August 25, 2010
Whatever Happened To… Gary Freeman, “Canada’s Black Panther”?
Gary Freeman, AKA Joseph Pannell, pictured circa 1976. He was branded Canada’s very own Black Panther. In 2004, Gary Freeman, born Joseph Pannell, was arrested by Toronto police at gunpoint outside of his workplace, the Toronto Reference Library. It turned out that this friendly library assistant, father, and husband was harbouring a secret past. In Chicago in 1969, he had shot a cop three times,... [More >>]
August 23, 2010
26 million hectares of forest, $17 billion, and one lonely bush pilot
For years, Joel Theriault has waged a losing battle against pesticide spraying in Northern Ontario forests. He’s made enemies in the logging business, the Ministry of Natural Resources—and even among his fellow environmentalists. What keeps him going? Illustration by Dushan Milic On a chilly afternoon in mid-June 2009, bush-pilot-turned-environmental-activist Joel Theriault is once again flying... [More >>]
July 29, 2010
Postcard from Rio de Janeiro: Carnaval behind bars
The winner of the "Miss Talavera Bruce" women's prison pageant. Rio de Janeiro has a murder rate as high as a war zone—millions of impoverished people here resort to crime for survival. A kid from the favelas of Rio has limited career options: kidnapper, cocaine trafficker, gang leader, robber, or hit man. For many, prison is safer than the streets, and comes with more reliable food... [More >>]
July 19, 2010
Another reason for voting reform: Parliament needs women
Canada has shockingly few female legislators. Our electoral system is broken. Voting reform could fix both problems at once. One Thursday last spring, an Angolan MP named Faustina Fernandes Inglês de Almeida Alves addressed an assembly at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Those present—members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the UN Division for the Advancement of Women, professors,... [More >>]
June 25, 2010
6 tips for protesting the G8 and G20 in style and safety
Protesters against the G20 in Toronto. Photo by Jesse Mintz. From June 25–27, the world’s most influential political and economic leaders will descend upon Muskoka and Toronto for the G8 and G20 summits. Joining them will be thousands of protesters advocating everything from anti-globalization to climate justice. If you want to get in on the dissent, check out this advice for emerging activists... [More >>]
June 1, 2010
Strapped for funds, Yellowknife’s prison has become a mental health ward
With just one overworked psychiatrist for the whole territory, the North Slave Correctional Centre has become a de facto psychiatric hospital. Stuck in legal limbo, dozens of prisoners wait—and then wait some more—for justice Inside Yellowknife’s courthouse, behind the plastic shield of the prisoner’s docket, Tommy is plucking his fingers: one, two, three, four, from pointer to pinky and... [More >>]
May 27, 2010
Pro-pot lawyer Alan Young preps to fight the next round of drug laws
Creative Commons photo by Flickr user Neeta Lind. “This is about the complete failure of democracy,” Alan Young says, munching on his strawberry-jam toast at Sunnybrook Restaurant in Toronto. Young, a criminal lawyer, has been Canada’s forerunning pot reformist since he got a judge to declare that “marijuana is relatively harmless compared to the so-called hard drugs, and including tobacco... [More >>]
May 19, 2010
Po’ Girl sings out against childhood abuse with 2010’s “No Shame” tour
Po' Girl band members, from left: Benny Sidelinger, Allison Russell, and Awna Teixeira. Photo courtesy the band. When her adopted father and longtime abuser was let out of prison, Alli Russell channeled her turbulent feelings into a deeply personal song called “No Shame.” That song has become a continent-wide charity tour by Russell and her urban roots band, Po’ Girl, to support victims of... [More >>]
April 22, 2010
An Alberta sculptor fights oil companies to exhibit art on his own land
Peter von Tiesenhausen with one of his sculptures. Photo courtesy the artist As you walk through Peter von Tiesenhausen’s land, artwork emerges as if summoned from the ground up. Ships and nests made of willow branches appear along well-worn paths. Statues carved from logs stand watch from between the trees. In Tiesenhausen’s studio, small canvases that resemble the cracked earth of recent droughts... [More >>]
April 8, 2010
Six progressive religious movements throughout history
The French Revolution demonized organized religion, calling it an agent of conservatism that held society back. And while there’s no denying that organized religion is still generally a conservative force, every now and then it can push forward social reforms. Let’s look at how several major faiths have helped shape many societies into more inclusive, free, and democratic places to live over the... [More >>]
