Toronto may ban bottled water
Toronto may ban the sale of bottled water on city premises after
London, Ont., voted for such a ban earlier this week, Mayor David
Miller said Wednesday.
Miller told the Canadian Press that city council will examine how
Toronto can curb bottled water waste as part of a larger effort to
reduce the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills.
He added that the city's tap water is more pure than the leading
brand of bottled water. A report outlining the city's options should be
ready for councillors in November.
His comments came two days after city councillors in London voted to
ban the sale of bottled water on city premises despite protests from
the beverage industry.
Urban Agriculture and Activism - Food Security For All
Planting an extra row of carrots or onions may seem like
a meagre attempt to solve hunger and health crises in the city, but
urban agriculturalists and anti-poverty activists don't see it that
way. They believe growing fruits and vegetables in public spaces,
backyards or on balconies encompasses the fights for food security,
affordable housing, environmental awareness and adequate wages for all.
Ian Aley, the urban agriculture and community food facilitator for FoodShare,
describes the urban agriculture movement as "both very revolutionary
and also very practical" and believes food activism is about much more
than cultivating fruits and vegetables.
PSAC Statement of Solidarity with U of T student protesters
The Public Service Alliance of Canada denounces the actions taken by
the University of Toronto to stifle student dissent, and joins the
Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) in demanding that charges be
dropped against 14 students for participating in a peaceful sit-in on
March 20, 2008.
According to the CFS, more than one month after a peaceful sit-in
against planned fee increases, 14 students and campus community members
were forced to turn themselves in to the Toronto Police to face serious
criminal code charges. Twelve of those charged have also been informed
that they are facing further penalties under the University of Toronto
Student Code of Conduct. The activists who were arrested must now
comply with bail conditions that prevent them from setting foot on
campus, associating with one another, or participating in any protests
on campus.
Walkouts staged across Toronto in an effort to save the city's pools
Hundreds of parents and students gathered
outside the Toronto District School Board head office on Yonge Street
Thursday evening in an attempt to save the city's pools.
The board made the announcement it would shut down 39 of Toronto's
pools over the next two years. This June, 23 of those pools will be
closed. With these pool closures, the board stands to save over
$4-million per year.
Giselle Burton of CUPE Local 4400, which represents aquatic staff, told 680News, supporters have planned to go before the board.
"They're basically urging the board members at this committee
meeting not to recommend closures of pools until they've looked for
alternate funding with other ministries and other levels of government
because they know the city doesn't have the financial resources [...]
its an ongoing problem," Burton added.
Homelessness protest disrupts executive council meeting
Members of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty disrupted a Toronto
city executive committee meeting Monday morning with shouts of "Where
are the beds?"
Police were called and Mayor David Miller adjourned the meeting until order could be restored.
OCAP spokesman Gaeten Heroux, who was ejected from the meeting, said
outside council chambers that the situation for homeless people in the
city is becoming desperate.
"Most of the time it is very, very hard to find a bed. Are we to
live like cattle when the summer comes? A whole sector of the
population is not to have shelter and food?"
The protest caused about a hour's delay in the committee's business,
postponing a group of people who read victim impact statements as part
of the mayor's campaign urging the federal government to implement a
national ban on handguns.