*UPDATE* Five Councillors - Shelley Carroll, Mike Layton, Josh Matlow, Gordon Perks and Kristyn Wong-Tam - have signed a letter denouncing the violence and asking the Mayor to change course: https://www.cp24.com/news/city-councillors-call-on-tory-to-stop-extreme-show-of-force-when-dismantling-encampments-1.5521002 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The scenes that have unfolded across Toronto over the past month of forced evictions are seared into our collective consciousness. The photos and videos speak volumes of our shame. Armed and militarized police forces physically assaulting civilians in the name of "public safety". Weapons deployed to beat the unhoused and their supporters alike. Choke holds responsible for numerous deaths in the United States deployed right here in Toronto, caught on camera for the world to see. [1-4] The actions of Toronto Police in destroying the camps where people have fled both the housing crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic are reprehensible, and unless our elected leaders immediately denounce the violence and halt the evictions, they make us all complicit. There is no universe in which it can be credibly claimed that paying people to assault our neighbours with weapons serves the cause of public safety. And yet that is exactly what Mayor Tory claimed this effort was about when confronted with images of the violence. [5] It is clear that the way public safety is delivered in Toronto must be completely reimagined. The first step on that road is for every elected leader in city government to go on the record unequivocally condemning the extreme police violence deployed in Alexandra Park, Trinity Bellwoods Park, and Lamport Stadium, and to put a halt to all further use of force against our unhoused neighbours. Housed or not, Toronto is our home. We all deserve to feel safe here. But it won't happen on its own. It's clear we can't count on the police to deliver that safety. It's up to us to demand it. A massive petition will show Mayor Tory and the Council that the entire city is fed up with the cycle of abuse and aggression - and with an election next year, that just might be enough to get them to start making some changes. Add your name today and spread the word. *Note* For more ways to help, check out the No Encampment Evictions Toolkit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xc_P333h8UuoWyx970rxqNgw07BlUVzPZR2ncKq0eOs/edit Sources (note: some of these photos depict violence committed by our public servants and can be disturbing) 1) Photo of a dangerous "knee to neck" chokehold TPD claims they don't use: https://twitter.com/canto_general/status/1417958275774025736?s=20 2) Photo of TPD officer using a weapon to beat a person: https://twitter.com/lorrainelamchop/status/1418273031621906435 3) Several photos, including one of a TPD officer grabbing a person by the throat: https://twitter.com/ChrisYphoto/status/1418210773097230336?s=20 4) Photo of TPD throwing a person to the ground to arrest them while racing to grab another onlooker: https://twitter.com/EVYSTADIUM/status/1418274967867871235 5) Vice: "Toronto Cops Say They Did 'Tremendous Job' After Beating People, Destroying Homeless Camp" - https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3xgza/toronto-cops-say-they-did-tremendous-job-after-beating-people-destroying-homeless-camp

Join us - Because now we are older, wiser, angrier. Because we know that action builds hope.

Nurses carried Alberta through the pandemic. But instead of rewarding them for their heroic efforts, Jason Kenney is threatening them with a 3% pay cut. [1] It’s a slap in the face. Nurses have worked flat out to care for us and our loved ones amidst this unprecedented health crisis, scrambling to keep up with surging COVID-19 case numbers, understaffed hospitals, and inadequate medical supplies. Add in the constant threat of contracting the virus, and it’s no wonder many nurses have been at the breaking point for months. [2] If you agree that we should support - not punish - our hard-working nurses after they’ve done so much to care for all of us - will you sign the petition calling on Kenney to pay Alberta nurses the wages they deserve? Sources [1] ​​https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/alberta-nursing-union-says-government-wants-them-to-take-a-3-pay-cut [2] https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/07/08/barely-out-of-a-pandemic-heres-why-jason-kenneys-government-is-picking-a-fight-with-alberta-nurses.html

Our communities have recently been rocked by the discovery of the bodies of 215 children at the Kamloops Residential Schools on Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc territories. The MMIWG Inquiry and TRC have both found that the legacy of Residential Schools across what is now known as Canada constitutes genocide. We need our political leaders to push us towards Reconciliation and Decolonization, not cast doubt on the harm caused by colonization. Source: Jimmy Thomson, Managing Editor at Capital Daily, https://twitter.com/jwsthomson/status/1403063112941506563

As students of Queen Alexandra Middle School and members of the community (which is the neighbouring institute of Dundas Public School), we firmly believe that Henry Dundas is not an appropriate representative of our community. By continuing to honour his memory, we celebrate histories of colonialism and enslavement that conflict with our shared values of tolerance and inclusion. Further, the name doesn’t reflect the diverse populations that make up our student bodies.

Our communities are sharing in the collective grief of generations of children, women, men & 2SLGBTQQIA persons who have been stolen, abused and murdered. The bodies of 215 children were discovered buried on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School, adding to the growing list of 4,100 children previously identified by the TRC’s Missing Children’s Project, and the ongoing genocide against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA persons. We ask for the Government of Canada, as well as Provincial and Territorial Governments, to take swift and immediate action to support our communities.

Supporting the needs of Ontario children and families: Ontario’s Early Learning Framework sets social justice as a milestone for preschool aged children [1] . With childcare being a foundational aspect of education it is essential anti-racism is included in this foundation. Mayor of Toronto, John Tory, stated that, “Anti-Black racism exists in Toronto,” [2] and in June of 2020 anti-Black racism was declared a public health crisis unanimously by the Toronto Board of Health [3]. For early childhood programs this means they must reflect this reality. According to census data, in the province of Ontario just about 30% of the population is racialized [4]. Regardless of population demographics all children benefit from educators who are trained in anti-racism. Research has shown that Black preschool children are monitored by teachers at a higher rate than white children [5]. Pre-service educators and care workers must be informed and knowledgeable of racialized experiences, the systems reproducing anti-Black racism and how to support Black and racialized children, families, and staff. The Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism suggests that “changes are needed to ensure that Black children and youth, including those who identify as queer and transgender, have access to the programs, protections, and supports that all children and youth need to grow up healthy, safe, and confident.” Early childhood programming must be ready to offer trauma-informed supports to Black children and youth. It is negligible to deny education and care workers in pre-service programs the researched-based knowledge surrounding anti-racism. Children have a right to be educated by people with anti-racism education: Black and Indigenous children are overrepresented in Ontario’s child welfare system not only in care, but also in decision to investigate [6]. Early Childhood Educators in Ontario contribute to this overrepresentation in investigations though their duty to report to Children’s Aid Society. Without anti-racism education and accountability, the sector will continue to contribute to the overrepresentation of Black and Indigenous families being investigated and separated by child welfare agencies. Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), every child has the right to be educated by someone who is knowledgeable of their cultural identity, language and values. Under the same article, children also have the right to be educated in preparation for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equity and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons with Indigenous origin (Article 29) [7]. Early education and care is the foundational structure in which society balances on. It is vital to prepare educators with understanding of children’s worlds and reality before they enter spaces where it is their responsibility to uphold children’s rights. Canada ratified the UNCRC in 1991 [8] and under the ratification, it is our responsibility to push the state parties to undertake the necessary changes to support children’s rights. Children start constructing understandings of race and racism by three months old: Research indicates that children start constructing their understanding of race at a very young age and reproduce social power dynamics through play [9]. Children not only interpret their realities based on information from society but they themselves are contributing to social constructs such as race and racism [10]. It is urgent that the adults within young people’s learning environments understand how conversations and movement around race and racism can come to be. Research shows that children as young as 3-months-old start showing racial preferences [11], and by the time children reach preschool negative racial biases have already started to form [12]. Research continues to showcase that anti-racist teaching must first stem from an educator’s understanding of systems of power that play into racism [13]. Without this research-based knowledge early educators may consider their work to be a good deed rather than a source of agency and social justice change. Early childhood educators are the gatekeepers of anti-racist information within the classroom. Educators and care workers must be guided in their pre-service education to feel a need of importance around anti-racist teaching and must feel equipped with this teaching. We are calling on all directors and chairs of early childhood pre-service programs, and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to ensure that anti-racism becomes a mandatory aspect of pre-service education for all early childhood educators in Ontario. Co-Signed: Community of Black Early Childhood Educators, Parents of Black Children, ANCHOR (formerly Vaughan African Canadian Association), Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, Bhutila Karpoche, NDP Member of Provincial Parliament, Parkdale-High Park, Official Critic for the Early Years and Child Care, Arif Virani, Member of Parliament for Parkdale-High Park, Compass Early Learning and Care, Carolyn Ferns, Policy Coordinator, Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare, Early Years Professionals RISE UP T.O., Abigail Doris, Executive Coordinator, Toronto Community for Better Child Care, Laura Mae Lindo NDP Member of Provincial Parliament, Official Critic for Anti-Racism and Colleges and Universities, Ogho Ikhalo, Director of Women’s & Human Rights Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), CRRC - Community Race Relations Committee of Peterborough, Child Care Now (Ottawa), Family Supports Institute Ontario, CUPE Local 2484, Afro Women and Youth Foundation, Queen Victoria P.S. Black Student Success Committee (QVBSSC), CUPE local 2204 - Child Care Workers of Eastern Ontario , ECE Power Ottawa, Fast & Female *For citations see AntiRacismECE.wixsite.com/Ontario

To bring all these people together while we are still in the grips of fighting the corona virus is irresponsible. The world is still not ahead in the fight to control this virus and would likely lead to a high transmission rate that would be especially unfair to the people of Tokyo. We can accommodate athletes and competition in a revised format in the future.

Greyhound is pulling its services out of Canada, leaving many rural and low-income communities stranded. [1] It’s a massive loss to all of us who rely on Greyhound to get to work, visit our families, and access critical services. Private companies are clamouring to fill the gap Greyhound left behind — but they’re fully prepared to abandon remote and Indigenous communities in favour of more lucrative routes. [2] This move could mean social and economic isolation for thousands. And for many Indigenous women, the difference between a bus ride and a hitchhike could be life and death. [3] With entire communities deserted for the bottom line, it’s never been more clear that we need a publicly funded, national bus service that is safe, reliable, and affordable. The federal government is in crisis talks to replace Greyhound — and companies like Megabus are fighting hard to get in on the new market. [4] Time is short — but a massive injection of public pressure could be enough to force a publicly-funded national bus service into the federal conversation. Will you add your name to stand up for accessible, affordable, and green transportation for all? [1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/greyhound-canada-1.6025276 [2] https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/greyhound-bus-column-don-pittis-1.6026564 [3] https://globalnews.ca/news/7860104/greyhound-closure-disaster-communities/ [4] https://globalnews.ca/news/7863365/megabus-ottawa-toronto-kingston-greyhound-canada/

The proposed policy changes negatively affect the quality of care. The proposed changes to age groups are particularly concerning. Current Preschool age groups include children 30 months-6 years old. Under the proposed changes, Preschool age groups would include children aged 24 months - 5years old. Current Kindergarten age groups include children 44-68 months old. Under the proposed changes, Kindergarten age groups would shift to children aged 44 months - 7 years old. Mixing children of these young ages (24 months) with those who are older is not developmentally appropriate. When children are grouped by their developmental proximity, educators can better meet the needs of all children in the room. It is difficult to plan programing for and to equally support groups of children that are so different developmentally. Under the proposed changes, the staffing ratios for each age group appear to remain constant. The staffing ratio for each named age group remains constant, but the age of the children included in these groups has changed. 24 month old children were previously in maximum groupings of 15 children, with a 1:5 staff to child ratio. Under the changes, 24 month old children are now consider preschoolers, and would be in maximum groupings of 24 children, with 1:6 staff to child support. These changes put children safety at risk. There is less supervision of younger, more vulnerable groups, putting children's well-being at risk.

Roughly 16% of couples in Canada experience infertility. This number has doubled since the 1980s. Furthermore, the costs of fertility treatments can be prohibitively expensive. For example, fertility treatment for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) can cost between $15,000 to $23,000 (plus $2,000-$7,000 for medications). Currently, the majority of Canadian provinces do NOT offer funding for fertility treatments. And without funding, treatments become impossible to afford for many Canadians. Thus, we are leaving them with the unfortunate reality of never getting to become parents. ... MORE INFORMATION “In a country where about one in six Canadian couples experiences infertility, this poses a financial barrier for many.” - CBC “Canada is often lauded for its universal health-care system. But no comprehensive coverage exists for assisted fertility treatments, such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF).” - CBC “Roughly 16% (or 1 in 6) couples in Canada experience infertility. This number has doubled since the 1980s.” - Public Health Agency of Canada “IVF can cost between $15,000 to $23,000 (excluding costs of medications) depending on the level of intervention necessary. Medications are not covered by OHIP.” - Hannam Fertility Clinic “... infertility treatment causes high stress and puts a large burden on people's emotions and relationships.” - CBC “... it can cause severe emotional distress and affect someone's long-term well-being. “"Some people perceive suffering from infertility as like having cancer," he said, adding it's important to have networks of support.”” - CBC “Treatment coverage currently exists in only four provinces and varies significantly. Ontario provides funding to cover the first round of IVF. Manitoba offers a tax credit and New Brunswick has a grant to help cover partial costs. Quebec previously covered three rounds of IVF, but rolled back its coverage in November 2015 to a refundable tax credit. The remaining nine provinces and territories have no coverage.” - CBC “‘Fortunately we had the resources to do that,’ said Montgomery, ‘That also kind of felt unfair because I felt, well okay, that's great for us, but what about all those other couples out there that don't have equity to leverage to do this or investments that they can cash out on?’ - CBC “..."That's what I can afford. I'm not willing to go into debt for this process.” - CBC “...having a standard, publicly funded system across provinces would improve the safety and quality of IVF services and lower health-care costs in the long run.” "I think that one of the fundamental benefits of having something that is uniform, that is national, is that every individual Canadian and IVF patient is going to be treated similarly and have access to the same kind of treatment," - CBC “Canada does not have universal coverage for assisted fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization...” - CBC “Dr. Anthony Cheung, a Vancouver-based fertility specialist, said fertility needs to be more integrated in the public health system, adding that treatments are covered in Australia and many European countries.” - CBC Ottawa Fertility Clinic the costs for treatments are - example

This government is politicizing the distribution of vaccines to low-income and needy people. They are using it to gain votes in the next election. This is wrong.