This grotesque, untimely and out of scale development might be have been possible 20 years ago, but now it is clearly destructive to the River and landscape which makes the area unique. It is disrespectful of First Nations eons of care for the land and waters. It disregards local settler communities and their heritage village. And it sets a precedent for development and pollution along the banks of the Grand to Lake Erie.

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.

As a non partisan organization the DSC Campus Organizing Committee sees the decision by Elections Canada as a violation of student rights and freedoms and could even be considered a tactic of voter suppression. We know that students experience increased barriers to voting than the general public including; access to transportation, housing precariousness (making where to vote and how to vote more confusing), and less time to vote due to the constraints of both working and going to school. Furthermore we know that these barriers have been exacerbated by the pandemic and the timing of the election being so close to when students are in transition and settling into new routines. We also know this is a crucial election in Canada’s ability to respond in a timely and effective manner to a number of crises that will have a lasting effect on this generation of students including but not limited to; climate, housing affordability, and wealth inequality. Anything that can be done to encourage students to vote will be a good thing for our democracy. We hope you agree!

Elections Canada is not setting up voting booths or offering special balloting on campus for students in this important election. Young people are the largest voting block and tend to vote progressive-- this is extremely concerning. Their reasoning is also unjustified. They claim the problem is the pandemic and minority government having a snap election. This is voter suppression. People and students are rightfully angry about not being able to justly and equitably access their voting rights and Elections Canada has been getting backlash all day. We need to ensure voting is as accessible as possible to increase turn out. Our ask is very simple. Elections Canada: open voting booths on campus across the country. If we can ramp up the pressure on Elections Canada while they’re feeling the heat on their announcement, it could be enough to force them to reverse course and set up voting booths and special balloting on campuses across the country. Otherwise thousands of students will be barred from voting. Add your voice now to show the importance of accessible student voting!

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.

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.

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.

Nous sommes des artistes, auteurs, créateurs et professionnels provenant de toutes les associations du milieu de la culture. La liberté d’expression se trouve au cœur même de nos démarches artistiques. C’est une valeur sacrée et intouchable à nos yeux, et nul ne saurait remettre en cause cet état de fait. Le gouvernement canadien, ayant à cœur de faire rayonner la culture originale canadienne, impose à tous les diffuseurs d’intégrer au sein de leur programmation des contenus musicaux, télévisuels et cinématographiques produits ici, notamment en français. Malheureusement, cette obligation ne s’applique pas aux géants du numérique tels que Netflix, Spotify, YouTube et autres multinationales étrangères. Celles-ci font pourtant des affaires en or sur notre territoire, sans aucune obligation de réinjecter, ne serait-ce qu’une fraction des sommes générées, en soutien à nos créateurs canadiens et francophones. Cette injustice tue graduellement nos entreprises culturelles, affecte nos emplois, et c’est l’ensemble de notre identité culturelle qui s’en trouve inévitablement menacée. Nous croyons qu’il est urgent d’imposer aux géants du Web les mêmes règles qui prévalent à l’endroit de tous les diffuseurs dans le but de favoriser la création originale d’ici et la vitalité du milieu culturel et artistique. C’est pourquoi nous appuyons le projet de loi C-10, actuellement en discussion à Ottawa. Nous demandons aux parlementaires de tout mettre en œuvre pour établir l’équité dès maintenant et assurer le bon cheminement du projet de loi. Il y va de la survie de notre avenir culturel. Pour plus d’information, consultez cette lettre ouverte signée par les présidentes et présidents de l’UDA, la FNCC-CSN, l’APASQ, l’AQAD, l’ARRQ, la GMMQ, l’UNEQ, la SARTEC et TRACE : https://www.lapresse.ca/debats/opinions/2021-05-06/projet-de-loi-sur-la-radiodiffusion/une-reforme-essentielle-pour-le-milieu-culturel.php

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.

Many low-income people use Dollar stores and budget stores that have been left off a list of "essential" goods during COVID in favor of rich area stores. This is discriminatory and will make more people get sick and die - especially in areas hard hit by COVID 19.