Tag: Justice

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Wet’suwet’en: An Indigenous Community’s Struggle For Justice

with Esther Kern

We begin with stories from Wet’suwet’en, a community taking action in opposition to Coastal Gas Link constructing a pipeline through their unceded territory, without consultation or prior consent. As a settler seeking to be in solidarity, Esther will share her experiences as part of a team offering on-the-ground support, and we will explore what solidarity can mean in each of our contexts.

about the facilitator

After a 34-year career as a Registered Nurse, Esther took early retirement and joined Christian Peacemaker Teams in 2004 as a “second career”. This commitment has taken her to Iraqi Kurdistan, Palestine, Colombia, the USA/Mexico Borderlands, and to many Indigenous communities on Turtle Island, to stand in solidarity with their struggle for justice. Social justice and activism have been an integral part of her life beginning in 1969, when she came to Canada with her War Resister fiance to seek asylum and to be able to live in freedom with one’s conscience. In addition, Esther has participated in humanitarian aid missions to Russia, Cuba, and has joined a Medical Team to Honduras on sixteen occasions.

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Migrant Workers Exploitation: Learn and Act (16+)

with Leah Watkiss + Sabrina Chiefari + Varka Kalaydzhieva

For years, migrant workers coming to Canada have been subjected to exploitation by employers, landlords, supervisors. Many are underpaid, overworked, abused. This experiential exercise leads participants to experience the exploitation migrant workers face when they arrive in Canada. Through a role-play, participants are guided through some of the exploitation workers experience at various stages of their migration, such as recruitment debt, dangerous work conditions, unlawful pay deductions, and crowded and unsanitary living conditions. After a debrief, the participants are asked to engage in various forms of support, advocacy and reflection.

about the facilitators

Leah is Ministry Director of the Sisters of St Joseph of Toronto’s Ministry for Social Justice, Peace, and Creation Care. She has over 10 years of experience working for social justice with Christian non-profits. She holds an M.A. in Peace and Justice from the University of San Diego. Sabrina (she/her/elle) is a Catholic Environmental Educator from Tkaronto/Toronto. As Creation Care Animator for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto, she’s a long time proponent of Deep Ecology and Integral Ecology. She holds a certificate in Community Arts Practice and an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from York University. Varka is Project Manager in the Ministry for Social Justice, Peace, and Creation Care with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto. She has in interest and experience in various social justice issues, including migrant justice and human trafficking.

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Housing Justice and Multi-Tenant Co-operatives – Past and Future

with Tristan Laing

The Student Christian Movement (SCM) played a crucial role in the founding of the Student Co-operative movement in the 1930s. How did the values of SCM become central to this part of the Co-op movement? How has that movement evolved to become a means of providing affordable and community-oriented housing across the continent, to both students and non-students? In an age of $2000+ one bedroom rents in Toronto is it time for a return to multi-tenant co-operative housing – not just for students this time?

about the facilitator

Tristan (he/him) first attended a meeting of SCM after his research on Student Co-op History led him to discover the important role the SCM had played in starting the Student Co-op movement. Tristan’s main focus is on supporting and creating multi-tenant housing co-operatives that are organized democratically and contain elements of intentional community. He is involved with North American Students of Co-operation and he is a co-founder of HOUSE (Housing Ontario Students Equitably), a non-profit startup aiming to build co-operative housing for students and youth around Ontario Universities.

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Watershed Moments – Learning about the Water Around Us (All ages welcome, though little ones will benefit from being with an older carer.)

with Sabrina Chiefari + Leah Watkiss

Incorporating the “Project: Wet – Blue River” activity, this active session will encourage participants to better understand how water moves around them and what lasting – often unseen – consequences (whether positive or negative) our activities can have. While respecting and being sensitive to different world-views, group discussion will include questions around the more intrinsic relationship Christians have with this essential element.

about the facilitators

Sabrina (she/her/elle) is a Catholic Environmental Educator from Tkaronto/Toronto. As Creation Care Animator for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto, she’s a long time proponent of Deep Ecology and Integral Ecology. She holds a certificate in Community Arts Practice and an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from York University. Leah is Ministry Director of the Sisters of St .Joseph of Toronto’s Ministry for Social Justice, Peace, and Creation Care. She has over 10 years of experience working for social justice with Christian non-profits. She holds an M.A. in Peace and Justice from the University of San Diego.

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