ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS:

OTTAWA DEMONSTRATION FOR BARRIERE LAKE SOLIDARITY:

The following notice of a demonstration set for December 13 on Parliament Hill comes from the Barriere Lake Solidarity group.

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DAY OF ACTION TO SUPPORT THE ALGONQUINS OF BARRIERE LAKE



DEMAND THAT CANADA RESPECT BARRIERE LAKE'S TRADITIONAL GOVERNMENT AND TRAILBLAZING ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS


MONDAY DECEMBER 13, NOON, PARLIAMENT HILL



DOWNLOAD FLYERS: Front and Back
DOWNLOAD EDUCATIONAL PAMPHLET: HERE

::TRANSPORT FROM MONTREAL::
For those in Montreal, hop on a free bus to the Ottawa rally!
Leaving 9am from the corner of Mackay and Maisonneuve (Metro Guy-Concordia)
Returning to Montreal in the late afternoon or early evening.
TO BOOK A SPOT, email barrierelakesolidarity@gmail.com with your name and phone number.



What if a foreign regime was destroying your system of government, so it could then steal your resources and prevent you from environmentally protecting your homeland? This is what the Harper Government and federal bureaucrats are doing to the First Nation of Barriere Lake.

For more than two decades, the Algonquins of Barriere Lake have been demonstrating environmental leadership to the rest of Canada, campaigning to stop destructive clear-cut logging and to implement a sustainable development plan in their homeland in north-western Quebec.

But multi-national forestry corporations and government bureaucrats have refused to honour any of the agreements signed with Barriere Lake. They have tried at every turn to undermine the small community, one of the poorest in the country, and prevent them from implementing and realizing their vision for the protection and stewardship of the forests.


The David-vs-Goliath story now has a dark new twist: the Conservative government and bureaucrats in Indian and Northern Affairs Canada are interfering in Barriere Lake’s internal affairs, using section 74 of the Indian Act to forcibly assimilate and destroy the community's traditional government -- a traditional government the community has used for countless generations and which maintains their hunting way of life and respect for the environment.


Led by Barriere Lake youth, the overwhelming majority of the community are struggling to preserve their traditional government, so they can continue protecting the watersheds, forests, wildlife and lands for all future generations, Native and non-Native.

The Harper government is violating the Canadian Constitution, which protects the Aboriginal right to self-government. They are violating the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples, even though they have now endorsed it.


Join the Algonquins of Barriere Lake on Parliament Hill as they demand the Harper government and federal bureaucrats reject the use of section 74 and respect the community's traditional government and vision for environmental protection!

For more info: www.barrierelakesolidarity.org



:: BACKGROUND: HOW IS THE GOVERNMENT DESTROYING BARRIERE LAKE'S TRADITIONAL GOVERNMENT? AND WHY? ::

The government has used an archaic section of the Indian Act – section 74 – to unilaterally impose a different system of government on Barriere Lake.

Barriere Lake’s traditional government – open to community members who have connection to the land, and in which Elders guide potential leaders and safeguard their customs – ensures that community members maintain their sacred bond to the land and their hunting way of life. The band council electoral system the Harper government has imposed destroys the sacred governance bond the community has with the land. By breaking Barriere Lake's connection to the land, the Canadian and Quebec governments hope to get away with violating trailblazing environmental agreements and with illegally clear-cutting in Barriere Lake's traditional territory.

The overwhelming majority of community members want to protect their traditional governance system, but the bureaucrats in Indian and Northern Affairs Canada are spreading the misinformation that they are only a small group.

Through the summer, the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada bureaucracy ran an illegal process, imposed by the Quebec police, to bring the new system into the community. Fewer than a dozen ballots were sent in to nominate candidates for an Indian Act Chief and Council, who where then seated by acclamation. Meanwhile, almost 200 community members had signed a resolution rejecting this process! That represents a majority of community members who are eligible to participate in their political process.

Even the acclaimed Chief resigned in protest, refusing to break ranks with the community's majority. But four rogue band councillors with no community support have been illegally making decisions on behalf of Barriere Lake ever since. Shuttled to secret meetings with forestry companies and government officials, these councilors are being used by the government to derail Barriere Lake's precedent-setting environmental agreements and to facilitate illegal clear-cut logging.

Youth in the community are leading the movement to protect their traditional government and to heal and overcome the community divisions created by the internal meddling of government bureaucrats.

They are demanding the Harper Government cancel the imposition on Barriere Lake of the section 74 Indian Act band council system and respect their right to select leaders according to their traditional system of government.

CANADIAN ANARCHIST MOVEMENT TORONTO:
A NEW AND MUCH BETTER ANARCHIST COOKBOOK:


Here's a neat new project being put on by the Toronto Community Mobilization Network in support of arrestees at the G20 summit last summer. No, this time around it is for real, an actual honest to God cookbook. Here's the details...
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Send us your recipes!
We're making a RADICAL COOKBOOK!
Time Wednesday, October 20 at 7:00pm - Saturday, January 1, 2011 at 7:00pm

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Location everywhere

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Created By Community Solidarity Network

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More Info
Do you have tasty recipes and a passion for helping people fundraise for legal fees?

Send us your recipes!!

The Community Solidarity Network is creating a cookbook with all kinds of delicious recipes.

All proceeds will go to the G20 Legal Defence Fund.

Send your submission to: g20cookbook@gmail.com

Submissions are due January 1st 2011

CANADIAN LABOUR WINNIPEG:

DIRECT ACTION AND CUPW WINNIPEG LOCAL 856:

Great new interview on Black Mask Radio with two Winnipeg posties about the direct action tactics they have used in their struggle with Canada Post's "test scheme for speedup" here in Winnipeg. Go to the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog to access the file. Also keep up to date with the struggle at The Workers Struggle With The Modern Post blog.

CANADIAN POLITICS VANCOUVER:

MARCH TO SCRAP BILL C-49:

Bill C-49 is a federal government piece of legislation which purports to be against "human trafficking" but is actually a not so thinly disguised anti-refugee bill made up in response to the arrival of the Tamil "boat people" on the west coast. Extensive information on what the bill means and contains can be seen at the website of the Vancouver No One Is Illegal group. This same group is calling for a demonstration this Saturday to demand that the bill be dropped. Here is the call.

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Sat Nov 27:

Vancouver March to Scrap Bill C49!

Release Detained Refugees!
3 Months Too Long:

Free Detained Tamil Refugees!

Let them Stay!

Scrap Bill C49!

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Saturday November 27th @ 1pm
Vancouver Public Library (Corner of Georgia and Homer)

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Join No One is Illegal in a rally and march to call for the immediate release of detained Tamil asylum seekers, and an end to racist and restrictive refugee policies, including the recently tabled Bill C-49.

Surviving a dangerous journey, 492 Tamil refugees, including women and children, arrived in BC after fleeing war and persecution in Sri Lanka. Three months later, the vast majority of the refugees remain in jails, facing endless hearings that have revealed the clear incompetency, deliberate negligence, and racism of the system.

Canadian government officials and media outlets continue to perpetuate false and dehumanizing stereotypes of 'illegals', 'terrorists', and so-called queue-jumpers. This fear-mongering is just another tactic used to disguise the racist policies that define Canada’s immigration and refugee system.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and Minister of Censorship and Deportation Jason Kenney, have recently introduced Bill C49 under the banner of combating “human smuggling” and deterring the arrival of future boats. Bill C49 would give the Minister the power to single out for special punishment refugees who are suspected of having fled their country by means of smugglers. These punishments are harsh and inhumane. Asylum seekers suspected of using a smuggler will be subject to mandatory detention for the first year after arrival, with no chance of review, including for children. They also will not have the right to appeal a negative refugee decision. In addition, they will be prohibited from obtaining permanent residency for a period of five years after obtaining refugee status. This means these refugees will be held in limbo, not be allowed to leave the country nor sponsor their family members, effectively separating them from their families for a period of time well beyond those five years.

This is a shameful piece of legislation. Refugees are forced from their homes in emergency situations due to human rights abuses committed during wars, military occupations, or persecution against a minority group. We cannot expect refugees to wait for Canada to select them from overseas. We must understand that they undertake long and dangerous journeys to protect their lives and the lives of their families. According to the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees, to which Canada is a party, there are no penalties on refugees who arrive without pre-authorization and irregularly.

No One is Illegal-Vancouver asserts the basic human right to safety, mobility, and protection. It is well known that Tamils in Sri Lanka are fleeing military atrocities and mass displacement. The only crime the migrants have committed is transgressing this imposed settler-colonial border. We encourage you to join us in rejecting repressive, racist, and exclusionary ideologies and policies, and instead encourage compassion, solidarity, respect for life, and justice for all refugees.

Release Detained Asylum-Seekers! Justice, Freedom, and Status for All!

Right to Stay, Freedom to Move, Right to Return!
http://www.facebook.com/l/a762eKw8ztehdP2V5GkFfB_Gtxg;www.nooneisillegal.org

CANADIAN POLITICS:

SHANNEN'S DREAM:

For far too long Canada's aboriginal population has endured substandard conditions in their schools. A young woman, Shannen Koostachin , tried to change that. Since her untimely death others have taken up her torch. The following appeal to keep her dream alive come from the online news service Public Values.

☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

Youth are challenged to take up 'Shannen's Dream'

Educators active in campaign calling for First Nations' education equality being launched in memory of youth activist.

Shannen Koostachin was a young Aboriginal activist who campaigned for more equitable funding and better conditions for First Nations' schools before she died tragically last May. She was just 15 years old, but she had already established herself among First Nations, social justice and trade union activists as a powerful young fighter for truth and justice.

Now educators are taking the lead in throwing support and funds behind a campaign to have students across Canada take up her challenge.

"Shannen's advocacy helped us see very clearly the impact of underfunding by the federal government on schools in First Nations communities," said Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) President Sam Hammond. "We're challenging teachers and students in elementary schools to support the Shannen's Dream campaign to ensure that every young Canadian — no matter where they live — realizes the same fundamental right to decent schools and education in order to reach their full potential."

The campaign, initiated by MP Charlie Angus (NDP-Timmins-James Bay), was formally launched on November 17th in Ottawa. Earlier this fall, Angus introduced Motion 571 "Shannen's Dream" in the House of Commons. It calls for the right of First Nations children to high-quality, culturally relevant education, transparency in school construction, maintenance and replacement, and funding that will put reserve schools on par with non-reserve provincial schools.

"Shannen was tireless in her fight for equitable school rights for First Nation children," said Angus (Timmins-James Bay) in calling on the House of Commons to push to finally act on this national disgrace. "She became the face of a generation of forgotten First Nation school children. We are carrying on the work she started so that other children will not be left behind."

"Because of its fiduciary responsibilities under the Indian Act, the Department of Indian Affairs is functioning as a school board," said ETFO's Hammond. "How then can the Department justify that funding for Aboriginal students is $2,000 less than that for students in the provincially funded public and Catholic systems? In the case of Attawapiskat, it is unacceptable that the community has waited over 10 years for the Department to build a new school there, despite protests from First Nations and many others including ETFO."

ETFO and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers (OSSTF) is among the organizations that have donated to the Shannen's Dream campaign to help develop short videos, posters and other materials that will encourage students across Canada and others to call for an end to underfunding of First Nations schools. The campaign has also set up a scholarship to support education projects and scholarships for youth from the isolated James Bay coast.

Shannen Koostachin began her campaign because she and her classmates were forced to attend school in portables because her school was sitting on a toxic brownfield. There is still no new school despite a promise by the Federal Government in 2009 to build one. Since Shannen died in car accident last spring, Angus and others have worked to keep Shannen's Dream alive.

"Shannen was an inspiring young woman who has been recognized nationally and internationally for her human rights work for education," said Angus. "I am amazed at how many people are coming forward to make her legacy a reality."

Donations may be sent to: First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, 302-251 Bank Street Ottawa, ON K2P 1X3. Cheques should be made out to "Shannen’s Dream Campaign"

HUMOUR:

CAN YOUR CHILD OPT OUT ?:

The public protest over the full body scanners and the "enhanced pat-downs" in the USA has come and gone on the busiest day for air travel in that country. From all reports the National Opt Out Day was hardly a resounding success, even though the organizers were claiming a great success in raising public awareness. Somewhat true I guess. Too bad from my point of view, though this would undoubtedly be a hard one to get off the ground (pun intended). Perhaps 40% of the American population is terrorized by their government's propaganda about a terrorist under every bed. Another 40% is terrorized by the government itself and would rather not make waves in an airport for fear of the consequences.

Be that as it may the graphic above is still one great and incisive thing to come out of this campaign. Enjoy.

CANADIAN LABOUR ONTARIO:

MIGRANT WORKERS WILDCAT FOR UNPAID WAGES:

Speaking of wildcat strikes, here's another one, this time from Ontario. According to the Justice For Migrant Workers site ( see also their Facebook page )migrant farm workers in Ontario have gone on a wildcat strike to demand unpaid wages. Like true criminals the employers have invoked the law to deport the workers rather than paying what is owed. Here's the story.

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Simcoe, ON-Migrant farm workers stage wildcat strike.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Migrant farm workers stage wildcat strike to demand thousands of dollars in unpaid wages: Employer responds with deportation

November 23, 2010

(Simcoe, Ontario) Over a 100 migrant farm workers employed at Ghesquiere Plants Ltd. are facing imminent repatriation (deportation) after staging a wildcat strike to demanding thousands of dollars in unpaid wages.

The migrant workers from Mexico, Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados came together across racial, linguistic and ethnic lines to organize this wild cat strike and strengthen their collective power. The workers employed by this farm described numerous rights violations and complaints about their living conditions including the following:

• Workers are each owed from $1000 to $6000 in unpaid wages
• Workers are to be evicted and will be homeless as of Thursday, November 25th, 2010
• Most of the Mexican and Trinidadian workers will be repatriated by this Thursday. All Jamaican
workers have been repatriated.
• Electricity and heat has been cut off in one bunk
• Deplorable and very crowed living conditions

Justicia for Migrant Workers (J4MW), a grassroots advocacy migrant rights organization, calls for the immediate payment of all wages owing to workers. Migrant workers employed at Ghesquiere Plant Ltd. are being forced to return home and cannot provide for their families. Repatriation denies them access to pursue legal avenues under federal and provincial laws, basic protections accorded to permanent residents in Canada thus J4MW calls on both levels of government to intervene to protect migrants and prosecute employers who denied these workers basic rights. J4MW stresses that Temporary Foreign Worker Programs such as the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program denies migrant workers the ability to exert their rights and are in need of an urgent and complete overhaul.

J4MW Contacts

Chris Ramsaroop 1-647-834-4932 or ramsaroopchris@gmail.com
Carolina Alvarado Zuniga 1-647-296-6753

Justicia for Migrant Workers
c/o Workers’ Action Centre
720 Spadina Avenue, Suite 223
Toronto ON M5S 2T9
www.justicia4migrantworkers.org
www.twitter.com/j4mw

CANADIAN LABOUR WINNIPEG:

SUPPORT WINNIPEG LETTER CARRIERS POSTER:

The graphic shown here is the new support poster for Winnipeg letter carriers who recently staged wildcat walkouts to protest Canada Post's mad management scheme of "double bundling". Go to the The Workers' Struggle With The Modern Post blog for up-to-the-minute news on this important struggle.

CANADIAN POLITICS ONTARIO:
HAPPY 20TH OCAP:


Speaking of OCAP, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty this happens to be the 20th anniversary of their founding. Here's the notice of their celebration.
OCAPOCAPOCAPOCAP



OCAP's 20th Anniversary Celebration
Time Saturday at 6:30pm - November 28 at 1:00am

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Location Cecil Street Community Centre - 58 Cecil Street, Toronto

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More Info
Community Dinner, Reenactments, Music, the OCAP Awards, Toasts and Roasts.

Sliding scale - $0 to $100

Twenty years ago in November, the founding conference of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) took place.
...
On November 27, at the Cecil Street Community Centre (58 Cecil Street), we will be holding a party to remember the long road we’ve travelled and celebrate our struggles for the future.

OCAP has fought its way through two decades in which capitalism has been on the offensive and great problems have emerged in our movements around building and sustaining effective resistance. Along the way, we’ve made some mistakes but made many more victories, friends and high placed enemies. Through all we’ve done, our strength has been in our mobilization of poor communities to fight back and demand their rights.

Over the years, thousands of times, we forced welfare bureaucracies to provide the benefits they tried to hold back. We prevented evictions and deportations, forced cheating employers to pay up and made local authorities repair the public housing units they wilfully neglect.

OCAP acted to challenge the abandonment of the homeless. We opened closed shelters and occupied empty buildings to demand they be made into housing. We resisted the welfare cuts of Mike Harris and challenged their perpetuation by Dalton McGuinty. We were at the forefront of efforts ensure the poor had access to the Special Diet and we helped transform it from a barely known $6 million program to one paying over $200 million a year to poor people around the province.

OCAP fought on a range of fronts and won victories at a time when they were not easy to obtain. However, our greatest gain has been to ensure that the notion of collective resistance has not only been kept alive but has gained ground in the face of the neoliberal drive to destroy past gains and the expectations that were created alongside them.

As we look back with some pride on our history so far, we realize that these first two decades were only a warm up for the bigger fights ahead. This year, Toronto hosted the G20 with its plans for inhuman global austerity. Not by coincidence, as this vile gathering took place, we also saw the largest mass arrests in the history of Canada. The period that is now opening up will be one in which resistance will be at a premium and OCAP has some contributions ahead of it in this regard. Their plans for austerity will not run smoothly. People across the world are going to fight back and we are more than ready to be part of that fight.

Right now, we are rallying poor people across Toronto and beyond to defend their right to the Special Diet and to demand the raising of social assistance rates. We have recently brought on another OCAP organizer from within the Somali Community in Etobicoke to help expand our work there. We have a new person in our office working to increase our ability to deal with the growing abuses of the welfare system as it saves money by denying people and families their right to basic income. We are looking to move into a bigger office at a more visible location to help increase our base in the hard hit downtown east end. All of this means that, as we mark twenty years of fighting back, we need the help of our friends and allies to obtain the resources we need to get bigger and stronger at a time that requires it.

If you can make a contribution, it will be greatly appreciated and, if you can pledge a regular monthly amount that will be even better. See the website at www.ocap.ca to donate.

Come and celebrate 20 years of OCAP on November 27th.
Thanks for all your help and support now and in the future.

CANADIAN POLITICS TORONTO:
TWO EVENTS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS:


Here from the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) are two upcoming events in Toronto that you really don't want to miss.
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Taxi Workshop Wednesday, Rob Ford Inauguration December 1st...‏



Two upcoming events: 1) Too much work, not enough justice:A Special Legal Workshop for Taxi Drivers (and anyone interested)Wednesday, November 24th, 1pm - 3pm(more details below)
2)Give Rob Ford the Welcome He Deserves!Rally: Wednesday, December 1st, 12noon(details below)
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1) Too much work, not enough justice: A Special Legal Workshop
Wednesday, November 24th, 1pm - 3pm
Free Legal Workshop for Taxi Drivers and anyone interested who have been victims of violent crime: Talk to an experienced legal worker about applying for compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board is a provincial body that awards up to $25 000 to victims of violent crime, or witnesses who experience “nervous shock”. As long as the incident happened in Ontario within the last two years, you are eligible. In some cases, older incidents may also be eligible for compensation. The process is relatively straightforward, you don’t have to get a lawyer, and you can get compensation regardless of your immigration status or whether you receive OW or ODSP.
Find out more!
Come out and get started on your claim!!
A SOLIDARITY WORKSHOP BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE ONTARIO COALITION AGAINST POVERTY
REGISTER BY CALLING US AT (416) 925-6939
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2) Rally to give Rob Ford and his New Council the Welcome they Deserve
Nathan Philips Square (City Hall),
Wednesday December 1, Noon
*Meal Served in the Square

OCAP, No One is Illegal and a range of other organizations will hold a rally on December 1 to mark the swearing in of the new Mayor and the rest of City Council. The new Council are taking office at a time when, across the world, austerity measures are being imposed on working people and the poor.

Rob Ford is more than ready to play his part in this vicious process. Ford ran for office by posing as an opponent of the 'Gravy Train'. He takes a selective view in these matters. Ford personally complained to the College of Physicians and Surgeons to try and prevent Dr. Roland Wong providing the Special Diet to people in poverty. The basic needs of poor people in this city forced to try to survive on inadequate OW/ODSP rates were are unaffordable in his eyes.

However, the cops can expect a whole reservoir of gravy from Rob Ford, just as the Pan Am Games will get a million gallons of the stuff. On December 1, OCAP will be joining community allies preparing for the fights that lie ahead on the needs of communities under attack. We will present to the new Council a demand that City welfare offices stop their ongoing drive to deny people in need the Special Diet and other vital benefits.

This is a Council that will be at war with poor and working people in this City. December 1 will be the start of our war on them. Come out and join us.
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***Please Forward
Mayor Ford: Respect People!
Counter-Inaugural
Wednesday Dec. 1st 12pm
Toronto City Hall

On December 1, Rob Ford becomes Mayor of Toronto. In his campaign speeches and his public statements, Ford has called for cuts to fair wages, dismantling of the already inaccessible public transit system, supported Toronto's police brutality during the G20, and repeatedly expressed racist anti-immigrant sentiments and outright hatred for poor people. While claiming to speak on behalf of the 'majority', Ford actually believes in a Toronto for the few. He believes in a Toronto divided into suburbs and the downtown. A Toronto divided into streetcar riders, bikers and drivers. A Toronto divided into immigrants, refugees and citizens. A Toronto where the homeless are driven out of sight as social housing is sold off to developers. A Toronto where police budgets grow and cops act with impunity. A Toronto that is open for business, but closed for the public.

This is not our Toronto. Our Toronto is about justice, dignity, and respect for immigrants, precarious workers, poor people and unions. On December 1, at 12 noon, a public, family friendly demonstration is being called outside City Hall as Rob Ford becomes Mayor to remind him what the people of this city need, expect and demand.

Keep checking http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/ and http://www.ocap.ca/ for more info

CANADIAN LABOUR WINNIPEG:
WINNIPEG WILDCAT AT CANADA POST:


After weeks of frustration and gradually building tension workers at several Winnipeg Canada Post depots walked out today. The precipitating cause is a new mail sorting and delivery system, actually a wild management scheme that pushed the concept of speedup to the point of disastrous confusion in terms of service and heights of injury on the part of the workers. At the Wilkes depot one worker was disciplined for refusing the new system and sorting his mail in the traditional fashion. The other workers walked out in solidarity with him. On the radio today management a spokesman gave his version of the dispute, basically totally ignoring both the complaints of the workers and the chaos in mail delivery (or non-delivery) that the scheme has caused. His line was "change is always difficult, and some people have a problem with change". I kid you not ! That is the sort of psychobabble that they teach in schools of management in lieu of actually having any useful skill to impart to order givers.

Here's how the strike was reported by the Financial Post.

CPWCPWCPWCPWCPW
Canada Post face wildcat strike in Winnipeg

Don Healy/Postmedia News
In implementing its modernized methods of sorting and delivering mail, part of the corporation’s transformation project, Canada Post has been facing resistance from employees in Winnipeg, the first city to operate under the new “two-bundle” system.
Tim Shufelt, Financial Post · Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010

Dozens of letter carriers walked off the job in Winnipeg on Monday in protest over a new mail delivery method they call unsafe.

In implementing its modernized methods of sorting and delivering mail, part of the corporation’s transformation project, Canada Post has been facing resistance from employees in Winnipeg, the first city to operate under the new “two-bundle” system.

When one worker refused to follow the new rules, he was cited for insubordination and immediately suspended. Dozens of other carriers from the mail depot — 76 in total — then walked out in solidarity.

About 15% of the city’s routes were affected, said Jon Hamilton, a spokesman for Canada Post.

The new system requires the employee to carry a second bundle of mail on their forearm. But that method obscures the feet from view, causing falls and injuries, and results in back and neck pain, said Bob Tyre, head of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers’ Winnipeg local.

“Our letter carriers tell us it’s absolutely and completely unsafe,” Mr. Tyre said, noting that after just a month in use, the two-bundle system is much hated among employees. “The number of injuries have skyrocketed since then.”

Mr. Hamilton said the delivery process is currently subject to arbitration.

“There are other avenues where the union could address their concerns, make their views known without hurting or impacting service to Canadians and the businesses that depend on us,” he said.

And he insisted that Canada Post needs to evolve to improve efficiency and to reflect the changing behaviours of Canadians when it comes to mail. In the last four years alone, mail volume fell by more than 11% in Canada, he said.

“We need to make changes in order to maintain the service that Canadians depend on and also be able to secure the future for employees in terms of their pensions and job security and their wages,” he said. “This isn’t just a change for change’s sake.”

But Denis Lemelin, CUPW’s national president, said the union and the corporation have a responsibility to ensure the safety of letter carriers.

“We’re telling the employer they have to stop this new method and maybe sit with the union and find a new way to address the issue,” he said, noting that complaints are also starting to come in from employees in other parts of the country, as Canada Post rolls out the new system to Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, and, eventually, the rest of the country.

Meanwhile, in Winnipeg, it’s unclear how long the mail disruption might continue.

Mr. Tyre said his colleagues will not abide the two-bundle system any longer. “They’re pretty irate. I don’t know what they’re going to do tomorrow.”
..

Read more: http://www.financialpost.com/news/Canada+Post+face+wildcat+strike+Winnipeg/3868455/story.html#ixzz164pPLlfj

CPWCPWCPWCPWCPW
Here's how the walkout was reported by the CBC.
CPWCPWCPWCPWCPW
Canada Post employees walk out

About 40 Canada Post employees walked off the job Monday to show solidarity with a worker who was suspended for flouting the new mail-sorting methods. (CBC)
Dozens of Canada Post employees in Winnipeg walked off the job Monday to protest a change in the mail-sorting procedure.

Canada Post's website says the corporation is undergoing a "postal transformation," and Winnipeg is the first location rolling out new sorting equipment and delivery methods before they're implemented across the country.

The new, automated way results in postal carriers having to carry three bags along their routes. Under the old sorting method, done by hand, carriers ended up with two bundles because the sorters were able to combine flyers with mail destined for each place of delivery.

A man sorting the mail the old way on Monday at the Wilkes Avenue facility was suspended, according to Bob Tyre, head of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers' Winnipeg local.

That prompted 40 other employees at the facility to walk out in solidarity.

"They [Canada Post] suspended him on the spot. And the other carriers decided that that was the line in the sand and they left, too," Tyre said.

About 60 carriers at the downtown sorting plant then left their jobs for similar reasons, but only walked out for about a half-hour, said Tyre.

He noted seven carriers at the Transcona plant were also threatened with suspension for sorting mail the old way.

Workplace injuries
Tyre said the new procedure is causing an increase in workplace injuries and slowing down mail delivery.

Carrying the three bags "makes walking treacherous [and is] hard on their necks and their backs," he said, adding "there's been a skyrocketing increase in injuries.

'They've gotten nowhere with Canada Post, so they just decided that they can't work that way and they went home.'
—Bob Tyre, Canadian Union of Postal Workers"And [the carriers] have tried to, and the union has as well, talk to Canada Post about the delivery method, how it's causing injuries, and it's not safe and it slows the delivery down on the streets, so they're all working overtime. They've been working that way now for about six weeks.

"And they've gotten nowhere with Canada Post, so they just decided that they can't work that way and they went home."

Canada Post spokesman John Hamilton said the corporation is still working out the bugs on the new sorting equipment and hopes employees will adapt to the change.

"The simple fact is that this is a big change, not everybody likes change, and there are going to be some issues from time to time," he said.

He would not discuss whether any disciplinary action would be taken against the workers who walked out.

Last week, Winnipeg Liberal MP Anita Neville said she has been inundated with complaints from people in her Winnipeg South Centre riding because mail has been arriving late or not at all.

One seniors residence with 183 units had no mail for three days, she said.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/11/22/mb-canada-post-dispute-winnipeg.html#ixzz1652xUEUm

CPWCPWCPWCPWCPW
Two local blogs here in Winnipeg are following these events closely. One is the Winnipeg Wobbly Blog, the local organ of Winnipeg's IWW. The other has been featured here before. The Workers' Struggle With The Modern Post is a blog set up by members of CUPW here in Winnipeg, and it has been reporting the problems with Canada Post's weird little experiment for the past month. This blog is the best source for up to the minute news about what is happening with the post and the struggle that Winnipeg posties are fighting. Unfiltered through the mass media of course.



The Workers' Struggle blog has received numerous expressions of support from both other postal workers across the country and members of the general public. Even internationally. Feel free to send them your greetings of solidarity. Winnipeg is a "test case" for a management scheme backed by a government that would be more than happy to see the public postal system destroyed entirely.If the Winnipeg posties lose than postal workers across the country lose, and in the end the general public loses as well.

Here's a report on the job actions today from the Workers' Struggle blog. Make sure to check in there tomorrow as the struggle continues.
CPWCPWCPWCPWCPW
Monday, November 22, 2010

Here is a more detailed look at today's actions
After weeks of struggling to work under the employers' new delivery model, Winnipeg letter carriers have reached the breaking point. The multiple bundle delivery method imposed by the boss has resulted in many members sustaining injuries and has made the work dangerous and unsafe.

Over assessed routes and the refusal to provide proper time values for all of the work performed has resulted in many carriers being forced to work overtime to complete delivery. So far, the employer has refused to take any concrete measures to resolve the concerns of the membership.

This morning at the South West Depot, wave 1 letter carriers decided that the safest way to perform their work was to sort the sequenced mail into their cases and deliver with 1 bundle on the street. Members were ordered by the boss to cease the sequenced mail sortation and when 1 temporary letter carrier refused to comply, he was advised that he was being suspended. Other members in the depot left the work floor in support of the disciplined worker and refused to work as dictated by the boss. After a brief coffee meeting in the parking lot, the members then went home.

The second wave for South West reported for work and learned of the earlier events and made the decision to support one another, refuse the dangerous work method and go home for the day.

Meanwhile, in the other corner of the city, wave 1 letter carriers in the Transcona depot also made the decision to sort their sequenced mail into their cases. The employer did not prevent them from doing so and those workers then left and commenced their delivery. When wave 2 reported for duty, they attempted to sort in their sequenced mail and were advised by the employer that they could not do so and would face a 5 day suspension if they disobeyed. These members then invoked their right to refuse the unsafe work method and are still in the office. The employer has not issued any further instructions or orders to them. Our stewards are working with those members in the article 33 process.

Will the employer escalate the situation and respond with heavy handed discipline or will they realize that its time to put the health and safety of workers ahead of the unworkable new delivery model?

It's time for all us to stand up and demand a safe workplace and a 1 bundle delivery method.

An Injury to One is An Injury to All.

Solidarity,

LOCAL EVENTS WINNIPEG:
FUND RAISER FOR THE A-ZONE COOPERATIVE:


As has been mentioned before at this blog the various organizations resident in the 'A-Zone' at 91 Albert St. here in Winnipeg have been raising funds for the purchase and management of the building as a tenant owned and operated cooperative. Next weekend there will be a fund raiser for this effort. Here's the notice.
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Building the A-Zone Co-op - "Another Property is Possible" Social
Saturday, November 27, 2010

Location:
Ukrainian Labour Temple, 591 Pritchard Ave (map)
Time: 8pm to 1am

Since 1995, 91 Albert Street (home of Mondragon Bookstore & Coffeehouse) has been known as the Old Market Autonomous Zone, or "A-Zone". Help raise funds for the business, cooperative, and collective tenants of 91 Albert Street to purchase and manage the heritage building/community and commercial space as a non-profit, democratically-run tenant co-op. Join in for a fun night of carnival games, music and dancing.

Tickets: $10, available at Mondragon Bookstore & Coffeehouse, 91 Albert St.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:
A BANK STRIKE ?:


Here's an interesting proposition for an event on December 7. It's for an international "bank strike" whereby people withdraw their money from corporate banks in a coordinated fashion on a given day. I presume to redeposit it in institutions such as credit unions or the like. Frankly you have to be doubtful about how far this will fly, but it's still an interesting idea. especially considering how much the banks are responsible for our present economic crisis. Here's the story from the Rage Against The Banks site. See the website for more details and messages in other languages.
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REVOLUTION! ON 12/7 Mass funds withdrawal from Corporate Banks.
Time Tuesday, December 7 · 9:00am - 5:00pm

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Location UK, Worldwide

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Created By Rage Against the Banks

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More Info
On 7th December 2010 you are cordially invited to withdraw any money you may have in any Corporate Bank. This is a worldwide online movement with no leadership.

French: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=101996426533405
Greek: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156793421024126&index=1
German: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156793421024126&index=1#!/event.php?eid=171582926191592
International: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=137793666269183
Italian: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165061130188137

HUMOUR:

COKE CONQUERS THE WORLD:

And yet another image from the Adrian V blog.

HUMOUR:

THE 'MASTER DRINK' ?:

Like I promised here's another image from the Adrian V blog.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS GREECE:
HUGE DEMONSTRATIONS MARK NOV. 17 IN GREEK CITIES:



On November 17, 1973 the military invaded the occupied Polytechnic University in Athens. This was the ostensible end of a student revolt against the military dictatorship in Greece. The events, however, were actually the beginning of the end of the Junta which collapsed early the next year. Since that time November 17 has been a holiday in all educational institutions in Greece, and commemorative marches are held annually.




This year the demonstrations were far larger and more militant than usual as Greeks took the opportunity to protest the government's austerity program and EU/IMF interference in Greek affairs. Here's the story from the Supporting Anarchists In Greece group.
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November 17th: Demonstrations all over Greece..
November 17, 2010. 37 years after the Polytechnic uprising, dynamic demonstrations took place almost nationwide. The state put thousands of cops and secret cops to enforce the “order” with brutal attacks in most cities but the state terrorism did not pass.

The mass media did one-minute (and of course one-sided) reports about the demos, placing them in the 6th place in the news, although there were notable demos throughout Greece reminding somehow the uprising days.. But even if there was an uprising here, you would never hear it on the news.

Athens: Despite the police terrorism, with thousands of all kinds of cops scattered in every corner of Athens and three main metro stations deliberately out of order, making the access to the pre-demo gathering spots difficult, tens of thousands people (60-100000) marched towards the U.S. embassy participating in one of the largest, if not the largest in volume and pulse marches in recent years. The mass number of the demonstrators showed that even after the 5th May numbness, there are people who want to act powerfully and contest the choices of the local and global capital.



Before the beginning of the demo, anarchists and other youths, attacked the PASP block (youth branch of PASOK – the social-democrat party in power) with marbles and sticks, forcing them to disorderly retreat and follow the great demo from adjacent lanes. At the same time the block of PAME (syndicalist branch of the “communist” party KKE) marched fast (almost running) from a parallel street in order to place themselves on the front part of the demo, as they commonly do..


The anarchist-antiauthoritarian blocks were impressive in size, numbering more than 6,000 people.

Near the U.S. Embassy, the police forces attacked the demo using tear gas and flash bang grenades to break the massive anarchist and leftist blocks. The clashes extended to the surrounding streets and later in Exarchia. We should notice that during the demo and later in the evening in Exarchia district, two police helicopters with headlights were flying continuously in the Athenian sky facilitating the moves of the repressing forces.

More than 100 people were detained and 22 people were arrested by the cops. The 15 are prosecuted in felony degree, and they face charges for covered face (the “hooded law”), while the others face misdemeanor charges. It should be noted that one of them was falsely accused of bearing a molotov cocktail. Many people got seriously injured by the cops and had to go to the hospital.


Thessaloniki : Before the demo, there were clashes between leftist/anarchist students and members of PASP (youth branch of PASOK – the party in power) who tried to attack people in the University campus, and eventually they ran away.

Around 6000 people marched in the demo with a great pulse, and one bank was attacked. After the demo, clashes took place outside the University campus while numerous cops and secret cops managed to arrest 6 people and detain 17 during the day.


Volos: dynamic demonstration of about 1300 people. The cops were extremely aggressive using countless of asphyxiating chemicals, tear gas and flash bang grenades against the blocks. Many bank-cameras were broken while clashes took place outside the local police station with stone throwing, some molotov cocktails and barricades.



Ioannina: Demonstration of 2-3000 people in the city center with provocative cops presence on every street.

Heraklion (Crete): demo of about 1500 people with the anarchist block numbering almost the half of the demonstrators. During the demo, bank cameras and the offices of the fascist party LAOS were attacked, while members of PASOK Youth were abused.


Patras: Morning demo of self-organized pupils with stone-trowing against the cops and around 5 arrests. In the afternoon, the main demo took place in the city center with 2-3000 people marching on, one of the most massive demos in recent years. Cops attitude was extremely aggressive, firing countless tear gas on the demonstrators heads, while they attacked and broke the demo’s blocks and went on arrests and injuries. The protesters defended themselves clashing with numerous cops and secret cops that were deployed in the city.
more photos here.



Mytilene: Dynamic demonstration of 300 people

Kavala: Demonstration of 200 people and abuse of PASOK Youth members

Xanthi: Dynamic demo of about 600 people, one of the most massive demos for Polytechnic uprising ever held in the city

Serres: Demo in the city center under the rain with the anarchist block numbering about 60 people.

Rethymnon (Crete): Demo of about 250 people

Arta: Demo in the city center.

Komotini: Dynamic demo in the city center with the anarchist block numbering around 40 people that marched towards the prisons. Secret cops were hanging around the city.

Larissa: Dynamic demo of about 200 people, accompanied by several cops, while there were attacks with paint and eggs against government buildings.


sources: http://www.facebook.com/l/0d587Vy_4XFhnn4sCNMCnboUs4A;athens.indymedia.org , http://www.facebook.com/l/0d587Kh_ww_Io5jybrFvLwryakw;www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/ , http://www.facebook.com/l/0d587tgC07ypL13u-37DjfunX0g;candiaalternativa.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/l/0d587-i1uaHG3FlRAXjgCrfoFvg;contrainfo.espiv.net


pictures from all the Demonstrations in Greece here http://www.facebook.com/l/0d587DyLjRGaxY25ga2odqOAdDw;merrybabes.wordpress.com/2010/11/21/november-17th-demonstrations-all-over-greece/

HUMOUR:

CHOOSE YOUR POISON CAREFULLY:

Another great item from the Adrian V blog.

CANADIAN LABOUR - CANADIAN POLITICS MANITOBA:

A MODEST PROPOSAL FOR THOMPSON:

Out here in the middle of nowhere the news has been hot as the infamous Vale Inco of Sudbury strike fame has decided to close their smelter in Thompson Manitoba citing both a lack of nearby refinable ore and difficulty in meeting federal pollution control regulations. Some may see this as a "feint" designed to get either an exemption from the regulations or yet another government subsidy to meet them. Yet, believe it or not, I'm inclined to believe at least part of the company's rationale as it makes little sense to truck ore half way across the country to be processed in northern Manitoba. This latest move, however, may be a cause for regret for Thompson members of the USW when they didn't go on a sympathy strike with their brothers and sisters in Ontario (and the still striking miners in Labrador).

Be that as it may, let's assume the die is cast. the following article from the Winnipeg Free Press shows how cynical the federal Conservative government is in regards to the people of Thompson. Business interests trump all after all. Meanwhile here in Manitoba the local Conservatives are playing politics claiming that the provincial NDP government should "have anticipated" the closure. Did their friends in Ottawa anticipate it ? Maybe they did, but they certainly don't care. After all smelter workers and natives rarely vote Conservative anyways. Bugger them as long as Vale gives donations to the Party and offers soft jobs to its nominees.

MOLLY, HOWEVER, HAS ANOTHER PROPOSAL. ONE THAT ACCEPTS THE NON-VIABILITY OF THE SMELTER, BUT ALSO ONE THAT WOULD PRESERVE AND PERHAPS EXPAND JOBS. SURE IT WOULD INVOLVE SOME POLITICAL COURAGE, AND SUCH COURAGE IS UNLIKELY FROM OUR PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT. IT IS STILL, HOWEVER, SOMETHING WORTH CONSIDERING. SEE THE ADDENDUM TO THIS POST.

Meanwhile here is the item from the Winnipeg Free Press.

MAMAMAMAMAMA

Thompson's loss of jobs Canada's gain: Clement
Miner downsizing in Manitoba, investing $10B elsewhere
By: Mia Rabson and Larry Kusch


OTTAWA -- He's sorry for Thompson but a $10-billion investment in mines is good for the rest of Canada, Industry Minister Tony Clement said Thursday in the House of Commons.

Clement was responding to a question from Churchill MP Niki Ashton about a plan by Brazilian mining company Vale SA to close the Thompson nickel smelter and refinery by 2015.

It will result in the loss of 500 jobs in Thompson, about 40 per cent of the Vale SA workforce in the northern Manitoba city.

Clement told Ashton he would speak to the Manitoba government about it and said his officials would meet with her to get "all the facts on the table."

Then he said the news might be bad for Thompson but there is good news for the rest of Canada -- a $10-billion investment in Vale's other operations in Sudbury, Ont., Long Harbour and Voisey's Bay, N.L., and Saskatchewan that will result in 1,000 permanent jobs.

"The context of this, however, is that the announcement that is so affecting her community in a negative way is also part of a larger announcement where thousands of jobs will be created throughout the rest of the country," said Clement. "I know she has to defend her people. I understand that, but this is good for Canada in the overall."




Ashton was incensed by Clement's response. "The guy is not committed here," said Ashton. "Manitobans are just as Canadian as people in Sudbury, in Long Harbour and Voisey's Bay."

The Thompson smelter and refinery will be closed because there is a shortage of mineral reserves for it to process. Vale SA also decided it could not meet tough new federal sulphur dioxide emissions standards that would require it to cut emissions from the Thompson smelter by 88 per cent in five years.

Ashton said if its federal standards involved, clearly the federal government can be part of the solution.

Ashton said Clement needs to show he is committed to the people of Thompson and that he should be the one to bring Vale SA to the table to figure out how to save the smelter and refinery.

"He's a cheerleader for Vale and isn't standing up for Canadian workers who are losing their jobs," Ashton said.

Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger flew to Thompson for a meeting Thursday morning with city officials. He said it's premature to discuss any incentives the province may offer Vale SA not to close the refinery.

"We first want to meet with them and find out what their thinking is and ask them to consider alternatives (to closing the nickel smelter and refinery)," said Selinger.

The premier said he was confident the province would be able to arrange a meeting with the company soon.

"When we do, we'll sit down and see what they have to offer and what their thinking is and also put the case forward for why Thompson is a good place to do business."

Opposition Leader Hugh McFadyen criticized the province for failing to anticipate Vale's decision. He cited a 2005 Free Press article that said Thompson would only be processing ore from Newfoundland until Vale's smelter there was completed.

He said it would have been easier to mitigate the impact of Vale's announcement on the northern Manitoba community if Selinger "hadn't failed so miserably to anticipate (Wednesday's) announcement."

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
MAMAMAMAMAMA
MOLLY'S MODEST PROPOSAL:
Let's accept the idea that the Thompson smelter is an essentially bad idea. It is both uneconomic and heavily polluting ( without either government exemptions or subsidy). Let us also, however, understand that the smelter has benefited from decades of government subsidies in terms of unpaid infrastructure and low power rates (smelters don't operate on 60 watt bulbs). Does the Province of Manitoba owe Inco's heir, Vale Inco, anything ? No !!! If anything the balance is all on the other side. However, to be generous let Vale strip the premises of whatever they want except things that might contribute to a more appropriate use. Chalk up the premises and such amenities to the decades of subsidy.


What would be such an alternative use ? The answer is just a little (little in Northern terms) bit down the road in Flin Flon. The Flin Flon operation for growing medical marijuana is due to be closed in 2012 due to a dispute between the operators Prairie Plant Systems and the 'landlord' Hudson bay Mining and Smelting. This operation produces Canada's 'medical marijuana' crop (to my understanding of poor quality). What I would suggest is that the province of Manitoba, the City of Thompson and the United Steelworkers representing present workers in Thompson make a bid to convert the smelter to a new facility for growing this crop. I further recommend that the ownership of this facility be tripartite between the above mentioned parties.


Is this advantageous to the Province ? Yes ! The energy subsidies to such an operation would be far less than those for a smelter. Is this advantageous to Thompson and the workers ? Yes ! Jobs are preserved, and the local economy thrives. Here is where political courage comes into play. In Canada the Narcotics Control Act is a federal law. Yet, just as in the USA where California has all but legalized marijuana by "over-defining medical use" it is within the powers of a Canadian province as they have responsibility for health to act likewise. It is also a fact that the RCMP are contracted by the Province and are thus subject to directives from the Province as to what law enforcement priorities they should have.


With an expansion of the present piddling Canadian marijuana growing operation it is entirely feasible that all the jobs in Thompson could be preserved, and let me say that the new jobs would be a lot more pleasant than the old ones. We will say nothing about "medical tourism" for now except to briefly mention it. Who would oppose such an enterprise ? Certainly Conservative politicians and organized crime (whose prices would be undercut tremendously). Perhaps Conservative politicians and organized crime are two words for similar things. Perhaps even crime and policing costs in Winnipeg would drop dramatically. But Conservative politicians would be very unhappy about that because it would undercut their "market share" of the vote just as it would undercut the "market share" of the marijuana trade of the gangs..


Does the provincial NDP have the courage to do such a thing ? I doubt it, but it is a policy worth considering. Perhaps the only realistic way to save jobs in Thompson.

HUMOUR:

WHY WE FIGHT:

Molly has recently discovered a great new blog 'Adrian V', published, I believe, in Romania. In the next little while I hope to show a few of the great graphics I discovered there, beginning with this one. The site is not just images. There's a lot of other content there as well, but I find the graphics a real treat. Especially so as reposts to another anarchist site seem to have raised the hackles of some rather prissy purists who are upset that Adrian reprinted Thoreau's 'Essay on Civil Disobedience' using a platform that is not politically correct enough for them. The dispute is far beyond me as "I don't give a shit" is an understatement of my attitude to their small world. In any case, it's even more of a reason for me to like Adrian. Look for more soon.

LOCAL EVENTS WINNIPEG:
PIP SKID EUROTOUR FUNDRAISER:


I love how some of these things are sent this way "real early like". In any case it's happening tonight here in Winnipeg at the Lo Pub 330 Kennedy St.. Here's the promo...
♫☼♫☼♫☼♫☼♫☼♫☼


PIP PIP BERET! Pip Skid Eurotour Fundraiser with The Greg Macpherson Band
Time Today at 9:00pm - Tomorrow at 12:00am

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Location
Lo Pub
330 Kennedy St at Ellice Ave
Winnipeg, MB

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More Info
UMFM and Marathon of Dope Present:

PIP PIP BERET!
Pip Skid Eurotour Fundraiser

...featuring:
Pip Skid backed up by The Greg Macpherson Band

plus invited guests:
Rob Crooks
Gruf
DJ Co-op & DJ Hunnicutt


Saturday, November 20th
Lo Pub
330 Kennedy at Ellice
Tickets at the door only!
$7 - Limited Capacity - Arrive Early
18+ / Photo ID Required


Pip is going to Europe and Pip is going to act so weird.

Pip is playing with the Greg Macpherson band. They played at that Plugin gallery opening, but you missed it/couldn't see or hear them.

Who will look after Pip's cat while he's gone? Cass? Probably.

Greg and his band have been working really hard on playing Pip's songs and they sound great.

Rob Crooks is a talented rapper and songwriter who appears on Pip's latest album, Skid Row.

Gruf is Gruf. Act like you know.

Co-op and Hunnicutt are really old, but super nice dudes.


Actual Pip Bio:
Pip Skid is the ugly truth. He is a rap firebrand whose music transcends its humble prairie origins. His unvarnished commentary on political and social issues has earned him pockets of admirers all over the world. His songs are propelled by imagery and messages that provoke people to question, think, and act. Pip Skid can be repulsive, he can be inspiring, but he can never be dull.

Far from a newcomer, Pip Skid has been writing and performing for half his life. Starting out with the seminal group Farm Fresh from his native Brandon, Manitoba, Pip was at the forefront of a burgeoning hip hop scene in central Canada in the early 1990's. He is a cornerstone of the success of indie label Peanuts & Corn Records and has featured on many of their 40 releases.