The breakdown of Rogers on July 8th exposed just how fragile Canada's internet infrastructure is. Across the country commerce crashed as stores could not process credit cards, email transfers could not be delivered, even 911 service was lost in some places. It's clear that cell and internet services are essential for us to work, pay for food, and make important calls. But for years, the Big 3 telecoms companies have been buying up the competition, expanding their profits while we’re stuck paying for poor services and sky-high wireless plans. And last year, the Shaw-Rogers merger gave Rogers even more control over our telecoms services It’s time to bust the monopoly on the telecoms sector. Canada must move to deliver public, reliable, high-speed, and affordable internet access to all.

We’re all feeling it. Everyday people are struggling as the cost of energy bills, groceries, and basic necessities skyrocket. It’s a cost of living crisis. [1] But not everyone is impacted equally. Big corporations continue to rake in record-breaking profits. Corporate CEOs are filthy rich. Meanwhile, federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is advocating for fiscal restraint. [2] The result? Families are forced to decide between paying rent on time or putting food on the table. [3,4] It’s enraging — but it doesn’t have to be this way. If we all come together to demand Canada’s wealthiest pay a fairer share of tax, we can ease the financial strain we’re all feeling. We can raise much-needed billions for a stronger social safety net, public services, and jobs. We can make Canada more fair. Finance Minister Freeland is feeling the pressure right now. She knows Canadians are struggling and she knows the public is looking to her for solutions. If thousands of Leadnow members sign an open letter demanding a wealth tax, then it could help tip the balance in our favour to ensure she delivers on it. Will you add your name to the open letter? [1] https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/chrystia-freeland-inflation-1.6501750 [2] See 1 [3] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canadians-shopping-rising-food-costs-1.6483250 [4] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-bank-of-canada-business-consumer-survey-inflation/

The Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) is demanding that over 1 million Canadians pay back the emergency benefits they received during the pandemic. Their timing couldn’t be more out of touch. Canadians are facing an affordability crisis — and with rents, grocery bills and energy costs rising, most of us simply can’t afford a surprise $2,000 expense. When the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) was first issued, millions of people in need of support applied in good faith — not knowing they’d be forced to pay their benefit back. The CRA is offering to defer payments for those experiencing “financial hardship” — but the definition of financial hardship is vague, and decided on a case-by-case basis. There’s a mountain of red tape to navigate in order to even defer a CERB repayment. [source] It’s a deep injustice for the millions of Canadians who relied on CERB when the pandemic took our livelihoods away. If you believe that our government should be helping Canadians to weather the affordability crisis — not kicking us while we’re down — sign the petition now.

Our hearts have been heavy these last few days since the overturning of Roe V Wade. A whole generation of people in a first-world country are now second-class citizens. They have lost autonomy over their bodies. When we look at our daughters, and around at all people in our lives we wonder- how safe are all of us from the same fate in Canada? The answer to that question is unfortunately not very. The lack of legislation pertaining to abortions in Canada is a scary double-edged sword. No legislation means no precedent to build on but it also means there is an empty slate for precedent to be introduced. This is why it is so important to name and understand how dangerous these Bills, being introduced and voted in favour of by conservatives really are. Now is not the time to be complacent, it's not the time to say it couldn't happen here. It is time to say we refuse to let it happen here. We want to add that this isn’t a partisan issue. While the conservatives are the only real threat to abortion rights at the moment we would hold any party or MP to the same account.

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.

Since great number of new condominiums is coming to the area and demographic in the existing housing and condos is changing, great number of kids are already born and getting ready or are now ready for school, it is essential that new schools that were in planning process for years start being built.

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.]