Provincial Government

Toronto, ON, August 20, 2011 – On Saturday afternoon, in a protest organized by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), dozens of people, many directly affected the Province’s cut of the Special Diet program, converged on the Loblaws grocery store, at Jarvis and Queen’s Quay, to send a message that poverty and hunger are growing and will be challenged.

After entering the store and splitting up into small groups, the OCAP members and supporters began filling up their carts with $250 of groceries each. Upon ringing in these groceries, cashiers were presented with vouchers for 250 “Dalton Dollars” -- featuring a prominent picture of McGuinty, alongside the words “to be used in place of the Special Diet Allowance”.

Community allies, activists, workers, students and all Torontonians are invited to a RALLY!

Thursday, May 26

12PM, Sheraton Hotel, 123 Queen St.

*This rally is held during CUPE Ontario’s Convention and ends at Queen’s Park

In the lead up to the provincial election on October 6, there is an
opportunity to make a difference in the province of Ontario. You are
invited to join members of CUPE Ontario during their annual Convention
to send a message to the provincial government.

Send a message about the growing poverty in our communities, about the
vital role that public services play in our communities and about good
jobs. Join us in sending a united message to...

BUILD A BETTER ONTARIO!

THIS JUST IN from our allies UNDER PRESSURE in Ottawa:

Thursday, May 19th

Members of the anti-poverty organization Under Pressure have infiltrated and disrupted a fundraiser organized by Ontario Liberal MPP Madeleine Meilleur. The protesters were there to denounce the poverty in which those living on social assistance must live in.

“People living on social assistance are forced to choose between paying
the rent and putting food on the table” said one protester.

On Monday November 8th, an OCAP delegation, mainly comprised of women
from Etobicoke's Somali community, crashed a fundraising event held by
'their' MPP, Shafiq Qaadri. They were confronting him over his Government's attack on the Special Diet for people on Social Assistance. Qaadri offered to meet with a delegation Friday November 12th at his constituency office, an offer which a large number of people accepted.
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CLICK HERE TO WATCH
Immediately above is a link to a video of MPP Shafiq Qaadri reading the letter delivered that day in its entirety at the Ontario legislature. It remains to be seen whether this provincial government will finally address the fact that it has yet to undo the damage inflicted on
Ontario's poorest communities during the Harris years, not to mention policy failings of this very government which has in fact led to even greater suffering of people on social assistance; Regardless, its cause for some amazement to listen to a Liberal MPP document the guilt of his own party in causing widespread misery to the very people they had promised to help when they were first elected after the Tory defeat...

On the evening of Wednesday November 10th members of Under Pressure, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and No One Is Illegal disrupted the Ontario Liberal Party's fundraiser dinner. A rowdy crowd of roughly 30-40 people assembled at the Crown Plaza hotel where the Liberals were having drinks and an expensive supper. The anti-poverty activists gathered outside tried to make their way into the event, but were pushed back by police. Luckily, one group of protesters had come dressed in suits and managed to get inside the event to confront Liberal party members.

Click here for more photos.

On Wednesday, July 21st, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP)
demonstrated against the devastating cut to the Special Diet benefit and to demand that the Liberal Government raise welfare rates by at least 55% - the minimum amount required to restore rates to where they were before the cut by Harris in 1995.

During the rally, over 300 people took to the streets, while a smaller group of people went in to the Liberal Party headquarters, to deliver an invoice to the Liberal Party “demanding full re-payment of benefits taken from people living on social assistance.The delegation of people who entered the Provincial Liberals HQ went to deliver a message about the impact of the cuts on poor people. Rather than receive this message, the powers that be chose to enforce their austerity measures with police action. Shortly after the group entered, Toronto Police arrested all 11 people, OCAP members, allies, and labour activists. Two people were released, while the other 9 were held overnight at 52 division and appeared for bail hearings in College Park Court Thursday.

There was a large presence of supporters from many organizations across Toronto in defense of the detainees. Represented by Movement Defense lawyer, Mike Leitold, all 9 were eventually released Thursday July 22 with sureties, and on conditions including to not be within 50 metres of the Liberal Party Headquarters.