St. Clair Bathurst Stop the Cuts Committee- 1st Meeting!

Posted on October 28, 2011 by admin

Download Flyer
Download Poster 

Location: Wychwood Library, 1431 Bathurst Street (in the Program Room)
Date: Saturday, October 29th
Time:  2:00pm – 4:00pm

The people of Toronto do not want to see cuts to public services, layoffs and hikes in user fees. Across the city, people are coming together to stop the cuts.

St. Clair/Bathurst (Ward 21 aka St. Paul) is a vibrant community that relies on services provided by the city. Those of us who live or work here rely on the daycare centres, TCHC housing, recreation & health-care centres, parks, libraries, TTC, and social-services agencies for our everyday survival. And these services are already under strain. Any further cuts will carry serious consequences for us all.

People from various neighbourhoods across Toronto have already come together and declared they are ready to defend the public services. This is our chance. Join the St.Clair/Bathurst (St.Clair West) neighbourhood committee to collectively build our ties, discuss, strategize and organize in our community!

Our strength comes from people uniting to fight back. Together we can win the fight against Ford’s cuts and take back our city.

For more information on how to get involved email:
stclair.stopthecuts@gmail.com

https://www.torontostopthecuts.com/?page_id=682

ALSO- Like our facebook page: 
https://www.facebook.com/stclairstopthecuts

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Downtown East Stop the Cuts Meeting

Posted on October 25, 2011 by admin

Location: Parliament St. Library (Gerrard and Parliament)
Description: Downtown East Stop the Cuts Meeting:
Thursday, October 27th
6pm
Location: Parliament St. Library (Gerrard and Parliament)

*TTC Tokens available

On the agenda:
-Downtown East outreach days and events for November
-TCHC sell-off’s!
-Planning for January budget days and city-wide events

Looking forward to seeing many of you all there!

Contact: TorontoDTE@gmail.com
Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2011-10-27
End Time: 20:00

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Downtown East Stop the Cuts Meeting

Posted on October 7, 2011 by admin

Title: Downtown East Stop the Cuts Meeting
Location: Wellesley Community Centre, Room B
Link out: Click here
Description: Downtown East Stop the Cuts Meeting:
Thursday, October 13th
6:30 – 8:30pm
Location: Wellesley Community Centre,  at the corner of Sherbourne and Wellesley
Room B

*TTC Tokens available

We urge everyone to not only attend this meeting but to bring others
as well…the fight is far from over despite a temporary victory of
sorts in getting the cuts put off for now. The cuts WILL be back on
the table all too soon, and rather than cutting existing services, we
need IMPROVEMENTS to those services!

On Thursday we will talk about the new city time-line for these cuts,
as well as proposed actions and events in the Downtown East between
now & the larger city-wide STOP the CUTS actions.

Looking forward to seeing many of you all there!

Contact: TorontoDTE@gmail.com
Start Time: 18:30
Date: 2011-10-13
End Time: 20:30

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Training Day 2: Stop Ford’s Agenda!

Posted on September 29, 2011 by admin

Back by popular demand…Training Day 2: Stop Ford’s Agenda!

When:
Sunday October 2
10 am – 5 pm

Where:
Bahen Centre, Rooms 2185 and 2195
40 St. George Street, University of Toronto
Map: https://www.g.co/maps/6k47f

What:
Organized by Toronto Stop the Cuts, this is a day of skill-building and networking in the lead up to City’s budgeting process, which begins in November. We are building a movement to stop the cuts at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels. We demand: Stop the cuts! Expand services! No handouts to cops and corporations!

Agenda:
10 am – 1 pm:
Direct Action
presented by Tools for Change

1 pm – 2 pm:
Lunch (please bring your own)

2 pm – 4 pm:
How to Organize a Neighbourhood Committee
with members of Barrio Nuevo, Ontario Coalition Against
Poverty, and Stop the Cuts

4 pm – 5 pm:
Legal Workshop
with the Movement Defense Committee

Why:

On September 19, Ford and his Executive Committee decided to defer voting on most major cuts recommended by KPMG. The KPMG cuts are still on the table. In addition to those cuts, all city departments and agencies are planning for a massive, 10% cut to their budgets. Ford is moving forward with plans to privatize so he can lay off city workers and eliminate good, public jobs. Instead of passing the cuts all at once on Sep 26-27, Ford will try to sneak them through in the regular budgeting process, which starts in November 2011. He is hoping Torontonians won’t notice and won’t be as organized as we have been all summer.

This summer has been historic for resistance in Toronto. We must continue to build on this momentum so that we are ready for the fight during the budget process in November and beyond.

Stop the Cuts’ Training Day 2 an opportunity to prepare ourselves for the ongoing struggle, specifically by exploring direct action and how to start up neighbourhood anti-cuts committees.

More info:

Wheelchair accessible.
Onsite childcare provided.
There will be light refreshments but unfortunately lunch is not provided.

SPACE IS LIMITED.

PLEASE REGISTER by emailing your full name to
Sept10volunteers@gmail.com by Friday September 30 – please indicate if you would like to attend the entire day, or only one or two of the workshops listed so far (e.g. Direct Action, How to Organize a Neighbourhood Committee, Legal Workshop).

Co-sponsored by OPIRG-Toronto.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- We won’t be fooled or pacified: Deferring cuts is not the same as stopping them. STOP THE CUTS!

Posted on September 26, 2011 by admin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- Monday, September 26, 2011

We won’t be fooled or pacified: Deferring cuts is not the same as stopping them. STOP THE CUTS! 

Monday, September 26th at 7pm: Residents from across Toronto to join Stop the Cuts Network for a ‘GRAVY SOCIAL’ AND MASS STRATEGY SESSION
Press Scrum: At 7pm near the entrance to City Hall. Interviews available.

Toronto, September 26, 2011: Tonight at 7pm, after supporting the ‘Rally for Toronto,’ Toronto Stop the Cuts Network will gather with hundreds of residents from across the city to announce to City Hall that we won’t be pacified or fooled; deferring the cuts is not the same as stopping them.

We will begin with a ‘gravy social’, letting Ford know that we found the gravy at city hall, and we are going to distribute it en-masse. The gravy will be served with mashed potatoes to hundreds of people who will be in attendance. Politically charged musical performances will fill the air as people assemble into their neighbourhood groups to strategize how best to fight against the cuts in the areas where they live, work and play.

“Just because we are not seeing all the proposed cuts being pushed through at this particular moment, does not mean that Mayor Ford’s plans have changed.” said Victoria Barnett, of the Toronto Stop the Cuts Network. “These cuts are still very much on the table. He hopes to sneak them through at a later time in an attempt to salvage his current plummeting approval ratings.”

Added Aman Sium of the Parkdale Committee to Stop the Cuts, “In Parkdale we’ve already seen user-fees implemented in the community centre, art programs defunded and breakfast programs threatened with closure. People in the community see this as an attack on poor people, people of color, migrants and we are coming together en-masse to put a stop to it.”

“Rest assured that we will be here to confront Mayor Ford and the City Council every step of the way, because we know more cuts are coming. What we also know is that we have strong, organized communities throughout the city who will fight for the services they need and deserve!” added Magdalena Diaz, a member of the Davenport-Perth Stop the Cuts committee and Barrio Nuevo.

-30-

Interviews Available. For more information, please contact:
Magdalena Diaz: 416-844-3408
Aman Sium: 647-966-7486
Victoria Barnett: 416-721-3471
tostopthecuts@gmail.com
www.torontostopthecuts.com
_______

The Toronto Stop the Cuts Network is comprised of neighbourhood committees and long term organizations in Toronto who are fighting to stop cuts to our city services.

DOWNLOAD WORD DOC 

DOWNLOAD PDF

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AIDS ACTION NOW Hosts Massive DIE-IN to Stop Fords Cuts

Posted on September 23, 2011 by admin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AIDS ACTION NOW Hosts Massive DIE-IN to Stop Fords Cuts

 Toronto, ON – 23 September, 2011 – AIDS ACTION NOW is staging a mass
die-in and funeral procession on Friday, September 23, 2011 at City Hall
to protest the proposed cuts to services, the Community Partnership and
Investment Program (CPIP) and Toronto Public Health budgets. The 2012
budget for Toronto Public Health was cut by 10% as a result of Mayor
Ford’s agenda. Cuts to CPIP that fund the AIDS and Drug Prevention grants
have been deferred, and have not been voted down.

The silent protest will culminate in a vigil to symbolize the lives that
will be lost because of cuts to essential programs and services. “These
proposed cuts mean lives will be lost, this is a life and death situation
for people living with HIV and Hepatitis C in Toronto” says Alex
McClelland, who is living with HIV and is a AIDS ACTION NOW Steering
Committee Member. Toronto has been a leader in providing funding to vital
services to help with prevention and support services to address the HIV
and Hepatitis C epidemics. Funding cuts will have negative public health
impacts and the city of Toronto will suffer substantially.

“Loss of services and grants that prevent new infections and support
people living with HIV will have devastating implications” says Zoe Dodd,
a Harm Reduction Activist and member of AIDS ACTION NOW. “If these cuts to
services and community grants are implemented we will see a rise in new
infections of both HIV and Hepatitis C.” says Dodd.

There are currently over 17,000 people living with HIV in Toronto. Many
people who have HIV are co-infected with Hepatitis C. People who are
co-infected have higher mortality rates and often rely heavily on
Toronto’s support services.

The mass die-in is open to all concerned residents of Toronto.
Participants will be wearing black and will walk in funeral procession
followed by a short funeral service and vigil. Mayor Ford and City
Councilors who support his agenda have been invited to join in the funeral
service for the lives that will be lost due to their cuts agenda.

“Mayor Ford says that his Core Service Review recommendations are ‘just
scratching the surface of what is needed’, well, AIDS ACTION NOW says what
is needed is a City Council with strong leadership that ensures the health
of Toronto residents is protected” says McClelland.

For more information, please contact Alex McClelland at (416) 704 8504 or
mcclelland@gmail.com

AIDS ACTION NOW is a member of the Toronto Stop the Cuts Network and has
signed onto the People’s Declaration along with over 3000 residents of
Toronto. More information is here: https://www.torontostopthecuts.com

AIDS ACTION NOW demands respect for communities, public services and the
fight against AIDS!

We are committed to improving access to treatment, care and support for
people living with HIV and AIDS in Canada and around the world; fighting
for effective HIV and AIDS prevention that respects human rights; and
working to improve the social determinants of health for communities
struggling against the AIDS epidemic.

 -30-

For more information, please contact Alex McClelland at (416) 704 8504 or
mcclelland@gmail.com, or aidsactionnowtoronto@gmail.com.

AIDS ACTION NOW!
www.aidsactionnow.org

DOWNLOAD PDF- Press Release
DOWNLOAD PDF- Letter to Councillors

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Plans have changed for September 26th! Ford’s cuts deferred, but not defeated.

Posted on September 22, 2011 by admin

September 26thFord’s cuts deferred, but not defeated. Change in their timelines = change in

Location: Toronto City Hall, Nathan Phillips Square- 100 Queen Street W
Start Time: 5:30pm
Date: September 26th
End Time: 8:30pm
Link out:  https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=282102051801077

With Ford’s popularity plummeting, it seems that his allies got cold feet about openly plotting to destroy city services. In a surprise move, on Sept 19th, the Executive Committee deferred most of the cuts to be voted on at a later date. Thanks to massive public mobilization, most major cuts will not be voted on at the Sept 26-27 meeting. The important votes now come later this fall, starting in November. This changes our September plans slightly, but does NOT mean the fight is over! More info about what happened at City Hall last week: https://www.torontostopthecuts.com/?p=635

Responding to this new timeline, Toronto Stop the Cuts is preparing for the fight ahead with renewed determination and resolve. We strongly encourage all those who care about the future of this city to come out to the Rally for Toronto on September 26, at 5:30pm at City Hall https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=254048767951463.

After the rally, we are no longer calling for a camp-out in Nathan Phillips Square on the evening of the September 26th or the breakfast/rally and actions on the 27th. Instead Stop the Cuts will host free food, music and important discussions about how we can continue to build momentum in our shared fight against Ford’s agenda. We will connect people with groups working in their communities or help them create their own neighbourhood committees.

This has been a historic summer for resistance in Toronto. We must carry this energy forward to the budget process in November and beyond, to ensure that we stop Ford’s vicious austerity agenda once and for all! Join us!

Monday September 26 ~ Nathan Phillips Square

5:30 pm – Rally for Toronto
7:00 pm – “Gravy social”
7:30 pm – Stop the Cuts Group strategy session

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Ford Cuts Deferred, but not Defeated

Posted on September 21, 2011 by admin4

We will keep fighting to Stop the Cuts!

Rob Ford campaigned on promises of cutting the gravy at City Hall– he vowed to balance the books with tax cuts and no cuts to services.

To find this gravy, he spent $3 million on a Core Services Review. KPMG – a major Bay St. firm – was hired to find the ‘waste’ in city services. They released their reports in August and found no gravy. That didn’t stop them from recommending massive cuts to all major city services, layoffs and selling off city assets.

The public outcry came fast and furious. People got organized. Through all-night deputations, neighbourhood meetings, a People’s poll, petitions and other creative actions, we put intense pressure on councilors across the city.

In early September, the City Manager released a report recommending moving forward with most of KPMG’s suggested cuts. Ford expected that this report would sail through the Executive Committee at their Sept 19th meeting and then move to City Council for approval on Sept 26-27. He was wrong. With Ford’s popularity plummeting, it seems that his allies got cold feet about so openly plotting to destroy city services.

In a surprise move, on Sept 19th, the Executive Committee deferred most of the recommended cuts. Thanks to the opposition that emerged in Toronto’s communities, major cuts will not be voted on at the Sept 26-27 meeting. The attack is still coming, but we now know that the supposedly unstoppable ‘Ford Nation’ can be challenged.  Rob Ford is still dangerous, but he can be beaten.

 The battle to Stop the Cuts is far from over

The KPMG cuts are still on the table. In addition to those cuts, all city departments and agencies are planning for a massive, 10% cut to their budgets. Ford is moving forward with plans to privatize so he can lay off city workers and eliminate good, public jobs. Instead of passing the cuts all at once on Sep 26-27, Ford will try to sneak them through in the regular budgeting process, which starts in November 2011. He is hoping Torontonians won’t notice and won’t be as organized as we have been all summer.

This summer has been historic for resistance in Toronto. We must continue to build on this momentum so that we are ready for the fight during the budget process in November and beyond.

Toronto Stop the Cuts is organizing in neighborhoods across the city.

Join us!

https://www.torontostopthecuts.com

https://www.facebook.com/stopthecuts

https://www.twitter.com/tostopthecuts

tostopthecuts@gmail.com

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Health for All drops a message for City Council: Stop the cuts, Expand services

Posted on September 21, 2011 by admin

Health for All drops a message for City Council: Stop the cuts, Expand services

 Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

Toronto – Migrant justice group Health for All joins the growing city-wide
movement challenging cuts to city services and programs. Demanding
expansion of vital and necessary services, the group dropped a 17ft by 6ft
banner outside Toronto’s City Hall this morning, declaring, “Cuts for
None, Health for All.”

The undemocratic project spearheaded by Ford and his executive committee
is gutting services like city transit, childcare services, recreational
programs and long-term care homes; a direction that will harm people’s
health and survival. Healthcare providers are outraged by City Council
proposals for cutbacks to programs and public sector layoffs. Both of
these factors are known to drive people into poverty and further worsen
health outcomes. “I’m concerned by Mayor Ford’s complete disregard for
health, including that of my patients,” says Dr. Abeer Majeed, a family
physician in Toronto. “Why would he refuse provincially-funded public
health nurses for immigrant and poor communities at no cost to the city?
It makes no sense.”

Funds to help people with disabilities and older people access medication
in emergencies are also being cut. Also being targeted are AIDS prevention
initiatives, student nutrition programs and community grants. Zabia Afzal,
a Public Health Policy Fellow at the University of Toronto observes, “With
these cuts, we will see unhealthy families, and unhealthy communities.
Without an immediate expansion of vital services for all, we can expect to
live in a sick and broken Toronto.”

Toronto residents and health workers aren’t convinced by Ford’s ‘gravy
train’ rhetoric. “Ford has attempted to fool Torontonians into thinking
that these cuts are necessary, ” says Brendan Bailey, Ryerson nursing
student and a member of Health for All. “But we see them for what they
are: a targeted attack on poor and immigrant communities who are already
being denied access to essential services.”

Today’s action is part of an ongoing effort by affected communities to
resist City Hall’s plans to impose cuts. Health for All will be joining
unions, the Toronto Stop the Cuts Network and many organizations in
Toronto on September 26th to demand health, status and justice for all.

 -30-

 Media Liaison: Brendan Bailey 647-239-3647

Health for All is a multidisciplinary group of migrants, healthcare
professionals, students, activists and allies. We believe health is a
fundamental human right and a matter of social justice. Health requires
not only access to services for maintaining physical and mental health,
but requires full economic, social, environmental, and political rights
for all people.

******

Also located here: https://www.health4all.ca/BannerDrop

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September 26/27 – STOP FORD’S CUTS!

Posted on September 19, 2011 by admin4

ROB FORD PLANS MASSIVE CUTS
COME TO CITY HALL AND STOP HIM

September 26th and 27th Plan of Action!

Monday, September 26th
5:30pm: Rally for Toronto: Save City Services, Defend Good Jobs!
7:30pm: Takeover Nathan Phillips Square!
*Camp-out against the cuts – bring your tent and sleeping bag, bring food, and bring supplies to share if you can!

 

Tuesday, September 27th
7:00am: Community Breakfast
8:00am: Rally and Action to STOP THE CUTS!

On September 10th over 600 people met in Dufferin Grove Park to write the ‘Toronto Declaration’. We also made plans to confront Ford as he takes his cuts to the Executive Committee on Sept 19th and City Council on Sept 26 and 27. Now is the time for action!

September 19, 2011: We will be taking the ‘Toronto Declaration’ to the Executive Committee. This will be our last ultimatum to these councillors to stop their attacks on our communities.

September 26 and 27: At 5:30 We will be joining thousands of union and community members for a major rally against Ford’s plans (https://www.facebook.com/RespectToronto).

Immediately after, around 7:30pm, we plan to take over Nathan Phillips Square for an overnight mass camp-out. The next day we will hold a community breakfast followed by a rally and action to STOP THE CUTS!

————-
GET INVOLVED: Join a neighborhood committee, join an action, get in touch!

Join neighborhood committees or start your own, so that in the years to come if any branch of government comes after homes, our neigbours or our services, we can gather together to stop them!

DONATE: If you can donate financially please visit our website and see how you can chip-in or make cheques out to ‘Toronto Stop the Cuts’.

ENDORSE: have your organization or union local endorse ‘Toronto Stop the Cuts’ and plans for action on September 26th-27th

FOOD and SUPPLIES: if you have food or supplies that you can donate for the camp-out and breakfast, please let us know! tostopthecuts@gmail.com

PROMOTE: download our printable posters/flyers and help us get the message out!  Poster (11×17): Download  / Flyer: Download

www.torontostopthecuts.com
www.facebook.com/stopthecuts
tostopthecuts@gmail.com

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