"There is no such thing as a model or ideal Canadian... A society which emphasizes uniformity is one which creates intolerance and hate... What the world should be seeking, and what in Canada we must continue to cherish, are not concepts of uniformity but human values: compassion, love and understanding" - Pierre Trudeau

The Ford government just tabled legislation to take over Toronto’s subway system, which will leave the TTC open for privatization or a two-tiered transit system, which will mean longer commutes, less control and higher fares. [1] The TTC already has the smallest amount of government funding of any big city transit system in North America with 70 percent coming from fares, [2] which are among the highest in North America. [3] When Rob Ford was mayor of Toronto, he made service cuts and raised fares. Doug Ford running the TTC from Queen’s Park won’t improve the TTC. Ford needs to keep the TTC’s control in the hands of the city and provide it with adequate funding. If we put our foot down with a huge showing of opposition, making sure Ford knows Torontonians want to keep the TTC public, properly funded, and in the hands of its users, he’ll have to pay attention. Will you add your name before the legislation moves ahead (any week now)? Sources: [1] https://globalnews.ca/news/4834294/ontario-government-upload-toronto-subway/ [2] https://www.cp24.com/news/ttcriders-hold-day-of-action-over-ford-s-plan-to-upload-subway-to-province-1.4197455 [3] https://www.blogto.com/city/2016/02/how_do_ttc_fares_stack_up_against_other_cities_in_2016/

Millions of non-smokers in our country, particularly in Toronto city are suffering every day due to unscrupulous smokers around all public places. These smokers interpret that "Law prohibits only smoking within 9 meters from a building entrance". Thus they claim they are legally permitted to smoke anywhere else. This is in addition to some who violate all existing laws and they smoke right at the entrance. Children at Risk A recent law revision has prohibited smoking near schools and play grounds. But that was a too short-sighted addition. Please note that, the same children get exposed to smoking on their way home at side walks, bus tops, pedestrian crossings, parking lots, walkways, public transit, and inside own dwelling units. Attention is requested to the menace of unscrupulous smoking in public places, which is causing health hazards to general public through passive smoking effect. While I appreciate the smoke-free Ontario regulation and similar laws across the country exist,evidently they are found to be not reaping the desired benefits. The rule that bans smoking within 9 meters from the entrance of any building, appears to have been miss-interpreted as if it just irritates the building. Any reasonably sensible person can understand that such rule is to avoid passive smoking-effect on other innocent nonsmokers passing by. But most smokers are seen smoking at a couple meters away from the entrance, if not at the entrance/ inside the confined area itself, and mostly right in the middle of other non-smokers by-standing / walking. Such violations are extremely high in crowded cities like Toronto / GTA and probably in other larger cities too . The trend might be proportionately less in other small cities. In either case the damages that would cause are enormous. Consequences of smoking in public: 1. One smoker could cause health hazard to multitude of non-smoking public through passive smoking. 2. Suffocating smell that linger when a smoker travels in a crowded transit vehicle/elevator, which cause all others around sick 3. Cause slow premature death to innocent passive smokers, including young children/ infants and elderly (senior citizens) 4. Huge burden on the exchequer via additional health / medical budget. 5. Instances of children picking up butts from those thrown by others. The teens may not legally get it from stores, but get free butts from the side-walk. 6. Makes the city dirty with butts all around. 7. Create an unhealthy community, and an addicted generation. 8. Fire hazard due to un-extinguished butts being thrown around high-rise buildings. 9. Electronic cigarette and vapes too cause equal health hazard as cigarettes

NOW until December 10th is our time to offer feedback. UPDATE- FEEDBACK PERIOD HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL DECEMBER 14. Wood Buffalo National Park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, in part because of its great concentration of migratory wildlife; its vast inland delta, the Peace-Athabasca Delta; and the fact that it is home to many endangered species such as the Whooping Crane. The park encompass an area larger than the country of Switzerland. The UNESCO designation means that this place has Outstanding Universal Value, and places it among such global treasures as the Great Barrier Reef and the Pyramids. It is also the traditional homeland of 11 Indigenous groups. In 2014, the Mikisew Cree First Nation petitioned UNESCO to add Wood Buffalo National Park to their list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. UNESCO agreed there were serious issues in the park, and gave Parks Canada 17 recommendations in order to keep Wood Buffalo off the list. Parks Canada has released a draft Action Plan for public feedback. At this time, there is no plan to address Recommendation 4 - to conduct a full social and environmental impact assessment of the impacts of the Site C Dam on Wood Buffalo National Park. We understand that much work has taken place with the 11 Indigenous groups within the Park, which we respect; however, we feel meaningful engagement with the Canadian public has not occurred. The sustained integrity of the Outstanding Universal Value of Wood Buffalo is a concern for all Canadians. Unfortunately, the Action Plan falls short in responding to all 17 recommendations from UNESCO’s reactive monitoring mission. A significant shortfall is the failure to respond to Recommendation 4 – “conduct, in line with ICUN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, and environmental and social impact assessment of the Site C Project, and if moved forward, any hydropower projects potentially affecting the Outstanding Universal Value of the Property” (p. 43). By failing to meet this recommendation, Parks Canada undermines efforts to successfully address the threats to Wood Buffalo National Park. Water quality and quantity are the key underlying challenges to the other 16 recommendations identified. From UNESCO’s 2017 Report on the Peace-Athabasca Delta: …Site C…has so far not been assessed in terms of its impacts of the already altered Peace-Athabasca Delta even though the latter is both a fundamental contributor for the justification of World Heritage and Ramsar status, and home to several Aboriginal Peoples.   …the 2014 federal environmental assessment of the Site C project didn’t examine the impacts on the delta because the projects proponent, BC Hydro claimed there would be ‘no detectable effect…the federal panel restated BC Hydro’s position, ‘without providing a conceivable technical rationale for this conclusion’… Parks Canada claims that, “previous assessments are sufficient”, despite presenting evidence at the Joint Review Panel that stated Site C would have a negative impact on the Peace-Athabasca Delta and despite continued calls from Indigenous groups for the discontinuation of the project. You can get more information and request a copy of the Draft Action Plan here: https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/nt/woodbuffalo/info/SEA_EES/action/engagement

Water is a necessity of life. The job of the provincial government is to enact laws and govern the province for the good of all its people and not just for the financial gain of a select few individuals or corporations. The government of British Columbia needs to protect and conserve our groundwater aquifers for the benefit of all the people of British Columbia. The government must stop approving groundwater licences for bottling and commercial sale that benefit only a few individuals and corporations, while putting the water security of thousands of other British Columbians at risk. British Columbia just experienced widespread level 4 drought this past summer, impacting residents and farmers who rely on our aquifers, and impacting rivers, streams and fish habitat. In the face of this climate change, and in the face of population growth our groundwater aquifer resources are under increasing pressure and people who rely on those aquifers for their only source of water are concerned about their wells running dry. The government must take firm measures to protect and conserve our groundwater aquifers for the people of British Columbia who they serve now, and for our children and grandchildren in the future. The people of British Columbia must demand that the provincial government of British Columbia take immediate action to stop approving groundwater aquifer licences for bottling and commercial sale and bulk export to ensure all the people of British Columbia have access to good, clean water for our personal needs, to grow our backyard gardens and to supply the farms that grow our food. Water is a precious community owned resource and must be protected for the future. Water is Life.

The Petition: WHEREAS the University of Saskatchewan was founded for, and has a proud tradition of serving as an institution of higher learning for all the people of Saskatchewan, advancing unbiased science and knowledge for the benefit of society as a whole, independent of commercial interests; WHEREAS the University of Saskatchewan’s administration has recently exerted its considerable efforts and resources towards suppressing information with regard to the University's corporate partnerships with agriculture chemical companies, like Monsanto, Bayer, Dow, Syngenta et alia; WE THE UNDERSIGNED do petition University Chancellor, the Honourable Roy Romanow (elected by University Senate), to make representations within the University of Saskatchewan Administration to cease their legal obstruction and to comply with the prudent and reasonable recommendations of Saskatchewan's Information and Privacy Commissioner to lift the University's heavy redactions on the proceedings of the Symposium on "Research Management and the Right to Know" (Dec. 2015) and similar documents requested for public scrutiny. End of petition With the redactions lifted, the blatant attempts to suppress and hide the collusion between U of S industry chairs, faculty and the GMO/AgriChemical corporations will be more clearly revealed. The next step will be an even more public indictment of these activities. And we promise to keep you, our supporters, informed as we continue this struggle. Please join us!!!

Doug Ford just scrapped the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, which is responsible for making sure kids in the welfare system and other institutions are protected from abuse. This will leave the most vulnerable people imaginable -- children accessing public services, children with disabilities, Indigenous children -- without independent oversight, advocacy and protection that they need. [1] This office plays an incredibly important role in the lives of young people and those who care for them in this province. It ensures that young people, and especially those living in the care of public institutions such as child welfare and youth justice, have a voice in decisions that affect their lives. The discontinuation of this office and amalgamation with the Ombudsman office will inevitably lead to its serious reduction of capacity and expertise to help young people who desperately need this support. The Ombudsman of Ontario does not have the experience, expertise and participatory methods in working with young people in the areas of child welfare, child & youth mental health and youth justice sectors. Not only do young people benefit tremendously from this Office's work, professionals across the country regularly highlight this Office's leadership role in the province and Canada. And Ford’s doing it to fund corporate handouts. He’s claiming there's no money for it, but with millions in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy, that’s more than a bit rich. We can’t allow him to strip children of their rights and their safety. We saw that after massive backlash about the Ford government moving to debate whether to remove gender identity from school curriculums, he backtracked and shut it down. [2] If we show them that the majority of people in Ontario won’t tolerate these absolutely callous cuts to children’s safety with a massive petition, he could reverse again. They could be packing up the office of Provincial Advocacy for Children and Youth any day now. Will you add your name before it’s dismantled? [1] https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2018/11/19/eliminating-the-ontario-child-advocates-office-a-mistake.html [2] https://toronto.citynews.ca/2018/11/19/ford-gender-identity-debate/

Dispenasry workers face fines, arrest, and up to 2 years in jail for the crime of working (and paying taxes) in a grey/black market venture. Please help workers caught in this regrettable, structural failure under Ontario's Conservative Government, and its failed MJ distribution scheme. More arrests, this time in Ottawa and Windsor, maybe Leo Lucier could get you some respondents: https://sputniknews.com/us/201811091069661388-cannabis-shops-raided-ontario/ TO police raided 5 dispensaries, 19 October: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/cannabis/article-toronto-police-raid-and-shut-down-five-marijuana-dispensaries-vow-to/ 6 arrested in Hamilton, Oct. 25: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/hamilton-police-execute-warrant-georgia-peach-cannabis-dispensary-1.4880436) And four more arrests Tues, 6 Nov, in Essex, ON: https://theprovince.com/news/local-news/opp-lay-cannabis-act-charges-after-raid-on-pot-shop-in-essex/wcm/f65698d7-ea66-49b3-8a03-23220ced72ed

Racialized youth are disproportionately impacted by Canada’s criminal justice system. Racial disparities exist within Canada’s policing, courts, and correction services but are rarely discussed. According to Statistic Canada’s (2018) correctional statistic from 2016-2017 Indigenous youth account for 46% of incarcerated youth. Black Canadians are one of the fastest growing populations in federal prisons. Our justice system is rooted in injustice and continues to criminalize, victimize, and marginalize racialized youth. As a nation we need to move past punitive approaches to youth criminality and towards holistic approaches. Racialized youth deserve a justice system that is inclusive, equitable, and truly just!

Brad Trost, the Conservative MP from Saskatoon - University, is slotted to appear on racist hate site The Rebel this Saturday. [1] MP Trost is an elected official and has no business promoting hate. We can't allow any major political party in Canada to legitimize The Rebel’s xenophobic, islamophobic, racist anti-Semitic and all-around hateful content. We've seen how this can sow the seeds of white supremacy, extremism and violence. [2] We all have an obligation to stand against this. Last Friday, thousands protested the Munk Debate with Steve Bannon. Now we have to stand up again. If enough of us speak out, it could scare Mr. Trost into backing down. Will you add your name to demand Conservative MP Brad Trost cancel his Saturday appearance on The Rebel? Sources: [1] https://twitter.com/mbueckert/status/1058487790474838016?s=21 [2] http://www.nationalobserver.com/2017/03/15/news/rebel-media-defending-contributor-behind-repulsive-rant-was-praised-white

To celebrate cultural identity of 7000 years old Indus Valley civilization

On April 18th, Vancouver City Council unanimously passed a motion to advocate to the Province of British Columbia to allow permanent residents the right to vote in municipal elections. Now we need the support of those in the provincial government to amend the Vancouver Charter (1953) to expand voting rights to permanent residents. With your support, we can show the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Honourable Selina Robinson that the public believes every voice in our community should have a right to participate in democracy. Permanent Residents are valuable, contributing members to society and they deserve to be represented in their local government. Sign the petition to tell your MLAs and the B.C.’s the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs to allow Permanent Residents the right to vote.