Month: May 2023

Enough Is Enough Expo and Rally, 10:00am to 11:30am, Saturday 3 June 2023

Enough is Enough (black and white letters in white and black speech bubbles on a pink background)The Waterloo Regional Labour Council and the Ontario Federation of Labour are organizing an Expo and Rally:

What: Enough Is Enough Expo
When: 10:00am to 11:30am, Saturday 3 June 2023
Where: Carl Zehr Square, Kitchener City Hall
Location: 100 King Street West, Kitchener Map
Website: http://wesayenough.ca/
Contact: Jeff Donkersgoed <jeffd@waterloolabour.ca>

The Waterloo Regional Labour Council (white letters on a blue background, under stylized letters WRCL shaped to look like two intertwining arms in solidarity)Waterloo Regional Labour Council has invited over 200 progressive community organizations, charities, social justice minded groups, coalitions, neighborhood associations, student groups, and unions from across the entire region to host a booth, with the intention of strengthening and building our community, sharing the terrific and important work that we do with each other and the general public, and to demand better from those in positions of power.

Enough is Enough | Expo | Assez C'est Assez (an illustrated info sheet with lots of text; see https://ofl.ca/enough-is-enough/ for the actual text)Enough Is Enough | Expo | Assez C'est Assez | June 3 / 3 Juin 10:00-11:30 | Carl Zehr Square at Kitchener City Hall | La place Carl Zehr de hôtel de ville de Kitchener | Visit wesayenough.ca (various cartoon-like illustrations of workers giving the power salute (clenched fist), some with speech bubbles saying "Enough is Enough" and "Assez c'est Assez", and logos/wordmarks for the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Waterloo Regional Labour Council)

Waterloo Region Health Coalition and Ontario Health Coalition Referendum on Hospital Privatization, Friday and Saturday, 26 and 27 May 2023

People’s Referendum to stop the privatization of Ontario’s public hospitals planned Friday & Saturday

Almost a thousand voting stations across Ontario will be staffed by thousands of volunteers in a massive effort to force the Ford government to respect democratic process and input on their hospital privatization plans.

A map listing all voting stations across the province is available online at https://publichospitalvote.ca/find-voting-station:

Google Map of Southern Ontario with colourful markers showing locations of polling stations for the referendum

On the website, you can zoom in for details, and a list by region is below the map. Media are invited to see the voting taking place at voting stations across Ontario.

  • Online voting is also available for all Ontario residents at PublicHospitalVote.ca
  • Voting closes on Saturday, 27 May 2023 at midnight.
  • At time of writing, more than 160,000 votes have been received online and in advance polls.

Province-wide results will be announced outside Queen’s Park on Wednesday 31 May 2023 at 10:00am.

A massive pile of ballots from the people’s referendum will be brought in from across Ontario and piled in front of the Legislature to be delivered to the government.

Local health coalitions across the province will be counting ballots on Saturday evening 27 May 2023 or Sunday 28 May 2023, announcing results locally on Tuesday, 30 May 2023.

Waterloo Region:

  • Vote counting will take place at the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario-Waterloo Region Office 610 Wabanaki Drive, Kitchener, on Sunday 28 May 2023 from Noon to 5:00pm.
  • Vote results will be announced on Tuesday, 30 May 2023 at 8:30am outside the Main Entrance to Grand River Hospital, 835 King Street West, Kitchener.

Media contacts to view vote counting and receive local/province-wide results:

Natalie Mehra, Executive Director, Ontario Health Coalition

Jim Stewart, Chair, Waterloo Region Health Coalition

For other regions see Key Contacts for the Referendum to Stop Hospital Privatization on the Public Hospital Vote website.

#Nakba75 Rally in Waterloo Public Square, 1pm on Sun 14 May 2023

@palestinianyouthmovement writes:

‼️Kitchener-Waterloo‼️

Join us on the 75th anniversary of the Nakba as we rally in support of our people and our popular resistance. On 14 May 2023, we will meet at Waterloo Public Square in the center of Uptown Waterloo at 1:00 PM. This demonstration is suitable for all ages.

Nakba Day is a reminder and affirmation of the Palestinian people’s ongoing resistance, existence, and defiance of the 75-year-old zionist occupation that continues on our lands. As the zionist entity weakens and fragments from within, Palestinians are united and steadfast as ever in the pursuit of our ultimate goal. Generation after generation, the struggle continues, until full national liberation and return!

Wear your keffiyehs, bring your Palestinian flags, and be ready to raise your voices. We’ll see you 14 May 2023 at 1:00 PM at Waterloo Public Square!

From the river to the sea, Palestine will soon be free! 🇵🇸

.

‎‼️كيتشنر- واترلو‼️

انضمو إلينا في الذكرى ال٧٥ للنكبة الفلسطينة والمقاومة الفلسطينة ضد الاحتلال الصهيوني. سنجتمع بتاريخ ١٤/٥ في ساحة واترلو العامة (Waterloo Public Square) وسط ابتاون واترلو في تمام الساعة الواحدة ظهراً. هذه المظاهرة مناسبة لجميع الأعمار.

المظاهرات السنوية ليوم النكبة هي تذكير وتأكيد على واقع الشعب الفلسطيني الذي يواجه تطهير عرقي مستمر واحتلال عسكري همجي.

جيلاً بعد جيل، الشعب الفلسطيني يقاوم العدو الصهيوني حتى النصر والتحرير.

البسوا كوفياتكم واجلبو أعلامكم الفلسطينية إلى مظاهرة يوم النكبة في ١٤/٥. ندعوكم لتضموا أصواتكم لأصوات الفلسطينين في الشتات ومقاومة الإمبريالية والاستعمار الإسرائيلي الصهيوني.

من البحر إلى النهر، عاشت فلسطين حرة عربية! 🇵🇸

Nakba75 | Kitchener Waterloo Rally | May 14 | 1:00pm at the Waterloo Public Square (red and yellow text, also in Arabic, over a photo of people approaching a fire and smoke, one person carrying a Palestinian flag; there are coils of barbed wire in the foreground)

KW Vegfest at Waterloo Town Square, 11am on Saturday 13 May 2023

Caterina Lindman writes:

KW VegFest is back for its 6th year, with a pop-up event. Everyone is welcome!

Kitchener Waterloo VegFest | New Date! Mark your calendars! | Sat, May 13, 2023 | 11AM-3PM | Waterloo Town Square | **Food from around the world, and free samples**What: KW VegFest Spring Pop-Up
When: 11:00am to 3:00pm on Saturday, 13 May 2023
Where: Waterloo Public Square, 75 King Street South, Waterloo Map
Contact: caterina.lindman@gmail.com

Highlighting plant-based foods, we’ll have foods to buy and sample to help everyone see how delicious going plant-based for our health and for the planet’s health can be, and we’ll provide lots of info! People can drop by for free samples of plant-based cheeses, milks and sausages, and purchase their dinner from foods from across our beautiful planet, including Africa, Asia, Canada, Eastern Europe, and India!

There will be baklava, gourmet donuts, tropical juices, curries, pierogi, Korean bao, and Canadian favourites like mac and cheese.

KW VegFest’s Earth Day Pop-up is brought to you by Waterloo Region Climate Initiatives, with assistance from VegFund and the City of Waterloo. Music generously provided by vegan artist VEFO / (Mirror-image letters F, as though semaphores, at an angle in the form of a V, with leaves in the stems, all in varying shades of green)@vefovision. With such a small window of time left for us to turn things around for the planet, scientists tell us that turning our attention to the food we eat is essential, and VegFests across the planet celebrate and promote the benefits of plant-based living for everyone, and for our children’s future.

Here is the link to the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/3445829798966896

With thanks, Mo Markham and Caterina Lindman for KW VegFest and Waterloo Region Climate Initiatives

P.S. If you are interested in helping out with VegFest for a few hours (eg. giving out pamphlets or free samples), please let Caterina know.