The streets of Hong Kong are unrecognizable. Tear gas, police batons, pepper spray, intimidation and torture -- these are only some of the brutalities faced by Hong Kong citizens marching in defiance of one of the world’s most powerful dictatorships. In the past few months, I have watched this beautiful city in which I was born and raised, once free and vibrant, -- suffer under the iron grip of China’s continued and increasing encroachment onto Hong Kong’s autonomy. Since the 80s, the Chinese Communist Party has continued to steadily chip away at Hongkongers’ rights and freedoms, and Hong Kong citizens were pushed over the edge when an extradition amendment bill was proposed that would allow the extradition of anyone who is in Hong Kong to China, to be tried under the Chinese judiciary system instead. Their ‘judiciary system’ has a 99% conviction rate, and is infamous for torture, trumped up charges and forced confessions. If passed, this law would effectively end Hong Kong as we know it. And it’s why 2 million people took to the streets in protest. Hong Kong citizens are fighting for the same democratic freedoms that we have here in Canada. They are fighting to protect their civil liberties that we currently hold: the rights to vote, to gather in protest, and to speak out against injustice. But we’re not set apart from the fight on the front lines in Hong Kong. Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor are two Canadians currently being tortured, and detained with bogus charges in China. The protestors in Hong Kong facing police brutality are directly opposing the expansion of tyranny - not just for themselves, but for Kovrig and Spavor too. Their fight should be our fight. Their cause should be our cause. As Canadians, we have the power to speak up - not just for democracy or in defence of human rights - but for the 300,000 Canadians living in Hong Kong, the many Canadians who have business or family ties to Hong Kong, and the millions of Hong Kong-born Canadians living across this country we call true, north, strong and free. Let us uphold those values and not turn a blind eye. Sign the petition now to urge Minister Chrystia Freeland to impose sanctions on HK and Beijing government officials who have severely violated our human rights laws. --- more info below--- This encroachment on Hong Kong is a direct violation of the “one country, two systems” agreement established in the 80s -- when the Chinese Communist Party agreed to a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong. They promised Hong Kong citizens their own legal, social and financial systems until 2047, including universal suffrage for all citizens. I knew this promise was hollow even back then, so I left Hong Kong to ensure my own safety and freedom. And to my dismay, I was right: in 1989, the brutal massacre in Tiananmen Square saw the murder of thousands of peaceful protesters. This terrible blight on our history spurred a massive wave of immigration of horrified and disillusioned Hongkongers to Canada. Today, while I fear for Hong Kong citizens’ safety -- I feel incredibly proud as I stand in spirit with the millions of Hongkongers who are undeterred as they march for democracy and freedom. And there is something we can do: the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law) allows Canada to sanction, impose travel bans and hold accountable foreign nationals who are responsible for gross human rights violations and significant corruption. This law exists specifically for situations such as these - to hold rogue foreign government officials to account. Please join me in calling on our government to apply sanctions to those government officials and entrepreneurs, in both Hong Kong and China, who have participated in or are complicit in violating Hong Kong citizens’ human rights with our Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act. *** UPDATE *** On Sept. 4th, after months of protests and increasing international pressure, HK’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that she would withdraw the Extradition Amendment Bill - but refused to establish an independent public inquiry to investigate police brutality. This is not enough. We must sanction the government officials who condoned gross human rights violations in Hong Kong. Hong Kong and Beijing government officials have allowed the police brutality on the streets of Hong Kong: There is horrific video evidence of officers entering train cabins at busy subway stations and attacking passengers with tear gas and batons. There are rumours of torture and sexual assaults of protesters in Hong Kong’s detention centres. Sign the petition to sanction the government officials implicit in these horrors.

Banning the Internal Combustion Engine (in some form) is a policy idea that is on the long-term radar for most political parties in order to eventually transition to a 100% renewable future. Progressive steps like these are more easily done in a "watered-down" or trial version, and politicians can more easily sell these policies in small steps. The time has come for a small step, just ask a scientist. There are 49 National Parks in Canada and many of them exist already with very few visitors or carbon emissions spent within the park boundary. The rest are well-known and well-loved by many who support bold climate policy and even more who would like to keep the air clean. This makes for palatable climate policy and a modest investment in government-owned clean tech and electric vehicles for visitor shuttles & maintenance equipment. It will also send a strong message to every visitor to protect the future of the planet from greenhouse gases. Ban the Internal Combustion Engine on Parks Canada properties beginning with this next government. If one party adopts the policy nationally, it will be a nice win for the petition. If two parties adopt the policy nationally, the movement will be a success. If three parties adopt the policy nationally, it will be a significant step in reducing greenhouse gases and may be actually implemented. If four parties adopt the policy nationally, it will be headline news and we'll make some progress on the Climate Crisis. Give it a shot, share it widely & see what can happen with a simple grassroots idea.

Consensus exists that current climate policy will result in a planet where extreme weather, global temperature rise, and mass human migration are the norm for future generations, including but certainly not limited to, our own.

The Amazon Rainforest stands to make "a significant contribution to pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Coe [Earth Systems Scientist] likens it not to a pair of lungs, but to a giant air conditioner that cools the planet—one of our most powerful in mitigating climate change, alongside other tropical forests in central Africa and Asia—some of which are also currently burning" (for a more accurate look at the role of the Amazon: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/why-amazon-doesnt-produce-20-percent-worlds-oxygen/). Its loss, together with our lack of political will to stop carbon emissions and the absence of means to capture carbon effectively are posing a severe threat to people worldwide. Importantly, about one million Indigenous people live in the Amazon. It is also home to three million species of plants and animals (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49433437). These fires are material and deadly. And their frequency is spurred by Bolsonaro's policies, which have accelerated deforestation, up 88% (https://globalnews.ca/news/5794191/amazon-rainforest-fire-explained/), due to farming, logging, and drilling. "The National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has recorded more than 74,000 fires so far this year [in the Amazon] – an 84 per cent increase on the same period in 2018. It’s the highest number since records began in 2013." (https://globalnews.ca/news/5794191/amazon-rainforest-fire-explained/). Take a deep breath and imagine smoke filling your lungs on a darkened afternoon, just as residents of São Paulo did at 3 p.m. Monday, August 19.

It is hurtful and discriminatory to call people with mental illness "animals", "nutcases", and "crazy crazy".

Monsanto/Bayer’s toxic ROUND UP products damage the environment and puts people and animals in harm’s way.

In this era of climate emergency – as recently declared by City Council –the importance of trees in mitigating climate change and adapting to its impacts must be acknowledged. They are the most direct and cost effective measure available to store carbon, remove Green House Gases, reduce storm water runoff, improve air quality and conserve energy used to heat and cool our homes. Urgent steps are needed to retain Ottawa’s existing trees, woodlots and forests, and to plant many more.

LeadNow has a campaign to make gay "conversion therapy" illegal. That's great! But the original "conversion therapy" is the one that was invented to abuse autistic people, ABA. Gay "conversion therapy" was invented by the same man who invented ABA, Ivar Lovaas. Sadly, the mainstream thinks that ABA is helpful for autistic kids. That's horrifying. Why is ABA bad? ABA causes PTSD and zaps autistic people of their free will and decision making abilities. See: https://blog.theautismsite.greatergood.com/aba-therapy-controversy/ ABA is bad for the same reasons that "gay conversion therapy" is bad: "The strong and punitive aversives Lovaas suggested may not be as widely used today, but the reliance on rewards and punishment continues in other “therapies” and “interventions” that use the principles of ABA, which I’ll discuss in a future article. Some therapists argue that the more “modern” forms of ABA are more humane approaches, but they are nonetheless still based in the idea that autistic ways of being in the world are unacceptable and must be eradicated. So what’s the connection to gay conversion therapy? Well, Lovaas was also substantially involved in the Feminine Boy Project, which has strong connections to what is today known as gay conversion therapy. Psychologist George Rekers, a key figure in the world of conversion therapy (and co-founder of the notoriously anti-gay Family Research Council), used Lovaas’s techniques to treat so-called “deviant sex-role behaviors” in male children. And when you think about it, even if Lovaas had no connections at all to gay conversion therapy, ABA has enough similarities to gay conversion therapy that many autistics refer to it as 'autistic conversion therapy.'" See: https://nsadvocate.org/2018/07/11/treating-autism-as-a-problem-the-connection-between-gay-conversion-therapy-and-aba/

Our children are losing out on 120 minutes each week of the Ontario curriculum. The Education act states children have a right to 300 instructional minutes per day by a qualified teacher. The children at 44 schools in the TCDSB are at a disadvantage as they are receiving 2 hours less each week than students at non IL schools. International Languages are presently taught by instructors not Ontario Certified Teachers. During International Languages there are no class caps, meaning there may be 2 classes combined with as many as 60 students with one instructor. In a time when the math and languages scores are decreasing, let's petition for the students to receive the same instruction time as the rest of the students in the province.

According to an article I found on the internet, Weird Al has never played "Hardware Store" live because of how intensely fast and complicated the song is. But Toronto loves Weird Al, and we can't imagine a better place for him to debut the song live. We'll be very forgiving of any mistakes - we just want to support him and sing along as best we can! Weird Al, please make history by playing Hardware Store in Toronto at your next show!

As a result of these cuts, several teachers across the board will lose their jobs. This will create a bigger discrepancy in the student to teacher ratio and fewer classes overall. Students in Mississauga have already noticed fewer course options and electives being cut (Chen). Thus, the courses students are interested in will be eliminated, preventing them from exploring a variety of interests. This will make it harder for them to gain the knowledge and skills they need to be successful. Furthermore, Diane Dewing, the president of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation, is worried about how school boards will explain certain courses moving forward (Chen). “We fear that art classes, which often have small numbers of students, will disappear because there simply won’t be the funding to have that teacher”(Dewing). Forcing teachers to take on a huge number of students whether in the classroom or via e-learning will also decrease the quality of education students are receiving. Not only does it reduce individual support for students, but also reduces the engagement of students in their classes. At a time where mental health issues are skyrocketing among young people and being acknowledged, these cuts will make it even more difficult to support these students (Durkacz). As a student myself with a post-secondary pathway in mind to eventually work in education. Being able to find a job is now a huge concern. Since it presents me with an uncertainty of whether or not I'll be able to find a stable job. This isn't only a problem that applies to me but is a problem for many young well-qualified teachers. So many educators have been waiting after many years of occasional work to get a permanent job, "only to see their hope turn to despair" (Durkacz). The purpose of improvements to the education system should be to improve the well-being and learning of Ontarians instead of doing the opposite, hurting them. If you care about the education for the youth of today, tomorrow, and the future. What are you waiting for? Sign our petition now!

Considering that : • Air pollution generated by air traffic has increased significantly above major Canadian cities ; • The quality of life and health of citizens are greatly impaired by low-level flying aircrafts; • Scientific evidence shows that air pollution generated by aircrafts brings serious health concerns and has effects notably on the pulmonary and cardiac functions of humans; • Inaction of Canadian airport authorities and their refusal to implement concrete solutions to minimize the nuisance caused by aircraft flyovers is obvious.