Dec 08
Note: Please click here for Part I Introduction The first time I met David Suzuki was in early 2011. I was with a friend and her daughter, exiting Banyen Books in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood (and feeling relieved as we escaped the pan flute music) when I was jolted out of nirvana as my friend grabbed …
Nov 15
There was bad news for the protesters who’ve been causing trouble on Burnaby Mountain the past few weeks. After spending the past week in damage control, trying to reassure their followers there was no way Kinder Morgan could win their injunction, KM won in a very big way. Associate Chief Justice Austin Cullen made it clear …
Sep 29
On March 21, 2010, a group of city councillors gathered for an in-camera meeting to discuss the city’s plan to build a temporary police holding facility during the G20. City councillors Shelley Carroll and Adam Vaughan were reported as deciding that a single location would be a better solution. Vaughan was influenced by conversations with …
Sep 23
If you’ve been following the news the past couple of days, and travel in or keenly observe social justice circles, it’s likely you’ve seen the Toronto Star’s story about federal government tracking of protest movements. The headline of the Toronto Star’s provocatively titled story Ottawa admits to tracking hundreds of protests suggests the possibility the government was previously lying …
Aug 07
Introduction: In November 2012 a group of leaders from NGOs, unions, academia, first nations and militant anarchist groups converged for a conference at the University of Toronto. Their goal was to come up with a strategy how to interfere with Enbridge’s plan to reverse their Line 9 pipeline- limiting Canada’s ability to export our oil …
Jul 08
The Ontario Trillium Foundation is a provincial government agency whose purpose is to build “healthy and vibrant communities” by “strengthening the capacity of the voluntary sector”. Causes they support include arts & culture, environment, social services and recreation. Trillium promote themselves on their website as “Ontario’s leading grant-maker”. Trillium grant recipients get more than just …
May 27
On Saturday afternoon I got a tweet from Antonia Zerbisias at the Toronto Star. She and I’ve had a bit of a rivalry over the past year, Antonia got quite upset after I criticized her reckless support of militant activists who promote violence (she got quite nasty in return). So, considering Antonia’s past behavior (and …
May 20
Update: This report initially said that the Line 9 spokesperson claimed this dig would fix 400 defects, that was inaccurate, and has been fixed. If you read my story Yawn, Another Line 9 Pipeline Occupation, then you probably don’t need to bother reading any further, today’s 12-hour ‘blockade’ of a Line 9 site is pretty …
May 12
One of my most disturbing discoveries while researching the resurgence of activist militancy was the large number of ‘legitimate’ organizations who’ve been willing to work with people who promote violent tactics. Sometimes it’s blatant, like when a leader at the Council of Canadians helped bring the Black Bloc into the Olympic protests; or things that make …
Apr 17
Last Friday this site broke the story of how pupils at Toronto’s Student School planned to join a group of anarchists at their annual protest against Barrick Gold’s AGM. Led by American professional protester Sakura Saunders, the anti-Barrick protests are perfect example of how Toronto’s union affiliated activist community has evolved into a distasteful self-parody. …