July, Another exciting month
to be in Toronto!!
As a follow up to the very successful People
Social Forum in Ottawa (August 21-24, 2014), a Social Forum in Toronto will be
held from July 8 to the 10th, 2015 to counter the Summit to the
Pan American Economic Summit that will bring the heads of Shell, Rockefeller
Foundation, US, Canadian and European Chambers of Commerce, as well as Canada's
Finance Minister, ex-Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and John
Negroponte to Toronto.
The PSF is part of the global movement of social forums that have emerged at different levels since the first World Social Forum (WSF) was held in Porto Alegre (Brazil) in January 2001, which was conceived as a summit to counter the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The PSF is part of the global movement of social forums that have emerged at different levels since the first World Social Forum (WSF) was held in Porto Alegre (Brazil) in January 2001, which was conceived as a summit to counter the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Objectives of the PSF:
As an inclusive space for activist grassroots debate, the PSF intends to:
Foster constructive and mobilizing societal debate across the country;
Recognize and honour the territories and the rights of the Original Peoples whose territories we reside on and where the PSF takes place.
Act in solidarity with Original Peoples through rejecting the racist Doctrine of Discovery and the Terra Nullius.
Prompt individual and collective grassroots participation;
Share, promote and circulate alternative initiatives and projects;
Stimulate the emergence of concrete actions and the convergence of struggles against neo-conservatism and neo-liberalism;
Promote sustainable development across Canada in a spirit of solidarity, justice, equality and harmony.
As an inclusive space for activist grassroots debate, the PSF intends to:
Foster constructive and mobilizing societal debate across the country;
Recognize and honour the territories and the rights of the Original Peoples whose territories we reside on and where the PSF takes place.
Act in solidarity with Original Peoples through rejecting the racist Doctrine of Discovery and the Terra Nullius.
Prompt individual and collective grassroots participation;
Share, promote and circulate alternative initiatives and projects;
Stimulate the emergence of concrete actions and the convergence of struggles against neo-conservatism and neo-liberalism;
Promote sustainable development across Canada in a spirit of solidarity, justice, equality and harmony.
Upcoming related Events:
Get to Know Pan Am: the Securitization of the Spectacle
Thursday, July 2 at 7:00 pm, OISE
The Pan Am Games are about to begin, and the $239 million budget that’s been allocated to security for these events (including a massive policing force) shows us that we are about to see an intense expansion of police presence in the city of Toronto.
Join MISN from 7-9pm on Thursday, July 2nd for an interactive world-café style session to learn more about securitization and the Pan Am Games. Representatives from Black Lives Matter - Toronto, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, MISN, and migrant sex workers advocacy group Butterfly will each facilitate rotating discussions and activities about policing and mega-events. The Movement Defense Committee will also share their perspective on legal support for activists in these times. Facebook event
Get to Know Pan Am: the Securitization of the Spectacle
Thursday, July 2 at 7:00 pm, OISE
The Pan Am Games are about to begin, and the $239 million budget that’s been allocated to security for these events (including a massive policing force) shows us that we are about to see an intense expansion of police presence in the city of Toronto.
Join MISN from 7-9pm on Thursday, July 2nd for an interactive world-café style session to learn more about securitization and the Pan Am Games. Representatives from Black Lives Matter - Toronto, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, MISN, and migrant sex workers advocacy group Butterfly will each facilitate rotating discussions and activities about policing and mega-events. The Movement Defense Committee will also share their perspective on legal support for activists in these times. Facebook event
It Starts With Justice! Join No One Is Illegal - Toronto at Jobs, Justice, Climate march
Sunday, July 5 at 1pm, Queen's Park
As migrants, racialized people and allies, we will march alongside Indigenous people from Turtle Island to insist that the forces that push us out of our homes here and around the globe must be stopped. The climate crisis is a result of capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy and other social, political and economic structures and these are structures that we fight every day. Our communities are the front lines of crisis and the forefront of change.
No One Is Illegal - Toronto invites individuals and organizations with deep roots to march alongside us. Join us as we celebrate our resilience, and our ongoing struggles to build healthy and caring communities. Join us as we assert that we have the freedom to move, the freedom to return and freedom to stay.
Check the official site here
More Info here
#RiseUpTO: Confront the Pan Am Economic and Climate Summits
Wednesday, July 8 at 7am, Meet at Berczy Park
Surround the Royal York. March up Bay Street - Free Breakfast!
On July 8th, the Pan American Economic and Climate Summits will meet at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. That morning, the elites in this city will welcome with open arms some of the people most responsible for destroying our planet, pushing communities out of their homes, and making us poor. We will be there to give them a different sort of ‘welcome.'
On the morning of July 8th, we will come together rise like the swell of the ocean; and surround the Royal York Hotel. Together, we will assert our dreams of better worlds. People are also planning to bring signs to the protest to focus on those villains. Here is the list of speakers at the economic forum.
We need to move quickly! We must spread the word and get organized:
Facebook event
More Info here
Toronto People’s Social Forum and PSF General Assembly, 2015
July 10th - 11th at Church St & Gould, Ryerson University, Engineering Building
Starting July 10, the Peoples' Social Forum will be hosting a counter summit in Toronto, bringing together activists, students, unions, Indigenous peoples, youth, environmentalists, and hundreds of ordinary individuals to oppose the current political and economic direction of this country, and propose a plurality of alternative paths towards a better world. Look for LACSN Info Table during the PSF!!!
SCHEDULE
July 10: 5pm-9pm – The Peoples' Picnic Block Party: a kick-off for the Toronto Peoples' Social Forum (workshops & music)
July 11: 9am-6:15pm – Toronto Peoples' Social Forum (opening, workshops, assemblies, and alt media fair)
7:30-9pm – Toronto PSF Keynote Panel with Tantoo Cardinal, Ajamu Nangwaya, Hassan Husseini, Mike Palecek, Judy Rebick, Linda McQuaig and Syed Hussan
July 12: PSF General Assembly (only open to people/organizations involved with the PSF organizing)
Web here
FRIDAY 10TH, 5:30 pm @ St. James Park
The #RenunciaYa movement sweeping through Central America
A wave of protests coordinated by grass-roots groups against corruption scandals is sweeping through Central America these days. In Guatemala and Honduras, citizens are demanding the immediate resignation of their presidents. By leveraging the power of social Media using hashtags such as #RenunciaYa and #FueraJOH citizens have managed to coordinate national actions and Marchas de las Antorchas, (or the torch marches) to send a strong message to their leaders and the world. Their message is simple, hey have messed up with the wrong generation, is time for change. With this workshop, we aim to provide an overview of what is happening in the region, what are the challenges these movement are facing and discuss solidarity actions to help strengthen their message.
SATURDAY 11th, Workshops slots # 3 and 4, starting 2:00 - 4:45 PM, both slots are in Room 14.
Latin American and Caribbean Movement Assembly
Indigenous peoples and allies are in an on-going struggle to defend their territories against the harmful effects of transnational mining, hydroelectric, and oil and gas companies operating in Latin America and the Caribbean. Ties between the extractive industry and human rights abuses, dispossession, and environmental destruction are becoming more evident. Canada plays a central role in these new extractive models that violate the autonomy, sovereignty, and lives of the people and lands in the region. Contamination of natural resources, massive forced displacements, and lack of respect for democratically elected governments are entrenched in foreign policies designed and carried out by Harper's government. Fighting against the unbridled destruction of communities and fragile ecosystems, while fighting for the development of radically new ways of being in solidarity, is what our assembly will address. Together, we must and stand up! Right here, right now!
Web
OCAP: Housing For ALL - Rally & March
Thursday July 16 at 5 PM, St James Park (King St east of Church St)
$2.6 Billion Spent on Pan Am Games During Housing Crisis. The Pan Am Games will disrupt our City, lead to police crackdowns on poor people, people of colour and homeless, and represent a massive squandering of resources that could and should be spent on community needs.
On July 16, as the Games are underway, we will be marching to put forward the demands of communities impacted by poverty and a lack of decent, affordable housing. If there is money to spend on circuses, then the resources can be found to end the need for food banks, tackle the mounting problem of homelessness and ensure that everyone has decent, affordable and accessible housing.
More info here