School Schmool 2013

QPIRG McGill

The Quebec Public Interest Research Group at McGill (QPIRGMcGill) is a non-profit, student-run organization that supports action, research, and learning on a wide array of social and environmental justice issues. Here’s a quick guide to our projects, resources, and events.

Our working groups are the heart of our organization. Touching on issues as varied as independent media, urban gardening, indigenous sovereignty, workers’ rights, prisoner support, anti-racism, migrant justice, and ‘Middle Eastern’ solidarity, our working groups are engaged in making creative, direct, and grassroots social change.

We think that research should be community-based and useful to those striving for social change! In this vein, the Community University Research Exchange (CURE) allows students to fulfill their course, internship, or thesis requirements while doing research that is needed by community organizations around Montreal. The Study In Action conference, as well as the Convergence journal, showcases engaged and community-based undergraduate research and action projects.

Throughout the year, QPIRG-McGill puts on workshops, panels, films, and discussion groups. Whether as part of Culture Shock!, which touches on the myths surrounding immigrant, indigenous, and communities of colour; Social Justice Days, which provides a space for students to learn about social and environmental issues; or the Radical Skills series, which helps you learn how to fight for social change, our popular education projects provide opportunities for critical reflection and thoughtful activism.

QPIRG-McGill is by and for students. Whether by joining a working group, planning an event, joining the Board of Directors, or helping organize a conference, we would love to have you.

3647 University, 3rd floor (514) 398-7432 qpirg@ssmu.mcgill.ca qpirgmcgill.org

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QPIRG Concordia The Quebec Public Interest Research Group at Concordia (QPIRG-Concordia) is a resource centre for student and community research and organizing. We strive to raise awareness and support grassroots activism around diverse social and environmental justice issues.

Our work is rooted in anti-oppression analysis and practice. We seek to make campus-community links and inspire social change through engaging, inclusive, and non-hierarchical approaches.

Our core projects include the Study in Action conference, DisOrientation, the Community University Research Exchange (CURE), and our Alternative Library.

QPIRG also maintains an active schedule of events throughout the year, including speakers, films, skillshares, and other workshops.

We support close to 30 working groups that organize on a wide variety of issues ranging from radical education and childcare to prison justice, from art skillsharing to migrant rights, from international solidarity to anti-police brutality work.

We also publish Convergence, a journal of undergraduate and community research; School Schmool, an alternative student agenda; and At the Heart of Resistance, QPIRG Concordia’s Working Groups Journal. Both students and community members are welcome to make use of our space and resources and participate in QPIRG projects.

1500 de Maisonneuve O. #204 (514) 848-7585 info@qpirgconcordia.org qpirgconcordia.org 2

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Bonjour-hi? A Teeny-Tiny History of Language Politics in Québec Joël Pedneault

New France was forcefully incorporated into the British Empire in 1760. The linguistic conflict this created can be understood as an inter-settler conflict over who gets to benefit from the process of colonization orchestrated by business and the State.

After 1760, the British allowed the Catholic Church to keep teaching French.

Since the Church’s policy was also to pressure women to make babies (the socalled “revenge of the cradles”), the largely rural French-speaking population grew fast and emigrated to cities, where English was more commonly used.

Around the same time, the Church also forced indigenous children into residential schools and taught them French.

The growth of an urban francophone bourgeoisie — and of working-class francophone neighbourhoods that could be mobilized to support bourgeois politicians — set in motion the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s. The State took over schools and hospitals from the Church. When the Parti Québécois came to power in 1976, one of the first things it did was adopt the Charter of the French Language, the backbone of language policy in Québec to this day.

The new law stated that French would be the exclusive language of the (newly expanded) State. Amongst other things, this law required businesses with more than fifty employees to operate in French. Francophone factory workers could

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now take orders and shop for things in the same language used at home. The law also restricted people from attending English-language schools unless their parents had attended one in Québec; as a result, young migrants to Québec have to attend French schools. The law does not apply to Native reserves; thus some indigenous language revival efforts have been set up in indigenous communities in the last few decades.

A political movement exists around the status of French. One demand is that language laws be applied to workplaces with fewer than fifty employees.

Another demand is for the State to close a loophole used by some parents who enroll their children in English private schools, allowing the children to eventually transfer to English public schools. Left criticisms of this movement are that it marginalizes class struggles and ignores migrant realities.

For further reading, compare Michèle Lalonde’s poem “Speak White,” written at the height of the nationalist movement in the late 1960s, with Marco Micone’s poem “Speak What” about the experience of migrants in the new Québec of 1989.

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Solidarity City: A campaign of Solidarity Across Borders.

Solidarity Across Borders

A Solidarity City is created in our communities when we collectively support immigrants, refugees, and non-status people in the daily struggle against a racist, dehumanizing, and violent immigration system. Concretely, as we build a Solidarity City we are working together to dismantle the power of immigration controls in our city. Immigration controls extend beyond the border, reaching into the everyday lives of people with precarious status in ways that are often invisible to people with full status or citizenship. These controls, propped up by capitalism and white supremacy, take shape in daily life in the form of structural racism, anti-immigrant sentiment, shame and stigma around being labelled “illegal,” fear of being deported, poverty, and isolation, as well as in barriers to essential services such as food banks, health care, education, and shelters. For people with precarious status, simple daily acts such as attending school, applying for a job, or trying to access health care present tangible borders and run the risk of carrying severe consequences.

A major part of the Solidarity City campaign has been the struggle for Access Without Fear to city services. In order for services to be more accessible to all Montrealers, we insist that service provision organizations refuse to discriminate based on immigration status. In practice, this means that they adopt a Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, whereby they do not ask for immigration status and refuse to collaborate with the Canada Border Services Agency.

Immigration enforcement is not the job of service providers; immigration authorities should therefore not be permitted in service spaces.

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Some initiatives that have emerged from the Solidarity City campaign are the Education Without Borders Collective, which fights for access to education for non-status children and youth, and the Food for All! Committee, which works with food distributors to make their services accessible to people without status.

The Solidarity City campaign is an attempt to generalize and broaden some key organizing principles that have been applied in migrant justice work in Montreal, such as breaking isolation and fear, practicing tangible mutual aid and solidarity, organizing campaigns arising from on-the-ground realities, and using direct action to achieve justice.

For more information or to find out how to plug in to an existing initiative: solidaritesansfrontieres@gmail.com, 438-933-7654, solidarityacrossborders.org To read our Solidarity City Declaration, visit: solidarityacrossborders.org/en/ solidarity-city/solidarity-city-declaration

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A Brief History anonymous From February to September 2012, the longest student strike in the history of Quebec took place. Over the course of seven months, the city of Montreal was turned upside down by continuous demos, blockades of classes, street festivals, occupations, and acts of vandalism, sabotage, and economic disruption. A spirit of festivity wove through the months, as thousands were brought together in a joyful abandonment of student life. In an effort to crush the movement, the provincial Liberal government passed “Special Law” 78, imposing strict limitations on demonstrations near campuses, and suspending the winter semester at many universities and colleges that saw heavy strike action.

Quebec’s student movement is distinct from those elsewhere in North America.

Influenced by the rise of student syndicalism in France that began during WWII, the idea of combative student organizing began brewing here in the early 1960s. The first general student strike took place in 1968, ending with the creation of UQÀM and the Université du Québec network of public universities, as well as a new system of financial aid.

From 1968 to 2012 there have been seven major strikes, along with a few duds.

The student movement has grown, fluctuated, and evolved. Various federations formed and dissolved before yielding the current mix: FÉCQ and FÉUQ, the massive federations that favor reconciliation with the government, and ASSÉ, the syndicalist federation that favors combative mobilization as a means of advancing student goals and demands.

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While the student culture at francophone universities and Cégeps has evolved with the student movement through the decades, anglophone campuses have largely remained outside of this culture of resistance. This began to change in the 2012 strike, with two occupations at McGill, and blocked classes and demos at both McGill and Concordia.

In mid-August, with a provincial election pending and the semester set to restart, most student associations voted to return to class, awaiting the elections for a revote. As the PQ came to power announcing a tuition freeze, this chapter in student mobilization came to a close. However, as Premier Marois announced the indexation of tuition fees (increasing at pace with inflation) this past February, grumbles of discontent began once again, alongside questions of how to move forward.

Social Strike?

Following the passage of law 78, people in popular neighbourhoods of Montreal began to go on their balconies and bang on pots to signal their opposition to this attack on the right to assembly. Modeled after a similar tactic in Pinochet’s Chile, this soon morphed into “casserole” demonstrations, where people of all different ages took to the streets to make a racket.

Out of this spontaneous mobilization came the formation of popular assemblies in many neighbourhoods, primarily with the aims of supporting the student strike and resisting the heightened repression of the Liberal government. All this came after calls for a “social strike” by various student assemblies, and discussions among student and non-student radicals of how

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to expand the struggle beyond students and youth. These discussions had been largely fruitless up until this point.

The summer progressed, and many neighbourhood assemblies turned their energies toward supporting students in blocking classes as the semester would begin once again in August. As the student strike came to an end, however, many of the assemblies fizzled out. Nevertheless, the memory of this moment remains as food for thought, given the inevitability of future student mobilizations.

The question of how to build meaningful links outside of existing student and radical milieus arose from these events. A culture of self-organization and direct action made the strike more than merely students blocking classes. These practices may be shared, understanding that we possess the means to pursue our own struggles without waiting for an ideal moment. As we communicate between diverse social networks and find common ground in spite of differing social positions, we may push the bounds of the student movement toward broader struggles for collective liberation.

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heidi cho

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P-6 in Montreal Macho Philipovich

This year, the tool of choice used by the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) to disperse and demobilize social movements has been Montreal’s anti-protest bylaw concerning the prevention of breaches of the peace, public order and safety, and the use of public property—better known as bylaw P-6. Although the regulation originated in attempts to suppress the 1960s protest movements, in 2012 the city fast-tracked three amendments to bylaw P-6. These changes were triggered by state panic in the face of massive and persistent student protest against proposed tuition hikes, and came on the advice of the SPVM. It is now an offence under P-6 to attend any public gathering unless its location and itinerary have been provided to the SPVM in advance; it is now also an offence to cover your face at any “gathering on public property … without a reasonable motive, namely using a scarf, hood or mask”; and the fines for violating the bylaw have been hiked considerably, with a first offence now carrying a fine of $500–$1,000 (usually at least $637), as opposed to the previous $100–$300.

Already this year, over a thousand Montrealers have been ticketed under P-6. Tickets are often levied before demonstrations have even begun, or after protestors have been detained by riot police for hours using a containment tactic known as a “kettle.” The SPVM have arbitrarily declined to enforce P-6 in other situations, such as at Montreal Canadiens hockey celebrations.

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There is still widespread resistance to P-6: community groups including the Anti-Capitalist Convergence (CLAC) have announced their determination to defy the P-6 amendments until they are repealled; group legal actions are being initiated against the SPVM’s “kettling” tactics; and local heartthrob Anarchopanda has initiated a court challenge, which will be heard in October.

Because P-6 is a municipal bylaw and not a criminal provision, a ticket under P-6 carries no direct criminal consequences and will not show up on your criminal record. For practical information on how to challenge a ticket under P-6, contact the CLAC legal self-defense committee: write to info@clac-montreal.net

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Gentrification ... What can you do about it?

[This is an excerpt from the pamphlet Gentrify This!, an analysis of current processes of gentrification in Montreal. As real estate speculation, redevelopment of public spaces, heightened surveillance, and “public safety� schemes play out across the city, it is easy to lose track of how we fit in, and how we can resist.]

What role, if any, do students play in this process? Certainly they are not responsible for the introduction of the stale, prefab culture of the ruling classes into former industrial neighbourhoods—any more than are, say, immigrant populations who bring diverse cultural forms with them as they move into traditionally white working-class areas in search of cheap rent.

All the same, though, students and other young, generally creative people do play a role in transforming the culture of neighbourhoods. Firstly, as a largely transient population, the increasing number of students in a neighbourhood can contribute to the disintegration of social networks built around longstanding neighbourly relations and connections of family and friendship.

Secondly, even amongst those progressive students engaged in radical organizing in their campus contexts, there is often a general lack of knowledge about the organizations and collectives already engaged in anti-gentrification struggles in the neighbourhood. Lack of collaboration between politically left students and community members creates needless parallel efforts and limits the capacity of the community to create long-term strategies of resistance to gentrification.

The main fault in this whole process, of course, lies squarely with the big developers, who promote lifestyles foreign to and impossible for the socio-

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economically marginalized to obtain, with the direct intention of creating profit through the establishment of pleasant environments for the wealthy. As the Prével-developed Imperial Loft website brags, “There will be a terrace on the roof, a terrace with a swimming pool and an urban chalet with barbecue, kitchen, lounge, fireplace and billiard table to allow residents to take full advantage of their urban environment.” In the gentrified landscape, the urban environment is not about building neighbourhood connections so much as it is a muted backdrop upon which to paint images of bourgeois socio-cultural perfection.

There are lots of things to be done without expecting to integrate easily into an existing community, and it is often best to start slow. Getting to know the history, character, geography, and people of your area will help you to understand where you fit.

Learning your tenants’ rights and standing up to landlord neglect and illegal practices are a good beginning, and the Régie de Logement will support tenants when landlords break the law (where facts are documented). Let us get together with friends to build networks of solidarity and support and strategize ways to strike back against police, developers, and a changing social landscape. Gentrification is happening now and will not stop without active resistance.

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l’Inconnue

She hovers on the fringes, casting doubts with her eyes while bodies circulate, grinning and laughing, swelling with the talk of “revolution.”

The assembled mass cowers at the shadow of an intruder, tremoring at the whispered question: could there be more?

She slips away in a thick wood, a broken lantern at the trail’s end, the sole mark of her disappearance. The crows’ caucus is a racket over the tree tops, a glimmer of excitement at nearby carcasses, awaiting the dusk to begin a migration. At times she might join them, learn of news from across the trembling sky. Today she goes unnoticed, the clatter of raunchy voices a cover for careful footsteps across the floor. She finds sleep hidden in the cowl of an oak, a brief respite before her return.

A few strokes capture the shape of hidden violence in a candle-lit room, a meeting shrouded in the ghost-form of nameless deceptions.

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Eyes go white at a glimpse of the monster grinning in the corner. Leaders find broken arrows stuck in the folds of their robes—paper effigies rent with new holes. Spitting epithets, the crowd is raucous at the death of a few words, egos collapsing into now lifeless identities. The spectre of a pogrom reveals itself under the cracked veneer they had called “community.”

Razor tongues turn hungrily on the shadow where the stranger had stood.

“Where is she?” The cry multiplies, echoes a thousand times in a second. The table is drowning in spilt beer, broken glass littering the floor. At once, all have become inquisitors, pupils sharpening with distrust, fingers grasping after weapons. Hands shake as they pat down robes, dark eyes peering into hoods. A knife appears in the light of the last candle, glaring metallic on the wall.

The roof is a neat escape, leaving an empty stairwell to guard her secrets. She disappears into a welcoming sky, casting a spell to silence street lamps in her wake, setting a trail for the moon.

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You Don’t Need Prison Walls The following is an excerpt from Beyond Amnesty, an anonymous text from the UK. it is an exploration of the politics of self harm, an examination of the concept of ‘prison society’ and the trauma of living in advanced ‘privileged’ capitalism. trigger-warning: depression, suicide, self-harm Sometimes I catch myself laughing ... and the sound of joy in the dead, walled space that is the civilized world catches in my throat. Is it provocative or contentious to say there are times when I long for an enemy I can see? That my soul yearns to be a guerrilla, an insurgent, to experience insurrection, and with that, I also accept that my friends or I might be injured, imprisoned, or die in battle; but that we do this with the joy of clear-cut lines and the sense that something better than this might follow? My body longs to fight and to free itself. To move. To climb. To dance. To make love. To push past and through.

To run. To smash.

I long to live amongst people who know there is a war on. A war against life.

Against spirit. I want to live amongst people who don’t look down at their hands or take their eyes away from yours when you talk of struggle and of insurrection because they know in their hearts they have acquiesced, and because — maybe, just maybe — they never really hated the system. Amongst people who haven’t been bought out. Who didn’t take the pills offered because they preferred to struggle with their feeling of dis-ease than to live in the dead zone. Who don’t pretend they are still fighting when it is obvious that they are

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making a garden out of a battlefield. I wish to be where the war is admissible.

I see someone I haven’t seen for five years. We talk about the people we share and some we don’t — how they are doing, what they are up to. Many of them are broken. Depressed, lost, on the edge. Some have committed suicide.

Still others have settled down and found contentment, striking an emotional compromise with the system because, as a friend wrote, if it was easy they wouldn’t call it struggle and sometimes you just get too tired to fight the phantom anymore.

You don’t need a gun to kill someone.

You don’t need prison walls to make a prison.

download full version at: bristolanarchafeminists.wordpress.com/zines-pamphlets

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DIY Emotional Well-Being Tips taken from the 2009 Slingshot Organizer

Fighting oppression is hard work, both physically and emotionally. Too many activists burn out and disappear from their communities because of the frustrations of fighting an uphill battle. Sharing our feelings about the difficulties of working on the frontlines is a crucial form of solidarity and friendship.

Crisis Prevention Everyone will eventually have a crisis — are you prepared for yours? It’s a good idea to develop your support network now. Modern society isolates; someday you may need a shoulder to weep on.

Crisis Recovery Society provides few options for people in crisis other than mental hospitals, religion, and psychiatric drugs. The values of freedom, love, and community don’t end when you’re in crisis. In fact, they can save your life. The key is empowerment — what do you feel really helps? Examples: A mutual support group is simply peers listening to and helping peers as equals — validating, if not “endorsing,” feelings.

Try to remember to breathe.

Nature and wilderness are our greatest healers. Spend some time outside the city to get centred and get away from mind-altering pollution.

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Physical activity is often helpful for depression, etc.

Art, journaling, zine-making, music, singing, and other forms of personal expression are often safe ways to break the silence with others, and even yourself, about inner pain.

Don’t neglect your basic needs: sleep, food, shelter, fresh air, etc.

Find a counsellor who actually supports your self-determination. Ask lots of questions, especially about confidentiality, if someone else — such as your parents, boss, or the government — is paying for your therapy.

Practising meditation or spiritual disciplines may help you relax.

There is no shame in using psychiatric drugs if you know they work for you.

Many communities have 24-hour-aday crisis hotlines or centres. (See info in the resources section.)

If you have a loved one in crisis, ask them if you and/or their counsellor can hold an emergency gathering or potluck to assemble their mutual support network — and find out what they truly need at this crucial time. However, don’t act over their heads.

Evade the Brain Police If you find yourself threatened with psychiatric coercion, it’s a good time to get real calm, real fast. Authorities — shrinks, doctors, cops, schools — tend to provoke and then diagnose your reactions of fear, despair, and anger. When they provoke, act even calmer. Know your rights, get a lawyer, and find help real soon.

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Radical Health

Jos Porter, Health Services Coordinator at Head & Hands When we talk about health, thoughts of how many colds we’ve had this year or how many cigarettes we smoked today often come to mind. But health applies to so much more than our bodies. It is our overall well-being: physical, emotional, and mental. Good health has as much to do with how we feel about ourselves and how we live in the world as it does with our vitamin intake. So what is radical health? Well, if radical means “root” and health means “whole,” radical health is a way of looking holistically at the root causes of illness and striving for collective human wellness.

A common criticism of Western medicine is that it’s based on treating symptoms and not addressing root causes. It’s faster, easier, and more lucrative for doctors to prescribe you pills for your headaches than it is for them to sit down and have a conversation with you about what might be causing them. Most doctors don’t have time to talk to you about your underpaid job, relationship issues, and any kind of discrimination you may experience that could contribute to stress levels. The health care system treats patients enough to send them home or back to work, but if anything it reinforces the distinctions and pressures that destroy people’s health in the first place.

Factors such as socioeconomic status, education, race, gender, and (dis)ability influence both a person’s health and their access to appropriate health care.

Privileges and opportunities impact our overall well-being, as do discrimination and hardships. Not everyone has equal access to quality health care and

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resources, such as a family doctor, healthy food, therapy, birth control, and education. In theory, all Canadians should have health care, but the quality of care is influenced greatly by the region in which you live. In the last several years in Québec we have watched the introduction of the two-tiered medical system (a public-private hybrid) erode socialized health care; it privileges the wealthy who can buy their way out of waiting lists and pay for better care, all the while tempting medical professionals out of the public sphere and leaving the rest of us with scanter resources.

We can all look at health more globally. This includes looking at both one’s overall health as an individual and the systemic factors that shape people’s health. Inform yourself. Challenge privileged notions of health care access. Don’t assume that we’re all treated the same way.

Lobby for things like alternative health insurance and better public care. Radical health is about creating positive change through personal empowerment, politically contextualizing health, and removing the barriers between people and their needs as they choose to define them.

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Sexual Health: Barriers and beyond

Jos Porter, Health Services Coordinator at Head & Hands Protection… If you’re having penetrative sex, condoms protect against most sexually transmitted infections (e.g., HIV and chlamydia), but keep in mind they don’t offer complete protection against STIs that are spread through skin to skin contact (i.e. herpes, HPV). If you’re enjoying the penis-in-vagina variety specifically, they’re also 97% effective at preventing pregnancies (when used properly and consistently). But what if you’re having other kinds of sex?

Here are some other ways to protect yourself and your partner(s):

• avoid unprotected contact with areas where there are bumps, rashes, broken skin

• wash sex toys before using them on yourself and/or sharing them with someone else

• use a condom on dildos and vibrators if you’re sharing them or haven’t had a chance to wash them properly

• condoms are also great for oral sex on a penis • dental dams are great for oral sex on a vulva or anus • use water-based lube when having penetrative sex!! not only does it feel

good but it helps prevent condoms from breaking and skin from tearing

• if you’re doing stuff with your hands, you can use gloves (latex or nitril)! if you’re not into that or there aren’t gloves around, the ol’ “this hand is for me, this other hand is for you” trick is great for not swapping fluids

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Get tested! Do it regularly. Do it more often if you’ve had unprotected or risky sex with someone. Know what you’re being tested for (e.g., a pap test doesn’t tell you anything about your HIV status!!). Follow up with the clinic afterwards to find out your results.

The most routine tests are for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. Genital warts (HPV) and herpes are usually visually diagnosed.

Pap smears test the health of cervical cells; abnormalities are almost always the result of an HPV infection. You have the right to be tested for anything you want; some doctors/nurses may try to tell you that you don’t need to get tested for something based on what you disclose to them and/or assumptions they make about you. Insist on getting what you came in for or go somewhere else!

Always carry condoms (or anything else you may need)!! Hot sex could be waiting for you around the next corner, so come prepared. You can get free condoms at most health clinics, CLSCs, Head & Hands, and tons of student spaces on Montreal campuses (QPIRGs, the UGE, Queer McGill, 2110 Centre, etc.). The Shag Shop sells condoms, lube, gloves, and dental dams for cheap. You can make your own dental dam by cutting the tip off a condom and then cutting it up the side, or by cutting the fingers off a glove and cutting it up the side.

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Concordia to Open Sexual Assault Resource Centre

Bianca Mugyenyi, Campaigns Coordinator at the Centre for Gender Advocacy Since the spring of 2011, the Centre for Gender Advocacy, its volunteers, and Concordia students have been calling for the creation of a Sexual Assault Resource Centre. With 1 in 4 students sexually assaulted during the course of their post-secondary education—over 80% of survivors being women—this is a much-needed service.

The campaign began with a petition of over 1,000 students and an endorsement by the undergraduate and graduate student unions, and was made visible on campus with posters, stickers, and banners highlighting the need for services. With no centre in place, the campaign decided to offer materials and workshops on the nature and importance of consent. In addition to popular education, the campaign included the organizing of a “Take Back the Night” march and a powerful public forum where Concordia community members disclosed their personal experiences of abuse and sexual assault. The campaign gained tremendous momentum and support from students and student media.

Finally, after two years of campaigning by the Centre for Gender Advocacy, Concordia University announced it is establishing a Sexual Assault Resource Centre this fall. This is a victory for the entire Concordia community. It is our hope that this integral service will be accessible to people of all genders and backgrounds and will contribute to a broader cross-campus anti-violence movement that challenges society’s “rape culture,” which excuses and normalizes sexual assault and violence.

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The Sexual Assault Resource Centre will provide free confidential services to students, staff, and faculty. The Centre will be staffed by a social worker who will provide counseling and coordinate activities along with student volunteers who will offer peer support, community outreach, and education initiatives.

The Sexual Assault Resource Centre will provide a structure within which student volunteers can organize anti-sexual assault initiatives such as consent workshops and poster campaigns. This type of popular education can help prevent assaults from happening in the first place, by helping everyone understand what consent is and isn’t. It is our hope that the Sexual Assault Resource Centre will make it clear that placing the onus on survivors to prevent their own sexual assaults is unacceptable.

And when assaults do happen, staff and/or volunteers at the Centre will be there to offer support to survivors. They will also be able to help survivors navigate Concordia’s policies as they relate to sexual assault and advocate for improvements to those policies. The creation of sexual assault centres is key in ensuring equal access to post-secondary education. We can’t learn and develop to our full potential in an unsafe environment and it is our hope that centres like these will open at universities across Canada.

For more information: campaigns@genderadvocacy.org

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Gateway Showdown Might Dwarf Idle No More extracts from an article by Will Braun (Mar. 4, 2013)

Chief Theresa Spence is back home in Attawapiskat and Idle No More has faded from view after an impressive run in the headlines. Another aboriginal movement, however, continues to build toward the biggest First Nations standoff in a generation: the fight against the proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline.

The contentious project—a 1,170-kilometre pipeline that would link the Alberta oil sands with a supertanker port in Kitimat, B.C.—is a major economic and environmental issue. But it also represents the most significant degree of aboriginal resistance this country has seen since 1990 when Mohawk warriors stared down Her Majesty’s Royal 22nd Regiment across barricades at Oka. Like Idle No More, the pipeline battle is a gut-level expression of aboriginal determination. Unlike Idle No More, it is tightly organized and well-defined, with proven staying power and a simple focus: to prevent construction of the $6.5-billion project.

Aboriginal opposition to Gateway is centred in twenty or so relatively small First Nations between Prince George, B.C., and Haida Gwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands). Their primary concerns are the risk of an oil spill into a treasured salmon river or a supertanker accident along the coast. A major accident, they say, could have catastrophic and possibly irreparable effects on aboriginal culture and identity.

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The harvesting and use of salmon, and other wild foods, are essential parts of the economy, diet, and culture for First Nations in the area. This tangible, immediate, and deep connection to the lands and waters is closely related to the degree of resolve among First Nations opposing Gateway. Russell Ross Jr., a Haisla councillor, says opposition is unanimous among the roughly 800 Haisla residents of Kitamaat Village.

The big question now is whether Enbridge will stay the course, and if so, whether Ottawa will approve the project. Will Gateway proceed to the point of open confrontation with First Nations?

Officially, the project is still on track. If that doesn’t change, Ottawa will be faced with the prospect of fighting numerous First Nations in court — First Nations that have not signed treaties or otherwise ceded their lands, which gives them a stronger legal leg to stand on. Ottawa will also face the prospect of arresting dozens of respected and articulate aboriginal leaders and elders, along with many more community members, as the world looks on.

It may not come to this. The project may be quietly shelved at some point. But if Ottawa and Enbridge do not relent, Canada may face a defining moment in terms of aboriginal relations.

The question Northern Gateway presents is not only whether Canada should build its future, in part, with the proceeds of bitumen exports, but whether a federal resource development plan that steamrolls First Nations who oppose projects is tenable.

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Law 35 in Quebec

Gabrielle Bouchard, Peer Support & Advocacy Program Coordinator at the Centre for Gender Advocacy On April 17, 2013, the provincial government presented an omnibus bill to update the civil code. This presented the perfect opportunity to secure real trans rights in Quebec. Essentially, it is currently law that trans people be officially outed in public and in the press. Bill 35, proposed by the Parti Québecois and first introduced by the Liberals as Bill 70 in 2012, had a provision to change that.

It included articles that would have removed the requirement for trans people to publish name and sex changes.

Up until now, a trans person wanting to legally change their name was required to take out a notice in the newspaper for two weeks, publishing their birth name, the name they have chosen for themselves, and their home address. That’s right— their home address. Furthermore, every gender marker change is published in the province’s official Gazette.

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Trans advocacy groups, mental health professionals, and allies thought it was time to go further and give trans people real rights. We presented at the Committee on Institutions, requesting three additions to Bill 35. WWe sought to remove three restrictions on who can file for gender-marker changes: the minimum age requirement, surgical and medical treatment requirements, and the requirement of Canadian citizenship. We were able to create a large consensus with tons of documentation. Even the psychiatric medical doctor of Quebec was on board, for crying out loud!

But it was not to be. This spring, the Liberal party filibustered the bill, and it does not look like the fall session will end well for Bill 35. Unbelievably, this is the very party that instituted Quebec’s plan to fight homophobia!

But the Liberals have shown their true nature regarding trans issues. Putting small newspapers’ financial needs before the security of trans people, making analogies with pedophiles, wanting the public to make a decision on trans rights: these were all follies we had to endure during the commission, all hidden behind the pretense of wanting to be “thorough and wellinformed.”

So what’s next for Bill 35, you ask? Even if there are some gains, it looks like some trans people will still be left behind. The removal of certain forced medical treatments is the most we expect to gain. Trans youth and migrant trans people’s rights will not be tackled. Those who are most vulnerable today will still be marginalized in tomorrow’s laws. There remains much work to be done to achieve human rights for all. The movement continues!

To support the campaign to amend Bill 35, visit gofundme.com/droits-trans-rights!

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Being Fat Is Okay

thepursynurse.tumblr.com “Bodies are inherently valid” - Mark Aguhar (calloutqueen) Fatphobia is a term for the systems of oppression in place to make the lives of fat people more difficult and less fulfilling. They range from things like fat people not being considered attractive, to fat people not being taken seriously, to fat people not being able to get jobs, to fat people not being able to find friends, partners, and/or community, to fat people not being able to access health care, and many other things. In short, fatphobia tells everyone that our self-worth hinges upon our body size and that those who are too big (using whatever arbitrary criteria like the BMI) are worthless.

In a capitalist society, there are actually many benefits to fatphobia and fat people feeling worthless. The Canadian diet industry makes billions of dollars a year, and Canadians are still as fat as ever (ditto for the USA)! The seeming legitimacy of “the obesity epidemic” only functions to promote further discrimination of fat people by transferring the negatives of fatness from simply an aesthetic issue to a health issue. That means that we now believe that it’s not only aesthetically unpleasant to be fat, it’s also bad for your health. Is it, though?

The Health At Every Size (HAES) movement has been trying to suggest that people can be healthy no matter what their size is, and that being fat, on its own, is not enough to say that someone is unhealthy. In fact, there are quite a few studies now that not only show that being some levels of fat doesn’t

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negatively impact your life, but that it can actually positively impact your life, and increase your lifespan by a few years (see Flegal et al., 2013 to start with).

But, why take our movement in that direction? Why are we leaving our “unhealthy” brothers and sisters by the wayside so that we can prove to nonfat people that being fat doesn’t cause X disorder or decrease your life expectancy by Y years?

Body positivity movements should aim to strive for ending oppressions of all fat people, not only those that society prizes most highly or despises the least. If we allow the focus of fatphobia to be shifted from aesthetics to health, we leave ourselves open to people shifting the focus to something else once there’s nothing left to reap from the “being fat is unhealthy” phase.

So what’s the solution? I think it’s that being fat is okay. Period. No caveats.

Body size is nothing more than a description. Being fat and being unhealthy are two separate things that are both okay, and life goes on. So stop feeling sad that you look fat in that dress, or those pants. You do look fat, but that’s ‘cause you are fat, and there’s nothing wrong with that at all.

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Why Should I Become a Pen-Pal to a Queer Prisoner?

What’s Prison Abolition?

The Prisoner Correspondence Project - prisonercorrespondenceproject.com Prison Abolition: The experiences of those who have been affected by the criminal (in)justice system, along with numerous studies, show us that prisons do not provide justice, or public safety. Prisons are extremely violent and damaging environments that leave people who come out (the vast majority of people in prison will eventually return to their communities) much worse off physically, emotionally, and psychologically than when they came in. Recidivism rates in Canada are estimated at between 50% and 80%. Prisons fail to give any kind of healing to victims, or accountability to communities. What we need are community-based responses that keep perpetrators accountable and provide self-determination of victims, while at the same time transforming the conditions that created violence in the first place (it is also worth noting that over 85% of people in prison in Canada are there for non-violent crimes). Affordable housing; accessible, well-paying and safe jobs; education and health care; personal relationships based on equality, not domination—these are the things that keep us safe. Abolition is the idea that prisons cannot be reformed, made more humane, made more environmentally conscious—they just have to go. Check out the Transformative Justice section in School Schmool (the following article) to learn more about the alternatives to incarceration.

Why should I become a pen-pal to a queer prisoner? While it can be intense at times, corresponding with people in prison often leads to enriching,

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interesting, and engaging relationships. Through these dialogues we (people on the outside) are reminded that people on the inside are just that: people, who deserve to be treated as such, and who are in need of support and human connection. Gender enforcement is very strong in prison, and queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming people face disproportionate levels of harassment and violence from other inmates as well as prison guards. Writing to a queer person in prison can make a huge difference in their lives, breaking the isolation of imprisonment, and providing a link to the outside world.

People most directly affected by state violence often have the strongest critique of state structures, analysis on how to dismantle them, and ideas on how to build for a healthier future. People who have experienced the intersections of various oppressions—such as incarcerated and formerly incarcerated queer people, many of whom are people of colour and poor—are the people that need to be leading movements for justice. Helping a queer person in prison (as well as every person in prison) survive is a very radical activity.

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Transformative Justice 101 Think about a conflict you have had or witnessed others having, in which there came a moment that police involvement was considered. Think about what factors went into that decision: did 911 seem like an attractive or safe option for anyone experiencing the conflict? Transformative Justice (TJ) has been slowly gaining recognition in activist communities because we recognize that the criminal injustice system has so often failed us—made us more vulnerable, given already-marginalized folks police records or time in prison, and compounded the violence we were already trying to deal with before the system got involved.

TJ is a way of practicing alternative justice which acknowledges individual experiences and identities and works to actively resist the state’s criminal injustice system. Because TJ tries to address harm without looking to cops or courts, it is both extremely flexible as well as deeply scary—how do we unite as a community in holding accountable those who have done harm? How do we hold space for the people experiencing harm to feel safe, while also allowing those who have harmed to remain living in their community, keep their job and status, stay close to their families?

Generation FIVE (an organization dedicated to ending child sexual abuse within five generations) does a great job of laying out the main goals, principles, and questions of TJ. These are their words:

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The goals of Transformative Justice are as follows:

+Safety, healing, and agency for survivors; +Accountability and transformation for people who harm; +Community action, healing, and accountability; +Transformation of the social conditions that perpetuate violence—systems of oppression and exploitation, domination, and state violence.

But what does TJ mean in practice? The truth is, we don’t know yet, although we see a rich history emerging out of amazing and brave community attempts at TJ. Some local examples include QPIRG’s Conflict Resolution and Complaints Committee (CRCC), as well as community accountability processes designed to hold accountable people who have done harm to the people whom they have harmed. A beautiful and inspiring book came out in 2011 (see below) that details some of these community accountability processes and discusses what worked, what didn’t, and how this shit is hard and heartbreaking but still so worth it.

chen, ching-in, jai dulani, and leah lakshmi piepzna-samarasinha, eds. 2011. the revolution starts at home: confronting intimate violence within activist communities. brooklyn, ny: south end press.

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Assurance-Chômage: encore un clou dans le cercueil Hans Marotte Mouvement Action Chômage de Montréal macmtl@macmtl.qc.ca

Depuis la fin des années quatre-vingt, les gouvernements fédéraux ont tous sabré sauvagement dans l’assurance-chômage.

En 1990, sous Mulroney, le gouvernement a cessé de financer la caisse d’assurance-chômage, afin qu’elle soit uniquement soutenue par les employeurs et les travailleurs, et il a instauré des exclusions pour départ volontaire ou congédiement pour inconduite.

Chrétien a augmenté de façon significative les seuils d’admissibilité aux prestations demandant plus de temps de travail pour y avoir droit, en réduisant leur durée et le montant des prestations. En somme: travailler beaucoup plus, pour recevoir beaucoup moins, pendant beaucoup moins longtemps.

Paul Martin a été le champion du détournement des fonds. Plus de cinquante milliards de dollars des employeurs et des travailleurs ont servi à d’autres fins que celle d’indemniser les chômeurs.

Les modifications du gouvernement Harper qui prévalent depuis janvier 2013 s’attaquent aux chômeurs et chômeuses plutôt qu’au chômage. La mesure la plus significative est celle de l’ « emploi convenable », ce qui se définit comme

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étant le même type d’emploi occupé auparavant, mais avec une diminution de salaire selon les règles suivantes: a) travailleurs de longue date (TLD) Ayant cotisé au régime pendant sept des dix dernières années et ayant touché des prestations pendant moins de trente cinq semaines sur les cinq dernières années. Ils doivent accepter s’il y a un emploi à 90% de la rémunération précédente jusqu’à la 19ième semaine lorsqu’ils devront accepter 80% du salaire habituel. b) prestataires fréquents Ayant demandé plus de trois fois des prestations régulières et touché des prestations pendant plus de soixante semaines au cours des cinq dernières années. Ces derniers doivent accepter un emploi à 80% de la rémunération précédente jusqu’à la septième semaine, après quoi ils doivent accepter « tout travail pour lequel il a les qualifications nécessaires (avec formation en cours d’emploi, au besoin) à 70% de la rémunération précédente ». c) prestataires occasionnels Cette catégorie englobe tout le reste. Ces derniers doivent accepter un emploi à 90% de la rémunération précédente jusqu’à la septième semaine, après la 18ième semaine ils doivent accepter un emploi à 80% de la rémunération précédente. Puis après la 19ième semaine ils doivent accepter accepter tout travail à 70% de la rémunération habituelle.

Par ces mesures, le gouvernement pénalise les chômeurs fréquents et c’est le patronat qui y gagne puisque les nouvelles mesures pousseront les gens à accepter des conditions de travail inacceptables sous peine de voir leurs prestations coupées s’ils refusent un emploi « sans motif valable ».

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Creating the World I Want Juniper Glass

It is a cold morning after a huge snowfall. I have an early meeting with a potential funder for the social justice organization I work for, but my kid is putting up a fuss. I am late and impatient and not looking forward to the trek across the neighbourhood to drop him off. Once outside, my son waves at a girl on the sidewalk. It turns out they know each other from daycare. She and her dads live right next door. They also have a car and give us a lift. The burden of isolation and responsibility for a little human being lift.

Having a child in MontrĂŠal has pushed me out of my bubble and expanded my community. I used to keep to myself, but now I make a point to introduce myself to neighbours so that I feel more secure and know who I can turn to if I need help. I have met and become friends with folks I would not have known otherwise and this has expanded my understanding of social justice as I discover new viewpoints and am united with people who care so very deeply about their children.

Winter can be isolating and exhausting, especially with the extra difficulty getting around, which is exponentially

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increased with children. Living without a partner or roommates can be even tougher. We get through winter by making sure we visit often with friends.

I invite folks over for dinner during the week. On the weekends, instead of short visits, it is great to spend the whole day hanging out with another family.

It’s also super fun to do sleepovers with kids and parents! I know of a collective of three families who set up a great winter survival technique: every Tuesday one family hosts and provides dinner, rotating through the three of them.

There are times when my universe is necessarily focused on just my child, family, and sustaining myself. Then life shifts and I have energy for new work.

This year it is creating a new alternative public school in our neighbourhood. A group of parents got together, dreamed big, did our research, pooled our skills and contacts, and now it looks like my kid and hundreds more after him will benefit from child-directed, social justice–infused, community-supported education. More than anything I have ever done, being a parent brings home how everyday interactions and choices are the main tool I have for creating the world I want.

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Bees-Ness in Montreal

Cameron Stiff - lesabeillesdespossibles.wordpress.com It was spring of 2007 when I saw the headline: “Millions of bees mysteriously vanish. Cause unknown.” I had been working on national and international climate change efforts for a few years, but was feeling burnt out. I had resolved to focus on local sustainable development in my community.

I’ve always had an affinity for insects. My first environmental action, at the age of six, was protecting a colony of black ants from attack by my neighbour, who hated bugs (a common sentiment in our society). This dislike puzzled me—insects seemed so cool, with their exoskeletons, enormous strength, architectural prowess, and beautiful colours and shapes.

The rapid disappearance of honeybees became a major issue largely due to to their importance in modern agriculture. Farmers have an oh-too-pivotal reliance on bee pollination to produce fruiting crops, which is why it is standard practice is to truck bee hives from California (almonds) to Florida (oranges) to wherever, placing a significant stress on colonies.

“Colony collapse disorder” (unexplained, sudden abandonment of a hive or mass death of bees) has been stirring headlines. A multiplicity of factors—cell phone signals, mass migration of bees around Turtle Island for pollination services, intensive treatment with antibiotics for parasites and diseases, and exposure to pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals in industrial agriculture—may all be playing a role. Most recently, scientists have begun

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hypothesizing that chemicals used in agriculture suppresses bees’ immune systems, leaving them vulnerable to infection with a parasite called Nosema ceranae. Whatever the reason, this tragic and terrifying phenomenon seems like just one more symptom of a world gone crazy.

So when I got the chance to start beekeeping in 2012, I jumped on it. I put a call out to my network and formed a collective, called the Newbees. Our hive is in the Champs des Possibles, aka the Mile End Meadow. We meet weekly to tend to the bees, plan activities, participate in events, and generally do whatever we can to raise awareness about the importance of the honeybee, and all insects, on Earth.

If you’d like to help, there are a number of things you can do. Making personal choices that support organic agriculture and apiculture (beekeeping) is a great start.

Reaching out to friends and family to get them on board is great too. You can get involved politically in anti-GMO campaigns, in the movement for organic agriculture, and in campaigns against the use of pesticides, especially neonicotinoids, the new class of pesticides being pushed by multinational companies like Bayer and Monsanto. If you’d like to keep your own bees, you can check out Miel Montreal—our city’s urban apiculture co-operative—for hives, information, and training opportunities. You can also sign up with Alvéole (alveolemtl.com), a project started by three beekeepers in Montreal that seeks to make beekeeping accessible to all city dwellers. They will install and maintain a hive on your balcony, rooftop, or garden for a fee.

Concordia and McGill also have beekeeping projects you can check out.

The bees have a lot to teach us—above all, respect, organization, and collective service. We certainly have a lot to gain by heeding their cry and taking action for sustainability now, before it’s too late. And what better reward than sweet, delicious honey and a better world for all beings?

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But Disability Is Different…

AJ Withers

Time and time again, people make the argument that disabled people don’t have to be included in social justice movements because disabled people are “different.” Disabled people, they say, are different from other subordinated groups because we have an “intrinsic hardship.” Disabled people, they say, are different because there is something wrong with us. Disabled people, they say, aren’t entitled to the same kinds of social inclusion and social justice because we simply can’t do certain things—our exclusion is justified.

Maybe you’ve even said this. I know I certainly have—before I dealt with my internalized disablism and educated myself about disability politics. This is one way that disablism works. It convinces us that disabled people are separate and different so there is no need to fight back, no need to be an ally. Indeed, widely respected feminists, anti-racists, anti-capitalists, queer liberationists/ gay rights activists and trans liberationists/trans rights activists have all said it.

To a certain extent, every identity-based movement has worked to distance itself from disability and disabled people—screwing over their own otherwisedisabled members in the process. However, women, people of colour, poor and working class people, queer and trans people have all been widely (if not entirely) considered disabled at some point in history.

The argument that those groups were different and simply not as capable as rich-straight-white-men was seen as incontrovertible truth. Now we know otherwise. It is important to question: why it is okay to make disabled people

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an exception? Why it is okay to justify the continued oppression of disabled people—even in social justice movements? Why, when biology is now widely understood to be a social construction and not an acceptable justification for the oppression of other groups, is biology deemed to be neutral in the case of disabled people? Why is it okay to pay lip service to ending only certain kinds of marginalization and oppression for disabled people and leave others intact?

Do we really want to allow entitlement to social justice based on how closely people adhere to arbitrary views of normal? Is it okay to continue to hold to ideas that justice is only for some, not all? Dig deep. Do you have an answer to these questions that is actually valid or do you just rely on your problematic assumptions about disability to justify disabled people’s oppression? Let’s stop building a world where some people just can’t fit and excluding those people for being who they are. Let’s build a better world.

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resources, links, tips, and information sexual health +online: sexualityandu.ca +mcgill health services (for mcgill students): ste 3300, brown building, 3600 mctavish, (514) 398-6017 +shag shop: next to health services, (514) 398-2087 +concordia health services (for concordia students): 1550 de maisonneuve w., room gm-200, (514) 848-2424 x3565 +head & hands (for those aged 12-25): 5833 sherbrooke w, (514) 481-0277 (for medical clinics, info, and education) +info santé line: dial 811 to speak directly to a nurse parenting resources +magarderie.com – this site can help parents find a daycare. there aren’t enough spaces in cpes (centres de la petite enfance) for everyone, but private daycares are plentiful. the provincial government pays up to a 70% subsidy for daycare costs based on family income – apply for the advance payment so you get it every month instead of at tax time. +kids fringe, kids pop, children’s activities at pride, the anarchist book fair, museums, and on and on… lots of great free stuff to do. +coalition des familles homoparentales – a great network for lgbt parents and their families.

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mental health, crises, sexual assault, suicide, etc. suicide +action suicide (514) 723-4000 +1-866-appelle (277-3553) sexual assault +sacomss (514) 398-8500 +montreal sexual assault centre (514) 934-4504 mental health & counselling (mcgill) +mcgill counselling (downtown campus) brown student services building, 4th floor 3600 mctavish 514-398-3601 +mcgill counselling (macdonald campus) student service centre (centennial centre) 514-398-7992 +mental health clinic drop-in, monday through friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 5th floor, brown student services building, 3600 mctavish st.

514-398-6019 mental health & counselling (concordia) counselling & development: +sgw campus: 1455 de maisonneuve w. h-440 telephone number 848-2424 ext 3545 +loyola campus: 7141 sherbrooke st. w.-ad-103 telephone 848-2424 ext. 3555 peer support program +sgw campus: 2090 mackay, annex z, room 02 (downstairs) telephone number 848-2424 ext. 2859 49

+loyola campus: 7141 sherbrooke st. w., guadagni lounge cc 408 anarchist and anti-capitalist spaces +la belle époque (anarchist social space) 1984 wellington epoquemtl.org +la déferle (anarchist social space) 1407 valois au1407.org +dira (anarchist library) 2035 boulevard st. laurent +l’insoumise (anarchist bookstore) 2033 st. laurent insoumise.wordpress.com +maison norman bethune (librairie & bureau d’information politique) 1918 rue frontenac 514 563 1487 maisonnormanbethune.ca hors de montréal +la page noire / l’agitée (workers’ co-op bar and anarchist bookstore) 265 rue dorchester, québec (quartier st. roch) blogpagenoire.blogspot.ca

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radical info-pages, blogs, etc. +montreal counter-information mtlcounter-info.org (for the diffusion of radical posters, flyers, zines and other counter-info materials, primarily produced in and for montreal) +la solide lasolide.info (launched after the 2012 student strike, the site is intended for information and updates about state repression of radicals in montreal and elsewhere in north america) +sabotage media sabotagemedia.anarkhia.org (from calls to action, local struggles and direct actions, to action across the world) +la mitrailleuse (collectif de diffusion anarchiste Ă montrĂŠal) lamitrailleuse.noblogs.org

indigenous resources +warriorpublications.wordpress.com +mcgill.ca/socialwork/students/aboriginal +nativeappropriations.blogspot.ca +apihtawikosisan.com +dechinta.ca +reseaumtlnetwork.com/eng +podcasts.mcgill.ca/law-society/aboriginal-field-course +cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire/index.html +indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home.html +kahnawake.com +easterndoor.com 51

transformative justice resources, books, & groups +life after life - genderadvocacy.org/life-after-life +connect: safe families, peaceful communities - connectnyc.org +incite! women of color against violence - incite-national.org +sista ii sista—sisters liberated ground - sistaiisista.org +young women’s empowerment project - youarepriceless.org +cara communities against rape and abuse cara-seattle.blogspot.com +generation five (us and canada) - generationfive.org +stop storytelling & organizing project - stopviolenceeveryday.org +far-out friends are reaching out - farout.org +raksha’s breaking the silence project - raksha.org/volunteer +justice now - jnow.org/who.html +critical resistance - criticalresistance.org +tgi justice project - tgijp.org a few tips and health resources that are based in politics of anti-oppression +check out theicarusproject.net to challenge some of the dominant discourses about mental health; +got a vagina? Get a copy of the hot pants zine! our bodies, ourselves is a great feminist health resource for female-bodied people; +nativeyouthsexualhealth.com does some amazing advocacy and work around sexual health and cultural competency; +having a baby? Consider getting a midwife or doula to help you, you might find the experience a lot more empowering: montrealbirthcompanions.org; +for information on the health realities of some racialized folks, check out the black women’s health imperative (usa) blackwomenshealth.org or the national aboriginal health organization (canada) naho.ca 52

group profiles La Convergence des luttes anticapitalistes (CLAC) a vu le jour en 2000 pour mobiliser contre le Sommet des Amériques de Québec en avril 2001. Après plusieurs mutations et une période de « dormance », la CLAC s’est reformée en janvier 2010, comme une convergence de groupes et d’individus, afin de coordonner une mobilisation anticapitaliste en vue des sommets du G8-G20 en Ontario.

La CLAC a le mandat de porter le discours anticapitaliste par l’organisation de campagnes et de manifestations. Depuis les trois dernières années, la CLAC a ainsi organisé la manifestation anticapitaliste annuelle du 1er mai, a appelé à des rassemblements contre différents sommets du G20, contre le rassemblement des jeunes Conservateurs à Montréal et la Conférence de Montréal et contre le Grand Prix de Formule 1. La CLAC a aussi dénoncé les diverses initiatives visant à criminaliser la résistance à Montréal, notamment la création et les agissements de l’escouade GAMMA par le SPVM et l’infâme règlement P6. La CLAC publie des journaux et des brochures, organise des teach-ins et des assemblées anti-capitalistes et supporte les arrêtéEs lors de diverses manifestations.

Pour plus d’information sur la CLAC et pour savoir comment vous impliquer : clac-montreal.net

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The Southwest Solidarity Network is a volunteer group of residents of Côte-Saint-Paul, Ville-Émard, Verdun, Pointe-Saint-Charles, Saint-Henri, Little Burgundy, and Griffintown, who believe in standing up to landlords and bosses. Our goal is to support each other in our individual struggles and build solidarity through collective organizing to deal with specific job, housing, and other problems caused by the rich and powerful. Are you having problems with your landlord or boss?

Join us! Let’s fight to win.

Le réseau de solidarité du sud-ouest est un groupe bénévole de résidentes et de résidents des municipalités de Côte-St-Paul, Ville-Émard, Verdun, Point-Saint-Charles, Saint-Henri, Petite-Bourgogne et Griffintown.

Nous croyons à l’établissement d’un rapport de force contre les patron-e-s et les propriétaires. Notre but est de nous soutenir conjointement dans nos luttes individuelles en établissant une solidarité à partir d’une organisation collective visant à régler des problèmes d’emploi, de logement ou bien tout autre conflit causé par les riches et les puissant-e-s. Rejoignez-nous! Luttons pour vaincre! info@solsudouest.net 438-863-9929

group profiles

The Collective Opposed to Police Brutality (COBP) is an autonomous group that is made up of victims, witnesses and/or those concerned by police brutality and all abuse perpetrated by the police. The collective was formed in 1995 from a defense committee for people arrested after a demonstration against Human Life International, a far-right group. In light of the increasingly intense repression, social cleansing, and impunity rampant in Montreal, the COBP decided to organize on a permanent basis to continue its battle against police brutality.

work with homeless here in Montreal and elsewhere in Quebec. The COBP does regular workshops and discussions on rights and police abuse which are available upon request.

Since March 15th 1997, COBP has organized an annual demonstration in the streets of Montreal to highlight the International Day against Police Brutality. cobp.resist.ca cobp@hotmail.com 514-395-9691

The COBP’s goal is to not only denounce the harassment, violence, intimidation, arrests and abuse of power by police, but to inform people of their rights and lend support to victims.We have also published several brochures, mostly on neighbourhood policing, secret police and political espionage. Since 1998, we have distributed over 35,000 copies of our booklet “Guess what! We’ve got rights?!” in French, English and Spanish to individuals and at the request of community groups that

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group profiles

Life after Life is a new collective run mutually by street-involved and/or formerly incarcerated girls, women and transgender people. Our aim is to build a viable community for people coming out of punitive state institutions (prisons, jails, youth detention and immigrant detention centers, homeless shelters, psychiatric hospitals, group homes and foster care, etc.) who need a space to heal and support each other, and nurture their advocacy and leadership skills.

In addition to leadership capacity building, we also focus on educational attainment and collective knowledge production. Specifically, we are currently co-piloting an Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program course located at a women’s prison in collaboration with both community and university educators. In addition, we design and facilitate workshops on addressing intimate, interpersonal, and institutional violence using Transformative Justice models.

We also hold and participate in local events, such as book launches, film screenings, discussions, and poetry readings surrounding different issues

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faced by formerly and currently incarcerated communities, and community accountability. Lastly, we are focused on connecting with other groups working with our communities across the United States and Canada in order to create resource guides, newsletters, and to sustain a network of mutual support and knowledge sharing.

If you’re a formerly incarcerated girl, woman, and/or trans person who is interested in collaborating with LAL, please contact us! lifeafterlife@centre2110.org centre2110.org/life-after-life

Recon strives to reconnect lifers (people with life sentences) with the community on the outside of prison.

To achieve this goal, group members attend weekly meetings at the Federal Training Centre in Laval. Often guests will come to our meetings and conduct workshops or activities.

Sometimes these activities are geared towards reintegration and at times they serve more to aid in socialization between group members. In addition, Recon holds bi-monthly meetings in downtown Montreal with outside volunteers, people on parole and currently incarcerated people who have passes that allow them to leave the prison. contact us at: recon.ftc@gmail.com

group profiles

The Prisoner Correspondence Project is a collectively-run initiative based out of Montreal, Quebec. We coordinate a direct-correspondence program for gay, lesbian, transsexual, transgender, gendervariant, two-spirit, intersex, bisexua,l and queer inmates in Canada and the United States, linking these inmates with people a part of these same communities outside of prison. We also coordinate a resource library and make these available for free for inmates, and write and send in a beautiful, twice-yearly newsletter.

We are always looking for new nonincarcerated folks to become penpals, as well as for energetic people to come in and check the mail with us or get involved in the collective! queertrans.prisonersolidarity@ gmail.com prisonercorrespondenceproject.com

La Belle Époque is a self-organized anarchist social space located at 1984 rue Wellington. The goal of the space is to facilitate collective reflection around our ideas and experiences, meet each other, and learn about current struggles. We hope to contribute to building a dynamic anarchist space in a broader sense.

The space is used for discussions, film screenings, reading groups, and social events. It is also home to a lending library, zine-distros, and a queer youth drop-in. Anyone interested in proposing a workshop or other idea for the space is welcome to do so at the monthly proposals night.

For more info: epoquemtl.org Or email: labelleepoque@riseup.net

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group profiles

KANATA is dedicated to The First Peoples’ House McGill University is situated on traditional Haudenosaunee territories.

The First Peoples’ House, part of Student Services, is dedicated to providing support for First Nations, Inuit and Métis students at McGill.

Playing many roles, including those of residence, gathering place and resource centre, the First Peoples’ House is first and foremost a community. The First Peoples’ House also plans activities and special events throughout the year, such as the annual Pow Wow, to raise awareness within the McGill and Montreal communities regarding the past, present, and future aspirations of Indigenous peoples. Contact us to find out how you can get involved!

First Peoples’ House 3505 Peel street Montreal, Quebec H3A 1W7 514-398-3217 mcgill.ca/fph

providing a safe space and avenue for dialogue with Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples on issues pertaining to Indigenous culture in North America. We seek to expand Indigenous Studies at McGill by publishing student research papers, artwork, and other related content in our Journal; creating a platform for interactive presentation and exchange in our Peer-to-Peer Conference; and lobbying for an official minor program in Indigenous Studies (which has recently received approval and funding). Ultimately, we seek to connect and expand community at McGill and beyond the Roddick Gates. kanata.mcgill@gmail.com qpirgmcgill.org/kanata McGill’s Aboriginal Network is a source of information about Aboriginal-focused student groups, on-campus events, and off-campus resources. You can browse our calendar for upcoming events, get involved with Indigenous-related research, and find resources on education, health, and other topics.

Aboriginal Network at McGill aboriginalnetwork.mcgill.ca

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group profiles

Solidarity Across Borders Justice and dignity for migrants and refugees! We demand Status for All! We resist deportations and detentions, and we struggle for a full and comprehensive regularization program for all non-status migrants. We are a network comprised of migrants, refugees, non-status people and allies that support individuals and families in diverse ways as they confront the immigration system. We also oppose and fight ‘double punishment’, the deportation of non-citizens with a criminal record, which mainly targets people in poor and racialized communities that have lived and worked in Canada for the majority of their lives.

Since 2004, we have collectively built a network of mutual aid and support for migrants struggling for status and survival in the Montreal-area and beyond. Together, we aim to break fear and isolation and instead build a Solidarity City where all can live with full dignity.

Dignidad Migrante is a group of Spanish speaking im/migrant workers and their allies who fight together against labour exploitation. We fight for the right to access basic social services with the same conditions and opportunities as citizens, regardless of workers’ migrant status. We are anticapitalist and feminist and are open to working with other groups who share in our struggle and who do not speak Spanish.

solidaritesansfrontieres@gmail.com 438-933-7654 solidarityacrossborders.org

dignidadmigrante@gmail.com

Objectives: Bring together im/migrant workers in Montreal who face injustice and exploitation in the workplace, without regard for their employment status Create a safe space for people of this community get organized and fight against the exploitation and injustice faced by im/migrant workers To sensitize the general public about problems and issues surrounding labour and migration though methods such as popular education

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group profiles

Stella is an organization by and for sex workers in Montreal.

Our goals are: • to provide support and information to sex-workers so that they may live in safety and with dignity; • to sensitize and educate the public about sex work and the realities faced by sex workers; • to fight discrimination against sex workers; • to promote the decriminalisation of sex work.

Not only do we run a drop-in centre reserved for sex-workers, but we also

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produce Bad Tricks and Assaulters Lists included into our monthly Bulletin, a health-education prison project with sex workers behind bars, a free, anonymous and confidential medical clinic with Doctors of the World twice a month, a floating legal clinic, free access to STI prevention materials, Stella Positive, a meeting and activity group for HIV positive sex workers, legal and medical accompaniments, harm-reduction-based support and prevention materials for sex workers who use drugs, art workshops, community meals, and much more.

We reach thousands of sex workers every year, though outreach shifts with street-level sex-workers, escorts, masseuses and dancers.

Stella favours empowerment and solidarity by and amongst sex workers, since we are committed to the idea that each of us has a place in society, and that rights are worth defending. stellappp@videotron.ca chezstella.org

Action Santé Travesti(e)s et Transsexuel(le)s du Québec, or ASTT(E)Q, is a project of CACTUS Montreal, and was founded in the late nineties in order to encourage the health and well-being of trans people through access to resources and support. The organization aims to develop and strengthen trans people’s social and medical support networks. We also work to educate health and social service providers regarding transsexuality and gender variance. We provide information about the medical, social, and legal aspects of trans people’s lives and transitioning.

group profiles

The Union for Gender Empowerment is a trans*-positive feminist organization. We coordinate an alternative library; a co-op stocking pay-what-you-can ecologically responsible menstrual products, DIY sex toys, safer sex supplies, and gender empowerment items; and a zine library and distro. The UGE also runs trans* 101/allyship and anti-oppression workshops for other organizations and projects, and maintains a resource binder with information about abortion services, counselling, and queer/trans*-friendly health services in Montreal.

Our office and lounge space is a wheelchair-accessible safe(r) space for people of all genders, and is equipped with a microwave, dishes, a kettle, and lots of tea! Stop by to eat lunch and hang out!

You can find us in room 413, on the 4th floor of the Shatner University Centre at McGill University. unionforgenderempowerment.wordpress. com.

(514) 398-2569

The Centre for Gender Advocacy is an independent, student-funded, Concordia University organization, mandated to promoting gender equality and empowerment particularly as it relates to marginalized communities. We believe that gender oppression is inextricably linked to social and economic justice, and work to achieve our mandate within a feminist framework that challenges systemic oppressions. Through ongoing programming, campaigns, resources, services, and advocacy, the Centre for Gender Advocacy works in support and solidarity with social movements, provides confidential peer-to-peer support, collaborates with volunteers, and provides an accessible space to facilitate community organizing and action, all while promoting gender self-determination, bodily sovereignty, and self-love. genderadvocacy.org 514-937-2110

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group profiles

Montreal Birth Companions (MBC) / Les Accompagnantes Ă la Naissance de Montreal

The Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS) is a volunteer-run organization committed to supporting and empowering survivors of sexual assault and their allies through direct support, advocacy, and outreach.

We provide a safe, accessible, and nonjudgemental space with services open to the public and provided free of charge.

MBC provides free doula services to marginalised communities and makes great efforts on improving pregnancy and birth experiences for all. Doula work is about providing non-judgmental and unconditional support to pregnant and parenting people. We are always looking for volunteers who would like to get involved! montrealbirthcompanions@gmail.com

For those interested in volunteering with one of our branches (Support Line and Drop-In Centre, Support Groups, Advocacy, Outreach), trainings are offered at the beginning of each semester.

Shatner Building, 3480 McTavish, Room B-27 514-398-8500 main@sacomss.org www.sacomss.org www.facebook.com/sacomss

The Montreal Childcare Collective offers strategic childcare in response to the fact that childcare is frequently overlooked and underappreciated. We aim to assist parents, caregivers, youth and children, including but not limited to low-income communities, non-status and immigrant communities, communities of colour, and queer and trans communities. childcarecollective.blogspot.com childcarecollective@riseup.net 514-848-7583

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group profiles

The Midnight Kitchen serves pay-what you-can vegan lunches on weekdays @ 12:30 pm in room 302 of the Shatner (SSMU) building. As part of our social and political programming, we also organize educational events and workshops, support direct action and grassroots organizing, have a radical library, and distribute a newsletter each semester. We also cook in solidarity for political and communitybased events that are keeping within our anti-oppression and political mandate. We’re always looking for new volunteers and collective members!

You can volunteer by emailing us at midnightkitchencollective@gmail.com or filling out a volunteer form at our kitchen, located on the third floor. themidnightkitchen.wordpress.com

Initiated in 1999 to address student poverty, the People’s Potato is an autonomous, non-profit, vegan, community kitchen. We serve four-course vegan lunches and work with community groups on broader goals of social justice, environmental sustainability and food security issues.

Lunch is served on the 7th floor of the Hall building every Monday to Friday during the school year from 12:30pm2pm. Meals are offered on a bydonation, pay-what-you-can basis. No one is turned away! We strive to create an accessible and anti-oppressive space for collective members, volunteers and everyone who enjoys our meals. This project would not be possible without our amazing volunteers! peoplespotato@gmail.com peoplespotato.com

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group profiles

The McGill Farmers’ Market provides students, employees, and neighborhood residents the opportunity to buy fresh, organic, local food directly from the farmers who produce it, and to engage with community and student groups working on sustainability initiatives.

The Market takes place every Thursday from 12 to 5 pm on McTavish Street, from August 29th to October 24th 2013 and also offers summer and fall CSA basket sessions. mcgillfarmersmarket.blogspot.com

Le Frigo Vert is a non-profit, collectively-run natural food store and social justice organization, funded by the students of Concordia University. We strive to provide a viable alternative to the current corporate food distribution system. We aim to provide affordable healthy food to the community at a fair price to producers, and to collect and share educational resources and skills that help us challenge the oppressive systems.

Located at 2130 Mackay Street we have a kitchen and a lounge area that people can use and that may be booked for meetings. Unfortunately our current location is not wheelchair accessible.

Santropol Roulant We believe that good food has the power to change lives, and to make the world a better and happier place.

Come help us garden, cook, package and deliver meals to seniors and people living with a loss of autonomy. Fix bikes in our bike shop, compost kitchen waste on-site, and help us out at events or with special projects.

We’re always looking for new volunteers and friends to join the fray and have a laugh with us as we learn and work together to improve food security and nourish Montreal and montrealers.

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111 Roy, corner Coloniale, in the Plateau.

group profiles

Campus Crops is an urban agriculture/ gardening initiative run mostly by McGill students but open to everyone.

We’re interested in organic gardening, social and environmental justice, and popular education on foodrelated issues. We grow organic food, herbs, flowers and medicinal plants in our gardens behind the McGill School of Environment and James Administration buildings. We also run workshops throughout the year on indoor gardening, food politics 101, and more! We always need lots of helping hands in the garden, so please get in touch if you’re interested!

The Flat is a collective that encourages cycling through the sharing of knowledge and tools. We have everything you need to learn how to fix your bike. All persons and bikes welcome - no experience necessary! We seek to make bicycling more accessible, provide a welcoming environment, minimize our environmental impact, and promote a greater sense of community.

3480 McTavish SSMU Building B-02 theflat.bikecollective@gmail.com theflat.wordpress.com

campuscrops@gmail.com campuscropsmcgill.blogspot.ca facebook.com/campuscrops

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group profiles

CINEMA POLITICA TURNS 10!

Cinema Politica is a Montreal-based non-profit network of community and campus locals that screen independent political film and video by Canadian and international artists. In Montreal, Concordia’s local is Cinema Politica’s largest and longest-running one, but there are also CP locals in McGill and

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*CKUT* is McGill’s kick-ass campuscommunity radio station. CKUT broadcasts live on *90.3FM* and can be streamed or downloaded from *ckut.ca*. Our programming covers very diverse musical genres, news, arts, and culture. As a non-commercial, alternative station what you hear on our airwaves is unlike what you get from mainstream commercial outlets.

The best part is people just like you make our radio programming - McGill students and Montreal community members!

UQAM. Each semester they screen powerful independent documentaries and connect students to artists and local activists. To see the schedule for this year, please visit the website! info@cinemapolitica.org cinemapolitica.org

If you would like to get involved, come up to 3647 University. We have orientations every 3rd Thursday of the month at noon, 3pm, and 6pm.

There is a wealth of knowledge, skills, and hands-on-experience to be gained at CKUT. Come by and learn how to make radio!

90.3 fm ckut.ca music.ckut.ca campusmixtapes.org

group profiles

Rock Camp for Girls Montreal is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit, 5-day music camp where girls from ages 10-17 learn and practice instruments, form a band, write an original song together, and perform at the Showcase Concert. Through collaborative music composition and performance, as well as non-music workshops based in feminist and anti-oppression frameworks, Rock Camp aims to foster the development of self-esteem, skill-building, critical thinking and empowerment. Rock Camp is a space where girls discover and express their talents, and become leaders in creating their own kind of cultural production through music. The goal is for girls to rock in all aspects of life. girlsrockmontreal.org

Chaotic Insurrection Ensemble We are an activist marching band which organizes according to anarchist principles. We play songs of a political nature in remembrance of worldwide struggles against oppression; these songs are historical monuments to our own culture of resistance and are played to inspire our communities. We seek to reclaim public spaces, to help make political movements fun and exciting, and to celebrate resistance in a way that reflects our vision of the world we want to live in. Born for the 2006 “Status for All� Demo in Montreal, we have been marching ever since. Many marchers have come and gone, and many have yet to come... maybe you are one of them? chaoticinsurrectionensemble.org

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group profiles

The Link is an independent, studentrun, not-for-profit newspaper at Concordia. We aim to publish stories not usually covered by mainstream media, with a focus on advocacy journalism. The Link is a progressive entity with a staff that believes in tolerance and promotes a positive message of diversity and equality.

Founded in 1980, The Link has a tradition of advocating for people and groups who are marginalized, oppressed, voiceless or simply rendered invisible because of the nature of their situation. The Link publishes weekly in print, and online at thelinknewspaper.ca

The McGill Daily, in production for over 100 years, is an independent student newspaper at McGill University that aims to empower and give voice to marginalized groups on and off campus. The Daily publishes once weekly in print, and produces online content throughout the week. Its content and reporting are guided by an anti-oppressive mandate and a strong statement of principles that outlines the paper’s commitment to providing a critical and accessible analysis of the power dynamics inherent in institutions, issues, and current events.

For more information about the paper, or on how to contribute, contact us at: mcgilldaily.com coordinating@mcgilldaily.com

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group profiles

Actualité, société, arts & culture, chroniques…Retrouvez le Délit chaque mardi sur le campus! Le Délit français, ou plus simplement Le Délit, est le seul journal francophone de l’université McGill. Il a été créé en 1977 pour donner une voix aux étudiants de langue française. Le Délit est un journal étudiant indépendant. Il est distribué gratuitement sur le campus de McGill, une fois par semaine (le mardi). Tous les membres de la communauté mcgilloise sont invités à participer à la production du Délit.

Pour plus de renseignements sur le journal, et sur comment collaborer :

Folio is a student-run fine arts magazine that publishes the visual art of McGill students on a biannual basis. Folio primarily seeks to cultivate an appreciation for art in the McGill community while giving McGill artists the chance to showcase their work to a broad audience. It also acts as an ongoing archive of the McGill artistic community by presenting a diverse cross-section of creative work from applied design and street art, to painting and sculpture. foliomag@gmail.com

delitfrancais.com rec@delitfrancais.com

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group profiles

The Concordia Community Solidarity Co-op Bookstore is an independent and not-for-profit cooperative bookstore in downtown Montreal, on Concordia University’s downtown campus. As the only co-operative bookstore serving an Anglophone community in Quebec, and the only academically affiliated Solidarity Co-operative, we have been busy breaking barriers and offering an alternative to corporate-run book stores over the last 11 years.

Membership is $10.00 for life! $5.00 if you’re a Concordia Undergraduate.* No need to be a student to be a member – everyone is welcome!

Membership is not required, but has its benefits - such as member discounts and the opportunity to vote at our annual general meetings.

2150 Bishop Street Store: 514-848-2046 coopbookstore@gmail.com co-opbookstore.ca

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Queer Between the Covers is a collective of volunteers that aims to provide access to queer materials that are otherwise unavailable in Montreal, which has no long-standing queer bookstore. We seek to create queer community space and to support queer cultural production in Montreal.

The Queer Between the Covers collective organizes a queer bookfair every August as part of an alternative Pride series called Pervers/cité, which is a radical response to the continued commercialization and de-politicization of mainstream pride events in the city.

We also maintain a year-round queer and trans* book and zine distro and put on book launches and other smaller events every few months. We are always looking for new people to get involved! queerbetweenthecovers.org

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Spirituality, Days of Awe, Religions, Faith, & Organizing: A Discussion School Schmool has struggled with how to approach religious dates in the calendar, because we recognize that it would be impossible to list all the holidays & dates held dear to all the people in our various communities, but we equally recognize that spirituality and faith traditions are too often left out of our social justice movements, and we seek to change that. So, voila, our sincere and imperfect attempt: listed here are the important dates found on interfaithcalendar.org. We encourage you to consult it, as well as one another, when planning the revolution (or a collective meeting)!

1. * Holy days usually begin at sundown the day before this date.

2. ** Local or regional customs may use a variation of this date.

SEPTEMBER 2013 1 Ecclesiastical Year begins - Orthodox Christian 5-6 Rosh Hashanah * - Jewish 9 Ganesh Chaturthi ** - Hindu 10 Paryushana Parva ** - Jain 14 Yom Kippur* - Jewish Elevation of the Life Giving Cross - Holy Cross Day - Christian 19-25 Sukkot* - Jewish 22 Equinox Mabon * - Wicca/Pagan northern hemisphere Ostara * - Wicca/Pagan southern hemisphere 26 Shemini Atzeret * - Jewish 27 Simchat Torah * - Jewish Meskel - Ethiopian Christian 29 Michael and All Angels - Christian OCTOBER 2013 4 Saint Francis Day - Catholic Christian 5-13 Navaratri ** - Hindu 14 Waqf al Arafa - Hajj Day * ** - Islam Thanksgiving - Canada - Interfaith Dasera ** - Hindu 15-18 Eid al Adha * ** - Islam 18 Saint Luke - Apostle and Evangelist Christian 20 Birth of the Báb * - Baha’i Installation of Scriptures as Guru Granth Sikh 27 Reformation Day ** - Protestant Christian

31 All Hallows Eve - Christian NOVEMBER 2013 1 All Saints Day - Christian Samhain and Beltane * - Wicca/Pagan Northern and Southern hemispheres 1-5 Deepavali ** - Hindu 2 All Soul’s Day - Catholic Christian 3 Diwali - Deepavali ** - Hindu - Jain - Sikh Jain New Year ** - Jain 4 Hijra - New Year * ** - Islam 12 Birth of Baha’u’llah * - Bahai 13 Ashura * ** - Islam 4 Christ the King - Christian 14 Winter Lent begins to 12/25 - Orthodox Christian 17 Guru Nanak Dev Sahib birthday - Sikh 21 Yule - Christian 24 Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom - Sikh 26 Day of the Covenant * - Baha’i 28 Ascension of Abdu’l-Baha * - Baha’i Thanksgiving - USA - Interfaith 28-Dec 5 Hanukkah * - Judaism 30 Saint Andrew’s Day - Christian DECEMBER 2013 1 through 24 Advent (first Sunday) - Christian 6 Saint Nicholas Day - Christian 8 Rohatsu - Bodhi Day ** - Buddhist Immaculate Conception of Mary - Catholic Christian 12 Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Christian 16-25 Posadas Navidenas - Christian 21 Solstice Yule * - Wicca/Pagan northern hemisphere

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Litha * - Wicca/Pagan southern hemisphere Yule - Christian 24 Christmas Eve - Christian 25 Christmas * - Christian 26 Zarathosht Diso (Death of Prophet Zarathushtra)** - Zoroastrian 28 Holy Innocents - Christian 29 Feast of the Holy Family - Catholic Christian 31 Watch Night - Christian

and southern hemispheres 3 Setsubun-sai - Shinto 4 Vasant Panchami ** - Hindu 14 Saint Valentine’s Day - Christian 15 Nirvana Day ** - Buddhist - Jain 16 Triodion begins - Christian 26 - March 1 Intercalary Days * - Baha’i 28 Maha Shivaratri ** - Hindu

JANUARY 2014

1 Saint David of Wales - Christian 2 Transfiguration Sunday - Christian Meatfare Sunday - Orthodox Christian 2 – 20 Nineteen Day Fast * - Baha’i 3 Clean Monday - Lent begins - Orthodox Christian 4 Shrove Tuesday - Christian 5 Ash Wednesday - Lent begins - Christian 9 Orthodox Sunday - Orthodox Sunday 16 Magha Puja Day ** - Buddhist Purim ** starts on eve of March 15 - Jewish 17 St Patrick’s Day - Christian Holi ** - Hindu Hola Mohalla - Sikh 19 Saint Joseph’s Day - Christian 20 Equinox Ostara * - Wicca/Pagan northern hemisphere Mabon * - Wicca/Pagan southern hemisphere 21 Naw Ruz (News Year)* - Baha’i Norouz (New Year) - Persian/Zoroastrian 25 Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Christian 28 Khordad Sal (Birth of Prophet Zaranhushtra) ** - Zoroastrian 31 Hindu New Year ** - Hindu 31-April 8 Ramayana ** - Hindu

1 Mary, Mother of God - Catholic Christian Feast of St Basil - Orthodox Christian Gantan-sai (New Years) - Shinto Holy Name of Jesus - Orthodox Christian 5 Twelfth Night - Christian Guru Gobindh Singh birthday - Sikh 6 Epiphany - Christian Feast of the Theophany - Orthodox Christian Nativity of Christ - Armenian Orthodox Christian Dia de los Reyes - Hispanic Christian 7 Nativity of Christ ** - Orthodox Christian 12 Baptism of the Lord Jesus - Christian 13 Mawlid an Nabi * ** - Islam Maghi - Sikh 16 Tu BiShvat * - Jewish 16-19 Mahayana New Year ** - Buddhist 17 Blessing of the Animals - Hispanic Catholic Christian 18-25 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Christian 19 World Religion Day - Baha’i Timkat - Ethiopian Orthodox Christian 25 Conversion of Saint Paul - Christian 28 Feast of the Holy Family - Catholic Christian 31 Chinese New Year - Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist FEBRUARY 2014 2 Candlemas - Christian Four Chaplains Sunday- Interfaith Presentation of Christ in the Temple - Anglican Christian Imbolc - Lughnassad - Wicca/Pagan Northern

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MARCH 2014

APRIL 2014 8 Ramanavami ** - Hindu 12 Lazarus Saturday - Orthodox Christian 13 Palm Sunday - All Christians Mahavir Jayanti ** - Jain 14 Baisakhi New Year - Sikh 15 Lord’s Evening Meal - Jehovah’s Witness Christian Hanuman Jayanti ** - Hindu 15-22 * Pesach (Passover) - Jewish

17 Maundy Thursday - Christian 18 Good (Holy) Friday - All Christian 20 Easter - All Christians 21 First Day of Ridvan * - Baha’i 23 St. George Day - Christian 27 Yom HaShoah * - Jewish 29 Ninth Day of Ridvan * - Baha’i MAY 2014 1 National Day of Prayer - Interfaith USA Beltane - Samhain * - Wicca/Pagan Northern and Southern hemispheres 2 Twelfth Day of Ridvan * - Baha’i 5 Yom Ha’Atzmaut* - Jewish 15-18 Theravadin New Year ** - Buddhist 18 Lag B’Omer* - Jewish 14 Visakha Puja - Buddha Day ** - Buddhist 23 Declaration of the Bab * - Baha’i 27 Laylat al Miraj * ** - Islam 29 Ascension of Jesus - All Christians Ascension of Baha’u’llah * - Baha’i JUNE 2014

23 Laylat al Kadr * ** - Islam 25 Emperor Haile Selassi I birthday - Rastafari 24 Pioneer Day - Mormon Christian 29-31 Eid al Fitr * ** - Islam AUGUST 2014 1 Lammas - Christian Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Jesus Orthodox Christian Lughanssad - Imbolc * - Wicca/Pagan Northern and southern hemispheres 6 Transfiguration of the Lord - Orthodox Christian 5 Tish’a B’av * - Jewish 10 Raksha Bandhan ** - Hindu 15 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Christian Dormition of the Theotokos - Orthodox Christian 17 Krishna Janmashtami ** - Hindu 29 Ganesh Chaturthi ** - Hindu Beheading of John the Baptist - Christian 30 Paryushana Parva ** - Jains

4-5 Shavuot * - Jewish 8 Pentecost - All Christians 9 Saint Columba of Iona - Christian 14 Lailat al Bara’ah * ** - Islam 15 Trinity Sunday - Christian All Saints - Orthodox Christian 16 Guru Arjan Dev martyrdom - Sikh 19 New Church Day - Swedenborgian Christian Corpus Christi - Catholic Christian 21 Solstice Litha * - Wicca/Pagan northern hemisphere Yule * - Wicca/Pagan southern hemisphere 27 Sacred Heart of Jesus - Catholic Christian 28 Ramadan Begins * ** - Islam 29 Saints Peter and Paul - Christian JULY 2014 9 Martyrdom of the Bab * - Baha’i 13 Asalha Puja Day ** - Buddhist 13-15 Obon ** - Shinto 13-15 Ulambana - Obon ** - Buddhist 15 Saint Vladimir Day - Christian

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lundi

statutory holiday

monday

2

mardi

tuesday

3

mercredi

wednesday

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classes begin at mcgill and concordia

new moon 07:36 EDT mcgill farmer’s market 12-5pm - mcgillfarmersmarket.blogspot.com

jeudi

thursday

5

vendredi friday

6

samedi

saturday

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the moon, saturn, and venus will all be very close together (in conjunction). look for all three dimanche low in the western sky from early sunday evening until about 2 hours after sunset.

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lundi

QPIRG CKUT open house

monday

9

mardi

activities night at SSMU

tuesday

10

activities night at SSMU

mercredi

wednesday

11

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mcgill farmer’s market 12-5pm - mcgillfarmersmarket.blogspot.com

jeudi

thursday

12

vendredi friday

13

samedi

saturday

14

dimanche sunday

15

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lundi

monday

16

mardi

tuesday

17

mercredi

wednesday

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full moon 07:13 EDT mcgill farmer’s market 12-5pm - mcgillfarmersmarket.blogspot.com

jeudi

thursday

19

first peoples’ house hosts annual pow wow - mcgill.ca/fph

vendredi friday

20

samedi

saturday

21

autumn equinox 16:44 EDT. the sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world.

dimanche sunday

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lundi

monday

23

mardi

tuesday

24

mercredi

wednesday

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sept 23-oct 4 - ‘another word for gender: an intro to feminist organizing & action’ annual welcome-back-to-school event series - genderadvocacy.org indigenous awareness week - aboriginalnetwork.mcgill.ca/aaw.html sept 23-27 - disorientation - qpirgconcordia.org/disorientation

mcgill farmer’s market 12-5pm - mcgillfarmersmarket.blogspot.com

jeudi

thursday

26 1990 oka crisis ends in 1990 after a 78-day siege in kanehsetake

vendredi friday

27

samedi

saturday

28

dimanche sunday

29

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lundi

monday

30

mardi

tuesday

1

mercredi

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uranus at opposition. the blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the sun. mcgill farmer’s market 12-5pm - mcgillfarmersmarket.blogspot.com

jeudi

thursday

3

new moon 20:36 EDT annual family of sisters in spirit march & vigil for missing and murdered native women - genderadvocacy.org

vendredi friday

4

2002 prefontaine squat raided

samedi

saturday

5

dimanche sunday

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lundi

monday

oct 7-8 - draconids meteor shower. the draconids is a minor shower produced by dust grains left behind by comet 21P giacobini-zinner, which was first discovered in 1900. best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights.

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mardi

tuesday

8 1968 848 students at cegep lionel-groulx held a general assembly and voted by a large majority to occupy the school and expel the administrators. within a week, 15 of the 23 cegeps in the province were shut down mercury will be at its furthest angle from the sun, known as greatest elongation. it will be at its highest point in the night sky after sunset. this is the best time to try to view mercredi mercury since it stays so close to the sun and doesn’t usually climb very high above the wednesday horizon.

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oct 10-17 - culture shock! - qpirgmcgill.org/culture-shock mcgill farmer’s market 12-5pm - mcgillfarmersmarket.blogspot.com

jeudi

thursday

10

vendredi friday

11

samedi

saturday

12

dimanche sunday

13

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lundi

statutory holiday

monday

14 1966 montreal metro is inaugurated

mardi

tuesday

15

mercredi

wednesday

16 1970 flq student demonstrations. 3,000 students march in support of the flq and the quebec sovereignty movement

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QPIRG concordia AGM mcgill farmer’s market 12-5pm - mcgillfarmersmarket.blogspot.com

jeudi

thursday

17

full moon 19:38 EDT. this will also be the smallest full moon of the year because it will be near apogee, its farthest point from the earth. penumbral lunar eclipse – the moon passes through the earth’s partial shadow & will darken slightly but not completely. black writers’ and artists’ congress at mcgill

samedi

saturday

19

black writers’ and artists’ congress black writers’ and artists’ congress at mcgill at mcgill

vendredi friday

18

dimanche sunday

20

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lundi

monday

21

oct 21-22 - orionids meteor shower, produced by dust grains left behind by comet halley (known and observed since ancient times). the waning gibbous moon will block some of the meteors this year, but the orionids tend to be fairly bright so it could still be a good show.

mardi

tuesday

22

1977 police raid gay bar truxx, arrest 146 and administer compulsory v.d. tests

mercredi

wednesday

23

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mcgill farmer’s market 12-5pm - mcgillfarmersmarket.blogspot.com

jeudi

thursday

24

vendredi friday

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samedi

saturday

26

dimanche sunday

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lundi

monday

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mardi

tuesday

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mercredi

wednesday

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jeudi

thursday

31

vendredi friday

1

samedi

saturday

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new moon 08:50 EDT hybrid solar eclipse - occurs when the moon is almost too close to dimanche the earth to completely block sunday the sun. daylight savings time ends.

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monday

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mardi

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5

mercredi

wednesday

6

100

nov 4-5 - taurids meteor shower - consists of two separate streams, the first produced by dust grains from asteroid 2004 TG10 and the second produced by debris left behind by comet 2P encke.

jeudi

thursday

7

vendredi friday

8

samedi

saturday

9

dimanche sunday

10 2011 15 students occupy the office of heather munroe-blum at mcgill, prompting security to call the cops. 100 riot police enter campus for the first time since 1968

101

lundi

monday

11 1987 anthony griffin, a black youth, is shot in the head and killed by montreal police

mardi

tuesday

12

mercredi

wednesday

13

102

jeudi

thursday

14

vendredi friday

15

samedi

saturday

nov 16-17 - leonids meteor full moon 11:16 EST shower, produced by dust grains left behind by comet tempel-tuttle (discovered in 1865).

16 2007 150 students and supporters occupy the montreal stock exchange to resist the lifting of quebec’s tuition freeze

dimanche sunday

17

103

lundi

monday

18

mardi

tuesday

19

mercredi

wednesday

20

104

jeudi

thursday

21

vendredi friday

22

2010 students at cegep du vieux montrĂŠal are locked out, after rumors that students plan to occupy the school. students squat in front of the school and the protest goes ahead as planned

samedi

saturday

23

dimanche sunday

24

105

lundi

monday

25

mardi

tuesday

26

mercredi

wednesday

27

106

comet ISON, the “comet of the century,� will brush against the sun. if it survives, it will be visible in the early morning and early evening sky and could be nearly as bright as the full moon.

jeudi

thursday

28

vendredi friday

29

2005 roadsworth, famed montreal street stenciller, is charged with 53 counts of vandalism

samedi

saturday

30

dimanche sunday

1 2006 After leaving his morning prayer mohamed anas bennis is killed by 2 bullets fired by montreal police

107

lundi

monday

new moon 20:22 EST last day of classes at concordia

2

mardi

last day of classes at mcgill

tuesday

3

1997 the comité des sans emploi organize a “food grab” in a fancy montreal restaurant to share the buffet among the 100 supporters dec 4-19 - exam period at concordia

mercredi

wednesday

4

108

dec 5-18 - exam period mcgill

jeudi

thursday

5

vendredi friday

6

1986 the montreal massacre. 14 women, engineering students at the ĂŠcole polytechnique, are shot and killed

samedi

saturday

7

dimanche sunday

8

109

lundi

monday

9

mardi

tuesday

10

mercredi

wednesday

11

110

jeudi

thursday

12

dec 13-14 - geminids meteor shower, the king of the meteor showers, considered by many to be the best shower in the heavens, producing up to 120 multicolored meteors per hour at its peak. it is produced by debris left behind by an asteroid known as 3200 phaethon (discovered in 1982).

samedi

saturday

14

vendredi friday

13

dimanche sunday

15

111

lundi

monday

16

mardi

full moon 05:28 EST

tuesday

17

exams end at mcgill

mercredi

wednesday

18

112

exams end at concordia

jeudi

thursday

19

vendredi friday

20

samedi

saturday

21

winter solstice 13:11 EST dec 21-22 - ursids meteor shower, a minor shower produced by dust grains left behind by comet tuttle, first discovered in 1790.

dimanche sunday

22

113

lundi

monday

23

mardi

tuesday

24

statutory holiday

mercredi

wednesday

25

114

jeudi

thursday

26

vendredi friday

27

samedi

saturday

28

dimanche sunday

29

115

lundi

monday

30

mardi

tuesday

31

mercredi

wednesday

1

116

new moon 07:14 EST statutory holiday

jan 2-3 - quadrantids meteor shower, thought to be produced by dust grains left behind by an extinct comet known as 2003 EH1, which was discovered in 2003.

jeudi

thursday

2

vendredi friday

3

samedi

saturday

4

jupiter at opposition. the giant planet will be at its closest approach to earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the sun. a good pair of binoculars should allow you to see jupiter’s four largest moons, appearing as bright dots on either side of the planet.

dimanche sunday

5

117

lundi

monday

6

mardi

tuesday

7

mercredi

wednesday

8

118

first day of classes at mcgill and concordia

jeudi

thursday

9

vendredi friday

10

samedi

saturday

11

dimanche sunday

12

119

lundi

monday

13

mardi

tuesday

14

mercredi

wednesday

15

120

full moon 00:53 EST

jeudi

thursday

16

vendredi friday

17

1972 canadian air traffic controllers start a 12-day strike grounding most commercial flights

samedi

saturday

18

dimanche sunday

19

121

lundi

monday

20

mardi

tuesday

21

mercredi

wednesday

22

122

jeudi

thursday

23

vendredi friday

24

samedi

saturday

25

dimanche sunday

26

123

lundi

monday

27

mardi

tuesday

28

mercredi

wednesday

29 1969 computer riots begin as over 200 students occupy concordia’s computer centre to protest racism within the university

124

new moon 17:39 EST

jeudi

thursday

30

vendredi friday

31

samedi

saturday

1

dimanche sunday

2

125

lundi

monday

3

mardi

tuesday

4

mercredi

wednesday

5

126

jeudi

thursday

6

vendredi friday

7

samedi

saturday

8

dimanche sunday

9

127

lundi

monday

10

mardi

tuesday

11

1969 the occupation of the computer centre in hall building ends with students rioting at concordia following accusations of faculty racism

mercredi

wednesday

12

128

jeudi

thursday

13

full moon 19:54 EST

vendredi friday

14

samedi

saturday

15 2007 no one is illegal protests the reasonable accommodation debates in montreal

dimanche sunday

16 1977 nationally co-ordinated protests take place against the cbc after their refusal to air gay public service announcements

129

lundi

monday

17

mardi

tuesday

18

mercredi

wednesday

19

130

feb 17-21 - reading week at concordia

jeudi

thursday

20

vendredi friday

21

samedi

saturday

22

dimanche sunday

23

131

lundi

monday

24 2005 waves of student strikes begin, cegep du vieux montrĂŠal is occupied, followed a few days later by cegep st. laurent. the strike comprised 230,000 students at its peak

mardi

tuesday

25

mercredi

wednesday

26

132

jeudi

thursday

27

vendredi friday

28

2006 mcgill evicts the campus sexual assault center from its night office new moon 04:00 EST

samedi

saturday

1

dimanche sunday

2

133

lundi

monday

3

mardi

tuesday

4

mercredi

wednesday

5

134

march 3-7 - reading week at mcgill

jeudi

thursday

6

vendredi friday

7

samedi

saturday

8

daylight savings time begins

dimanche sunday

9

135

lundi

monday

10

mardi

tuesday

11

mercredi

wednesday

12

136

jeudi

thursday

13

vendredi friday

14

samedi

saturday

15 2012 annual march against police (brutality) attacked by spvm, marking the first enforcement of the modified bylaw p6

full moon 13:09 EDT

dimanche sunday

16

137

lundi

monday

17

mardi

tuesday

18

2008 quebec superior court approves ban on student protests at uqam

mercredi

wednesday

19

138

spring equinox 12:57 EDT. the sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world.

jeudi

thursday

20

vendredi friday

21

study in action

samedi

saturday

22 2012 an estimated 300,000 students march against the proposed 75% tuition increase in the biggest demonstration in north american history

study in action

dimanche sunday

23

139

lundi

monday

24

mardi

tuesday

25

mercredi

wednesday

26

140

jeudi

thursday

27

vendredi friday

28

1969 mcgill français demonstrations begin. 15,000 people take to the streets to resist mcgill’s elitism and anglo-centrism new moon 14:45 EDT

samedi

saturday

29

dimanche sunday

30

141

lundi

monday

31

mardi

tuesday

1

1989 300 people, mostly mohawk, march through oka to oppose a golf course expansion into a sacred area and mohawk graveyard

mercredi

wednesday

2

142

jeudi

thursday

3

vendredi friday

4

samedi

saturday

5

dimanche sunday

6

143

lundi

monday

7

mardi

tuesday

8

mercredi

wednesday

9

144

mars at opposition. the red planet will be at its closest approach to earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the sun.

jeudi

thursday

10

last day of classes at mcgill

vendredi friday

11

1972 canada’s largest labour strike. over 210,000 public sector workers strike against the government, and quebec is ground to a halt last day of classes at concordia

samedi

saturday

12

dimanche sunday

13

145

lundi

april 14-29 - exam period at mcgill

monday

14

mardi

tuesday

total lunar eclipse. the moon will pass completely through the earth’s shadow. full moon 03:43 EDT

15

april 16-may 6 - exam period at concordia

mercredi

wednesday

16

146

jeudi

thursday

17

vendredi friday

18

samedi

saturday

19 2006 over 50 police officers raid a solidarity event with palestinian political prisoners at el salon, arresting three individuals

dimanche sunday

20 2012 demonstrations against the plan nord job fair lead to riots across montreal, centred on the palais des congres

147

lundi

statutory holiday

monday

21 1972 the quebec government passes bill 19 into law, forcing unionized workers back to work, and bans fundamental trade union rights for a period of two years april 22-23 - lyrids meteor shower, usually produces about 20 meteors per hour at mardi its peak. it is produced by dust particles left behind by comet C/1861 G1 thatcher (discovered in 1861). tuesday

22

mercredi

wednesday

23

148

jeudi

thursday

24

vendredi friday

25

1845 hundreds of rioters set fire to the canadian parliament in montreal while members of the legislative assembly sit in session

samedi

saturday

26

dimanche sunday

27

149

lundi

monday

28

mardi

tuesday

29

mercredi

wednesday

30

150

annular solar eclipse - the moon is too far away from earth to completely cover the sun, which results in a ring of light around the darkened moon. new moon 02:15 EDT last day of exams at mcgill

jeudi

thursday

1 2005 mayworks, a festival of working-class art and resistance, is launched by the immigrant workers’ centre

vendredi friday

2

samedi

saturday

3

dimanche sunday

4

151

lundi

monday

may 5-6 - eta aquarids meteor shower, produced by dust particles left behind by halley’s comet (a very well-known comet).

5

mardi

tuesday

6

mercredi

wednesday

7

152

last day of exams at concordia

jeudi

thursday

8

vendredi friday

9

samedi

saturday

10

saturn at opposition. the ringed planet will be at its closest approach to earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the sun.

dimanche sunday

11

153

lundi

monday

12

mardi

tuesday

13

full moon 15:17 EDT

mercredi

wednesday

14

1976 police raid neptune sauna arresting 89 men during a city “clean-up� for the olympic games

154

jeudi

thursday

15

vendredi friday

16

samedi

saturday

17

dimanche sunday

18

155

lundi

monday

19

mardi

tuesday

20

mercredi

wednesday

21

156

jeudi

thursday

22

vendredi friday

23

2013 dr henry morgentaler dies

samedi

saturday

24

dimanche sunday

25

157

lundi

monday

26

mardi

tuesday

27

2006 the montreal anarchist marching band is formed new moon 14:41 EDT

mercredi

wednesday

28

158

jeudi

thursday

29

vendredi friday

30

samedi

saturday

dimanche sunday

31 2005 mcgill evicts the muslim students’ association from their prayer space

1 1970 dr henry morgentaler is arrested in montreal for performing illegal abortions

159

lundi

monday

2

mardi

tuesday

3

mercredi

wednesday

4

160

jeudi

thursday

5

vendredi friday

6

samedi

saturday

7

dimanche sunday

8 2011 hundreds protest the police killings of mario hamel and patrick limoges in downtown montreal the day before

161

lundi

monday

9

mardi

tuesday

conjunction of the moon and mars. look for both in the western sky just after sunset. the pair will be visible in the evening sky for about 6 hours after sunset.

10

mercredi

wednesday

11

1872 labour unions become legal in Canada

162

jeudi

thursday

12 1843 20 die when striking workers on the lachine canal are shot by the 74th regiment full moon 00:12 EDT

vendredi friday

13

samedi

saturday

14

dimanche sunday

15

163

lundi

monday

16

mardi

tuesday

17

mercredi

wednesday

18 2005 no one is illegal’s march on ottawa begins, demanding regularization of all non-status persons, an end to deportations and detentions of migrants, and the abolition of security certificates

164

jeudi

thursday

19

vendredi friday

20

samedi

saturday

21

summer solstice 06:51 EST national aboriginal day

dimanche sunday

22

165

lundi

monday

23

mardi

tuesday

24

mercredi

wednesday

25 1970 then minister of indian affairs, jean chretien announces a plan to end legal status for native persons

166

jeudi

thursday

26

new moon 04:09 EDT

vendredi friday

27

1734 marie-joseph angelique, a black slave, was tried and hanged for setting fire to her “owner’s” home and burning down much of old montreal

samedi

saturday

28

dimanche sunday

29

167

lundi

monday

30

mardi

tuesday

1

mercredi

wednesday

2

168

jeudi

thursday

3

vendredi friday

4

samedi

saturday

5 2003 clac-logement and other housing activists set up a tent city in parc lafontaine

dimanche sunday

6

169

lundi

monday

7

mardi

tuesday

8

mercredi

wednesday

9

170

jeudi

thursday

10

vendredi friday

11

1990 the oka crisis begins as quebec police attack a mohawk land occupation in kanehsatake full moon 07:26 EDT

samedi

saturday

12

dimanche sunday

13

171

lundi

monday

14

mardi

tuesday

15

1990 police raid sex garage loft in old montreal with over 400 queers in attendance

mercredi

wednesday

16

172

jeudi

thursday

17

vendredi friday

18

samedi

saturday

19

dimanche sunday

20

173

lundi

monday

21

mardi

tuesday

22

mercredi

wednesday

23

174

jeudi

thursday

24

vendredi friday

25

new moon 18:43 EDT

samedi

saturday

26

dimanche sunday

27

175

lundi

monday

28

mardi

tuesday

29

mercredi

wednesday

30

176

july 28-29 - delta aquarids meteor shower, an average shower that can produce up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak, made by debris left behind by comets marsden and kracht. this should be a great year for this shower because the thin crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what should a good show. best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight.

jeudi

thursday

31

vendredi friday

1

1993 montreal hosts divers/citĂŠ for the first time, an lgbt arts and music festival

samedi

saturday

2

dimanche sunday

3

177

lundi

monday

4

mardi

tuesday

5

2007 pervers/cité is launched as a queer summer festival in contrast to divers/cité’s white-washed, corporatized gay agenda

mercredi

wednesday

6

178

jeudi

thursday

7

vendredi friday

8

2008 montreal-north riot, following the murder of fredy villanueva by the montreal police and in the context of constant racial profiling full moon 14:10 EDT

samedi

saturday

9

dimanche sunday

10

179

lundi

monday

11

mardi

tuesday

12

mercredi

wednesday

13

180

aug 12-13 - perseids meteor shower, produced by comet swift-tuttle (discovered in 1862). up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak. the waning gibbous moon will block out some of the meteors this year, but the perseids are so bright and numerous that it should still be visible!

jeudi

thursday

14

vendredi friday

15

samedi

saturday

16 2000 pm jean chretien is pied. canadians claim the distinction of being the first to pie their head of government

dimanche sunday

17

181

lundi

monday

18

conjunction of venus and jupiter. conjunctions are rare events where two or more objects will appear extremely close together in the night sky. the two bright planets will come unusually close to each other, only a quarter of a degree, in the early morning sky. look to the east just before sunrise.

mardi

tuesday

19

mercredi

wednesday

20 2007 security and prosperity partnership summit protested in montebello, qc. a provocateur (undercover cop) is caught throwing rocks and trying to incite violence from riot police against the crowd

182

jeudi

thursday

21

vendredi friday

22

samedi

saturday

23

dimanche sunday

24

183

lundi

monday

25

mardi

tuesday

26

mercredi

wednesday

27

184

jeudi

thursday

28

neptune at opposition. the blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the sun.

vendredi friday

29

samedi

saturday

30

dimanche sunday

31 1968 grade school students occupy their school in a montreal suburb demanding reforms

185

notes

186

notes

187

notes

188

notes

189

notes

190

notes

191

notes

192