Feb 21
Earlier this week Greenpeace released a document they acquired from the RCMP. The paper warns that certain elements of the environmental movement pose a “realistic criminal threat to Canada’s petroleum industry, its workers and assets, and to first responders”. As expected, the news has caused quite a stir in the environmentalist world- with many supporters using …
Sep 27
On March 23, 2012 I had the unique opportunity to have coffee with one of Toronto’s biggest trolls. I was new in town and Doug Hatlem-Johnson invited me for a friendly conversation. He seemed nice enough, the Toronto Star promoted him as a Mennonite street preacher and hero to the homeless, and he’s an American …
Jan 28
When Toronto Star columnist Antonia Zerbisias heard about the new Cop Watch Toronto iPhone app, it’s likely she giggled with excitement. You see, Antonia is very well connected with the city’s F##k The Police crowd- she writes stories painting them as jailhouse activist heroes and sometimes even uses them as ‘credible’ sources for her (‘credible’) stories. …
Nov 26
Last week the Vancouver Observer published a scare story criticising the Harper government’s extensive spying on anti-oilsands groups. The writer explained that the “federal government” (wait, I thought it was Harper?) has been “vigorously spying” on anti oil sands activists and organizations across the country. Adding some fuel to the fire, they also hinted at a …
Oct 07
On September 1st a group of professional protesters were left to wreak havoc on the streets of Toronto. They blocked traffic, harassed motorists, and eventually smashed the windshield of a woman’s car. Toronto cops were there to manage the protesters, but they only protected their own police stations- people on the streets were left to …
Jul 22
Writing about the radical left can be a dangerous business. I’ve already been violently assaulted, smashed over the head with an anarchist’s flagpole- and, have been threatened too many times to count. Today the threats continue- only, in the form of a poorly done rap song by a young man who has about as much …
Jun 21
Some breaking news on the pipeline hijacking in Flamborough. New videos were released by the Hamilton Spectator that give more insight into the hijackers and their lack of respect for civil society- things are getting very interesting. But equally, things are looking potentially dangerous- some of Ontario’s most notorious militant cop haters now have control of …
Jun 20
UPDATE: The Media Co-Op has removed Trish Mills’ story from their website. A cached version is available here. A group of people have occupied a pipeline pumping station today. Enbridge has put in an application to reverse the flow of “Line 9” from the current east-to-west, to carry oil from west-to-east. The protesters are concerned …
Mar 10
On Thursday the OCAP (Ontario Coalition Against Poverty) held a protest in the City of Toronto owned Metro Hall building. It was pretty much the same crowd who were at their City Hall protest a couple weeks back minus a few. Anarchist Mennonite Street Preacher Doug Hatlem Johnson was conspicuously absent, but John Clarke was …
Nov 19
One of the more interesting parts of reporting on what’s happening in the protester world has been observing how the police have reacted to the protesters. It’s always a bit of a delicate balance- some cops have been highly professional, some not, and a couple escalated situations to the point here there was severe violence. With …