The Rural Municipality of St. Andrews Manitoba is just north of Winnipeg and in the municipal election held October of 2018 Joy Sul was elected the new Mayor of the RM with 61.82% of the vote. A clear majority of voters chose her to lead our community. On December 16th of 2019 five members of council (that have now become known in the community as “The Group of Five”) after months of strategically changing municipal by-laws held an emergency council meeting where they voted to remove the Mayor's powers as Chair of council and as Spokesperson for the RM. What these five councillors did is undemocratic and frankly inappropriate and embarrassing. The Mayor has since taken legal action against the RM and the councillors in question to have the vote overturned and restore democracy to our community. With COVID-19 throwing the world into chaos of course, the court date has been pushed back and the issue has still not been resolved. St. Andrews is a small community and I fear because it is so small that not many people are even aware that this affront to democracy in Canada has taken place. If the court were to find in favour with the five councillors that voted to remove the mayors powers it would set a dangerous precedent for every single municipality across Canada. Below are a few news articles with the most recent public information about the situation. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/rm-st-andrews-mayor-stripped-powers-1.5398751 https://winnipegsun.com/opinion/columnists/aldrich-st-andrews-council-needs-a-time-out-for-schoolyard-coup https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/frustration-deepens-in-st-andrews-after-mayor-loses-key-powers-1.4737917 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/st-andrews-mayor-court-application-hearing-council-stripped-duties-1.5415688 https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/a-very-dangerous-precedent-rm-of-st-andrews-draws-provincial-attention-over-coup-in-council-1.4767675 There has also been a GoFundMe fundraiser started up by a concerned member of the community to help the Mayor pay her legal fees. As she was the one to initiate legal action against the RM and the councillors she is responsible for paying all of her legal fees while the councillors will have their legal costs paid for by the RM. Any surplus funds (or all funds in the event that the five councillors are forced to pay the mayor's legal fees) will remain in St. Andrews and be donated to help save Captain Kennedy House, a St Andrews historic landmark. https://www.gofundme.com/f/mayor-joy-sul-democracy?fbclid=IwAR1VHbjXu7qCgcZzJD4xSF9N1m1tDkBrFq4JFlaVtR21m64qiXVn_1Q6Uq4 https://www.change.org/p/hon-cathy-cox-river-east-minister-of-sport-culture-and-heritage-pc-save-captain-kennedy-house https://whatsupwinnipeg.ca/local-committee-has-plans-to-save-the-historic-kennedy-house/

Canada claims there is no systemic racism and this is proof that it is alive and well in Canada. The whole world pulled together in support of black lives matter, well Indigenous lives matter. This never should have happened.. these boys should not have been arrested and Erik should not have died. This needs to be addressed and dealt with properly as the people given authority by the federal government need to be investigated and held accountable.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) just passed a devastating new law that punishes anybody in Hong Kong who speaks out against the authoritarian regime. Left unchecked, CPC’s rampant trampling of rights in Hong Kong could destroy the city once declared the most ‘free’ in the world. Already, people and governments around the world have condemned China’s brutal new law that violates Hong Kong’s autonomy. Last week, the United Kingdom announced special visas to welcome Hong Kong citizens fleeing the region for fear of persecution and loss of freedom. The special accommodations include 5-year work and study visas, after which HK citizens can apply for citizenship. Some MPs are already in support of amending immigration rules to make it easier for Hong Kong citizens to find a path to permanent residency. Hong Kong citizens need our help. Will you sign the petition urging the federal government to provide special visas and a citizenship pathway to residents fleeing Hong Kong?

Protesting is our right and without it, we have no voice. This bill targets Indigenous people and is unconstitutional. It must be retracted to ensure our freedom of speech and freedom of protest.

WHO IS AT RISK? More than 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk for FGM annually. More than 200 million girls and women alive today have been cut in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and west where FGM is concentrated. The practice is most common in the Western, Eastern, and North-Eastern regions of Africa, in some countries the Middle East and west as well as among migrants from these areas. FGM is therefore a global concern. FGM is recognized Marsabit County as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. It is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children. Types of female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. In 1997, WHO classified female genital mutilation into four different types? Since then, experience with using this classification revealed the need to subdivide these categories, to capture the varieties of FGM in more detail. Severity (which here corresponds to the amount of tissue damaged) and health risk are closely related to the type of FGM performed as well as the amount of tissue that is cut. The four major types of FGM, and their subtypes, are: Type I. Partial or total removal of the clitoral glans (the external and visible part of the clitoris, which is a sensitive part of the female genitals, with the function of providing sexual pleasure to the woman), and/or the prepuce/clitoral hood (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoral glans). When it is important to distinguish between the major variations of Type I FGM, the following subdivisions are used: Type Ia. Removal of the prepuce/clitoral hood only. Type Ib. Removal of the clitoral glans with the prepuce/clitoral hood. Type II. Partial or total removal of the clitoral glans and the labia minora (the inner folds of the vulva), with or without removal of the labia majora (the outer folds of skin of the vulva). When it is important to distinguish between the major variations of Type II FGM, the following subdivisions are used: Type IIa. Removal of the labia minora only. Type IIb. Partial or total removal of the clitoral glans and the labia minora (prepuce/clitoral hood may be affected). Type IIc. Partial or total removal of the clitoral glans, the labia minora and the labia majora (prepuce/clitoral hood may be affected). Type III. (Often referred to as infibulation). Narrowing of the vaginal opening with the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the labia minora, or labia majora. The covering of the vaginal opening is done with or without removal of the clitoral prepuce/clitoral hood and glans (Type I FGM). When it is important to distinguish between variations of Type III FGM, the following subdivisions are used: Type IIIa. Removal and repositioning of the labia minora. Type IIIb. Removal and repositioning of the labia majora. Type IV. All other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, for example pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization. Deinfibulation refers to the practice of cutting open the sealed vaginal opening of a woman who has been infibulated (Type III). This is often done to allow sexual intercourse or to facilitate childbirth, and is often necessary for improving the woman’s health and well-being. Despite the health risks, some women undergo a narrowing of their vaginal opening again after being deinfibulated, at the time of childbirth – meaning that they may undergo a series of repeated infibulations and deinfibulations throughout the life-course.

Ppl are being evicted from their homes from late payments or none payments

The provincial government should not be making decisions over regions/lands and approving cow moose and calf culling. We need the moose population back for local residents and for future generations.

Terry Fox, Canada's greatest hero -- is someone we can all be proud of. The August civic holiday should follow Manitoba's lead be renamed #TerryFoxDay across Canada- a national hero who’s reach grows each year. All these others who civic holidays are named for well you never know ....

Currently, the majority of Canadians with disabilities are living 30-40% below the poverty line, and find themselves making hard choices every month between paying for food, bills, transportation or paying for medications that are not covered. Over the last two decades, despite the rate of inflation, the programs meant to assist people with disabilities have not kept up leaving them to struggle more and more each year to make ends meet. Imagine having to decide whether you can afford personal hygiene products or not, or if you can afford soap to wash yourself or if you can afford cleaning products? These are just a few of the decisions faced every day by those with disabilities. Most Canadians with disabilities are lucky if they get a singular meal every day, that being with the assistance of food banks and other social programs which often cant provide for special dietary needs. None of these services are able to keep up with actual demand, despite large sums of money doled out by federal and provincial governments, especially now with many other Canadians facing financial hardships. With a lack of affordable housing and skyrocketing rental rates, many Canadians with disabilities are finding themselves having to give up their independence and consider cohabitating, or are finding themselves living in rentals that are often derelict with landlords and management that do not maintain the units or premises. Many are also facing discrimination when searching for rentals, being met with ads that state that those on specific provincial programs need not apply, or outright telling applicants that they don't rent to those on provincial programs. People living with disabilities need proper financial and social supports to ensure the best quality of life possible despite their disability. Living so far below the poverty line often means that people with disabilities end up with chronic illness, added mental health issues that would have not otherwise impacted their lives had they been in a position to afford healthy meals without sacrificing possible treatments and vice-versa. By providing an income nearer to the poverty line, Canadians with disabilities would be in a position to help themselves, rather than rely on already heavily burdened services, would allow then to ensure adequate living arrangements, as well as participate in society to an extent only dreamed of. Giving Canadians with disabilities financial assistance won't only benefit them, but will also benefit the economy, as finances will be injected directly back into circulation on basic necessities. This has already been proven through the CCB. For every 1$ disbursed through the program has translated to 1.97$ contributed to the GPD. Canadians with disabilities deserve better, deserve to live rather than try to survive and in a first world country such as ours, legislated poverty imposed on those with disabilities should not exist.

We must decolonise our societies in order to increase equality and reduce systemic oppression. Having such a major street on unceded indigenous land is a slap in the face and is a tacit approval of genocide, racism and colonialism.

In most Toronto neighbourhoods, my partner and I feel safe walking hand in hand. This is our home and we feel comfortable living our lives openly and freely. But, knowing Chick-fil-A's long history of donating to homophobic and racist organizations and politicians, we DO NOT feel safe walking by the location at the intersection of Bloor and Yonge. This restaurant is so close to the Village, it's on the Pride Parade route! We need to send a clear message that this is not okay. First Capital - you can drape yourself in the rainbow flag, but it means nothing if you continue to rent to a company hostile to our community's existence.

We must decolonise our societies in order to increase equality and reduce systemic oppression. Having such a major street on unceded indigenous land is a slap in the face and is a tacit approval of genocide, racism and colonialism.