CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:

TWO MORE EVENTS IN TORONTO:

Here from the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) are two more events coming up shortly down Toronto way.

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Two Important Upcoming Events‏:
!!** please forward widely **!!

TWO IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS:

1. TOMORROW- Picket at CKLN -- Illegal AGM: Demand Re-Instatement of Dismissed Programmers

2. NEXT WEDNESDAY- Algonquins of Barriere Lake: Toronto Public Event

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Freedom of the media violated at CKLN! No to Right Wing Censorship! - Take Back Our Radio Association

COME OUT AND SUPPORT COMMUNITY RADIO:

Wednesday, October 29th7 pm

Oakham House, Room G

Gould and Church Streets, Ryerson Campus

The crisis of governance at CKLN Campus/Community Radio continues to escalate. The illegal of Board of Directors has called an Annual General meeting:

Agenda:

Financial Report

Union negotiations

Election of Community Reps to the Board of Directors

Wednesday, October 29th

7 pm

Oakham House, Room G

Gould and Church Streets, Ryerson Campus

Station Manager Mike Phillips has called this meeting. As “dismissed”volunteers and community supporters, we strongly object to this Meeting for these reasons:

*Mike Phillips, Interim Station Manager, has no legal authority to call a CKLN Annual General Meeting, because he was democratically voted out of office by an overwhelming 90% majority in a non-confidence motion on January 23, 2008 at a Special General Meeting called by the membership in accordance with CKLN by-laws.

Nevertheless Phillips and a right wing clique have occupied the radio station from January until now and are violating the mandate of the station to be an inclusive and progressive station and a voice for marginalized communities in Toronto.

*Programming has deteriorated as indicated by the failure of this illegal board to raise adequate money at the recent Fund fest and the withholding of the student levy to the station by Ryerson Students Union.

*At previous meetings Metro Police have been employed to bar the new board and its supporters from participating. We intend to challenge this exclusion on October 29th.

*We therefore ask all “dismissed” CKLN volunteer programmers, hosts and staff (35 so far) and concerned community supporters of CKLN and Ryerson students to attend the Annual General Meeting Wednesday October 29th at 7pm. Our purpose is to publicize and protest against this meeting as illegitimate and biased, a mockery of the democratic process, a complete sham! Signed

Catherine Holliday 416 533 6630 catherine.holliday@utoronto.ca

Owen Leach

Don Weitz dweitz@rogers.com

(Dismissed volunteers and community supporters)

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OPIRG – Toronto presents...

*Blockade: Algonquins Defend the Forest, 1989-2008*:

*Panel discussion and film screening*

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

WEDNESDAY, November 5, 7:00pm, 2008

OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education), Room # 2-211

University of Toronto

252 Bloor Street W (@ St. George Subway Station)

Donations encouraged

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Hear from Barriere Lake Algonquin community representatives, following an intense summer of marches on Ottawa, sustained calls for public support,protests in front of Premier Charest's office, an occupation of local MP Lawrence Cannon's office, and culminating in a one-day blockade of Highway 117 that resulted in 9 arrests and the deployment of riot police and tear gas. A short film of the recent blockades will be screened.

Since the Department of Indian Affairs ousted their Customary Chief and Council in March 2008 and used the Surete du Quebec to forcibly impose the authority of a minority community faction, the Algonquins have been organizing to roll-back the quiet coup d'etat. They are campaigning to make the government honour a number of agreements, including the Trilateral, a internationally praised land co-management and resource-revenue sharing deal the Algonquins signed with Canada and Quebec in 1991. It remains unimplemented.

Community spokespeople from Barriere Lake: Norman Matchewan and Marylynn Poucachiche are teachers in Barriere Lake's Algonquin elementary school and Barriere Lake's youth spokespeople.

***Donations of money are encouraged to support the community's campaign –they need money for gas to travel. Click here for a full list of community needs and to make an online donation:

http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/03/donations.html

For more information Contact :

Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG)

Research – Education – Action on Social and Environmental Issues

www.opirguoft.org

opirg.toronto@utoronto.ca

(416)-978-7770

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Dear Friends and Allies,

On November 5th, OPIRG and the Barriere Lake Solidarity will be hosting an event Norman Matchewan and Marylynn Poucachiche who are community members and elementary school teachers from the Algonquin Barriere Lake community. Norman and Marylynn will be here to show video footage of past and recent actions by the community in defense of the land, and to discuss with people in Toronto the ongoing struggles in Barriere Lake.

We are asking all organizations, friends and allies to please:

- Endorse and Support this event on November 5th

- Help publicize this Event by sending this announcement over your lists,and distributing posters or leaflets at any upcoming events

- Support the List of Demands from the community: http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/03/mission.html

-DONATE: the community of Barriere Lake is in great need of financial support: RAISE FUNDS within your organization and bring donations to the November 5th event, or make donations On-line:

http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/03/donations.html

Thank you for your support, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely,

Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) - Toronto

Contact:

opirg.toronto@utoronto.ca

416-978-7770

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**

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty

10 Britain St.

Toronto, ON M5A 1R6

416-925-6939

ocap@tao.ca

www.ocap.ca

**

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-TORONTO:

RESISTANCE AT RYERSON RADIO:

Molly has previously blogged concerning the firing of CUPE employees at the Ryserson student radio station. But, like they say on another radio show, "there is the rest of the story". Student volunteers have also been driven out of the station, and an illegally constituted board presently holds control of the station. Here's the story, as passed on by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP).

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** please circulate widely **

INFO SESSION: Repression at CKLN 88.1FM

Find out more about what is happening at your radio station!

Info Session:

Thursday, September 25th, 2008

7:00 - 9:00 pm

Oakham House, 65 Gould Street (corner of Church and Gould)

Confirmed Speakers:

Barbara Goslowski, Don Weitz, Owen Sankara, Joeita Gupta

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WHAT'S HAPPENED:-

30 volunteers have been locked out of campus and community radio station. CKLN 88.1 FM, including the hosts of OCAP Radio, Anti-Psych Radio, and No One is Illegal Radio.

- CUPE 1281 is contesting the recent dismissals of several paid staff.

- A Special General Meeting in February overwhelmingly voted (90%) to dismiss management and impeach the Board of Directors.

- Although new Board has been elected in accordance with CKLN by-laws,the illegal board continues to occupy the station and control its funds.

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WHAT YOU CAN DO: -

Sign our online petition:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/reclaim-88-1fm/sign.html

- De-fund CKLN Fund Fest: instead donate to *"Take Back Our Radio" (Acct #4882570 at Alterna Savings branches at Bay/College or Ryerson University -Jorgensen Building)

- Join weekly pickets: Sunday at Noon at 55 Gould Ave

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Take Back Our Radio:

September 2008

Dismissed Volunteers and Supporters Call for Boycott of CKLN Fundfest

In less than a year five paid staff and over 30 volunteers have been driven out of the campus and community radio station at Ryerson University, CKLN 88.1 FM. Amongst them is news director Kristin Schwartz,who has 10 years of service in that position.

Ms. Schwartz had returned just 6 weeks earlier from maternity leave. “I was told that the current board of directors and I ‘do not see eye to eye’. For that reason I was terminated, effective immediately,” says Schwartz. She will be fighting the seemingly arbitrary dismissal with the backing of CUPE 1281, along with fired coworker Tien Providence.

In the same week, five volunteers, including Mental Chatter host Denise Benson who has volunteered at the station for almost 20 years, received letters from Mike Phillips saying their services were no longer needed.This brings the number of dismissed volunteer programmers to over 30 since the Special General Meeting in February saw the membership vote to dismiss management, including Mike Phillips, and impeach the Board of Directors by an overwhelming majority of 90 per cent. Subsequently, a new Board was elected in accordance with CKLN By-laws. The illegal board continues,however, to occupy the station and control its funds.

The Take Back Our Radio Organizing Committee are demanding:

-The newly elected legal Board of Directors be allowed to take control of policy and finances at CKLN.

-An open transparent hiring process must be established.

-Dismissed staff and volunteers must be reinstated.

With the prospect of a Fundfest being called by the illegitimate Board and management in the last week of September, we are calling on CKLN supporters to de-fund fundfest. Do not donate your funds towards those who are illegally taking control over the station. Instead, dismissed volunteers and community supporters have set up a fund which you may donate to. The Ryerson Student Union is withholding their contribution to CKLN until this crisis of governance is resolved.

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FURTHER INFO:

Blog: http://takebackourradio.blogspot.com

Email: takebackourradio@gmail.com

Phone: (416) 533-6630

**

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty

10 Britain St.

Toronto, ON M5A 1R6

416-925-6939

ocap@tao.ca

www.ocap.ca

**

CANADIAN LABOUR:

REHIRE RADIO EMPLOYEES AT RYERSON:

The following solidarity appeal is from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

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CUPE 1281 fights firings at CKLN-FM:
Management at CKLN-FM, Ryerson University’s student supported campus/community radio station has fired two CUPE 1281 members.

The small group of paid staff at the mostly volunteer station voted to join CUPE 1281 almost a year ago.

Well into the negotiation process, management argued that news director Kirstin Schwartz and music director Tien Providence should not be in the bargaining unit – a case usually made when a bargaining unit certifies and one that the employer could still try to make today at the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

Management’s solution? Forget the Board; fire the workers. Schwartz, who had just returned to work from parental leave, and Providence were terminated in a move that CUPE 1281 calls clearly illegal.

You can help Schwartz and Providence be re-instated in their jobs by sending a message to CKLN management.

THE LETTER:

I am appalled at the action CKLN management has taken to terminate the employment of two long-time staff members, including one who had just returned to work from parental leave.
I want to be able to support campus/community radio, but your actions have made that impossible.

If you believe Kirstin Schwartz and Tien Providence should not be members of your staff union, CUPE 1281, there is a place to make that argument: the Canada Industrial Relations Board. Firing is illegal, unjust and immoral.

Please re-instate Kirstin Schwartz and Tien Providence immediately, so I can consider re-instating my support for CKLN.