Money/Poverty – KWPeace

ACORN Town Hall at 2:30pm on Saturday 25 January 2025 at Kitchener Public Library

What: ACORN Region-Wide Town Hall meeting
When: 2:30pm on Saturday 25 January 2025
Where: Kitchener Public Library Main Branch, Room E
Location: 85 Queen Street North, Kitchener Map
Contact: Vonica Flear +1‑226‑545‑4359
E-mail: kw@acorncanada.org
Online: https://acorncanada.org/locations/waterloo-acorn/

ACORN is Holding a Region-Wide Town Hall to Identify Community Issues and Launch New Survey for Low-Income Residents

(Kitchener, ON) – ACORN is organizing a Town Hall on Saturday, 25 January 1025 at 2:30pm at the Kitchener Public Library for all residents of Waterloo Region to meet and discuss issues they’re struggling with, how the community can organize against these issues, and what they think ACORN should prioritize in 2025.

At the town hall, ACORN leaders will review ACORN’s campaign work on the local, provincial, and national level, and how ACORN members organize on various community issues like bad faith evictions, skyrocketing grocery prices, low social assistance rates, and more. We will also be joined by guest speakers including a Hamilton ACORN Organizer who will be sharing how ACORN members fought for and WON a strong anti-renoviction bylaw in Hamilton, and the importance of perseverance when fighting for change. To close the meeting, ACORN members will be launching our new tenant survey to shed light on the sheer scale of struggles low-income residents face across the Region.

We welcome all tenants and other low-income residents across Waterloo Region to join us and share their experiences during our break out discussion sections, following which ACORN leaders will hold an exercise to illustrate how to organize for change.

To speak with an ACORN leader about this event or discuss ACORN’s campaigns, please contact ACORN staff Organizer Vonica Flear at kw@acorncanada.org or +1‑226‑545‑4359.

March for Renoviction Protections, 5pm on Monday 6 January 2025 at KPL

What: Protest for Renoviction Protections!
When: 5:00pm on Monday 6 January 2025
Where: Meeting outside Kitchener Central Library, marching to Kitchener City Hall
Location: 85 Queen Street North, Kitchener, Ontario Map
Contact: Phone Number: +1‑519‑670‑1859, Email: kw@acorncanada.org

Waterloo Region ACORN March for Renoviction Protections in Kitchener!

ACORN Waterloo is organizing a march calling out the City of Kitchener for refusing to take action against renovictions on Monday January 6th at 5:00PM starting at Kitchener Central Library.

(Kitchener, ON) – In the wake of a housing crisis, low-income tenants are losing their affordable homes faster than new affordable units can be built, while landlords are profiting from mass evicting vulnerable tenants. Cities like Hamilton, Toronto, and London have taken steps to pass anti-renoviction bylaws to curb this issue, and other cities and even small towns like Kawartha Lakes are taking steps towards similar bylaws. Meanwhile, the City of Kitchener insists it’s not in their jurisdiction to regulate renovictions.

Countless stories have surfaced across the Region of low-income tenants being uprooted from their rent controlled units for so-called “renovations”, a practice becoming all too common among landlords seeking to make bigger profits. 267 Traynor, 250 Frederick, 141 & 149 Borden are all just some examples of a systemic problem destroying our affordable housing stock in Kitchener: Renovictions.

ACORN members and tenants of various buildings facing renovictions across the city are furious that Kitchener City Council is refusing to take the necessary steps to curb this crisis, despite other cities passing renoviction bylaws, and despite legal opinions from ACTO and Raven Law highlighting how it is fully within Cities’ powers to pass these laws.

This is why Waterloo Region ACORN members are leading a march to City Hall on Monday, 6 January 2025. ACORN members are demanding the City pass a renoviction bylaw similar to Toronto or Hamilton, where landlords must apply for a license to renovate units, and provide tenants with temporary accommodation while renovations are taking place, at the same rental rate the tenant paid before renovations began.

We invite you to join us on Monday to speak with ACORN members facing renoviction and to learn more about ACORN’s anti-displacement campaigns.

Background:

ACORN Canada is a national independent organization of low-and-moderate income families with 180,000+ members in 21+ neighbourhood chapters across 10 cities.

Community Christmas Lunch, Kitchener City Hall, 1pm on Wednesday 25 December 2024

What: No Crib for a Bed: Community Christmas Lunch
When: 1:00pm to 4:00pm, Carl Zehr Square in front of Williams Fresh Cafe
Location: at Kitchener City Hall, 200 King Street West, Kitchener, Ontario Map

David Alton writes:

Several lived expertise consultants have come together to organize two events over the next two weeks to highlight the urgent crises facing unsheltered community members and drug users.

On December 25th (Poster attached) from 1-4pm in Carl Zehr Square (Kitchener City Hall) there will be a ‘christmas dinner’ to discuss the need for 24/hr drop in/warming spaces. This event is informed by the intentional communities prototype in the Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, where lived expertise consultants have been helping the region understand the importance of sovereignty and unsheltered community leadership.

No Crib for a Bed

Community Christmas Lunch

You’re invited to join us for food and refreshments while we discuss the need for a 24hr peer-led drop-in space.

Why City Hall?

Because city hall is for everyone, including the homeless community.

New provincial legislation will criminalize the poor and the homeless and we want to address this.

Film Screening and Panel Discussion: Bridging Divides: Voices and Visions about Homelessness in Midsize Cities – 7pm on Monday 18 November 2024, Old Post Office library, Cambridge, Ontario

What: Film showing and Panel Discussion: Bridging Divides: Voices and Visions about Homelessness in Mid-size Cities
When: Monday 18 November from 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Where: Old Post Office library, Riverview Room, Reading Room
Location: 12 Water Street South, Cambridge, Ontario Map
Register: https://ideaexchange.libnet.info/event/11792453 (optional, but recommended)

Dr. Erin Dej writes via the Unsheltered Campaign:

Hi friends,

As many of you know, I’ve been doing research the last 4 years on misperceptions of homelessness in mid-size cities, including in Cambridge. The research has all come together by way of a documentary called Bridging Divides: Voices & Visions on Homelessness in Mid-Size Cities. The documentary explores the issue of homelessness, safety, and belonging by showcasing voices from diverse backgrounds, including conversations with individuals with lived experience of homelessness, service providers, business owners, and law enforcement.

We are holding a screening and panel discussion on 18 November 2024 from 7:00 – 8:30 at the Old Post Office Library (12 Water Street South) in Cambridge. It would mean so much if you were able to attend. As you know, Cambridge is struggling right now, so this conversation is more important than ever.

The panel discussion is going to feature Dr. Laura Pin, as well as Marjorie Knight and José de Lima, so you know it’s going to be a great conversation!

You will find all the details in the poster below and in case you’re able to share on any of your social media. All the details are at Wilfrid Laurier University website.

Thanks everyone!

Erin

Download poster: 2024-Nov_Cambridge – Poster_Bridging-Divides.pdf (1.3 MB)

Bridging divides and building perspectives through a dialogue

A powerful documentary featuring voices from diverse backgrounds. Discover new insights on homelessness and explore solutions to build safer, more inclusive communities.

Documentary screening – panel discussion
November 18th | 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Old Post Office -12 Water St S,
Cambridge, ON N1R 3C5

FOR INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION VISIT:
UOGUEL.PH/BRIDGING-DIVIDES
REGISTRATION IS RECOMMENDED BUT WALK-INS ARE WELCOME

Movie and Discussion: A Human Picture, 7pm Wednesday 6 November 2024 at the John M. Harper library

What: Movie and Discussion: A Human Picture
When: 7:00pm to 8:30pm, Wednesday 6 November 2024
Where: John M. Harper Branch, Waterloo Public Library
Location: 500 Fischer-Hallman Road North, Waterloo Map
Register: https://calendar.wpl.ca/event/11998737 for both in-person and online by Zoom.

Shared by Basic Income WR:

Join us for a viewing of the short documentary film A Human Picture, about Ontario’s short-lived, but transformational Basic Income Pilot. The session will also include informative presentations and discussions with local experts about this important topic.

The event is being offered in-person and online via Zoom. Please indicate whether your registration is for in-person or online. Those attending online will be sent a Zoom link the day before the event.

Presented in partnership with Basic Income Waterloo Region, a group of community members dedicated to a Basic Income Guarantee as a critical solution to eliminating poverty, responding to the rise of automation in the workforce, and boosting or stimulating the local economy.

Learn more and register at: https://calendar.wpl.ca/event/11998737

Waterloo Region ACORN Day of Action for Anti-Renoviction Bylaws, 1:00pm on Tuesday 27 August 2024

What: Region-Wide Day of Action for Municipal Anti-Renoviction Bylaws
When: Tuesday 27 August 2024 at 1:00pm
Where: Register on Zoom
Contact: Vonica Flear, kw@acorncanada.org Phone: +1‑226‑545‑4359
Website: https://acorncanada.org
Waterloo Region ACORN: https://acorncanada.org/locations/waterloo-acorn/

ACORN members and tenants across Waterloo region are banding together to fight for better protections from bad-faith evictions.

On Tuesday August 27th, Waterloo Region ACORN will be holding a Region-Wide action calling on Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge city councils to enact anti-renoviction bylaws similar to the one passed in Hamilton earlier this year.

On January 17th, Hamilton City Council voted unanimously in favour of the city passing a strong anti-renoviction bylaw called the “Renovations License and Relocation Bylaw.” This happened after a 5 year effort by Hamilton ACORN and several motions passed to direct the creation of a bylaw based on the success of policy from New Westminster, BC. The original bylaw in New Westminster eliminated renovictions since passing in 2019, reducing the total number of renovictions from 333 to zero. The new Hamilton bylaw will require landlords to:

Apply for a licence within 7 days of issuing a tenant a N13.
Provide tenants with a Tenant’s Rights and Entitlements Package
Provide tenants wishing to exercise their right to return to their unit (at the same rent!) with temporary accommodation OR a rental top up for the duration of the renovations.

ACORN members across the Region are ecstatic to see Hamilton pass STRONG tenant protections that will significantly reduce the number of affordable units being systematically removed by landlords taking advantage of the loopholes in Ontario’s rent control measures. Waterloo Region ACORN members will be meeting on Zoom on August 27th to review ACORN’s renoviction bylaw campaign and facilitate phone blitzes to Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge city council offices to call for similar bylaws to be passed in each city.

Maribel Jagorin, Co-Chair of the Waterloo Region chapter of ACORN and currently facing renoviction from her own apartment, says, “There is a big disconnect between the cost of living and income. There is a housing crisis out there. How am I supposed to live? I can’t afford somewhere else, and there’s nothing out there for me. I am fighting for my affordable housing and my rights because everywhere I look I can only see greed and lack of balance. Landlords are privileged!”

Community Dinner at St. John’s Church, 5pm on Sunday 3 March 2024

Laura Hamilton writes:

I wanted to make sure that you are all aware of the upcoming community dinner at St John’s Church this Sunday. The Community Kitchen Co‑op is hosting this in the hope that members of the congregation can learn more about good work that is happening through the Civic Hub. Thompson Tran (of The Wooden Boat) will be preparing the meal, and it will the include Vegan, Vegetarian and Halal options.

Dinner is free or donate what you can. I have also heard murmuring in the church that some folks would like to see the property turned into affordable housing… so this will be a wonderful opportunity for you to share your knowledge of the need for housing over a meal with unsuspecting parishioners.

ALL ARE WELCOME! Please invite your friends! Please register at Eventbrite: Community Dinner.

What: Community Dinner by the Community Kitchen Co‑op
When: 5:00pm to 8:00pm, Sunday 3 March 2024
Where: Upper hall, St. John The Evangelist Church (enter from Duke Street)
Location: 23 Water Street North, Kitchener, Ontario Map
Register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/community-dinner-tickets-823819043937

Members from local government and the wider community are being invited to make this an opportunity for you to share what you are doing. The Civic Hub is a group of organizations that advocate for our community. Volunteers from the Community Kitchen Co-operative Kitchener-Waterloo Inc are organizing this dinner and will make you feel welcome.

Enter the building on the the corner of Duke and Water – Kitchener – through the accessible entrance on Duke Street.

No Fixed Address: A Talk About Homelessness and Encampments, 6:30pm on Thu 22 Feb 2024

What: No Fixed Address: A Talk About Homelessness and Encampments
When: 6:30pm to 8:30pm on Thursday 22 February 2024
Where: Online only, link sent with registration
Register: Tickets from Eventbrite

With the ever escalating housing crisis, a growing number of people are confronting the harsh realities of homelessness. Despite concerted efforts, community services and shelters are struggling to keep pace with surging demand, leaving many people without access to even these temporary solutions.

Faced with this stark reality, people must forge their own paths to survival, resulting in an increasing presence of makeshift shelters and tents, as residents seek safety and refuge from the often unforgiving elements.

As we grapple with the pressing need for both short-term and long-term solutions to address the root causes of homelessness, the struggle of those living outdoors remains. What can we do to better meet the basic needs, care, and well-being of these people? How can we enhance our approach to this issue, and what proactive steps are other municipalities taking to make a positive and impactful difference in the lives of those affected?

On February 22nd, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, join host Regional Councillor Rob Deutschmann in this first virtual town hall segment of 2024 focused on homelessness and encampments.

Featured guest speakers include:

Dr. Erin Dej, Associate Professor, Department of Criminology, Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo, ON)
Fiona York, CRAB Park Advocate (Vancouver BC)
Margaret Capes, Legal Education Coordinator, Community Law School (Sarnia-Lambton, ON)
Greg Nash, London Intercommunity Health Centre, Director-Complex Urban Health (London, ON)
Chantelle McDonald,London Cares Homeless Response Services, Director of Service (London, ON)
Kaite Burkholder Harris, Executive Direction, Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa (Ottawa, ON)
Jaime Stief, Community Advocate (Kitchener, ON)
Mike Lethby, (Niagara Falls)

Additional information on our website at WR Community Town Halls.

Say No To Encampment Evictions – Rally 5:30pm Wed 22 June 2022 at Speakers Corner

Download the poster (272 KB)

Say No To
Encampment Evictions
Say Yes To Housing

Stand In Solidarity With Our Unhoused and Vulnerable Neighbours

Rally +
March

Bring Your Signs

Wednesday 22 June 2022 | 5:30pm
Speakers Corner | King & Benton Map
Downtown Kitchener