Poverty Awareness in York Region

Sign at "Occupy Newmarket"

                            
 Please view PACC Channel's 60 second video above One Paycheck Away and vote for it in the Canadian Labour congress Contest via the link!

Hey, if you think about it, occupying a bus shelter or a 'wack" of them is not such a bad idea. I'm not sure it resonated with the Occupy Newmarket group at the recent 3rd official meeting which was held at Newmarket's Fairy Lake Park and then again unofficially at the C.U.P.E. offices the following Sunday for an event billed, "Why Occupy?", an event that's intent  I suppose, was to encourage people to join in answering that very question through a Q and A session. From my understanding - I don't know because I didn't attend - the Sunday unofficial meeting included a few people from "Occupy Toronto" who had come up to share visions I suppose, and help discuss a direction that this movement can all take together in one form or another. Even the "Occupy Aurora" group has joined the fray. Perhaps the world will unite on this, who Knows? At any rate, to my knowledge the bus shelter occupy idea has not been put forward for action (yet), but it was a heck of an idea (mine of course ha!) especially since they're not being used with this transit strike on.

Occupy Newmarket occupies a bus shelter Sat Dec 10 2011

  Like why not set up an occupy for example I thought, in the bus shelter in front of York Region head-quarters, as it would symbolically encompass many of the issues the occupy movements seem to be about such as youth who are losing out on getting to school or even to part time jobs for Christmas season, since they've now missed out on being able to obtain one now and even if they were lucky enough to have a job will likely be sacrificing half their night's wages in cab fares . It doesn't help that the town of Newmarket allowed for a fare hike for cabs last year (during a recession no less), which the lower income earners mostly use as is... and let's not even bother mentioning the countless people who have lost jobs, work, or even homes now because of this strike. Those trying to access the hospital or Doctors in non- emergency visits or for loved ones have also been affected and left to fend for themselves and, unfortunately, not everyone can afford $50 two way rides from taxis which is another outrage. But hell, with the price of parking there, I don't know which is worse. The growing gap between rich and poor would also be part of the symbolic mix, and as well the lower wage and middle class workers who mostly use their transit service with many now feeling the crunch like never before. The lack of action shows blatant disregard and discrimination against lower income earners if you ask me. The entire York Regional Council,  especially Chairman Bill Fisch is to blame, as the union offered to go back to work if they sent it to arbitration, yet still York Regional Council does nothing and refuses to use this, or any route towards ending it, before more people are devastated by it like the "kid" who came to my door for a box of food for his mom last night because they have no car and no food and she could not get to work on time consistently so lost her job. The kid works too - for a minimum wage seasonal contract job - to which I'm not sure how he's managing transportation but the look on his face as he had to "stoop" to asking for food for his mom was enough to remind me why I stay on this "mission", that seemingly has become an ingrained part of my life.

Occupy Investment in Kids not War at Occupy Newmarket Day 1

People were not allowed to have owner-ship in more than one corporation when they were first started in the 1700's

 There is no doubt we need to survive in this world and to do that people must be able to do business, whether through barter or funds or what have you, but the expectation now seems to be to have people carry a debt load.What ever happened to one income families being able to own a home or low income earners being able to live in a place that left them enough to afford a place to live, with enough left over to actually live!? My father came to this country as a skilled person, as he was trained in making dentures, and he wasn't allowed to do that here ( hey some things never change!) but he was still able to buy a home in time, from sweeping floors in a factory.

 Today you cannot even be sure of long term employment it seems since many and much have been replaced by contract work, part time and temp jobs which don't have to abide by the same rules as full-time workers and you are essentially left to your own devises between jobs and they do not have to give you full time hours. Gone are the days of knowing you'd be working one job for one company for a long time. 

 Recently a guy I was able to get a "job" for, someone down on their luck and on the verge of the streets, and I got him a position which lasted 8 months at which point my colleague's company lost the contract. That worker was then left on his own and didn't qualify for employment insurance..he subsequently hit rock bottom (again) before a few months later the contract was returned as the newer lower bidding company had failed to deliver...and back he went...but for how long this time? And how much can someone making $13 an hour save in case it happens again in this climate with inflation climbing at 3% yearly and wages essentially frozen but for incremental increases begrudgingly given by "our elected government"? Is this what we asked for or expect? Is this fair? I think this is what irks the base of the "Occupy Movements" too, because many, many people are just sick and tired of the status quo bullshit they / we're fed...I mean it's become "the norm" to know certain "promises" will be broken once elected - it's accepted as "normal"? Well I don't find it "normal", as well as the more and more I hear about how things are run and how they're all about image and photo-op / branding with messages that are more like an ad campaign of a corporation model, it really, really irks me.

 A Corporation is made up of a group of people lead by a board who have one common main goal which is to make as much profit as possible for its shareholders - by law!- over all other concerns - including environment or community  concerns.  In actuality, corporations are faceless, soulless entities that have the legal standing of a person. Not everyone is aware of that, but it's true ever since a group of smart lawyers had them declared so back in the 1800's. Why it's never been challenged is beyond me. Smart lawyers were also instrumental in using laws such as Bill c140 - enacted to protect blacks from being dispossessed of their land - for corporation use. The 1st year of this law, that was tabled to help blacks, out of 287 claims only 17 were from Blacks, the rest by corporations! Somehow these corporations that were first started as a gift for the people to assist in times of war for bridges, and ship building, & that no one was allowed to have ownership in another corporation of have somehow morphed into what we have today.

 So no, a corporation is not a fun clown like Mcdonald's image or an nice old man like Wendy's or a Rice Crispy "Snack Crackle Pop" guy...No, that's all for convincing you to trust their product...so it's whole premise is based on selling you on a false image. Where did everything get so twisted?

 We need to back away from a corporate government model that I know. Instead of more private partnerships we need less...I want to be living in the Town of Newmarket again - not the Corporation of the Town of Newmarket...Foodbanks get 80% of their donations from corporations who are embraced by people like our minister in charge of the Ontario poverty reduction efforts, who had a photo op with the president of Cambpell's Soups last summer, as they celebrated a 'donation" to the hunger fight' - via soup sales that gave a kick back of cans of soup to food banks in return and makes the corporation look wonderful in doing so, and I guess the minster too..or so she thought, as they seemed to have back-tracked from that a bit..likely a recent Harvard Study which showed those eating canned soup vs fresh had 1,121 times more levels of harmful diabetes and heart disease causing Bisphenol A. Try more money people, it works much better.
Food for thought!

more "Occupy" messages

Strike won't affect this stop much running until only 7:30 pm ..good luck enjoying the new downtown evening riders!

Later, Tom