What: Rally against Ontario Bill 5 When: 6:00pm on Monday 23 June 2025 Where: Waterloo Public Square Location: 75 King Street South, Waterloo, Ontario Map
On June 23rd at 6:00 PM, community members are rallying at Waterloo Public Square to say NO to Bill 5. Union leaders, Indigenous activists, students, and people of conscience are coming together — and Greens are showing up.
This rally is about more than just saying no.
It’s about getting ready to organize.
Bill 5 threatens local democracy and pushes decisions even further away from communities. People are coming together to stop it—and to build what comes next.
👉 Be there.
Bring a sign. Bring a friend. Bring your voice.
Sincerely, Teresa Cornwell
Ontario Greens in Kitchener Centre
What: Indigenous Peoples Day Sunrise Ceremony When: 7:00am on Saturday 21 June 2025 Where: Willow River Centre Location: 243 King Street East, Kitchener, Ontario Map Website: https://www.kwmf.ca/indigenous
Sunrise Ceremony
June 21 @ 7am
Join Us For
Food Fire Speakers Drumming
Opening at Willow River Centre
Sacred Fire 7am-10am
Multicultural Festival 12pm
What: Rally against Bill 5, Bill 6, and Bill 17, aka Rally for People and Planet When: 11:30am to 2:00pm on Saturday 31 May 2025 (speeches at Noon) Where: Carl Zehr Square, Kitchener City Hall Location: 100 King Street West, Kitchener, Ontario Map Website 1: https://gren.ca Website 2: https://environmentaldefence.ca/stop-bill-5/ Contact: Kevin Thomason – vice-chair@gren.ca
For your safety, never register for rallies, protests, or other events where civil disobedience may occur.
We need to stop Premier Ford’s Power Grab
Premier Ford promised to protect Ontario. But now that he’s been elected, he is already breaking that promise. His latest bill would give his friends special permissions to ignore laws that protect us and our environment.
No guardrails. No accountability.
We can’t afford to let him and his cabinet get away with this.
Kevin Thomason writes:
It has been an unprecedented week as Doug Ford has tried to ram through the horrific Bill 5 while all the opposition MPPs have worked together to do everything in their power to stop it, join the Kitchener Rally Against Bill 5 on Saturday at 12:00 noon, participate in upcoming webinars and events, speak up against Bill 17’s devastating impacts on our communities, learn about the latest very disappointing Hidden Valley loss to developers in Kitchener, the Greenbelt Scandal continues with more concerning e-mails found, and more. Here’s the latest:
1) Bill 5 Pushback Grows – There are more protests, more groups speaking out. and actions against Bill 5 the “Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy Act”, a dangerous attack on our rights, environment, and democracy. First Nations, environmentalists, civil liberties organizations, labour, municipalities, and even Amnesty International have come out against Bill 5.
It was fantastic to see all opposition MPPs working together to do everything they could stop the bill this past week including an impressive filibuster at the Standing Committee meeting until midnight on Wednesday night. While the Ford government is promising amendments to try to quell First Nations concerns, Indigenous Leaders say it is too little, too late and frankly the government has made only ineffective, minor, superficial amendments as “window dressing” while completely ignoring the vast majority of concerns raised by tens of thousands of concerned citizens so far.
Protests/Rallies — There have been large protests including hundreds of people in Guelph last weekend. Please plan to join the Kitchener Protest Against:
Bill 5 — Sweeping powers to fast track development, bypass environmental protections, create law-free economic zones, ignore archeology, and violate Indigenous rights.
Bill 6 — Harsher penalties for drugs and trespass targeting homelessness with punitive measures rather than support.
Bill 17 — Prohibiting needed Green Development Standards, limiting development charges, enabling new MZO’s, encouraging dangerous inexpensive water and wastewater systems.
Date/Time: Saturday, May 31st at 12:00 noon
Location: Carl Zehr Square on King Street at Kitchener City Hall
What: National Indigenous Peoples Month & Pride Kickoff When: 10:00am to 2:00pm on Sunday 1 June 2025 Where: In front of the Kitchener Market Location: 300 King Street East, Kitchener, Ontario Map Website: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=965234062444705
Food, craft vendors, live music and more!
Rain or shine!
A Womb With A View would love to create a Protect Art piece with those in attendance and have it stand along side speakers sharing their thoughts and signs held high by people who care. This Artivism would involve tying cloth or ribbon onto a basic scarecrow figure. Each cloth would have a statement or word written on it about the harm that would come with this Bill e.g. violation of human rights, criminalization of the poor, stigmatization of people who use substances, further displacement of Indigenous folks on their own lands, etc.
Collective Art | Bill 6 and Bylaw Info | Petition Signing
Stand against Bill 6 and the 100 Victoria by-law punishing unhoused individuals’ survival.
Help build collective art piece of resistance
Write a word naming this harm on ribbon and add it to a scarecrow figure. Scare away Bill 6!
When it comes to the ongoing fight against climate change, it is easy to lose heart as stories about the disastrous impacts of global warming seem to make headlines every day. To flip the script on this “climate fatigue”, the Nith Valley EcoBoosters are hosting a free webinar on May 15th at 7:00 p.m.
Why Hope Matters: The Practice of Evidence- Based Hope in a World of Climate Doom, will feature guest speaker Dr. Elin Kelsey, an international thought leader, scholar and science communicator on climate emotions and the role of evidence-based hope, and the author of Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis. Dr. Kelsey will share positive climate success stories and where to find them, and discuss how they help us to be more enthusiastic, optimistic and hopeful with respect to our capacity to tackle the climate crisis.
Elin KelseyA leader in the solutions-focused environmental and climate justice
movement.
Award-winning author of more than a dozen books for children and adults including: HOPE MATTERS: Why Changing the Way We Think is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis.
Learn about evidence-based hope, a concept based on real progress and effective solutions that shifts the focus from fear to empowerment. While there are reasons to be anxious about the climate crisis, there are also reasons to be optimistic due to meaningful accomplishments.
In honour of this year’s Earth Day, Kai Reimer-Watts has arranged a special screening of his 2018 documentary Beyond Crisis. You and your friends are warmly invited to this rare, free public screening of a powerful Canadian documentary on climate! Please register in advance so we can keep track of numbers, and share widely.
The event hosted by our local MPP Aislinn Clancy, and held in the film theatre at Kitchener Public Library (Main Branch, 85 Queen Street North). The one-hour documentary will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker (Kai) and MPP Aislinn Clancy. There will also be light food and refreshments. It is a non-partisan event for the broader community, to draw attention to climate change at this crucial time here in Canada, and while we are in a federal election.
Also, if you haven’t yet, please check out the Vote for Climate campaign led by the Waterloo Region Climate Collaborative! Non-partisan lawn and window signs are still available this election.
About the film
Beyond Crisis was a three-year filmmaking adventure led by Canadian climate activists, seeking to capture growing movements for change here in Canada and around the world advocating for bold climate action and a just response to the climate crisis. It launched at Princess Twin Cinema in Waterloo in 2018, and has since been screened in festivals, theatres, classrooms and community venues around the world, as a galvanizing story of our current ‘climate moment’ and the many possibilities we have for collective response. While it remains honest about the gravity of climate change, it is ultimately an uplifting and inspiring film about people, and the power of people to transform our realities and together forge brighter futures. It is highly artistic, creative and meditative in sections, and packed with insights from over 50 changemakers – many of whom are Canadian.
The film is only one hour long, split into five connected chapters: The Language of Change; A Dangerous Addiction; Feelings of Change; A Brighter Future; and Building a Movement. Each chapter has its own areas of focus, and together, they tell the story of many thousands of people all over the world working to change our current climate reality for the better. The film was designed in this way to keep chapters short, and to better stimulate ongoing audience engagement and community dialogue after each screening. Kai has received many positive responses by viewers on the film, its emotional/intellectual impact, and unique structure. You can check out the trailer on YouTube to see if it resonates with you.
Thank you for your ongoing support for Divest Waterloo and for your part in our collective action to raise awareness and engage our community on issues related to climate change, our pursuit of a low carbon economy, and our movement towards a just and sustainable future.
What: International Palestinian Children’s Day When: 11:00am on Saturday 5 April 2025 Where: Kitchener Market Location: 300 King Street East, Kitchener, OntarioMap Contact: wrfriendsofpalestine@gmail.com
Waterloo Region Friends of Palestine writes:
Dear Friends of Palestine,
Always amongst the debris are hidden gems that call for celebration. This week amongst the ongoing carnage of Israeli’s maniacal genocide, we have a moment of brightness, a key to Palestinian liberation that will be the prize of Palestinians. International Palestinian Children’s Day is on Saturday 5 April 2025, it is a mouthful that is easily missed, but, the children of Palestine need to be celebrated and it will be a joy this weekend to shine the spotlight on them, as we also remember their suffering.
Future health care workerWe will be celebrating their spiritual fortitude, their cultural strength and their physical and mental courage. They have been born into a world of chaos and genocidal occupation and still, like a tree growing out of a rock, the children have thrived, learned, loved and played, they have dreams and visions for the future. These children are the future leaders of Palestine and they will liberate Palestine and the world one day. It is in the eyes of this future health care worker that leadership to a better place is the vision and the focus, he and his peers will arrive at a place of justice, dignity and liberation for all.
This Saturday, join the Walk with Grief to lift your spirits, in addition, come to the table for International Palestinian Children’s Day that is just inside the market (Upper level), bring your children, they can colour pictures, write notes to the children of Gaza, share in the candies and other treats available for children.
Do not miss the moment, International Palestinian Children’s Day (IPCD), bring yourself, bring your children to celebrate the future leaders of Palestine.
Please join us at the Walk for Grief, this Saturday at 11am at Kitchener Market. Also, join us inside the market (upper level near front door) 7:00am to 2:00pm.
Nith Valley Ecoboosters
Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis. Dr. Kelsey will share positive climate success stories and where to find them, and discuss how they help us to be more enthusiastic, optimistic and hopeful with respect to our capacity to tackle the climate crisis.
Beyond Crisis
Divest Waterloo and for your part in our collective action to raise awareness and engage our community on issues related to climate change, our pursuit of a low carbon economy, and our movement towards a just and sustainable future.
