[Org4j-announce] More Ontario Fightback, after student walkout

[Organizing 4Justice]

After the very successful students' walkout across Ontario, here is more on
Ontario fightback against the Ford government's policies.

* Post-walkout: Contacts & media (footage and inteviews)
* Overall analysis: article, and videos of three panel discussions
* Labour/wages: Update & call to action
* Events in Ottawa: Friday evening meeting; Thursday afternoon talk
+ how to subscribe for more event listings...

Hopefully links and connections can be made between the people and
collectives working on the different issues, those featured in this email
and elsewhere.

If there's something more you'd like us to send over this list please let
us know:
org4justice at gmail.com


 *¡* *please forward this email !*


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*** THE STUDENT WALKOUT ***

Want to connect with student organizers in Ottawa?
Nepean HS organizers can be contacted at sdwye11 at gmail.com
If you'd like to reach the organizers from other local schools, email your
message for them to ^ and/or us (org4justice at gmail.com)

Video from Nepean HS (30min)
https://www.facebook.com/atdillonblack/videos/10102055445029385/

Post-walkout interview with three Toronto-based student organizers,
Amina/Ben/Thea (50min)
https://soundcloud.com/nobordersmedia/ontariohighschoolwalkout

Pre-walkout interview with one Toronto-based student organizer, Indygo
(28min)
https://soundcloud.com/scott-neigh-talking-radical/high-school-student-walkout-in-ontario


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*** ANALYSIS - Read & Watch/Listen ***

Recent article by John Clarke of OCAP, who was/were similarily fighting the
Mike Harris government 20 years ago:

"Ontario becomes a testing ground for hyper austerity"
https://www.counterfire.org/articles/analysis/19879-ontario-becomes-a-testing-ground-for-hyper-austerity

+

Summary, and links to videos, of three panel discussion about fighting back
against Ford's government, that were held soon after his election:

"Ontario fightback: Lessons from organizing workshops across Ontario"
http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/activist-toolkit-blog/2018/07/ontario-fightback-lessons-organizing-workshops-across


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*** LABOUR / WAGES ***

(from Fight for $15 & Fairness)

Email the Premier NOW! https://www.15andfairness.org/email_your_mpp

"Premier Doug Ford says his government will “get rid” of Bill 148, the
labour reform law that raised minimum wage and gave part-time and contract
workers job security and protections. In a surprise statement during
question period, Ford announced the repeal of the bill, claiming the issue
was top of mind when he talked to “thousands and thousands of people”
across the province. Minutes later, Economic Development Minister Jim
Wilson clarified, saying the government is still “consulting” on Bill
148... "[The new laws] are not perks for workers,” [$15 & Fairness
organizer Pam] Frache told CTV News Toronto “These are basic tools to help
people survive.” Frache stressed that “rolling back labour rights by
decades” would affect millions of workers across the province. She is
calling on the premier to “do the right thing.” Frache said while Ford’s
statement was “disappointing,” it isn’t final. The government will still
have to enact new legislation that rewrites Ontario’s labour laws."


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*** OTTAWA EVENTS ***

There is a "public meeting" about Ford's attacks on education, being held
this Friday evening with discussion started by a talk by Alan Sears... who
also is giving a different talk on Thursday afternoon.

(*we aren't sure how much of it will be a meeting, vs how much will be a
talk)


Public Meeting - Re-tooling Ontario's Mind Factories: Doug Ford's Attack on
Education
7PM Friday October 5
U of Ottawa, Desmarais Bldg, Rm 8161, 55 Laurier E.
https://www.facebook.com/events/461599254349731/

Since the election, Doug Ford has taken three profoundly reactionary
actions on education:
• Replacement of the current Sex Ed curriculum with a much older one,
depriving students of critical information they need.
• Refusal to fund Indigenous input into development of a new Truth and
Reconciliation mandated curriculum on Indigenous issues.
• Threat to discontinue funding to Universities or Colleges that don’t
adopt a ‘freedom of speech’ policy making it easier for racists and other
bigots to get a platform on campus.

The Tory plan to inflict massive cuts to Ontario's budget is intended to
discipline us into the passivity they require so the 1% can build even
larger fortunes at our expense. With many more battles over education
looming on the horizon, it's never been more important to understand what
we are fighting against. The impressive province-wide strike by high school
students is an impressive start for the resistance we need to mount.
Discussion will be opened with a talk by Alan Sears, Professor of
Sociology, Ryerson University and author of Retooling the Mind Factory:
Education in a Lean State. The event is sponsored by the Ottawa New
Socialists (ONS).

Accessibility: venue is accessible to individuals with mobility issues.
For more information contact ottawa at newsocialist.org

+

"Resistance in Right Populist Times" with Dr. Alan Sears
2:30PM Thursday October 4
A720 Loeb Building, Carleton University

Right populism is opening up a renewed political base for neoliberalism
after the global slump of 2008, based on a misdirection of the insecurity
deliberately created by years of austerity and restructuring. The challenge
of resistance is to build the power from below that can genuinely address
the sources of growing insecurity after 35 years of neoliberal rule.

Alan Sears is Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Ryerson
University and is a long-time activist. His writing includes The Next New
Left: A History of the Future (Fernwood) and (with James Cairns) The
Democratic Imagination: Envisioning Popular Power in the Twenty-First
Century (University of Toronto Press), as well as many pieces of education,
sexuality, and social theory.

This lecture is part of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology Fall
2018 Colloquium Series: Populism Today. For more information, please
contact Justin Paulson at justin.paulson at carleton.ca


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** *More emails? ***

If you got this email from a forward, you can subscribe at
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/org4j-announce

Two other local lists, with weekly event listings, are:
* Radical Events Ottawa (every Monday)
http://punchupcollective.tumblr.com/reo
* OPIRG-Carleton Wednesday Weekly
http://www.opirgcarleton.org/blog/


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