Over 100 organizations and community groups are supporting a social strike during the first week of May to denounce the erosion of our city's social safety net. Organized around an axis of 5 key points (housing, social services, adequate income, status for all, systemic equity), we aim to interrupt our usual operations in order to signal the great need for change. See more information at this link: Semaine d'actions et de grève du 29 avril au 3 mai 2024: une campagne autonome et autogérée!
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Our actions will include:Â
Moving our services outdoors onto the front lawn during Distro Room hours on Monday, April 29th, from 10 am to 1 pm.
"Casserole Concert" and march from Maison Mosaik to the Depot on Wednesday, May 1st, at 10:30 am (meet up at Women on the Rise at 10 am.) The Distro Room will be closed on this day.
Outreach and poster distribution throughout the week.
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1. Moving services outdoors on Monday, April 29th, from 10 am to 1 pm
We will be outside on Monday to talk to visitors and passersby about the social strike and how the current situation affects our organization and our members. In case of rain, we will be inside our Tempo shelter. The centre will still be open for people to use the bathroom and make tea.
2. Casserole Concert and March on Wednesday, May 1st, at 10:30 am
On Wednesday, May 1st, we will do a march and a "casserole concert" to raise awareness and demand better living conditions, especially the need for adequate food and affordable housing for everyone. When landlords raise the rent sky-high, there's no money left over to buy food. Nobody should have to choose between housing and food!
*a casserole concert (or "concert des casseroles" in French) is when people come together to bang pots and pans and make noise to raise awareness about a social issue! We won't allow our neighbors to go hungry in silence. If our pots are empty, it's time to bang them loud and proud!
We will meet at our centre at 10 am, and head towards Maison Mosaik at 10:30 am to begin our march. We will walk from Maison Mosaik, past our centre, and end in front of the Depot to share a few words about how we are being affected by current conditions. This is a chance for you to speak your mind in front of a supportive audience and we welcome members to talk about their experiences. Just remember to keep it short and sweet--we aren't planning to be outside for longer than a couple of hours in total. We will post some chants and slogans in the coming days so that we can raise our voices as one!
3. Poster distribution and outreach all week
We need YOUR help to get posters up in as many parts of the neighborhood as possible. By naming problems out loud and expressing our discontent, we send a message to our community members who are suffering that they are not alone, and there are others demanding an end to those difficulties. We are stronger together.
We will be getting posters printed and providing tape for all members who volunteer to put up posters.