Building Movements Against Apartheid: From South Africa to Palestine to Canada
Sunday 2 March 2008
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Peterborough Public Library
345 Aylmer Street North
Panel Speakers:
*Adam Hanieh, Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid and co-author of Stolen Youth: The Politics of Israel’s Detention of Palestinian Children (2004)
*Paula Sherman, Co-Chief of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation and Indigenous Studies Professor at Trent University.
*Salim Vally, South African activist and former regional executive member of the high school South African Student's Movement (SASM). He is the chairperson of the Palestine Solidarity Committee and the Anti-War Coalition in South Africa and is currently a visiting scholar at the School of Social Sciences at York University.
A Canadian news documentary on 'Canada Park' will also be screened. Built over three destroyed Palestinian villages, Canada Park serves the Israeli public as a recreation area. The documentary reveals the complicity of the Jewish National Fund of Canada, which enjoys charitable status, in ethnic cleansing, land expropriation and occupation.
For more information email: peterboroughcps@gmail.com or visit this LINK
Monday, February 11, 2008
2008: Finish The Job!
Shawn Brant Speaks on Mohawk Militancy and the Struggle for Aboriginal Rights
Tuesday 26 February 2008
3:00-5:00 p.m.
The Great Hall, Champlain College, Trent University
All Welcome
Sponsored by Trent University Department of Canadian Studies, Political Studies, History, Sociology, and Indigenous Studies as well as the Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty and Champlain College.
Background Information HERE
Tuesday 26 February 2008
3:00-5:00 p.m.
The Great Hall, Champlain College, Trent University
All Welcome
Sponsored by Trent University Department of Canadian Studies, Political Studies, History, Sociology, and Indigenous Studies as well as the Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty and Champlain College.
Background Information HERE
Monday, February 4, 2008
Laibar Singh - Update on the National Days of Action
http://nooneisillegal-montreal.blogspot.com/2008/02/laibar-singh-en.html
Laibar Singh is a paralyzed refugee claimant facing deportation to India. He is currently in sanctuary inside the Guru Nanak Gurudwara (Sikh temple) in Surrey, British Columbia.
Between January 25-29, 2008, eleven cities and towns across Canada participated in support actions, delegations and awareness-raising events in solidarity with Laibar Singh. Activities were held in Halifax, Fredericton, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Guelph, London and Vancouver/Surrey.
Together, from Halifax to Vancouver, Laibar's supporters were demanding that the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Minister Stockwell Day respect Laibar Singh's sanctuary, and that Laibar be granted permanent residency.
Across the Canadian state, protesters were showing their solidarity with the inspiring mobilizations, led by the South Asian community, in support of Laibar. The national actions also aimed to counter the racist backlash against Laibar Singh and the South Asian community, due to deliberate misinformation by the CBSA and some media outlets.
-> Click here for a PHOTO-REPORT from the National Days of Action in Support of Laibar Singh.
-> Click here to read an OPEN LETTER: Montreal Supports Laibar Singh!
-> Click here for VIDEO of a demonstration in support of Laibar Singh and Kader Belaouni at the Greater Toronto Enforcement Center.
-> Click here to read a NEWS COMPILATION relating to Laibar Singh.
-> For BACKGROUND and up-to-date information about Laibar Singh, visit both:
http://supportlaibar.blogspot.com
and
http://noii-van.resist.ca
Laibar Singh is a paralyzed refugee claimant facing deportation to India. He is currently in sanctuary inside the Guru Nanak Gurudwara (Sikh temple) in Surrey, British Columbia.
Between January 25-29, 2008, eleven cities and towns across Canada participated in support actions, delegations and awareness-raising events in solidarity with Laibar Singh. Activities were held in Halifax, Fredericton, Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Guelph, London and Vancouver/Surrey.
Together, from Halifax to Vancouver, Laibar's supporters were demanding that the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Minister Stockwell Day respect Laibar Singh's sanctuary, and that Laibar be granted permanent residency.
Across the Canadian state, protesters were showing their solidarity with the inspiring mobilizations, led by the South Asian community, in support of Laibar. The national actions also aimed to counter the racist backlash against Laibar Singh and the South Asian community, due to deliberate misinformation by the CBSA and some media outlets.
-> Click here for a PHOTO-REPORT from the National Days of Action in Support of Laibar Singh.
-> Click here to read an OPEN LETTER: Montreal Supports Laibar Singh!
-> Click here for VIDEO of a demonstration in support of Laibar Singh and Kader Belaouni at the Greater Toronto Enforcement Center.
-> Click here to read a NEWS COMPILATION relating to Laibar Singh.
-> For BACKGROUND and up-to-date information about Laibar Singh, visit both:
http://supportlaibar.blogspot.com
and
http://noii-van.resist.ca
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Israeli Apartheid Week - Peterborough Events
Israeli Apartheid Week 2008: http://www.apartheidweek.org/
-------------------
INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY: LABOUR AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN PALESTINE
Sunday, February 3rd
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Traill College Lecture Hall (next to Crawford House) - 310 London Street
This event is free and all are encouraged to attend. The space is wheelchair accessible.
The event will include:
-A presentation on CUPE Resolution 50 by Katherine Nastovski, former Chair of CUPE Ontario International Solidarity Committee, and member of the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA). Delegates to the 2006 CUPE Ontario annual convention voted almost unanimously in favour of Resolution 50, which supports the international campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until that state recognizes the Palestinian right to self-determination, including the right of return of Palestinian refugees.
-A presentation by Herman Rosenfeld, retired staff person Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), and member of CAIA, on why Canadian workers and unions should support the rights of Palestinians.
-Zatoun Fair Trade Products from Palestine will be available for sale. www.zatoun.com
This educational workshop will include information on the basics of Israeli Apartheid and why there has been a call for boycott, divestment and sanctions from over 170 Palestinian civil society organizations, including the Palestine trade union movement. Issued in July 2005, this call to action is modeled on the movement to end South African Apartheid. Labour-focused, the event will also cover the role of trade unions in a growing global movement in solidarity with Palestine, and against racism, occupation, and discrimination. Social justice is a basic principle of the labour movement and support for the Palestinian struggle is a matter of justice.
Sponsored by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3908, representing contract faculty and student academic workers at Trent University, the event is organized by the Peterborough Coalition for Palestinian Solidarity (PCPS).
PCPS is a coalition of individuals who share an ethos of social justice, dignity and self-determination for all, and who came together out of a shared interest in building a broad-based collective voice in support of the growing Palestinian solidarity movement. The aim of PCPS is to encourage awareness and informed debate, to create spaces for engagement and dialogue, and to organize collectively against Israeli apartheid. PCPS opposes racism, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism and hopes to make links with decolonization and Indigenous resistance movements. PCPS also seeks to make links with ongoing International struggles to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine, such as the Wall Must Fall and the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaigns. Through organizing regular public events and actions PCPS aims to connect these struggles to broader social justice movements in Peterborough and in Canada.
For more information please contact Sarah at skardash@trentu.ca
-------------------------
Film Screening of Occupation 101: Voices of the Silenced Majority
Wednesday February 6th at 7:00 p.m.
Sadlier House, 751 George St. N.
This is a wheelchair accessible event. Even the popcorn is free, but donations are happily accepted!
'Occupation 101' (2006) is an award-winning introductory documentary on the nature of Israeli rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. http://www.occupation101.com/
Co-hosted by the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) - Peterborough and the Peterborough Coalition for Palestinian Solidarity (PCPS)
For more information contact OPIRG at (705) 741-1208 or opirg@trentu.ca
---------------------
Youtube Video of Palestinian workers held up at a Bethlehem ‘checkpoint’: http://youtube.com/watch?v=d1FaWE1SIZk
CUPE ON Resolution 50: http://cupe.on.ca/doc.php?lang=en&subject_id=51
CUPE BC Publication ‘The Wall Must Fall’: http://www.cupe.bc.ca/1592
U.S. Unions and Boycotting Israel, a reply to US labor leaders, from Canada: http://www.pacbi.org/boycott_news_more.php?id=591_0_1_0_C
Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid: www.caiaweb.org
Palestine BDS Campaign: http://www.bds-palestine.net/
The Wall Must Fall Campaign: http://stopthewall.org/worldwideactivism/896.shtml
Al-Awda, Palestine Right to Return Coalition: http://www.al-awda.org/index.html
-------------------
INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY: LABOUR AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN PALESTINE
Sunday, February 3rd
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Traill College Lecture Hall (next to Crawford House) - 310 London Street
This event is free and all are encouraged to attend. The space is wheelchair accessible.
The event will include:
-A presentation on CUPE Resolution 50 by Katherine Nastovski, former Chair of CUPE Ontario International Solidarity Committee, and member of the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid (CAIA). Delegates to the 2006 CUPE Ontario annual convention voted almost unanimously in favour of Resolution 50, which supports the international campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until that state recognizes the Palestinian right to self-determination, including the right of return of Palestinian refugees.
-A presentation by Herman Rosenfeld, retired staff person Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), and member of CAIA, on why Canadian workers and unions should support the rights of Palestinians.
-Zatoun Fair Trade Products from Palestine will be available for sale. www.zatoun.com
This educational workshop will include information on the basics of Israeli Apartheid and why there has been a call for boycott, divestment and sanctions from over 170 Palestinian civil society organizations, including the Palestine trade union movement. Issued in July 2005, this call to action is modeled on the movement to end South African Apartheid. Labour-focused, the event will also cover the role of trade unions in a growing global movement in solidarity with Palestine, and against racism, occupation, and discrimination. Social justice is a basic principle of the labour movement and support for the Palestinian struggle is a matter of justice.
Sponsored by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3908, representing contract faculty and student academic workers at Trent University, the event is organized by the Peterborough Coalition for Palestinian Solidarity (PCPS).
PCPS is a coalition of individuals who share an ethos of social justice, dignity and self-determination for all, and who came together out of a shared interest in building a broad-based collective voice in support of the growing Palestinian solidarity movement. The aim of PCPS is to encourage awareness and informed debate, to create spaces for engagement and dialogue, and to organize collectively against Israeli apartheid. PCPS opposes racism, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism and hopes to make links with decolonization and Indigenous resistance movements. PCPS also seeks to make links with ongoing International struggles to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine, such as the Wall Must Fall and the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaigns. Through organizing regular public events and actions PCPS aims to connect these struggles to broader social justice movements in Peterborough and in Canada.
For more information please contact Sarah at skardash@trentu.ca
-------------------------
Film Screening of Occupation 101: Voices of the Silenced Majority
Wednesday February 6th at 7:00 p.m.
Sadlier House, 751 George St. N.
This is a wheelchair accessible event. Even the popcorn is free, but donations are happily accepted!
'Occupation 101' (2006) is an award-winning introductory documentary on the nature of Israeli rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. http://www.occupation101.com/
Co-hosted by the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) - Peterborough and the Peterborough Coalition for Palestinian Solidarity (PCPS)
For more information contact OPIRG at (705) 741-1208 or opirg@trentu.ca
---------------------
Youtube Video of Palestinian workers held up at a Bethlehem ‘checkpoint’: http://youtube.com/watch?v=d1FaWE1SIZk
CUPE ON Resolution 50: http://cupe.on.ca/doc.php?lang=en&subject_id=51
CUPE BC Publication ‘The Wall Must Fall’: http://www.cupe.bc.ca/1592
U.S. Unions and Boycotting Israel, a reply to US labor leaders, from Canada: http://www.pacbi.org/boycott_news_more.php?id=591_0_1_0_C
Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid: www.caiaweb.org
Palestine BDS Campaign: http://www.bds-palestine.net/
The Wall Must Fall Campaign: http://stopthewall.org/worldwideactivism/896.shtml
Al-Awda, Palestine Right to Return Coalition: http://www.al-awda.org/index.html
Laibar Singh - Stop the Deportation!
Stop the Deportation!
Join the National Days of Action in Support of Laibar Singh: January 25-29
Laibar Singh is a 48-year old paralyzed refugee claimant who is facing deportation to India. On December 10, 2007, over 1500 people peacefully gathered at the Vancouver airport and effectively stopped his deportation. A month later, on January 9, the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) tried to remove Mr. Singh from sanctuary at a Sikh temple in Surrey. B.C. Once again, the deportation was stopped as supporters gathered at the temple, which refused to allow his removal.
The list of organizations and individuals supporting Mr. Singh is long and growing. It includes human rights organizations, anti-poverty groups, unions, disability advocates, academics, faith groups, health care professionals and a petition of 40,000 individuals.
For more information visit:
http://supportlaibar.blogspot.com
http://noii-van.resist.ca/
E-mail Ministers Diane Finlay and Stockwell Day:
Demand that the Canadian Government
* respect sanctuary NOW!
* rescind the deportation order against Singh NOW!
* grant permanent residency to Mr. Singh NOW!
IMMIGRATION MINISTER DIANE FINLAY
EMAIL: minister@cic.gc.ca and Finley.D@parl.gc.ca
MINISTER STOCKWELL DAY (RESPONSIBLE FOR CBSA)
EMAIL: day.s@parl.gc.ca or days1@parl.gc.ca
Please copy your e-mail to Noone Is Illegal – Vancouver:
noii-van@resist.ca
PCAP's Letter of Support:
Minister Finley and Minister Day,
Regarding: Laibar Singh
As one of the many actions underway for the National Days of Action, we are writing regarding the situation of Mr. Laibar Singh, the paralyzed Punjabi refugee claimant who is currently facing deportation.
The Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty (PCAP) joins the vast and growing sector of the Canadian public who have expressed their support for Mr. Singh’s bid to remain in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Human rights organizations, anti-poverty groups, unions, disability advocates, academics, faith organizations, community groups, health care professionals and individuals from across the country oppose Mr. Singh’s deportation. These groups include the Canadian Labour Congress, BC Coalition of People with Disabilities, B.C Hospital Employees Union, the Multifaith Action Committee, and a long list of South Asian community groups and gurudwaras. Approximately forty thousand people have signed an Official petition to Parliament in support of Mr. Singh remaining in Canada.
PCAP demands that you rescind the deportation order against Mr.Laibar Singh immediately and grant him permanent residency status. We further demand that the Canadian government and CBSA officials respect the sanctity of sanctuary that the Guru Nanak Sikh temple have granted to Mr. Laibar Singh. It would be unconscionable for the Canadian government to attempt to remove Mr. Singh from sanctuary or detain him if he requires urgent medical attention at a medical facility.
Ministers Finley and Day, we put you on notice that we stand 100% behind the South Asian community for bringing Laibar Singh’s case to national attention. And we will continue to mobilize against your racist immigration policies and practices, drawing strength from the growing tens of thousands of individuals and the long list of organizations and communities across the country who have also rejected your course of
action. Be assured, we will not back down from the fight to win Mr. Singh’s freedom, and we will continue to build support across Canada and across borders in the broader struggle against deportations.
Sincerely,
The Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty (PCAP)
Peterborough, Ontario
Join the National Days of Action in Support of Laibar Singh: January 25-29
Laibar Singh is a 48-year old paralyzed refugee claimant who is facing deportation to India. On December 10, 2007, over 1500 people peacefully gathered at the Vancouver airport and effectively stopped his deportation. A month later, on January 9, the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) tried to remove Mr. Singh from sanctuary at a Sikh temple in Surrey. B.C. Once again, the deportation was stopped as supporters gathered at the temple, which refused to allow his removal.
The list of organizations and individuals supporting Mr. Singh is long and growing. It includes human rights organizations, anti-poverty groups, unions, disability advocates, academics, faith groups, health care professionals and a petition of 40,000 individuals.
For more information visit:
http://supportlaibar.blogspot.com
http://noii-van.resist.ca/
E-mail Ministers Diane Finlay and Stockwell Day:
Demand that the Canadian Government
* respect sanctuary NOW!
* rescind the deportation order against Singh NOW!
* grant permanent residency to Mr. Singh NOW!
IMMIGRATION MINISTER DIANE FINLAY
EMAIL: minister@cic.gc.ca and Finley.D@parl.gc.ca
MINISTER STOCKWELL DAY (RESPONSIBLE FOR CBSA)
EMAIL: day.s@parl.gc.ca or days1@parl.gc.ca
Please copy your e-mail to Noone Is Illegal – Vancouver:
noii-van@resist.ca
PCAP's Letter of Support:
Minister Finley and Minister Day,
Regarding: Laibar Singh
As one of the many actions underway for the National Days of Action, we are writing regarding the situation of Mr. Laibar Singh, the paralyzed Punjabi refugee claimant who is currently facing deportation.
The Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty (PCAP) joins the vast and growing sector of the Canadian public who have expressed their support for Mr. Singh’s bid to remain in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Human rights organizations, anti-poverty groups, unions, disability advocates, academics, faith organizations, community groups, health care professionals and individuals from across the country oppose Mr. Singh’s deportation. These groups include the Canadian Labour Congress, BC Coalition of People with Disabilities, B.C Hospital Employees Union, the Multifaith Action Committee, and a long list of South Asian community groups and gurudwaras. Approximately forty thousand people have signed an Official petition to Parliament in support of Mr. Singh remaining in Canada.
PCAP demands that you rescind the deportation order against Mr.Laibar Singh immediately and grant him permanent residency status. We further demand that the Canadian government and CBSA officials respect the sanctity of sanctuary that the Guru Nanak Sikh temple have granted to Mr. Laibar Singh. It would be unconscionable for the Canadian government to attempt to remove Mr. Singh from sanctuary or detain him if he requires urgent medical attention at a medical facility.
Ministers Finley and Day, we put you on notice that we stand 100% behind the South Asian community for bringing Laibar Singh’s case to national attention. And we will continue to mobilize against your racist immigration policies and practices, drawing strength from the growing tens of thousands of individuals and the long list of organizations and communities across the country who have also rejected your course of
action. Be assured, we will not back down from the fight to win Mr. Singh’s freedom, and we will continue to build support across Canada and across borders in the broader struggle against deportations.
Sincerely,
The Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty (PCAP)
Peterborough, Ontario
Friday, January 18, 2008
Two Film Fest Events in Support of Indigenous Resistance
1) Native Youth Movement Speaker and PCAP Sponsored Film - RESIST 2010 OLYMPICS
2) Beats for Justice! - Fundraiser In Solidarity with Indigenous Resistance
-------
1) Native Youth Movement (NYM) Speaker and PCAP Sponsored Film
NYM Speaker
Friday January 25th
12:00 Noon at Market Hall, 336 George St. N.
Light Lunch Served
NO 2010 OLYMPICS ON STOLEN NATIVE LAND!
http://no2010.com/
Nation Kanahus Pellkey of Secwepemc Nation is a member of the Native Youth Movement, an organization that uses education to revive traditional knowledge, and inspires native youth to defend their land. One of their current campaigns is resistance to the devastating effects the preparation for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics is having on their land and culture. They are currently touring Ontario, looking to make connections across communities, and share important perspectives on colonialism, ecological justice, and community resistance.
PCAP Sponsored Film ‘Garlic and Watermelons’ to follow
1:00 p.m. at Markethall, 336 George St. N.
Pay What You Can
Garlic and Watermelons chronicles the lives of Prokopis Nikolau and his extended family in the year leading up to the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. Their struggle to find a new home, to extract the subsidies that they were promised from the local municipality, and to rebuild their lives represents a humble battle against racism and poverty. But their story is bittersweet. While Prokopis deals with unresponsive bureaucrats, family disputes, and several evictions, his wife has a beautiful new baby girl, his sons learn to read and write, and the entire family savours a traditional Easter feast. A prizewinner at film festivals from Montreal to Macedonia.
For more information on the Travelling World Community Film Festival
visit: http://www.quidnovis.com/filmfest/default.asp
------
2) Beats for Justice!
Splice, 379 George St. N.
Saturday January 26th, 9:00 p.m.
A fundraiser In Solidarity with Indigenous Resistance.
Featuring an all-women cast of poets, hip hop artists, filmmakers, and DJs, including filmmaker/musician Sarah DeCarlo, and Lan Anh's Trespassing Poets.
$10 waged/$5 unwaged, or pay-as-much-as-you-can.
Beats for Justice! will be preceded by Peterborough's monthly poetry slam.
Sign-up at 6:45 pm, competition at 7 pm.
www.peterboroughpoetryslam.blogspot.com
For questions, comments, or media, please contact:
Ziysah at ziysah@nccpeterborough.ca or 743-0882, ext. 224.
2) Beats for Justice! - Fundraiser In Solidarity with Indigenous Resistance
-------
1) Native Youth Movement (NYM) Speaker and PCAP Sponsored Film
NYM Speaker
Friday January 25th
12:00 Noon at Market Hall, 336 George St. N.
Light Lunch Served
NO 2010 OLYMPICS ON STOLEN NATIVE LAND!
http://no2010.com/
Nation Kanahus Pellkey of Secwepemc Nation is a member of the Native Youth Movement, an organization that uses education to revive traditional knowledge, and inspires native youth to defend their land. One of their current campaigns is resistance to the devastating effects the preparation for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics is having on their land and culture. They are currently touring Ontario, looking to make connections across communities, and share important perspectives on colonialism, ecological justice, and community resistance.
PCAP Sponsored Film ‘Garlic and Watermelons’ to follow
1:00 p.m. at Markethall, 336 George St. N.
Pay What You Can
Garlic and Watermelons chronicles the lives of Prokopis Nikolau and his extended family in the year leading up to the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. Their struggle to find a new home, to extract the subsidies that they were promised from the local municipality, and to rebuild their lives represents a humble battle against racism and poverty. But their story is bittersweet. While Prokopis deals with unresponsive bureaucrats, family disputes, and several evictions, his wife has a beautiful new baby girl, his sons learn to read and write, and the entire family savours a traditional Easter feast. A prizewinner at film festivals from Montreal to Macedonia.
For more information on the Travelling World Community Film Festival
visit: http://www.quidnovis.com/filmfest/default.asp
------
2) Beats for Justice!
Splice, 379 George St. N.
Saturday January 26th, 9:00 p.m.
A fundraiser In Solidarity with Indigenous Resistance.
Featuring an all-women cast of poets, hip hop artists, filmmakers, and DJs, including filmmaker/musician Sarah DeCarlo, and Lan Anh's Trespassing Poets.
$10 waged/$5 unwaged, or pay-as-much-as-you-can.
Beats for Justice! will be preceded by Peterborough's monthly poetry slam.
Sign-up at 6:45 pm, competition at 7 pm.
www.peterboroughpoetryslam.blogspot.com
For questions, comments, or media, please contact:
Ziysah at ziysah@nccpeterborough.ca or 743-0882, ext. 224.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Take Action! - Dentures Campaign
TAKE ACTION ON PCAP'S FAIR ACCESS TO DENTURES CAMPAIGN TODAY!
In This Post:
1) Learn more about the Fair Access to Dentures Campaign
2) Read a letter by a PCAP member that urges the City to redirect the
"windfall" money to poverty relief
3) Take Action Now - Write the City to Support PCAP's Demands; Donate to
the Dentures Fundraiser
----
1) Fair Access to Dentures Campaign
Only those OW/ODSP recipients who are employable are permitted to receive dentures benefits. Those who are unable to work due to disabilities cannot receive the one-time $1500 denture benefit, and must pay for this out of their already inadequate assistance benefits, sacrificing necessities such as food and clothing.
Go To PCAP's blog to read more about the Fair Access to Dentures Campaign:
http://peterboroughcoalitionagainstpoverty.blogspot.com/2007/11/fair-access-to-dentures-details-demands.html
----
2) PCAP Member's Letter to the Examiner:
“Windfall” Spending Ignores Poverty in Peterborough
As reported by the Examiner on Tuesday, December 6, City Council recently announced an “unexpected windfall” for the 2008 City budget in the amount of $895,987. City Council proposes to allocate the extra money to capital projects ($500,000), a contingency fund ($100,000), and property tax relief ($295,987). Although money spent on these initiatives has come as a welcome surprise to some Peterborough residents, larger questions loom regarding the priorities of City Council.
At a time when thousands of Peterborough residents are living below the poverty line, it is fair to ask why some of this “windfall” was not directed toward any of the urgent needs of the poor. The City has repeatedly told anti-poverty advocates that there is simply no money in the budget to help Peterborough’s poor. Yet now we are informed of nearly $900,000 in new money, none of which is being allocated to combat poverty. While Mayor Ayotte has set up a Mayor’s Task Force on Poverty Reduction,
and encourages “broad community engagement, as we identify community-wide strategies to support change in areas where we can make a difference,” this windfall spending demonstrates a complete disregard for issues of poverty in Peterborough.
One example of a pressing and dire need for funding is reflected in the Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty’s (PCAP’s) ongoing campaign for fair access to dentures. The Ontario Works Act allows municipalities to provide “discretionary benefits” to people on social assistance, which includes “the cost of dental services.” However, local policy in Peterborough only allows these benefits for individuals who are “pursuing and maintaining employment.” This means that individuals on ODSP (Ontario
Disability Support Program), most of whom cannot work due to disability, are currently being refused access to denture benefits. PCAP is currently working with a number of people who have lost all their teeth, are being refused dentures benefits, and have been placed in a situation where they must choose between buying food and paying for new teeth to eat it with.
Most of us probably take our teeth (real or false) for granted. Imagine a life without teeth, and no way of paying for dentures. This is a lived reality for some members of our community, and a reality that should simply not be tolerated. Not even a fraction of this unexpected $895,987 is being allocated to the “discretionary benefits” program, even when the Province would match one dollar spent by the Municipality with four additional dollars. Even $20,000 from the City would lead to
life-changing improvements for many members of our community.
Lack of fair access to dentures is just one of many poverty related issue that has been neglected in the “windfall” spending. It’s time we demand that Council stops the rhetoric, and starts prioritizing poverty reduction measures in Peterborough through concrete action. For more information on PCAP’s campaign for fair access to dentures, or information regarding what you can do, please see PCAP’s blog:
http://peterboroughcoalitionagainstpoverty.blogspot.com/ or e-mail PCAP at pcap@riseup.net
Dave Thomas, PCAP member
----
3) TAKE ACTION on the FAIR ACCESS TO DENTURES CAMPAIGN NOW!
1. Write to Paul Ayotte and all Councillors urging them to support PCAP’s
core demands:
• EXPAND eligibility criteria for ODSP and OW now!
• INCREASE benefits budget now!
• IMPLEMENT retroactive benefits coverage now!
• LOBBY governments for OW/ODSP increase – 40% now!
Contacts:
Paul Ayotte, Mayor
e-mail: mayor@city.peterborough.on.ca (cc PCAP: pcap@riseup.net)
J. Douglas Peacock, Chair of Social Services
e-mail: dpeacock@city.peterborough.on.ca (cc PCAP: pcap@riseup.net)
Henry Clarke, Deputy Mayor, Chair of Finance
e-mail: hclarke@city.peterborough.on.ca (cc PCAP: pcap@riseup.net)
2. If you are able, please SEND A DONATION. This money will go directly to
the fundraising campaign for Sharron, to recover her dentures costs. No
donation is too big or too small! Every dollar donated will be immediately
forwarded to Sharron. Read more about Sharon's case at:
http://peterboroughcoalitionagainstpoverty.blogspot.com/2007/11/fair-access-to-dentures-details-demands.html
Please make cheques payable to:
Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty (“Dentures Campaign”).
393 Water Street, Unit 17, Peterborough, Ontario, K9H 3L7 (send or deliver).
--
In This Post:
1) Learn more about the Fair Access to Dentures Campaign
2) Read a letter by a PCAP member that urges the City to redirect the
"windfall" money to poverty relief
3) Take Action Now - Write the City to Support PCAP's Demands; Donate to
the Dentures Fundraiser
----
1) Fair Access to Dentures Campaign
Only those OW/ODSP recipients who are employable are permitted to receive dentures benefits. Those who are unable to work due to disabilities cannot receive the one-time $1500 denture benefit, and must pay for this out of their already inadequate assistance benefits, sacrificing necessities such as food and clothing.
Go To PCAP's blog to read more about the Fair Access to Dentures Campaign:
http://peterboroughcoalitionagainstpoverty.blogspot.com/2007/11/fair-access-to-dentures-details-demands.html
----
2) PCAP Member's Letter to the Examiner:
“Windfall” Spending Ignores Poverty in Peterborough
As reported by the Examiner on Tuesday, December 6, City Council recently announced an “unexpected windfall” for the 2008 City budget in the amount of $895,987. City Council proposes to allocate the extra money to capital projects ($500,000), a contingency fund ($100,000), and property tax relief ($295,987). Although money spent on these initiatives has come as a welcome surprise to some Peterborough residents, larger questions loom regarding the priorities of City Council.
At a time when thousands of Peterborough residents are living below the poverty line, it is fair to ask why some of this “windfall” was not directed toward any of the urgent needs of the poor. The City has repeatedly told anti-poverty advocates that there is simply no money in the budget to help Peterborough’s poor. Yet now we are informed of nearly $900,000 in new money, none of which is being allocated to combat poverty. While Mayor Ayotte has set up a Mayor’s Task Force on Poverty Reduction,
and encourages “broad community engagement, as we identify community-wide strategies to support change in areas where we can make a difference,” this windfall spending demonstrates a complete disregard for issues of poverty in Peterborough.
One example of a pressing and dire need for funding is reflected in the Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty’s (PCAP’s) ongoing campaign for fair access to dentures. The Ontario Works Act allows municipalities to provide “discretionary benefits” to people on social assistance, which includes “the cost of dental services.” However, local policy in Peterborough only allows these benefits for individuals who are “pursuing and maintaining employment.” This means that individuals on ODSP (Ontario
Disability Support Program), most of whom cannot work due to disability, are currently being refused access to denture benefits. PCAP is currently working with a number of people who have lost all their teeth, are being refused dentures benefits, and have been placed in a situation where they must choose between buying food and paying for new teeth to eat it with.
Most of us probably take our teeth (real or false) for granted. Imagine a life without teeth, and no way of paying for dentures. This is a lived reality for some members of our community, and a reality that should simply not be tolerated. Not even a fraction of this unexpected $895,987 is being allocated to the “discretionary benefits” program, even when the Province would match one dollar spent by the Municipality with four additional dollars. Even $20,000 from the City would lead to
life-changing improvements for many members of our community.
Lack of fair access to dentures is just one of many poverty related issue that has been neglected in the “windfall” spending. It’s time we demand that Council stops the rhetoric, and starts prioritizing poverty reduction measures in Peterborough through concrete action. For more information on PCAP’s campaign for fair access to dentures, or information regarding what you can do, please see PCAP’s blog:
http://peterboroughcoalitionagainstpoverty.blogspot.com/ or e-mail PCAP at pcap@riseup.net
Dave Thomas, PCAP member
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3) TAKE ACTION on the FAIR ACCESS TO DENTURES CAMPAIGN NOW!
1. Write to Paul Ayotte and all Councillors urging them to support PCAP’s
core demands:
• EXPAND eligibility criteria for ODSP and OW now!
• INCREASE benefits budget now!
• IMPLEMENT retroactive benefits coverage now!
• LOBBY governments for OW/ODSP increase – 40% now!
Contacts:
Paul Ayotte, Mayor
e-mail: mayor@city.peterborough.on.ca (cc PCAP: pcap@riseup.net)
J. Douglas Peacock, Chair of Social Services
e-mail: dpeacock@city.peterborough.on.ca (cc PCAP: pcap@riseup.net)
Henry Clarke, Deputy Mayor, Chair of Finance
e-mail: hclarke@city.peterborough.on.ca (cc PCAP: pcap@riseup.net)
2. If you are able, please SEND A DONATION. This money will go directly to
the fundraising campaign for Sharron, to recover her dentures costs. No
donation is too big or too small! Every dollar donated will be immediately
forwarded to Sharron. Read more about Sharon's case at:
http://peterboroughcoalitionagainstpoverty.blogspot.com/2007/11/fair-access-to-dentures-details-demands.html
Please make cheques payable to:
Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty (“Dentures Campaign”).
393 Water Street, Unit 17, Peterborough, Ontario, K9H 3L7 (send or deliver).
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