Punch Up Collective

Arms Embargo Now! Ottawa Protest
2025-06-14 14:00 - 17:00 (America/Toronto) | Human Rights Monument, 220 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Ottawa Join us on Saturday June 14th, at 2pm, at the Human Rights Monument to demand this government implement a full and immediate arms embargo on the genocidal zionist regime and finally recognize Palestine, without condition!

This week, a UN meeting is being held in New York to discuss recognizing a Palestinian state. The time to recognize is long overdue and we call on this government to do so without condition. But recognition alone means nothing if western governments continue their shameful complicity in Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. While countries discuss this around a table, countless families are left buried under rubble, and many more are deprived of food, water, and medical aid.

Recognition will mean nothing as long as Canada continues to profit from the export of the military equipment used to slaughter the people of Gaza. We need an arms embargo now!

DATE: Saturday, June 14
TIME: 2PM
PLACE: Human Rights Monument

"The Other" screening + panel
2025-06-14 17:30 - 20:30 | Somerset West Community Health Centre, 55 Eccles Street, Ottawa, K1R 6S3
Join us for a screening of The Other. The award-winning documentary on peace-builders and co-resistance fighters in Palestine-Israel will be followed by a panel discussion featuring the director, Joy Sela, and members of the Canadian Friends of Standing Together coalition (C-FoST), Karen Golden and Raja Khouri. Meet like-minded individuals committed to achieving a just and sustainable peace in Palestine-Israel.

Solidarity with the Ramsook brothers
2025-06-16 18:00 - 20:30 | Rideau Hub, 815 St Laurent Blvd - Room 215, Ottawa
Garick and Ramesh Ramsook came to Canada with the hope of improving their lives and that of their families. They were employed by Polat Construction, a company located in the Ottawa area. The brothers worked to support Canada’s construction industry, a vital industry particularly during the current housing crisis that exists.

Employed under Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program, they were subjected to wage theft, occupational hazards and workplace harassment. The Ramsook brothers, along with other migrant and Canadian workers organized their workplace with the Carpenters Union. Shortly thereafter, the workers were terminated. Since their termination, the workers have endured hardship.

This, however, is not a story of migrants falling through the cracks. Four migrant workers, including the Ramsook brothers, filed successful applications with the Ministry of Labour alleging wage theft under the Employment Standards Act. Across the province of Ontario under the Ford government, the province has failed to enforce decisions of the Ministry of Labour to the tune of over $60 million dollars. Polat Construction was found guilty and compelled to return
over $140,000 in wages.

The Ramsook brothers have appealed part of the decision to the OLRB to request further remedies and are awaiting a decision regarding their appeal.

The federal government has found that Polat Construction violated the rules of the TFW program. Currently the employer is on the feds’ non-compliant list. The company was fined $161,000 with a five-year ban from employing temporary foreign workers. Despite these stiff penalties, the federal government has failed to enforce monetary penalties for non-compliance, to the tune of 40% or $4.5 million dollars since 2017.

The Ramsook brothers have decided to return home. Both the provincial and federal government have failed them. To honour their courage, sacrifices, and their demand for dignity, fairness and respect, we would like to invite you for a discussion and fundraiser to show solidarity with these comrades.

Registration: https://forms.gle/ZVRKh9rGkNKs5TRR8

Zoom link for meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/280034454

Article backgrounder: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/they-came-from-jamaica-for-work-now-theyre-homeless-and-out-thousands-of-dollars-in-lost-wages/

Canada & Gaza: What are our moral and legal obligations?
2025-06-16 19:00 - 21:00 | First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa, 30 Cleary Ave, Ottawa
Human rights activists have tried everything from determined demonstrations to private meetings with politicians to get Canada to act. It is all useful. But we have not been able to convince Canadians or our politicians that Canada can and should do something to stop the genocide in Gaza. The Ottawa Forum on Israel Palestine invites you to a public meeting in Ottawa to discuss what we can and should do. Read more.….
“The genocide in Gaza is the moral issue of our time,” says Holocaust survivor and best selling author Gabor Mate M.D. Whoever says “genocide” has to act. By avoiding the word, we avoid responsibility.
Facing the greatest crime of the 21st century, The Ottawa Forum on Israel Palestine (OFIP) wants to increase the pressure on Prime Minister Carney to live up to our legal and moral responsibilities. We invite anyone in Ottawa to attend a public meeting on June 16th, 2025.
Instead of just “preaching to the choir”, the meeting aims to help “arm the choir” with knowledge and confidence. Three experts will help the audience better understand the issues involved and the challenges we face. If the meeting is successful, it will reinforce our confidence to act – to speak to our friends, to write letters, to lobby politicians. In short, to be able to increase pressure on our civic and political leaders to speak out and take action on this urgent issue.
The speakers

Iyas Salim, Adjunct professor, Carleton University – Dr. Salim grew up in Gaza where he still has both friends and family. He will share first hand information from Palestinians living the nightmare that Israel is inflicting on them and the options they face.
Peggy Mason, President Rideau Institute – A former Canadian ambassador, she will examine Canada’s legal obligations under international and humanitarian law. What responsibility does Canada have to put into effect decisions/judgements of the International Court of Justice, the UN Security council or the ICC. How well is Canada living up to its LEGAL obligations?
Senator Yuen Pau Woo – What are the contradictory pressures facing the Carney government? Is there an evolution in our government’s position, what are the debates, the pressures, and how can we can push forward to a stronger position? Why is the Canadian parliament so quick to say “genocide” in some cases, but so reluctant to do so in the face of overwhelming evidence from Gaza?

Cost?
There is no charge for the event. However, we gladly accept donations.
Registration?
You can register in advance by using this link: https://bit.ly/4kAVSDa or at the door (if there is still room).
Free on site parking for about 100 cars. Carshare, come early or take OC transpo.

Queer Death Salon - End of Life and Disability
2025-06-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
We will be joined by Carrie Batt, founder of SEOL CARE for a presentation and discussion about disability at end of life. Carrie trains people with disabilities, their loves ones, and service providers on how to develop a disability informed approach to end of life and grief support. She also offers disability competent end of life care and bereavement support services to the disability community.
This 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.
Attendees are welcome to come with questions, stories, or special objects to share with the group.

Amnesty Book Club presents Vinh Nguyen
2025-06-20 19:30 - 20:30 | Online
Join Amnesty International’s Book Club for a live online event for World Refugee Day with Vinh Nguyen, Canadian author of the memoir The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse, in conversation with host Pacinthe Mattar.
Register for the free Zoom presentation
With the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, the U.S. war in Vietnam ended, but the refugee crisis was only beginning. Among the millions of people who fled Vietnam by boat was Vinh Nguyen, along with his mother and siblings, and his father, who left separately and then mysteriously vanished.
Decades later, Nguyen goes looking for answers. What he discovers is a sea of questions drifting above sunken truths. To find his father—and anchor himself in the present—Nguyen must piece together the debris of history with family stories that have been scattered across generations and continents, kept for years in broken hearts and guarded silences.
Vinh Nguyen is a nonfiction editor at The New Quarterly, curating an ongoing series on refugee, migrant, and diasporic writing. He is the co-editor of the academic books Refugee States: Critical Refugee Studies in Canada and The Routledge Handbook of Refugee Narratives, and the author of Lived Refuge: Gratitude, Resentment, Resilience. His writing has been short-listed for a National Magazine Award and has received the John Charles Polanyi Prize in Literature. In 2022, he was a Lambda Literary Fellow in Nonfiction for emerging LGBTQ writers.
Pacinthe Mattar is an award-winning journalist, writer and producer. Her work, featured on CBC News, and in The Walrus, the Toronto Star, Al Jazeera, Buzzfeed, Chatelaine and more, centres the lived experiences that are too often excluded from the mainstream.

Indigenous Peoples's Day Pop-up market and free museum admission
2025-06-21 11:00 - 17:30 | Bytown Museum, 1 Canal Lane, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day at the Bytown Museum with an Indigenous Pop-Up Market and a day full of engaging, family-friendly programming and free museum admission!
Shop handmade goods from local First Nations, Inuit, and Métis artists and makers Take part in fun craft making Learn about Indigenous medicines and history through touch tables and guided tours Watch a traditional dance showcase

Located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, the Bytown Museum is located on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation. As a museum in the heart of Ottawa, we recognize our responsibility to tell fuller stories of the land, its peoples, and its histories — past, present, and future.

Picnic Lunch at Britannia Park
2025-06-23 12:00 - 14:00 | Britannia Beach Park, 102 Greenview Avenue, Ottawa, K2B 8J8
Be a part of the conversation: we need to get governments to move forward – meaningfully – on sustainable energy development.
We will be part of a nation-wide “climate Sun Day” on September 21st. Communities across the country will talk about alternative sources of energy currently being developed and point to ways to ramp up progress in this area.
Planning is underway to make this an event that grabs the attention of the public and decision-makers.
Come picnic together on June 23rd and share ideas on how to make this a success.

Acorn's Healthy Homes Meeting
2025-06-24 18:00 - 20:00 | tom brown arena, 141 Bayview Station Road, Ottawa, K1Y 4T1
Fight for Landlord Licensing
REMINDER that ACORN’s BIG citywide Healthy Homes Meeting is right around the corner!

Landlords have had free reign for far too long. ACORN will be presenting and pushing our landlord licensing campaign – a tool to keep landlords accountable for their horrific neglect of our units.

We’ll be listening to ACORN members’ horror stories, answer trivia questions on shocking stats from our State of Repairs report, listening to guest speakers (Hardi Rath-Wilson, Tenant Lawyer; Ricardo Tranjan, Researcher & Author), and City councillors will be there to hear tenant concerns head on.

You won’t want to miss this

IJV Summer School
2025-06-26 17:30 - 19:30 | Hintonburg Park, 49 Fairmont Ave, Ottawa
Join us for IJV Ottawa’s Summer Social!
📍 Hintonburg Park, 49 Fairmont Ave
🕠 Thursday, June 26 at 5:30pm
📆 RSVP at the link in bio
We’re gathering for an evening to connect, eat, and build community. There’ll be a potluck, so bring a dish if you can, and we’re also hosting an art build for upcoming actions, so feel free to bring markers, paints, or poster supplies!
Everyone’s welcome – come say hi

Queers Bash Back III
2025-06-26 18:30 - 22:30 | Ottawa Bike Cafe, 79 Sparks Street Ottawa, ON K1P 5A5
EVENT SCHEDULE
6:30pm DOORS OPEN
6:50pm INTRODUCTION
7:00pm STORIES FROM QUEER ELDERS
7:45pm DRAG w/ Mx.Tique and Steven King’s Daughter
8:15pm INTERMISSION!
– Zine making with the Queer Zine Collective (supplies will be available but we also encourage you to bring your own!).
– Harm reduction & resources from MAX Ottawa.
-Tenant resources from Neighbourhood Organizing Centre.
– Books from the Ottawa Trans Library.
– Zines from us (tbc)!
9:00pm QUEER THEORY CHAT w/ Kiran
9:20pm MATTY GRACE
9:50pm HUG MOSH
captain tuna is no longer able to attend
TICKET BREAKDOWN
BRING CASH IF BUYING TICKETS AT THE DOOR!!!!
50% to the Ottawa Trans Library
10% to each performer
10% to Tales from Behind the Counter (Becca & Kiran)
ACCESSIBILITY
The Ottawa Bike Cafe is wheelchair accessible. Masks are required and will be available at the door.

Eris Nyx Presents: The Drug User Liberation Front Story
2025-06-27 17:30 - 19:30 | Social Sciences Building (FSS), room 1006
For one year, the Drug User Liberation Front sold pure cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine to drug users on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, and no one died. Now, the founders are facing life in jail, and they need your help. Find out more at this event!
Live in Ottawa Ontario
University of Ottawa
Faculty of Social Sciences
120 University Private – FSS 1006
Entry by donation

Ottawa Anarchist Bookfair
2025-06-28 10:00 - 16:00 | Jack Purcell Community Centre, 320 Jack Purcell Lane, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P1M4, Canada
The Ottawa Anarchist Bookfair is run by a group of local anarchists and anarchic-organizers who are interested in cultivating a culture of autonomous and decentralized organizing in so-called ottawa. Our fair will have a mixture of literature (books, zines, etc.) relevant to anarchism/anti-oppression/organizing, community-run workshops & skillshares, and tabling from autonomous community groups and organizers.
We acknowledge that as settlers on these stolen, unceded and unsurrendered Algonquin Anishinaabe lands we represent part of the problem and are committed to operating in solidarity with Indigenous resistance and organizing however we can. Additionally, we acknowledge the ways that power structures such as colonialism, racism, classism, misogyny, ableism, and queerphobia replicate themselves both inside and outside of activist spaces. As a collective, we aim to make this event as accessible as possible to those left behind by the state and mainstream society.

The Encampments Documentary
2025-06-29 15:15 - 17:00 | The Mayfair Theatre, 1074 Bank St, Ottawa, K1S 3X3, Canada
INSAF UOttawa, Students for Justice in Palestine CU and the Palestinian Youth Movement invites you to our screening of “The Encampments” by Watermelon Pictures.
This powerful documentary captures the student-led resistance at Columbia and campuses across North America, demanding divestment from genocide. This time last year Ottawa students and community members joined this global movement and held an encampment on Taberet lawn. This film portrays the historic significance encampments have created in the fight for divestment, one that continues today. As Gaza endures unimaginable violence, our responsibility to act remains urgent.📍Mayfair Theatre, 1074 Bank St, Ottawa
🕒 Doors open 3:15 PM, Movie starts playing 3:30 PM SHARP
🎟️ Register here. Tickets will only be sold through this form.

Price: Minimum $10 per person.
Limited parking is available, so carpooling is encouraged! Alternative parking available at TD Place, only an 8 minute walk away.
Seats are first come, first serve. Please ensure you are on time!

REGISTRATION IS NOT COMPLETE UNTIL E-TRANSFER IS SENT TO pymottawa@gmail.com.
You will receive a confirmation email once we have processed your registration.

Chief Pinesi Day
2025-07-01 09:00 - 14:00 | New Edinburgh Park, 203 Stanley Ave, Ottawa
Chief Pinesi Day is held annually on July 1 in New Edinburgh park to celebrate the Algonquin Anishinaabe history of the area. It is an opportunity for learning and reconciliation.
Participate in Chief Pinesi Day on July 1, from 9 am to 2 pm, in New Edinburgh Park, at 203 Stanley Avenue. This special day, which is the culmination of an eight-day paddle from Deep River, will feature a Sacred Fire beginning at 9 am, a smudging ceremony at noon, drumming, dancing and singing, a land tour of the Chief Pinesi Portage Trail, and an opportunity to meet and hear from the paddlers about their experiences after they arrive at noon.

Science for the People Magazine - Palestine issue launch
2025-07-05 13:00 - 15:00 | Bronson Centre, 211 Bronson Ave, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
JOIN US on Saturday July 5th from 1-3 PM at the Bronson centre (211 Bronson Ave) for the Ottawa launch of the latest issue of the Science for the People magazine on Palestine.
In this issue we focus on the oppression and liberation of the Palestinian people through the lens of revolutionary science and technology. STEM workers in the imperial core play a central role in the escalation of the genocide; but technical innovation under siege conditions plays a similarly important and often overlooked role in the vitality of the Palestinian resistance.
Our launch will take the format of a roundtable talk discussing the “It takes a village to kill a child” report about the F35 program in Canada and Israel, as well as some articles from the magazine.
We hope to see you there! Registration is not required, but it will help us with planning.

Vigil and picnic for Palestine
2025-07-05 15:00 - 21:00 | Parc Fontaine, 120, rue Charlevoix, Gatineau
Come together with your neighbours to share delicious food, mourn and honor the dead, and take action for Palestine.
We’ll have some food available, but we are encouraging people to bring a dish to share if you are able to.
Join us to:
Eat food
Find community and solidarity
Take action with your neighbours to pressure our local politicians to stand for Palestine with concrete actions.
Enjoy kid friendly creative activities
Read poetry
Mourn. Israel has killed over 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza. During the vigil portions of the event, we will read some of the names of the killed.
Come and go as you need! Drop ins welcome!
During the vigil portions, please note that silence is encouraged for anyone not reading names out loud.
3pm-5pm: Vigil
5pm-7pm: Community picnic
7pm-9pm: Vigil
Vigile et pique-nique pour la Palestine
Samedi 5 juillet, de 15 h à 21 h
Parc Fontaine (120 rue Charlevoix, Hull)
Joignez-vous à nous pour honorer les martyrs de Gaza, ainsi que celleux qui luttent toujours pour une Palestine libre.
🕯️Nous vous convions à une vigile de quelques heures durant laquelle nous lirons les noms d’une partie des plus de 50 000 personnes assassinées par Israël au cours des 21 derniers mois. Nous tiendrons aussi des moments de silence et nous partagerons de la poésie.
🍉 Nous nous rassemblerons autour d’un pique-nique communautaire entre 17h et 19h.
Nous aurons une certaine quantité de nourriture, mais n’hésitez pas à apporter un plat à partager si vous le souhaitez! 🙂
🪁 Activités durant le pique-nique :
Fabrication de cerfs-volants
Rédaction de lettres à certain.e.s ministres/député.e.s
Activités créatives (bannières, etc.)
Signature de pétitions
Connexions entre voisin.e.s pour s’organiser et agir ensemble
Horaire
15h-17h : Vigile
17h-19h : Pique-nique communautaire
19h-21h : Vigile
Arrivez et partez quand vous le souhaitez!
Pendant les vigiles, le silence est encouragé pour les personnes qui ne lisent pas les noms à haute voix.
Collaboration entre Hills For Peace and Justice & Outaouais pour la Palestine

Labour Stands with Families in Gaza!
2025-07-15 07:00 - 18:00 | Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, 235 Queen Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
July 15th, join the labour contingent in support of the call to action from @gazancanadians.
Demand that the Canadian government rapidly approve the visas of students and their families and quickly and safely expatriate these students and their families to Canadian soil.
The Canadian government must stop dragging its feet.
Where: 235 Queen Street, Ottawa, On.
When: Support all day or drop-in when you can 7am – 6pm
Organizers are asking for art supplies to share for making signs.

Queer Bike Club Ottawa's Bike Scavenger Hunt
2025-07-15 18:00 | Dow’s Lake
Hey folks! Come on out and join us for our first ever bike scavenger hunt! And bring your friends! This event is ally friendly and kid friendly (as long as kids under 18 are supervised by an adult). We will meet at the Naval Reserve Monument at Dow’s Lake at 6pm.

What will this event look like? Teams (Minimum of 3 people, maximum of 7) will be given a series of clues and challenges to do within a 1.5 hour time frame. Each team to finish and get to the mystery end point gets entered to win a prize!
What if I don’t have a team? Show up a few minutes early, organizers will try and help you join another team!
Is this an intense scavenger hunt? No! It is meant to be a challenge but is meant to be fun, and maybe a little competitive. 1.5 hours maximum to complete. Those who complete all the clues get entered into a draw to win a prize for their team.

As with all QBC events, you must fill out a waiver to participate (link here).

Dead People's Stuff
2025-07-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
The dead can leave behind so much stuff, from a few sentimental items, to entire homes stuffed to the brim. What to do with it can be complex and filled with conflicting emotions. This is a space to explore our relationships with the physical objects left behind by the dead, what to keep, what to pass on, what we are having hard feelings about, and what we celebrate.
Queer Death Salon is a 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.
Queer Death Salon takes place over Zoom, in English, with Automatic Closed Captioning

Abbas Wahab LIVE in Ottawa | The Joyride Tour
2025-07-17 19:30 - 2025-07-18 22:00 | LIVE! on Elgin, 220 Elgin St #2, Ottawa, ON K2P 1L7, Canada, Ottawa, NY, K2P 1L7, United States
Catch Viral Comedian Abbas Wahab on his North American Joyride Tour, July 17th and 18th at LIVE On Elgin!
Abbas Wahab is a New York-based, Canadian comedian and actor. He’s been featured on Just For Laughs and Edinburgh Fringe festivals, and is best known most recently for his role as SWAT officer in M.Night Shyamalan’s Trap. Wahab has also appeared in TV shows, such as The Boys, What We Do In The Shadows, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. He has garnered a loyal following of over 125k fans on Instagram and 220k on TikTok. Abbas is best known for his viral “job interview” and “automotive marketing” series, which parody the behind-the-scenes hiring and advertising of major brands. His comedic style has been described as electrifying and sharp, with grounded storytelling. Don’t miss him on the road!
Check out Abbas Wahab on Instagram and TikTok > @abbaswahab

Art in the Park: Climate Connections and Crewel Embroidery
2025-07-19 10:00 - 12:30 | Strathcona Park, 25 Range Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N8J3, Canada
Join us for a morning workshop from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM as part of Art in the Park—a series of outdoor sessions that blend art-making, climate emotion dialogue, and nature connection. This workshop offers a supportive, welcoming space for youth to explore their feelings about the climate crisis through creative expression, storytelling, and community care.
This session focuses on crewel embroidery as a mindful, grounding practice. Embroidery invites us to slow down, notice the small details, and put care into each stitch. In this hands-on, beginner-friendly workshop, participants will be invited to wander the park, observe the local plant life, and choose a plant—such as a dandelion, sumac tree, or goldenrod—that resonates with them.
We’ll provide a selection of fabrics, but participants are encouraged to bring their own fabric items to embroider, such as a tote bag, jacket, or scrap fabric.
Whether you’re brand new to embroidery or an experienced textile artist, this workshop is about more than technique—it’s about slowing down, reconnecting with nature, and making something meaningful.
Spots are limited — register now! https://shorturl.at/FQcqy

Ottawa's Walk for Recovery
2025-07-19 13:00 - 14:30 | Human Rights Monument, 220 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
On Saturday, July 19 at 1 pm at the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights, we will march to demand visibility for women and non-binary folks living with addiction, as well as adequate support and funding for long-term recovery services.
Why Walk for Recovery?
Because we need visibility beyond stigma for women and non-binary folks who are concerned about their drug use and/or gambling.
We demand adequate support and funding for feminist and harm reduction organizations, because they save lives.
The struggle for feminism, anti-racism, housing, and labor are all ways of tackling the root causes of addiction. We need solidarity and coalition-building across social justice issues!
If ability, weather and temperatures permit, we will march to Parliament Hill, down Bank St., back to Elgin St. via Somerset St. Otherwise, we will prioritize our safety by staying at the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights.
The Merry Dairy will be kindly gifting 30 ice cream coupons to march attendees!
See the schedule and speaker list here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DL_FAmsPeIm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The Zine Scene Market
2025-07-20 10:00 - 15:00 | Shenkman Arts Centre, 245 Centrum Boulevard, Ottawa, K1E 0A1
As part of phase 2 and 3 of The Zine Scene: Tools for Social Change Project, Laughing Radish, Shenkman Arts Centre and Arts Ottawa will be hosting The Zine Scene Market, a zine and small press market celebrating independent publishing works in Ottawa.
This market will officially launch our community collection of zines on various themes around social justice in Ottawa. Celebrate and share our zine collection, build community and network with local zinesters/social advocates!
We are STILL accepting vendor applications with subsidized table fees ($20 or $10 for half-table) thanks to support from Arts Ottawa and the Shenkman Arts Centre. To apply to be a vendor at the Zine Scene Market, please complete the form.
*Personal note from the organizer:
Please spread the word within your networks and on social media, so we get a good attendance at the market! I am a one (wo)man show, so any help to spread the word is greatly appreciated! We will continue to accept vendor applications leading up to the market, so if you have any zinester friends who still want to vend- it’s not too late for them to join! This is also a great low-risk option for people who want to try selling their art at their first market (and it doesn’t have to be zines). So please spread the word far and wide, to help your fellow zinesters out!
Vendor application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSefU3N17ZXWzXn5eCJv7vk0fPoE8l6DCrWW-qsPicSxLE0IRA/viewform

Community Picnic for Palestine
2025-07-20 14:00 - 19:00 | Vincent Massey Park, Heron Road, Ottawa
*Hosted by community members*
Come join us for an afternoon of community building, connecting and sharing ideas. Whether you’ve been organizing for a while or just have ideas, this is a space to meet others, have real conversations, and think together.
📍 Vincent Massey Park (Section A)
🗓️ Sunday, July 20
🕐 2–7 PM
There will be crafts, and space to chill or chat. Bring a friend, your thoughts, or just come as you are. Everyone is welcome!
Lights snacks and drinks are provided, but feel free to bring something for yourself or to share with the community! We will have a screen printing station, so bring your own t-shirts!

Boiling Point: Tenants Take on Extreme Heat!
2025-07-23 18:30 - 20:00 | Online
Tenants across Ontario are reaching a BOILING POINT.
As heatwaves get longer and more dangerous, thousands of tenants are being forced to suffer through sweltering apartments without A/C, all while landlords dodge responsibility — and the provincial government stands by and does nothing.
That’s why Ontario ACORN is bringing tenants together for a virtual meeting to expose the heat crisis in rental housing and demand action.
Join us to:
🔥 Hear from ACORN members organizing across Ontario —From Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, London & Peel
🎤 Get insights from MPP Catherine McKenney (NDP Shadow Housing Minister) and other guest speakers
💥 Learn about ACORN’s province-wide campaign to win heat protection laws for tenants
📢 Find out how YOU can take action and pressure the provincial government to act now!
Whether you’re sweating through the heat or want to fight for those who are — this meeting is for you.
Register here.

Defend the Land: Lessons from Indigenous experiences of colonization and how to fight back with Mi'kmaw land defender Sakej Ward
2025-07-26 14:00 - 16:00 | Ottawa Public Library – Main Branch Auditorium
Join us at Ottawa Public Library – Main Library Auditorium on July 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM for a free, public, and timely discussion on Indigenous perspectives of colonization and how to fight back with Mi’kmaw land defender Sakej Ward. This event is held in collaboration with the Anishinabe Moose Committee, a grassroots Anishinabe-led committee working to prevent the declining moose population in their traditional territory .
Amidst the growing threats of climate change and recent draconian policies to expand mining, logging, oil and gas infrastructure, this event is a galvanizing call for settlers and climate activities to learn from and support the work frontline land defenders have done to protect the land and water.
Sakej (James Ward) is Mi’kmaw from the community of Esgenoopetitj. He was adopted into the wolf clan. Sakej has dedicated his life to living a warrior life. Sakej served with both the Canadian and American militaries, then after leaving the military, earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a specialization in International Relations (Honors program) and a Master’s of Arts Degree in Indigenous Governance. Sakej transformed his military experience and university education into strategies, approaches, and methods to contribute to decolonizing Indigenous people. Sakej has a long history of protecting Indigenous people, communities, and homelands as well as our inherent responsibilities and freedoms. He has spent the last 32 years traveling North and Central America, helping groups pursue Indigenous nationhood and cultural resurgence.
Also presenting will be Waba Mako/Shannon Chief of the Anishinaabe-Algonquin Nation wolf clan. Waba commits to defense of her Anishinabe culture. She contributes at various levels to the decolonization and the restoration of the sovereignty of her people. Waba is an Algonquin Language Teacher who currently works for Kebaweok First Nation to revitalize the community’s language and also works full time as the coordinator for the Anishnabe Moose Committee.
This event is facilitated by Climate Justice Ottawa in collaboration with the Waba and the Anishinabe Moose Committee. Generous support was provided by the Youth Harbour, Research for the Frontlines, CAPE Local 502 (CIRNAC-NCR), and Seniors for Climate Action Now!
This is a free event, with all donations going to the Anishinabe Moose Committee.

Evacuate Gaza Loved Ones from the Kill Zone! Canada Must Urgently Issue Visas to Save Families NOW!
2025-07-30 11:00 - 13:00 | Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, 235 Queen Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Join us at the Ottawa offices of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for a peaceful vigil to demand that Canada immediately complete the processing of all remaining visa applications for the Gazan loved ones of Palestinians in Canada and implement an emergency action plan for their evacuation.
Since the Gaza Temporary Visa program was implemented in January 2024, Canada has assisted in the evacuation of fewer than 40 people out of 5,000 applicants. That’s only 0.7% of program applicants, an astounding number considering the daily risk of being blown to bits or suffering the slow death of starvation.
Right now, Canada is insisting no one can leave without biometrics (fingerprints and photographs). This violates Canada’s own very specific program guidelines: “Given the situation we understand that you won’t be able to give your biometrics or complete a full admissibility check until you’ve left Gaza. If your application passes a preliminary eligibility and admissibility assessment we’ll forward your name to the local authorities to facilitate your exit from Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.” (https://www.canada.ca/…/gaza-tr-measures/after.html… )
Canada already has photographs because all applicants sent copies of their passports. In addition, since Israeli apartheid occupation authorities have a registry of all Palestinians in Gaza, they would be the first to say no to the exit of anyone they felt posed some theoretical threat. But Canada is not even willing to take the word of its Israeli allies on this matter. Instead, it is assuming, based on anti-Palestinian racism, that all Palestinians are a threat until they prove otherwise. That includes starving children, grandmothers, school teachers, health care workers, farmers, gravely injured and ill program applicants.
The Canadian government’s assumption of guilt mirrors (indeed, goes far beyond) the Obama assassination-by-drone policy which, as reported in 2012, “in effect counts all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants … unless there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent.”
Canada can shed as many tears as it likes over the losses of hundreds of program applicants who would be here safe with their families were it not for wrongfully treating every Palestinian as a supposed threat. But that is no consolation for those traumatized for life by these immeasurable losses. It must take action.
The only Palestinians who have made it to Canada (861 as of July 1, 2025) made it out on their own by exhausting life savings to pay border bribes to escape before the closure and demolition of Rafah. In the same 540-day period under the Ukraine program, over 650,000 visas had been approved and 186,454 arrived in Canada. In the first year of the program, over 8,000 Israelis were granted visas to come to Canada.
Clearly, Canada has the capacity to process applications in the same time period it did for Ukrainians (average 14-day turnaround), and it also has the ability to facilitate evacuations. The fact that it has not done so is not a matter of organizational ability or staff resources. Rather it is rooted in systemic anti-Palestinian racism, and the ludicrous racial profiling presumption of guilt that every Palestinian in Gaza is a risk until proven otherwise.
In the meantime, far too many loved ones have been killed waiting for Canada, a shameful reflection of another bleak period in our history when Jews fleeing a genocide were turned away under a None is Too Many policy.
Please join us for this peaceful vigil (ie, no yelling or verbal abuse directed against our opponents) organized by the Gazan Canadians League–Ottawa and the Rural Refugee Rights Network.
More info at tasc@web.ca
Special thanks to Peter Stockdale for the fabulous photo!

Collaborative zine making night at the Ottawa Trans Library
2025-08-02 14:00 - 17:00 | Ottawa Trans Library, 1104 Somerset St. West, Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y 3C8, Canada
Come work on zines with us as we work on the next issue of The Dragon Flyer, the Ottawa Trans Library’s community zine. Write, draw, scan, cut, and paste with us on our community zine or your own project, or just come hang out with us. We are collecting stories, jokes, poems, art, and more from the trans and non-binary community in Ottawa and our friends and families.
The zine workshop is a collaborative event to discuss, share, and work on zines together.
Come tell your story.We will provide paper, templates, and whatever art supplies we have. No experience necessary. All ages welcome, children under age 13 must be accompanied by an adult.
Masking the day of the event is encouraged. Accessibility note: There are two stairs at the door entrance. We have a ramp we can bring out for the door on request. There’s a washroom but it’s not large enough for many mobility devices.

Urgently Reunite Palestinian Families: Canada Must Evacuate all Visa Applicants from Gaza NOW!
2025-08-06 11:00 - 13:00 | Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, 235 Queen Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Join us Wednesday, August 6 from 11 am to 1 pm at the Ottawa offices of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (300 Slater Street, at Kent) for a peaceful vigil to demand that Canada immediately complete the processing of all remaining visa applications for the Gazan loved ones of Palestinians in Canada and implement an emergency action plan for their evacuation.
We are gathering every Wednesday at this same time throughout the month of August, so please mark your calendars and join us!
Since the Gaza Temporary Visa program was implemented in January 2024, Canada has assisted in the evacuation of fewer than 40 people out of 5,000 applicants. That’s only 0.7% of program applicants, an astounding number considering the daily risk of being blown to bits or suffering the slow death of starvation.
During the final weekend in July, Canada reportedly evacuated 11 Canadian citizens from Gaza. This contradicts their stated position that they are powerless to get families across the border.
Right now, Canada is insisting no one can leave without biometrics (fingerprints and photographs). This violates Canada’s own very specific program guidelines: “Given the situation we understand that you won’t be able to give your biometrics or complete a full admissibility check until you’ve left Gaza. If your application passes a preliminary eligibility and admissibility assessment we’ll forward your name to the local authorities to facilitate your exit from Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.” (https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/israel-west-bank-gaza-2023/gaza-tr-measures/after.html)
Canada already has photographs because all applicants sent copies of their passports. In addition, since Israeli apartheid occupation authorities have a registry of all Palestinians in Gaza, they would be the first to say no to the exit of anyone they felt posed some theoretical threat. But Canada is not even willing to take the word of its Israeli allies on this matter.
Instead, it is assuming, based on anti-Palestinian racism, that all Palestinians are a threat until they prove otherwise. That includes starving children, grandmothers, school teachers, health care workers, farmers, gravely injured and ill program applicants.
The Canadian government’s assumption of guilt mirrors (indeed, goes far beyond) the Obama assassination-by-drone policy which, as reported in 2012, “in effect counts all military-age males in a strike zone as combatants … unless there is explicit intelligence posthumously proving them innocent.”
Canada can shed as many tears as it likes over the losses of hundreds of program applicants who would be here safe with their families were it not for wrongfully treating every Palestinian as a supposed threat. But that is no consolation for those traumatized for life by these immeasurable losses. It must take action.
The only Palestinians who have made it to Canada (861 as of July 1, 2025) made it out on their own by exhausting life savings to pay border bribes to escape before the closure and demolition of Rafah. In the same 540-day period under the Ukraine program, over 650,000 visas had been approved and 186,454 arrived in Canada. In the first year of the program, over 8,000 Israelis were granted visas to come to Canada.
Clearly, Canada has the capacity to process applications in the same time period it did for Ukrainians (average 14-day turnaround), and it also has the ability to facilitate evacuations.
The fact that it has not done so is not a matter of organizational ability or staff resources. Rather it is rooted in systemic anti-Palestinian racism, and the ludicrous racial profiling presumption of guilt that every Palestinian in Gaza is a risk until proven otherwise.
In the meantime, far too many loved ones have been killed waiting for Canada, a shameful reflection of another bleak period in our history when Jews fleeing a genocide were turned away under a None is Too Many policy.
Please join us for this peaceful vigil (ie, no yelling or verbal abuse directed against our opponents) organized by Ottawa Palestinians with loved ones in Gaza and the Rural Refugee Rights Network.
More info at tasc@web.ca
(Photo: Joury and her brothers and father were evacuated on April 2, but only on condition they leave their mom/spouse Doaa Nashwan behind. They are one of numerous families forcibly separated by Canada’s abusive misuse of a biometrics requirement for exit. Learn more at https://www.change.org/p/these-kids-need-their-moms-canada-must-immediately-evacuate-doaa-and-nariman-from-gaza
