BASICS Condemns Arrests, Police Brutality at May 2 Tamil Solidarity Rally

BASICS Bulletin - 4 May 2009

BASICS Free Community Newsletter condemns the disgraceful conduct of
the Toronto Police Service in its treatment of of the Tamil community
and peaceful demonstrators attempting to join the Tamil rally at the
US consulate on May 2, 2009.

For the last two months the Tamil community has shown exemplary unity
and organization in demanding an end to the genocide of the Tamil
people being carried out by the Sri Lankan government, including the
use of military attacks on civilian targets and the use of chemical
weapons and concentration camps in an attempt to break their movement
for national liberation. The Tamil community has persevered despite
the silence of the Canadian government and corporate media and
undemocratic repression by the Toronto police. In the words of one
demonstrator, "We will not be treated like animals!"

On May 2, thousands of people, both Canadian-born and migrant workers,
marched to call for an end to the racist attacks of the Canadian
government against immigrant communities. After the No One Is Illegal
march ended at City Hall, a large group of marchers continued on to
join the rally organized by the Tamil community at the US consulate.

The police showed no respect for the peoples right to peaceful
assembly and freedom of speech as guaranteed by the Charter of Rights
and Freedoms. Even though there was no violence or even threat of
violence from the side of the demonstrators, police verbally and
physically assaulted the people, calling them "terrorists" and other
insults. The marchers were penned in between metal barricades and
rows of armed riot police, creating a tight bottleneck on one end of
the sidewalk while mounted police on horses assaulted marchers from
the other end. Tamils and non-Tamils alike were brutalized and
crushed together, including women and children. Police even assaulted
a young couple who were only passers-by and were complying with police
instructions to leave the area. The officer grabbed the woman with
both hands and threw her down on the pavement and threatened to arrest
her partner when he attempted to passively intervene.

Two marchers, including a correspondent for BASICS Free Community
Newsletter and a member of the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid,
were arrested for "disturbing the peace," even though their only crime
was speaking out in defense of the Tamil people and calling for
international solidarity. Footage now posted on YouTube clearly shows
that the CAIA member was arrested simply because he dared to make the
links between the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka to the occupation
and apartheid policies imposed on the Palestinian people by Israel and
correctly identifying the Canadian state as being complicit in both of
these international war crimes. Footage also clearly shows that there
was no basis for the arrest and mistreatment of the correspondent from
BASICS at the hands of the Toronto police.

The police have been attempting to break the growing unity between
Tamils and non-Tamils, by spreading rumours to each side that the
others are "trouble-makers." Anyone who views the footage of police
conduct at the demonstration will know the truth: that it is the
police who are the real "trouble-makers!"

As our arrested comrade from BASICS said, "The excessive response
against me – both at the time of my arrest and during the booking
procedure at the police station, was intended to humiliate and
intimidate me and thereby discourage my participation in the Tamil
protests. Needless to say, I will be back at the Tamil protest making
“trouble” as long as the Tamil community will be there."

We will not be intimidated! Our unity will not be broken! BASICS
Free Community Newsletter demands an impartial investigation into the
treatment of demonstrators by the Toronto police, disciplining of any
officers who violated peoples rights, as well as a public apology from
Chief of Police Bill Blair for the disgraceful and cowardly conduct of
his officers. Further, we demand that the Canadian government use any
and all means available to pressure the Sri Lankan government to stop
the genocide of the Tamil people! For more information, contact
basics.canada@gmail.com or visit our website at
basicsnewsletter.blogspot.com.

NOMADIC MASSIVE live in TORONTO

The Arts and Culture Correspondents Group of BASICS Free Community Newsletter presents:

May Day 2009: Festival (May 1) and Day of Action March and Rally (May 2)

Cultural and Political Festival:
Friday, May 1, 6pm - Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil St.
(See below for details)

'NO ONE IS ILLEGAL' Rally and March
Saturday, May 2, 1pm - Rally at Sherbourne and Carlton
(See below for details)

This year, the newly-formed May 1st Movement (M1M) Committee and its allies are coming together to restore the importance of May Day for working peoples' struggles.

May Day, that is May 1st is celebrated everywhere in the world as the day for workers. Everywhere, on that day, people celebrate the accomplishments of working people everywhere towards justice, true peace and liberation. Everywhere that is, but here in Canada and in the United States.

It is long time we change that.

Come celebrate as communities and activists come together across borders to celebrate our resistance as workers striving for a world of of true peace, justice, equality and respect for all.

MAY DAY FESTIVAL

Friday, May 1, 2009

6:00pm - 10:00pm

United Steelworkers Hall

25 Cecil St

Toronto, ON

Entrance FREE!

Food from all over the world!

With Speakers from:

Six Nations Mens Fire

No One Is Illegal -Toronto

Frente Farabundo Marti de Liberacion Nacional - Toronto

MIGRANTE Ontario

Canadian Humanitarian Appeal for the Rights of Tamils

BASICS Newsletter

Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid

With Dance performances from:

Manuela Astudillo (Ecuador)

MataDanze (Latin American)

Musical perfomances by:

Amai Kuda

CUPE Freedom Singers

Generaciones (Chile)

Hernan Astudillo (Ecuador)

Kings of Kush (East Africa)

Lyrics (Bolivia)

Maracatu Nunca ANTES

Panyolito (Philippines)

Ruben Esguerra (Colombia)

Santa Guerrila (Philippines)

Wasun and Unsung

Visual and Video Art by:

Alex Felipe (Philippines)

Huellas (Latin American)

Spoken word by:

Mujeres Al Frente (Latin American)

La Revolucionaria

Rafeef (Palestine)

SPIN (Guatemala)

Theatre and Performances by:

Teatro un Minuto (Latin American)

Honor Ford Smith (Jamaica)

And music all night by:

El Machetero (Chile)

dj eLman (Colombia)

This event is part of the build up to the MAY 2nd MAYDAY OF ACTION

No One Is Illegal!

May Day of Action

Rally and March

Saturday, May 2, 1pm

Meet: Sherbourne and Carlton

The MayDay Festival is organized by the May 1st Movement Committee (comprised of No One Is Illegal-Toronto | FMLN - Toronto | Migrante Ontario | Canadian HART | Casa Salvador Allende | BASICS Newsletter | CUPE Ontario International Solidarity Committee | Tamil Youth Organization | Barrio Nuevo | Labour Education Centre | BAYAN Toronto | CAIA |Victor Jara Cultural Group | Progressive Nepali Forum on the Americas)

Media Sponsorship by: CHRY 105.5FM, Voces Latinas CHHA 1610AM, BASICS Community Newsletter

Hood 2 Hood Open Mic for Saturday Morning Live

Hood 2 Hood Movement presents

An Open Mic in Solidarity with

SATURDAY MORNING LIVE,
and all the former CKLN hosts dismissed by the illegitimate right-wing board.

Ellington's - 805 St. Clair West
Friday, February 20, 2009
5pm-8pm

W/ DJ L'Oqenz & DJ Akeen
With performances by Joel Harbans (Sax), Ania, Cookie, Wasun, Unsung, Quanche, Ginga, D-Squad, Huslebois, Ecclesiastic, Shing Shing Regime, and Thesis

The Power of People: Community Responses to Capitalism in Crisis Public Meeting and Meal: Lessons Learned and Looking Ahead

Sunday March 1st, 2009
Time: 3pm (Meal at 5pm)
Location: OISE, 252 Bloor Street West (St. George Subway Station), Main
Auditorium
Free Meal will be served after the event!
By Donation / PWYC

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Featuring:

Max Rameau, Take Back the Land (Miami, Florida)
Richard St. Pierre, Longtime Quebec activist and member of the
Internationalist
Workers Group (Montréal, Quebec)
Cynthia Palmaria, Migrante-Ontario (Toronto, Ontario)
John Clarke, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (Toronto, Ontario)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Please join us for an evening of discussion and food. Come hear directly
from a diverse panel of community organizers about their experiences and
strategies, including Max Rameau, an organizer with the Miami-based 'Take
Back the Land', a grassroots group that, as a result of the crises of
gentrification, housing and now foreclosures, has been liberating public
and foreclosed land and homes since 2006.

The current crisis of capitalism has long been forming, but it is much
broader than the current credit crunch, plunging stock and housing
markets. This crisis is about our ability to buy food, to afford housing
and transit, find work, and access welfare and disability support money.

And yet, in this country, as in many parts of the world, billions of
dollars are earmarked for corporate bailouts, while people face a crisis
of survival. So-called 'stimulus packages' do not address the perpetual
roll-back in our social gains - public education, affordable housing,
health care, collective bargaining, a living wage, safe work conditions, a
non-toxic, sustainable environment. In the City of Toronto, spending on
social housing is dropping annually, subsidized daycare spots are set to
be slashed, basic social services cut, and a majority of us do not and
will not qualify for EI. Women and migrant workers' needs are not even on
the table.

But we didn't break the system – one that never worked for us in the first
place. We should not be forced to pay for it.

Only through bitter struggle have we won any measure of justice and
dignity for our communities. The current financial crisis is and will
continue to hit poor, marginalized, working, and racialized communities
first and hardest. Make no mistake – the rich are scrambling to save
themselves.

Please join us to discuss an inspiring history and present examples of
resistance, and ways we can come together to fight for what is ours, for
what our families and neighbourhoods really deserve.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Max Rameau is an organizer with the Miami-based 'Take Back the Land'. As
a result of the crises of gentrification, housing and now foreclosures,
Take Back the Land has been liberating public and foreclosed land and
homes since 2006. They believe that every community has the right to
control the land upon which people live, work, play, learn and worship.
Take Back the Land is, therefore, asserting the right of the Black
community to control the land in their community and use it for the
benefit of their community, including, but not limited to, providing
housing for their members in need. They urge every community to exercise
the same right.

Richard St. Pierre is a long-time Quebec activist and member of the
Internationalist
Workers Group.

Cynthia Palmaria is an organizer with Migrante-Ontario, an alliance of
Filipino migrants' organizations which is part of the Filipino people's
movement for national liberation and democracy. Migrante's mission is to
continuously uphold and defend the rights and welfare of Filipino migrants
and their families, both at home and abroad. Police violence,
non-enforcement of employment standards, and restrictive visas are just
some of the many weapons used against Filipino migrants that Migrante
organizes to resist.

John Clarke is an organizer with OCAP, a direct-action anti-poverty
organization that mounts campaigns against regressive government policies
as they affect poor and working people. OCAP provides direct-action
advocacy for individuals against eviction and termination of welfare
benefits, and believes in the power of people to organize themselves.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday March 1st, 2009
Time: 3pm (Meal at 5pm)
Location: OISE, 252 Bloor Street West (St. George Subway Station), Main
Auditorium
Free Meal will be served after the event!
By Donation / PWYC
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Hosted by: OCAP (Ontario Coalition Against Poverty), GGAPSS
(Graduate Geography and Planning Students Society of UofT), and the
Toronto New Socialists

Endorsed by: CAIA (The Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid) BASICS
Community Newsletter, and OPIRG (Ontario Public Interest Research Group)

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

BASICS Issue #12 Launch Party

BASICS Free Community Newsletter and Toronto Women's Bookstore Present:

BASICS Issue #12 Launch Party
Friday, January 16, 2009, 7-9pm
Toronto Women's Bookstore, 73 Harbord St. (at Spadina)

From now on, BASICS will be having parties to launch the new issues of our paper. Come out to pick up the new issue, network with other serious community organizers, and just chill.

There will be performers, including Wasun with a new track, alongside speakers from fellow grasroots community projects and organizations.

There will also be SNACKS! C'mon people, do you think we'd seriously be chillin without snacks? Hell no.

$3.00 donation at door requested to support the paper, but no one turned away for lack of funds.

For more information contact: buyer@womensbookstore.com

Hood-2-Hood, Set-It-Off, NO COPS Launch Rally and Party

Hood 2 Hood/Set it off/NO COPS
Launch Party and Rally
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
4:30pm-9:30 pm

Do you want to talk about what’s goin’ on in your hood?
Do you wonder why there are armed cops in schools?
Do you ask yourself why there isn’t a space for girls to talk about
the issues facing them?

Then come to the Hood-2-Hood / Set-It-Off / NO COPS Launch Party

AnitAfrika Dub Theatre
62 Fraser Avenue (King & Dufferin)
Two blocks east of Dufferin St., South of Liberty St. on Fraser Ave.

FREE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
$5 Donation encouraged for others

Perfomances by: D-Squad, Queen Tyssential, Thesis, The Voyce, and Rakaya
MC: Wasun, hip hop artist, organizer with Hood 2 Hood
Speakers from community organizations

For transportation assistance to venue, call 647-818-1355

Sponsored by: BASICS Community Newsletter and Strictly Roots

Mural Painting of Incan Prophecy at Jane-Finch

by Lucho Granados Ceja (of Barrio Nuevo) Basics #11 (November 2008)

On September 21st, 2008 community activists from Barrio Nuevo teamed up with several Latin American artists to paint a mural on a wall at 40 Driftwood Avenue, in the Jane-Finch community. The mural was painted in honour of the Incan prophecy of the 10th Pachacuti. The prophecy speaks of the reunification of the Eagle (the peoples of North America) and the Condor (the peoples of South America) in order to bring peace and balance to the world.

Cecilia Alejo, one the artists, said “Arts-based initiatives such as this one offer an opportunity for self expression, while at the same time providing a reflection of the community and an expression of unity.” The mural, a mixed media piece with graffiti art elements, even attracted the attention of local youth who spontaneously lent a hand. These youth not only took ownership of the mural but their street as well and provided a culturally-relevant community landmark.

Where the reality is that our neighbourhoods face decades of neglect, these sorts of initiatives allow artists to beautify them and at the same time display an element of our history on the street for the community to appreciate. Barrio Nuevo plans on securing more space for this sort of activity in more neighbourhoods in the future.

To get involved is future initiatives like this, people are encouraged to contact us at barrionuevo.canada@gmail.com.

Justice for Alwy B-Ball Tournament - Saturday, Sep 13, 2008

Register Now for the Justice for Alwy basketball tournament!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
On Saturday, September 13, the Justice for Alwy campaign against police brutality will be holding its first annual Justice for Alwy 3-on-3 basketball tournament. The tournament will consist of two separate divisions: "16 and under" and "17 and over". Proof of age will be necessary to compete in the "16 and under" division. First prize for the tournament will be $500 for the "17 and over" Senior division and at least $150 for the "16 and under" Junior division.

Registration cost is $50 per team for the Senior Division, and $25 per team for the junior division (a maximum of 5 players per team). The event will be held in Carlton Park, which is two blocks west of Symington and one block north of Dupont.

Registration deadline is September 5 - and the number of teams allowed to compete is limited, so register now!

Contact justiceforalwy@gmail.com to register or call 647.202.0805. Or join the Justice for Alwy Facebook group, and see the Justice for Alwy B-Ball Tournament Event in that group.


Organized by: The Justice for Alwy Campaign Against Police Brutality, Basics Community Newsletter, and the Hood to Hood Movement

No Justice for Alwy at the Arab Community Centre of Toronto

Basics Editorial
Basics Issue #9 (May 2008)

Quite often cultural and religious identities like “Black”, “Arab”, “Christian”, or “Muslim” are used by organizations to rally an identity group in such a way that hides serious class differences and political differences within those organizations. Often, though not always, the leaders of such organizations are individuals who maintain cozy relationships with government or big business. The Justice for Alwy (J4A) campaign recently learned this lesson the hard way when it was blocked from speaking at a conference organized by the Arab Community Centre of Toronto (ACCT).

Upon learning of the J4A Campaign against police brutality, an individual from the ACCT requested that the J4A Campaign have speakers at one of its upcoming conferences. The May 3rd conference was entitled “Arab and Muslim Identities on Trial: Youth Step Up and Speak Out”. Only days before the conference, members of the J4A campaign were contacted and told that they would no longer be allowed to speak at the conference because of “liability issues”. It seems like Arab and Muslim youth are allowed to step up and speak out only on those issues that really don’t matter in the community.

Upon further investigation, members of the campaign learned that the ACCT is funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and also receives money from the City of Toronto. Furthermore, the RCMP were among the panellists at the conference.

Following in the footsteps of Toronto Parks and Rec. Manager Lucky Booth of the Regent Park Community Centre South, once again a Toronto Community Centre has closed its doors on the struggle of youth and mothers in the community trying to expose and resist police brutality.
In an Open Letter to the ACCT, the J4A campaign wrote, “We are more and more coming to understand that entities funded by the government cannot be relied upon to be apolitical organizations, and thus can not fully serve the people and the communities under whose name they work..”

The Arab Community Centre of Toronto cannot claim to represent the interests of Arabs if when one of their community members is senselessly murdered by the state the result is that organization takes the side of the state.

The people should not expect government-funded “community”centres to work for them unless the community itself has control over those centres. ∗

Feb 16 Legal Clinic in Lawrence Heights a Success!

On Saturday, February 16, Lawrence Heights residents attended a free Legal Clinic at Lawrence Heights Community Centre, set up by BASICS Community Newsletter, with support from allies at the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) and the Roach, Schwartz and Associates law firm. It took place between 1-4 PM and demonstrated that tenants don’t have to sit back and put up with cockroaches, rodents, water leaks, and holes in their walls anymore.

Since the forms are notoriously confusing, BASICS organizers alongside the lawyers helped people learn about their legal rights as tenants and how to challenge the slumlord policies of TCHC. Residents were instructed on how to fill out the T2 (Tenant Rights) and T6 (Maintenance) forms of the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board, which can be downloaded from the Board’s website.

TCHC residents who have maintenance issues that have been ignored by TCHC can contact BASICS for assistance in filling out the T2 and T6. If you are interested in having BASICS aid you in filling out these forms, please contact us at basics.canada@gmail.com or at 416-800-0823. However, so that we can all save time and be better organized, you must organize 5 or more of your neighbours who are facing similar problems so that we can fill out many forms at once.

All working people deserve decent social housing and BASICS will continue to work alongside Lawrence Heights residents to build a stronger community that can stand up to the slumlord policies of TCHC. But this process begins with Lawrence Heights residents organizing themselves.

“The Faces Seemed Weary of Battle...”

An anonymously submitted poetic account of the March 1st Launch of the Justice for Alwy Campaign Against Police Brutality



Many helping hands sought to form a collective union for a revolutionary cause.
Some might have called the affair a lost cause: a voice muffled out in the sound proof booth that is censorship by the media; a candlelight dwindling in a breeze of ignorance on a topic that widely affects the general public.

But on Saturday, March 1st, in Regent Park, I saw a gathering of many determined people, wearing nothing but sheer dedication as their shield and sword. All the faces seemed weary from battle, baring many symbolic scars, etched and engraved within their facial expressions.
But the ambience was unnatural, as if everyone’s hearts were beating in unison for Alwy Al Nadhir. Many people tore out a piece of their hearts inscribed with a few heartfelt words to share with their fellow masses.

Many friends and family members enlightened us on the issue at hand. We peered into the looking glass of these people’s day-to-day lives, and how this specific controversial situation is affecting them and has them searching for a greater sense of justice. What is being sought is not an apology, not a thorough detailed inquiry on the topic, but to set a precedent for future cases, to assist and aid other such unfortunate cases.

The launch of the Justice for Alwy campaign on March 1st was not meant for us to just hear an all-star cast filtering a burden too big for us to bear alone. It was not meant for us to acknowledge and applaud those courageous enough to battle stage fright. It was meant for us to unify and form a movement that correlates with everyone’s one true aspiration: Justice for Alwy Al-Nadhir.

On March 15th, when we rally outside police headquarters, we will signify the unification and the mobilization of these people. Actions do speak louder than words.

I would like to give honorable mention to one of the speakers. Ali, Alwy’s cousin, had a few words to say, with each word he uttered coursing through our veins and bodies, entering the depths and corridors of our minds, with his deep concentration and thought given to each word.
I for one bore witness to a surge of commitment and passion amongst each individual that was lucky enough to take part in that affair. ∗

Pro-Cop Regent Park Community Centre Blocks J4A Campaign from having event...

Open Letter to the Regent Park South Community Centre

February 23, 2008

Regent Park South Community Centre
415 Gerrard St E
Toronto, ON
M5A 2H4 (416) 392-0753

To Whom It May Concern:

As members of the Justice for Alwy Campaign, we wish to express our dismay and condemnation at the decision of the manager(s) of Regent Park South Community Centre to block our organization from using the Community Centre to host our March 1 Justice for Alwy campaign launch.

Following the murder by Toronto Police of 18-year-old Alwy al-Nadhir, his family, friends and allies came together to organize a memorial for Alwy in the neighbourhood where he spent most of his time - that is, Regent Park. For us, the natural choice for a venue was the Regent Park South Community Centre, a place designated by the city as a gathering place for the neighbourhood, especially for its youth.

The initial reaction of certain Community Centre staff was positive and supportive. They said it would be no problem to have the event at the Community Centre. However, after this verbal confirmation, and after our organization had done much leaflet distribution in the neighbourhood with all the event’s information, our organization’s members were met with almost two weeks of utter silence by Community Centre staff. The staff would not return our calls, and when we did speak to them over the phone or in person, we were told that a decision had not yet been made.

Finally, about two weeks after our organization was given informal approval to use the facilities, an employee of the Community Centre told us that her boss, Lucky Booth, had denied our access to the space. When asked why, the employee responded that it was a “delicate situation” since the police was involved and that no one knew what really happened the night Alwy was murdered.

But we know very well what happened, and we know even better what’s happening now! An unarmed youth was shot and killed by police, the police are withholding details about the murder, and now the community is being stonewalled from organizing for truth and justice.

Upon further investigation, we discovered that Toronto City Councillor Pam McConnell of Ward 28 (in which the Regent Park Community Centre is located) is the Vice-Chair of the Toronto Police Services Board. We can only conclude then that the Community Centre refused to host the memorial for Alwy because Parks and Recreation officials would sooner work on behalf of the interests of the police over and against the interests of the community and of Alwy’s family.

Toronto Police Services and Parks and Recreation are supposed to be separate and distinct bodies in the City of Toronto, and the one should not influence, bully, or direct the other. The Justice for Alwy Campaign demands answers from the Regent Park South Community Centre staff as to why exactly we were refused space for our community event and who is to be held accountable for this decision. We can be contacted at info@justiceforalwy.ca, and we will be expecting your forthright response.

Despite our setback, the Campaign is moving forward with or without the help of the Regent Park South Community Centre.

Justice for Alwy Now!!!

Sincerely,

Organizers of the Justice for Alwy Campaign

Muna Bafagih, Mother of Alwy al-Nadhir
Salma al-Nadhir, Sister of Alwy al-Nadhir
Fatma al-Nadhir, Sister of Alwy al-Nadhir
Basma al-Nadhir, Sister of Alwy al-Nadhir
Sabrin Sagaaf , Cousin of Alwy al-Nadhir
Steve da Silva, Basics Community Newsletter

Justice for Alwy Campaign - Upcoming Events

Click on Images for information regarding the upcoming events for the Justice for Alwy Campaign:

Force TCHC to Carry Out Repairs.. Now!

Community Lawyers, BASICS, and OCAP to Set Up Free Legal Clinic to Help Tenants Force TCHC Repairs

On Sunday, December 9, Lawrence Heights residents attended an event held by Basics Community Newsletter at the Lawrence Heights Community Centre. One of the main topics discussed at the event was the lack of maintenance in TCHC units and the ways in which TCHC residents can use grass-roots organizing as a way to challenge the illegal, substandard conditions of social housing.

One of the guest lawyers at the event, Sarah Shartal, spoke to the current lawsuit that her firm has filed against TCHC on behalf of several thousand tenants. The suit is seeking to remedy all TCHC tenants who have waited more than two weeks for repairs with a payment of $1000, and also to force TCHC to carry out the backlog of repairs which is estimated at $300 million.
However, Shartal argued, the lawsuit is going to take three to five years to complete, and TCHC residents shouldn’t have to suffer in the meantime in their sub-standard, dilapidated units. As an alternative in the short term, Shartal told residents about other means that could be individually applied to force TCHC to get repairs done immediately. There are two forms available at the Landlord and Tenant Board that tenants can fill out to challenge substandard living conditions.

The T2 form, called the “Application About Tenant Rights”, applies to tenants facing situations where “the landlord...interfered with your reasonable enjoyment of the rental unit”, which can apply to any tenant suffering from poor maintenance, and in cases where “the landlord...withheld or interfered with vital services”, such as “hot or cold water, and the provision of heat from September 1st to June 15.”

The T6 Form, “Tenant Application About Maintenance”, determines whether the “landlord failed to repair or maintain the rental unit or complex or failed to comply with health, safety, housing or maintenance standards.” Both the T2 and T6 processes have their own provisions for forcing the landlord to recompensate the tenant or carry out repairs.

Unfortunately, Shartal noted, the T6 form requires a $45 deposit (which is returned if your case is successful), and also direct photographic evidence of the maintenance issue. Shartal asserted that if evidence is submitted to the Housing Tribunal proving the validity of the maintenance issue, and if the tenant wins the case, TCHC is forced to carry out repairs within two weeks.

However, the T2 and the T6 forms are very tricky to fill out and many peoples’ applications are denied for very minor errors. To ensure residents aren’t manipulated and abused by the system any further in filling out these forms, Basics Community Newsletter, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) and the Roach, Schwartz, and Associates law firm are teaming up to hold a free Legal Clinic to help residents fill them out (see ad below). If you are a tenant who needs someone to come out to your unit and take pictures of maintenance problems, OCAP has agreed do so. In addition to submitting these pictures as evidence to the Housing Tribunal, OCAP will later be using the best (i.e. worst) of these images to do a photo exhibit at City Hall to show the representatives of the rich what working people’s living conditions are really like. To set up an appointment with OCAP, call 416-925-6939 or email them at ocap@tao.ca.

The struggle for better housing and a strong, united community is now underway. TCHC is talking about demolishing our communities with “revitalization” because social housing is in such disrepair. But it’s TCHC’s fault that housing is so bad. Residents must struggle to force TCHC to carry out repairs now – it’s a just fight for their legal right! Come out to February 16 to unite with your community and stand up for what is rightfully yours: Decent social housing for all working people now!

FREE LEGAL CLINIC

1pm - 4pm, Saturday, Feb 16
Lawrence Heights Community Centre
Learn how to fill out applications to the Landlord and Tenant Board to force TCHC to carry out repairs! Use the law to fight the slumlords!
Need pictures of problems in your unit?
Call OCAP at 416-925-6939 or email: ocap@tao.ca.
Other questions about this campaign?
Call Basics at 416-800-0823 or basics.canada@gmail.com

Songs of Our Times

Dec 8, OISE Auditorium, Toronto

“Songs of Our Times” was an impressive debut for community organization Philippines Advocacy Through Arts - Canada (PATAC). The concert featured a variety of musical performances, ranging from traditional Filipino, to modern folk, to ballads, to comedy. It was also a multimedia event, as PowerPoint videos accompanied the performances and exhibitions of photographs, paintings, and other visual arts were on display.

As well as being entertained, the capacity crowd learned more about the human rights situation in the Philippines. Many of the songs highlighted the struggles of the Filipino people, forced to either live under a corrupt government at home or to go abroad as migrant workers to seek a better life.

The concert was organized to raise funds for the Childrens Rehabilitation Centre in the Philippines, a place where children who have been victims of state violence receive physical, psychological and social rehabilitation services. The children have suffered arrest, torture, displacement, or other human rights violations at the hands of the brutal and corrupt army, police, or paramilitary of the Philippine government in its all out war against the peoples movement. The death toll of children killed by the military during operations has reached 54. Seventeen children have been tortured, 69 illegally arrested, and 63 beaten and raped. Many are also traumatised by the killing of relatives by security forces. Over 800 unarmed, legal mass activists have been killed by security forces since current President Arroyo came to power in 2001.

The event also received the warm greetings of exiled revolutionary poet Jose Maria Sison, who praised the use of arts and culture “as truly a potent instrument for reaching out and inspiring the people to act and change their lives and the world.”

Canadian artists and community activists should take inspiration from PATAC and the kind of work that they are doing. Songs can do more than just entertain - sometimes, they can bring people together, united in the struggle for justice!