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Gender Block: women in the labour movement

Hillary Di Menna

Since the Labour Day weekend new posters have been popping up throughout Toronto. They read messages like “Strength in numbers” and “Entertaining you is not in her job description.” The Toronto IWW Women’s Committee adds their Twitter handle to the posters, inviting questions and thoughts and encouraging dialogue regarding the harassment women face in the […] More »

Gender Block: The scary rush to pass Canada’s new prostitution bill

Hillary Di Menna

Our federal government is rushing this week to pass a new bill regarding adult sex work, five months ahead of deadline, leaving some sex workers rightfully afraid. The Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (Bill C-36) is inspired by the Nordic Model of sex work laws; pimps and johns will be held criminally accountable […] More »

WTF Wednesday: Doug Ford promotes discrimination against autistic children

Kelsey Braithwaite

Toronto city councillor Doug Ford believes that people with autism, when integrated, can ruin a community. It’s as simple as that. He shared this opinion with the staff of an Etobicoke home for teens with autism, owned by the Griffin Centre, a non-profit mental health agency. The Etobicoke Guardian reports that Ford held a public […] More »

Throwback Thursday: Rape’s Progress

Kelsey Braithwaite

In the last decade, the definition of sexual assault has grown to encompass more hateful or taboo acts. Most Canadians now recognize terms like incest, molestation, pedophilia, rape, and victim blaming. Many people even recognize these words can be a painful trigger to victims. Unfortunately, this does not mean we know the meaning of these […] More »

FTW Friday: RCMP admits to over 1000 missing and murdered Indigenous women

Kelsey Braithwaite

On Thursday, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) leaked an RCMP project which stated there are about 1,000 missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Later in the day, that number jumped to almost 1,200. In a 30 year span, 1,026 women and girls were murdered and 160 are missing. This is the highest count Canada […] More »

FTW Friday: Protest still strong against the “Unfair” Elections Act

Kelsey Braithwaite

In early February, Canadians were introduced to Bill C-23. It proposed to be “fair”  but many, many critics argue it is something completely different. Much, if not all, of the act grants the conservative government more power. If passed, it would allow government officials to turn away those who do not have “adequate” identification (even […] More »

WTF Wednesday: Nursing homes are prescribing drugs and are fully aware they may kill residents

Kelsey Braithwaite

Many nursing homes’ workers are giving residents potentially lethal pharmaceuticals to help with dementia. These nurses and doctors are well aware the drugs may kill those suffering from the disease. But it’s still happening all across the province. The Star recently conducted an investigation into the usage of these pharmaceuticals in Ontario nursing homes. It […] More »

FTW Friday: Equal Pay Day

Kelsey Braithwaite

Ladies. We are so close. Our southern neighbours have taken another step towards recognizing the need for equal pay for women. This past Tuesday, president Obama vocalized his support for the Paycheck Fairness Act to be passed. The act points out the loopholes in the ironically titled Equal Pay Act and, if passed, would strive […] More »

WTF Wednesday: Foster care youth earn less than the “average”

Kelsey Braithwaite

If you are leaving the foster care system to face the world of employment, be prepared to earn less than your fellow “average Canadian.” A recent report from the Conference Board of Canada (CBoC) said former foster care youth will earn about $326,000 less in their lifetime compared to youth not in the system. Your […] More »

Gender Block: Marie Collins

Hillary Di Menna

On March 22, Pope Francis created a commission—of four men and four women—that will directly advise him  on policies regarding sex abuse. This has been done a year after Pope Benedict requested Catholic Church authorities around the globe create national guidelines on how to protect children in the Church by the end of May 2014. […] More »

WTF Wednesday: Tibet occupation continues; Canada watches

Simon Treanor

In recent weeks, much of the the world has been closely watching the developments in Crimea. With people debating Russia’s occupation and the outrage it has caused in some sectors, it seems common nowadays that such aggressive action from any country can, and will, be met with near unanimous protest and condemnation. This sort of […] More »