Wednesday, February 11, 2009


CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT:
OCAP NEEDS YOUR HELP:
The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) is a direct action anti-poverty group in Ontario that has amassed a fine history of struggle, and often victory, over the years. Once more they are in search of funds. Here is their appeal.
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OCAP NEEDS YOUR HELP IF IT IS TO PAY THE RENT:‏
OCAP NEEDS YOUR HELP IF IT IS TO PAY THE RENT
OCAP carries on its work on a budget most agencies and organizations would consider hopelessly inadequate. We pay three people, do our outreach and maintain an office on about $60,000 a year.
We know that we are going into a situation where the need for organizing resistance in communities under attack will become greater than ever before. EI and welfare offices will turn people away.Housing evictions will increase massively. Homeless shelters will be unable to cope with increased demand. Governments will bail out their friends but leave the poor and unemployed to fend for themselves. We are in for a fight like none of us have ever seen and OCAP is going to play a very important role in it.
For a long time now, CUPE Local 3903 has supported us and covered the costs of renting our office space. They have just given a lead to all of us by taking up a fight against York University and Queen's Park to defend their members and the right to a decent system of post secondary education. After their gruelling strike, OCAP does not feel it can put any burden on them at such a time. We are not going to ask 3903 to renew its support until they have had a chance to take a few breaths and regroup for the struggles they face in the future.
We are asking allies and supporters to help us cover our $800 a month rental costs. Please send cheques made out to OCAP. All support will be very gratefully received but regular monthly amounts are most useful. This can be arranged by sending a voided cheque and a note telling us how much you wish to give each month.
We can do a lot with very little and operate without resources and facilities many would think of as basic. However, a little office and a phone is something we're loath to give up. We need a place to carry on our work of organizing communities under attack and to deal with huge numbers of people who come to us with cases of improper denial of benefits and other injustices. Please support us in the months ahead.
Cheques can be mailed to:
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty,
10 Britain Street,
Toronto, ON
M5A 1R6

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