Stop CETA Open Mic & Candlelight Vigil

7:30-10:30 p.m.
Saturday
September 29, 2012

East Village Coffeehouse
785 Dundas St. E

Pdf version of poster, click here.

You are invited to the Sat. September 29th StopCETA Open Mic to mark the anticipated final round of negotiations in October 2012.

Chat with interesting people who care as deeply as you do about the earth and human rights.

This trade justice event will combine CETA education & action with bluesy-groovy-folksy music and poetry.

Line up: the sweet blues of the Dave Dillon, the seasoned folk of Mark 30, the hard hitting & comical storytelling song of Margo Does and more. A presentation on CETA entitled “What else is possible, eh?”A MPP mail out of your specific CETA concern. A candlelight vigil for Public Services in Canada post CETA.

Not to mention the good ol' edible and beverage offerings of the East Village Coffeehouse. I hear Absynthe may be on tap.

What: stopCETA trade justice open mic
(for the love of canada, stopCETA!)

When: Sat. Sept. 29th, 730 pm

*Come early, limited spaces

*Candle-light vigil interlude at 8pm.

Where: Our favourite and recently liberated East Village Coffeehouse (EVC)
785 Dundas St.
Dundas and Rectory, just west of Aeolian Hall.

Ample free parking on the street and around the corner.

Cost: $5 Suggested Donation

Come early, seating limited. This is a scent free event.

Media release:

For Immediate Release:

Candlelight Vigil for Municipal Public Services

Monday, September 24th, 2012

On Saturday, September 29th, Londoners are invited to a candlelight vigil for Canadian Public Services. This event will witness the loss of Canadian public services from the largest trade agreement ever negotiated by Canada called the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) which is intended to be signed by the end of 2012. The vigil's purpose is to bring attention to an enormous trade deal that has been negotiated behind closed doors whose major content is municipal public services in Canadian cities coast to coast.

The CETA will allow foreign corporations from the European Union, The United States and Mexico to bid with equal power for city hall contracts to oversee municipal transit, hydro, water services and parts of the health and education sectors. Through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), over five hundred thousand manufacturing jobs were lost in Ontario with much work being downsized to part-time status without benefits. People in the know about this quiet trade deal are concerned that a similar result will happen not only in the last manufacturing sector jobs but also public service. Further, there are serious concerns about increases in daily costs of living for families. For example, a study from the University of Toronto and the University of Calgary demonstrates a one billion increase in essential drug costs out of the pockets of people living in Ontario. The reason for the more expensive medicine is that the European negotiators have asked Canada to extend patent monopoly for brand name drug companies to have exclusive rights of sale for 3.5 more years.

With over forty city councils and school boards requesting a full opt out of CETA from the provinces, including London, the word is getting out about its many potential risks.

Join us at the East Village Coffeehouse, 785 Dundas Street, on Saturday, September 29th at 8pm to draw attention to this very comprehensive deal that will impact your job, your family and your day-to- day costs of living. All are welcome.

#####

Contact: Rod Morley (519 872-0008) or rmorley1@sympatico.ca StopCETA Trade Justice
A Coalition of the Council of Canadians, London Chapter

Second Poster:

Attracting Peace: Educating for Peace, with Lee McKenna

7:00-9:00 p.m.
Wolf Performance Hall
London Central Library
251 Dundas St.
London, Ontario

Lee McKenna will be talking about her work with war-affected people in places like Sudan, Colombia and the Philippines. Come and learn about the economic, social and cultural roots of violence, the role of consciousness in combatting violence and oppression and how to organize for social and political change.

FREE!

LEE MCKENNA
(B.A., MDiv, PhD cand), activist, practitioner of active non-violence and principal of Partera International (partera. ca), has been working alongside peace-makers from more than a dozen countries for more than 20
years.
http://www.partera.ca/bio/

The evening will end with a guided meditation for peace.

Jennifer Chesnut's Radio Interview re CETA

Jennifer Chesnut, Trade Justice Chair 
London, Ontario Chapter, Council of Canadians

Part 1     Part 2     Part 3     Part 4     Part 5

For the Love of Canada, Stop CETA Rally Against Increased Medication Costs, July 11, 2012

Approximately twenty-five Londoners joined on Commissioners Road West outside of Ed Holder's office to participate in the first of a series of summer rallies to be organized around specific threats of CETA. Tonight's focussed on the concern raised in the joint University of Toronto and University of Calgary study that warns of a 2.8 billion dollar increase in drug costs annually out of the pockets of Canadians.

The rally was hosted by the stopCETA trade justice coalition and was attended by a diverse group of citizens from union folks to NDP and Green party candidates, artists, teachers, students, various public service workers and a few members of the local Occupy movement. Instead of chanting, we smiled and waved at the long lines of cars that were slowed in traffic along Commissioners. Literature such as the Council of Canadians Healthcare & CETA handbill was given through car windows. Many folks were honking but the favourite was the city bus driver honking most enthusiastically. The group held up signs that said messages like: For the love of Canada, stop CETA, and others about increases in prescription drug costs. One of the trade justice members silkscreened a banner about loving Canada, and of course, the CETApus was out with Roberta and Rory Cory.

Dre Aube was interviewed by London Community News, a local press, and on camera with CTV news about the drug costs issue. Jennifer Chesnut spoke also with CTV news about the local trade justice movement and national municipalities resolution movement and they asked to do a longer interview segment prior to the next rally. The group started planning for the second rally tonight which will focus on Investor State lawsuits from corporations and will take place on Wed. July 25, also outside of Ed Holder's office from 5 to 6pm. They intend, at minimum, to double our crowd. And, will continue with the style of business-attire rally to promote openess to demonstration in a city that is shy about it. London encourages local Council of Canadian chapters to come on down, share the message and spend some time building our networks together.
...... overall, we had a lot of fun and feel very good about the vibe that was created. Dre did a fab job on camera...

Below are the sound bites that we were working with:

CETA will force Canadians to pay 3 billion more a year on necessary medicine. High prescription drug prices are already a barrier to relief for millions of Canadians from pain of cancer to depression, and CETA will only make the situation worse. People living in Ontario will have to deal with the largest hike of about 1.3 million. Drugs are the fastest growing part of health care costs in Canada. Why would we agree to increase our drug costs further?

In CETA, the EU is demanding that we align with their system that favours brand-name pharmaceuticals and phases out the cheaper generic-label drugs. The 3 billion rise in drug costs annually is another example of why CETA is bad for Canadian people.

We are not against trade. We are against reckless trade contracts that favour transnational corporations over people’s health and community well-being. We do not think that a less than 1% increase in the Canadian GDP is a good enough reason to prevent Canadians from getting the medicines they need. CETA runs contrary to the Canadian Constitution that states in clause 36 that “the government of Canada and the provincial governments are committed to promoting equal opportunities for the well-being of Canadians, … and providing essential public services of reasonable quality to all Canadians.”

Nowhere in our constitution does it say that our well-being would best be taken care of by transnational corporations.

Notes: The study showing the drug increase of approximately 3 billion was a collaborative study by U of T and U of Calgary presented to the federal government.

Jennifer Chesnut, July 11, 2012

Stop CETA Rally, July 11, 2012 (Photos by Robert McMaster)

Maude Barlow in London, Ontario on May 30, 2012!

http://londoncouncilofcanadians.ca/GreatLakesNeedGreatFriendsLondonposter.pdf

The Great Lakes of North America form the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world, holding more than 20 per cent of the world's surface freshwater and 95 per cent of North America's. They provide life and livelihood to more than 40 million people and are the economic centre at the heart of the continent. Yet the Great Lakes of North America are in serious trouble. Multipoint pollution, climate change, over-extraction, invasive species, and wetland loss are all taking their toll on the watershed.

With a patchwork of limited government protection that is hampered by inadequate funding and differing political priorities, the Lakes urgently need people to join together to forge a new future for them, one that will ensure the Lakes will thrive for generations to come. To help forge links and build relationships in communities surrounding the Great Lakes' waters, the Council of Canadians has launched the "Great Lakes Need Great Friends" tour.

Video: click here.

Doors open 6:30 Event 7:00-9:00

Maude Barlow The Great Lakes Needs Great Friends Tour.
How many of us went to camps on Georgian Bay or summer at the cottage?  Don't we all love taking the family to the beach for a refreshing swim on those hot summer days.  It is time we begin to bring our Great Lakes back into focus to ensure that our children and grand children have the chance to make some of their own memories about this world treasure.
Come join the conversation as the Council of Canadians and the Aeolian Hall present a special evening with Maude Barlow and the Great lakes Needs Great Friends Tour.
Also speaking, Great Friends
Thom McClenaghan President, Friends of the Coves Subwatershed.
Patrick Donnelly, Urban Watershed Program Manager City of London
along with displays from partners in watershed protection in London.
Location:  Aeolian Hall
For more information contact Gary Brown GPBrown@Rogers.com
Admission is free and donations are welcome.
There will be a special performance by the children’s choir El Sistema London from 6:30 to 7:00 http://www.aeolianhall.ca/el-sistema-aeolian

http://www.aeolianhall.ca/events/great-lakes-need-great-friends

http://www.canadians.org/water/issues/Great_Lakes/index.html

Take Action to Protect Local Health Care!

Town Hall Meeting
Wednesday May 16, 2012

7:00 pm 

King’s University College

Labatt Hall, Rm. 105 

266 Epworth Avenue 

Poster: click here.

Featuring: 

Vicki McKenna, Ontario Nurses’ Association 

Peter Bergmanis, CAW 

Natalie Mehra, Ontario Health Coalition

Sandi Blancher, OPSEU

Michael Shapcott, Wellesley Institute

What we can do to protect our local health services and make health care decisions more accountable
Discussion
Q& A
Ideas

You can help to forge a better way!
For more information: London Health Coalition 519-473-6191
or Ontario Health Coalition 416-441-2502
www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca

“The Ontario budget will result in harsh
cuts to local health care services. After
years of corporate tax cuts and tax
giveaways for the wealthy, the Ontario
government is now trying to resolve the
deficit on the backs of the sick and
elderly.
We already have a severe shortage of
hospital beds and unprecedented
hospital overcrowding. There are more
than 30,000 people on wait
lists for long-term care homes.
We also have a privatized home
care system that fails to meet
the basic needs of Ontarians.
Yet more cuts are on the way.
It is urgent that ordinary Ontarians from across
this province stand up to protect universal and
fair access to public non-profit health care for
all people in need.”
-- Natalie Mehra, Director of the Ontario Health Coalition

Letter from Maude Barlow

Letter from Maude Barlow to London City Council re CETA

LDLC on CETA

Media Alert

April 27, 2012

For Immediate Release 

London and District Labour Council Speaks Out Against the Harper Government's Sham of Democratic Process Regarding the CETA Negotiations and the Sudden Promotion Tour

 "The Harper Government's lack of respect for the democratic process is once again glaringly evident in the current sudden tour by 18 ministers across Canada to promote the Canada European Trade Agreement after keeping details from the public," states Patti Dalton, President London and District Labour Council. "This is a blatant public relations attempt to avoid the massive criticism from labour and social organizations all over Canada which have challenged the Government to come clean on the dangers of this trade deal which threatens the rights of municipalities to make decisions based on the best results for local communities. Speaking at us is not speaking with us and if Minister Lisa Raitt really wanted our input she would have had a townhall meeting not this sham of democracy." 

 Municipal governments have been outspoken about the lack of transparency in the CETA negotiations. Nearly 60 cities, towns and school boards have called for more information on the negotiations and an authentic democratic process regarding the input of Canadians. Several municipalities have asked for exemption from CETA in order to protect their democratic rights to set social policy and spending priorities without the unfair interference of corporate challenges. "I've never seen municipalities mobilize and unite together in Ontario like they have against the CETA," says Chris MacDonald Ontario Director for the Canadian Labour Congress. "I think that federal politicians need to respect the will of municipalities to make critical decisions for their local communities and this will be undermined if CETA is implemented in Canada." 

Economist Jim Stanford has warned that CETA will result in jobs losses and CAW Local 27 President Tim Carrie states that: "CETA is another example of a trade policy that will weaken the Canadian economy and our autonomy." The reality is that Canada's trade deficit will grow under CETA and this was acknowledged in the Federal EU assessment.

Additionally, it is unacceptable that while the EU is protecting its municipally delivered services including water, Canada is not doing so. "So why is the Harper Government engaging in this sudden attempt to defend a losing proposition for Canadians that threatens our sovereignty and vital decision making ability?" comments Patti Dalton. "It appears that they are realizing that labour and social organizations like the Council of Canadians are alerting citizens and communities to the dangers of CETA and the Government is making a pathetic attempt to sell a lose-lose deal to Canadians. We've seen the devastating effects of previous trade agreements so lets make sure this next and more extreme deal is stopped dead in its tracks--as it should be." 

Contact information: 

Patti Dalton President LDLC, 519-494-3901 

Chris Macdonald CLC Ontario Director, 647-261-0157 

Tim Carrie President CAW Local 27, 519-318-1022

Special May 2012 Newsletter from Don Mcleod

Editorial – Facilitator’s Monthly Topic – May 2012 
CETA! - CETA!! – CETA!!!

On Tuesday May 1, City of London Council will be discussing a full opting out of CETA. Please join us at City Hall 300 Dufferin Street at 4:30pm in Council Chamber Public Gallery Floor 3.

On Monday April 30 & Tuesday May1, Please take the time to email or contact your City of London Councilor and Mayor Joe Fontana.

Of note – I wonder how Councilor Paul Van Meerbergen will address the CETA discussion and vote, as he was the host of the Government’s visit to London on Friday April 27, hosting them at his workplace Lampko Tools. He quite clearly stated that his company was dependant on CETA for improving their access to the European Union, which puts him in a “conflict of interest” on CETA with his role as Ward 10 Councilor!

Reference 1–Council Agenda Item “Reports VIII – 13^th Report of Finance Item #9”

http://sire.london.ca/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=265&doctype=AGENDA

http://sire.london.ca/cache/0/hw5cyc45sphxgx55kvjqve55/4046504292012113936711.PDF

          Please note “London Chapter Council of Canadians” in “a” & “b”

          Our hope is that documents in the Council Agenda will include Maude’s letter – Please see attached – Please use this as a reference when you talk to & email the Mayor and Councilors – they all have a copy!

Reference 2: Finance Committee Minutes of April 16, 2012 Item “2 – 9”

http://sire.london.ca/mtgviewer.aspx?meetid=258&doctype=MINUTES

http://sire.london.ca/cache/0/1dwtvkmakid4sxrd2qcxzn55/3816304292012115235254.PDF

Reference 3: To contact Mayor Joe Fontana and City of London Councilors

          http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/City_Council/default.htm

Reference 4: Trade Justice -  http://tradejustice.ca/pdfs/CETAMythsEN.pdf

Thank you to our Stop CETA Committee for their diligent work on the CETA issue!

See you at City Hall – 4:30m pm Tuesday May 1!

Onward!

Don McLeod

April Newsletter

Our April newsletter is now up on our website:

http://londoncouncilofcanadians.ca/Newsletter.pdf

Facilitator's Message for April 2012

Hello folks,

Our year continues to unfold with a radiant plethora of activities, speakers, films and meetings!

One can fill their frequent or all too scheduled spare time with events that are posted in our newsletters, web site and blogs!

Maude will have her 4th visit to London in 8 months on May 30 on her "Great Lakes Tour" at the Aeolian Hall.

Maude loves London, she loves our London Chapter and our hundreds of members and affiliates!

Both Maude and I will love all those that come out to events that much more!

Newsletter content is accumulated throughout each month from our members and Chapter contacts that send me articles and events. I try to get web links so that you can easily access the source documents. Your input and comments are welcome! Postings need to be sent as earliest as possible to get into the next newsletter.

Facilitator's Editorial

Council of Canadians Chapters have a great impact on their local communities when they lobby their City Council, their MP's, MPP's, businesses and citizens.

The following is a basic web link guide for our City of London. These links will provide a basic intro to our Council, how it operates, when they meet, what the committees are and who the "players" are.

Please take an hour to gain basic knowledge then refer back to these links often to learn more about our City of London Council and what is going on in London!

City of London Council

A Guide to Frequently Used Web Links

The City of London Council is formed by the Mayor and 14 Councillors each representing a ward.

http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/City_Council/default.htm

City of London Council Meeting Schedule

http://www.london.ca/Meetings/PDFs/cc_current_calendar.pdf

Standing & Advisory Committees – Who Does What?

http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/City_Council/standcom.htm

Public Participation Meetings

http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/City_Council/pubmeetpro.htm

Committees and Task Forces

http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Committees_and_Task_Forces/default.htm

Meetings – Agendas & Minutes

http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Meetings/Default/meetingpackages.htm

City of London By-Laws

http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/By-laws/default.htm

City of London Zoning By-Laws

http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/Planning_and_Development/zonebylaw.htm

See you at our London Chapter events!

Yours from the Council Don McLeod London Chapter Facilitator Council of Canadians Email:  Don McLeod <LondonChapter2012COC@yahoo.ca> (519) 667-4016 London Chapter Web:        www.londoncouncilofcanadians.ca London Chapter Email:      info@londoncouncilofcanadians.ca Chapter Facebook:              www.facebook.com/londoncoc National Web:                       www.canadians.org Stop CETA:                           www.stopCETA.ca

LONDON ACTION ALERT: Let’s Keep London out of CETA

LONDON ACTION ALERT: Let’s Keep London out of CETA (Canada-European Union free trade deal)

London city councillors want the City to be taken out of a dangerous trade deal with the European Union and we need to support them!
On April 16, the City of London's Finance and Administrative Services Committee decided it was time to ask the Ontario government to exclude the City from the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). Like dozens of municipalities across Canada, including nearby Hamilton, Stratford, Toronto and Mississauga, London councillors don't want their democratic rights to set government policy or make spending decisions unfairly compromised by another corporate rights deal that puts jobs, public services and local democracy at risk.
London council had already passed a CETA motion in October after a presentation from the local Council of Canadians chapter on how CETA would stop the City from buying locally or using "Buy Canadian" policies when spending public money. Councillors on the finance committee this week decided London should strengthen its position on CETA by joining over 33 other municipalities looking to be excluded from the deal.
On May 1, the decision is expected to go to full council for a vote. We need to show London councillors we support their decision, and to vote yes on any motion that asks the province to Take Cities Out of CETA!
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
We need London residents to call or email their councillors letting them know they support a CETA exemption. Find their phone numbers and emails addresses below, along with a sample message.
WHAT IS CETA?
CETA is bad news for municipalities. It's not really a trade deal at all. It would be more accurate to say the goal of CETA is to re-write the rules on how governments, including cities like London, set policy on everything from buy local food supports to environmental protection to job creation and development strategies. CETA is all about improving corporate profits by limiting our social and economic options as communities. It threatens our public services, it is estimated to increase the cost of drugs in Canada by $3 billion annually, and it could cost us between 23,000 and 150,000 jobs according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
The EU trade deal will also impact how cities provide public services or set local policy. According to CETA documents made public January 18, only existing municipal measures will be protected and then only weakly. Future municipal policy and regulations that do not agree with strong investor guarantees in CETA can be challenged in trade disputes or taken to investment tribunals by corporations. Services provided at the municipal level, such as drinking and wastewater, waste management, public transit, are especially vulnerable to these kinds of trade challenges under CETA.
CETA's not about trade. It's not about prosperity. Like past "free" trade deals, CETA is about empowering the rich and undermining democracy.
TAKE ACTION: ON MAY 1, LET'S VOTE TO KEEP LONDON OUT OF CETA!
Between now and May 1, please call your councillor to let them know you support an exclusion for London and other municipalities from the CETA. We've included some possible talking points below in a sample letter. You can email a version of this letter to your councillor also, but phoning is best. For more talking points, please consult our TAKE ACTION TOOLKIT: TAKE COMMUNITIES OUT OF CETA from the Council of Canadians' System Change website.
For more information on CETA, visit www.canadians.org/CETA.
GET INVOLVED IN THE LOCAL FIGHTBACK AGAINST CETA
The London Chapter of the Council of Canadians is part of a dynamic and growing local Stop CETA campaign (website www.stopceta.ca). To find out more about the campaign or to get involved, write stopceta@gmail.com. Contact the London Chapter at LondonChapter2012COC@yahoo.ca (website www.londoncouncilofcanadians.ca).
SAMPLE LETTER/TALKING POINTS FOR PHONE CONVERSATION
I'm calling/writing to you about the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which you'll be discussing at your May 1 council meeting. I understand you'll be making a decision whether or not to ask the Ontario government to exclude London from the deal in order to protect its spending and decision making powers.
I want you to know I fully support this motion. Cities like London need the freedom to be able to support local jobs and sometimes give a boost to local or regional businesses and industries when and where it makes sense. CETA takes away that option for the benefit of only the largest multinational suppliers and big business.
I am also very concerned that according to CETA documents leaked to the public in January, municipal government policy will not be fully protected from CETA. For example, no provincial government has excluded drinking water and wastewater services from their offers to the EU. Meanwhile, EU member states insisted on protecting the water sector.
Canadian municipalities will be vulnerable to trade and investment challenges by corporations who just want to increase their profits in water services and other municipal services. It doesn't make sense why Ontario would leave London open to challenge like that when the EU wants to protect these areas for its municipalities.
Once again, you have my full support for a total CETA exemption for London. I hope you vote for it on May 1. By doing so, London would join over 33 cities, towns, school boards or associations across Canada, including Hamilton, Stratford, Toronto, Mississauga, Oshawa and the Union of B.C. Municipalities, all hoping to be excluded from this bad deal.
Thank you,
[YOUR NAME]
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR LONDON CITY COUNCILLORS
To find out your ward, call City Hall or use the map: http://www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/City_Council/wardmap.htm. All members of city council can be reached by dialing the main number (519-661-2500) and the following extensions after the prompt.
Mayor Joe Fontana jfontana@london.ca ext. 4920
Ward 1 Councillor Bud Polhill bpolhill@london.ca ext. 4882
Ward 2 Councillor Bill Armstrong barmstro@london.ca ext. 4943
Ward 3 Councillor Joe Swan jswan@london.ca ext. 7015
Ward 4 Councillor Steve Orser sorser@london.ca ext. 7012
Ward 5 Councillor Joni Baechler jbaechle@london.ca ext. 2444
Ward 6 Councillor Nancy Branscombe nbransco@london.ca ext. 7014 ph. 519-432-1100
Ward 7 Councillor Matt Brown mbrown@london.ca ext. 4597
Ward 8 Councillor Paul Hubert phubert@london.ca ext. 7016 cell: 519-851-5062
Ward 9 Councillor Dale Henderson dhenders@london.ca ext. 4880
Ward 10 Councillor Paul Van Meerbergen pvanmeer@london.ca ext. 1558
Ward 11 Councillor Denise Brown dbrown@london.ca ext. 6505
Ward 12 Councillor Harold Usher husher@london.ca ext. 4879
Ward 13 Councillor Judy Bryant jbryant@london.ca ext. 0370 cell: 226-448-8221
Ward 14 Councillor Sandy White sawhite@london.ca ext. 4876 cell: 226-688-9427

Linda McQuaig: The Trouble With Billionaires

Poster: click here.

Citizens' Inquest and the London Chapter of the Council of Canadians is proud to present Linda McQuaig speaking on, “The Trouble with Billionaires: Gluttony and Hubris in an Age of Epic Inequality,” at the Wolf Auditorium, London Central Library on Thursday April 5, 2012 at 7:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Please mark your calenders. Linda McQuaig will also be speaking at the Vitali Student Lounge, Wemple Building, King's University College, 266 Epworth Ave., London on Thursday April 5, 2012 at 1:30 pm until 3:30 pm. Linda McQuaig well-known journalist and co-author of The Trouble with Billionaires. She will talk about how today’s extreme concentration of wealth at the top threatens the well-being of the 99 percent, and undermines our very democracy. Copies of her books will be available for purchase. Please forward to your friends and post on web sites and to your lists. Phone #: Contact Ed Corrigan Law Office 519-439-4015 Biographical Information on Linda McQuaig: Journalist and best-selling author Linda McQuaig has developed a reputation for challenging the establishment. As a reporter for The Globe and Mail, she won a National Newspaper Award in 1989 for writing a series of articles which sparked a public inquiry into the activities of Ontario political lobbyist Patti Starr, and eventually led to Starr's imprisonment. And as a Senior Writer for Maclean's magazine, McQuaig (and Ian Austen) wrote two cover stories probing the questionable business dealings of Conrad Black in connection with a U.S. takeover bid in the early 1980s. An irate Black suggested on CBC radio that McQuaig should be horsewhipped. In 1991, she was awarded an Atkinson Fellowship for Journalism in Public Policy to study the social welfare systems in Europe and North America.Since 2002, McQuaig has written an op-ed column for the Toronto Star. She is author of eight books on politics and economics – all national bestsellers – including Shooting the Hippo (short-listed for the Governor General's Award for Non-Fiction), The Cult of Impotence, All You Can Eat, It's the Crude, Dude: War, Big Oil and the Fight for the Planet, and Holding the Bully's Coat: Canada and the U.S. Empire. Her most recent book, co-authored with Neil Brooks, is The Trouble With Billionaires. Here is Linda McQuaig's recent article published by the Toronto Star on the London Electro-Motive locomotive, owned by US Multinational, Caterpillar, lock out in London, Ont. http://www.thestar.com/​opinion/editorialopinion/​article/​1116562--ottawa-favours-for​eign-businesses-over-canad​ian-employees Ottawa favours foreign businesses over Canadian employees Published On Mon Jan 16 2012 Locked-out workers at the Electro-Motive facility in London, Ont. U.S.-owned Caterpillar, Electro-Motive's parent company, wants to cut wages in half. Locked-out workers at the Electro-Motive facility in London, Ont. U.S.-owned Caterpillar, Electro-Motive's parent company, wants to cut wages in half. DAVE CHIDLEY/THE CANADIAN PRESS Image By Linda McQuaig Columnist Hundreds of shivering factory workers locked out of their plant by manufacturing giant Caterpillar in London, Ont., might well draw some warm comfort from — of all things — the sayings of Newt Gingrich. Of course, the conservative Republican presidential contender is no friend of labour or social justice; he recently proposed that poor children be schooled in the ways of free enterprise by being hired to clean school washrooms. Nonetheless, Gingrich, one of the stars of the Republican freak show, is desperate to defeat front-runner Mitt Romney. With the mitts off, Gingrich is denouncing Romney’s background as a Wall Street corporate raider, accusing him of practising a form of capitalism where “you basically take out all the money, leaving behind the workers.” The multi-millionaire Romney showed his empathy for working people by noting, in a discussion about private health care, that “I like being able to fire people who provide services” and insisting that comments about the rich having too much money should be confined to “quiet rooms.” All this has unleashed an unexpected and fierce debate about the brutality of unbridled capitalism — a debate the Republican establishment is scrambling to sweep back into the quiet rooms as quickly as possible. Here in Canada, Stephen Harper has tried to head off a similar debate, dismissing the relevance of Occupy Wall Street on the grounds that “we have a very different situation here than the United States.” In fact, under the Harper government, the slightly milder Canadian version of capitalism is rapidly giving way to a more virulent U.S.-style variant, with even greater wealth concentration and fewer protections for working people. Indeed, Gingrich’s depiction of a capitalism where “you basically take out all the money, leaving behind the workers” seems like a perfect description of what’s going on in London, where the highly profitable U.S.-owned Caterpillar is demanding its Canadian workforce accept a 50-per-cent wage cut. When the workers declined this take-it-or-leave-it offer, they were locked out on New Year’s Eve. If this isn’t ruthless, heartless capitalism — enough to make even Newt’s blood boil — it’s hard to imagine what is. Yet, as the 500 London workers have bundled up in the cold, the Harper government refuses to get involved, sitting silently on the sidelines as Caterpillar brings its notorious anti-union fervour to Canada. In fact, the Harper government is involved, having played a key role in bringing about this disaster for the London workers by approving the sale of the company, Electro-Motive Diesel, to foreign-owned Caterpillar in 2010, after supposedly investigating whether the deal was in Canada’s interests. The Canadian Auto Workers, which represents the locked out workers, believes Caterpillar purchased the plant with the intention of gaining technology and market share and then moving operations south. The Harper government also approved a foreign takeover by another notorious union-busting company, mining giant Rio Tinto, which has now locked out 800 workers in Alma, Que. The Canadian Labour Congress is demanding that Ottawa strengthen its foreign takeover laws to make the secretive review process more open, with public hearings in affected communities and publication of the conditions imposed — if any — on foreign owners. Ironically, the Harper government has complained forcefully about “foreign” interference from outside environmentalists protesting a proposed pipeline across the Rockies. But when it comes to foreign companies stripping Canadian workers of half their wages and then moving operations out of the country, the government hasn’t a negative word to say. Harper is of course staunchly pro-capitalist, and has aggressively lowered corporate tax rates, while refusing to link lower taxes to investment or job creation. But his anti-union stance, evident in disputes at Air Canada and the post office last summer, has been particularly provocative. He seems determined to turn Canada into an anti-union paradise — prompting the Ontario Federation of Labour to call for a mass rally at the Caterpillar plant in London this Saturday. As the PM gears up for his coming battle against federal public sector unions, he will no doubt draw inspiration from Mitt Romney’s stirring words: “I like to be able to fire people who provide services.”

The Canadian Monetary System: Change is Needed

"With a Changed Money System, the Austerity Agenda Being Forced on Us Would Not Be Necessary!" Talk by George Crowell, Chair of the Monetary Policy Committee of the London, Ontario Chapter of the Council of Canadians
6-8 pm Friday March 23, 2012
St. Thomas Public Library

World Water Day Talk

Poster: click here.

Thursday March 22, 2012
7PM – 9PM
St. Paul’s Cathedral
472 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6a 3e6
Enter By East Door
Everyone Welcome! Free Event
“Eutrophication: It Really Stinks!”
by
Dr. Katrina Moser
Associate Professor –Department of Geography
Western University

Presented by
the Environmental Committee of St Paul’s Cathedral
&
the London Chapter Council of Canadians

OCCUPY UWO Symposium on March 1, 2012

OCCUPY UWO Symposium on March 1, 2012 at King's University College

(Photos by Robert Cory, Don McLeod and Dre Aube)

CETApus March Through Western University

CETApus march thru UWO March 1 2012

(Photos by Robert Cory, Mike Roy, Dre Aube and Don McLeod)