We at Toronto350 are appalled but not surprised by this latest upsurge in Racist police violence against Black People.

We strongly condemn the actions of Police forces across Turtle Island, with particular emphasis on the lynching of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police Department. In Toronto we have seen that we are in no way immune from these Racist Police actions. The death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet is horrifying and alarming. She, her family and community deserve better than a cursory investigation by the SIU. They deserve justice. The police can not be left to police themselves.

On Monday morning, the Just Recovery principles launched! People are ready for a #JustRecoveryforAll, a positive transformation of society that stems from COVID instigated reforms. According to EKOs research from earlier in May, 73% of Canadians are ready in fact! This bodes well for the change we need to see, to #BuildBackBetter, to address the inequalities that are currently embedded in our system and make choices that protect our long-term health and wellbeing.

Art by Corrina Keeling

TRUDEAU AND FOSSIL FUELS

On April 20, the Trudeau government, as part of its economic responses to the ravages of the pandemic crisis, announced that it was allotting 1.7 billion dollars to the fossil fuel industry to help clean up orphaned oil and gas wells.  There was also an additional 750 million dollars to reduce industrial methane emissions.  This is a small step in the right direction of assuming our environmental responsibilities.

News about our government’s actions during COVID-19, in relation to a potential oil and gas bail-out, is coming in fast! Toronto350 members support a just recovery where funds go directly to workers, people and communities, helping create a greener, healthier future. This post is the first in a series of responses. Also, see the end of the blog for a recap of what’s happened provincially and federally so far.

On Earth Day this year, a contentious film entitled “Planet of the Humans”, directed by Jeff Gibbs and executive produced by Michael Moore, was made available for free on YouTube. Although the film was first released in 2019, it rapidly gained fresh attention and considerable notoriety starting on April 22. Its viewership now sits at over seven million.

“Planet of the Humans” has evoked strong reactions across the board, from climate and green energy advocates refuting the content to climate-change deniers and fossil fuel advocates enthusiastically promoting it. It paints a misleading picture of efforts by the climate movement to secure a livable planet. We won’t debunk point by point the misinformation presented in the film, as many others have already done so in extensive detail (see below); however, we believe it is important to expose some of the key arguments (mis)represented in the film. 

Earth Day 2020 marked its 50th anniversary on Wednesday! To commemorate the event, Toronto350 co-sponsored  the LIVE webcast organized by ClimateFast, Earth Day 2020: Toward a Green and Healthy Recovery.

On the first Earth Day in 1970, 20 million people from “groups that had been fighting individually against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness and the extinction of wildlife,” marched together to raise awareness about the harms caused to the environment and to human health(1).

Join Fridays for Future Toronto’s next global climate strike online! In light of COVID-19, in order to protect our communities and families, the event has moved online. See Fridays for Future Toronto’s formal response to COVID-19 here.

For details and ongoing updates, check the Facebook Event page: April 3rd Online Global Strike for Climate Justice. Green New Deal. Green New Decade.

As COVID-19 chases us inside and shuts the door behind us, it also shines a bright light on the cracks in our society. People struggle to meet their families’ needs and care for loved ones who are ill, immunocompromised or disabled. They face isolation and uncertainty. Groups of people, including migrant workers and precarious workers, the homeless and low-income renters are especially vulnerable. Health care workers raise the alarm about inadequate supplies and resources. 

Photo by USGS on Unsplash

For the other event hosts, see the Facebook Event. 

On March 1st, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) held the world's biggest mining convention at Toronto's Metro Convention Centre. Attendees represented many of the most destructive resource extraction companies. These companies violate human and Indigenous rights, perpetuate climate and environmental crisis and create huge gaps in economic equality. 

Toronto350 condemns the actions of the RCMP, the Canadian government and Coastal GasLink Pipeline Ltd. with regard to the Wet'suwet'en First Nation and their territory. We fully support the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in their determination to prevent what amounts to an invasion of their unceded hereditary lands and sacred sites.