2018 MUNICIPAL ELECTION OUTCOMES (Labour Council Statement - November, 2018)
"The Toronto & York Region Labour Council welcomes the election of progressive voices across Toronto and York Region Councils and School Boards on October 22nd. Despite the unprecedented interference in the Toronto elections by the Ford government, voters chose to elect many candidates who are determined to defend the interests of Torontonians over the next four years.
There were some disappointing results – a number of stalwart champions for social justice will no longer be at City Hall. Under the original 47 seat model many new diverse candidates were poised to become part of a renewed Council. They were sidelined by the reduction of seats to 25, which is a real setback to the goal of equity and inclusion in our City. While the balance of forces on Council would seem to be roughly the same across the political spectrum, the defeat of Giorgio Mammoliti is a welcome change. But there will be far less accountability to local residents, and a missed opportunity to be more reflective of Toronto’s population."
Click to download the full statement.
"The Toronto & York Region Labour Council welcomes the election of progressive voices across Toronto and York Region Councils and School Boards on October 22nd. Despite the unprecedented interference in the Toronto elections by the Ford government, voters chose to elect many candidates who are determined to defend the interests of Torontonians over the next four years.
There were some disappointing results – a number of stalwart champions for social justice will no longer be at City Hall. Under the original 47 seat model many new diverse candidates were poised to become part of a renewed Council. They were sidelined by the reduction of seats to 25, which is a real setback to the goal of equity and inclusion in our City. While the balance of forces on Council would seem to be roughly the same across the political spectrum, the defeat of Giorgio Mammoliti is a welcome change. But there will be far less accountability to local residents, and a missed opportunity to be more reflective of Toronto’s population."
Click to download the full statement.
THE 1% AGENDA (Labour Council Statement - November, 2018)
“The only thing certain is the certainty of change”. There will be an avalanche of change in Ontario in coming months, and little of it will benefit working people. The real power brokers in this province have a political agenda, both at Queen’s Park and the municipal level in greater Toronto. While Doug Ford may not have been their first choice for Premier, they wasted no time before supporting his rapid roll-back of workers rights and expansion of corporate privilege. Bill 47 unravels most of the Employment Standards gains made by workers under the previous government, cancelling the $15 minimum wage and making it harder for workers to unionize.
Click to download the full statement.
“The only thing certain is the certainty of change”. There will be an avalanche of change in Ontario in coming months, and little of it will benefit working people. The real power brokers in this province have a political agenda, both at Queen’s Park and the municipal level in greater Toronto. While Doug Ford may not have been their first choice for Premier, they wasted no time before supporting his rapid roll-back of workers rights and expansion of corporate privilege. Bill 47 unravels most of the Employment Standards gains made by workers under the previous government, cancelling the $15 minimum wage and making it harder for workers to unionize.
Click to download the full statement.
PITTSBURGH TRAGEDY (Press Release - October 24, 2018)
The Toronto & York Region Labour Council joins with all Canadians in condemning the horrific murders of eleven innocent victims at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. We know that because of this act, fear will become heightened across Jewish communities - fear of another incident where their family, friends and community are again targeted; echoes of horrific past persecutions of Jews; the realization that a house of sanctuary has been violated in such a terrible way. Click to read press release.
The Toronto & York Region Labour Council joins with all Canadians in condemning the horrific murders of eleven innocent victims at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. We know that because of this act, fear will become heightened across Jewish communities - fear of another incident where their family, friends and community are again targeted; echoes of horrific past persecutions of Jews; the realization that a house of sanctuary has been violated in such a terrible way. Click to read press release.
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DAYS OF ACTION IN ONTARIO
On October 25th and 26th 1996, people of Toronto took to the street in the Metro Days of Action. There were called eleven "Days of Action" that were, in effect, political strikes against the provincial Conservative government of Mike Harris. The Days of Action were a series of rolling, one-day general strikes in different towns and cites, involving not only unions but also many social movements and community organizations. Resistance in Concert captures the energy of the people in resisting the destructive agenda of the Mike Harris government. Go to labournotes.org for more historical information. |
PLAYING FROM THE HANDBOOK (October 2018)
"Naomi Klein’s well-known book The Shock Doctrine exposes “disaster capitalism,” a pattern of corporate-friendly governments achieving change by imposing economic shock therapy. A striking example was in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, where residents discovered that their public housing and hospitals will never re-open and that public education had been turned over to charter schools.
Here in Ontario, Ernst & Young Canada and discredited former BC Premier Gordon Campbell have given Ford’s Conservative government cover to make drastic changes in Ontario that will only benefit the wealthy. Campbell “discovered” that Ontario has a $15 billion deficit, and Ernst & Young has the prescription for how to deal with it. Having loudly trumpeted that there is a crisis, the Conservatives will play from the Shock Doctrine handbook to collude with corporations in stripping more wealth from Ontarians. Ernst & Young’s prescription includes selling off Crown assets, consolidating health and other arm’s-length agencies while introducing means-testing for programs, providing fewer services and charging more for them. Basically this means privatize, privatize, privatize." Click to download October statement & share.
"Naomi Klein’s well-known book The Shock Doctrine exposes “disaster capitalism,” a pattern of corporate-friendly governments achieving change by imposing economic shock therapy. A striking example was in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, where residents discovered that their public housing and hospitals will never re-open and that public education had been turned over to charter schools.
Here in Ontario, Ernst & Young Canada and discredited former BC Premier Gordon Campbell have given Ford’s Conservative government cover to make drastic changes in Ontario that will only benefit the wealthy. Campbell “discovered” that Ontario has a $15 billion deficit, and Ernst & Young has the prescription for how to deal with it. Having loudly trumpeted that there is a crisis, the Conservatives will play from the Shock Doctrine handbook to collude with corporations in stripping more wealth from Ontarians. Ernst & Young’s prescription includes selling off Crown assets, consolidating health and other arm’s-length agencies while introducing means-testing for programs, providing fewer services and charging more for them. Basically this means privatize, privatize, privatize." Click to download October statement & share.
READ THE LATEST LABOUR ACTION! HANDS OFF OUR DECENT WORK LAWS! (October 2018)
Special Municipal election issue RELEASED! Centre page spread details endorsements in Toronto and York Region - Page 9. Who is Jennifer Keesmaat and why Labour Council endorsed her - Page 13 ? Ready for United Way's Upraising of Care - Page 22? Amazing photos from Labour Day Parade 2018 and much more...
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Special Municipal election issue RELEASED! Centre page spread details endorsements in Toronto and York Region - Page 9. Who is Jennifer Keesmaat and why Labour Council endorsed her - Page 13 ? Ready for United Way's Upraising of Care - Page 22? Amazing photos from Labour Day Parade 2018 and much more...
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JOHN CARTWRIGHT'S OPEN LETTER IN RESPONSE TO CRISIS IN THE CANADIAN LABOUR MOVEMENT
On January 17th, 2018 the Canadian labour movement was plunged into a crisis with the exit of Unifor from the Canadian Labour Congress and the launching of raids on bargaining units of UNITEHERE Local 75. This open letter is intended as an urgent call for leaders in our movement,at every level, to strive to find a solution to this potential rupture before it becomes irreparable. And to allow time to explore solutions before hardening differences. CLICK TO READ THE ENTIRE LETTER.
On January 17th, 2018 the Canadian labour movement was plunged into a crisis with the exit of Unifor from the Canadian Labour Congress and the launching of raids on bargaining units of UNITEHERE Local 75. This open letter is intended as an urgent call for leaders in our movement,at every level, to strive to find a solution to this potential rupture before it becomes irreparable. And to allow time to explore solutions before hardening differences. CLICK TO READ THE ENTIRE LETTER.
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GREENPRINT working together for climate action
If our Earth is to be sustained for future generations, we must examine how we carry on our daily lives, and what impact we have on the environment. What we consume and produce, where we live, how we move from place to place, and how we spend our leisure time – all these factors add up to our personal and collective footprint on the Earth. Toronto, Canada’s largest urban centre, is an amazingly complex and sophisticated space. And every day, millions of tons of CO2 are emitted into the air.
How Toronto could lead the Climate Change charge in Canadian Cities NationalObserver (Jun15, 2017)
Toward a Just Transition World Resources Institute Expert Perspective by John Cartwright
If our Earth is to be sustained for future generations, we must examine how we carry on our daily lives, and what impact we have on the environment. What we consume and produce, where we live, how we move from place to place, and how we spend our leisure time – all these factors add up to our personal and collective footprint on the Earth. Toronto, Canada’s largest urban centre, is an amazingly complex and sophisticated space. And every day, millions of tons of CO2 are emitted into the air.
How Toronto could lead the Climate Change charge in Canadian Cities NationalObserver (Jun15, 2017)
Toward a Just Transition World Resources Institute Expert Perspective by John Cartwright
Labour Council Strategic Plan 2016 to 2019
Over the next three years the Labour Council will focus on becoming more powerful as a movement in greater Toronto.
Click to read entire Labour Council Strategic Plan.
Over the next three years the Labour Council will focus on becoming more powerful as a movement in greater Toronto.
Click to read entire Labour Council Strategic Plan.
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Diverse Workers Networks
Labour Council supports the development of networks of union members in diverse communities – Chinese, Filipino, Tamil, Somali and Ethiopian/Eritrean. If you are interested in getting involved you can sign up HERE or contact Kiruthiha Kulendiren at kkulendiren@labourcouncil.ca 416 441-3663 x 221. Click for the Chinese Network flyer click here, Filipino flyer click here and Tamil Flyer. Toronto Workers History Project (TWHP)
TWHP is a group of workers, unionists, professors, students, artists, teachers, librarians, educators, researchers, community activists, and retirees dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the history of working people in Toronto. We are committed to bringing to light the experiences of working people and their contributions as individuals and collectively to the building of this city, in the home, in the paid workplace, and in the community. For more info visit www.twhp.ca |
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Strengthening our Unions through Equity
In September 2014, Labour Council released its latest contribution to the equity work in our movement.
“A Leader’s Guide to Strengthen Unions: Moving Beyond Diversity… Towards Inclusion and Equity” is a document designed to be a tool for activists and leaders wanting to build more powerful unions in greater Toronto and across Canada. It is written by Jojo Geronimo, veteran labour educator former Executive Director of the Labour Education Centre. Click on image to download guide
In September 2014, Labour Council released its latest contribution to the equity work in our movement.
“A Leader’s Guide to Strengthen Unions: Moving Beyond Diversity… Towards Inclusion and Equity” is a document designed to be a tool for activists and leaders wanting to build more powerful unions in greater Toronto and across Canada. It is written by Jojo Geronimo, veteran labour educator former Executive Director of the Labour Education Centre. Click on image to download guide
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Spring 2018
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