There are two excellent events happening tomorrow in Toronto that the Council of Canadians has endorsed; the Environmental Justice Toxic Tour of Toronto and People’s Assembly on Climate Justice.
I hope to see you there!
Call for Environmental Justice! Join the Toxic Tour of Toronto!
WHAT IS IT?
On June 23rd in response to the Toronto Community Mobilization Network’s call for a day of action on environmental justice, organizers in the city will be guiding a tour through Toronto to expose the institutions most responsible for the environmental and social impacts of Canada’s extractive industries both at home and abroad. Canada is home to 75% of the world’s mining and exploration companies, making it a global leader in this industry. Canada’s place within the G8 nations is largely due to the exploitation of Indigenous peoples, their lands and rural poor for mining, tar sands and oil/gas exploitation.
As residents of Canada, we will not standby while the Canadian government, banks, and corporations continue to destroy people’s livelihoods and ecosystems to secure wealth accumulation for a select few.
WHAT SHOULD I BRING?
We encourage folks coming to dress up and challenge those in power with costumes, floats and fancied up bicycles. We will be working on several floats in lead up but encourage all to dress up for our action.
Ideas for costumes: Executives with blood on their hands (fake blood provided) , corporate zombies, people covered in Tar Sands bitumen (mud provided) and any other ideas you have.
WHERE AND WHEN?
Please join us at 11 am on June 23 at Alexandra Park.
For more information or to endorse the event, please contact: toxictourTO@gmail.com
Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=127661243928642
People’s Assembly on Climate Justice: Moving Forward from Cochabamba
http://torontopeoplesassembly.wordpress.com/
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 7pm
Location: Ryerson Student Campus Centre (SCC115)
Address: 55 Gould Street, Toronto — See Map
Contact: Brett Rhyno, (647) 869-6496
Contact: Glenn MacIntosh, (416) 861-1303
E-mail: peoplesassembly.toronto(at)gmail.com
Facebook: Event Page
Wondering how climate change and social justice are connected? What could be done address this crisis right here in Toronto? As our government chooses to spend over a billion dollars on a Summit for the world’s wealthiest governments and institutions, while consistently failing to address the real and immediate threat of climate change, it is time for communities to stand up and speak out!
With the success of the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia in April 2010, social movements from all over the world have begun to cross-pollinate their efforts to forge an urgent movement for Climate Justice that demands governments respect and protect the rights of climate-impacted communities and our planet, Mother Earth.
The Cochabamba Accord calls for indigenous self-determination, economic justice, migrant justice, gender justice, environmental and climate justice, food sovereignty, etc. – everything we are fighting for in Toronto.
To nurture strong, ongoing connections between multiple local struggles and organizers, we call on all those interested in building a broad movement for Climate Justice in Toronto to gather on the evening of Wednesday, June 23 for a peaceful, participatory, indoor assembly to discuss:
* the relationship between climate change and justice and how all of our struggles are connected by the climate crisis
* what happened in Cochabamba, why it matters, and how it can influence our organizing moving forward
* how we can best support and strengthen the global — and local! — movement for climate justice
Only the collective strength of all our movements can achieve the global response necessary to confront the climate crisis. We need all of our voices – young, old, new, experienced, settler, indigenous – to be there. On June 23rd it will be YOUR turn to talk! JOIN US!
Endorsing Organizations:
Banyon Youth, Canadian Federation of Students, Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, Community Coalition Against the Mining of Uranium, Continuing Education Student’s Association of Ryerson, Council of Canadians, ecoSanity, Greenspiration, Indigenous Environment Network, KAIROS (Toronto Centre), Mining Watch Canada, No One Is Illegal, Polaris Institute, Public Service Alliance of Canada, Rainforest Action Network Toronto, Science For Peace, Students Against Climate Change, Toronto Bolivia Solidarity, Toronto Climate Campaign, United Church of Canada
