~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kelly Burgess conducts two phone interviews, first with Gaetan Heroux about an upcoming action on May 12 (see bottom), follwed by an interview with OCAP organizer Liisa Schofield about upcoming actions against the Special Diet/Social Assistance cuts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ May 12th: Bring Back Street Health Services, Re-Instate Gaetan
May 12th Noon Allan Gardens (Carleton and Sherbourne)
On Wed. May 12 we will gather in Allan Gardens at 12noon. We will then march on Street Health and remind that Laura Cowan, Mary McCowan, and Eleanor Lester that they are accountable community We will not be ignored. Bring back the services back to Street Health. Re-instate Gaetan at his job in East Downtown Toronto.
Despite numerous demonstrations, several public meetings, and two petitions signed by homeless men and women, community workers, and anti-poverty activists, the people who run Street Health and Neighbourhood Link continue ignore the demands of the community.
Four months ago Street and Neighbourhood Link moved the administration office of the PAID I.D. Project out of Street Health, where it had been for the last ten years, and relocated 5 miles away from the Dundas and Sherbourne, where most of the identification clinics were located. Making people walk five travel five miles to access the administrative office is cruel and harmful to people who donât have the money for TTC tickets needed to get all the way out to Danforth and Victoria Park. On December 8, a petition with over 500 names was given to Laura Cowan, Street Healthâs Executive Director and Eleanor Lester, Chair of the Street Health Board. The majority of the people who signed the petition were homeless men and women who had used the I.D. service. They demanded that the administration office be returned to Street Health and that Gaetan be reinstated at his job in the downtown core. On December 29, a dozen people walked for over three hours from Street Health to Neighbourhood Link and delivered another petition with over 850 names on it to Mary McGowan, the Executive Director of Neighbourhood Link, again demanding that the administrative office be returned to Street Health and that Gaetanâs job be reinstated in the downtown core. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TELL YOUR LOCAL LIBERAL MPP To Leave the Special Diet Alone AND RAISE THE RATES INSTEAD
Day of Action at Local Ministers of Provincial Parliament Offices: Thursday, May 20th
The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) is challenging the decision to eliminate the Special Diet for people on welfare and disability. We are demanding this vital benefit be left alone and that the Government Raise the Rates now.
Coming out of the momentum of April 15th, we are organizing a series of actions to build up resistance to the attack on the Special Diet between now and the closing of Provincial Legislature in June. This will include a major mobilization at the Provincial Government Buildings on June 17. To ensure that the fight is taken into as many communities as possible, we are calling for a day of actions at local Liberal MPPs' offices on Thursday, May 20.
We leave it up to people to decide the kind of event that is right for them. Some may choose to occupy an office. Some may think it better to rally outside. Others may want to bring a delegation and call for a meeting. Please let us know what ideas you have for ways to drive this issue home at Liberal offices so we can share them with people in other communities.
Whatever tactic you think is possible and works best for you, we are calling on people across this Province to make May 20 a day when the cut to Special Diet is put before the Liberals in a way they can't ignore.
The loss of the Special Diet means people will not have a healthy diet. Some will be made homeless, many will suffer ill health and lives will be shortened. We don't just want to protest this attack but intend to defeat it.
If you want to be part of this fight back and the May 20th Day of Action, e mail us at ocap@tao.ca or call us 416-925-6939 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gaetan Heroux, OCAP Member, long-time anti-poverty activist & homeless support worker in the downtown East End; Liisa Schofield, OCAP Organizer
Music: Fela Kuti - Sorry, Sorry
OCAP Radio May 7 2010
Fighting Back: Against Gentrification in the East End & Against Assistance Cuts
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