EVENTS & MEETINGS:

1) Friday, March 23: "Solidarity Against Austerity" Rally, March, and Free Meal
2) Sunday, March 25: Monthly Sudbury Cyclists Union Meeting
3) Wednesday, March 28: Our Community, Our Climate
4) Thursday, March 29: 2012 Health & Safety Activist Awards Dinner
5) Saturday, April 14: Northwatch Spring Meeting
6) Saturday, April 14: Sexual Assault Awareness March (formerly Sudbury Slut Walk)
7) Tuesday, april 17: Meeting of Justice and Freedom for John Moore
8) Sunday, April 22: Ramsey Lake Stewardship Committee Fundraising Rain Barrel Sale

NEWS, ANALYSIS, & CALLS TO ACTION:

1) Sudbury "Solidarity Against Austerity" Media Release
2) "Over 200,000 students on strike against tuition fee increases in Quebec" by Tim McSorley

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Friday, March 23: "Solidarity Against Austerity" Rally, March, and Free Meal

Where and When:

• 3pm: Rally and Snacks at Memorial Park
• 4:15pm: March
• 5:30pm: Free Meal at Memorial Park

Who are we:

S-CAP is a direct-action anti-poverty organization based in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. We provide direct-action support work for individuals against welfare and ODSP, housing, employers, and others who deny people what they are entitled to in order to meet their needs. In addition, we mount campaigns against and support educational work about regressive government policies as they affect working people and people living in poverty. We believe in the power of people to organize themselves.

We believe in the power of resistance!

CONTACT US: sudburycap@gmail.com

Join the Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty (S-CAP) and supporters of the Raise the Rates campaign for free food, entertainment, a rally and a march on Friday, March 23rd, in the lead up to the 2012 Provincial Budget.

The McGuinty government (which includes Sudbury cabinet minister Rick Bartolucci) has hired former head of the TD bank, Don Drummond, to propose and provide the basis for massive social cutbacks in their 2012 budget. It is being drafted as the Provincial component of the austerity agenda that is gathering force across Canada and internationally. Queen`s Park and Ottawa are delivering austerity, but clearly it is being cooked-up on Bay Street by bankers like Drummond for the benefit of their rich friends.

We have to stop the cuts and fight for what poor and working people need!

The measures they intend to hit us with will fall on top of the losses we have already faced:

-Social assistance rates have lost at least 55% of their spending power since the days of the Harris Tories; the base amount for welfare today is a despicable $599/month

-The minimum wage has been reduced in real terms and more and more workers are forced into low wage jobs with E.I, employment standards and protection for workers being steadily eroded

-The fastest growing numbers amongst the poor in Ontario are racial-ized people without status; forced in to an economy that benefits from their massively underpaid and exploited labour, but fails to provide even basic services

-Waiting lists for social housing across this province are decades long
while people are priced out of the private housing market and homeless shelters are overcrowded

-Access to affordable childcare is almost non-existent while thousands wait for limited subsidy spaces.

For poor people and workers in this province, it has been a constant state of crisis. McGuinty and Bartolucci are now preparing to make this situation much, much worse.

On March 23rd, after gathering for food and speakers in Memorial Park we will take our message to a number of locations where decisions are being made by and for the '1%'.

We will be marching to oppose austerity measures but also to demand the reversing of previous cutbacks, the right to a living income, the right to affordable and accessible housing, and for good quality public services for all! We will be marching against the kind of society Drummond and the rich are creating, and for one that meets the needs and improves the lives of all of us!

HOW TO BE INVOLVED IN MARCH 23rd:

-Organize a contingent: bring a group of people from your organization, neighbourhood, city or union local to this demonstration - bring your needs and demands

-Drum out Drummond: bring drums, noise makers, pots and pans

-Banners, flags and signs: Organize a ‘banner making day’ in your area, bring your banners to the march

-Help fund food and materials for the day: if you or your organization or union local can make donations of money or in-kind, please help us make this day as participatory and accessible as possible

-Food donations for the Rally can be dropped of during office hours at Rethink Green (176 Larch Street #101) looking for ingredients for chili, bread, buns, butter, coffee, beverages, etc. Will accept all donations gratefully.

-Build the movement: add your organizationÂ’s to the list of endorsers for this day of action

-Get the word out: help us get the message out about this day of action, forward this announcement far and wide, contact us if you would like to help with postering, flyering, etc.

CONTACT US: sudburycap@gmail.com

Join us!

On Friday March 23, 2012 FIGHT POVERTY AND DEMAND:
• A LIVING INCOME!
• HOUSING!
• QUALITY PUBLIC SERVICES FOR ALL!

Sponsors:
- Occupy Sudbury
- The Centre for Research in Social Justice and Policy
- Sudbury and District Labour Council

Who are we:

S-CAP is a direct-action anti-poverty organization based in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. We provide direct-action support work for individuals against welfare and ODSP, housing, employers, and others who deny people what they are entitled to in order to meet their needs. In addition, we mount campaigns against and support educational work about regressive government policies as they affect working people and people living in poverty. We believe in the power of people to organize themselves.

We believe in the power of resistance!

CONTACT US: sudburycap@gmail.com

This event on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/202936293141183

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Sunday, March 25: Monthly Sudbury Cyclists Union Meeting

Time: 1-3pm
Location: Laughing Buddha, 194 Elgin Street, Sudbury

Agenda to date:
- Update on scheduled activities for the next few months
- Update on PR initiatives (business cards, flyers, shirts, etc.)
- Update on conversations/visits to the Toronto Cyclists Union
- Update on SCU revenues and expenses

This event on FaceBook:
http://www.facebook.com/events/231555790276845/

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Wednesday, March 28: Our Community, Our Climate

Time: 6:30-8pm
Location: Science North - Main Floor, Vale Cavern

Event Description
As March 2012 draws to a close it will be remembered as one of the warmest on record.  Temperatures more akin to summer have left many of us with several questions: Have we completely skipped over spring, or has it simply been delayed temporarily?  Is this the new normal? Will spring come this early more frequently?

On March 28th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Science North is hosting Our Community, Our Climate, a free public forum where Sudburians can discuss the weather changes theyÂ’ve experienced over the years, and what types of adaptations will be needed to keep seasonal traditions alive in a changing climate.

The focus of the event is to explore the realities of our changing climate, from small changes like waiting longer to skate on Lake Ramsey to larger ones like updating city infrastructure to deal with more rain.

Our Community, Our Climate will be hosted by local environmentalist and climate change specialist Dr. David Pearson of Laurentian University, and by Alan Nursall, meteorologist, and regular columnist on the Discovery ChannelÂ’s Daily Planet.

The hosts will discuss climate change from their unique perspectives.

Dr. Pearson will share what he has learned from Aboriginal Elders across Northern Ontario who have been observing and monitoring the changing climate for generations. Mr. Nursall will share fascinating data, and provide insight into how temperatures in Sudbury have changed over the years and what that may mean for our community in the future.

Local artists, scientists and community leaders will be on hand before and after each of the speakers to engage in informal discussions with attendees. Sudbury-inspired art from Artists on Elgin will be displayed around the Vale Cavern to serve as conversation starters. Special guest musician Andrew Hyatt will provide the soundtrack to the evening. Old Rock Café is generously supplying free refreshments.

Our Community, Our Climate is one of over a hundred events being held at science centres and museums around the world to coincide with Planet Under Pressure, a major international conference in London, England. The conference will bring together over 2000 delegates from wide-ranging professional backgrounds to discuss sustainability challenges leading up to the Rio Earth Summit in June.

Our Community, Our Climate will represent Sudbury’s chapter in a global story. “I hope people will come to the Cavern to contribute their experiences to the writing of the story,” Dr. Pearson urges.

Contact Information:
Name: Chantal Barriault
Phone: (705) 522-3701 x245
Email: barriault@sciencenorth.ca

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Thursday, March 29: 2012 Heath & Safety Activist Awards Dinner

Time: Doors open at 6:00pm, dinner at 6:30pm
Location: Steelworkers Convention Centre, 66 Brady St., Sudbury

Keynote Speaker: Nancy Hutchinson, Secretary-Treasurer, Ontario Federation of
Labour

The Sudbury and District Labour Council, in partnership with the Workers Health and Safety Centre, invites you to the 2012 Health & Safety Activist Award dinner. This evening is an opportunity to recognize the efforts and achievements of health and safety activists in our workplace.

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Saturday, April 14: Northwatch Spring Meeting

Time: 9:30am-5pm
Location: 4th Floor Resource Room, St. Andrew's Place, 111 Larch Street,
Sudbury

Please join us for Northwatch's Spring Meeting in Sudbury on April 14th.
Presentations and discussions will include:

* Nukes: Nuclear waste and the industry's search for a "willing" host
* Forests: Wolf Lake and getting mineral exploration out and protection in for this ancient red pine forest
* Rivers: what's in store for the Vermillion River and others on the list for hydro-development
* Mines: what's burning in the Ring of Fire with Cliffs Resources and Noront Minerals
* Community: eating local, acting local, organizing local

9:30am: Coffee, muffins, settling in
10am: Open space, introductions, fine-tuning the agenda for the day, morning sessions (rivers plus more!)
Noon: Lunch, free time
1pm: Afternoon sessions, including Wolf Lake
4pm: Session wrap-up, review of action plans and next steps
4:30pm: Closing and good-byes

IMPORTANT DETAILS

+ Childcare is available but must be requested no later than Saturday, April 7th
+ A suggested donation of $15 per person will cover the costs of the meeting room and lunch
+ Pre-registration - no later than April 12th - is required for those staying for lunch - please do!
+ Pre-registration by April 7th is requested to assist with meeting planning

Northwatch's meeting agendas are developed using an "open space" meeting method, which includes participants in allocating time according to interest, availability of resource people, and urgency of the issue. The agenda items noted above have been identified in advance, and resource people will begin the discussion with a brief overview to provide background information that will enable everyone to participate in the discussion. The meeting approach includes the option of break-out groups and concurrent discussions, and encourages active planning and problem-solving. For more info email northwatch@onlink.net

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Saturday, April 14: Sexual Assault Awareness March (formerly Sudbury Slut Walk)

Time: 4pm
Location: Corner of Paris and Brady

The group will be marching through the downtown core, arguing that no-one should ever be blamed for their assault.

This march serves to remind the community that consent should always be sought for any sexual contact; and that no one, ever deserves to be assaulted. ONLY YES MEANS YES; and CONSENT IS SEXY. We are asking you to join us for the Sexual Assault Awareness March. We ask you to accompany us in making a unified statement about sexual assault and victims’ rights and to demand respect for all. Join us in our mission to spread the word that those who experience sexual assault are not the ones at fault, without exception.

Wherever We Go, However We Dress;

No Means No, and Yes Means Yes.

This event is sponsored by the Students General Association, the Graduate Students Association, the Association of Mature and Part-time Students, the Association des étudiantes et étudiants francophones, and the Department of Sociology, all of Laurentian University; and the Department of Women's Studies of Thornloe University.

For information on the event, please contact lamirande.jessica@gmail.com

Find the event on faceboook at: http://www.facebook.com/events/111897585572166/

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Tuesday, April 17: Meeting of Justice and Freedom for John Moore

Time: 6:30pm
Location: Little Montreal, 182 Elgin St., Sudbury

Matters to be discussed include John's talk in Toronto on April 20, the 'zine we are producing as an outreach and fundraising tool, and strategizing in the face of AIDWYC's decision not to proceed with John's case.

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Sunday, April 22: Ramsey Lake Stewardship Committee Fundraising Rain Barrel Sale

Time: 10:30am-1:30pm
Location: York Street parking lot at Paris Street, Sudbury

RainBarrel.ca is pleased to partner with the Ramsey Lake Stewardship Committee. The Committee is working toward the protection and enhancement of the Ramsey Lake watershed. Rain barrels help reduce water pollution by reducing stormwater runoff, which can contain pollutants like sediment, oil, grease, bacteria and nutrients.

For details and to order your barrel, visit http://rainbarrel.ca/ramseylake/ today!

This event on FaceBook:
http://www.facebook.com/events/323387721024950/

NEWS, ANALYSIS, & CALLS TO ACTION:

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"Solidarity Against Austerity" Media Release
(As published at Grassroots Sudbury Media: http://www.mediacoop.ca/blog/grassrootssudburymedia/10302)

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"Over 200,000 students on strike against tuition fee increases in Quebec" by Tim McSorley
March 20, 2012.
From the Montreal Media Co-op (http://montreal.mediacoop.ca/blog/tim-mcsorley/10286 -- links in original)