Newsletters, articles and events for Kitchener-Waterloo's Peace and Social Justice activists
Peace at home, peace in the world.
–Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
What: Waterloo Peace Vigil: End War in Yemen
When: 2:00pm to 3:00pm, Saturday 26 March 2022
Where: Waterloo Town Square, 75 King Street South, Waterloo Map
WATERLOO PEACE VIGIL » #CanadaStopArmingSaudi Day of Action: End the War in Yemen
◉ 2-3pm this Saturday
⁰◉ At Waterloo Public Square, 75 King St.#DayOfAction4Yemen #YemenCantWait pic.twitter.com/oCD2FxvdAY— World BEYOND War Canada (@WBWCanada) March 23, 2022
Tamara Lorincz writes:
Hello KW Peace,
In solidarity with actions planned across the US led by 
CODEPINK and across Europe (including outside the NATO headquarters), we are calling for another Canada-wide Day of Action #StandForPeace #NoWarWithRussia for this Saturday, February 5. the entrance of the Kitchener Farmers Market from 12-1pm. If anyone is free and wants to join us that would be great. Canada and NATO are fomenting a war with Russia over Ukraine. Canada is now spending $340 million to militarize the conflict instead of investing in social welfare at home and abroad.
Canada has just sent a warship, special forces, more soldiers and more financial assistance to Ukraine and the Trudeau government and mainstream media ramping up the war rhetoric.
In Kitchener, I will be standing at the entrance of the Farmers Market, 300 King St, from 12:00-1:00 pm, please join me if you can.
If you can’t make it, please take a photo of yourself holding a sign with #StandForPeace and share it on social media with the hashtag and we will circulate it.
List of action, graphic, statement etc: 
https://vowpeace.org/
Send your photo to: info@vowpeace.org
Read our statement: https://www.foreignpolicy.ca/ukraine
Sign and share the petition: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/ukraineconflict
In solidarity and have a good weekend,
Tamara
CANADA-WIDE DAY OF ACTION: #StandForPeace #NoWarWithRussia #NeutralityForUkraine #CanadaOutofNATO
Saturday, February 5
Join us for an emergency rally part of a Canada-wide day of action to #StandForPeace. If you are alarmed about the escalating danger of a US-NATO war with Russia over Ukraine and are opposed to Canada sending weapons, soldiers and special forces to Ukraine. Join us in calling on Canada to stop militarizing the conflict and to engage in diplomatic negotiations for a political solution and a lasting peace. On Saturday, bring a sign, help us distribute leaflets and urge our neighbours to stand for peace. Take a photo and share are our graphic #StandForPeace on social media.
See CODEPINK call out #PeaceWithRussia #NoWarWithRussia: https://www.codepink.org/02052022
On Saturday, 27 November 2021 come to Waterloo Square at 11:00am to call on the Canadian government to send a Special Envoy to Palestine-Israel to investigate the treatment of Palestinian children subjected to Israeli military arrest and detention.
Palestinian children growing up in the Occupied Palestinian Territories live under Israeli military occupation. Their day-to-day reality includes home and school demolitions, water rationing, the loss of family land, checkpoints and military gates, night raids, detentions, and imprisonment. It’s time for Canada to stand up for Palestinian children’s rights.
In 2018 a group of Canadian Members of Parliament went to Palestine to see the situation of Palestinians living under Israeli military rule. One of the recommendations of the group upon their return was that the Government of Canada sends a Special Envoy to investigate the situation of Palestinians living under Israeli military rule. Today we are renewing that call.
As part of a network dedicated to pursuing human rights in the Middle East, we are inviting you to help us renew that call and ask the Special Envoy to specifically look into the treatment of Palestinian children being arrested, harassed, and often tortured.
Please join us at Waterloo Square in Uptown Waterloo for this Public Witness Event to learn more about the practice the Israeli soldiers arresting and putting Palestinian children in Israeli detention.
If you have any questions please contact:
Kathy Bergen
bergenkathy@gmail.com
Let’s get together to chat and re-connect.
Bring your own drinks & snacks (not to share).
Weather / restrictions permitting.
When: 1:00pm to 4:00pm, Saturday 18 September 2021
Where: Near the Picnic Shelter in Victoria Park, Kitchener, Ontario Map
Hello KW Peace friends
Thanks to everyone who let us know what date would best suit for an online chat.
Wednesday 21 April 2021
7:00-8:30 pm
https://wrnonviolence.org/meeting
Add this event to your calendar iCal
This is a web conference using Free Software called BigBlueButton. Click on the meeting link and enter your name for the meeting (how others in the room will see you)
In the next window select that you want to use a microphone.
In the meeting:
In the past KW Peace would hold occasional pot luck meetings – just a time for folks to share what their group’s been up to, to chat about projects, successes, difficulties, share resources etc.
The format of our online meeting will be to (re)introduce ourselves, talk about the group(s) you work with, and whatever else we want to chat about.
If you have thoughts or questions please let us know.
Looking forward to virtually meeting
Matt
WR Nonviolence
Hello Friends of KW Peace
It’s been a year since our last KW Peace meeting and things have changed!
Let’s get together and chat about how things are going with our groups. Are there challenges we can overcome together?
If you’re interested, fill in this poll to find out what dates work best for us.
When we confirm a date we’ll send an email with a link to the meeting room.
Thanks
Matt Albrecht <matthewalbrecht@wrnonviolence.org>
WRNonviolence.org
Here are the rallies taking place in Waterloo Region:
When: 12 Noon to 1:00pm on Friday, 2 October 2020
Where: Outside MP Raj Saini‘s office
Location: 1209 Frederick Street, Kitchener, Ontario Map 1
Contact: Mary Groh <marygroh05@gmail.com>, Conscience Canada and KW Peace.
When: 12 Noon to 1:00pm on Friday, 2 October 2020
Where: Outside MP Bardish Chagger‘s office
Location: 100 Regina Street, Waterloo, Ontario Map 2
Contact: Tamara Lorincz <tlorincz@dal.ca>, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace and KW Peace.
When: 3:30pm to 4:30pm on Friday, 2 October 2020
Where: Outside MP Bryan May‘s office
Location: 534 Hespeler Road, Cambridge, Ontario Map 3
Contact: Tamara Lorincz <tlorincz@dal.ca>, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace and KW Peace.
Join us to say #NoNewFighterJets. We can’t #decarbonize with carbon-intensive combat aircraft. #GreenJobs not war jobs.
for our second pan-Canadian Protest to redirect $19 billion from fighter jets to programs and supports that Canadians desperately need. Weapons can’t keep us safe from the threats that we face.
#NoNewFighterJets #ClimatePeace
https://vowpeace.org/nofighterjets/
What: War is Not Essential – Kitchener-Waterloo
When: Thursday, 11 June 2020 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Where: In front of office of the Hon. Bardish Chagger, MP for Waterloo
Location: 100 Regina Street South, Waterloo, Ontario Map
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1322887947904895/
In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has lifted the moratorium on issuing arms exports for weapons destined for Saudi Arabia, and Light Armoured Vehicles (LAVs) continue to be manufactured in London, Ontario under the label of an essential service.
Saudi Arabia has used these LAVs to suppress peaceful protests and there is mounting evidence that Canadian-made LAVs are being deployed in the war in Yemen. Canadian arms exports just don’t line up with Canada’s legal commitment under the Arms Trade Treaty or a feminist foreign policy. Ending arms exports doesn’t have to mean the loss of good jobs. As we confront the twin crises of COVID-19 and climate change, the call for conversion of arms industries to socially useful production must be loud and clear.
Join us on June 11th for a day of action to #StopArmingSaudi.
If you are in or near Kitchener-Waterloo, you can join a physically-distant protest outside MP for Waterloo Bardish Chagger’s constituency office (360-100 Regina St. South, Waterloo). Please respect public health directives, maintain physical distancing and wear masks.
No matter where you are, you can join us for a simultaneous virtual protest to show your solidarity and hear from speakers on the ground and at the forefront of the movement to #StopArmingSaudi.
Join us for the virtual protest on Zoom
If you can’t join the virtual protest, take part in the day of action on social media:
Share your opposition and call on Canada to #StopArmingSaudi. Tag General Dynamics Land Systems, Justin Trudeau and François-Philippe Champagne, along with your own Member of Parliament (find them at https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/addresses) to ask them to take action now.
Take action now:
Sign Oxfam Canada’s petition: https://www.oxfam.ca/armsdeal
Sign Amnesty Canada’s English petition: https://takeaction.amnesty.ca/page/35358/action/1
Sign Amnesty Canada’s French petition: https://agir.amnistie.ca/page/17954/petition/1
This day of action is jointly organized by: KW Peace, Labour Against the Arms Trade, People for Peace London, Council of Canadians London Chapter, Amnesty International Canada, Amnistie Internationale Canada, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, Canadian Voices of Women for Peace, Peace Brigades International Canada, Oxfam Canada, World Beyond War and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.
New Date: Due to many other events on the 19th, the KWPeace Spring 2020 Potluck Dinner Meeting will be held on 12 March 2020 at 6:00pm in the Civic Hub
Hello again KWPeace Groups organizers! The poll has spoken and the most popular date for the KWPeace Spring 2020 Potluck Dinner Meeting is Thursday 19 12 March 2020.
It turns out the Civic Hub is very popular, and there are already two other groups using the space on that date and time (Hello, Extinction Rebellion and KW Our Time!) Hopefully we can all share the space together (and have increased participation in the potluck), but I’ve indicated on the Civic Hub booking request that our alternate date would be Thursday 12 March 2020. So, keep both dates open for the moment!
The Spring 2020 Potluck Dinner Meeting is just before the summer festival season begins. I know some groups are already busy planning their events for the summer, so this is a great time to let us all know so we’re not booking the same dates and we’re able to attend each others’ events.
When: Thursday 12 March 2020 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Where: Civic Hub Waterloo Region
Location: 23 Water Street North, Kitchener, Ontario Map
To enter the Civic Hub at the doors on Duke Street; press the buzzer for Social Development Centre Waterloo Region to summon the doorkeeper.
And although the time for the actual meeting is 6:00pm to 8:00pm, there’s setup at 5:30pm and cleanup from 8:00pm to 8:30pm. Setup and cleanup assistance is greatly appreciated!
See you all at the Civic Hub!
–Bob.
Dear All,
It has been a year since our initial mobilization around the idea of a Civic Hub. A number of us continued meeting throughout the 2018 and worked on grants, connections and the first vision statement: A home, a landmark, accessible to everyone interested in civic and grassroots groups to showcase what is being done in the community, to allow groups to support each other, recruit, communicate and build credibility and capacity for advocacy and delivery of services to the community.
The number of small groups and organizations interested in the initiative is growing. A number of projects bringing together ethnocultural groups in Waterloo Region in 2018 testified that common, affordable space is a foundation for communication, collaboration and growth for many groups who feel isolated, under-resourced and in constant competition for supports.
However, there is little understanding of the core work that civic groups and small non-profits do in Waterloo Region.
We can learn together with other non-profit networks who want to create hubs for their sectors, such as WR Environmental Network and WR Arts Council.
Our strength is in our diversity and our common vision.
On January 21st 2019, we will gather again to share updates and brainstorm ideas about the next steps in creation of a Civic Hub.
6pm at SDC Office Map
in St John Church,
23 Water St North in Kitchener
Entrance and doorbell on Duke St.
RSVP by January 15th. Please get in touch if you need more information or have ideas/comments to share before the 21st.
Wishing you only the best to come in 2019.
Warmest Holiday Regards,
Aleksandra Petrovic
—
Executive Director
Social Development Centre Waterloo Region
23 Water St. North, Kitchener ON, N2H 5A4
(entrance and doorbell on Duke Street)
Phone: 519-579-3800
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