Yes, it’s always the same cast of characters…
In 1970 it was exposed that two companies polluted Ontario’s English-Wabigoon water system with methyl mercury- a substance they used to create caustic soda and chlorine for pulp mills. With an abundance of hydro electricity the most cost effective option was to use mercury based solution- despite the availability of other technologies. The people of the Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong First Nations were downstream, some in their community were diagnosed with mercury poisoning.
The legal complexities of the case were enormous, so it was eventually decided to make a settlement. Millions of dollars were paid out, but the water is still polluted. Estimates claim it could take 100 years for it to fully recover. There are, rightly, many angry people- it was a well known fact that mercury is toxic centuries before the plant was constructed.
When there’s anger to be cultivated in indigenous communities Canada’s radical left obedience cults are never far behind. The story of the Grassy Narrows is the perfect example. People there have partnered with some of the most problematic pro-violence anarchists in the country. Sunday’s protest at Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne’s house was an excellent opportunity to observe the radicalization – also to expose some of the players behind the scenes.
Anarchist Macdonald Scott of No One Is Illegal…
The event’s Facebook page was setup by some heavy hitting anarchists including Syed Hussan of No One Is Illegal, convicted G20 ringleaders Alex Hundert and Leah Henderson, and Jessica Bell of the registered charity Earthroots. David Sone (who’s listed as an employee at Earthroots was introduced to the media as the leader- he was a media contact during the G20, working with Harsha Walia of No One Is Illegal (she’s one of Canada’s most outspoken supporters of political violence).
Next were the the more quiet organizers from the Mennonite funded Christian Peacemaker Teams. The CPT are a Christian anarchist organization that campaigns against mining, on behalf of Palestine, and has built strong relationships within the Grassy Narrows and other first nations. Readers of this site will recognize their member Dave Vasey. He played the leader at Occupy Toronto, wears the Love Is The Movement tattoo, and he ran as the Green Party candidate for Kenora in the 2006 federal election.
CPT’s Dave Vasey at a previous Grassy Narrows march (He’s close with the Ruckus Society)
Two visible representatives of the Christian Peacekeeper Teams who came to the protest- both wore the CPT’s trademark red cap, and wore dark armbands made from torn cloth. Armbands can have many meanings- sometimes they indicate someone is a parade marshal, others it indicates a willingness to get arrested. It’s unknown what their purpose was this at this march.
Two women from the CPT…
Less quiet was the marching band- their music was upbeat, fun, and had a carnival vibe. Dozens of people with instruments made as much noise as was humanly possible. Many in the band came from the Rhythms of Resistance- like others present, they’re supported by York University’s Ontario Public Interest Research Group. OPIRG is funded by student fees on an opt out basis- many students are paying for revolutionary socialism without even knowing it.
No One Is Illegal (NoII) is funded and supported by OPIRG York- even processing the intake from from their PayPal account. People from other OPIRG supported organizations included the (Maoist) Revolutionary Student Movement, and Rising Tide.
G20 anarchist Alex Hundert was noticeably absent- he was on site at an ‘action camp’ at the Grassy Narrows. Hundert has spent time in prison for his part organizing the G20 violence, but this doesn’t appear to deter people in “peace” churches from standing in solidarity. Many try to justify this using a twisted logic that “property damage isn’t violence”. Many ignore the fact that Hundert has been violent towards individuals who question his decisions (including women and a trans person.) Perhaps they never heard that a police officer had to be rescued from the G20 cop car that got set on fire.
Interestingly, this protest wasn’t the first time Earthroot’s David Sone crossed paths with Kathleen Wynn. He shared a stage with her in 2003 at an education conference at the University of Guelph when he was the External Affairs executive for Guelph’s Central Student Association. Working with a Student union is one of the major paths towards being a professional protester.
Outside of campaigning for environmental causes, Earthroots takes a key role in radical activist education. Their employee Jessica Bell works as the co-ordinator for Tools For Change- an initiative that teaches courses based on manuals from the Ruckus Society (who were responsible for the violence at the WTO in Seattle). Some of those courses teach people how to conduct illegal activities. Earthroots are a registered charity, and therefore is prohibited from any involvement in illegal activities.
Outside of a few minor provocations, Sunday’s event was peaceful and felt more like a carnival than a protest. But, the underlying message was deeply sinister- a group of violent thugs told Kathleen Wynne: “we know where you live”. If it’s not already been done, the Premier may wish to get a security assessment.
And, while she’s doing that, it’s probably a good time to audit the non-profit organizations operating behind the curtains…
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I believe students from only certain universities can opt out of OPIRG. As far as I know, UofT students are forced to pay into this Marxist propaganda organization.
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Thanks for the update on that- I’ve been wondering how it works there.
The site for my local branch of OPIRG: http://wpirg.org/about/
And how they are funded:
WPIRG is an incorporated non-profit funded through a levy on full-time undergraduate students of $4.75 per term which is refundable when requested within the first three weeks of classes of each term during office hours with proof of full-time registration and photo identification. Non-full-time undergraduate students can become a member by buying a one year membership for $15.
This is a real problem on Canadian University Campuses. Even if you “opt out” of certain aspects of the Student Society fees, the political types tend to find a way, by hook or by crook, to fund whatever they feel it is their Messianic duty to fund. And the situation is made worse by their not being any real statutory obligation to join these student societies, at least in British Columbia—the University dutifully forwards personal information (and fees) to the Student Societies at UBC and SFU, without any statutory authorization to do so. People are forced to join a ‘student union’ as a condition of attending school—I guess this is all in service of “teaching” the children how things work in Socialist Canada.
I think one way to deal a blow to these kids and their Messiah Complexes would be to render student societies voluntary. About the only thing they do that everyone could agree on is Dental/Medical insurance, and in the beginning, that was one of the big things student societies were constituted to do—remember, Canada didn’t have Medicare until relatively recently. But now that we have Medicare, why are students still made to purchase pooled insurance products? Shouldn’t the Government be providing an adequate medical/dental plan for its young people, regardless of whether or not they attend school?
This is yet another way that Canada practices oligarchical socialism: if you’re “in,” you get better treatment (yeah, you have to pay, but the rate is subsidized by forcing everyone who’s “in” to pay) than if you’re “out.” That’s not the sort of Canada I want to live in. I think everyone, student or non-student, employed or unemployed, deserves access to medical, dental and optical care.
Does anyone know if the situation is similar in most provinces/universities? There’s no statute requiring students to join, but it is ‘the way things are.’ And as is often the case in those sorts of situations, the ones who most vocally oppose any change are those who benefit financially from the status quo—most student societies are run by a clique of older folks who are really into riding the gravy train, even if it is as the expense of the student body.
I see Mac Scott of OCAP/No One Is Illegal/Mamann and Associates Immigration Lawyers (he is only a paralegal there) is in your second picture.
Its funny how these people seem to make a very profitable living off things related to their so called social justice causes. It looks more like a way of selfpromotion/advertising for these poverty pimps!
Hello Observer, I need to make a small correction to your comment. Scott is actually NOT a paralegal. Greg and I went to check this out directly through the Law Society of Upper Canada, who informed us that he is not, nor ever has been a paralegal or a lawyer. Scott is, however, a registered immigration consultant connected to a legal firm in the Finch and Dufferin street area of Toronto.
Thanks for the correction.
Mac Scott (his wife is Leslie Wood, YorkU professor as well as OCAP and New Socialist member,) has certainly claimed to be an “immigration paralegal for Mamann and Associates” (this was maybe 3 years ago) because I have heard him say it firsthand. According to him he graduated from York University from Theatre Studies which he said was a huge asset to his work whatever he meant by that.
I wonder if the same situation applies to his fellow OCAP member and his fellow co-founder of a number of co-founders of No One Is Illegal Steph(anie) Gude who said she was an immigration paralegal working for Rocco Galati.