taxation without consultation

The provincial and federal governments have put a plan into action to combine the 8% PST and 5% GST tax for a combined 13% tax. Therefore, after July 1st, 2010 when First Nations buy off reserve, we will be paying the full 13%. The government made this decision without consulting First Nations and no consideration of the right of First Nations to tax exemption.

There will be a unity rally to show the provincial and federal governments that we oppose.

The rally will take place on DECEMBER 3RD, 2009 from 2:00PM to 4:00PM at QUEENS PARK in TORONTO

For more information visit www.coo.org

draft invitation

Hello everyone,

Please mark down on your calendars. The 2010 Upwind Downwind Conference: Air Knows No Boundaries will be taking place on Sunday Feb 21st and Monday Feb 22nd, 2010 in Hamilton Ontario at the Hamilton Convention Centre (1 Summers Lane). The Sunday event will be a free public Green Solutions Marketplace from 12 - 5 pm with 60 exhibitors and featuring Jay Ingram of Daily Planet.

The Monday event will be the Upwind Downwind Conference: Air Knows No Boundaries from 8 am to 5pm featuring themes on transboundary (cross border) air quality, health, and innovation- carbon neutral living and future energy. Featured speakers include the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, the Canadian Urban Institute, the Town of Eden Mills, One Planet Communities, Electric Mobility Canada, the Ministry of the Environment, NASA, Environment Canada, the Ontario Climate Change Secretariat, and NESCAUM- the Clean Air Association of the Northeast United States.

Agenda and details on-line now at: http://www.cleanair.hamilton.ca/default.asp?id=42
The Conference is designed to promote continued awareness of air quality issues and to address new matters that relate to transboundary air pollution, health and climate change. Our previous 2008 Conference had over 300 attendees in the fields of planning, health, municipal, federal and provincial governments, non-governmental organizations, and students (university, college and high school).

Admission to the Monday Conference is:
High School Students - $10
Retirees/Low Income - $10
University/College Students - $20
Community/Non-profit - $70
Corporate/Government/Academic - $170 (Early bird before Jan 15, 2010), $220 (after Jan 15, 2010)
Registration form attached and details on-line: http://www.cleanair.hamilton.ca/default.asp?id=45
<<2010registrationform-paper.pdf>>
Hope to see you there and please circulate to interested parties in your communities and networks.
Cheers

Brian

Brian Montgomery
Air Quality Coordinator
Planning & Economic Development
City of Hamilton
T: 905-546-2424 extn. 1275
F:905-643-7250
E: Brian.Montgomery@hamilton.ca
P Please consider the environment before printing this email note

Leah Marshall
Assistant Environmental Planner
City of Hamilton Planning & Economic Development
77 James Street North, Suite 250
Hamilton, ON, Canada L8R 2K3
Tel: 905-546-2424 ext 1286
Fax: 905-643-7250
Plastdss@Hamilton.ca

Please consider the environment before printing this email note

Disclaimer: this is not an official opirg mcmaster sponsored event, and is posted for information purposes only. Please contact the event organizers with any questions or concerns.

living with coyotes

Disclaimer: this is not an official opirg mcmaster sponsored event, and is posted for information purposes only. Please contact the event organizers with any questions or concerns.

social work

Mac social work students urge welfare reform TheSpec.com - BreakingNews - Mac social work students urge welfare reform

Taking research, recommendations to Queen’s Park

Denise Davy

McMaster University students will be taking their message to Queen’s Park that the current welfare system is keeping people in poverty rather than helping them out.

Third- and fourth-year social work students prepared the report and presented it to Hamilton Mountain Liberal MPP Sophia Aggelonitis last week.

Tom Cooper, director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, who helped the students present the report, said the recommendations accurately reflect the problems and obstacles that welfare recipients face.

Premier Dalton McGuinty promised last spring to review both the Ontario Works program and the Ontario Disability Support Program.

The Mac students met with focus groups and community leaders and interviewed social assistance recipients.

Among their key recommendations is to change the rule that requires applicants to cash in almost all of their savings, including RRSPs.

Cooper said if welfare recipients are forced to divest their life savings they will require more government support when they turn 65. Some only require social assistance for a few months.

“We either pay a little bit now or we pay later,” Cooper said.

Other recommendations in the report include allowing ODSP recipients to earn an income up to the low-income cut-off line, creating scholarship opportunities for people on OW and excluding RRSPs from the assets list.

The report also recommends that loans or credit card advancements used to help cover household costs not be considered income.

Under the current rules, they can be deducted dollar for dollar from benefits.

Student Kaitlin Kellogg said working on the report was an eye-opener.

“Most people have barely enough money for food, especially at the end of the month,” said Kellogg, who is in third year.

Aggelonitis said she will be helping the students work with the appropriate ministry to deliver their findings and recommendations.

“There is no question that these issues are very important to our community.”



Disclaimer: this is not an official opirg mcmaster sponsored event, and is posted for information purposes only. Please contact the event organizers with any questions or concerns.

local roast

SKY DRAGON ROASTERY - Fresh Roasted coffee in half pound bags now for sale at cost at the OPIRG office.

Of course it is certified Fair Trade, and USDA Organic, and 100 percent Co-Op made!
Find out more about the coffee at www.skydragon.org, or better, come buy some and get brewing!

(Goes great, needless to say, with our Fair Trade and Organic chocolate)

rejoice! OPIRG Resources now searchable through campus library

Thanks to the cooperation of the campus library staff, OPIRG McMaster's Resource Centre holdings are now searchable online - check it out here!

(and if anyone has the dvd disc for Anarchism in America, we have the empty box!)

prophets and nonviolence

Judaism does not equal Israel: the rebirth of the Jewish prophetic

Time	Begins at November 12th 19:30 PM ending on November 12th 12:00 PM
Location	McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Room 1A6
Organizers	Independent Jewish Voices
Posted by	OPIRG Staff

Marc H. Ellis, the renowned Jewish liberation theologian and Director of the Centre for American and Jewish studies at Baylor University in Texas, will speak on themes in connection with his newly-published book Judaism Does Not Equal Israel: the Rebirth of the Jewish Prophetic

and

Non-Violent Solutions to the Middle East Impasse

Time	Begins at November 19th 19:30 PM ending on November 19th 12:00 PM
Location	McMaster University Health Sciences Centre, Room 4E20
Organizers	Independent Jewish Voices
Posted by	OPIRG Staff

Rita Giacamen, Epidemiologist and Director of the department of international Community Health at Birzeit University in the Palestinian Territories, will lecture on Non-Violent solutions to the Middle East Impasse

GET OUT FOR PRIDE PARADE!

On this week of November 9th to November 13th come out and join McMaster's official Pride week celebrations. Starting Tuesday be on the lookout for the QSCC table in student centre, the free hugs campaign, and various other events such as Thursday nights drag show at the Marauders bar (under Kelsey's on main street)!

Everyone is welcome to join in on McMaster's first Pride parade which is to be held Friday. We'll be meeting in front of Les Prince at 12pm Friday the 13th and walking around campus! It would be great if you came out to show your support for McMaster's LGBTQ community! Bring banners of your own clubs to show your groups support for Mac Pride!

Hope to see you at the festivities!

Cheers!

- McMaster's QSCC

on the line

CUPE-TUBE

OPIRG VOLUNTEER GIGS

• CURRENT VOLUNTEER JOBS
  
  • Web Writer: Seeking volunteers interested in developing their journalism and writing skills. TASKS: interviewing OPIRG Working Group Volunteers about the work they do, what motivates them, and what impact they are having on the issues that concern them. Work with Volunteer Coordinator to set up interview, write and edit work, and post on the opirg mcmaster blog. Hours are very flexible. Ability to use a digital camera an asset. Contact Volunteer Coordinator Randy Kay if you are interested.
    
  • Button-Design: if you hava a knack for layout, we need someone to create a new OPIRG McMaster button design, using our logo as a starting point. Using the design sizing guidlines, the volunteer will make a button design to fit the diameter of the button, and layout a template for printing. Orientation with Volunteer Coordinator Randy Kay prior to commencing.
  • Table - Display staff: If you like meeting people and helping raise the profile of good (OPIRG) causes, OPIRG McMaster needs volunteers to help staff display tables in the student centre, and at local events. You are responsible to transport and set up the OPIRG display, and spend time there handing out literature, and answering general questions about OPIRG McMaster. A brief orientation is all you need to get started. Time committment depends on the event, and your schedule.

CHECK OUT OPIRG MCMASTER'S VOLUNTEERING PAGE, AND FILL OUT A VOLUNTEER FORM.

good neighbours volunteer!

The Hamilton Good Neighbour Campaign is a new project that aims to open lines of communication between industry and the community.

We’re looking for volunteers who would like to conduct a door-to-door survey to gather information from residents who live near industry in our city.

The deadline for application is Friday November 13th 2009.

Please contact Julia Kollek, Volunteer Co-ordinator at 905-627-5410
or email volunteer@environmenthamilton.org


Disclaimer: this is not an official opirg mcmaster sponsored event, and is posted for information purposes only. Please contact the event organizers with any questions or concerns.

support educational workers!

Message from CUPE 3906 representing McMaster TAs and RAs:

Please come and join us on our picket lines on Thursday Nov. 5 at 4:30pm at the East entrance, Sterling Gates. We would really appreciate it if some of your members could come out and support us in our current strike negotiations.

Disclaimer: this is not an official opirg mcmaster sponsored event, and is posted for information purposes only. Please contact the event organizers with any questions or concerns.

save the bou

Help save the endangered woodland caribou in Ontario:
www.savethebou.ca

Disclaimer: this is not an official opirg mcmaster sponsored event, and is posted for information purposes only. Please contact the event organizers with any questions or concerns.

CONSENSUS (New Location for Thursday's Workshop)

FIRST TERM'S CONSENSUS DECISION MAKING WORKSHOP for OPIRG volunteers will take place on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, at 5:30 to 7:30pm NEW LOCATION DUE TO STRIKE ON CAMPUS: WESTDALE PUBLIC LIBRARY COMMUNITY ROOM (Address: 955 King Street West,Hamilton, ON L8S 1K9)

An introduction to Consensus

This workshop will explore ways in which we can communicate and act as groups that empower everyone involved, make creative decisions, and work to counter the oppressive structures that we're used to. The focus of the workshop will be on groups working for social and environmental justice. The workshop will be responsive to the desires of those who attend so bring your questions and ideas!

Facilitator:

Brian has been interested in consensus for a while now, and is working on implementing the principles of consensus in all facets of his life. His greatest teachers are his friends.

Sign up for this interactive and informative workshop on using Consensus Decision Making, a democratic and egalitarian approach to getting great group decisions. THe workshop is free, but participants must pre-register with randy(dot)opirg(at)gmail(dot)com or 905-525-9140 ext. 26026.