goodforher.com/catalog/feminist_porn_awards_tickets

VIP Pre-Party: 8-9 pm
General Doors: 9 pm
Show 9:30 pm

This venue is wheelchair accessible, with partially wheelchair 
accessible washrooms (IE: They are not regulation accessible, but have 
larger doors plus a support bar, that will be helpful for some people, 
but sadly, may be inaccessible for some)+ ASL interpretation will be 
provided for the stage show. Please contact Good For Her for any other 
accessibility concerns.

Please see our other event as part of the Feminist Porn Awards: 
Public.Provocative.Porn: The Year's Best in Feminist Film here: 
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?invites&eid=355822026835

This event is generously sponsored by:
Hotmoviesforher.com, Happy Valley Silicone, Aslan Leather, The 
Everything To Do With Sex Show, Je Joue, Oh Mi Bod, Good Releasing, 
Tantus and Lelo.

--------------------------------------------

18) Join No One Is Illegal – Toronto and take to the streets to demand 
Status for All on May Day – May 1, 2010!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Time:
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Location:
St. Jamestown
Street:
Wellesley Street and Ontario Street

We believe that the struggle for Status for All is the struggle for good 
jobs, housing, food, education, shelter, freedom, justice and dignity 
for all people

Check out pictures and videos from the last four years: 
http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/mayday

To join the No One Is Illegal - Toronto mailing list, email 
nooneisillegal at riseup.net

Stay tuned for updates on the march and a fabulous May Day party after it.

(Check out the links to see what we have been doing this year)