[van-announce] TODAY: Rally to kick off ‘On to Ottawa’ Caravan for the Peoples Social Forum

[Derrick]

*For immediate release*
Rally to kick off  ‘On to Ottawa’ Caravan leaving Vancouver for the Peoples Social Forum 
Today’s event a Crab Park features local labour, Indigenous and environmental activists
August 14, 2014 
VANCOUVER -- A rally is being held tonight, 6pm at Crab Park (Main Street and E. Waterfront), to kick-off a cross-Canada Caravan to the Peoples Social Forum, which takes place August 21st to 24th. A broad range of social activists from British Columbia are travelling to Ottawa to take place in this unprecedented meeting of progressives from Quebec, Canada and First Nations communities. 
“There’s a strong tradition of Caravans for social justice across Canada, and this send off event is taking place at the site of the monument to honour the original 1935 On to Ottawa trekkers,” explained Derrick O’Keefe, an organizer with the BC Committee for the Peoples Social Forum. 
In 1935 the ‘On to Ottawa Trek’ became a political flashpoint in the midst of the Great Depression, as men from work camps hopped on freight cars to head for the nation’s capital to protest. The trekkers were severely repressed and stopped in Regina, but the Trek helped lead to the defeat of the Conservative government of the day. 
This event at Crab Park today will feature prominent supporters of the Social Forum and participants in the Caravan, including: Cecilia Point of the Musqueam First Nation, Brigette DePape of the Council of Canadians, Rachel Tutte of the BC Health Coalition and Audrey Siegl, a local Indigenous and anti-poverty activist who is running for Vancouver City Council. 
Tonight’s Crab Park event will also feature the iconic image from a multi-media project titled "This Edge of Courage" -- developed by Prav Pillay, Artist and Community Strategist in Residence at R.A.V.E.N. (Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs) -- which will be travelling with the Caravan to Ottawa. 
The On to Ottawa Caravan to the Peoples Social Forum will pick up additional passengers and hold events and art displays across Canada over the next week, stopping in Langley, Kamloops, Calgary, Moose Jaw, Regina, Brandon, Winnipeg, Kenora, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste Marie, Sudbury and other points in between before reaching Ottawa in one week. 
“In addition to taking people to Ottawa, the Caravan will hear from people across Canada who are fed up with the Harper government and want to send a message on to Ottawa,” O’Keefe explained. 
The Peoples Social Forum is endorsed by a broad range of organizations, including the BC Federation of Labour, and will include thousands of participants from various social movements, unions, universities and First Nations from across the country will debate and explore different avenues in terms of economy, work, governance, democracy, intergenerational equality and environment. 
Speakers will include author and journalist Naomi Klein, and many representatives from Indigenous nations, environmental organizations and labour unions. The Peoples’ Social Forum is also a festive event that will host various exhibits, film screenings, a mass critical protest, a pow-wow, street performances and concerts. 
For more information or to register: peoplessocialforum.org. You can follow the Caravan's progress on Twitter @SocialForum_BC #oto2014 
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Contact: 
Derrick O’Keefe, BC Organizer: 604.803.6927 
Roger Rashi, Peoples Social Forum: 613-236-7230 #7971