Monday, June 16, 2008

Workers' Rights Night - June 26

Share your story - Learn your rights - Work for change

Thursday, June 26
6:00 - 8:00 pm

St. Paul's Presbyterian Church
Corner of Murray and Water

Feeling like a second-class citizen?
Not getting holiday or vacation pay?
Working overtime and not getting paid?

FREE! ALL WELCOME!

Come out for a free dinner, entertainment, education and action! Bring the kids for activities!

For more information call The Peterborough Community Legal Center at 705-749-9355

Presented by the Peterborough Community Legal Center and The Workers Action Center

Sponsored by The New Canadian Center and the Peterborough Coalition Against Poverty (PCAP)

Friday, June 13, 2008

City Asked To Support Moratorium On Uranium Mining, Council Votes On Resolution This Monday

Safe And Green Energy - Rally at City Council

Monday, June 16, 2008
6:30pm - 9:30pm

Peterborough City Hall
500 George Street North

City Asked To Support Moratorium On Uranium Mining, Council Votes On Resolution This Monday

We need people to come out to city hall on Monday June 16th at 6:30 pm to show support for a moratorium on Uranium Mining in the Peterborough area. Council pushed the resolution forward last Monday in an enthusiastic manner to be voted on this Monday...... but we are worried there is pressure on them from the 'Industry'. So, we don't want to be bothersome, or disrespectful, but we want to be there, and show the councilors how important this is. We have a presentation to give and If we pack the
place, they will see the concern of the people. There is more info on the issue below.

The Peterborough resolution goes to council vote on Monday, June 16th at 6:30 pm, Peterborough City Hall, 500 George Street North. Please be there and help make Ptbo history.
******************************************

On Monday June 16th, Peterborough may become the 20th municipality in southern Ontario to sign on to the growing list of cities, counties and townships that have rejected the idea of uranium mining.

A resolution submitted by Safe And Green Energy Peterborough (SAGE) is asking the City of Peterborough to petition the province to initiate an immediate moratorium on uranium exploration and mining in the Otonabee River watershed. At last Monday's Committee of the Whole meeting, it was moved that the resolution go to council vote on June 16th.

The submission to council was prompted by the seven known uranium exploration projects underway within the Otonabee River watershed in Haliburton County, directly upstream from Peterborough. At least one project bears real potential of becoming an operating uranium mine. All five Haliburton County municipalities have recently passed similar moratorium resolutions.

Information supporting the resolution underlines the possible impacts of uranium mining on Peterborough. Of particular concern is that the Otonabee River supplies the City of Peterborough with all of its drinking water. The Serpent River near Elliot Lake is considered contaminated for a distance of over 100 kilometres downstream due to abandoned uranium mining operations. People are cautioned not to drink the water or consume fish from this segment of the river.

"The communities and businesses along the watercourse between Haliburton County and Peterborough should also be concerned," commented Roy Brady of SAGE. "That includes almost all of the Kawartha Lakes region."

The Otonabee River and the Kawartha Lakes constitute major segments of the Trent-Severn Waterway, which is routed directly through the City of Peterborough. This recreational waterway is central to overnight visitor activity in the Peterborough area, which includes close to 300,000 overnight boating visitors per year.

Within the 19 municipalities that have passed resolutions against uranium mining, about a million Ontarians have been represented on this issue. The Peterborough resolution goes to council vote on Monday, June 16th at 6:30 pm, Peterborough City Hall, 500 George Street North.

For further information, contact:
John Etches - Safe And Green Energy Peterborough
705-748-2219 or email: etchesjohn@yahoo.ca

MPP to Host Poverty Discussion and Media Release: OCAP Not Participating in Sham Consultations: Minister Matthews lies

Local Liberal MPP Jeff Leal to host discussion on poverty in feeble attempt to cover up his Government's public relations disaster (i.e. provincial “poverty tour” which was designed to shut out the voices of people who are poor, low-income or anti-poverty activists) and legitimize their 'poverty reduction strategy' ...

MPP Jeff Leal discussion on issues concerning poverty:

Tuesday June 17, 2008
Peterborough Public Library
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Refreshments and snacks provided

For more info contact his office at:
742-3777 or jleal.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

Tell the Liberals we need less talk and more action!

40% Raise to the Rates Now! Affordable Housing Now! Living Minimum Wage Now!


--------------------------------------------------------

Subject: [ocap] For Immediate Release: OCAP Not Participating in Sham
Consultations: Minister Matthews lies to legitimize secret 'poverty meetings'

As you likely know, the Provincial Liberals are currently touring the province with a consultation scam to make it seem like they care about poor people while they do nothing for us. We are going to go to the Toronto closed-door consultations and tell Minister Matthews and the government that we don't need more talk, we need action!

June 18th
3:30 pm
meet at PARC - 1499 Queen Street West

We have been unable to get a bus so if you have one (or a car or van) please let us know at the OCAP office as we are scrambling to make sure we have enough space for people to get there.

Accessibility - call or e-mail to make arrangements.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OCAP Not Participating in Sham Consultations: Minister Matthews lies to legitimize secret 'poverty meetings'

(June 11, 2008) Yesterday, during an interview with CBC's Metro Morning, the Minister of Children and Youth Services, Deb Mathews, claimed the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) was invited to and attended a secret poverty consultation.

In reality, these meetings have been designed expressly to avoid interacting with anti-poverty groups like OCAP and with poor people in general. OCAP has never received an invitation to attend these private consultations. These meetings make no attempt to address systemic poverty in this province, rather they seek to allay the public's concerns "within existing resources."

"We don't need to waste our time in secret consultations. We need a government that is actually going to do something about poverty," says A.J. Withers, an OCAP Organizer. "We know what the problems are. Welfare and disability rates are too low, we need a livable minimum wage now, we need more affordable housing and we need the housing we do have to be in decent repair."

The Liberal government would like the public to believe it will make real and substantial changes in people's lives. Instead, this government continues to quietly chip away at crucial money and services. "While they talk about reducing poverty, the Liberals continue to let welfare and disability rates lose ground to inflation. They slashed the Special Diet supplement that let thousands of people eat healthier food, and they introduced the confusing Ontario Child Benefit that means parents probably won't be able to buy coats for heir kids this winter," says John Clarke of
OCAP. "This is not a government that actually cares about poor people, it is a government trying to get political capital by talking a lot about us, but doing nothing for us," Clarke says.

While Matthews is a liar, she was right about one thing: there have been protesters outside of her sham consultations, in cities all across Ontario. This month, in Toronto, we plan to be among them.


**
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
10 Britain St. Toronto, ON M5A 1R6
416-925-6939 ocap@tao.ca www.ocap.ca
**