[Again my apologies for sending another update so soon -- the fact that it is necessary is a tribute to how much is going at the moment. Barring any unforseen new developments, I will let this update stand for the one I would normally have sent next Sunday/Monday. -- SN]

EVENTS & MEETINGS:

1) Thursday, January 10: Meeting of Grassroots: Sudbury's Media Collective
2) Friday, January 11: Sudbury Bus to Ottawa #IdleNoMore Rally
3) Friday, January 11: #IdleNoMore Solidarity Rally in Sudbury
4) Sunday, January 13: Meeting of Sudbury Cyclists Union
5) Monday, January 14: General Meeting of Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury
6) Tuesday, January 15: Meeting of Justice and Freedom for John Moore
7) Tuesday, January 22: Meeting of Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty
8) Saturday, January 26: Sudbury Bus to Toronto Rally for Rights and Democracy
9) January 29 to January 31: Trans Health Connection Training

NEWS, ANALYSIS, & CALLS TO ACTION:

1) Callout for Suggestions for Eat Local Sudbury's New Food Film Festival
2) "Why We Are Idle No More"/"Idle No More: Le pourquoi de notre mouvement" by Pam Palmater

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Thursday, January 10: Meeting of Grassroots: Sudbury's Media Collective

Time: 10am to 11am
Location: Environmental Resource Centre (176 Larch Street, back
entrance)

Everyone is welcome to join us for our next meeting, next Thursday, January 10,  10 - 11am in the ERC (176 Larch, back entrance). We'll be discussing a planned community roundtable-slash-membership campaign launch event as well as other aspects of our new membership campaign, and of course, brainstorming story ideas.

Also, mark future meetings on your calendar, 10-11 am on the 2nd Thursday of each month: Feb. 14, March 14, Apr. 11, May 9, June 13 in the ERC.

Grassroots Sudbury Media is a working group of the The Media Co-op. We are creating independent media in the North, to speak to our issues and outlooks on our communities as well as the world around us. Independent media provides an avenue for people who are wishing to gain critical perspective on the issues that matter most to us, and to give a voice to those people and stories that you won't find in the mainstream media.

Find our site at:
http://www.mediacoop.ca/group/sudbury

Contact the Sudbury Working Group to learn more about writing for us or to let us know about community issues and events at:
grassrootssudburymedia@gmail.com

Find us on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/GrassrootsMediaCollective

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Friday, January 11: Sudbury Bus to Ottawa #IdleNoMore Rally

Time: Leaving Sudbury at 4am, returning by 10pm
Location: Find out when you reserve your spot by calling 705 822 5069

People will be rallying in Ottawa as Prime Minister Stephen Harper meets with First Nations leaders, including Chief Theresa Spence of Attawapiskat, who has been on a hunger strike since early December. It is critical to attend this rally and show the grassroots momentum for a true renewal and revitalization of the nation-to-nation treaty relationships that are the basis of any just future, and counter the government efforts to divert and defuse the movement.

The bus from Sudbury costs $50 per person. It will be leaving at 4am and returning to Sudbury by 10pm. Call 705-822-5069 for more information and to reserve your spot.

This event on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/events/302294409873766/

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Friday, January 11: #IdleNoMore Solidarity Rally in Sudbury

Time: Noon to 2pm
Location: Starting at Tom Davies Square (200 Brady Street) and marching to the Rainbow Centre

And for those who cannot make it to the action in Ottawa, there will be an action in solidarity in Sudbury:

Lets meet downtown at noon with our signs and drums and shakers and maybe do a round dance in solidarity with the worldwide Idle No More rally. We'll assemble at Tom Davies square, have our dance, and march to the Rainbow Centre and have a closing dance there. The route is from the Larch street exit of Tom Davies, down Young Street, to Cedar to Lisgar across Elm to the Rainbow Centre exit where we will have a closing dance until about 1:30. Regarding safety, just keep up respect and also we need at least 6 volunteers to act as marshals. Orange safety vests will be provided for the marshals. All are welcome.

This event on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/events/424802377593034

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Sunday, January 13: Meeting of Sudbury Cyclists Union

Time: 1pm to 3pm
Location: Laughing Buddha (194 Elgin Street, Sudbury)

Agenda:
1. Ontario Cycling Strategy (feedback due Jan 29)
2. Sports Life Magazine
3. Bike Racks in Sudbury (SMAP initiative)
4. EcoLeague Youth Forums
5. Other

This event on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/events/218147548320533/?ref=2

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Monday, January 14: General Meeting of Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury

Time: 7pm
Location: Environmental Resource Centre (176 Larch Street, back
entrance)

Everyone is welcome to attend this general meeting of the Coalition for a Liveable Sudbury. If you’ve never made it out to a meeting, why not come out?  We’d love to meet you!

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Tuesday, January 15: Meeting of Justice and Freedom for John Moore

Time: 6:30pm
Location: Fromagerie Elgin, 5 Cedar Street (entry from Elgin), Sudbury

We will be discussing the ongoing work to cultivate opportunities for John to speak about his case outside of Sudbury, the interest from APTN in covering the case, and fundraising possibilities.

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Tuesday, January 22: Meeting of Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty

Time: 6:30pm
Location: Offices of the Sudbury and District Labour Council (Suite 209,
upstairs in 109 Elm Street, which is across the street from the Native
Friendship Centre )

Matters to be discussed include planning actions against the cuts to the community start-up fund and our ongoing direct action support work. Everyone welcome. The venue is wheelchair accessible. Children are welcome to attend, or childcare support is available upon request at sudburycap@gmail.com.

S-CAP is a direct-action anti-poverty organization based in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. We provide direct-action support work assisting individuals in their struggles with 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.

S-CAP on FaceBook:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/257339454351403/

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Saturday, January 26: Sudbury Bus to Toronto Rally for Rights and Democracy

Time & Location: Contact vtrudeau1@gmail.com for details and to reserve a spot on the bus

The Ontario Federation of Labour will be holding a protest at the Ontario Liberal Party's convention in Toronto as part of a larger campaign. For more details, go to http://ofl.ca/index.php/campaigns/democraticrights/. To learn about the bus from Sudbury and to reserve a spot, please email vtrudeau1@gmail.com.

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January 29 to January 31: Trans Health Connection Training

Time: All day
Location: For details of the Sudbury location please register with
Jordan Zaitzow at jzaitzow@rainbowhealthontario.ca or 416-324-4100
x5325.

Trans Health Connection is coming to Sudbury! Please spread the word to colleagues who may  be interested.   

Trans Health Connection - a project of Rainbow Health Ontario and Sherbourne Health Centre - will be coming to Sudbury January 29th, 30th, and 31st, to offer 3 days of comprehensive training for providers looking to build clinical capacity in working with trans/transgender/transsexual clients. We are inviting interested providers, allies, and community members to register TODAY for this
exciting opportunity!

JAN 29: Introduction to Trans Cultural Competence  
This session looks at language, terminology, and definitions, exploring some of the assumptions we make in our day-to-day interactions with the people around us. It provides a dynamic snapshot of colonial history of trans, lesbian, gay and bisexual people, as well as an overview of the general health care needs of trans clients. This session focuses on some of the social determinants of health for trans communities, how to recognize and address barriers to care, and how to work towards providing a welcoming and respectful environment for trans clients accessing general health care services.

JAN 30: Providing Trans-Related Clinical Care
This session focuses on providing holistic community-based transition-related services to trans clients. It aims to guide participants through assessment, monitoring, and follow-up for hormone therapy (including navigating the "gender dysphoria" assessment, hormone treatment protocols, treatment monitoring and health promotion). This session also includes some considerations around providing social and psychological support to clients and their families and friends, as well as familiarizing with other available community referrals. This is a clinical training largely directed at doctors and nurses, and open to anyone interested in the information.

JAN 31: Surgery Overview, and Holistic Case Work
This session is a review and general look at different surgical options for trans folks, including information about different procedures, as well as what surgeries are offered where for Ontarians. This session includes a segment offered by clinicians at the CAMH gender identity  clinic, on the process of getting surgery coverage through OHIP. This day also includes clinical protocols and recommendations for preparing
for surgery, as well as providing post-operative medical care and support. We additionally look at working with trans clients for whom there may be additional health challenges, and developing partnerships to enlarge the scope of services for trans communities.

If you are interested in attending any of these training days, please contact project coordinator Jordan Zaitzow at jzaitzow@rainbowhealthontario.ca or 416 324 4100 x5325 for more details.

hope to see you there!

jordan

NEWS, ANALYSIS, & CALLS TO ACTION:

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Callout for Suggestions for Eat Local Sudbury's New Food Film Festival

Eat Local Sudbury (www.eatlocalsudbury.com) will be ‘curating’ a food film festival.

The film festival will have three broad themes that will be explored: Genetically Modified Organisms & Seeds, Small Scale Farming, Impacts of the Industrial Food System.
 
It will be an opportunity to explore our food system, through video, art and documentary. The festival will happen early in February, so stay tuned.
 
You can participate in choosing the films that will be shown. If you have film suggestions, please send them to info@eatlocalsudbury.com. This includes shorts, clips, documentaries that are on Youtube, Vimeo and Creative Commons sites online.
 

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(English version follows)

Idle No More: Le pourquoi de notre mouvement
par Pam Palmater
Originally published in the Ottawa Citizen

Le mouvement Idle No More, qui a balayé le pays pendant les vacances, a pris par surprise la plupart des Canadien·ne·s, y compris le Premier ministre Stephen Harper et son gouvernement Conservateur

Cela ne veut pas dire que les Canadiens n’ont jamais vu une manifestation autochtone, puisque la plupart d’entre nous nous souvenons des soulèvements d’Oka, de Burnt Church et d’Ipperwash. Mais la plupart des Canadien·ne·s n’ont pas l’habitude du genre de mobilisation soutenue, coordonnée, pancanadienne à laquelle ils et elles assistent depuis quelques semaines – du moins pas depuis 1969. L’année 1969 a été la dernière fois que le gouvernement fédéral a présenté un plan d’assimilation des Premières nations. Ce plan a été défait à l’époque par l’opposition farouche des Autochtones, et il semble que le plan agressif d’assimilation législative de S. Harper va se heurter à une résistance encore plus féroce.

Pour comprendre ce qu’il en est de ce mouvement, il est nécessaire de comprendre le lien entre notre histoire et la situation actuelle des Premières nations. Bien qu’énormément d’injustices aient été infligées aux peuples autochtones au nom de la colonisation, les peuples autochtones n’ont jamais été «conquis». La création du Canada n’a été possible que grâce à la négociation de traités entre la Couronne et les nations autochtones. Bien que le libellé des traités varie entre les traités de paix et d’amitié conclus à l’Est et les traités numérotés conclus à l’Ouest, la plupart d’entre eux sont basés sur la promesse de base que nous allions tous vivre ensemble en paix et partager la richesse de ce territoire. Le problème est qu’il n’y a qu’une des parties à ces traités qui a bénéficié de toute la prospérité.

En refusant de partager les terres et les ressources tel que promis dans les traités, le Canada a placé les Premières nations au bas de tous les indicateurs socio-économiques – santé, espérance de vie, niveaux d’instruction et occasions d’emploi. Tandis que les terres et les ressources autochtones sont utilisées pour subventionner la richesse et à la prospérité du Canada en tant qu’État et les programmes et services de grande qualité offerts aux Canadiens, les Premières nations ont dû subir un sous-financement délibéré et chronique de tous leurs services de base aux personnes, qu’il s’agisse de l’approvisionnement en eau potable, d’installations hygiéniques, de logement ou d’éducation. Cela a conduit à de multiples situations de crise combinées dans plusieurs Premières nations, comme la crise du logement à Attawapiskat, la crise de l’eau à Kashechewan et la crise de suicides à Pikangikum.

Une partie du problème tient à ce que la politique fédérale à l’égard des «Indiens» a toujours pour objectif principal de se débarrasser du «problème indien». Plutôt que de travailler en fonction du mandat officiel des Affaires indiennes, soit «améliorer le bien-être social et la prospérité économique des Premières Nations», Harper tente, à travers un programme ambitieux très agressif, d’accomplir ce que le Livre blanc de 1969 n’a pas réussi à faire : se débarrasser du problème indien une fois pour toutes. Les Conservateurs ne le nient même pas – en fait, un discours prononcé par Harper le 24 janvier dernier à Ottawa, lors de la Rencontre de la Couronne et des Premières Nations, a porté sur un déverrouillage des terres des Premières nations et sur une intégration des Premières Nations dans la société canadienne pour le «plus grand bénéfice» de l’ensemble des Canadiens. [Quant à la loi C-45], cette suite d’environ 14 textes de loi a été élaborée, présentée et débattue sans le consentement des Premières Nations.

Idle No More est un mouvement coordonné, stratégique, qui n’est dirigé par aucun politicien élu, chef national ou directeur exécutif rémunéré. Il s’agit d’un mouvement d’abord dirigé par des femmes autochtones, auquel se sont ensuite ralliés des leaders populaires des Premières Nations, des Canadien·ne·s, et maintenant des gens de partout dans le monde. Il a débuté comme un moyen de faire opposition au projet de loi C-45, le projet de loi omnibus qui affecte les droits à l’eau et les droits fonciers reconnus par la Loi sur les Indiens, il s’est agrandi pour inclure l’ensemble des lois canadiennes – et des coupures budgétaires correspondantes – qui cherchent à censurer les plaidoyers des organisations politiques des Premières Nations.

Nos activités comprennent une campagne progressive d’envoi de plus en plus de lettres aux député·e·s et aux ministres, des teach-ins, des défilés et des flash-mobs, et vont jusqu’à des rassemblements, des manifestations et des blocus. Notre concept consistait à donner au Canada toutes les chances possibles de venir à la table d’une manière significative et aborder ces questions en suspens depuis longtemps; l’escalade ne se produirait que si le Canada continue de ne pas tenir compte de nos voix. Malheureusement, le premier ministre Harper a décidé de rester fermé aux appels au dialogue comme il a refusé de tenir compte de la grève de la faim de la chef Attawapiskat Theresa Spence.

Même si le mouvement Idle No More a débuté avant la grève de la faim de la chef Spence et qu’il se poursuivra après, sa grève est symbolique de ce qui se passe pour les Premières Nations au Canada. Chaque jour où Spence ne mange pas est une étape de sa mort lente, et c’est exactement ce qui se passe pour les Premières Nations, dont les durées de vie sont jusqu’à 20 ans plus courtes que la moyenne des Canadiens.

Idle No More présente une revendication semblable en affirmant la nécessité pour le Canada de négocier le partage de nos terres et de ressources. Mais le gouvernement doit d’abord faire preuve de bonne foi en retirant la loi 45 et en rétablissant le financement de nos communautés. Il est essentiel de faire quelque chose pour résoudre la crise immédiate à laquelle sont confrontés les gens de la base de ce mouvement.

Je suis optimiste quant à la puissance de nos peuples et je suis convaincue que nous en viendrons à remettre sur la bonne voie une relation de négociation de ces traités. Cependant, je suis moins confiante quant à la volonté du gouvernement Conservateur de s’asseoir avec nous et de résoudre ce problème de façon pacifique dans un proche avenir. Je m’attends donc tout à fait à ce que ce mouvement continue de se développer et s’intensifier. Le Canada n’a pas encore vu tout ce que ce mouvement a à offrir. Il va continuer à croître à mesure que nous renseignerons les Canadiens sur les faits de notre vécu et les nombreuses façons dont nous pouvons toutes et tous vivre ici en paix et partager la richesse.

Après tout, les Premières Nations, avec nos droits ancestraux constitutionnels et ceux issus de traités, sont pour les Canadien·ne·s le dernier et le meilleur espoir de protéger les terres, les cours d’eaux, les plantes et les animaux d’une destruction complète – et cet espoir n’avantagera pas seulement nos enfants, mais les enfants de l’ensemble des Canadien·ne·s.

[Pamela Palmater préside la chaire de Gouvernance autochtone à l’Université Ryerson et c’est une militante autochtone au sein du mouvement Idle No More.]

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Why We Are Idle No More
by Pamela Palmater
Originally published in the Ottawa Citizen

The Idle No More movement, which has swept the country over the holidays, took most Canadians, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative government, by surprise.

That is not to say that Canadians have never seen a native protest before, as most of us recall Oka, Burnt Church and Ipperwash. But most Canadians are not used to the kind of sustained, co-ordinated, national effort that we have seen in the last few weeks — at least not since 1969. 1969 was the last time the federal government put forward an assimilation plan for First Nations. It was defeated then by fierce native opposition, and it looks like Harper’s aggressive legislative assimilation plan will be met with even fiercer resistance.

In order to understand what this movement is about, it is necessary to understand how our history is connected to the present-day situation of First Nations. While a great many injustices were inflicted upon the indigenous peoples in the name of colonization, indigenous peoples were never “conquered.” The creation of Canada was only possible through the negotiation of treaties between the Crown and indigenous nations. While the wording of the treaties varies from the peace and friendship treaties in the east to the numbered treaties in the west, most are based on the core treaty promise that we would all live together peacefully and share the wealth of this land. The problem is that only one treaty partner has seen any prosperity.

The failure of Canada to share the lands and resources as promised in the treaties has placed First Nations at the bottom of all socio-economic indicators — health, lifespan, education levels and employment opportunities. While indigenous lands and resources are used to subsidize the wealth and prosperity of Canada as a state and the high-quality programs and services enjoyed by Canadians, First Nations have been subjected to purposeful, chronic underfunding of all their basic human services like water, sanitation, housing, and education. This has led to the many First Nations being subjected to multiple, overlapping crises like the housing crisis in Attawapiskat, the water crisis in Kashechewan and the suicide crisis in Pikangikum.

Part of the problem is that federal “Indian” policy still has, as its main objective, to get rid of the “Indian problem.” Instead of working toward the stated mandate of Indian Affairs “to improve the social well-being and economic prosperity of First Nations,” Harper is trying, through an aggressive legislative agenda, to do what the White Paper failed to do — get rid of the Indian problem once and for all. The Conservatives don’t even deny it — in fact Harper’s speech last January at the Crown-First Nation Gathering focused on the unlocking of First Nations lands and the integration of First Nations into Canadian society for the “maximized benefit” of all Canadians. This suite of approximately 14 pieces of legislation was drafted, introduced and debated without First Nation consent.

Idle No More is a co-ordinated, strategic movement, not led by any elected politician, national chief or paid executive director. It is a movement originally led by indigenous women and has been joined by grassroots First Nations leaders, Canadians, and now the world. It originally started as a way to oppose Bill C-45, the omnibus legislation impacting water rights and land rights under the Indian Act; it grew to include all the legislation and the corresponding funding cuts to First Nations political organizations meant to silence our advocacy voice.

Our activities include a slow escalation from letters to MPs and ministers, to teach-ins, marches and flash mobs, to rallies, protests and blockades. The concept was to give Canada every opportunity to come to the table in a meaningful way and address these long-outstanding issues, and escalation would only occur if Canada continued to ignore our voices. Sadly, Prime Minister Harper has decided to ignore the call for dialogue just as he has ignored the hunger-striking Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence.

Although Idle No More began before Chief Spence’s hunger strike, and will continue after, her strike is symbolic of what is happening to First Nations in Canada. For every day that Spence does not eat, she is slowly dying, and that is exactly what is happening to First Nations, who have lifespans up to 20 years shorter than average Canadians.

Idle No More has a similar demand in that there is a need for Canada to negotiate the sharing of our lands and resources, but the government must display good faith first by withdrawing the legislation and restoring the funding to our communities. Something must be done to address the immediate crisis faced by the grassroots in this movement.

I am optimistic about the power of our peoples and know that in the end, we will be successful in getting this treaty relationship back on track. However, I am less confident about the Conservative government’s willingness to sit down and work this out peacefully any time soon. Thus, I fully expect that this movement will continue to expand and increase in intensity. Canada has not yet seen everything this movement has to offer. It will continue to grow as we educate Canadians about the facts of our lived reality and the many ways in which we can all live here peacefully and share the wealth.

After all, First Nations, with our constitutionally protected aboriginal and treaty rights, are Canadians’ last best hope to protect the lands, waters, plants and animals from complete destruction — which doesn’t just benefit our children, but the children of all Canadians.

[Pamela Palmater is chair in Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University and an indigenous activist with Idle No More.]