Free training in non-violent direct action and upcoming climate protests
2024-02-03 09:00 - 17:00 (America/Toronto) | Ontario
Learn more about nonviolent direct action and Last Generation Canada’s next round of nonviolent climate protests which will take place in Ottawa between February 5 and 16. Join Last Generation Canada for a free, one-day nonviolent action training session on either Saturday February 3 (location TBA) or Saturday February 10 (Ottawa Quaker House, 91a Fourth Avenue) at 9 am – 5 pm. Visit lastgenerationcanada.ca or contact Michael Polanyi at michaelfdpolanyi@gmail.com for more information.

IJV Ottawa presents Israelism
2024-02-04 18:00 - 21:30 | Club SAW, 67 Nicholas St, Ottawa, K1N 7B9
Independent Jewish Voices Ottawa is pleased to present the 2023 documentary film Israelism.
Join us for a screening of the film, followed by a Q+A with the director!
When: Sunday, February 4, 2024. Doors open at 6pm, film begins at 6:30pm.
Where: Club SAW, 67 Nicholas St., Ottawa ON.
Tickets: Sliding scale by donation from $0-$18, with proceeds going towards event expenses. Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ijv-ottawa-israelism-screening-tickets-804953506607
Accessibility Information: The main entrance to Club SAW is wheelchair accessible and has an automatic door. The three public bathrooms in Club SAW are all-gender. There is a wheelchair accessible bathroom equipped with an automatic door. For community safety and to ensure inclusion, we ask that masks be worn at this event. Masks will be provided
About the film: When two young American Jews raised to unconditionally love Israel witness the brutal way Israel treats Palestinians, their lives take sharp left turns. They join a movement of young American Jews battling the old guard to redefine Judaism’s relationship with Israel, revealing a deepening generational divide over modern Jewish identity. ISRAELISM uniquely explores how Jewish attitudes towards Israel are changing dramatically, with massive consequences for the region and for Judaism itself. www.israelismfilm.com
We hope to see you there!
IJV Ottawa

Emergency Rally for Trans Youth
2024-02-05 16:45 - 19:00 | Sir John A MacDonald building, 144 Wellington St., Ottawa
All children and youth deserve access to life-saving, gender-affirming care and support. Unfortunately, Alberta premier Danielle Smith seems to disagree. Recently, she proposed the most restrictive anti-trans laws in Canada targeting trans youth.
Parents, youth, and caring community members are speaking up in opposition to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s egregious restrictions on the rights and freedoms of transgender youth and their families, her restrictive policies on sexual health education and interference in families’ healthcare.
Smith is coming to Ottawa on February 5th to speak at a right-wing event. Let’s show her that we won’t tolerate this assault on the rights and freedoms of transgender youth and their families.
Please join us and many other community advocates and organizations as we let Danielle Smith know how we feel about her egregious attacks on trans youth and families!
Please arrive early if you can, and please share this callout far and wide! The more people who are there earlier, the stronger our message will be!
If you are available to volunteer (we still need folks as marshals and to serve in care roles), please contact us at communitysolidarityottawa@gmail.com
As always, review the Safety Plan to see how to best keep yourself and your friends safe. In particular:

Do not give interviews to far right media outlets or “independent journalists”
Don’t debate far-right trolls. Drown them out with chants and noise! Especially if they are filming or livestreaming and looking for content.
Do not film supporters without their permission, and do not livestream. Do film the far right, fake journalists, and the police in order to protect yourself and your friends.
Protect your identity. Mask up, and use signs, flags, umbrellas, etc., to protect yourself from being photographed by far right activists or fake news outlets.
Do not talk to the police
Maintain situational awareness, and watch each others’ backs
Try to arrive and leave as a group
Check the weather, drive safely and dress appropriately! Give yourself plenty of time to arrive!

Online Book Launch Discussion for the 3rd Edition of The Regulation of Desire
2024-02-06 15:30 - 17:30 | Ontario
I invite you to attend this on-line launch event and discussion for the 3rd edition of The Regulation of Desire: Queer Histories, Queer Struggles organized by the Historical Materialism Sexuality and Political Economy Network.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hmspen-book-launch-gary-kinsman-s-the-regulation-of-desire-3rd-ed-tickets-806787030727?aff=oddtdtcreator
Tuesday 6th February 2024
20.30 GMT/ 15.30 EST/15.30 EDT 3:30pm in Ontario.
Historical Materialism Sexuality and Political Economy Network Presents….
A Book Launch Discussion of Gary Kinsman’s Third Revised Edition of
The Regulation of Desire: Queer Histories, Queer Struggles
https://www.concordia.ca/press/regulationofdesire.html
Save 20% by using the code “Kinsman20” at checkout!
Gary Kinsman will be in Conversation with OmiSoore H. Dryden and Alan Sears
Gary Kinsman is a queer liberation, anti-oppression, Palestine solidarity, and anti-capitalist activist and the co-author of The Canadian War on Queers: National Security as Sexual Regulation. He is a member of the No Pride in Policing Coalition, Scholar Strike Canada and Queers4Palestine – Toronto.
OmiSoore H. Dryden is the James R. Johnston Endowed Chair of Black Canadian Studies in the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and the co-editor of Disrupting Queer Inclusion: Canadian Homonationalisms and the Politics of Belonging.
Alan Sears is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is a long-time queer socialist activist. His books include The Next New Left: A History of the Future; The Democratic Imagination: Envisioning Popular Power in the Twenty-First Century (co-authored with James Cairns); and Retooling the Mind Factory: Education in a Lean State.
In solidarity,
Gary

Labour Action and Palestine Solidarity
2024-02-07 16:00 - 18:00 | 214 Teraanga Commons (formerly Residence Commons), Carleton University, Ottawa
CUPE 4600 and Labour For Palestine – Ottawa will be hosting an educational event for union members. Come learn about the importance of union solidarity in the fight for Palestinian human rights.
Why is Palestine a labour issue? What can unionized workers do to support Palestinians? What has the role of unions been in the fight against apartheid? Find out on February 7th!

#profitdoesntcare: Rally for public health care
2024-02-13 12:00 - 13:00 | Terry Fox Statue (Wellington and Metcalfe), 90 Wellington Street, Ottawa, K1P 5L1
Join us on Parliament Hill on February 13, 2024 to send a loud message to our leaders: our public health care system needs to be protected and expanded.
Join more than one hundred health care workers, labour and community activists, and patient advocates fighting to save Canada’s public health care system as part of the Canadian Health Coalition’s lobby days. With three weeks to go before the deadline to table pharmacare legislation, we must turn up the heat in MP offices, at their doorstep, and in the street.
Join us for a rally for pharmacare now and an end to health care privatization!

International Solidarity for Palestine: Lessons from Law and Labour
2024-02-13 12:00 - 13:30 | webinar
Join Labour for Palestine & ACEP-CAPE for Palestine for a webinar featuring South Africa’s High Commissioner to Canada Riaz Moe Shaik, former UN Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk, and Dr. Katherine Nastovski on international solidarity, labor activism, and civil society resistance for the Palestinian liberation movement.
Speakers will cover a range of topics to empower us in our activism. Professor Lynk will share what is going on in Gaza and Palestine right now, drawing on his decades of expertise in labour and Palestine as a lawyer, academic, and Special Rapporteur.
Dr. Nastovski will discuss labour activism for Palestine then and now, and what’s worked in the past, what’s changed, and how we can move forward in this moment in time.
The High Commissioner will speak on the ongoing ICJ case against Israel, providing an overview of what’s unfolded in the courts, and how we can apply it to our own labour activism.
The webinar will be moderated by ACEP-CAPE for Palestine member, Greer Brabazon.
Advance registration required. Space is limited.

Queer Death Salon - Loss by overdose or tainted supply
2024-02-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
Queer Death Salon is a virtual community space for all 2SLGBTQIA+ people to come together to discuss death, dying and grief. It is a facilitated drop-in discussion space, with the purpose of building connection, skill, and resources for 2SLGBTQIA+ people navigating end of life in our personal lives and in our communities.
February’s Queer Death Salon is for people who have lost someone or multiple people to overdose or tainted supply.
Some questions to consider:
How are the people around me showing up to this moment?
How is my grief (in)validated by the media and my communities?
What do I wish were better understood about my situation and the people I’ve lost?
Participants are invited to bring related questions and stories of their own.
Automatic closed captioning is enabled. Follow the link in bio for more information on format and accessibility, and to get the zoom link.

Bring Them Home: Free the Canadian Muslim Men, Women and Kids Illegally Detained in NE Syria
2024-02-14 11:30 - 12:30 | Foreign Affairs Canada, Ottawa
Join a Valentine’s Day Vigil at Global Affairs Canada (125 Sussex Ave.) to free two dozen Canadian Muslim men, women and children are illegally detained under conditions akin to torture in “Guantanamo in the Desert,” a vast sandscape of arbitrary detention camps and prisons holding over 50,000 detainees, over half of them children.
While Canada has brought home several dozen of the detainees only after public pressure and court action, it has refused to bring the remainder home. Canada has also tried to forcibly separate Canadian children from their non-Canadian born mothers.

The Autonomous Administration of Northeast Syria (AANES), which holds the detainees, has begged the international community to repatriate their citizens and empty these camps and prisons. While much smaller and less resourced countries than Canada have taken back their citizens (and Canada itself funds the repatriation of Iraqis) it has spent years in court trying to prevent the final return of the remaining two dozen Canadians.

One of the detainees is Jack Letts. As an idealistic and compassionate 18-year-old, Jack traveled to Syria to assist victims of the Assad regime’s brutal war against its own people, and was caught up in the chaos that followed. He condemned ISIS in messaging from within the IS ‘state’, was prosecuted for opposing their teachings, and after risking his life to escape, has been held almost 7 years in brutal conditions.

Jack has not been charged with any crime, and no evidence has been presented that he did anything wrong. In January 2023, the Federal Court of Canada concluded neither he nor the other men seeking repatriation had been involved in violence or illegal acts. If they were, then they would no doubt be happy to face a fair, transparent, open opportunity to face any allegations in court.

In fact he has been victimized by the wrongs of others: a victim of a libelous press, slanderous politicians and an Islamophobic political climate under which horrific yet baseless allegations have been thrown against him with no meaningful and safe opportunity to respond; a victim of a cowardly UK government that illegally stripped him of his citizenship, and of a Canadian government that promised to bring him home and has subsequently spent years refusing to do so; a victim of arbitrary detention and conditions tantamount to torture; a victim of extended periods of solitary confinement; a victim of a world that headlines hate and profits from dehumanization.
Arbitrary Detention is a crime. Complicity in torture is a crime. Canada must end its involvement in these crimes by bringing everyone home.

WHY VALENTINE’S DAY?
Before flower sellers and Hallmark Cards discovered it, St. Valentine’s Day was a time to remember all those unjustly persecuted and jailed. St. Valentine was a priest who was persecuted, tortured, jailed and decapitated by Roman Emperor Claudius because Valentine defied the prohibition on conducting marriages for young people. Claudius was concerned that married men would be less willing to give their lives in battle. Valentine’s last note from prison, “from your Valentine,” eventually became the basis for Valentine greetings.

DARC Night School: Being Masters of Our Stories
2024-02-15 18:00 - 20:00 | Digital Arts Resource Centre, 67 Nicholas St.
In the spirit of Black History Month, our speaker, Patrick Kabeya, will delve into the transformative power of storytelling and explore the unique perspective of being an African creator. From ancient oral traditions to modern mediums, we will celebrate the rich tapestry of African narratives and examine the role of creators in shaping and reclaiming these stories.

Nonviolent Direct Action, Creative Protest and Planning Effective Campaigns Workshop
2024-02-17 12:00 - 18:00 | Ontario
Space is limited, so register by sending an email to tasc@web.ca
We will send location details (we will be in an accessible space) after you have registered. Please let us know specific issues you would like to have covered in the workshop. We’ll send some video clips to help get you prepared for the day.
We request that participants be masked to protect yourselves amidst the high rates of respiratory viruses and in support of those immunocompromised members of the community who otherwise cannot attend such indoor gatherings. HEPA filters will be running throughout the day.
Presented by Homes not Bombs and the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of Ottawa Quakers
WHY THIS WORKSHOP?
Protests are common in Ottawa – Gaza, climate catastrophe, anti-racism, solidarity with LGBTQ2+, anti-poverty – and while many of us are comfortable showing up as long as someone else is organizing them, we tend to forget that there is an artistry and skills set to them, especially those that may involve some level of confrontation or that turn out unexpectedly. Having those skills to fall back on can ensure your safety and keeping the message focused.
Just as we wouldn’t send someone into surgery without training, having training for political protests and nonviolent direct actions is critical to protect you, your message, and your community. The workshop will include discussion, role plays to prepare you for real-life situations, video samples, laughter and, importantly, joy, because to come together to say “NO” to the injustices of the world is an opportunity for us to live in the best of ourselves.
This in-depth interactive workshop, facilitated by a Homes not Bombs trainer with decades of experience conducting trainings in schools, prisons, faith groups, anti-globalization convergences, and other venues, will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and legal/political/theatrical literacy you need to carry out successful, creative nonviolent direct actions that go beyond the “Demonstrations 101″ box.

Voices Unveiled: Unpacking Israel's Apartheid
2024-02-18 19:00 - 21:00 | 312 laurier Ave
This event is organized by the Amnesty Ottawa-Gatineau Community Group to explore the oppressive and discriminatory system of apartheid implemented by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The public is welcome to join in-person (312 Laurier Ave East, Ottawa) or online (https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6ON1F4OOR8O8_WtYTa3GWw) on 18 FEBRUARY 2024 at 6pm EST. Our wonderful panel of speakers from the Palestinian Youth Movement, Independent Jewish Voices, Labour for Palestine, and Amnesty International will share their deep insights into this topic and will answer questions from the audience. We look forward to learning more about Israel’s system of Apartheid, and more importantly, what can be done to move towards a future where everyone’s human rights are respected.

Reasonable Cause to Suspect: Book Launch and Discussion on a Hidden Human Rights Case
2024-02-21 19:00 - 21:00 | First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa, 30 Cleary Ave, Ottawa
A Book Launch and Discussion on the obstacles preventing the repatriation from Northeast Syria of over two dozen arbitrarily detained Canadian Muslim men, women, and children.

With:

Sally Lane, whose son Jack Letts has been wrongfully defamed by an inflammatory UK media and illegally held almost 7 years under conditions the UN calls “akin to torture”
Monia Mazigh is the author of Hope and Despair: My Struggle to Free My Husband Maher Arar, Mirrors and Mirages, Hope Has Two Daughters, Farida, and Gendered Islamophobia.
Alex Neve, a Senior Fellow, University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Member of NE Syria August 2023 Delegation
Matthew Behrens of Stop Canadian Involvement in Torture, who has worked closely with the targets of Canadian and U.S. “national security” repression for over 25 years.

Presented by Justice and Equality Action Group, First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa and Stop Canadian Involvement in Torture, with support of Octopus Books, who will be selling books on site.

Background
Guantanamo in the Desert – where 50,000 Muslims are off-shored in NE Syria, beyond reach of law & rights, respect & dignity. Over two dozen Muslim Canadians – men, women & kids – are illegally detained there under conditions the UN calls akin to torture because Ottawa either refuses to repatriate them or has offered to repatriate children only if they are forcibly separated from their mothers. There is no clean water, nutritious food or proper medical care. The men’s prison cells are packed with bone-thin prisoners, many with amputated limbs.

In January, 2023, a Federal Court judge called on Ottawa to repatriate them, noting: “Canadians are dying or at risk of dying every day this matter is adjourned.” Over one year later, Canada still refuses, going all the way to the Supreme Court to block their return, thereby participating in the illegal practice of forced exile.

Freedom to Read 2024: Discussion with Author Lawrence Hill
2024-02-23 18:00 - 21:00 | Ottawa Public Library – Nepean Centrepointe, 101 Centrepointe, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Freedom to Read Week is an annual event, taking place February 18-24, 2024. This week provides Canadians with the opportunity to discuss book challenges, censorship, representation in literature, intellectual freedom, access to information and the literary community’s and library’s role. It serves as an opportunity to reaffirm Canadians commitment to intellectual freedom and the fight for on-going access for all against all threats to that access either through book challenges, the digital divide or otherwise.
The Ottawa Public Library’s (OPL) Mission is to inspire learning, spark curiosity, and connect people; our core values are Community, Inclusion, Integrity, Intellectual Freedom, and Literacy. This is why it is important to us to participate in Freedom to Read Week. OPL takes a stance against limitations of lawful freedom of expression, including freedom to read.
Lawrence Hill will discuss his lifelong literary passion for dramatizing neglected corners of Black history in Canada. He will explore the challenges of censorship that he and other writers have faced, and share thoughts about the title change of The Book of Negroes in the United States as well as the burning of images of The Book of Negroes in the Netherlands. He will discuss how increasing opposition to use of the N-word in literature affects Black writers and all readers.
Meet and Greet with Lawrence!
Time: 6:00-6:45pm
Book signing and meet and greet
Time: 8:15-9 pm
This is a hybrid event: the program is in-person, but we will also stream live on OPL’s YouTube page.
Registration is for the in-person portion of the event.
LAWRENCE HILL is the author of eleven books of fiction and nonfiction, including the internationally bestselling The Book of Negroes and The Illegal. His latest novel is Beatrice and Croc Harry. He has received the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize, Canada Reads (twice), a Canadian Screen Award, ten honorary doctorates and is a member of the Order of Canada.
Hill has volunteered with Crossroads International, The Black Loyalist Heritage Society, The Ontario Black History Society, and in federal penitentiaries. Hill is writing a novel about the African-American soldiers who built the Alaska Highway in British Columbia and Yukon during World War Two.

7th Annual A7G Round Dance
2024-02-24 16:00 - 23:55 | Horticulture Building, Landsdowne Park, 1525 Princess Patricia Way, Ottawa
We are honoured to have many invited singers joining us from Saskatchewan, Alberta and Unceded Algonquin Territory to honour us with songs for our 7th annual ceremony. We are extremely proud to be able to offer this for the community once again and would like say Miigwetch to all of our funders and sponsors for making this possible. Miigwetch to our round dance committee for volunteering their time to organize as well.

Details:
: Horticulture Building (Landsdowne Park) – 1525 Princess Patricia Way, Ottawa, Ontario
: 4pm-Midnight
: Saturday, February 24 2024
:There is paid underground parking on site & Public Transportion is also available.
: Feast Bundles are encouraged
: Singers can register on the day of the Round Dance
Violence, intimidation, drugs and alcohol will not be tolerated!

Agenda:
4pm: Pipe Ceremony
5pm: Feast
6pm: First Song
11pm: Giveaway and Midnight Snack

Save Our Gaza Families: 3-Day Silent Vigil for Family Reunification
2024-02-26 - 2024-02-28 | Parliament Hill, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A9, Canada
We (Gazan Canadian League) are holding a peaceful, silent vigil at the O’Connor and Wellington entrance to the House of Commons at Parliament Hill, Ottawa in support of Palestinian Canadians seeking reunification with their families from Gaza.
Our family members in Gaza are dying and the Canadian government is not doing enough to bring them to safety.
It will commence on Monday Feb 26th and go until Wednesday Feb 28th. We will be there for three days from 9am to 5pm
Our point of assembly is at the intersection of O’Connor & Wellington.
We welcome everyone who would like to show peaceful support to Palestinian Canadians who are desperately working to bring their families to safety.
Let’s come together to demand the Canadian Government deliver on its promises. Our families deserve safety and security in the face of Israeli bombardment and starvation.
Endorsed by the Rural Refugee Rights Network

Science Fiction and Social Movements: Prof. Krys Maki in conversation with Aric McBay
2024-02-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Social Innovation Atelier, 95 Clegg St, Ottawa
Join Professor Krys Maki for an exciting conversation with organizer and author Aric McBay. They’ll discuss Aric’s new novel Inversion, social movements in science fiction, and how utopian writing can help us imagine better futures.

“On a mysterious green world renewed by fire, vibrant collectivist communities have long lived in harmony with both its strange ecosystem and each other—until the day imperialist forces arrive.” [Read more at https://www.aricmcbay.org/books/]

“A masterful worldbuilding feat.” —Publisher’s Weekly, starred review
“Aric McBay’s Inversion is a masterpiece of utopian resistance…” —Octavia Cade, author of The Impossible Resurrections of Grief

Krys Maki (they/them) holds a PhD in Sociology. Their areas of research include feminist movements, collective organizing around gender-based violence, poverty and social inequality, and critical surveillance studies. Prior to joining the School of Social Innovation at Saint Paul University they completed a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies at the University of Ottawa on labour organizing and movement building within women’s shelters. In 2021, they published their first book Ineligible: Single Mothers Under Welfare Surveillance with Fernwood Publishing. Outside of academia, Krys worked as the Director of Research and Policy at Women’s Shelters Canada, a national non-profit network of violence against women shelters (2017-2022). Their scholar activism is deeply informed by their work as a long-time organizer and activist with labour, anti-poverty, and feminist movements.

Aric McBay is an organizer, organic farmer, and author of seven books including the social movement manual Full Spectrum Resistance and the climate fiction novel Kraken Calling.

Public Rally: Scrap the Chalk River Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF)
2024-02-28 - 2024-03-01 | Westin Hotel, 11 Colonel By, Ottawa, ON, Canada
WE WILL NOT STAND IDLE.
We will be gathering in solidarity at the annual Canadian Nuclear Association conference outside of the Westin Hotel in Ottawa from February 28th through March 1st from 9-5 to make it loud and clear to the Canadian nuclear industry and energy ministers present that we do not consent to the Chalk River Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) project and we do not want nuclear waste in our watershed! Whether you come for one day or for every day, your presence makes a difference.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has failed to uphold its duty to consult, neglecting the constitutionally protected and inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples. We will not stand idle. We must come together to defend the Kichi Sibi and our rights as Indigenous Peoples.
Graphics and photos for banners can be downloaded here:
https://drive.google.com/…/11c7fsArVk8RX58qGWtYJi…
Have questions? Contact Kacie McLaren at kmclaren@kebaowek.ca

Women, War, Peace and Climate Justice
2024-02-28 18:30 - 20:30 | McNabb Community Centre, 180 Percy Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 6E5, Canada
In recognition of International Women’s Day, please join the Ottawa Peace Council on Wednesday February 28th at 6:30pm at McNabb Community Centre (180 Percy St) for a discussion on women in the peace and climate justice movement!
Guest speakers: Garrett Halas (The importance of Alexandra Kollontai, one of the key founders of IWD) and Tamara Lorincz (The critical role of women in the struggle against war and for peace and climate justice).

Book Launch: The Regulation of Desire: Queer Histories, Queer Struggles (3rd edition)
2024-02-29 19:00 - 20:30 | Perfect Books, 258 Elgin Street, Ottawa, K2P 1L9
On February 29th join Gary Kinsman, Laura Hall, and River Rossi for a book launch and discussion about Kinsman’s third edition of The Regulation of Desire: Queer Histories, Queer Struggles.
This launch for the 3rd edition of The Regulation of Desire covers what has happened since the 2nd edition was published in 1996, including the emergence of the white neoliberal queer, the right-wing attacks on trans people, and the need for abolitionist, anti-racist queer / trans liberation movements.

Help us to make this a covid-cautious environment. Masking is required.

Gary Kinsman (he/they) is a long-time queer liberation and anti-capitalist activist currently involved in the No Pride in Policing Coalition and Queers for Palestine – Toronto. He is the co-author of The Canadian War on Queers (with Patrizia Gentile) and the Third Edition of The Regulation of Desire: Queer Histories, Queer Struggles which has just come out.

Dr. Laura Hall (she/her) is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University. She is a graduate of York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies. Her work is about ‘learning to learn’, from within an Indigenous worldview, focused on sustainability, the rights of Indigenous women and Two-Spirit/LGBTQ communities, and land back. Laura was raised by her Mohawk mother and English-Canadian father on Anishinaabe territory in N’Swakamok (Sudbury). Her current interests are settler colonial theory and intersectionality, pop culture analysis, and bridge-building between social work and sociology, as well as Indigenous environmental theory and sociology.

River Rossi (they/them) is a queer, trans, anti-capitalist scholar living in Ottawa. Their past work examined the social relations of touch surrounding 1980s and 1990s AIDS activism in the Canadian context. More broadly, their doctoral research examines the Canadian state’s regulation of gender, sexuality, and disability. Their research resides in the fields of critical disability studies, Mad studies, critical trans studies, and queer anti-capitalist social movement history.

Accessibility information for Perfect Books:
Front door and store are all one level. Directly in front of the store there is a 3″ step up from the sidewalk onto a landing, but just south of the store entrance the sidewalk and landing are completely level and you can enter the store without needing to cross the 3″ step. The lighting in the building is florescent.

Of Fruit Machines and Third Editions: Queer Histories and Queer Resistance
2024-03-01 13:00 - 15:00 | Dunton Tower, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, K1S 5B6
Gary Kinsman and Patrizia Gentile present a discussion on Carleton University’s role in the Canadian war on queers. The presentations link the launch of the 3rd edition of The Regulation of Desire: Queer Histories, Queer Struggles with a focus on one of the Department of Psychology’s former chairs and the developer of the fruit machine, an anti-queer detection technology, Dr. Frank R. Wake. In addition to addressing this history drawn from The Canadian War on Queers: National Security as Sexual Regulation (2010), The Regulation of Desire (3rd ed.) also includes an analysis on the limitations of the 2017 “apology” for the purge campaigns and the emergence of the neo-liberal queer.
Gary Kinsman is a queer liberation, anti-oppression, and anti-capitalist activist and is the author of The Regulation of Desire: Queer Histories, Queer Struggles, and co-author of The Canadian War on Queers: National Security as Sexual Regulation, and co-editor of We Still Demand!: Redefining Resistance in Sex and Gender Struggles.
Patrizia Gentile is a professor in the Human Rights and Social Justice program and the Feminist Institute of Social Transformation at Carleton, and is the author of University Queen of the Maple Leaf: Beauty Contests and Settler Femininity, and co-author of The Canadian War on Queers: National Security as Sexual Regulation, and co-editor of We Still Demand!: Redefining Resistance in Sex and Gender Struggles.
Sponsored by FIST, ICCJ, ISS, SOC/ANTH

Accessibility information for Dunton Tower provided by CU: https://carleton.ca/campus/buildings/dunton-tower/
Help us to make this a covid-cautious environment. Masking is required.

Pique
2024-03-08 17:00 - 2024-03-10 17:00 | Club SAW, 67 Nicholas St, Ottawa, K1N 7B9
Pique is back with the spring edition opener of its 2024 season bringing groundbreaking international and Canadian artists to the Arts Court in downtown Ottawa. For the first time, Pique will present a multi-day edition of its acclaimed music and art festival series happening on March 8–10, 2024. Transforming the Arts Court into a dynamic venue-wide celebration, Pique is a seasonal showcase of underground and avant-garde performance, visual art, and more.
The 2024 Pique spring edition is all about experimentation, exploration and expecting the unexpected. Many of the artists featured at the spring edition are innovators in their own right, bending genres, trailblazing new technologies, or delving deeper into unexplored capabilities. While this edition invites audience members to challenge themselves and listen deeply, there are still plenty of opportunities for silliness and celebration. Charting a course that explores both mind and body, thinking and acting, Pique spring edition offers a full range of creative possibilities.
The all-ages festival will present more than 15 artists across 7 stages and exhibition spaces, including groundbreaking audio/visual performances, DJ sets, performance art, exhibitions, and more. Tickets to Pique are pay-what-you-can, and the Pique live stream is free to watch online.
Admission is SLIDING SCALE with a suggested contribution of $25-$50.
To purchase a ticket below or above the suggested sliding scale, please register for our pay-what-you-can ticket program.
PLEASE NOTE that while a tickets gains you access to the festival, each individual venue space within is subject to capacity, and your ticket does not guarantee you access to each performance. Consult the schedule and arrive early to the stage to ensure you catch the performance(s) you want to see!
Registration to the Topique forum is free with a ticket to Pique, but each session is subject to limited capacity restrictions. Registration opening soon!
The event is ALL AGES and licensed.
Visit thisispique.com for more info.

Spectacle d'humour féministe: Le Womansplaining Show / Feminist Comedy show: Le Womansplaining Show
2024-03-08 19:00 - 22:00 | Social Innovation Atelier, 95 Clegg St, Ottawa
Spectacle d’humour: Le Womansplaining Show

Soyez des nôtres dans le cadre de la journée internationale des droits des femmes le 8 mars prochain à l’Atelier d’innovation sociale!

Nous accueillons le Womansplaining Show, un spectacle d’humour féministe et engagé, animé par Noémie Leduc-Roy et Anne-Sarah Charbonneau. Pour cette occasion, elles seront accompagnées de Doua Kachache (humoriste) et de Trana Wintour (artiste multidisciplinaire).

Le spectacle se tiendra le vendredi 8 mars 2024 à l’Atelier d’innovation sociale, situé à Ottawa.
Les portes ouvriront à 19h00 et le spectacle débutera à 20h00.

Lien vers l’événement Facebook: https://fb.me/e/3dG918v6NLien pour se procurer des billets au coût de 15$ (gratuit les étudiant.e.s de Saint-Paul) et tous les détails concernant l’accessibilité de l’espace: http://tinyurl.com/2p4h58jj
Lien vers le compte instagram de l’Atelier-École: https://www.instagram.com/innovationsocialeusp/

Feminist Comedy show: Le Womansplaining Show

Join us for International Women’s Day on March 8 at the Atelier d’innovation sociale!

We’re hosting the Womansplaining Show, a feminist comedy show hosted by Noémie Leduc-Roy and Anne-Sarah Charbonneau. They will be joined by Doua Kachache (comedian) and Trana Wintour (multidisciplinary artist).

The show will take place on Friday, March 8 at the Social Innovation Workshop in Ottawa. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and the show begins at 8:00 p.m.

Link to Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/3dG918v6N
Link to purchase tickets for $15 (free for Saint-Paul university students) and all details concerning accessibility of the space: http://tinyurl.com/2p4h58jj

Speaking Up for Palestine Panel Discussion
2024-03-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Bronson Centre, 211 Bronson Ave, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
This panel and roundtable discussion is aimed at anyone who wants to build their confidence in speaking up for Palestine!
Panelists Dr. Yipeng Ge, Masha Davidovic, and Hassan Husseini will discuss why they speak up for Palestine, where they find the courage and confidence to do so , and how they respond to those who may criticize or try to silence them.
RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/SpeakingUpForPalestine
If you have difficulty with the RSVP link, feel free to email your RSVP to ottawaijv@protonmail.com.
For a free Palestine in our lifetime!

Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage
2024-03-16 08:30 - 15:00 | Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier, Ottawa
This pilgrimage walk is a response to a global invitation by an autonomous network of Christian organizations and churches engaging in a prayerful show of solidarity around the world. During Lent (Feb. 14-March 28), people will walk the ‘length of the Gaza strip’, and with our bodies, we will prayerfully map Gaza onto our own cities; in this case, Ottawa, on the traditional unceded lands of the Anishinaabe Algonquin people. Our route will be 22km, which is about half the length of the Gaza Strip. We will start and end at Ottawa City Hall, with several stops along the way for rest and prayer. We expect the walk to take about 8 hours, and welcome participants who want to join for shorter sections. We will be sharing our map and tentative schedule on this event page shortly to facilitate this.
Our group has chosen to raise funds for three groups contributing to the GC movement’s fundraising priorities of relief; refugee assistance; and arrival of relief and refuge:

Mennonite Central Committee – https://mcc.org/…/disaster-response/palestine-and-israel
PWRDF Gaza and West Bank Emergency Response Fund – https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx…
UNRWA – https://donate.unrwa.org/gaza/~my-donation?_cv=1

There are 8 core principles that all groups who participate in the walk must adhere to and we ask that you read them before registering for this walk. <https://www.gazaceasefirepilgrimage.com/core-convictions>
As well, all Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage Walks will be calling and praying for:
A. Enduring and Sustained Ceasefire.
B. Immediate flow of life saving food, water, aid, fuel and humanitarian assistance.
C. Release of all hostages – both the Israeli hostages held by Hamas – and the Palestinian hostages held in the Israeli prison system.
D. End of occupation so a just peace can begin.
We know there are many more “asks” that could have been made, but these walks have been created to lift up the voices of Palestinians who have been suffering for decades.
We extend a warm welcome to people who are not connected to any spiritual or religious tradition. It is our hope that all who are committed to the core principles will join with us on March 16th.
WHAT IS A PILGRIMAGE?
A pilgrimage is a sacred journey, a prayer with one’s body – be it by foot, wheelchair, on an animal, or by bicycle – to a destination, with the desire to turn one’s heart to God, and share in God’s heart for all of creation, particularly the vulnerable.
In organizing this Pilgrimage, we aspire to:

Keep the war in Gaza and the need for a ceasefire in front of us as we journey together
Encourage all Christians, Jewish and Muslim believers, and people from other faith traditions as well as no faith traditions, to join with us in a prayerful walk for peace in the Holy Land.

From Omar Haramy, Director of Sabeel, Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, Palestine:
“The Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage beckons to us as an opportunity not just to witness but to actively engage in the pursuit of peace. Let us unite in the spirit of nonviolence, a force that transcends borders and dismantles the structures of dominance.
Our collective strength lies in challenging the roots of the problem, addressing the deep-seated issues that perpetuate suffering. It is time to act, to be the change we wish to see, and to lend our voices to the call for a lasting ceasefire. By supporting this pilgrimage, we become part of communities working tirelessly to make a difference, fostering understanding, compassion, and unity in the sacred land that has witnessed too much strife. Let us rise above the discord, standing shoulder to shoulder, as advocates for peace, as architects of a brighter future for the Holy Land.
Together, we can create a legacy of harmony, resilience, and hope. Thank you for joining the movement and being a catalyst for change.”

Queering Ritual Adornment: Creative Beit Midrash
2024-03-17 14:00 - 16:00 | Online
Funded by Reconstructing Judaism’s Auerbach Launch Grant, Rabbinic Student Léah Miller Returns!
Drawing partially from the artistic pedagogy of the Jewish Studio Process, Léah will lead folx to think about and play with the concept of Jewish creativity. In all three sessions, there will be time for text study, self-reflection, and creative process, and the sessions will not be dependent on each other. There are no requirements for artistic skills or materials, but registrants will receive a suggested list of how to prepare. Additionally, this class will be leading towards an in-person class where you can make/finish adorning/design your own tallis/prayer shawl!
This event is designed to center queer and trans Jews, though all are welcome!
Click Here to Register!
https://www.orh.ca/event/queering-ritual-adornment-creative-beit-midrash.html#

Fighting Climate Change Beyond the Carbon Tax
2024-03-18 19:30 | PSAC Building, 233 Gilmour Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Join Free Transit Ottawa as well as a host of other organizations for a public forum on climate justice! Sponsored by Free Transit Ottawa, and Horizon Ottawa, Justice4Workers, CAWI.
A diverse set of speakers from the labour, environmental and transit struggles will discuss how the climate fight must involve building a better world where no one is left behind.
Speakers: Emma Bider, Climate Justice Ottawa; Angella MacEwan, CUPE/Green Economy Network; Richard Fidler/Free Transit Ottawa

Save Our Gaza Families: Urgent Two-Day Silent Vigil for Family Reunification
2024-03-19 09:00 - 2024-03-20 16:00 | Ottawa House of Commons, 111 Wellington St, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A0A6, Canada
For 3 days in February, Palestinian Canadians with loved ones in Gaza held vigil for 8 hours daily at the entrance to the House of Commons. The message was clear: issue the permits needed to help their families escape the genocide. Immigration Minister Marc Miller drove by, saw the families, but refused to meet with them.
It is over two full months since the program that was supposed to help them opened, yet it has saved no one, and scores have been killed waiting for Canada to end its “None is Too Many” policy for Palestinians, a shameful repeat of its failure to rescue Jews from genocide in the 1930s and 1940s.
Marc Miller must take immediate action to change direction, fix the huge problems with the system, and end the built-in, discriminatory obstacles that are placing these families’ loved ones at lethal risk.
Toward that end, we will gather once more on March 19 and 20, to meet with MPs, members of the public, and one another to continue pressing to open the doors to safety. The biggest obstacle to family reunification is not the Rafah border. It is a Canadian immigration bureaucracy that refuses to value the lives of Palestinian men, women and children who are being starved and bombed to death in what the International Court of Justice calls a plausible case of genocide.
Organized by Gazan Canadian League, endorsed by Rural Refugee Rights Network

Seeking Truth: The Hassan Diab Awareness Event
2024-03-20 18:30 - 20:30 | Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada
Join us for an awareness event to learn more about Hassan’s case and who your support.
In 2023, Hassan was found guilty of terrorism charges by the France government for a bombing that occurred decades before – for which he was not in the country for, and for which there is no reliable evidence connecting him to. He has spent the last 15 years in a constant state of unknowing what will happen to him next. Hassan’s case is one of Islamophobia and human rights violations. Helps prevent Hassan’s extradition by joining us for the event, signing petitions, and increasing awareness among the student population.
Event location: Room 282 Nideyinàn (University Centre, Carleton University)

Logging Algonquin - Free online film screening
2024-03-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Ontario
Join us for the premiere online screening of the short documentary “Logging Algonquin” by Conor Devries, followed by panel discussion and Q&A featuring Indigenous Algonquin scholars, knowledge-keepers and educators:

Dr. Lynn Gehl: Algonquin Anishinaabe-Ikwe, author, advocate, artist, public-speaker and PhD in Indigenous Studies, member of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation
Kirby Whiteduck: Chief of Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation from 2003-2020, Knowledge-Keeper, Educator and Author

About the film:
Logging Algonquin is a 30 minute documentary film by Conor Devries that looks at the historical and on-going logging happening in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, on the traditional and unceded territory of Algonquin Nations. The film asks the question:
‘Does logging belong in a modern day Park?’
While short in length, the film dives into numerous topics around the issue and manages to relate the logging in Algonquin Park with the broader environmental condition in Ontario and across the globe. For more information on the film and watch the trailer go to www.loggingalgonquinfilm.com
The screening will be followed by a discussion panel and Q&A to delve deeper into the topic with emphasis on Indigenous Algonquin perspectives, paradigms and worldviews.
The discussion panel and Q&A will also include:

Conor Devries, Director of ‘Logging Algonquin;
Katie Krelove, Ontario Campaigner for Wilderness Committee
Dr. David Euler, Former Dean of Forestry at Lakehead University; Co-Founder of Algonquin Eco-Watch

Registrants will be sent a zoom link to your email 2 days before the event
