Members of AW@L have spent the last several months organizing for the G8/G20 in Toronto. We have also been organizing in Kitchener-Waterloo to educate and mobilize resistance against the so-called leaders and their summit. From June 18-28, we will be on the streets in Toronto, we hope to see you there.

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Toronto Community Mobilization Network

http://attacktheroots.net

Event against the proposed cut in the McGuinty Liberals budget planned for May 20

Waterloo Region, ON

Waterloo Region community members are saying the McGuinty Liberals should reconsider axing the Special Diet Allowance as announced in their latest budget by demonstrating the need for increased access to healthy food for Waterloo Region's poor. An informal group of concerned Waterloo Region will be distributing free, healthy food as well as information about the Special Diet Allowance this Thursday, May 20 from 4:00pm-6:00pm at Speakers Corner in Downtown Kitchener. John Milloy, the Kitchener Centre Liberal MPP is being invited to attend.

Earthroots, Press Release, May 18:

Ontario’s forests still at risk

Some of the world’s largest clearcuts still planned in the province

Toronto - Despite announcements made [yesterday], the devastation of Ontario’s forests continues largely unabated. Giant clearcuts, which level forested areas as large as pre-megacity Toronto (10,000 ha), still make up 94% of the area logged each year in Ontario. Canada’s logging industry employs only 2/3 of the workers per tree cut that Sweden employs, and Ontario has still not respected the human right of Indigenous peoples to say “no” to logging on their traditional lands.

No One Is Illegal-Toronto: Firing Jason Kenney, Building a Sanctuary City

TORONTO – For five years, Migrant Justice organizers have built on the history of May Day in Toronto, creating the momentum for a massive Immigrant Rights demonstration on May 1. This work came alive on Saturday, May 1, 2010 as well over two thousand people gathered in one of North America’s most densely populated Immigrant neighbourhoods, St. Jamestown, to fight for Status for All!

For pictures, video and more from the march, check out: http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/453

One hundred and fifty risk arrest to donate to Abdelrazik
Sanctions-busting telethon a tremendous success

A sanctions-busting telethon held in support of Abousfian Abdelrazik in Montreal yesterday was a resounding success. More than 150 people from across the country responded to the appeal to donate to Abdelrazik, though they were aware that they risked federal prosecution by doing so.

Three-Hundred Signatories Condemn Invitation of Anti-Native Militia Leaders to Conference on Aboriginal Policy

Press Release
May 5,

Calgary – Hundreds of scholars and concerned citizens have signed an open letter opposing the invitation of anti-native militia leaders to the "New Directions in Aboriginal Policy” conference at Mount Royal University in Calgary on May 5.

Open Letter Protesting the Presence of Anti-Native “Militia” Leaders at the May 5th Aboriginal Policy Forum

Know Your Rights

April 29, 2010

Attorney Davin Charney says there is a "systemic problem of illegal detentions, arrests and searches of people who refuse to identify themselves to police."

Waterloo Regional Police are once again facing a civil suit for wrongdoing. On August 2, 2009 two members of the Waterloo Regional Police arrested Davin Charney and Mark Corbiere for failing to identify themselves as they walked out of the Kitchener Farmers Market. The two have filed a claim in the Kitchener Small Claims Court.

Toronto Community Mobilization Network
Press Release: April 28, 2010

Toronto— At the conclusion of the Halifax demonstrations against the G8 Development Ministerial, Toronto activists are finalizing plans for a week of similar events during the June G20 Summit, to mark the G20's unwillingness to meet its own commitments to global equality.

Sanctions Busting Telethon on April 28

www.peoplescommission.org/abdelrazik
Call in: 877 737 4070
Build the pressure! Break the Sanctions!

Tune in to rabble.ca to watch the telethon broadcast live or listen to live updates on CKUT 90.3 FM

Project Fly Home is organizing the first ever "Sanctions-busting Telethon and Spaghetti Dinner" on April 28th to publicly celebrate our open defiance of the 1267 sanctions regime, challenging the fear, racism and isolation it creates and feeds on. The evening will include dinner and a host of poets, performers, speakers and actors who will join us for this truly unique evening.

On April 28th, 2008, Abousfian Abdelrazik went public with his story of detention, torture and exile and claimed refuge in the Canadian Embassy in Khartoum. He lived in the Embassy for more than a year, unable to leave the grounds, until the government was forced to bring him back to Montreal. Two years later, he is home but still not free.

Also check out the callout for a major anti-prison demo in Toronto on June 27 to close out the Convergence against the G8/G20: http://FireWorksForPrisons.wordpress.com
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“THE PASSION FOR FREEDOM IS STRONGER THAN THEIR PRISONS!”

On Sunday, April 18th, 40-50 Anarchists and their friends held a noise demo in solidarity with prisoners locked up at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex and Vanier Center for Women. This superprison is located 30 minutes west of Toronto. As the march began, the front sign into the prison was spray-painted with the slogans “against prison” and “against police.” We walked around the (large) perimeter of the institution with banners, yelling fierce chants, lighting fireworks and banging on drums. The prisoners mirrored our excitement with powerful rhythmic banging, yelling and cheering. This enthusiastic response was felt deep in our crew. We were inspired to see the immediate and tangible result of our solidarity. The cops and screws were certainly not pleased with our presence there (and we certainly are never pleased with their presence anywhere). Despite the cops’ intentions, no arrests were made. On the way out we cut through the parking lot to distribute flyers.

G8/G20 CONVERGENCE 2010

http://g20.torontomobilize.org

ALL OUT AGAINST THE G8/G20!
25-27 June 2010

The Group of 8 Leaders and the Group of 20 Leaders are meeting in Ontario, from the 25th to the 27th of June, 2010. On these same dates we are calling for a people's convergence in Toronto.

These gatherings are about trying to fix capitalism, a system that cannot be fixed; about creating unsustainable trading solutions to ecological catastrophe; about ensuring the continued exploitation of people of colour and the South and about celebrating war as a means to create puppet allies
and maintain imperialist power.

This is a call to disrupt and shut down the places, the systems and the ideas that exploit and exclude us.

In their place, let us creatively build the world we wish to live in. A world with self-determination for indigenous peoples; climate and environmental justice; income equity and community control over resources; migrant justice and an end to war and occupation; gender justice, queer and disAbility rights.

On these days, we call for Days of Action across the world that showcase solutions from the ground up.

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) Presents:

Raise the Rates!

Rally and March on the McGuinty Government:
Thursday, April 15th @ 12 Noon, Allan Gardens Park (Toronto), Free Meal

The Special Diet Has Been Cut!
WE DEMAND:
* Raise Welfare and Disability rates by 40% now!
* Stop the attacks: Give us back the Special Diet!
* Defend Public Services

"Clean Water = Our Survival"

March and rally bring legacy of poisoned water to Queen's Park

“The mills take from our forest, and then give us back disease and sickness and death. Our people have suffered for 40 years from mercury poisoning, and now this sickness is being passed on to our children in the womb. We must stop the mills from destroying our forests, our water and our culture for the survival of all people.” Judy Da Silva

Full coverage and background at FreeGrassy.org

AW@L Radio podcast at rabble.ca

AW@L Radio report from the march: VIDEO

Featured coverage "Mercury danger remains at Grassy Narrows: on CBC's The National

more media coverage

On Fossil Fools Day in Waterloo...

From The Media Coop, April 2, by Dan Kellar

The Waterloo Police chose to protect the corporate interests of the Royal Bank of Canada and arrested a peaceful protester after he dropped 2 banners from an uptown branch of the RBC. Indigenous Rights activist, Mark Corbiere, 25, who lives in Kitchener (on the Haldimand Tract), was arrested and charged with mischief under $5000 for his part in dropping two banners which read “Boycott RBC” and “Create a Better Canada, Stop the Tar Sands” respectively. The Royal Bank is the most prominent financier of the tar sands industrial project which is devastating the heart of the boreal forest in central Canada.

Anti-Racist Activists and Students to Rally again Today against Gary McHale’s Anti-Native Demonstration in Caledonia.

For Immediate Release, March 28 2010

For the second week in a row, union and student activists are planning to rally in solidarity with Six Nations, to take a stand against racist, anti-native agitator Gary McHale.

Caledonia, Ontario—Today at 1pm a group of activists associated with the Six Nations Solidarity Network will converge at the Caledonia Lion’s Hall at 100 Haddington Street, for a counter-demonstration to an anti-native rally planned by Gary McHale. The message from the solidarity activists is that there is strong non-native support for Six Nations and that in the context of Caledonia, the only systemic racism being perpetuated is that which is being directed against the people of Six Nations.