The public needs to be reminded that there are many possibilities that could have led to this catastrophic event, and without a completed investigation, there is no way for Mission Group to assure public safety. BC Minister of Labour Harry Baines said himself when asked about increased regulations for developers and construction trades that it would be “inappropriate to comment until the investigation is complete.” We are asking: is it not equally inappropriate for construction to resume on the same site until that same investigation is complete in case there are recommendations that are necessary to ensure this doesn’t happen again. “There are so many painful layers to this experience so far. It is all still raw for everyone. We are just asking for a little time without being reminded of what those buildings took from our families. When the accident first happened I felt a connection to the site as it was where Cailen took his last breath. The memorial site now has construction all around it and the memorial looks to become insignificant in the big picture of the project and the site itself. This is going to be a long grieving process and the families need a place to go and remember their loved ones and not be reminded of the tragedy with all the surrounding construction. Our loved ones are not collateral damage, they mean more than deadlines and money.” -Chris Vilness Mission Group itself expresses one of their core values as “building it right,” and goes on to describe themselves as, “honest, transparent and committed to doing the right thing with uncompromising integrity. We know that what is right is not the same as what is easy, and while we may fall short at times, we always make it right. This is our foundation.” Given this commitment, we feel it should be a very easy decision to right this wrong. They either comply with these requests to pause, connect, and consult, or make it clear that these words on their website are nothing more than that- words that do nothing to honour five souls gone too soon in favour of profit over integrity.

During last summer’s heat wave, I was luckily able to spend $700 on an AC unit just in time to find some relief. While those 600 people were in an actual fatal emergency, my partner and their two cats were feeling very stressed and desperate in their hot 1950s building in south Vancouver. In the 1950s the buildings were made to store and hold heat because they had little clue the opposite was a more vital need. They didn’t expect the changes in the climate we’ve seen now. Luckily I could house my partner and their cats for a couple weeks, and we made it through with the AC. Not everyone was as lucky — but the most vulnerable in our communities shouldn’t have had to spend hundreds to survive. As British Columbians, we are currently living in fear of unnecessary deaths and climate hardship this summer and into the future. We need government action right now. Sources [1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-heat-dome-coroners-report-1.6480026?utm_medium=email&utm_source=actionkit
 [2] see [1] 
 [3] https://council.vancouver.ca/20210720/documents/b5.pdf [4] https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/10/05/canada-disastrous-impact-extreme-heat

This week, Premier Doug Ford stood up in front of journalists, and spread harmful, well-worn stereotypes about migrants. [1][2] We need to show Ford that Ontarians are united with the migrant members of our community. If thousands of us sign the open letter in solidarity with migrants, it could nip the Premier’s harmful election strategy in the bud and send a clear message: Ontarians won’t let Ford divide us. Sign now. [1] https://www.thestar.com/politics/2021/10/18/ontario-opposition-leaders-call-on-ford-to-apologize-for-immigrant-remark.html [2] https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2021/10/19/doug-ford-doubles-down-on-comments-about-hard-working-new-canadians.html

We want inclusive, equitable, safe childcare for ALL children and youth in BC.

Nous sommes musiciennes et musiciens, réalisatrices et réalisateurs, interprètes, comédiennes et comédiens, conceptrices et concepteurs, autrices et auteurs. Nous avons fait le choix de vivre de notre art. Ce choix implique son lot de sacrifices et d’abnégation : cadences effrénées des tournages, efforts pour maîtriser les caprices d’un violoncelle, la dureté d’un ballet sur nos corps, les heures interminables d’écriture dans la solitude… Mais à ces sacrifices s’ajoute le fait que, devant la loi québécoise, les dizaines de milliers d’artistes ayant perfectionné leur métier pour gagner leur vie doivent renoncer à de larges pans de droits en matière de travail – des droits fondamentaux, reconnus par nos chartes et pourtant accessibles à l’ensemble des Québécoises et des Québécois. Comment expliquer, en 2021, que les deux principales lois en matière de santé et de sécurité au travail ne s’appliquent pas automatiquement aux artistes ? Comment comprendre, en dépit de tout ce que le Québec a traversé au cours des dernières années, que les dispositions législatives pour contrer le harcèlement psychologique et sexuel en milieu de travail ne s’appliquent pas d’emblée au milieu artistique, qui n’a pourtant pas été épargné ? Comment justifier que les associations d’artistes dont nous sommes membres en soient réduites à quémander, lors de la négociation de nos ententes, des dispositions pourtant prévues par les lois du travail et auxquelles tous les employeurs du Québec doivent se conformer ? Le gouvernement de François Legault a promis de réformer les lois sur le statut de l’artiste au cours d’un premier mandat. Toutefois, le refus de son gouvernement la semaine dernière à l’Assemblée nationale de s’engager à déposer un projet de loi en ce sens nous apparaît des plus inquiétants, notamment en raison de l’échéance électorale de 2022. Colmater les brèches Il est ici opportun de rappeler – même si là n’est pas notre revendication – que les artistes n’ont jamais été couverts, ni par les normes, ni par le Code du travail. C’est en constatant ce vide juridique, mais aussi les conditions de pauvreté et de précarité qui prévalaient à l’époque, que l’Assemblée nationale avait adopté en 1987 les deux lois sur le statut de l’artiste. La première Loi (S-32.1) a permis aux artistes de négocier des ententes qui établissaient des conditions de travail de base. Le fait qu’une majorité de producteurs reconnaît et met en œuvre des ententes collectives négociées a amélioré, à plusieurs égards, nos conditions de travail et de vie. Il faut néanmoins souligner que ce droit à la négociation collective n’a jamais été conféré aux autrices et aux auteurs du Québec encadrés par la Loi S.32.01 dans les domaines du livre ou du théâtre, cette loi n’obligeant pas les éditeurs et les diffuseurs à négocier des conditions minimales de travail et de diffusion. La réforme annoncée des lois sur le statut de l’artiste doit donc corriger cette injustice en protégeant ces autrices et ces auteurs au même titre que leurs collègues d’autres disciplines comme le cinéma et la télévision. Sur d’autres plans, de nombreuses failles de la loi doivent également être corrigées : trop de producteurs trouvent encore le moyen de se déresponsabiliser de leurs obligations d’employeur en refusant de reconnaître les ententes pourtant appliquées par une large majorité d’entre eux. Ou encore, en étirant les négociations pendant parfois plus de 20 ans, rendant obsolètes les dispositions des ententes antérieures dans une industrie sans cesse en évolution. Cette pression à la baisse de nos conditions de travail n’est pas étrangère au fait que, plus de 30 ans plus tard, le revenu médian des artistes se situe toujours aujourd’hui sous le seuil de pauvreté. La réforme tant attendue des lois sur le statut de l’artiste doit pouvoir contraindre l’ensemble des producteurs à appliquer les conditions minimales de travail qu’on retrouve dans les ententes négociées par les associations d’artistes. Quand l’État finance en fermant les yeux… Comment peut-on aujourd’hui accepter que l’État et ses organismes publics puissent cautionner des producteurs qui refusent de se soumettre à l’esprit de la Loi ? En effet, les nombreux programmes de subventions et d’appuis financiers (sous forme de crédits d’impôt) du gouvernement à l’industrie culturelle sont alloués sans qu’aucune forme de vérification n’ait lieu quant au respect ou non d’une entente collective au cours de la production. Toute forme de financement de l’État doit impérativement être conditionnelle à l’application de conditions minimales de travail reconnues. Quand on sait à quel point l’aide publique est essentielle au secteur des arts et de la culture, il s’agit là d’une façon efficace de s’assurer que les droits du travail de tous les artistes soient respectés. Au gré du temps, nous avons l’habitude d’être qualifiés de bohèmes, de rêveurs, de boute-en-train, de fous du roi, voire de marginaux ou d’iconoclastes. Nous demandons aujourd’hui que la loi cesse de nous considérer comme une catégorie à part afin d’avoir les mêmes droits que tout le monde. Parce qu’on travaille, comme tout le monde.

The SPFA compliments existing protections found in s. 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, removing any room for interpretation regarding the extent of student journalists' rights to freedom of expression and of the press. The apparent school administrative doctrine that students shed their Charter rights upon entering the doors of a public school is one that is both at odds with Canada's Constitution and as a democratic society, we must reject in its entirety. Oftentimes, student journalists shed light on the specific experiences of their campuses, as well as the pressing issues facing youth. They can report on the state of our education system, bringing a view from the inside. As members of a younger generation, one highly susceptible to misinformation, they can act as the first responders to fake news and falsities spreading in their community. Student journalists can do all of these things, but they need to freedom to do so, and they need that freedom to be protected. What happened to The Nest happens to student journalists across the country. Students are denied their rights simply because they are students. That's unacceptable in a country like Canada. The SPFA needs to pass to ensure no students in the British Columbia school system are denied their fundamental rights and ensure that their voices are heard in our society.

This is a matter of public health. We need to protect the most vulnerable including children who can't be vaccinated yet, people who are sick, people with disabilities and the elderly. The delta variant is more contagious and more dangerous. We can't afford to sit and watch another wave take over. It's time to act.

This year alone, we have seen an unprecedented amount of disasters all over the world, such as deadly heat waves, wildfires, tornadoes, over one billion sea creatures possibly boiling to death in the oceans, melting icecaps causing northern parts of the world to become inhospitable, to countless floods and other major disasters. All of these issues and much more serve as a grim reminder that the Earth is a fragile place that requires immediate action. Climate science has shown us time and time again that our way of living is unsustainable, but those in power refuse to acknowledge these facts for monetary gain. The worst is yet to come, and we will be the ones to inherit a desolate planet if we do not do our part. Not our children, or our children's children, but those of us here now. We at Green Tomorrow Niagara refuse this fate, and so we are calling on you to stand with us and demand more from your leaders, and prove to all that sustainable is attainable.

*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

The Canadian anthem is very harmful to Indigenous people and any true efforts for reconciliation and decolonisation. It was created through a colonial lens that thrived on oppression and injustices. When we sing, "Our home and native land, we are harming the Indigenous people; the very people who should claim this land their home and native land. There is an opportunity to introduce changes to the anthem to make it inclusive, respectful and not causing any harm. Please join to make a change.