The City is a Sweatshop (Toronto) - March 19-20

http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/thecityisasweatshop

Featuring:

Adil Charkaoui - Migrant Justice Advocate
Lee Maracle - Poet and Author
Clayton Thomas-Mueller - Defenders of the Land
Uzma Shakir - Atkinson Economic Justice Fellow
Sakura Saunders - Media Activist

and many others...

Hidden behind skyscraper towers and corporate greed is a city built on the foundations of stolen land, exploitation of immigrant labor and denial of basic services to those living without full status or in poverty – Toronto. A sweatshop city.

Massive changes to the immigration and refugee system, coupled with renewed Immigration raids have created an even more precarious situation in Toronto, home to thousands of people living without full status.

Non status people are being systematically shut out of schools, food banks and hospitals, and harassed at women’s shelters by Police and Immigration Enforcement while rebuilding their lives. Migrants are exploited at work, and threatened with deportation when attempting to unionize. Immigration enforcement is attacking people in their homes, at work and on the streets.

But we are taking back our city. One shelter at a time, one food bank at a time, one health care centre at a time. Breaking the walls, fences and borders in Toronto, we are creating a Sanctuary City that ensures justice and dignity for all.

Join us this year in our second annual City Is A Sweatshop series of events
Read more...

Emergency Community Meeting (Toronto) - Stop the Raids on Women's Shelters - TODAY

Please forward widely*
Emergency Community Meeting - March 8 (International Women's Day)
17 Phoebe Street, Toronto Rape Crisis Centre 10:00am Sharp
The Shelter Sanctuary Status Campaign invites shelter workers, residents, managers, counselors and anti-violence against women advocates and activists to attend an urgent community meeting on March 8th.

It has come to our attention, that the Canada Border Services Agency invaded a shelter for women - on February 27, looking to track down Jane, a single mom and survivor of violence from Ghana.

"It's so scary," Jane says, who wishes to keep her real name anonymous butis willing to speak to the media. "I thought the shelter was supposed to be a safe space for me and my baby. I'm scared not just for myself, but for non-status women in shelters everywhere who are facing the same fear," she continued.

"We have heard of the CBSA waiting outside of shelters, looking to apprehend women without status, but I have never heard of officers actually walking into a shelter to look for women," says Eileen Morrow, Coordinator of the Ontario Association for Interval and Transition Homes, the largest shelter association in Canada. "This is an unprecedented attack on women in our communities and we demand it end immediately!"

"The women in our shelters are survivors of violence. They are healing from trauma. The last thing we need is the bullies from CBSA barging in her to re-traumatize them," says Bernadette Dondo, a counsellor at Nellies.

"The women's movement fought long and hardfor access to shelter and safety. This is a fundamental right for all women, regardless of immigration status. The CBSA violated this right and the women's movement is going to hold them accountable," asserts Fariah Chowdhury, an organizer with the Shelter Sanctuary Status Campaign.

Shelter workers, residents and anti-violence against women advocates will be joined by women from Toronto Rape Crisis Centre, Sistering, METRAC -Metropolitan Action Committee Against Violence Against Women and Children and many other women's organizations demand that Canada Borders Service Agency immediately stop visiting or waiting outside shelters or organizations that provide services to women; that women fleeing domestic abuse and violence be given status immediately and a full and inclusive regularization program be implemented.

For more info phone: 647.836.8781 or email shelter.sanctuary.status@gmail.com

Organized by the ShelterSanctuaryStatus Coalition, a growing movement of over 120 anti-Violence Against Women organizations that are working to create safe spaces for all women, regardless of immigration status -http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/sss

Read more...

Where diabetes hits the hardest - health, race and poverty - Toronto Star interactive feature

A new Toronto Star feature explores links between diabetes in Toronto, poverty and racialization. This interactive map of the city is based on the ICES Diabetes Altas. Roll over to see how different neighbourhoods and communities are affected:

http://www.thestar.com/staticcontent/772097


Check out the Star's feature on diabetes here:

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/yourhealth/diabetes
Read more...

CBC news (Feb 26/2010) - N.B. waives waiting period for health coverage for newcomers

From CBC news online:

The New Brunswick government is eliminating the three-month waiting period for medicare coverage for newcomers to the province.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2010/02/26/nb-health-coverage-immigrants-military-1133.html#ixzz0gwBG3y7v
Read more...