[All] Join the Toxic Tour of Toronto!

[Susan Koswan]

Interesting idea
.

Susan K

 

From: Canadians for Action on Climate Change
[mailto:canadianclimateaction at gmail.com] 
Sent: June-10-10 9:45 AM
To: canadianclimateaction at gmail.com
Subject: June 23rd: Call for Environmental Justice! Join the Toxic Tour of
Toronto!

 

 

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!

Call for Environmental Justice! Join the Toxic Tour of Toronto!

WHAT IS IT?

On June 23rd, environmental justice organizers will be guiding a tour
through Toronto to expose institutions most responsible for the
environmental and social impacts of Canada's extractive industries both at
home and abroad. Canada is home to 75% of the world's mining and exploration
companies, making it a global leader in this industry. Canada's place within
the G8 nations is largely due to the exploitation of Indigenous peoples,
their lands and rural poor for mining, tar sands and oil/gas exploitation. 

As residents of Canada, we will not standby while the Canadian government,
banks, and corporations continue to destroy people's livelihoods and
ecosystems to secure wealth accumulation for a select few. 

WHAT SHOULD I BRING?

We encourage folks coming to dress up and challenge those in power with
costumes, floats and fancied up bicycles. We will be working on several
floats in lead up but encourage all to dress up for our action.

Ideas for costumes: Executives with blood on their hands, corporate zombies,
people covered in Tar Sands bitumen,. etc. (fake blood and bitumen will be
provided)

WHERE AND WHEN?

Please join us at 11 am on June 23 at Alexandra Park.

For more information or to endorse the event, please contact:
toxictourTO at gmail.com

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=127661243928642

WHY TAKE PART IN THE TOXIC TOUR?

The toxic tour will focus on four themes:

1.	The extractive industry is violating human rights and the rights of
mother earth. The federal government supports these companies even as human
rights workers are killed, local peoples poisoned, and entire communities
displaced. From the tar sands in northern Alberta to gold mines in Papua New
Guinea to copper mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Canadian
companies are exploiting indigenous and poor communities alike, violating
their right to self-determination, poisoning their lands, manipulating any
leadership that they can access, and often supporting brutal military and
security operations.
2.	The extractive industry is exacerbating the climate crisis. The tar
sands gigaproject is the most destructive industrial project on earth and
will be the leading contributor to climate change in Canada, making it
impossible for our country to meet its international climate commitments.
The climate crisis has been caused by the industrialization of developed
countries like Canada, while disproportionately affecting indigenous peoples
and the global south who are faced with sea-level rise, drought, permafrost
melt, desertification, melting glaciers, and increased extreme weather
events. These and other problems brought on by the climate crisis have
destroyed the livelihoods of millions who are dying and being displaced from
their homes.
3.	The education system is taken over by corporate interests. The
University of Toronto, Canada´s largest academic institution, is taken over
by corporations, many of which are linked to the extractive industry. This
corporate influence stifles open, honest, and critical debate in our
institutions of higher learning and demonstrates how a wealthy few can
dominate and shape the way people think. As an academic institution that
strives to create the ‘leaders of tomorrow,’ we must challenge the notion
that corporate greed and exploitation has any place in our education system.
4.	The Canadian economy is dependent on exploiting marginalized peoples
and the environment. Harper would not be at the G8 if it wasn't for
exploiting the resources and people of countries that the G8 is purposely
shutting out of discussions. Solutions, however, are there—but the Harper
government refuses to give people the ability to determine the future of
their own lives and livelihoods.

-- 
Kimia Ghomeshi
National Youth Climate and G20 Organizer
Canadian Youth Climate Coalition 
cycc.organize at gmail.com
(416) 294 1602

Join the G20 Climate Justice Convergence. For more information visit
www.ourclimate.ca <http://www.ourclimate.ca/> 

Support justice for Grassy Narrows and protection for water everywhere:
http://freegrassy.org/mercury-action-alert/





 

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