This a Latin-american humanitarian crisis and chaos. We as Canadians have to step up and support a fair process to people needing real protection and entry into Canada. These people are escaping from gangs violence, government corruption and prosecution with the support of the US government who provides all the weapons and Trump has developed a hate campaign to stop these people in need of protection and violating their most basic human rights. Human Rights declaration: Article 14-Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. We have to call for the Canada embassy in these countries to process valid refugees claims and allow them entry into Canada. They are not criminals, and are fleeing violence and deplorable economic hurdles. This is the time for Canada to just stay silent and complicit and act now and oppose this madness that has raised and has become part of the normal since the election of Donald Trump.

On Thursday October 11 Grassy Narrows leader Steve Fobister Sr. passed away after many decades of fighting mercury poisoning in his body and fighting denial from government. Steve’s grieving family says that "Steve always wanted the government to admit that he had been poisoned by mercury. Now we take up his fight to honour him. Trudeau and Elliott, will you admit that Steve was poisoned, and will you compensate Grassy Narrows fairly for our mercury crisis?" I am sad to hear that 48 years after mercury pollution was discovered in Grassy Narrows’ river no government has ever acknowledged that even one person in Grassy Narrows has been poisoned by mercury. This denial and environmental racism must end. I join Steve’s family in demanding that you admit now that Steve Fobister Sr. was poisoned and killed by mercury! I am shocked to learn that 94% of Grassy Narrows people receive no compensation for the mercury crisis which continues rob them of their loved ones and to ravage their health, culture, livelihood, rights, and environment. All must be compensated until they enjoy the same quality of life they enjoyed before mercury and the same wellbeing that others in Canada take for granted. Commit to compensate all Grassy Narrows people fairly for the ongoing mercury crisis which all governments have denied and neglected for so long! I further call on you to act quickly to fulfill your governments’ promises to: 1. Fully clean up Grassy Narrows’ river, 2. Build a care home and treatment center for mercury survivors in Grassy Narrows, 3. Comprehensively reform the Mercury Disability Board. The survivors of this avoidable disaster deserve the best possible health care and support including a Mercury Home and Treatment Centre so that their sick loved ones can be treated with dignity, close to their families. This is an issue that matters deeply to me and millions of other people, and I will be following this closely to see that mercury justice is delivered to Grassy Narrows.

LinkMentalHealth is a free website that connects people in the GTA to mental health services that’s best for them, regardless of what they can afford. If you, your spouse, or your parents, work full-time, OR you are a post-secondary student, you likely have mental health insurance coverage. Yes students, YOU HAVE COVERAGE! We’re here to help connect you to the best therapy option for you, based on gender, ethnicity, specialization and what you’re going through. **What if I don’t work, study or have coverage?** For those without coverage, we can also help connect you to free therapy programs that are available. Worried about the wait times of these programs or therapists? We display those too, and some have no wait times at all. **Are you an organization or representative that wants to support this cause and contribute your logo?** Contact us at [email protected] to sign your company, student union, or organization up and be our partner. You get your logo on our banners, and then we get your help to spread the word using #TorontoDoesTherapy.

Stephen Bannon is scheduled to speak in Toronto on November 2nd. He's the former Special Advisor to US President Donald J. Trump who is responsible for some of the worst of recent American domestic policies, including the Islamophobic and racist Muslim Ban. Allowing his participation in the Munk Debates at one Canada’s most prestigious venues (Roy Thomson Hall), with ticket prices up to $200, normalizes his hateful, xenophobic opinions and activities, and incites his violent followers. We must outright reject Stephen Bannon’s ideas and the notion that he occupies an acceptable pole on a debate spectrum. Stephen Bannon was CEO and Chairman of Breitbart News which he solidified into the online destination of white supremacists, anti-semites, and misogynists, spreading lies and conspiracy theories to further the alt-right agenda. Inviting people who bolster white supremacists is in direct opposition to the necessary work Canada must do to be accountable to people of colour and Indigenous communities. Since being ejected from the White House and Breitbart, Bannon has adopted a global campaign to build up ultra-racist, nationalist, austerity-driven, anti-immigrant candidates and parties across Europe and Latin America. He is advising the likes of Viktor Orban, President of Hungary, who has adopted authoritarian rule over the courts, media, and immigration among other sectors and military dictatorship apologist and misogynist Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil. Bannon’s activities are directly linked to the murderous policies promoted by these political parties. In addition, Mr Bannon was charged for domestic assault, battery and dissuading a witness for attacking his then-wife, Mary Piccard. Charges were stayed after Piccard failed to appear in court after being threatened by Mr Bannon’s lawyer. Mr Bannon’s debating partner is David Frum, the George W. Bush-era speechwriter who coined the term, “Axis of Evil”. This is in itself is sufficient indictment against the debate—that the debater representing the “liberal” position is a man responsible for shilling for the Iraq War, which resulted in the deaths of over a million people. We urge Munk Debate advisors, the board of Aurea Foundation, and all individuals and organizations connected with the Munk Charitable Foundation, to oppose this event in the strongest terms, and cancel the event immediately. People in Toronto are urged to join us at Roy Thomson Hall at 5 pm on November 2nd, 2018 whether the event is cancelled or not. Click here for updates: https://www.facebook.com/events/1401207076681549/ **Munk Debate Advisors/Aurea Foundation Directors** Financiers: Kenneth Whyte, Colin Chapin, Anthony Munk Lawyers: J. Robert Pritchard, David A. Steele Intellectuals: Devon Cross, Margaret MacMillan, Janice Stein Journalists: Andrew Coyne Other high-profile individuals: Melanie Munk, Nigel Wright

Based on recent research and considering a conservative estimate, the prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is 4% in Canada. That means that 200,000 British Columbians have FASD. That is 4 times the amount of Autism. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is among the leading causes of cognitive and developmental disability among children in Canada. The effects of prenatal alcohol exposure are vast and varied, but without supports, individuals with FASD can have profound issues with education, daily functioning, mental health, addiction, and social functioning. When unsupported for their disability, rates of FASD are higher in vulnerable populations, including those involved in the child welfare and justice systems. Interventions can have a profound impact on outcomes, however, in BC there are limited to no specialized services for this population. In Ontario, their specialized services funding has been expanded to include families caring for a child or young adult affect by FASD. We challenge the BC government to revisit their FASD strategic plan, look to other provinces, bring together a roundtable of experts, advocates, family members, and individuals with FASD, and recommit funding to finally support the needs of those affected by FASD.

In the past 7 years, the Syrian dictator Bashar Al Asad has used chemical weapons and barrel bombs to kill indiscriminately over 500000 civilians and has sent 12 million people refugees all over the world. Use of chemical weapons is strictly prohibited by the Geneva Convention yet Asad continues to use them on civilians caught in the civil war. This is truly one of the worst human tragedies of the 21 century.

As Vancouver's housing crisis continues, communities and residents are exploring innovative housing solutions to meet their diverse needs. For many, tiny houses on wheels offer an affordable, sustainable, safe and dignified housing option. However, mobile tiny houses are not legally allowed as residential units in most municipalities across BC, including Vancouver. People who want to go tiny are being denied this housing option, or else living illegally and insecurely in mobile units. On October 20 2018, residents will vote for new mayors and councils across BC. This is a perfect time to tell our elected officials that we need access to housing that is truly affordable, sustainable, and conducive to long-term health of our communities. Around the world, tiny houses are gaining in popularity as an alternative model of affordable and sustainable housing for diverse populations. In growing urban centres, vacant, irregular or undeveloped lots could accommodate temporary tiny houses as a means of gentle densification. Tiny houses could also be used as small-scale infill housing to fit within residential neighbourhood contexts, or as laneway alternatives on single-family residentially zoned lots, creating space for intergenerational living. Zoning bylaws and building codes need to be updated to reduce barriers to alternative living. Housing options along the entire housing continuum should be discussed as part of any affordable housing strategy. Including tiny homes in election campaigns and later in zoning regulation changes is an important step towards creating room for innovative and creative solutions driven by the community. If enough people sign this petition, we’ll be able to convince mayoral and council candidates in Vancouver to include mobile tiny houses in their election platforms this October and, when elected, to work on legalizing tiny houses by creating municipal zoning for mobile tiny houses and supporting tiny house amendments to the BC building code.

Despite significant public concern, last year, the federal and provincial Liberal governments approved the sale of Retirement Concepts – the largest private provider of residential-care and assisted-living services in B.C. – to Chinese investment firm Anbang Insurance. Alarmingly, on February 23, 2018, a Chinese government regulator took control of Anbang’s assets (including Retirement Concepts' facilities) due to fraud and embezzlement. There is substantial concern that, in order to deal with the debt, Retirement Concepts’ facilities will face operational cuts, layoffs and contracting out, and the sale of facility assets. This has created an environment of fear and uncertainty for frontline care and support workers, the seniors they care for, and their families.

In North America, safe roads and licensed drivers are something that we take for granted. Pedestrian deaths are not a daily norm, and if they are to ever occur, we can be sure that the drivers will be held accountable. This is not the case for citizens of Bangladesh, where unregulated driving and lack of road safety lead to hundreds of deaths on a regular basis. Ambulances cannot even travel to patients on time due to no rules regarding the safe passage of medical vehicles. Last week, the deaths of two teenagers in a senseless truck hit and run sparked massive protests across the nation. Teenagers, young adults, teachers and more took to the streets halting civilian drivers, and government officials, demanding proof of licensing. Protesters have a simple demand: Safer roads. This demand was not met. What they were met with was violence. Multiple students and teens have been severely injured, raped and even murdered for daring to speak out about the lack of consequences that government officials and the wealthy face for reckless driving which results in the deaths of hundreds. More than a hundred students were injured on August 4th when police opened fired with rubber bullets. Students shared stories, pleas and proof of the violence via facebook. The government's response was to halt mobile internet access for 24 hours. This is a violation of human rights, children are being attacked and losing their lives for demanding safer living conditions, and it is our responsibility to foster change.

The people of Ontario are deeply concerned by Premier Ford's stated intention to divert mental health funding towards policing, in light of a mass shooting carried out by a mentally troubled person. From the beginning of Ford's premiership, his promised investment of $1.9 billion in mental health investments over 10 years already represented a $335 million annual cut in proposed funding to mental health. [1] From this already small proposed investment, Ford proposed shifting some of this mental health funding to policing. [2] This shift in policy perpetuates the long-standing problem of using reactionary measures like criminalization to address mental health issues, when instead, proactive measures like mental health support are needed. [3] The proposed shift in funding will harm the people of Ontario who depend on already scarce mental health resources, while signalling to the public that state force is an appropriate substitute for accessible care. [1] https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2018/07/26/tories-blasted-for-335m-cut-in-planned-spending-on-mental-health.html [2] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ford-to-use-mental-health-money-for-policing-1.4759578 [3] https://www.researchgate.net/profile/J_Wormith/publication/19251180_The_Criminalization_of_Psychiatrically_Ill_People_A_Review_with_a_Canadian_Perspective/links/55b946f108ae092e965b313a/The-Criminalization-of-Psychiatrically-Ill-People-A-Review-with-a-Canadian-Perspective.pdf ---------- Public Advocates in support of strengthening mental health funding: Bhutila Karpoche, MPP for Parkdale-High Park Community Organizations in support of strengthening mental health funding: Warrior Women of Quinte

For many years, our neighbourhood, centred around the parallel 600 blocks of Constance Ave. and Nelson St. has contained one of the highest concentrations of low income rentals in the Greater Victoria area. While a few of us are home owners with Fairfield-perfect families, most of us are tenants, many of whom are on disability. (The shelter portion of a monthly disability cheque is under $400 for a single person.) Some of us are single parents. Some of us are seniors. Some of us have addictions. And some of us lack the social graces. So much so, in fact, that some of you wouldn't want some of us to move into your neighbourhood. We'd rather we stay here too. But we can't: our neighbourhood is being gentrified. Over the last couple of years, developers have descended upon our neighbourhood, buying up buildings and houses in order to demolish them and then put up more expensive housing.The remaining landlords have started the predictable follow up: renovations on vacated suites that price rentals out of the reach of low-income people. The overall effect is a depletion in the stock of low-income housing, in an area where renters already struggle with a 0.7 vacancy rate, one of the lowest in Canada. Unless the Esquimalt Council wants to end up being compared to Vancouver's Council under Mayor Gordon Campbell, it needs to stop treating our neighbourhood the way Campbell treated East Van. The Council needs to push pause on the developments and rent-increasing renos in this neighbourhood and to use the resultant time to come up with a policy requiring developers and renovating landlords to assist displaced tenants to find housing and to ensure that the stock of low-income housing is not further depleted. Vancouver has such a policy now and Victoria is implementing one in September. We can't save our community. We know that we don't have that kind of power. But please sign our petition so that we can at least try to get Esquimalt to help ensure that some of our displaced neighbours don't end up living on the street.

Translink’s lack of affordability measures means that right now thousands of people cannot access the basic service of public transit they need to live, work and thrive. Children, youth and adults who lack access to any other form of transport remain locked out of our transit system. With free transit for children and youth 0-18 and a sliding scale pass based on income, those who are homeless can get to the shelters they need to survive, families will no longer have to make hard choices, folks can get to work without losing the bulk of their hard-earned wages, those seeking jobs can get to interviews and to work, and everyone can access the health care they need, when they need it. In the words of one dad, "I had to choose between transit to get myself to the doctor or buying my daughter milk." We can and must do better. The time is now.