Housing Opens Doors — Thursday, 27 June 2013

In her latest newsletter, Eleanor Grant writes of several local events, followed by a number of petitions on federal issues as Canada Day approaches ….

EVENT: Housing Opens Doors.
On June 27, ONPHA, the Social Planning Council of Kitchener-Waterloo, and HHUG will set-up the Housing Opens Doors installation in front of Kitchener City Hall [map] to raise awareness of the importance of affordable housing and the powerful role it plays in Waterloo Region.
ONPHA | HOUSING OPENS DOORS
Join us between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and show your support for affordable housing. You know that an affordable home has the power to change lives and benefit communities – help us share that message!

Eleanor Grant writes a semi-regular e-mail newsletter on social justice issues. You can contact Eleanor at eleanor7000@gmail.com

Two new actions and events

Two actions, two events: Petition against tax evaders, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Israeli settlements, Dorothy Day documentary

Here’s the latest newsletter from Eleanor Grant:

Hello KW peace and justice supporters.

Two Events and two Actions:

ACTION 1 on Tax Evaders:

The G8 meeting this week in Northern Ireland will discuss a public registry to prevent individuals or corporations hiding their income or profits behind shell companies. But to implement this much-needed plan, the G8 needs unanimity. CANADA can either be the reason it fails, dooming us all to billions in extra taxes, or it can be the champion that ensures the deal passes.

Tell PM Harper you want Canada to be a backer not a blocker:
Avaaz – Harper: End the great tax scam

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ACTION 2 on Climate:

In early May we passed the milestone of 400 parts per million of carbon in Earth’s atmosphere. This trend must be reversed if there’s to be a sustainable future on this planet.

A local chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby is being formed. Read more at We Generate Political Will for a Livable World

There will be an initial meeting, at the organizer’s home, on Sat June 1, with lots more to follow. If you’d like to get involved in this, please let me know and I’ll put you in touch.

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EVENT 1 on Israeli Settlements:

Thurs May 30, 7 to 9 pm,
UW Student Life Centre, Multi-Purpose Room:

A CHALLENGE TO JUSTICE: a PowerPoint presentation by Omar Ramahi, on Israel’s policy of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Omar was a 1948 refugee. Read more at Israeli Settlements: A Challenge to Justice | Waterloo Public Interest Research Group

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EVENT 2 on Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement:

Tues June 4 at 7 pm,
Queen St Commons (43 Queen S Kit):

Documentary Screening: DON’T CALL ME A SAINT

Local sponsor Isaiah Boronka writes:
Dorothy Day’s life and the movement she founded exemplify an approach to issues surrounding peace and justice that place an equal emphasis on personal commitment & change as on social change – her remarkable life and the movement she helped start has had a profound influence on many, including KW’s own Working Centre.

Read more at: Dorothy Day: Don’t Call Me a Saint

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Hope to see you at these events.

And please sign the Avaaz petition at the top of this msg.

Eleanor Grant

Eleanor Grant writes a semi-regular e-mail newsletter on social justice issues. You can contact Eleanor at eleanor7000@gmail.com

Affordable Housing and Refugee Sponsorship

From Eleanor Grant’s newsletter:

And from KAIROS Grand River:

Here is a friendly reminder about our last two KAIROS-Grand River events this spring, on the theme Restoring A Good Life for All.

Both events are at First United Church – King & William Street, Waterloo map at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:45 p.m.)

Monday MAY 27

Theme: Affordable housing for everyone – with discussion.
Guest presenters:

  • Michael Schuster, former Commissioner Social Services at Region of Waterloo
  • Colin Gage, GM Victoria Park Community Homes

Monday JUNE 17

Theme: Refugee Sponsorship (Obstacles to a Good Life for Refugees) – with discussion.
Guest presenters:

  • Jennifer Ardon, Church Liaison and Volunteer Coordinator, Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR)
  • Janet Howitt, Trinity United Church and Chair of the Refugee Committee

(This is a World Refugee Day Kitchener-Waterloo Event. See http://worldrefugeedaykw.ca for complete listing.)

All are welcome.

Eleanor Grant writes a semi-regular e-mail newsletter on social justice issues. You can contact Eleanor at eleanor7000@gmail.com

Restoring a Good Life for All: Affordable housing for everyone

A presentation by KAIROS Grand River.

Restoring a Good Life for All: Affordable housing for everyone

Presenters: Michael Schuster, former Commissioner Social Services at Region of Waterloo, Colin Gage, GM Victoria Park Community Homes.

When: Monday, 27 May 2013, 7:00pm to 9:30pm; Doors open at 6:45pm
Where: First United Church, 16 William Street West, Waterloo (map)

Homelessness Awareness Week (5 – 11 May 2013)

Eleanor Grant writes:

  • Sun May 5 at 10:20 a.m: First United Church, Waterloo (King & Wm) – Outreach church service focussed on homelessness in our community.
  • Sun May 5 at 7 pm AND Mon May 6 at 9:15 pm: Princess Twin – Movie: HIT ‘N STRUM, a drama about a homeless musician in Vancouver.
  • Stepping Up: Monday May 6th 2013, 11:30am -1:00pm: Join us for a silent walk with masks, from Waterloo Square to Kitchener City Hall, to raise awareness of homelessness in the Waterloo Region.
    RSVP to Mike Savage by Phone: (519-579-5268) or by email : msavage@golden.net
  • Speaking Up: Tuesday, May 7th, 1:00- 2:30pm at Kitchener City Hall Rotunda: Speakers from all walks of life will discuss personal experiences of homelessness as well as challenges of service provision in the Waterloo Region. Light Refreshments will be served.
  • Tues May 7 at 7 pm: First United Church – Discussion of Hit ‘n Strum movie. (This is not a screening of the movie.) Please RSVP to Mike at msavage@golden.net
  • Thurs May 9 at 5:30 pm at Kitchener City Hall: free BBQ sponsored by Downtown Kitchener Community Health Centre – followed by Kindred Spirit awards.

For more information:
http://www.homelessawarenessweek.org/

 
Eleanor Grant writes a semi-regular e-mail newsletter on social justice issues. You can contact Eleanor at eleanor7000@gmail.com

May Day Campaign: Raise Minimum Wage to $14 now! #14Now

The 2013 Ontario budget will be announced this Thursday. We need your support to help us raise the minimum wage!

Eleanor Grant writes:

Peace and Justice Friends –

Please join in the May 1 Twitter / E-mail campaign to Premier Kathleen Wynne, in time for the Ontario Budget on May 2. Tell her Ontario needs a minimum wage of $14 now!

Initiated by Workers’ Action Centre in Toronto.

Let’s flood the Premier’s computer! Simple steps in forwarded msg below.

More articles on minimum wage:

Melt the Freeze! Campaign to Raise Ontario’s Minimum Wage” by Jean Kenyon

“Behind the Numbers: Boost the Minimum Wage, Boost the Economy, from the bottom up” by Armine Yalnizyan

Trish Hennessy “What if the minimum wage were a living wage?

Armine Yalnizyan: Welcome to the wageless recovery!

Eleanor

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: “Special Diet” <forspecialdiet@gmail.com>
Date: Apr 29, 2013 5:49 PM
Subject: action alert – may day email and twitter campaign!

This International Workers Day – May 1st – take a moment to tweet or email Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, demanding a raise in the minimum wage.

$14.00 Now!

The 2013 Ontario budget will be announced this Thursday.  We need your support to help us raise the minimum wage!

Please forward this call-out to your networks, friends and family. We only have a few days, and every message counts!

Callout adapted from Workers Action Centre, workersactioncentre.org:

Take action on Mayday to send a message to Premier Kathleen Wynne before the May 2 budget. Ontario needs a minimum wage that lifts workers out of poverty now; no delays, no commission to study minimum wage.

  1. Send a tweet to @Kathleen Wynne, #14now
  2. E-mail Kathleen Wynne at premier@ontario.ca  – or write a letter from your organization supporting our call for an immediate increase and no panel! (Sample E-mail)
  3. Submit a letter to your local paper on why your community needs a raise now
  4. Like the Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage on Facebook to get regular updates

Why we need a minimum wage increase now!

In March, communities across Ontario came together to launch a campaign for a minimum wage increase.  Creative actions took place in 15 different cities, calling for a raise in the minimum wage to $14.  The message was clear, we need an increase now!

As we get ready for the 2013 budget to be announced on May 2, we are calling on the government to raise the minimum wage to $14 and not to delay with an advisory panel or commission.

We need a raise in the minimum wage to $14 an hour now because:

  • A strong minimum wage will help workers, our communities and boost our economy.
  • Working full-time should raise us above the poverty line.  Working 35 hours a week, we need $14 an hour to get 10% above the poverty line (LIM) in 2013.
  • The minimum wage has been frozen for 3 years while rent, food and transit costs have soared! It’s time to melt the freeze, and then index the minimum wage to the cost of living each year.

Don’t delay with an advisory panel

If the Minister of Labour creates an advisory panel to study the minimum wage:

  • It will be a deliberate strategy to have a minimum wage rate set below the poverty line while trying to avoid responsibility for that decision.
  • It will be a way to distance the government from a decision to keep minimum wage workers in poverty.
  • It will be a waste of time and taxpayer’s money.

We have seen other examples of the Ontario government under Dalton McGuinty establishing panels and commissions to make recommendations that were inadequate, or that the government didn’t follow, such as the long-term affordable housing strategy and Social Assistance Review Commission.

Ontario workers don’t need a panel or commission to study the minimum wage.  We need an increase now to bring us out of poverty!

For more information, visit: workersactioncentre.org

Take action!

The Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage is coordinated by ACORN, Freedom 90, Mennonite New Life Centre, OCAP, Ontario Campaign 2000, Parkdale Community Legal Services, Put Food in the Budget, Social Planning Toronto, Toronto and York Region Labour Council and the Workers’ Action Centre.

For additional info and local action visit povertymakesussick.wordpress.com PMUS is a proud member of the Raise the Rates campaign, and actively participates in the #14now Raise the Minimum Wage campaign

 
Eleanor Grant writes a semi-regular e-mail newsletter on social justice issues. You can contact Eleanor at eleanor7000@gmail.com

TAKE ACTION for Bangladesh worker safety

Eleanor Grant writes:

Hello Friends –

Please take a moment to sign the appeal below from IndustriALL global union.

It calls on Bangladesh to guarantee freedom of association (including the right to unionize), and improve building and fire safety and the minimum wage for the more than 3 million garment workers in Bangladesh. (According to Global Labour and Human Rights, the starting wage in these awful garment factories is 14 cents an hour, and many women work more than 12-hour days. Read more at http://www.globallabourrights.org/ )

And meanwhile, consider joining in the annual Labour Day of Mourning to commemorate workers who’ve been killed or injured or made ill on the job. SUNDAY APRIL 28, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Victoria Park at the workers’ monument – between the pavilion and the river. Hosted by Waterloo Regional Labour Council. All are welcome.

Eleanor Grant

Visit the IndustriALL Web Site or the IndustriALL Facebook page.

Eleanor Grant writes a semi-regular e-mail newsletter on social justice issues. You can contact Eleanor at eleanor7000@gmail.com

Have Your Say on Casinos

Waterloo:

Web comment form: Take Survey: Casino Feedback
Phone: +1-519-957-9727
E-mail: casinofeedback@waterloo.ca

The deadline to submit feedback is April 30, 2013

Notice: City of Waterloo seeks input on casino


Kitchener:

CasiNO – Kitchener Public Consultations –
When: Tuesday, 23 and 30 April 2013 starting at 6:00pm with a presentation from OLG; public consultations for those who have registered to speak will follow. A second session will be held April 30. Pre-registration for the 30 April session is not mandatory but is strongly recommended and can be done on the City of Kitchener’s Casino web page or by calling Linda Korabo at +1-519-741-2200;ext=7591

Location: Kitchener City Hall Council Chambers, 200 King St. W., Kitchener, Ontario (map)

Notice: Public Consultation on a Casino in Kitchener

News release: Council votes in favour of public consultation on casino

An online survey will be available from April 15 – May 1, 2013.

Fair Taxation For All

Monday, 29 April 2013, 7:00pm: Fair Taxation For All with Dennis Howlett, executive director of Canadians for Tax Fairness.
First United Church Waterloo (King and William St) (map).

Dennis Howlett is touring to launch CTF’s new book The Great Revenue Robbery.  The book will be available for sale at the event.

Very timely in light of new revelations that $32 trillion worldwide is deposited in tax havens, with billions in lost revenue to governments that are struggling with deficits and austerity.

Event sponsored by KAIROS Grand River as part of series Restoring A Good Life for All.  Co-sponsored by Waterloo Region Labour Council.

http://www.taxfairness.ca/news/book-launch-events-planned-great-revenue-robbery-april