The Amazon Rainforest stands to make "a significant contribution to pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Coe [Earth Systems Scientist] likens it not to a pair of lungs, but to a giant air conditioner that cools the planet—one of our most powerful in mitigating climate change, alongside other tropical forests in central Africa and Asia—some of which are also currently burning" (for a more accurate look at the role of the Amazon: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/why-amazon-doesnt-produce-20-percent-worlds-oxygen/). Its loss, together with our lack of political will to stop carbon emissions and the absence of means to capture carbon effectively are posing a severe threat to people worldwide. Importantly, about one million Indigenous people live in the Amazon. It is also home to three million species of plants and animals (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49433437). These fires are material and deadly. And their frequency is spurred by Bolsonaro's policies, which have accelerated deforestation, up 88% (https://globalnews.ca/news/5794191/amazon-rainforest-fire-explained/), due to farming, logging, and drilling. "The National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has recorded more than 74,000 fires so far this year [in the Amazon] – an 84 per cent increase on the same period in 2018. It’s the highest number since records began in 2013." (https://globalnews.ca/news/5794191/amazon-rainforest-fire-explained/). Take a deep breath and imagine smoke filling your lungs on a darkened afternoon, just as residents of São Paulo did at 3 p.m. Monday, August 19.

According to an article I found on the internet, Weird Al has never played "Hardware Store" live because of how intensely fast and complicated the song is. But Toronto loves Weird Al, and we can't imagine a better place for him to debut the song live. We'll be very forgiving of any mistakes - we just want to support him and sing along as best we can! Weird Al, please make history by playing Hardware Store in Toronto at your next show!

Quite simply, the issues faced that are at a crisis point have been overlooked and ignored by the mainstream, corporate juggernaut; need the people without cynicism and broken,disillusioned hope that what we say is what we'll do...they are ready; look around the world, Quebec, Friday protests, use of social media...it needs to happen now

It's important!

So we can have life on planet earth

Why is this important? The Project Promotes The Following Benefits to Our Society: + Green Technology. + Jobs. + Clean Environment and ecologically clean world. + Fair Economy. + Strong Democracy.

The Government of Ontario has cut funding for Legal Aid Ontario by almost 1/3, including a complete cut of ALL funding for the immigration and refugee law program at Legal Aid Ontario. Access to Legal Aid is essential for low-income Ontarians who are facing legal proceedings, not just immigration but also criminal, family, mental health, poverty law and child protection cases. Without legal aid, vulnerable people will be left to represent themselves in a complex and already overburdened legal system, facing jail or deportation if they lose their case. It's unjust and unfair to expect people to navigate the complex legal system without support, and these cuts will only add further to delays and chaos throughout the justice system.

On April 11, with the release of the Budget, the Government of Ontario made a significant cut of approximately one third of all legal aid funding, which will jeopardize the rights of those who need legal representation the most. Many refugee claimants arrive in Canada with almost nothing. Many are dealing with the aftermath of extreme personal trauma and struggle with PTSD, depression or other mental health issues as a result of the events that caused them to leave their homes and countries of origin. Often with little to no English, and even less legal knowledge, they are required to file legal forms, collect evidence, and appear in a hearing to test their claim. They are not equipped to represent themselves in Canada’s refugee determination system, a highly specialized legal field. This is why Legal Aid funding is so essential to protect the rights of such a vulnerable population and to ensure that their full story is heard by a refugee decision-maker through providing access to legal representation. Access to Legal Aid is also essential to low-income Ontarians who are facing legal proceedings such as in criminal, family, mental health, poverty law and child protection cases. These Ontarians will struggle to navigate these legally complex, high-stakes proceedings without legal assistance or resources. The impact of these cuts is huge. Vulnerable populations like refugees are left to represent themselves in a complex and already overburdened legal system, where a negative decision leads to deportation to countries where lives may be at risk. The cuts will lead to backlogs and delays throughout the justice system, causing chaos in the courts and costing taxpayers more, not less. URGENT! Sign your name to the petition now – let the Government of Ontario know that you care about funding to Legal Aid and are concerned about how it will impact the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people in our society, including refugees and immigrants in Ontario.

Climate change has been a crisis for decades. From the minute that oil companies discovered the impact their industry was having on the climate - and chose to bury the evidence and hide the results - the planet has been facing a major threat. Now, after decades of lies, pollution, and despair, we know that the clock is ticking and the point of no return is looming large. Recent reports from the UN tell us that we have just twelve years to make massive changes to our entire economy or we face critical climate chaos. What we are facing is not in the distant future. Climate change is here - and it is an urgent emergency. It's time we treat it as such. Cities across Canada have declared a climate emergency, factoring climate change into city planning at every level and in some cases unlocking funding for climate mitigation efforts. In just the last week, Ottawa and London joined cities like Vancouver, Kingston, and Halifax that had already declared. It's time that Canada's largest city, the cornerstone of our economy, join those efforts. Toronto is home to millions of people and almost a fifth of Canada's entire economy. If Toronto declares a climate emergency, it mobilizes an incredible base of support for climate action in Canada and takes its in global climate leadership. The clock is ticking. Tell the Mayor and Toronto City Council to declare a climate emergency today.

This would allow people to better their own lives. The poor and students and seniors - low income or not - would be able to go to libraries and YMCA programmes, and wherever else there are programs and food banks .. to be able to travel to the edge of our Great Lakes to walk or picnic or just think about life .. to go to free concerts, and just generally be exposed to the wonders of our beautiful province. It would lift their spirits and raise their hopes and dreams. The increased use of public transportation would help reduce traffic issues and lower green house gasses. Obviously this is important. This would have all sorts of positive social aspects as well. More people using public transportation means safer friendlier communities. I see this as enabling people to improve their own lives. When students can get to school without the stress of high expense they will do better. When seniors can get to places freely they will go and enjoy their lives. When the poor can access all that our province has to offer, they will improve their ow lives. Joyfully.

Self evident. These are legal documents that must be displayed when asked by police.

This is extremely important because workers would have no choice but to work the 48+ hours or fear risking their jobs. It is an extremely unfair bill that throws away the rights of the workers. It would cause mental health issues from overworking and create a toxic environment that limits our ability to have a work week that allows us to live our lives. It seems as if Doug Ford is limiting the knowledge of our rights by preventing them from being seen at the workplace. It seems as if hes actively trying to make things intentionally worse for the worling class.