CONTENTS
CALLS TO ACTION
Petition to Enforce the Canada Health Act
Petition to the Minister of HealthWhereas:
– Ontario’s Doug Ford government has redirected thousands of surgeries from public hospitals to private, for-profit clinics and hospitals, and
– The private MRI/CT and cataract surgery clinics are extra-billing patients, charging user fees, and manipulating patients — particularly elderly patients — into paying thousands of dollars when they go in for care, and
– Patients are reporting exorbitant charges of $4,000, $8,000, even up to $11,000 for cataract surgery in Ontario’s private clinics, as well as hundreds of dollars for access to primary care in private for-profit nurse practitioner clinics, and
– The Canada Health Act bans user fees and extra-billing of patients & requires that our medical care be funded by taxes (OHIP) and provided without financial barriers, based on Canadians’ medical need not how much money a person has, and
– No patient should be forced or manipulated into paying for their cataract and other surgeries, MRIs and CTs, and primary care – in fact these charges are just what the Canada Health Act was set up to prevent, therefore
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to uphold and enforce the Canada Health Act.
ourcommons.ca
EVENTS
Clean Power Opportunity
When: Thursday December 4th, 4pmDavid Suzuki will speak with three leaders dedicated to improving lives and protecting the planet through clean electricity. They’ll discuss how the creation of an east-west electricity grid powered by Indigenous- and community-led renewables could benefit communities from coast to coast to coast — and what it will take to make this exciting opportunity a reality.
zoom.us
TEA’s Greener City Celebration
When: Thursday December 4th, 7pmWhere: Cecil Community Centre, 58 Cecil St
Tickets: $25+
TEA’s Greener City Celebration is an annual end-of-year event that brings together our community of supporters and collaborators for an evening of good fun, conversation, and entertainment.
Join us to celebrate and reflect on our wins in 2025 and gather our energy for the work ahead. All funds raised from this event will help power TEA’s local campaigns and projects.
torontoenvironment.org
De-Google Your Digital Life
When: December 5thWe are thrilled to share that the Digital Defense Fund (DDF) is supporting these sessions and is confirming live Spanish-English interpretation for the December 5 session.
– Platform: This session will be held on Zoom, with support from the Digital Defense Fund.
– No-AI Policy: We maintain a strict no-AI policy for all participants, meaning the use of AI tools for recording, transcribing, or analyzing the session is prohibited.
cryptpad.fr
Kill Bill 5
When: Saturday December 6th, 9am to 4pmWhere: George Brown College – Waterfront Campus
Presented by OPSEU – Landback Symposium: Kill Bill 5 – Indigenous Rights are Non-Negotiable.
opseu.org/landbacknow
Write for Rights
When: December 6th, 11amWhere: Centre for Social Innovation, 192 Spadina Ave
Are you feeling disheartened about the state of things in the world? Would you like to do something to help make a difference? Come join Amnesty International at Write for Rights and write a letter in support of human rights around the world.
Write for Rights is the world’s largest human rights event, marked each year on International Human Rights Day. We in the GTA will be joining Amnesty supporters in over 170 countries to support 10 individuals or groups in Cambodia, China, Ecuador, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Myanmar, Norway, South Africa, Tunisia and more.
amnesty.ca
Sudan Discussion Series: The War On Civilians
When: December 6th, 2pmThe Sudan Discussion Series will offer understanding on the complexities of the war and its impact, fostering discussions among the diaspora.
Join us for a critical conversation on the ongoing war on civilians in Sudan. This discussion will examine the strategies used by warring parties, including the weaponization of people, food, and technology, as well as the broader systems of exploitation, violence, and abuse that have emerged from this conflict.
eventbrite.com
Women Won’t Forget
When: Saturday December 6th, 6pmWhere: Philosopher’s Walk (between the ROM and the Royal Conservatory of Music, south side of Bloor, West of Avenue Rd)
Join in a Day of Remembrance for Women Murdered by Men on the 36th Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. The National Day of Action and Remembrance on Violence Against Women will include a vigil consisting of speakers and musical and spoken word performances.
All welcome. Bring a rose and candle. Ceremony goes on regardless of weather.
womenwontforget.org
Fighting to Win Workshop
When: December 7th, 9:30am – 4pmWhere: PSAC Kingston Regional Office, 201–863 Princess St, Kingston
Led by John Clarke, former organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), this one-day workshop will consider the type of mass movement necessary to confront our current reality of austerity, militarism, climate disasters, and attacks on workers and immigrants and win real improvements and justice for working people and our environment.
docs.google.com
Gaza Square
When: Every Sunday, 11am to 1pmWhere: 371 Wallace Ave
We’ll be at Gaza square once again this Sunday morning with hot chocolate and coffee, buttons and posters, lawn signs and colourful chalk! Come say hi and meet your fellow neighbours/organizers as we make our presence known and continue to build safety in our community!
Instagram poster
Science for Peace Holiday Get-Together
When: December 8th, 5pmWhere: Friends House, 60 Lowther Ave
Donation $10 or more is appreciated
Patrick Kwok will make a short informal presentation on the civil resistance movement known as the “Umbrella Revolution” in Hong Kong.
scienceforpeace.org
Canadian Foreign Policy Hour with Yves Engler
When: Mondays at 6pmJoin author Yves Engler on Mondays for a weekly news roundup and interactive discussion about Canada’s role abroad. This weekly session will delve into the latest developments on subjects ranging from military affairs and Canada’s role in Ukraine to its contribution to Palestinian dispossession, and the exploitation of African resources. Join Yves for a critical take on Canada’s foreign policy. Questions, comments, and criticisms are all welcome.
zoom.us
Labour’s Antique Roadshow
When: Tuesday December 9th, 6:30pmLove History? You’re invited to self-nominate for TWHP’s Executive Committee at this year’s AGM!
Followed by Labour’s Antique Roadshow.
twhp.ca | zoom.us
SYRIA: Anatomy of Regime Change
When: Tuesday December 9th, 6:30pmWhere: A Different Booklist, 779 Bathurst St
Dan Kovalik is a labour and human rights lawyer. He worked as in-house counsel to the United Steelworkers for 26 years. Author of many books, he is currently counsel in the US to Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia, as well as to the Syrian Alawite Association.
instagram.com
TTCriders Book Club
When: December 9th, 7pmWe’ll be reading Brian Doucet and Michael Doucet’s Streetcars and the Shifting Geographies of Toronto. Physical and digital copies are available at the Toronto Public Library.
ttcriders.ca
Effective Transitions for Fossil Fuel Workers
When: December 10th, 1pmThe transition away from employment in fossil fuel industries is happening in Canada and around the world, regardless of the twists and turns of climate policy. Canadian fossil fuel employment fell by 38,000 jobs over the last decade–even as oil and gas production grew. And a new pipeline wouldn’t change that trajectory, which reflects economics, technology, and corporate greed (not climate rules). This webinar reviews a new report by Jim Stanford and Kathy Bennett, documenting this decline, surveying fossil fuel workers about what supports they want and need, and listing best practices for future transition policies.
zoom.us
Cuba Rising!
When: December 20th, 3pmWhere: 24 Cecil St
The devastating effects of HURRICANE MELISSA are still being felt across eastern Cuba. Thanks to the relocation of 750,000 people, no lives were lost! But the devastation and need are immense. JOIN US IN SOLIDARITY! Hearty hearts are needed in times of need!
The event will feature a cultural program, raffle of Cohiba Cigars and more!
forumoncuba.com
ARTICLES
Huge Costs to Workers and the Environment
By Benjamin SelwynEarly in his second presidency, Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs was met with widespread scepticism. Critics warned of economic decline and a global backlash. Yet the current landscape for the United States paints a more complex picture. Less than a year into his second term in office, the White House claims that Trump is bringing manufacturing back to the US. It also proclaims that Trump has secured trillions of dollars of foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2025 alone. Other voices, however, estimate that these commitments will amount to just a fraction of that.
Source: The Bullet No. 3228
Aren’t We Clever! Alas, Israel Is Too Clever by Half
By Larry HaivenLiving in the UK in the 1980s, we encountered a particularly British phrase we had hardly heard before: “Too clever by half.” The Cambridge Dictionary definition is “too confident in one’s intelligence, often in an irritating way that annoys others or leads to problems.” Others have defined it as “irritating and manipulating, rather than actually very clever.” We and other Jews understood that epithet as antisemitic. Not exclusively against Jews, it was also employed to demean South Asians, East Asians, and West Asians (Arabs) who had “risen above their rank” as well, especially as those groups entered the higher echelons of the colonial metropolis, capped by the Prime Ministership of Rishi Sunak, of South Asian ancestry.
Source: The Bullet No. 3229
Climate Change and Labour Precarity: A Worker-Centred Agenda
By Leah MontangeJust as the COP30 meeting in Belen, Brazil, has ended, the last week of November is Canada Climate Week Xchange. We could hope this is good news, but instead of the week’s activities being sponsored by traditional climate organizations or climate innovators, it is organized by the Toronto Stock Exchange. Canada Climate Week stands out from other Climate Weeks across the globe – such as Climate Week NYC, PNW (Pacific NW) Climate Week, Panama City Climate Week – for its multi-city, nationwide approach.
Source: The Bullet No. 3230