By Mick Sweetman

TORONTO — At a streetcar stop at Queen and Bay streets Saturday about 50 anti-poverty activists boarded a westbound streetcar after showing the driver protest “transfers” made by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) in what they called a “pilot program” for fighting the fare hike.

Driver and passengers seemed in good spirits as protesters chanted “Hey, Hey, TTC! Public transit should be free!” Protestors distributed OCAP “transfers” to passengers and hung a banner out the window reading “Fair rates not fare hikes” as the streetcar headed toward Spadina Avenue.

The rolling protest was against the TTC increasing fares to $3 starting on Jan. 3. The price hike is 25 cents a trip and an increase of over 10% for a monthly pass. Advocates of poor and working people say transit costs are already too high. The fare hike comes at a time of economic recession and job losses, growing poverty, and dangerously low social assistance rates.

by Geordie Gwalgen Dent
Toronto Media Coop

TORONTO — Under a blanket of hail, rain and cold weather, 250 anti-poverty protesters marched on the financial centre of Toronto on Nov. 5, The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) organized march took aim at government policy during the recession. The Canadian Federation of Students – Ontario held a separate march on the same day to the Ontario legislature.

“We wanted to participate [on] that day and march into the financial district to point out who is benefiting within this crisis,” says Lisa Schofield, an organizer with OCAP.

http://ocap.ca/node/739

Man severely beaten and dumped on sidewalk over dispute about a sandwich.

Press Conference
Dare: Thursday, July 9
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Seaton House, 339 George Street
(east of Jarvis Street, south of Gerrard Street)

OCAP to hold press conference; please come and support OCAP and condemn the assault of homeless man by City management at Seaton House.

Man severely beaten and dumped on sidewalk over dispute about a sandwich.

On June 24TH, 2009, Brian DuBourdieu went to The Seaton House men's shelter in downtown Toronto, to get something to eat and a night's sleep. Instead, he ended up spending the night in the emergency room of St. Mike's hospital.

On Tuesday, as a result of the death of another homeless person, an Aboriginal man who froze to death in a stairwell at Yonge and Charles, the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty organized an emergency action at Toronto City Hall. According to Gaetan Heroux, an OCAP organizer, city officials laughably claimed that there were adequate shelter spaces and service provisions for the homeless, defying claims by the very people, social workers and others, staffed at the shelters.