Auction for Indigenous Women & Girls with Disabilities #IWagWid
2023-11-01 - 2023-11-10 | Online
This is a fundraising auction to support the continued work that I (Lynn Gehl) is doing regarding Indigenous Women and Girls with Disabilities. Follow #IWagWid for more information.

LGBTQ+ Experiences: Atmospheres of Violence and Miss Major Speaks
2023-11-01 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Toronto) | Octopus Books, 116 Third Ave, Ottawa, Canada
Join Eric A. Stanley & Toshio Meronek in conversation as they present their books on Trans and Queer experiences in America.
Wednesday, November 1, 7:00 PM
Octopus Books, 116 Third Ave., Ottawa
Advances in LGBTQ rights in the recent past—marriage equality, the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and the expansion of hate crimes legislation—have been accompanied by a rise in attacks against trans, queer and/or gender-nonconforming people of color. In Atmospheres of Violence, theorist and organizer Eric A. Stanley shows how this seeming contradiction reveals the central role of racialized and gendered violence in the US. Rather than suggesting that such violence is evidence of individual phobias, Stanley shows how it is a structuring antagonism in our social world. Drawing on an archive of suicide notes, AIDS activist histories, surveillance tapes, and prison interviews, they offer a theory of anti-trans/queer violence in which inclusion and recognition are forms of harm rather than remedies to it. In calling for trans/queer organizing and worldmaking beyond these forms, Stanley points to abolitionist ways of life that might offer livable futures.
“Atmospheres of Violence offers a generous and generative reminder that queer and trans lives have always been bigger and more brilliant than the deadly state that tries to frighten and cajole us. Out of a devastating archive, Eric A. Stanley’s queer and trans stories rise beyond assimilation, honoring our gorgeous survival and refusals as resistance.” — Tourmaline, artist, activist, and writer
Miss Major Griffin-Gracy is a veteran of the infamous Stonewall Riots, a former sex worker, and a transgender elder and activist who has survived Bellevue psychiatric hospital, Attica Prison, the HIV/AIDS crisis and a world that white supremacy has built. Miss Major Speaks by Toshio Meronek is both a document of her brilliant life–told with intimacy, warmth and an undeniable levity-and a roadmap for the challenges black, brown, queer and trans youth will face on the path to liberation today. Her incredible story of a life lived and a world survived becomes a conduit for larger questions about the riddle of collective liberation. For a younger generation, she warns about the traps of ‘representation,’ the politics of ‘self-care,’ and the frequent dead-ends of non-profit organizing; for all of us, she is a strike against those who would erase these histories of struggle. Miss Major offers something that cannot be found elsewhere: an affirmation that our vision for freedom can and must be more expansive than those on offer by mainstream institutions.
“The extraordinary insights in this book, always punctuated by Miss Major’s razor-sharp wit, allow us to understand how liberation movements for trans, queer and other routinely marginalized people can hold the most emancipatory potential for all.” — Angela Davis, author of Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
Eric A. Stanley is Associate Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and coeditor of Trap Door: Trans Cultural Production and the Politics of Visibility and Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex.
Toshio Meronek writes for publications including Al Jazeera, The Nation, and Truthout, focusing on housing and queer politics.

Logan Staats & Trevor Alguire Concert Fundraiser to Stop Ford's Prison
2023-11-03 19:30 - 22:00 | Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, 290 Lisgar Street, Ottawa
JOINING FORCES: A Fundraising Concert to Stop Ford’s Kemptville Prison. Join us for an incredible evening of music on Fri, Nov 3, 2023.
Taking place at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre (CDCC), and inside the historic and beautiful Sanctuary concert space, audience members are in for a rare musical concert experience with an intimate performance by headliner Logan Staats, the multi-award-winning Mohawk singer-songwriter and Indigenous rights advocate you’ll recognize as a past winner of CTV’s The Launch. Armed with his guitar and harmonica, Staats’ haunting voice is sure to inspire. while Trevor Alguire, a local favourite, reminds us with his special blend of country-rock why the quality of life in rural Ontario is worth fighting for. We’re in good hands with host Adrian Harewood; who is an MC par excellence. Bringing together entertainment and social issues comes naturally to this award-winning former CBC Ottawa news anchor and professor at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication.
Presented by the Coalition Against the Proposed Prison (CAPP), the concert will be a fundraiser with all proceeds going to support the legal challenge waged by Kemptville residents against the Ford government’s plan to build a 235-bed prison on farmland in Kemptville, dramatically expanding the number of prison cells on unceded and unsurrendered Algonquin Anishinaabe Territory in the Ottawa region.
Doors open at 6:30 with a cash bar available.
The concert entrance for the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre is located at 290 Lisgar Street, Ottawa, ON.
Please spread the word, invite your friends and family, and join forces with us in sharing our message to stop Ford’s Kemptville prison, save farmland, and build communities, not cages.
Additional Information About the Cause
The Legal Challenge
In August 2022, two Kemptville residents, Victor Lachance and Kirk Albert, started a David vs. Goliath-style court battle with the Ford government in what is known as a Judicial Review, arguing that the Ford government had violated their own planning rules in ramming the project through without consultation with our community or municipal council. The Judicial Review is challenging the legality of the government’s decision and is seeking a Prohibition Order that will stop the construction of the proposed prison. Earlier this spring, we were successful in fighting off an attempt by the government to have the application dismissed. The Judicial Review is expected to be heard in 2024.
A key supporter and player in pushing the prison plan through was area MPP and former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark, who has since been forced to resign for his violations of the Members’ Integrity Act in relation to a similar process of removal of Greenbelt lands for development.
CAPP
CAPP has been fighting the Ontario government’s plan since it was publicly announced in August 2020. The Ford government’s scheme to pave over farmland and lock up more people (especially poor, Black, Indigenous, and other racialized persons, community members experiencing poverty/mental health/drug use issues, and homelessness), and its flagrant and ongoing anti-democratic actions have all driven our cause. We believe the hundreds of millions of dollars, currently earmarked for the project, are better invested in supports and services that actually enhance community health, well-being, and safety.

Power Up For Climate Solutions! Day of Action - Ottawa
2023-11-04 13:00 | Parliament Hill, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A9, Canada
Together, we’ll take action in Ottawa to show that a global renewable energy revolution is within our reach. Workers and communities all over Canada are planning local events for the Power Up global day of action. Join us on November 4th.

Know Your Rights Workshop
2023-11-07 19:00 - 20:30
Attending a protest, making a social media post or fighting racism in the workplace – what are your protections in the workplace? Come and learn about your legal rights in the workplace in our online webinar Tuesday November 7th,
7-8:30pm with lawyer Simcha Walfish.
We’ll be discussing:
– Workers’ rights and risks at protests.
– The difference in rights for unionized, non-unionized, and migrant workers
– Guidance for workers experiencing consequences for making pro-Palestinian social media posts.
– Advice for workers facing discrimination regarding their pro-Palestinian stances or Palestinian or Muslim identities.
– Where workers can find support in Ottawa.
Share with your friends, colleagues and family to learn more about your protections and rights as a worker!

Biodiversity Erosion: Understanding and Acting - Collage
2023-11-09 17:30 - 21:00 | Jack Purcell Community Centre, 320 Jack Purcell Lane, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P1M4, Canada
Registration required.
Discover the systemic aspect of biodiversity erosion through a fun, collaborative workshop: what it is, what it enables and what degrades biodiversity.
During the 3-hour workshop, in teams of 5-7, you will :
– recreate an ecosystem and discover the impact of disturbance on it,
– find the links between the different concepts to understand what Biodiversity is, what it brings and what degrades it,
– decorate and title your workshop, and
– think collectively about the actions we could take to preserve it.
The Biodiversity Collage is inspired by the Climate Fresk. Its content is largely based on reports and data from the IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), known as the IPCC of biodiversity.
To contact us: david@atelierbiodiversitequebec.org
Workshop authors: Géraldine Vuillier, Geoffrey Vuillier, Charles Sirot and Deloitte. The principle and content of this workshop are protected under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND (Attribution, no commercial use, no modification). It is therefore possible to use this tool freely for any event that is free, open to the public and during which the facilitators are volunteers.

Bread and Puppets are coming to town!///Bread and Puppets arrievent en ville!
2023-11-12 17:00 - 20:00
Bread and Puppet theatre group have chosen Wakefield Quebec as the location for the last performance of the 2023 tour! Mark your calendars for Sunday, November 12 at 5 PM
Tickets are on sale through their website. https://breadandpuppet.org/product/11-12-23-iew-wakefield
They need to fill the venue, so please share the news with friends, neighbors, local theatre groups, puppet aficionados, and fun loving folks! Since this will be their first time visiting Wakefield, Bread and Puppet will be looking for help during their stay – namely, for food for lunch and dinner and lodging for overnight. Want to contribute to a potluck and have a meal with them? Know a restaurant that might like to donate a dish or two? Have a great place to host their end of tour celebratory dinner, and/ or host some or all of them overnight? Get in touch here or PM me!
La troupe de théâtre Bread and Puppet a choisi Wakefield Québec comme lieu de sa dernière représentation de la tournée 2023. Notez à vos agendas le dimanche 12 novembre à 17h00. Les billets seront bientôt en vente sur leur site Internet. Ils doivent remplir la salle, alors partagez la nouvelle avec vos ami.e.s, vos voisin.e.s, les troupes de théâtre locales, les amateur.e.s de marionnettes et les gens qui aiment s’amuser ! Comme ce sera leur première visite à Wakefield, Bread and Puppet cherchera de l’aide pendant leur séjour, notamment de la nourriture pour le lunch et le souper et un hébergement pour la nuit. Envie de contribuer à un potluck et de prendre un repas avec eux ? Connaissez-vous un restaurant qui aimerait faire don d’un plat ou deux ? Vous avez un endroit idéal pour organiser leur dîner de célébration de fin de tournée et/ou en accueillir certains ou tous pour la nuit ? Contactez-moi ici ou par MP !

Caroline Shenaz Hossein: Voices from the Black Social Economy
2023-11-16 13:00 - 15:30 | Social Innovation Atelier, 95 Clegg St, Ottawa
The School of Social Innovation and the Research Centre on Social Innovation and Transformation are thrilled to welcome Professor Caroline Shenaz Hossein to Saint Paul University on November 16th. Her talk, The Banker Ladies: Voices from the Black Political Economy, will highlight her recent work documenting savings groups and credit associations created by racialized women as a response to decades of financial racism at the hands of conventional financial institutions.
Many of the dominant discourses and practices of social innovation and social economy lack a strong critical analysis to attend to questions of power and structural change. One manifestation of this is the erasure of Black and racialized leaders within historical and contemporary social innovation spaces. Black and racialized Canadians have played a pivotal role in social and solidarity economies in Canada, yet these spaces continue to be seen and understood as primarily White spaces and activities (Hossein 2019). Professor Caroline Shenaz Hossein is one of the leading scholars challenging this erasure (Hossein 2019, 2022), and her theoretical and practical work has been instrumental in building a greater recognition of the contributions of Black and racialized social entrepreneurs and social innovators. Hossein calls on social innovation researchers and practitioners to challenge the “White gaze” in social economy literature, to explicitly centre the scholarships and lived experiences of Black and racialized perspectives.
Free but please register as space is limited.
Accessibility:
The Atelier has a barrier-free entry and an accessible, gender-neutral washroom.
Please refrain from wearing any scented products.
We encourage you to wear a mask, and will have masks available on site.
Caroline Shenaz Hossein
Dr. Caroline Shenaz Hossein is a Canada Research Chair for Africana Development & Feminist Political Economy (tier 2). She is Associate Professor of Global Development as well as cross-appointed to the graduate programme of Political Science at the University of Toronto where she teaches the core development course to PhD students. She is Founder of Diverse Solidarity Economies (DISE) Collective and she holds an Ontario Early Researcher Award (2018-2025) and was previously funded by SSHRC (2017-2020). Hossein serves as board member to the International Association of Feminist Economics, advisor to Oxford University Press, editorial board member to the U.N. Task Force for the Social and Solidarity Economy, Review for Black Political Economy and Kerala University’s Journal ‘Polity & Society’. Hossein is the author of ‘Politicized Microfinance’ (2016), co-author of ‘Critical Introduction to Business and Society’ (2017); editor of ‘The Black Social Economy’ (2018), co-editor of ‘Community Economies in the Global South’ (2022) and ‘Beyond Racial Capitalism: Cooperatives in the African Diaspora’ (2023). Her forthcoming books are ‘The Banker Ladies’ with University of Toronto Press and ‘Co-operativism’ with Cambridge University Press. Prior to becoming an academic, she worked for 9 years in global non-profits and 8 years in consulting to the World Bank, UNDP, USAID, IRC, CIDA, IADB, and the Aga Khan Foundation. You can follow her on Twitter @carolinehossein
For more information about The Banker Ladies:

The Banker Ladies (2021), documentary film, directed by Esery Mondesir. https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/the-banker-ladies/
Banker Ladies and the social economy, podcast with Frontiers of Commonin by David Bollier: https://david-bollier.simplecast.com/episodes/caroline-shenaz-hossein-on-black-banker-ladies-and-the-social-economy

L’heure du conte drag // Drag Story Time avec Jax le Pirate
2023-11-18 10:00 - 12:00 | Social Innovation Atelier, 95 Clegg St, Ottawa
Come and hear children’s tales and stories with Jax the Pirate! There will be story readings, music and lots of fun 🌈⚓ This activity is for children and their parents and will take place in French and English.
Topic of the activity: Pirates!
Accessibility Details:
– Para Transpo drops off at the main entrance
– Close to OC Transpo bus stops.
– Gender-neutral/wheelchair-accessible washroom
– A changing table in one of the washrooms
– Scent-free space
If you have specific access needs beyond what is listed above, please let us know and we will work together to meet them.
About the Atelier: The Atelier is a not-for-profit, member-based organization. We are an inclusive bilingual space (physical and virtual) for collaboration, training, knowledge-sharing, and support for social innovations. Our organization fights against social inequalities and different forms of oppression. Our members are stakeholders in the field of social innovation: students, researchers, practitioners, entrepreneurs and local communities.
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Venez entendre des contes et des histoires pour enfants en compagnie de Jax le pirate! Il y aura des lectures de contes, de la musique et beaucoup de plaisir 🌈⚓ Cette activité est pour les enfants et leurs parents et se déroulera en français et en anglais.
Thématique de l’activité: Les pirates!
Détails à propos de l’accessibilité:
– Para Transpo dépose les passagers.ères à l’entrée principale
– Près des arrêts d’autobus d’OC Transpo
– Toilettes non genrées et accessible aux fauteuils roulants
– Table à langer dans une des toilettes
– Espace sans odeur
Si vous avez des besoins d’accès spécifiques autres que ceux énumérés ci-dessus, veuillez nous en faire part et nous essayerons de trouver une solution afin de les satisfaire.
À propos de l’Atelier: L’Atelier est un OBNL et espace bilingue inclusif (physique et virtuel) de collaboration, de formation, de partage de savoirs et de soutien aux innovations sociales. Notre organisme lutte contre les inégalités sociales et les différentes formes d’oppression. Organisme orienté vers les membres, ces derniers.ères sont des acteurs et actrices du milieu de l’innovation sociale: étudiant.e.s, chercheurs.euses, praticiens.nes, entrepreneur.e.s et communautés locales.

Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil
2023-11-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Human Rights Monument, 220 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Mobilizing Disability Justice - Accessibility in Event Planning
2023-11-23 17:30 - 19:00 | Social Innovation Atelier, 95 Clegg St, Ottawa
The School of Social Innovation and the Atelier are pleased to invite you to attend a panel discussion and workshop on creating accessible events, led by the disability justice principles of collective access, interdependence, and solidarity.
Join Camille Bérubé and Cameron Jette, local disability justice advocates in a conversation on accessibility. They will share their experience and knowledge, and give insights into the creation of accessible event spaces. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in a workshop to learn how to apply disability justice principles to their own events and meetings.
The organizers acknowledge the work of Sins Invalid in the creation of the disability justice framework and all the other grassroots groups and activists who have continued to nurture its development.
Accessibility considerations for this event include:
– Wheelchair accessible venue
– Gender neutral washrooms
– Quiet space
– ASL interpretation available
– In person, virtual, and asynchronous participation
– Close to OC Transpo bus stops and accessible by Para Transpo
– Masks required for in person
Use the registration form to let us know if you have other access needs and we will work collaboratively to try and meet them: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfARRLcT_eeyj5_aWy0-poQe6EByFgFYiSZn_sgih4qx6WJ8w/viewform?usp=sf_link
About the speakers:
Cameron Jette
Cameron Jette (he/they) is a trans, neurodivergent and disabled drag performer, multidisciplinary artist, small business owner and community event planner. With his Bachelors of Arts in Human Rights and Social Justice from Carleton University, and nearly a decade of experience with various non-profits across so-called Ottawa, Cameron is passionate about community engagement, program development and facilitation, and community-focused event planning.
In October 2022, as his drag alter-ego Boy Vey, Cameron founded the Disability Drag Collective, a global collective of disabled drag performers looking to create meaningful change in our communities. He has also recently began planning diverse community-focused events as Wheelie Productions, where he focuses on creating spaces that prioritize accessibility, and disability justice.
When he is not working full-time as the Community Engagment Worker at Carlington Community Health Centre, or balancing his many side projects, he is also currently working towards completing his diploma in Event Planning from Centennial College, where he hopes to graduate this upcoming summer!
Camille Bérubé
Camille (she/her) Bérubé is a queer disability activist and a retired three-time Paralympian in the sport of swimming. She graduated from the University of Ottawa in Organizational Communication with a minor in Gender and Feminist Studies. She holds more than a decade of experience in athlete advocacy in the sport sector. Her other areas of expertise include, but are not limited to, organizational culture, disability representation as well as gender, disability and sexuality. Camille now works as an Advisor for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility at Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation where she uses her skill set as a catalyst for change in the museum sector. The 28-year old believes in the importance of being intentionally intersectional in any approach to social justice and equity. Accessibility and anti-ableism cannot be talked about separately from other systems of oppression and must be implemented in a transversal way at all times in order to reach true belonging and inclusion of disabled folks in every part of our social fabric.

National March on Ottawa to Free Palestine!
2023-11-25 13:00 - 17:00 | Parliament Hill, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A9, Canada
NATIONAL MARCH ON OTTAWA TO FREE PALESTINE!
On November 25th at 1pm, the Palestinian Youth Movement, the Association of Palestinian Arab Canadians, Labour for Palestine, and the International League of Peoples’ Struggle in Canada will march on Parliament Hill, Ottawa to demand an end to Canadian complicity in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people and the colonization of Palestine. Over 1 month into the genocide, with over 11,000 Palestinians killed by Israel, the Canadian government not only refuses to call for a ceasefire, but continues to sell weapons that enable Israel’s massacres.
We are marching for an end to this genocide by demanding:
An immediate ceasefire
An end to Canada’s complicity in Israel’s war crimes, genocide, and colonization of Palestinian lands
Lifting the siege on Gaza
Join us on November 25th for what is sure to be a historic march, at a critical time for our movement for liberation. We call on Palestinians, Arabs, and people of conscience from all across Canada to make plans to travel to Ottawa on this day. When we show out in numbers and raise our voices together, a people’s chorus becomes impossible for the Canadian government to ignore.
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RSVP: https://forms.gle/jjxYq5P22NuqrV4o9
Organizational endorsements: https://forms.gle/HqcryqW47JCawqNE7
Fundraiser: https://goodbricks.org/…/palestin…/ottawa-national-march
More information on transportation soon!
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MANIF NATIONALE À OTTAWA POUR LIBÉRER LA PALESTINE !
Le 25 novembre à 13h, le Palestinian Youth Movement, l’Association des Canadiens arabes palestiniens, Labour for Palestine et la Ligue internationale de lutte des peuples au Canada marcheront sur la Colline du Parlement, à Ottawa, pour exiger la fin de la complicité canadienne dans le génocide du peuple palestinien et la colonisation de la Palestine. Plus d’un mois après le début du génocide, avec plus de 11 000 Palestiniens tués par Israël, le gouvernement canadien non seulement refuse d’appeler à un cessez-le-feu, mais continue de vendre des armes qui permettent les massacres d’Israël.
Nous marchons pour mettre fin à ce génocide en exigeant :
Un cessez-le-feu immédiat
Une fin de la complicité du Canada dans les crimes de guerre, le génocide et la colonisation des terres palestiniennes par Israël
Une fin au siège de Gaza
Rejoignez-nous le 25 novembre pour une marche historique, à un moment critique dans notre mouvement de libération. Nous appelons les Palestiniens, les Arabes et les personnes de conscience de tout le Canada à prévoir de se rendre à Ottawa ce jour-là. Lorsque nous nous montrons nombreux et que nous élevons nos voix ensemble, il devient impossible pour le gouvernement canadien d’ignorer le chœur du peuple.

Ottawa Riverkeeper 2023 Annual Public Meeting
2023-11-28 18:00 - 20:00 | NCC River House, 501 Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Free, but registration requested.

Join us in person at River House for the 2023 Annual Public Meeting on November 28th! Learn more about the work this community has made possible this year. You’ll have a chance to ask your questions about our programs and the river, get a sneak peek of what comes next, and mingle with your fellow river lovers.
We’re excited to host this year’s Annual Public Meeting at our new home at the NCC River House, located at 501 Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway. The event is free to attend and open to all. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the event ends at 8:00 p.m. Food and drinks will be provided!
Thanks to Dentons for making this year’s APM possible. Tickets to the event are free, but we invite you to add a donation to support our work as part of your registration.
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Rejoignez-nous en personne à la Maison riveraine pour l’Assemblée publique annuelle 2023 le 28 novembre! Apprenez-en davantage sur le travail que cette collectivité a rendu possible cette année. Vous aurez l’occasion de poser vos questions au sujet de nos programmes et de la rivière, d’avoir un aperçu de ce qui s’en vient et d’échanger avec vos amis de la rivière.
Nous sommes ravis d’organiser l’Assemblée publique annuelle de cette année dans nos nouveaux locaux, la Maison riveraine de la CCN, située au 501, promenade Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier. L’événement est gratuit et ouvert à tous. Les portes ouvrent à 18 h et l’événement se termine à 20 h. La nourriture et les boissons seront offertes!
Merci à Dentons d’avoir rendu possible l’Assemblée de cette année. Les billets pour l’événement sont gratuits, mais nous vous invitons à ajouter un don pour soutenir notre travail dans le cadre de votre inscription.

Teach-in: Palestine 101 & How Workers Can Take Action
2023-11-29 19:00 | Online
Join Labour for Palestine for an online teach-in about Palestine, how we got to the current crisis, and what we as workers and unionists can do to support the struggle for Palestine liberation.
The teach-in will build participants’ confidence to talk about why Palestine is a workers’ issue, and will equip them with tools to take action on Palestine in their union.
Register here.

Lecture: Bed-Frame: Healing, Self-Invention, and the Other AIDS
2023-11-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Digital Arts Resource Centre, 67 Nicholas St.
In this keynote lecture, Visual AIDS Research Fellow Adam Ash Barbu introduces DARC’s programming for World AIDS Day and Day With(out) Art. Highlighting their current research on the work of artist and activist Hunter Reynolds (1959-2022), Barbu weaves connections between histories of AIDS cultural production. In dialogue with Reynolds’ practice, Barbu frames the bed as a surface for healing, self-invention, and community formation in the times of AIDS.
The lecture will be followed by a premiere screening of five videos commissioned by Visual
AIDS for Day With(out) Art 2023: Everyone I Know Is Sick. This event is FREE to attend. Registration is not required.

World Aids Day | Day With(out) Art Screening
2023-11-30 10:00 - 2023-12-01 18:00 | Digital Arts Resource Centre, 67 Nicholas St.
Digital Arts Resource Centre and Qu’Art are proud to partner with Visual AIDS for Day With(out) Art 2023 by presenting Everyone I Know Is Sick, a program of five videos generating connections between HIV and other forms of illness and disability.
The program features newly commissioned work by Dorothy Cheung (Hong Kong), Hiura Fernandes & Lili Nascimento (Brazil), Beau Gomez (Canada/Philippines), Dolissa Medina & Ananias P. Soria (USA), and Kurt Weston (USA).
Inspired by a statement from Cyrée Jarelle Johnson in the book Black Futures, Everyone I Know Is Sick examines how our society excludes disabled and sick people by upholding a false dichotomy of health and sickness. Inviting us to understand disability as a common experience rather than an exception to the norm, the program highlights a range of experiences spanning HIV, COVID, mental health, and aging. The commissioned artists foreground the knowledge and expertise of disabled and sick people in a world still grappling with multiple ongoing pandemics.

WEN Presents: 34th Annual December 6th Vigil
2023-12-06 18:00 | Minto Park, 315 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
On 6th December 1989, 14 young students at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal were murdered. They were murdered because they were women.

Each year, we gather to hold a vigil commemorating the victims of the Montreal Massacre, as well as each life taken by violence against women and gender-based violence in our community since the previous year.

The Women’s Event Network of Ottawa seeks to raise awareness of the phenomenon of gender-based violence in our society. This is an opportunity to acknowledge the courage and strength of survivors, and to reflect on how we can eliminate violence against women and gender-based violence in all forms.

Outdoor Vigil: Minto Park (Elgin & Gilmour) on Wednesday, December 6th 2023 6PM

Solidarity Dance Party Fundraiser for OCTEVAW
2023-12-08 19:00 | Social Innovation Atelier, 95 Clegg St, Ottawa
“If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.”
Join us for a feminist dance party Friday, December 8th during the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence! While this is a time to mobilize and take action, it is also a time to connect with our feminist comrades and celebrate our collective efforts. Burn up the dancefloor with DJ Avenue and DJ del Pilar as we celebrate and honour the often unacknowledged and unpaid work of the activists who keep our movements thriving!
All ticket sales will support the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW)!
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7:00 pm-8:00 pm – Come mingle and meet other feminist organizers, workers, advocates, and rabble-rousers. Bring some swag or materials from your organization to share.
8:00 pm-12:00 am – Dance party!
Tickets are $12.00 per person https://bit.ly/3QFgmPc
If ticket prices are a barrier, please email us at feministsolidaritynetwork@gmail.com and we will put a ticket aside for you at the door.
About the DJs
DJ Avenue loves making waves with her eclectic mix of 90s and 00s throwbacks, soca, afrobeats, reggaeton, and the hottest top 40 tracks. With her infectious energy, DJ Avenue captivates audiences, creating an inclusive and vibrant atmosphere where everyone can come together and express themselves. She fearlessly breaks boundaries, champions diversity, and uses her platform to advocate for justice. Prepare for an unforgettable journey as DJ Avenue takes you on a transcendent, sonic adventure through genres.
DJ del Pilar is a Queer Afro-Latine DJ and vocalist. A longtime performer and event producer, DJ del Pilar brings the beats to stages big and small, and in the past few years has graced the decks at the NAC, House of Paint, Bluesfest, and opening for Mixmaster Mike. DJ del Pilar is also the co-founder of Ottawa’s longest-running and coziest queer dance party, Homo Phono! Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, she has been heavily influenced by old-school hip hop, funk, disco, and house music, putting a fresh spin on dance floor classics.
About the Venue
L’Atelier is an accessible community social justice hub space located at 95 Clegg Street. It is an inclusive safe space. Our work takes place on the traditional, unceded, and unsurrendered territories of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg people.
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“Si je ne peux pas danser, je ne veux pas faire partie de votre révolution.”
Rejoignez-nous pour une soirée dansante féministe le vendredi 8 décembre pendant les 16 jours d’activisme contre la violence basée sur le genre. Il s’agit d’une période de mobilisation et d’action, mais également d’un moment de connexion avec nos camarades féministes et une occasion de célébrer nos efforts collectifs. Enflammez la piste de danse avec DJ Avenue et DJ del Pilar pour célébrer et honorer le travail souvent non reconnu et non rémunéré des activistes qui assurent l’épanouissement de nos mouvements!
Toutes les ventes de billets appuieront la Coalition d’Ottawa pour l’élimination de la violence faite aux femmes (COCVFF)!
19 h – 20 h – Venez rencontrer d’autres organisatrices, travailleuses, militantes et militantes féministes. Apportez du matériel de votre organisme à partager.
20 h 00-12 h 00 – Soirée dansante!
Le prix des billets est de 12$ par personne https://bit.ly/3QFgmPc Si le prix des billets est un obstacle, envoyez-nous un courriel à feministsolidaritynetwork@gmail.com et nous mettrons un billet de côté pour vous à la porte.
À propos des DJ
DJ Avenue adore faire des vagues avec son mélange éclectique des années 90 et 00, de soca, d’afrobeats, de reggaeton et des meilleurs titres du top 40. Avec son énergie contagieuse, DJ Avenue captive le public en créant une atmosphère inclusive et vibrante où tout le monde peut se rassembler et s’exprimer. Avec son assurance assumée, elle brise les frontières, défend la diversité et utilise sa plateforme pour militer en faveur de la justice. Préparez-vous à un voyage inoubliable: DJ Avenue vous emmène dans une aventure sonore transcendante à travers les genres.
DJ del Pilar est une DJ et chanteuse afro-latine queer. Interprète de longue date et productrice d’événements, DJ del Pilar fait vibrer autant les espaces intimistes, que les grandes scènes. Au cours des dernières années, iel s’est produite au CNA, au House of Paint, au Bluesfest, et a fait la première partie de Mixmaster Mike. DJ del Pilar est également le cofondateur de la soirée de danse queer d’Ottawa la plus chaleureuse et la plus ancienne, Homo Phono! Ayant grandi dans les années 80 et 90, elle a été fortement influencée par le hip-hop, le funk, le disco et la musique house de la vieille école, ce qui elle permet de donner une nouvelle twist aux classiques des dance floor.
À propos du lieu
L’Atelier est un espace communautaire de justice sociale accessible situé au 95 Clegg Street. C’est un espace sûr et inclusif. Notre travail se fait sur les territoires traditionnels, non-cédés et non-abandonnés du peuple Algonquin Anishnaabeg.

L'heure du conte drag // Drag Story Time avec Cyril Cinder
2023-12-09 10:00 - 12:00 | Social Innovation Atelier, 95 Clegg St, Ottawa
*English below*

Samedi le 9 décembre à 10h00 à l’Atelier d’innovation sociale
Venez entendre des contes et des histoires pour enfants en compagnie de Cyril Cinder! Il y aura des lectures de contes, de la musique et beaucoup de plaisir Cette activité est pour les enfants et leurs parents et se déroulera en français et en anglais.

Détails à propos de l’accessibilité:

Para Transpo dépose les passagers.ères à l’entrée principale
Près des arrêts d’autobus d’OC Transpo
Toilettes non genrées et accessible aux fauteuils roulants
Table à langer dans une des toilettes
Espace sans odeur

Si vous avez des besoins d’accès spécifiques autres que ceux énumérés ci-dessus, veuillez nous en faire part et nous essayerons de trouver une solution afin de les satisfaire.

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Saturday, December 9th at 10AM at the Atelier
Come and hear children’s tales and stories with Cyril Cinder! There will be story readings, music and lots of fun This activity is for children and their parents and will take place in French and English.

Accessibility Details:

Para Transpo drops off at the main entrance
Close to OC Transpo bus stops.
Gender-neutral/wheelchair-accessible washroom
A changing table in one of the washrooms
Scent-free space

If you have specific access needs beyond what is listed above, please let us know and we will work together to meet them.

All out for Gaza
2023-12-09 14:00 - 16:00 | Human Rights Monument, 220 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Join us this Saturday December 9 at the Human Rights Monument to march together to demand a permanent ceasefire, an end to Canadian support of genocide, and an end to the siege on Gaza and Israeli occupation.
The Zionist regime continues to escalate its genocide against our people. We cannot give up! We must continue to show up for our people in Gaza!

Pique
2023-12-09 17:00 - 2023-12-10 02:00 | Club SAW, 67 Nicholas St, Ottawa, K1N 7B9
A building-wide party showcasing underground music and art from across Turtle Island.
December 9, 2023 marks the return of Pique winter edition, as it once again transforms the Arts Court into a vibrant hub for its renowned building-wide celebration, spotlighting underground and avant-garde music and art from across Turtle Island. Pique promises to be a destination for uncovering groundbreaking and future-oriented artists.
This edition of Pique will be an occasion for experimentation and celebration as always, but with an added emphasis on conscious socio-political engagement. With programming focused on dancefloor accessibility, imagining post-carceral futures, and facing the climate emergency, this edition of Pique asks audience members to not only envision a world that is more fair and inclusive, but also the journey towards it, from the demonstration to the dancefloor.
The all-ages event presents more than 20 artists across 10 stages and exhibition spaces, including groundbreaking audio/visual performances, interactive installations, media art presentations, and more. As always, tickets to Pique are financially accessible to all community members, at a sliding scale of $25-50 suggested, or pay-what-you-can by registration.

Send Holiday Cards for Moe Harkat’s Freedom: Stop His Deportation to Torture
2023-12-10 - 2023-12-21
This December, please send a season’s greetings card or letter to the new Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc to stop the persecution of Ottawa refugee Mohamed Harkat, now entering Year 22 of the struggle to end his deportation to torture and win his long-deserved permanent residence (samples below. No postage needed!). December holidays are rooted in freeing the captives, bringing good news to the poor and brokenhearted, and liberation of the oppressed. You can send the greetings postage-free, and it will have far more impact in the age of electronic communication.
Further details: https://www.change.org/p/help-stop-my-husband-s-deportation-to-torture/u/32147363

Write for Rights
2023-12-10 13:00 - 17:00 | 312 laurier Ave
Write a letter, change a life
Amnesty International’s Write for Rights campaign transforms the lives of people whose rights have been wronged.
Write for Rights supporters are united by their desire to make a difference. In recent years, we’ve seen real change to people’s lives because of your action. From Zimbabwe to Guatemala, activists have been released and justice delivered.
This year’s campaign features people from around the world, all connected because their human rights have been violated. Some by their governments, others by the police, or by big corporations. All because of who they are and what they do.
Together, we can fight for their rights.
Join Write for Rights today.

Emergency Protest Stop the Genocide: All Out for Gaza
2023-12-12 17:00 - 19:00 | Human Rights Monument, 220 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Join us Tuesday December 12 at 5:00pm at the Human Rights Monument for a *targeted* weekday march. Our government cannot continue business as usual while the Zionist regime massacres Palestinians every day!
Let us march together to demand an end of Canadian support for genocide and call for a permanent ceasefire, an end to the siege on Gaza, and an end to the occupation!

Ottawa ACORN's People Power Party
2023-12-15 18:30 - 20:30 | Knox Presbyterian Church Ottawa, 120 Lisgar, Ottawa, Canada
What a year it’s been for Ottawa ACORN! The organizing we’ve done this year has led to major victories standing up for low-income and working class people! Victories like:
Stopping a renoviction at Manor Village!
Passing a motion for a Tenant Defense Fund at city council!
Lowering the criminal rate of interest for predatory installment loans from 47% to 35%!
To celebrate, we’re throwing a People Power Party! On December 15th, you’re invited to celebrate YOUR accomplishments!
Join us Friday, December 15th at 6:30pm for a potluck, ACORN trivia, awards, prizes, and a whole lot more!
Call the ACORN office at (613) 746-5999 ext. 2 or stop by the office at 404 McArthur Ave to get your tickets today!
Tickets for members are $10 in advance or $15 at the door so we encourage people to get them beforehand to save their seat!

Ottawa for Gaza
2023-12-17 14:00 - 16:00 | Parliament Hill, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A9, Canada
OTTAWA – ALL OUT FOR GAZA: Join us this Sunday December 17th on Parliament Hill at 2pm to demand
1. An immediate ceasefire,
2. Lifting the siege on Gaza
3. An end to Canada’s funding of Israel’s war crimes, genocide, and colonization of Palestinian land.
Bring your family and friends and let’s show the world that we are not just people in solidarity with Palestine, we are a movement that will continue to rise until all our demands are met.

Call to Action in support of Palestine - Pressure MP Greg Fergus
2023-12-18 15:15 - 17:00 | Greg Fergus MP Office, 179 Prom. du Portage Suite 301, Gatineau
🚨CALL TO ACTION🍉

Folks in Hull – Aylmer and the outaouais hills are answering the Palestinian Youth Movement’s call for action on Dec 18 by pressuring our member of parliament.

Join us for a rally outside of Hull-Aylmer MP and Speaker of the House Greg Fergus’ office in Hull on Monday December 18th at 3:15PM. Bring noise makers, banners & signs!

Join this whatsapp group for more details. https://chat.whatsapp.com/ICns6xvU0nNJANM6sukFgx

Faith and Climate Action: Canada is Burning Talk
2023-12-19 16:30 - 17:45
Join Rev. Dr. Jessica Hetherington, United Church minister and ecotheologian, and Laura Sullivan, spokesperson for Last Generation Canada, for a talk entitled “Canada is Burning” on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, from 4:30 pm to 5:45 pm on zoom. Please register here. A great opportunity to discuss faith-based nonviolent direct action in response to the climate emergency and Last Generation Canada‘s next wave of action in early 2024.

Queer Death Salon – Grieving Genocide
2023-12-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Online
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 virtual 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.
In December, our discussion topic is once again Grieving Genocide.
There are currently multiple active and ongoing genocides happining around the world, and many of us have been awoken to that reality by the heart-wrenching first-hand accounts being shared by Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, under ongoing “Israeli” occupation.
This session is for 2SLGBTQIA+ people who are impacted by all forms of grief for these mass deaths.
Some questions to consider:
How easy or difficult is it for me to connect to my grief?
How are the people around me showing up to this moment?
How is my grief (in)validated by the media and my communities?
What avenues are available for me to express my grief?
How am I supported in my grief?
Do I have strategies for catalizing grief into action?
Participants are invited to bring related questions and stories of their own.

Weekly Climate Prayer Vigil on Parliament Hill
2023-12-21 12:00 - 12:30 | Parliament Hill, Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A9, Canada
Join people from diverse faiths for a weekly climate prayer vigil on Parliament Hill at the Centennial Flame. Thursdays noon-1 pm. We will be praying for the Canadian federal government to stop all subsidies and other financial support for the fossil fuel industry. An initiative started by Reverend Jessica Hetherington.
