The Toronto Stop the Cuts Network is a group of community organizations, concerned individuals and neighbourhood committees who are fighting to stop cuts to our city services.
We live in Toronto. Like you, we are from low income families, sometimes without jobs, newcomers, sometimes without immigration status, homeless. We have no funding, we support no political party and we are not connected with any social services agency. Some of us are activists in Toronto for decades, others are not. We are all just tired of being pushed around by all levels of government, watching our services cut while the rich get richer.
Our strength is in numbers. We are organizing across the city to oppose Ford’s cuts. Join us and together we will fight back!
In late 2011, we developed our own ‘People’s Poll’ and began door knocking different neighbourhoods, as well as standing on street corners speaking to people. The results were much better than we expected, and the with the contacts we compiled, we began to organize meetings in these neighbourhoods, while simultaneously beginning online campaigns. The people in our neighbourhoods are directly impacted by the cuts to community centres, to childcare spots, to TTC, to housing, etc.
Each of the neighbourhood committee have taken a life and purpose of their own, organizing marches, dinners, councillor visits, lemonade stands, etc, as well as regular meetings. These neighbourhood committees also send representatives to a bi-weekly meeting to coordinate between themselves. When KPMG began to release its reports, we organized a rally outside their offices (https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=220151864688863). Following that, we organized a meeting on September 10 (https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=104686749631378), to bring together the neighbourhood committees as well as people from across the city. About 600 people came, and we drafted the Toronto declaration. As well, that meeting approved a plan to support the Labour Council organized rally on Sep 26, followed by a Stop the Cuts social and strategy session, with mashed potatoes and gravy (https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=282102051801077). The success of that rally, and the Stop the Cuts social afterwards was big- Ford and his cronies delayed the cuts to city services- delayed but not stopped. This is what the network is continuing to follow-up on, and fight against.
We intend to continue the neighbourhood organizing knowing that cuts are coming at the federal and provincial levels depending on the direction we get in each neighbourhood- more neighbourhood committees continue to be created. We are non-partisan, have no funding and are not associated with any agencies or labour unions.
The Toronto Declaration drafted on Sep 10, signed by over 3000 people – https://www.torontostopthecuts.com/?p=539 – will help guide all future actions.
The current member committees are listed here:
https://www.torontostopthecuts.com/?page_id=110
Toronto Stop the Cuts Network and/or our actions have been endorsed by:
Community Solidarity Network, Disability Action Movement Now, Aids Action Now, Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network, Socialist Action / Ligue pour l’Action socialiste, Common Cause – Toronto, Youth for Socialist Action, CUPE 4308, CUPE Toronto District Council, CUPE 1281, Public Services Alliance of Canada – Ontario region, Continuing Education Student Association at Ryerson, Health for All, Women United Against Imperialism (WUAI), Teach2Learn, Perth County Coalition Against Poverty, Toronto Civic Employees Union Local 416 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), OPIRG York, OPIRG Toronto, Student Christian Movement Toronto, the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) and the Public Health Social Justice Collective, PARC, CUPE Ontario, Greater Toronto Worker’s Assembly, Youth for Socialist Action, Socialist Action, Coalition Against Psychiatric Assault, New Socialist, Ontario Coaltion Against Poverty, No One Is Illegal Toronto, Jane Finch Action Against Poverty, Barrio Nuevo, Ontario Coalition of Health Unions, Social Justice Committee of the Graduate Students Union of the University of Toronto, United Jewish People’s Order, Women’s Coordinating Committee for a Free Wallmapu [Toronto], The Heterosexuals for Same Sex Equality, Tenants for Social Housing, Educators for Peace and Justice, PSAC local 901 from Kingston, Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) – Local 24 of CFS, Waterloo Public Interest Research Group (WPIRG), SinVergüenza SemVergonha Queer Latin American Group, and Anarres Natural Health.