Our hearts have been heavy these last few days since the overturning of Roe V Wade. A whole generation of people in a first-world country are now second-class citizens. They have lost autonomy over their bodies. When we look at our daughters, and around at all people in our lives we wonder- how safe are all of us from the same fate in Canada? The answer to that question is unfortunately not very. The lack of legislation pertaining to abortions in Canada is a scary double-edged sword. No legislation means no precedent to build on but it also means there is an empty slate for precedent to be introduced. This is why it is so important to name and understand how dangerous these Bills, being introduced and voted in favour of by conservatives really are. Now is not the time to be complacent, it's not the time to say it couldn't happen here. It is time to say we refuse to let it happen here. We want to add that this isn’t a partisan issue. While the conservatives are the only real threat to abortion rights at the moment we would hold any party or MP to the same account.

• The proposed LRT expressway would run through Eglinton Flats; some of the most valuable green space in the city of Toronto. This parkland is a designated greenbelt zone that includes one of the city’s largest regional networks of sports facilities and offers an idyllic setting to enjoy nature. • Clear cutting large swaths of mature urban forest to accommodate this elevated proposal would destroy ecologically sensitive areas, wildlife habitat and a critical wildlife corridor that connects to the Humber River System to the Eglinton Flats, Fergy Brown Park, Pearen Park, Topham Pond and Gladhurst Park. Species at risk, both Threatened and Endangered, that are protected in Canada under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), have been identified in the project area. • In May 2021, the Federal government allocated billions of dollars to the ECWE. A fully tunnelled LRT line will provide fast speeds, less service disruptions and best cost benefit in the long term. Keeping the LRT underground is both financially viable and technically feasible. [1] [2] • The current plan to elevate the LRT through Mount Dennis is not socially equitable or ecologically responsible. It’s comparable to running a Gardiner Expressway for LRT trains through local parks and alongside condominium residences. West of the Flats, the LRT will run underground through an affluent stretch of Etobicoke and this should continue through Mount Dennis. [3] • With increased residential developments planned for the area and the ongoing impacts of climate crisis, it’s essential that Metrolinx stop any plans to destroy mature naturalized parkland and keep the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension underground. • Metrolinx needs to conduct meaningful consultation and demonstrate a genuine willingness to act on concerns of communities. This isn’t only about building better transit . . . it’s the fight against climate change and prioritizing livable cities. Sign the petition to Keep the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension (ECWE) underground and save our parks! [1] https://www.canada.ca/en/office-infrastructure/news/2021/05/largest-public-transit-investment-in-gta-history-will-create-jobs-and-kickstart-the-economy.html [2] https://www.arup.com/news-and-events/billy-bishop-pedestrian-tunnel-wins-award [3] https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/mm/bgrd/backgroundfile-225808.pdf

Online Continuing Education courses are better for the following reasons: - access is improved and more equitable for instructors and students from across the city - time, distance and cost of travel to in-person sites can be a major deterrent. This is especially true with the current high cost of gas. - access is made possible / more convenient for people with disabilities - attendance will be improved by elimination of problems travelling in inclement weather - potential participants (e.g., seniors, immunocompromised) will not be deterred by ongoing risks related to COVID-19 - the TDSB will save expenses associated with maintenance of existing buildings for in-person courses. Please help support online Continuing Education courses. Let's give Toronto residents the option of taking them. Supporters of online Continuing Education courses (Learn4Life) at the TDSB

This Saturday, Ontario's universal masking requirements for hospitals, healthcare providers, and transit operators will end. This decision immediately makes these high-priority, high-risk environments less safe for everyone, and inaccessible to immune compromised and pregnant people who risk death, permanent disability, and miscarriage if exposed to COVID. COVID remains extremely dangerous to many, despite vaccination. It is now estimated that as many as 1 in 5 people who suffer a COVID infection will experience Long COVID, nerve damage, heart damage, or other permanent disabilities. And COVID exposure in the womb can cause miscarriage or neurological disorders in children. Universal masking has been demonstrated to greatly reduce the risk of COVID exposure. It is essential that we keep these high-risk, must-access settings accessible and as safe as possible, especially for the most vulnerable in our communities. Ontario's science advisory table chair and the Ontario Hospital Association are all recommending that the mask requirements be extended for these high-risk locations. But Doug Ford thinks it will be unpopular. Let's show him he's wrong. A massive petition demanding this simple and effective protection for medical facilities and transit operators will demonstrate that Ontario still cares about pregnant moms-to-be, disabled people, the immune compromised, and all who wish to keep themselves and their families safer. Please add your name and share widely.

Ontario now has the lowest health care and hospital funding, and the fewest hospital beds and nurses in the country. [1] But instead of investing in nurses or funding and resourcing ICUs, Ford is handing over our public health care system to for-profit companies on the sly — privatizing hospitals, clinics or long-term care homes. [2,3] Research shows private health care means poorer care, higher rates of death and longer wait times. [4] It means profit over lives. The push to privatize is already having grave consequences. After years of attacks on public health care, the answer is not to hand more of it over to private corporations. In fact, that's what brought Ontario's health care system to the brink of collapse. The fight for a strong, well-funded public health care system is the fight to save lives. It's a fundamental pillar of a democratic society that prioritizes people above profit. Will you sign now calling for the Ontario government to protect public health care? [1]https://monitormag.ca/articles/ontario-health-spending-will-be-too-low-if-the-2022-budget-is-passed [2] https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2022/03/15/doug-fords-government-is-quietly-privatizing-health-care.html [3] https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2022/05/27/doug-ford-is-spending-billions-to-expand-nursing-home-chains-with-some-of-the-worst-covid-19-death-rates.html [4] https://pressprogress.ca/here-are-all-the-corporations-lobbying-doug-ford-to-privatize-and-outsource-parts-of-ontarios-health-care-system/ [5] https://www.cmaj.ca/content/166/11/1399

Climate change is one of the world's biggest global catastrophes to date as it eats away at the planet every day. We've seen the destruction and horror it can cause; vicious floods and hurricanes, lethal droughts and heat waves, dying coral reefs, horrendous wildfires and all of it just the beginning if everything is left as it is. This is an emergency situation because if action isn't taken right now, it's going to be too late to repair the damage and no one will be safe. Fossil fuels of all kinds and in every industry have to be fazed out; this is an unarguable and vital step to save the planet and everyone on it. That includes the transportation industry, one of Ontario's leading producers of carbon emissions. With the amount of carbon emissions produced yearly on a global scale from the transportation industry, it would be impossible to end the climate crisis without the switch to electric vehicles. Electric vehicles provide a green alternative to their dirty gas-powered polluting counterparts, running solely on a lithium battery that's completely devoid of damaging fossil fuels. No fossil fuels means no carbon pollution. The world is falling apart under our feet, and yet corporations and governments seem to dragging theirs. The progress being made is slow and/or hitting constant roadblocks that stall or drag out the critical steps the planet needs immediately. It's time to pick up the pace! My hope is that this campaign will help make the transition to a greener brighter future easier for everyone. This fight isn't over yet and I won't stand by and watch our home be destroyed while everyone suffer along the way.

CONTEXTE : M. Hassan Diab est citoyen canadien et professeur d'université. Jusqu'en 2008, il menait une vie productive et paisible à Ottawa, au Canada. En 2008, il a été arrêté par la Gendarmerie royale du Canada (GRC) à la demande de la France pour son implication présumée dans un attentat à la bombe devant une synagogue parisienne le 3 octobre 1980, attentat qui a tué quatre personnes et en a blessé plus de 40. M. Diab a toujours nié toute implication dans ce crime, soulignant qu'il s'agissait d'une erreur d'identité et qu'à cette époque, il était étudiant au Liban en train de passer ses examens. Après avoir été détenu pendant près de cinq mois au Centre de détention d'Ottawa-Carleton, M.Diab a été libéré sous de lourdes conditions de caution, notamment une assignation à résidence presque totale. Au Canada l'audience d'extradition s'est déroulée de fin 2009 à juin 2011. L'audience a montré à quel point le dossier contre M. Diab est peu cohérent et sans fondement. Deux rapports d'analyse graphologique présentés par la France reposaient sur des échantillons qui n'avaient pas été écrits par M. Diab ; ils ont dû être remplacés par une troisième analyse graphologique. Cinq experts en graphologie de renommée mondiale, originaires de la Grande-Bretagne, du Canada, de la Suisse et des États-Unis, ont témoigné que ce troisième rapport d'analyse était partial, totalement défectueux et non fiable, et qu'une analyse objective ne pouvait impliquer M. Diab. Il y a un manque total de preuves scientifiques à l'appui de cette affaire. La personne qui a posé la bombe en 1980 avait laissé des empreintes (de doigts et d’une paume), dont aucune ne correspond à celles de M. Diab. Les descriptions des témoins étaient également truffées de contradictions. De plus, le dossier contre M. Diab repose sur des renseignements secrets, sans source, qui pourraient avoir été obtenus par la torture. Ces renseignements ont été retirés de l'audience d'extradition au Canada en raison de leur nature extrêmement problématique. Cependant, ces renseignements figurent toujours dans le dossier français. Human Rights Watch a démontré l'utilisation de renseignements secrets et de procès inéquitables dans le cadre des lois antiterroristes françaises. En ordonnant l'extradition de M. Diab, le juge d'extradition canadien, Robert Maranger, a noté que seule la preuve graphologique (qui a été fortement critiquée par les experts internationaux en graphologie) fournirait un motif d'extradition. Le juge a noté que les preuves graphologiques étaient « alambiquées », « très confuses » et menaient à des « conclusions douteuses ». Toutefois, il a déclaré que la loi canadienne sur l'extradition ne lui laissait pas d'autre choix que d’ordonner l’extradition de M. Diab. La quête de justice de M. Diab s'est poursuivie pendant trois années supplémentaires, y compris les appels dans le système judiciaire canadien. À la suite du refus de la Cour suprême du Canada d'entendre son dernier appel, il a été rapidement extradé vers la France en novembre 2014. On lui a dérobé la possibilité de dire au revoir à sa femme (qui attendait leur deuxième enfant) et à sa fille de deux ans. M. Diab a été incarcéré dans le pénitencier à sécurité maximale de Fleury-Mérogis, situé dans la banlieue de Paris. Il y a passé 38 mois en quasi-isolement. (Les normes internationales ont constaté que l'isolement cellulaire au-delà de 15 jours constitue un traitement cruel et équivaut très probablement à de la torture). À l’encontre des principes usuels d’extradition, les autorités françaises n’ont pas proféré d’accusations formelles avant l’extradition de M. Diab. Pendant son séjour en prison en France, les juges d’instruction, MM. Jean-Marc Herbaut et Richard Foltzer, poursuivirent l’enquête judiciaire vieille de plusieurs décennies. À huit reprises, les juges d’instruction ordonnèrent la libération sous conditions de M. Diab. Les procureurs réussirent chaque fois à les contrer. Enfin, en janvier 2018, les deux juges d’instruction, leur enquête terminée (y compris un voyage au Liban pour interroger des témoins, afin de vérifier l’alibi de M. Diab), conclurent que le dossier ne justifiait pas un procès et ordonnèrent la libération immédiate de M. Diab. Deux jours plus tard, M. Diab retournait à Ottawa et retrouvait sa famille, dont son fils né pendant son incarcération en France. Entre-temps, les procureurs français, poussés par la pression politique et le lobby des victimes, ont fait appel de l'ordonnance de non-lieu des juges d'instruction. La Cour d'appel française a ordonné une nouvelle analyse graphologique qui a déterminé que l'analyse graphologique précédente, retenue par le juge Maranger, n'était pas concluante, qu'elle utilisait une méthodologie erronée et n'était absolument pas fiable. Les analystes ont indiqué qu'ils étaient en parfait accord avec les experts internationaux en graphologie de M. Diab. Malgré cela et dans une décision qui choque la conscience, la justice française a fixé la date d'avril 2023 pour le procès de M. Diab, plus de cinq ans après qu'il a été blanchi de toutes les accusations et libéré sans conditions par les juges d'instruction français. Si M. Diab est jugé en France, il le sera sur la base de preuves non fiables et erronées qu'il n'est pas autorisé à contester efficacement. Les rapports d'analyse graphologique discrédités et les « informations » sans source avérée provenant de services de renseignement anonymes restent dans le dossier. Les preuves présentées par ses avocats ne seraient pas prises en compte de manière équitable, car les témoins experts de la défense sont considérés avec méfiance par le tribunal. Hassan Diab risque un procès inéquitable, une condamnation injustifiée et une nouvelle extradition. Nous demandons instamment au gouvernement canadien de prendre toutes les mesures nécessaires pour lui épargner une nouvelle erreur judiciaire.

BACKGROUND: Dr. Hassan Diab is a Canadian citizen and university professor, who until 2008 was living a productive and peaceful life in Ottawa, Canada. In 2008, he was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) at the request of France for alleged involvement in a bombing outside a Paris synagogue on 3 October 1980, which killed four people and wounded more than 40. Hassan has always denied any involvement in the crime, pointing out that this is a case of mistaken identity, and that he was a student in Lebanon at the time writing his exams. After being held for almost five months in the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, Hassan was released under onerous bail conditions, including virtual house arrest, and an electronic monitoring device for which he was required to pay $2,000 per month. The extradition hearing in Canada ran from late 2009 until June of 2011. The hearing laid bare just how flimsy and baseless the case against Hassan is. Two handwriting analysis reports presented by France relied on samples that were not written by Hassan, and had to be replaced by a third handwriting analysis. Five world-renowned handwriting experts from Britain, Canada, Switzerland, and the United States testified that this third handwriting analysis report is biased, totally flawed, and utterly unreliable, and that an objective analysis points away from Hassan. There is a complete lack of forensic evidence to support the case. The suspect had left finger and palm prints behind, none of which matched Hassan’s. Witness descriptions were also riddled with contradictions. Moreover, the case against Hassan relies on secret, unsourced intelligence that may be the product of torture. The intelligence was withdrawn from the extradition hearing in Canada in recognition of its extremely problematic nature. However, the intelligence remains in the French dossier. Human Rights Watch has documented the use of secret intelligence and unfair trials under France’s anti-terrorism laws. In committing Hassan to extradition, the Canadian extradition judge, Justice Robert Maranger, noted that the handwriting evidence (which was heavily criticized by the international handwriting experts) — and only this evidence — is grounds for committal. The judge described the handwriting evidence as “convoluted”, “very confusing”, and “with conclusions that are suspect”, but stated that Canada’s extradition law left him no choice but to commit Hassan. In his committal decision on 6 July 2011, Justice Maranger, wrote: o “the evidence that tips the scale in favor of committal is the handwriting comparison evidence.” (para. 189) o “the case presented by the Republic of France against Mr. Diab is a weak case; the prospects of conviction in the context of a fair trial, seem unlikely.” (para. 191) o “It is presupposed, based on our treaty with France, that they will conduct a fair trial, and that justice will be done.” (para. 195) Hassan's search for justice continued for three more years, including appeals in the Canadian court system. After the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear his final appeal, he was swiftly extradited to France in November 2014. He was not given the opportunity to say goodbye to his wife (who was expecting their second child) and his 2-year old daughter. Hassan was incarcerated in the Fleury-Mérogis maximum security prison on the outskirts of Paris. He spent the next 38 months there, in near solitary confinement. (International standards have determined that solitary confinement beyond 15 days constitutes cruel treatment and quite likely amounts to torture.) Contrary to standard principles of extradition, no formal charges were laid by the French authorities prior to Hassan’s extradition. While he was in prison in France, the French investigative judges (“juges d'instruction”), Jean-Marc Herbaut and Richard Foltzer, continued the investigation of the decades-long case. On eight occasions the investigative judges ordered Dr. Diab's release on bail. Eight times the state prosecutor (“procureur”) was successful in blocking his release. Finally, in January 2018, the two investigative judges, having completed their investigation which included travel to Lebanon to interview witnesses, concluded that there were no grounds for pursuing a trial and ordered that Dr. Diab be immediately released. Two days later, Dr. Diab returned to Ottawa and rejoined his family, including his 3-year old son who was born soon after his extradition. Meanwhile, the French prosecutors, urged on by political pressure and the victims’ lobby, appealed against the dismissal order (“ordonnance de non-lieu”) of the investigative judges. The French Court of Appeal ordered a new handwriting analysis which determined that the previous handwriting analysis, which was accepted by Justice Maranger, was inconclusive, used the wrong methodology, and was completely unreliable. The analysts indicated that they were in full agreement with Dr. Diab's international handwriting experts. In spite of this and in a decision that shocks the conscience, the French judiciary set an April 2023 date for the trial of Hassan, more than five years after he was cleared of all accusations and freed without conditions by the French investigative judges. If Hassan goes on trial in France, Hassan would be tried on unreliable and flawed evidence that he is not allowed to effectively challenge. The discredited handwriting analysis reports and unsourced intelligence remain in the dossier. Evidence introduced by his lawyers would not receive fair consideration because expert witnesses for the defence are viewed with suspicion by the court. Hassan Diab is facing an unfair trial, a wrongful conviction, and yet another extradition. We urge the Canadian government to take all necessary steps to save him from any further miscarriage of justice.

Right now, candidates are duking it out for Conservative party leadership. They’ve been urged by the party to stay silent about whether or not they support abortion rights. [4] But the public deserves to know where our major political parties stand on an issue as important as reproductive health care. Lives depend on it. [5] So with your help, we’re going to pressure them to take a stance. If thousands of us sign a petition to interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen, and party president Robert Batherson, while the Roe v. Wade scandal is in the spotlight, we could force them to publicly affirm the party’s support for access to abortion and reproductive services. If you agree that the right to an abortion shouldn’t be political, because access to safe, legal abortion is access to vital health care — add your name now. Sources [1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/ussc-dobbs-abortion-ruling-1.6495637 [2] https://pressprogress.ca/anti-abortion-groups-quietly-installed-activists-into-top-positions-inside-the-conservative-party-of-canada/ [3] https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/05/canada-conservatives-abortion-00029908 [4] https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2022/05/03/conservatives-mps-told-to-stay-silent-about-draft-suggesting-roe-vs-wade-could-be-overturned.html [5] https://reproductiverights.org/un-human-rights-committee-asserts-that-access-to-abortion-and-prevention-of-maternal-mortality-are-human-rights/

The ongoing pandemic and skyrocketing cost of living — coupled with high inflation rates — all mean that more people than ever are relying on support from the government to help us pay rent and keep food on the table. Many single Disabled ODSP (disability benefits) clients only receive $497 a month for rent and $672 a month for their basic needs, and single OW clients currently only receive $390 a month for their rent and $343 a month for their basic needs. This is important so that homeless ODSP and OW clients have a shot at renting somewhere to live at average market rent since affordable, subsidized, rent geared to income housing is unavailable at this time and may be unavailable for the next 10 to 20 years due to a huge waiting list and zero vacancies. Clients need to eat as well as pay rent and since clients would still have to dip into their Basic Needs Allowances to cover rent because even doubling the Shelter Allowance still won't cover all of the rent at today's prices. Much needed medication and other things not covered by the MSN forms have to be paid for out of Basic Needs and some of these items are very expensive. Along with needing healthy food a huge increase in support is called for here as well.

History shows that most systematic sexual violence in war goes unpunished. It’s the women and children who must suffer this violence, without justice or support in the after math of war. If we allocate money to support these victims it will show that Canadians abhor these atrocities and won’t stand silent while yet more women and children become rape victims as part of political war games.

Legal professionals need clearly and easily accessible (edited and error free) bylaws, regulations and acts. They need to communicate with their governing body (CICC) easily and clearly, being able to contact anyone during hours for questions. Immigration law in particular is a specialty, and it’s personal and difficult and a process that we train in to help people. To our clients it is their attempt at starting a new life, that is courageous, the should have educated people to help them, and they should be told this in a positive way while the CICC uses its government budget to stop illegal ghost consultants. People should be told they must when they hire a representative to check and must be on the CICC registry by Registration number of the representative and see if it matches the name search can search but the R number protected. This allows legal consultants to avoid being copied or linked unknowingly, helping the CICC and the client and the case refusal rate. People who can benefit Canadian economy, contribute to job shortages and birth rates should be given a fair chance. We as professional need timely action from who governs us, who governs our clients and the Immigration Minister Sean Frazer yo ensure the system supports the plan and the plan supports the professional who are trained to know it. And know how to do it by following the appropriate Regulations, Acts and Bylaws o do so, as well as working and accessible government online platforms we can rely on and how to iron out the kinks like no in application received asking client to choose payment option automatically linking to the platform. As of now the client pays and needs to upload another document. Which causes problems if the system didn’t flag it for review. The list goes on and we hope you will want to listen to more of how we can help and work together.