Raise the Hammer

On July 1, take time to reflect on how Canada can move forward from its racist and exclusionary past to create an inclusive, caring country.

Why are we paying $171 million this year to fund a police service that has an established and ongoing history of violence against the most vulnerable in this city, instead of directing those funds towards the organizations that are engaging in survivor-ce

Defunding means prioritizing investments into health, housing, education and social development to address our code red crisis in Hamilton.

Yet year in and year out, the police continue to gobble up budget money, continue to be plagued with scandals, and continue to prove themselves to be hostile to anyone standing up and challenging the corrupt status quo.

Anti-leaders don't just fail to lead, they go beyond failure to actively undermine, obstruct and sabotage efforts at leadership.

The ineffectiveness of Trudeau's COVID-19 disability plan is the product of a sytsem that has, for decades, failed to provide for and protect some of our most vulnerable citizens.

Read the executive summary of the independent review into the events and the Hamilton Police Service response.

The defund argument is about our priorities as a society. Do we favour harm reduction or retribution? Do we seek to support people in crisis or punish them?

In too many communities in our country, African Canadians experience racism that is manifested in racial profiling, high unemployment, under-employment, health disparity outcomes and the overrepresentation of African Canadian children in child welfare sys

Do police responsibilities need to be as wide as they are? Do they actually currently do all of it as well as humanly possible? Could their huge budgets be better invested elsewhere?

The Ontario government has announced an 'independent commission' into the state of Long Term Care homes, but only a legally-defined public inquiry can provide the transparency and accountability this crisis demands.

Our daily paper should turn the letters to the editor into something that can convey the diversity of considered opinion and interpretation of facts in this city.

It is impossible to be neutrally or passively not-racist in a racist system. You are either working to dismantle the racist system or else you are supporting the continuation of that system.

On full display, this Council term is contempt for those calling for a new kind of politics and reordering of public priorities to make Hamilton more resilient and equitable.

Strategy only makes sense if we're all trying to build on our common values and interests, and the zero-sum politics of resentment are antithetical to common values.

CERB and other emergency pandemic responses have demonstrated the inadequacy of the social assistance status quo.

As we contemplate decisions around safe travel during this ongoing pandemic people will need more options to get to work safely and sustainably.

With humour and a gentle smile, Glen invited us to consider the burden of our country's history. He will be missed.

This pandemic will continue to shine a light on all of the fractured social issues that existed prior to the pandemic. It is up to us to decide how we respond.

We talk about how Praxis and the anti-poverty movement were targeted by the RCMP Security Service in what became known as the force's 'dirty tricks' scandal.