We were already in a housing crisis when COVID exposed and increased the vulnerability of those without access to affordable housing, the dangers of under-housing, and the cruelty of homelessness. Disgracefully, it is people on the margins and intersections of society who are most negatively affected, including racially marginalized and Indigenous residents, newcomers, and women.
Ontarians are united in our anxiety about the return to school in a year like no other. Despite hopes for a safe September, many parents and education workers expect a second COVID-19 wave this fall, particularly because provincial plans for return to school are so haphazard and inadequate.
Toronto was shocked by a racist hate crime at a construction site at Michael Garron Hospital on June 10th. Two nooses were hung at the workplace, as a sick reminder of the lynching of thousands of Black men in the United States.
Nobody was surprised that Doug Ford and his MPPs promoted an aggressive pro-business agenda after they were elected in June 2018. We knew the Conservatives – and Ford and his allies on Toronto City Council – had a bad track record.
The world was shocked and outraged to see the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman carried out while onlookers pleaded for his life. The words “I can’t breathe” – which marked the dying breaths of Eric Garner in New York in 2014 – were repeated by George Floyd as the policeman’s knee crushed his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
Canadians and citizens around the world have taken to the streets to demand anti-Black racism be addressed after the brutal murder of George Floyd, and the deaths of far too many others.
The health and economic impacts of COVID-19 have been overwhelming. Governments across the world have
Cargill. JBS. Chartwell. Southbridge. Foodora. These are just some of the names that stand out in the profiles of corporate greed brought to stark relief by the impact of COVID19.
Uncertain times are never easy. Our history as a labour movement and as Canadians shows time and again how together we can meet adversity.
In the last few weeks, the Wet’suwet’en Nation and land defenders have forced Canadians to grapple with the legacy of injustice and discrimination that has been central to this country’s development.
