Newsletters, articles and events for Kitchener-Waterloo's Peace and Social Justice activists
What: A Community Potluck dinner
When: 6:00pm to 8:00pm on Thursday 9 May 2024
Where: Social Development Centre Waterloo Region
Location: 23 Water Street North, Kitchener (enter from Duke Street) Map
Instagram: @fightbackkw
KW Vegfest on 11 May 2024 was cancelled due to weather, it has been rescheduled for Saturday 27 July 2024
What: KW VegFest
When: 1:00pm to 6:00pm, Saturday 11 May 2024
Where: Waterloo Public Square Map
Location: 75 King Street
Website: https://kwvegfest.ca/
Contact: kwvegfest@gmail.com
KW VegFest is an initiative of Waterloo Region Climate Initiatives, and has brought sweet and savoury plant-powered festivals to Waterloo Region since 2018. We are here to entertain, to raise awareness about the connection between climate breakdown and the farming of animals, and to give the public the opportunity to love our shared planet with plant-based foods.
May 5th at 10 am we gather together at 300 Frederick Street Kitchener to march and remember Missing and Murdered Indigenous people. Vigil at the Kitchener clock tower will follow.
What: Together We Walk
When: 10:00am on Sunday 5 May 2024
Where: Healing of the Seven Generations Map 1
Location: 300 Frederick Street, Kitchener, Ontario
What: Vigil
When: 6:00pm on Sunday 5 May 2024
Where: Clock Tower, Willow River Park (Victoria Park) Map 2
Location: Near 59 Joseph Street, Kitchener, Ontario
Tamara Lorincz writes:
Please join us tomorrow morning if you can before work! Please spread the word!
What: STAND WITH GAZA & SOLIDARITY WITH STUDENTS In the U.S. FOR PALESTINE
When: 8:30am to 9:30am, Wednesday 1 May 2024
Where: In front of University of Waterloo, ION train crossing
Location: 170 University Avenue, Waterloo MapJoin us with your flags & signs.
In Gaza, there are over 42,000 Palestinians killed and over 79,000 injured. All the universities, schools and libraries are destroyed. Most of the hospitals and homes are in ruins. Academics, doctors, nurses, paramedics and journalists and their families are killed. Israel is blocking aid and food to Gaza and Palestinians are starving. This is a genocide! See these EuroMed Human Rights statistics.
Across North America, students are rising up, occupying their campuses and condemning university complicity in the genocide unfolding in Gaza. American students have been violently assaulted and detained by police.
Canada is complicit by sending weapons to Israel. We need a two-way arms embargo against Israel. Stop the weapons! Frequently Asked Questions: Arms Embargo on Israel
Canadian universities are complicit in their silence. The universities and colleges in Waterloo-Kitchener should stop being silent, should speak out against genocide & divest from weapons & war. No more research with weapons companies.
It’s not too late to register for the upcoming Community Climate Talks Event: “Let’s Talk About How We Move” on Wednesday 1 May 2024 at Waterloo Public Library at 7 p.m.
What: Let’s Talk About How We Move
When: 7:00pm to 8:30pm on Wednesday 1 May 2024
Where: Waterloo Public Library
Location: 35 Albert Street, Waterloo, Ontario Map
Register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/community-climate-talks-lets-talk-about-how-we-move-tickets-872125449697
Contact: Sydney Sandluck (she/her), Project Coordinator, ClimateActionWR
Email: sydney.sandluck@climateactionwr.ca
Phone: +1‑226‑476‑1659
This session is a continuation of last Fall’s exciting hybrid workshop series hosted by ClimateActionWR and led by the ClimateActionWR dedicated volunteer events team. Each session will consist of guest speakers, panels and opportunities to engage with other community members and attendees.
During this community workshop, we will be talking about How We Move in the community and will dive into topics such as:
and more!
The guest speaker panelists for this discussion include:
Please see the Eventbrite link for more information and to register while spots are available.
Please feel free to share within your team and networks.
Call out to those who care about our Mother Earth 🌏 Please spread the word if you cannot be a part.
Join Two White Feather as he pedals for the planet on Monday, 22 April 2024. Route begins at Lang’s Community Centre Map 1 in Cambridge at 11am and ends at Willow River Park Map 2 in Kitchener – parking lot by washrooms, on side of clock tower. You can meet up anywhere along the way. For more details of route or to coordinate a meet up along the way, please email awombwithaview55@gmail.com
Cheerleaders along the way are encouraged — honk to show support. You can also join us outside the Civic Hub on 23 Water Street North for around 2pm where we will be doing a community clean up. Sanguen Community Van has given us supplies to do so safely.
And of course, ‘change 4 change’ can be donated. A loonie or toonie goes a long way towards helping make a difference. If money is collected, proceeds will be shared with Red Raccoon Bike Rescue and Sanguen this time out.
Chi Miigweech / thank you for kicking off 2024’s Biking Season with Two-White Feather’s Red Road Bike Rides; the first initiative of our emerging grassroots peer led, culturally relevant crisis response alternative!
Lori “Gentle Eagle” and Issac “Two White Feather”
A WOMB WITH A VIEW CRISIS RESPONSE
(including Red Road Bike Rides and The Creator’s Shelf)
We live and work on the traditional territory of the Anishnaabe, Haudenosaunee and Neutral people. We respect the Original People of this land and responsibly endeavour to go beyond apologies & land acknowledgements while decolonizing culture and working for restorative justice.
“WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT, MAKES A DIFFERENCE”
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.
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.
Additional information on our website at WR Community Town Halls.
What: Vigil for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
When: 5:30pm to 6:30pm, Wednesday 6 December 2023
Where: St. Columba Anglican Church
Location: 250 Lincoln Road, Waterloo Map
Website: https://www.cfuwkw.org/post/december-6-vigil-national-day-of-remembrance-and-action-on-violence-against-women
CFUW-KW (Canadian Federation of University Women) is holding a vigil in memory of the women murdered at École polytechnique de Montréal in 1989.
Please join CFUW for a night of remembrance. There will be featured speakers, and light snacks will be served.
The Saint Columba Anglican Church is at 250 Lincoln Road in Waterloo. Take Grand River Transit Bus 29 to Lincoln/Mayfield, stop 2793.
See (and hear) the interview on CKMS-FM Radio Waterloo: 
CKMS Community Connections for 4 December 2023: The CFUW December 6 vigil for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women with Margaret Walker and Fadilah Balogun
What: Amnesty International Write For Rights
When: 11:00am to 4:00pm on Saturday 9 December 2023
Where: Kitchener Public Library, Meeting Room D
Location: 85 Queen Street North, Kitchener, Ontario Map 1
E-mail: groupnine9@gmail.com
Write for Rights is the world’s largest human rights event. It’s a moment when Amnesty International’s 7 million supporters around the world join together in a letter-writing blitz calling on governments to respect human rights!
Drop in and find out about the 11 cases we are highlighting this year. You can make a difference by signing letters and petitions to governments defending the rights of refugees, women, indigenous peoples, and human rights workers!
Hello,
We hope to see you soon at our first in-person Write for Rights event since COVID!!! This year it will be held in KPL Room D Saturday December 9 from 11am to 4pm.
We will be joining together with Amnesty International’s millions of supporters around the world in a letter-writing blitz calling on governments to respect the rights of eleven selected groups and individuals at risk.
We have had many successes over the years including the release of political prisoners, the ending of torture in specific cases and in bringing human rights offenders to justice.
We are including a package so that you can print and sign letters in advance and bring them to the event. Then when you arrive, you can focus on creating cards of support for the individuals at risk. We will have cards and art materials available for you to use.
We are also including a young people’s activity package — so if you are a parent, teacher, grandparent and have some time to sit down with your young person — you can create a card of support for indigenous Torres Strait islanders and bring it to our event. Take a picture of your activity and send it to groupnine9@gmail.com so that we can post it to our Facebook page. The young person’s activity will also be available at the KPL event as well as a creative activity for younger children!!
At our regular meeting on Tuesday, 5 December 2023 we’ll be firming up plans for the event as well as signing letters — so if you have downloaded and printed the package, please bring your letters to the meeting.
Helpful information about the event:
- If you are coming to the KPL by car, you can park for free in the open-air lot to the east of the Library. If you park underground you’ll have to pay.
- Room D is on the lower level. Food brought from outside is not allowed. If you wish to have something you can purchase it at the café upstairs.
- If you are printing your own letters at home and do not want to bring them to the Library on the 9th, you can drop them off in the W4R box which will be on the front steps at 97 John Street West Map 2 from 10-17 December. In either case, please do NOT put your letters in individual envelopes. Fold each letter in half and write the country to which it is being sent on the outside. Please have all your letters in a single large envelope with your name on the outside, or held together with a rubber band and a label giving your name.
Take care,
David and MargaretPS — If you want to edit your letters please send a request to groupnine9@gmail.com and we will send you a WORD version.