Weekly Strike for Climate Justice

This Friday, January 31st, Fridays for Future Toronto will be demanding our federal government to reject TECK during our weekly strike. If the government chooses to go forward, this tar sands project will prevent Canada from reaching its Climate Emissions reductions targets (which we are already not on track to meet), destroy the habitat, and infringe on the rights of indigenous communities.

“The Teck Frontier is the largest open-pit tar sands mine ever proposed. If built, the Mine would be on Dene & Cree territory in Treaty No. 8 in an area with little to no industrial development. These lands and waters are home to one of the last existing, free-roaming, disease-free herds of wood bison. This area is also directly along the migration route for the only wild population of the endangered whooping crane, in close proximity to many of our communities, and 30 km from the boundary of UNESCO World Heritage site Wood Buffalo National Park— an area valued and protected for its cultural and biodiversity.” – Indigenous Climate Action
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Join us at Queen’s Park (South) to demand climate action! Bring your signs, family, and friends!

What are our demands?
We demand the the inclusion of historically disenfranchised voices in this necessary transition, the implementation of strong environmental protection policy and the setting of bold emissions reduction targets so that Canada reaches net zero emissions by 2040. We also demand a rapid implementation of the UNDRIP principles and for the federal government to uphold its promises to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada.

If you would like to speak, marshal, or have accessibility needs. Please contact us at [email protected]

Accessibility: The nearest TTC station is Queen’s Park Station on Line 1

For all of the demands please check the link below:
https://fridaysforfutureto.wixsite.com/fridaysforfutureto/about

Reject TECK Rally

This Friday, January 31st, Fridays for Future Toronto will be demanding our federal government to reject TECK during our weekly strike. If the government chooses to go forward, this tar sands project will prevent Canada from reaching its Climate Emissions reductions targets (which we are already not on track to meet), destroy the habitat, and infringe on the rights of indigenous communities.

“The Teck Frontier is the largest open-pit tar sands mine ever proposed. If built, the Mine would be on Dene & Cree territory in Treaty No. 8 in an area with little to no industrial development. These lands and waters are home to one of the last existing, free-roaming, disease-free herds of wood bison. This area is also directly along the migration route for the only wild population of the endangered whooping crane, in close proximity to many of our communities, and 30 km from the boundary of UNESCO World Heritage site Wood Buffalo National Park— an area valued and protected for its cultural and biodiversity.” – Indigenous Climate Action
___

What are our demands?
We demand the the inclusion of historically disenfranchised voices in this necessary transition, the implementation of strong environmental protection policy and the setting of bold emissions reduction targets so that Canada reaches net zero emissions by 2040. We also demand a rapid implementation of the UNDRIP principles and for the federal government to uphold its promises to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada.

If you would like to speak, marshal, or have accessibility needs. Please contact us at [email protected]

Accessibility: The nearest TTC station is Queen’s Park Station on Line 1

For all of the demands please check the link below:
https://fridaysforfutureto.wixsite.com/fridaysforfutureto/about

Divestment and Beyond: Building a Movement

Join us in the Lau Auditorium, in the Myhal Centre of our St. George campus (55 St George St, Toronto) on February 5th from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. for the follow-up from our January 16th panel and discussion concerning divestment and a just climate transition at the University of Toronto! This time around, get ready to roll up your sleeves! We will be planning tactics and actions, building coalitions, developing specific emphases for our movement, and formulating concrete next steps.

All welcome. Bring friends. We need them.

Doors open, 6:00 p.m. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. sharp.

Hosted by: Leap Chapter UofT; Equity Studies Students’ Union; School of the Environment, University of Toronto; The List; OPIRG Toronto; FridaysforFuture Toronto/GTA; Climate Justice Toronto
Banner designed by: Mercer Pommer

Tar Sands Expansion: The Ticking Carbon Bomb

How do we halt fossil fuel projects and fight for Indigenous rights and a Just Transition?

Canada’s current and proposed fossil fuel projects will be catastrophic for Turtle Island and the global climate. They violate Indigenous rights and perpetuate ongoing colonial violence. They prevent the transition to a better, more equitable and caring world.

Learn, discuss and take action to stop the Teck Frontier mine (the largest ever tar sands project, if approved), the Coastal GasLink and Trans Mountain pipelines, the Vista Coal Project, and more. It is imperative that we speak out against these projects before they become a reality.

Date & Time: Monday, February 3, 7-9:30

Place: Friend’s House, 60 Lowther Avenue

Preamble: an introduction to proposed fossil fuel projects and their implications, as well as the potential for a Just Transition, a transition from extractive industries that is inextricably tied to justice for communities who have faced the most harm under capitalism, as well as a worker transition.

Speakers include:

Keith Stewart (Senior Energy Strategist of Greenpeace Canada) will present their #RejectTeck campaign.

Film Showing & Discussion:

INVASION – 18 minutes –
In this era of “reconciliation”, Indigenous land is still being taken at gunpoint. INVASION is a new film about the Unist’ot’en Camp, Gidimt’en checkpoint and the larger Wet’suwet’en Nation standing up to the Canadian government and corporations who continue colonial violence against Indigenous people.

**Full Length Film coming in 2020**

The Unist’ot’en Camp has been a beacon of resistance for nearly 10 years. It is a healing space for Indigenous people and settlers alike, and an active example of decolonization. The violence, environmental destruction, and disregard for human rights following TC Energy (formerly TransCanada) / Coastal GasLink’s interim injunction has been devastating to bear, but this fight is far from over.” quoted from http://unistoten.camp/media/invasion/

BREAKOUTS: group discussion to solidify actions we can take to oppose fossil fuel projects and support Indigenous frontline efforts.

PWYC with a Suggested Donation of $5-15. All money collected will be donated evenly to the Unist’ot’en camp and to Indigenous Climate Action Network.

Cosponsored by ClimateFast

Permaculture for the People — Becky Ellis

Permaculture, a form of ecological design aimed at turning spaces into self-sustaining eco-systems, can be an important tool for the creation of socially-just & ecologically regenerative urban commons. In this talk, Rebecca Ellis will explore the transformational possibilities of urban permaculture with a focus on several exciting projects in Toronto and London, Ontario, including the Dunn St. Food Forest in Parkdale.

Also, be sure to like/follow Permaculture for the People, a podcast and blog dedicated to building a socially just permaculture movement!

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MEETING DETAILS:
Doors open at 7pm.
Meeting starts at 7:30pm.
Refreshments available.

Attending a one-off meeting, to get a feel for our society and listen to the guest speaker, is completely free. All are welcome!

– – – – – – – – – – – –
MEMBERSHIP:
If you like what you see, or simply wish to support our society, a recognized not-for-profit, membership is only $20 for 12 months. This fee helps us support community gardens and outreach activities around Toronto.

Plus, your membership entitles you to:
• Admittance to 8 insightful horticultural talks and meetings;
• Access to rare and unusual seeds, plants, and plant materials;
• Discounts at participating nurseries when you show your membership card;
• Special invitations and offers available only to members;
• Plus access to a wonderful network of green thumbs, environmental devotees, and general plant and garden enthusiasts!

Members need not have their own garden or extensive knowledge of gardening, just an interest in plants, gardens, and gardening, in both private and public areas of the city. All manner of gardeners are welcome. Our members make gardens on roof-tops, apartment balconies, indoors, under glass and under lights, outdoors, and some only in their minds.

Our hope is to inspire you to grow and to help us carry on the tradition of bringing soul and serenity to Toronto. We believe that some things, like gardens, can cut through all boundaries and open the door to mutual understanding.

We hope you will join us!

www.parkdaletorontohort.com

Ideas Forum: Materializing the Future

‘Ideas Forum: Materializing the Future’ features six fast-paced and fun presentations focusing on materiality.

‘Ideas Forum: Materializing the Future’ features seven fast-paced and fun presentations (20 slides shown for 20 seconds each) exploring the themes and questions from DesignTO’s exhibition ‘Future Retrospectives’ with a focus on materiality.

Discover the process behind educator David Correa’s (University of Waterloo) exploration on innovative material fabrication methods and Lauren Abrahams’ (Public Work) research on terrazzo. Educator Kazmy Chi (Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico) speaks about her research into biomimicry and how biomimetics can create sustainable materials for the future.

Founding partner of gh3* Pat Hanson speaks about her work on the Borden Park Natural Swimming Pool in Edmonton, while artist and curator Jessica Thalmann shares her process of reconfiguring iconic Brutalist buildings through folded sculptural forms. Quadrangle’s Richard Witt discusses heavy timber construction through case studies of built work, and Chris Pommer speaks about material memory through the work of the interdisciplinary studio PLANT.

Lauren Abrahams brings her international education in architecture and urbanism to her work as a senior designer at Toronto-based PUBLIC WORK. In parallel, Abrahams has held academic appointments at Harvard GSD and the University of Waterloo with a focus on understanding the territory of the contemporary city and its ecologies. Her combined professional and academic experience gives her a research-based approach and a progressive outlook on the relationship of landscape, urbanism, and the design of the public realm.

Kazmy Chi is an architect and professor of Interior Design at the CRGS of the University of Monterrey since 2012, with teaching experience at design universities since 2010. Her current PhD research focuses on the pedagogical design methodology of morphogenesis through biomimicry. She has been involved in a network of designers and advocates of the cultural appreciation of the work of the designer, to dignify this practice and raise awareness of the impact of design on our lives.

David Correa ‘s research looks at biological structures and processes as a source of insight for the development of new fabrication processes and advanced materials. His research aims at implementing state of the art digital fabrication tools (robotic manipulators, 3D printers, and CNC milling) to develop innovative and high-performance design solutions for industrial and architectural applications.

Pat Hanson (BFA M.Arch OAA AAA FRAIC) is a founding partner of gh3*. Under her leadership, the firm has established a reputation for design integrity across a range of building typologies and through all scales of practice. She is the architect of institutional, infrastructural, and residential projects that create meaningful connections between architecture and landscape within the urban realm. Hanson is an expert communicator of compelling design visions that are both environmentally and socially sustainable. She is a strong and insightful advocate for the potential for built form to rise above the merely functional, to integrate the pragmatic with the poetic, and to achieve an aesthetic impact that brings pleasure to everyday uses. For over 30 years, she has led clients and interdisciplinary design teams through complex programs, negotiating extensive public consultation processes to achieve internationally-recognized, award-winning projects, whether at the scale of infrastructure or the sheltering of a community programme.

Chris Pommer is a founding partner of PLANT Architect Inc., an interdisciplinary firm branching into the domains of architecture, landscape, ecology, art, and graphics. Some of PLANT’s recent projects include the Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization, Junction Craft Brewery in Toronto, the Dublin Grounds of Remembrance, and the Canadian Firefighters Memorial in Ottawa. Chris has taught and lectured at the universities of Toronto, Waterloo, and Manitoba, and at IIT in Chicago, and currently sits on the Toronto Public Art Commission.

Jessica Thalmann is an artist and educator currently based in Toronto and New York City. She received an MFA in Advanced Photographic Studies from ICP-Bard College. Her work has been shown in group exhibitions at the Aperture Foundation, the International Centre for Photography, and Humble Arts Foundation (New York), the VIVO Media Arts Centre (Vancouver), Angell Gallery, and Gales Gallery at York University (Toronto). Her first solo museum exhibition is planned for May 2020 at the Varley Art Gallery of Markham.

Richard Witt believes in the iterative design strength of architecture to inspire responsible urbanization in evolving global cities. As a Principal at Quadrangle in Toronto he leads teams responsible for the design of complex and sustainable projects at diverse scales especially mixed-use, high-rise, and creative workplace projects. As a design advocate, he has served on several Design Review Panels in the Toronto area. He is a licensed architect in most Canadian provinces and a fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.


Doors open: 6pm
Talk starts: 6:30pm

‘Ideas Forum’ is organized by DesignTO in partnership with the Toronto Society of Architects (TSA). It is generously supported by the Yonge + St. Clair BIA. Event venue provided by IBI Group.

A certificate for 1 hour of OAA ConEd will be issued to attendees who complete the sign-in sheet after the talk.

Participants
Lauren Abrahams (Public Work), Kazmy Chi, David Correa, Pat Hanson (gh3*), Chris Pommer (PLANT), Jessica Thalmann, Richard Witt (Quadrangle)

Creating Spaces that Resonate — Wolfe Bonham

Have you ever noticed that some garden spaces just feel right, even if they aren’t the nicest looking gardens? While others that are immaculate, well designed, and downright spectacular, just don’t feel right? Wolfe Bonham of Peace, Love, and Landscaping will help us understand why some garden spaces truly resonate with our souls (be it large or very small!), and how to make sure the new ones we create do.

– – – – – – – – – – – –
MEETING DETAILS:
Doors open at 7pm.
Meeting starts at 7:30pm.
Refreshments available.

Attending a one-off meeting, to get a feel for our society and listen to the guest speaker, is completely free. All are welcome!

– – – – – – – – – – – –
MEMBERSHIP:
If you like what you see, or simply wish to support our society, a recognized not-for-profit, membership is only $20 for 12 months. This fee helps us support community gardens and outreach activities around Toronto.

Plus, your membership entitles you to:
• Admittance to 8 insightful horticultural talks and meetings;
• Access to rare and unusual seeds, plants, and plant materials;
• Discounts at participating nurseries when you show your membership card;
• Special invitations and offers available only to members;
• Plus access to a wonderful network of green thumbs, environmental devotees, and general plant and garden enthusiasts!

Members need not have their own garden or extensive knowledge of gardening, just an interest in plants, gardens, and gardening, in both private and public areas of the city. All manner of gardeners are welcome. Our members make gardens on roof-tops, apartment balconies, indoors, under glass and under lights, outdoors, and some only in their minds.

Our hope is to inspire you to grow and to help us carry on the tradition of bringing soul and serenity to Toronto. We believe that some things, like gardens, can cut through all boundaries and open the door to mutual understanding.

We hope you will join us!

www.parkdaletorontohort.com