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Toronto Bolivia Solidarity Invites you to The Next Open Study Sessions

Sunday April  10th  - Mining and Resistance in Central America Canadian Corporations at War Against Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Presenters: Pedro Cabezas, Susana Caxaj and Rebecca Granovsky-Larsen
Organizers in the Mining Injustice Solidarity Network.

Canadian mining companies are continuing to contaminate water, poison land and tear apart communities in Central America. 

In El Salvador, the government has ruled that metal mining would fatally pollute the rivers needed for agriculture, but the country itself is now being sued for 77 million under a free trade agreement. 

In Guatemala, Mayan communities are fighting back through community-controlled referendums, but face the imposition of martial law. 

In Honduras, the Canadian government was one of the first to legitimize a bloody military coup, which replaced a left-leaning government with one more friendly to mining interests. 
Organizers from Mining Injustice Solidarity Network will present on how Canada is complicit in intimidation, assassinations, anti-environmental lawsuits and military coups and how we in Canada can join in solidarity with the struggle for justice.
Readings:
http://www.miningwatch.ca/en/corporate-rights-over-human-rights-canadian-mining-central-america
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q20YxkM-CGI
Additional suggested readings:
http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/2094http://www.canadians.org/tradeblog/?p=1380
http://www.zcommunications.org/honduras-the-coup-that-never-happened-by-tyler-shipley

SOLIDARITY TOUR TO BOLIVIA -2011
Proposed dates: 12th May to 21st May 2011
The Latin American Forums of Melbourne and Sydney are proposing a solidarity tour to Bolivia.The tour is being organized by those who have organized 11 successful tours to Venezuela since 2005 as part of Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network.
The tour will take place one week after the AVSN May Day brigade to Venezuela (25th April to 4th May). This will enable some participants to visit both countries to see and understand the exiting political developments that are taking place in Latin America.
GENERAL OUTLINE:
The brigade will begin in the Santa Cruz region with 2 days of activities there. We will use internal flights to Cochabamba for 3 days, then La Paz/ El Alto for 3 days, returning to Santa Cruz to end the brigade.
During the tour, brigadistas will visit regional communities and speak to a wide range of grassroots organisations, community activists, trade unions and government representatives about the radical changes being implemented by the Bolivian people.
The brigade will have a Spanish translator for all meetings.
For more info contact: rburbano@hotmail.com

Brigade Dates: May 12th 2011 to May 21st 2011

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GENERAL OUTLINE
Participants will organise their own travel arrangements to Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
The brigade will begin in the Santa Cruz region with 2 days of activities there. We will use internal flights to Cochabamba for 3 days, then La Paz/ El Alto for 3 days, returning to Santa Cruz to end the brigade.
During the tour, brigadistas will visit regional communities and speak to a wide range of grassroots organisations, community activists, trade unions and government representatives about the radical changes being implemented by the Bolivian people.
The brigade will have a Spanish translator for all meetings.
The registration fee is $500 for workers or $300 for students/pensioners.
The deadline for registering for the 2011 Bolivia Solidarity brigade is February 28, 2011 (including payment of registration fee.)

The Amazing Story of the Creation of the MAS
Sun, 01/16/2011 - 22:18 — tbs
Bolivia's Road to Revolution: Transcript of  speech by Hugo Salvatierra
http://t.grupoapoyo.org/node/41

Bolivia’s Nationalizes Private Pension Funds,
Sun, 01/16/2011 - 15:14 — tbs
New Pension Law Lowers Retirement Age, Raises Expectations
Jan 11 2011 by Emily Achtenberg
http://t.grupoapoyo.org/

World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth
Building the People's World Movement for Mother Earth    http://pwccc.wordpress.com/

Refounding Bolivia: struggle for the new constitution
By Raul Burbano
Bolivian President Evo Morales has called for a national referendum on the country's new draft constitution on December 7. The demand of the Bolivian people for a new and inclusive constitution is at the heart of Bolivia's present political upheaval..... to read more

http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/40462 or see Documentary shot in Bolivia during the vote for a New Consituttion by members of LACSN.