The British Columbia Investment Management Investment Corporation (BCI) invests most BC public sector pension funds – in total about $153 billion. Like any fund its fiduciary responsibility (i.e. getting the best return possible, taking risk into account) is its most important contract with its clients, and outweighs all other considerations. By continuing to hold fossil fuel stocks BCI is likely not meeting its fiduciary responsibility. And there’s also plenty of evidence to show that it’s quite easy to divest from fossil fuels, in fact a pension fund in Denmark did it in six weeks. And continued investment in oil, gas and coal is fueling the climate crisis, which is only going to lead to more heat domes, floods, forest fires, and threatens our long-term future. Learn more: https://oilsandsdivest.com/bcidivest/

Reproductive rights advocates have been sounding the alarm about inequitable access to abortion care across the country for years. In some parts of the county, you may incur travel expenses because there's no clinic in your community or you may be forced to take unpaid time off work. [1] Imagine if someone with a heart condition or broken arm had to leave the province just to get treatment — we wouldn’t stand for it. Expanding abortion care is the right thing to do. Prime Minister Trudeau and Health Minister Duclos can shore up funding for abortion care access in remote communities, increase access to safe abortion pills, and expand medical school training so nurse practitioners can also be providers. [2,3] While the issue is dominating the news, we can convince Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Duclos to walk the talk and protect reproductive rights and expand abortion care access here. Sign the open letter now. [1] https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/cuts-to-health-care-geography-limit-abortion-access-in-canada-advocate-1.5964466 [2] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/as-roe-v-wade-is-overturned-advocates-say-sask-government-should-work-to-improve-abortion-access-1.6500712 [3] https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/wake-up-call-organizations-that-support-abortion-in-canada-feeling-some-effects-of-u-s-ruling

The numbers are staggering. A new report by the Toronto Police has confirmed what Black people have been saying for decades: the police disproportionately use force on Black people. Systemic racism in policing is undeniable. [1] We’ve seen this cycle before: the police are accused of racism and then they use that to demand more taxpayer money for new policies and reform. But decades of expensive police reform in Canada and around the world have shown that more training, body cameras, and surveillance tech doesn’t work — racism in policing is deeply ingrained on a systemic level. [2] We cannot allow the Toronto Police to get even more money after this latest report proves the deeply-entrenched systemic racism in their department. If thousands of us email the mayor while this report is hot off the press, it could be enough pressure to force him to rethink the policing budget. Enter your details to send an email urging Mayor Tory to not give the police more money. Sources: [1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-police-race-based-data-use-force-strip-searches-1.6489151 [2] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/16/its-not-about-bad-apples-how-us-police-reforms-have-failed-to-stop-brutality-and-violence

As mentioned on the Canadian Museum of Water website: "Water is the essence of humanity, it is something that links every nation, society, race, gender, generation, and culture. Every human being shares a relationship with water” “The history of humanity is - in part - the history of water, from the earliest settlements, to the industrial era, to the search for life in outer space. Water is a vehicle with which we can tell a story of humankind.” “Water encapsulates key social, stewardship, conservation, advocacy and economic goals of the project translates them into relevant and compelling visitor experiences.” For many years our indigenous friends have stridently led the way. After all, we all drink water, and will always need to drink water.

If the City of Toronto is committed to zero waste and reducing the effects of single-use and takeaway items on our environment, we need to say NO to single-use plastics now! Toronto must take responsibility for the outcome, independent of the actions of the provincial or federal government.

• 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

People deserve a place to call home — without having to worry about if they can afford it, or if they will need to forgo groceries to make rent. For that, we need politicians who care. Ford has proven he doesn't care about renters — he's scrapped rent control, made it easier to evict residents and has consistently tilted the scales in favour of wealthy landlords. [3,4] Ford just made it through an election where the majority of Ontarians didn’t vote for him — his party is aware of this, and is listening to the public voice right now. With a flood of public pressure, we can demonstrate that Ontarians aren't going to accept Ford's lack of action. Experts at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario recommend reinstating rent controls that Ford took away, scrapping vacancy decontrols, and creating an effective eviction prevention strategy. [5] Add your name now to call on Ford to protect renters in Ontario with these common-sense protections. Sources: [1] https://www.acto.ca/a-new-poll-shows-the-majority-of-ontario-renters-are-having-to-choose-between-food-and-paying-their-rents-when-it-comes-to-housing-affordability-this-province-is-on-fire/ [2] https://monitormag.ca/articles/rents-keep-going-up-pandemic-or-not [3] https://www.wellandtribune.ca/opinion/editorials/2020/07/08/doug-ford-tilts-the-table-in-favour-of-landlords-with-bill-184.html [4] https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/doug-ford-is-consolidating-the-power-of-landlords-during-a-time-of-crisis [5] https://www.acto.ca/production/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/FINAL_Report_WeCantWait_Nov2019.pdf ["Eviction NOTICE" image by rickonine is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/?ref=openverse.]

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

As I write this, the FSO Safer, a massive supertanker filled with oil, is decaying off the coast of Yemen. It's an environmental disaster waiting to happen. The supertanker is carrying over 1 million barrels of oil — 4 times more than Exxon Valdez. [1] And if it spills, or even explodes – it would cause incalculable damage to the people, environment, and economy of the region. [2] The UN is urgently requesting 144 million dollars from the international community to safely move the supertanker. Already the US, Netherlands, EU countries and Qatar have committed to financially supporting this project – but Canada hasn’t even bothered to show up to the meetings, much less offer to pay their share. [3] If Trudeau wants Canada to be recognized as a climate leader, he needs to put his money where his mouth is. [4] Will you tell Minister of Foreign Affairs, Melanie Joly, and Justin Trudeau to help finance the safe removal of the supertanker to prevent incalculable damage from an oil spill or explosion? Sources [1] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/27/us-netherlands-call-for-action-on-decaying-yemeni-supertanker [2] https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/fso-safer-yemen-ship-risks-1.6447260 [3] https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/fso-safer-yemen-ship-risks-1.6447260 [4] https://theconversation.com/canada-praised-for-climate-leadership-despite-scathing-watchdog-report-on-climate-policy-failures-175021

The cost of living keeps rising and for low-wage workers, paying basic needs continues to be a struggle. Specifically during the pandemic, essential workers got us through it but they continue to be underpaid. Loblaws has the capacity to pay its workers a living wage and Galen Weston Jr should be ashamed that he refuses to pay his workers a wage that would allow them to afford the basic needs that their current pay cannot cover.

The UCP government has been chipping away at our public health care system for years — moving it towards a privatized system. They’ve worked tirelessly to destroy the negotiating power of the Alberta Medical Association and ripped up their contract mid-pandemic. And throughout the last two years, they’ve attacked nurses' rights and laid off thousands of support staff. [4-6] It’s brought Alberta's health care system to the brink of collapse. Sign now calling for the Alberta government to protect public health care. [1] https://pressprogress.ca/jason-kenney-is-expanding-private-for-profit-services-in-albertas-health-care-system/ [2] https://rabble.ca/health/health-care-for-sale-under-albertas-ucp/ [3] https://globalnews.ca/news/7404348/ucp-private-healthcare-policy-approved/ [4] https://pressprogress.ca/5-times-jason-kenneys-ucp-government-picked-fights-with-albertas-frontline-healthcare-workers/ [5] https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2022/05/30/jason-kenneys-war-on-doctors-has-left-health-care-in-a-shambles.html [6] see 4