Toronto

Upping the Anti #7

ant — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:06:15 -0400

Issue #7 of Upping the Anti is being launched in Toronto at Anitafrika Dub Theatre, 62 Fraser St. (at Dufferin and King) on Saturday October 18th, 2008. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the journal or to distribute the journal in your community or through organizations that you are involved with, please email uppingtheanti@gmail.com so that we can add you to our list of local distributors. This issue of the journal is 216 pages long and we are selling single copies for $10 including postage. If you want 5 or more copies for distribution, the journal is $5 per copy, and we'll cover the postage. Journal articles and PDF files will be uploaded to the website in a staggered process over the next few months.

Our mailing address where you can send your $10 in well concealed envelope for a copy of the journal is: Upping the Anti, 998 Bloor St. West, P.O. Box 10571, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6H 4H9. You can also pay via PayPal or credit card. If you live in the US or elsewhere, please order our journal through AK Press as it costs us too much to mail it to you from Canada. Please continue reading this post for the full table of contents of this issue and the introduction to this issue.

3rd Issue of Upping the Anti coming out in early November

ant — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 00:32:24 -0400

Dear friends,

We are happy to announce that the third issue of Upping the Anti will be going to press in late October of 2006.

This issue will feature a rich assortment of content focusing on anti-imperialist struggles. We are printing interviews with Aijaz Ahmad on the anti-imperialism of our times, William Robinson on contemporary anti-capitalist struggles in Latin America, and Taiaiake Alfred on colonialism and indigenous resistance in Canada today. Our articles include: Isabel McDonald writing on Canadian complicity in the occupation of Haiti, Tom Keefer reporting on the significance of the Six Nations struggle for anti-capitalist activists, Andrew Thompson engaging with the arguments of Richard Day’s “Gramsci is Dead”, and RJ Maccani assessing the rise of the Zapatistas and the lessons to be drawn from their experience in the changing political terrain of Mexico.

OCAP BUILDS CEMENT WALL AGAINST REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER IN SOLIDARITY WITH

Gary — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:00:44 -0500

OCAP demands immediate end to the settlements on Palestinian land, calls
for building real affordable housing in Toronto

Today, as part of the International Week Against Israel's Apartheid Wall,
the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) has erected a reinforced
cement wall in front of the Toronto building '50 On the Park' at 50
Portland St. (Bathurst and King) owned by wealthy real estate developer
Leviev-Boymelgreen. Leviev-Boymelgreen is a developer in Toronto and
Brooklyn and also builds illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied
Palestine.

By building Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Boymelgreen is
committing war crimes under International Law. Boymelgreen is expanding
the illegal settlement of Mod'in Illit that is built on the land of the
West Bank Palestinian village of Bil'in. 60% of Bil'in's land has been
stolen by Israel in the expansion of settlements and by the building of
the separation Wall. Bil'in is a village that is being strangled - made
into an open air prison surrounded by settlements, Occupation forces and
military, and enclosed by Israel's Apartheid Wall. This is a system of
colonization and apartheid against the Palestinian people which has gone
on for 60 years.

In Toronto and New York, Boymelgreen builds luxury condos in the place of
real affordable housing, displacing poor and low-income people from our

It’s Their System, They Broke It, And We’re Not Paying To Fix It.

Gary — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:12:08 -0400

THE ECONOMY GOES INTO CRISIS

We are watching the greatest financial crisis since 1929 unfold before our
eyes. Even if they manage to shore up their system for the moment, there
is no doubt that a serious international downturn in the economy is
getting underway. As this situation begins to impact the lives of our
families and communities, we must understand and prepare to deal with what
the crisis will mean to us:

1.Financial bailout for the rich: Governments everywhere have responded to
the crisis of financial institutions by pouring hundreds and hundreds of
billions of dollars into various bail-out packages for the rich. For
years, they have been telling us no money exists for decent wages, proper
housing, schools or health care and, certainly, no money to ensure that
poor people on assistance can pay the rent and eat properly. Now we see
that this was all a lie. When the banks and corporations are in trouble,
a Niagara Falls of public money suddenly becomes available to them. Don’t
tell us, when we lose our jobs and can’t pay our rent or put food on the
table, that ‘we can’t spend our way out of a recession’. Government must
start spending for us as they have for corporate interests.

2.Get ready for ordinary people to feel the crunch: This downturn is
unfolding in a context where EI and welfare systems have been cut back

Rail Blockade Disrupts CP Rail’s Olympic Spirit Train

Deadline — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:12:01 -0400

BREAKING NEWS For Immediate Release
October 12, 2008

Rail Blockade Disrupts CP Rail’s Olympic Spirit Train
“Six Nations and solidarity activists resist Olympic theft of Indigenous
land, ecological destruction, and attacks on the poor”

Toronto, Ontario – Moments ago, a group of activists occupied Canadian
Pacific (CP) Railway’s train tracks by locking themselves down to the
tracks and hanging banners off of the rail overpass on highway 27 near
Elder Mills. The protest was organized in solidarity with the Olympics
Resistance Network (ORN) and their call to disrupt CP’s “Spirit Train”
that is traveling across Canada. Directions to the blockade site can be
found at the bottom of this release.

“We are here today to show the world what the Olympics really stands
for; capitalist greed and colonialist theft of Indigenous lands” said
Winnie Small. They continued, “In stark contrast to Canada’s cherished
reputation as a human rights advocate, our First Nations live in abject
poverty; casualties of Canada’s apartheid policy refusal to respect
Indigenous rights to their own land.”

DERAIL THE SPIRIT OF THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT TRAIN

Deadline — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:09:50 -0400

DERAIL THE SPIRIT OF THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT TRAIN
ALL OUT ON OCTOBER 13 - THANKSGIVING MONDAY

MEET AT 12NOON !SHARP!
CORNER OF FRONT AND BAY/YORK (south-west corner)
FREE TRANSPORTATION
EMAIL NOONEISILLEGAL@RISEUP.NET FOR SEAT CONFIRMATION
OR AT COOKSVILLE STATION AT 1PM

On October 13, 2008, the CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway)'s 'SpiritTrain' will be arriving at Cooksville GO Transit Station in Mississauga, here to continue its goal of spreading pre-Olympic "spirit".

The Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 are appropriating indigenous land, marginalizing the urban poor and exploiting migrant workers.

The 2010 Olympics spirit that this train carries is a spirit of racism and corporate greed. This spirit has met with opposition in each of its stops across the country.

This spirit of oppression needs to be met with our spirit of resistance.

When it stops in Mississauga, come out with pots, pans, whistles, flags and placards. As most of Canada gives thanks for the ongoing genocide of indigenous peoples on Turtle Island, we urge all allies to mobilize their communities to disrupt the Spirit Train in solidarity with the call for Indigenous sovereignty.

To confirm a spot or to share your solidarity, please email
nooneisillegal@riseup.net before Sunday, 12 October.

NO OLYMPICS ON STOLEN NATIVE LAND!

For further information, see: http://no2010.com/node/18

Upping the Anti Public Forum on Anti-Racist Organizing Oct 17th

ant — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:52:31 -0400

FRIDAY OCTOBER 17TH, 7pm – Concorde Café - 937 Bloor St

A panel discussion on Anti-Racist Organizing in Toronto
Sponsored by Upping the Anti: A Journal of Theory and Action
www.uppingtheanti.org

Speakers: Chris Harris from the Black Action Defense Committee, Alok
Premjee from BASICS and the Justice for Alwy Campaign, Joesphine Gray
of Low Income Families Together, Guled Warsame from UNITE-HERE Local
75 and CORD (Community Organizing for Responsible Development) and
Faria Kamal of No One Is Illegal - Toronto.

In recent years, some of the most dynamic organizing in Toronto has
taken place around a variety of anti-racist campaigns and struggles
initiated by radical grassroots activists. On the evening before our
launch party for UTA 7, Upping the Anti presents a dialogue between
anti-racist activists in Toronto inspired by our interview with Chris
Harris of the Black Action Defense Committee in this issue.

The discussion will be kicked off by Harris who will discuss the work
that BADC is doing to intervene within Crip and Blood gangs in Toronto
through the "Hood to Hood" movement and BADC's "Freedom Cypher"
program. Alok Premjee will talk about the work that BASICS Community
Newsletter is doing in Lawrence Heights around anti-gentrification
struggles and how the Justice for Alwy Campaign is going about

Out of Sight – Out of Mind: Toronto's ‘Streets to Homes’ Response to Homelessness

Gary — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 16:26:21 -0400

John Clarke, OCAP, The Bullet, Socialist Project.

The City of Toronto's ‘Streets to Homes’ program is a finalist for one of two awards that will be presented during the celebration of United Nations' World Habitat Day. These annual awards are given for “practical and innovative solutions to current housing needs and problems.” ‘Streets to Homes’ is an initiative that focuses on placing people who are on the streets in housing units, and is presented as a bold and vital step that can actually eliminate the destitution of poverty in Toronto.

“Streets to Homes is helping us to end street homelessness,” Toronto Mayor David Miller has claimed. “It is making Toronto a more inclusive city, and the world is taking notice. This recognition is a tribute to both City staff and our community partners, who have worked together tirelessly and seamlessly to help some of our most vulnerable citizens.”

As I write this article, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty is preparing to take a delegation to the office of the Coroner of Ontario to challenge the death of yet another person whose homelessness had been 'solved' by ‘Streets to Homes.’ He was dumped in substandard accommodation in an outlying part of the city without the supports that would enable him to survive. He perished in that setting.

Workers at 3 Toronto Hotels Could Strike

scottn — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:11:21 -0400

Workers at 3 hotels could strike: Unions negotiating wages, conditions as contracts expire in peak tourist season
by Lesley Ciarula Taylor, Toronto Star, July 12, 2008.

At the height of Toronto's summer tourist season, unions at three hotels, including the Fairmont Royal York, have moved into strike positions.

Eighty-one per cent of the 850 workers at the Royal York voted to strike as early as July 16, the date their contract expires, if negotiations fail.

Contracts for 134 workers at the Holiday Inn and Radisson hotels on Dixon Rd., near the airport, expired yesterday, putting them in a position to strike at any time.

Abdul Husseini came off shift as a waiter at the Holiday Inn's restaurant yesterday and went right into a meeting of Local 75 of Unite Here, the union organizing employees at hotels across North America.

"The important issue is standards," Husseini said. "Our first cook gets $14.76 an hour. At the Hilton down the road, the first cook gets $18.86 an hour and Westmont (Hospitality Group) owns them both. At least they could fill the gap.

"There are 18 people working in the kitchen, we're open 24 hours a day, most of them are recent immigrants from India and Sri Lanka and they really work hard."

OCAP DEMANDS CITY RESTORE SHELTER BEDS - SHUTS DOWN CITY COUNCIL

Gary — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:59:42 -0400

Today (Monday) we went to City Hall to demand that Mayor David Miller immediately restore shelter beds in the downtown east side. We've lost over 350 shelter beds in the downtown core, and tens of thousands of meals over the past year, and the City has done nothing.

"They closed University Settlement for renovations today, so where am I supposed to sleep now?" asks Chris. "I'm sleeping in parks, under bridges. They got empty rooms here in City Hall tho, maybe we should stay here?"

On our way in to City Hall, security and 52 division cops arrested Gaetan Heroux— in a pathetic attempt to quash the protest, but we continued in to Miller's office demanding to speak to the Mayor [Gaetan was released from 52 division two hours later]. Instead we got the dregs of Miller's PR department, someone with zero decision-making (or even scheduling) authority, nor anything interesting to say, so we went to Council Chambers to confront Miller and Council directly.

"Last February when a man died on the streets, you told us you would
address this crisis," Danielle Koyama told the remaining sheepish city
councillors. "You patted yourselves on the back for replacing 60 of the
350 shelter beds lost. Well now we've lost another 65, so thanks for