MAKING PEACE VIGIL Newsletter - August 10, 2025

[Oscar]

MAKING PEACE VIGIL Newsletter - August 10, 2025


SPECIAL BOOK CLUB

QUEEN CITY URBANIST BOOK CLUB
This book club meets the first Wednesday of every month, 7 pm, at the Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre, 2900 13 Ave. The books to be discussed look interesting. For example, Reclaiming Indigenous Planning is the title for the September 3 meeting, while Better Buses, Better Cities is the title for the October 1 meeting. For more information:
[ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1217980759213231/events ]


SPECIAL VIEWING & LISTENING
THE RISE OF END-OF-THE-WORLD FASCISM & RESISTANCE FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH, by Naomi Klein
[ https://perspectivesjournal.ca/end-times-naomi-klein/ ]


SPECIAL SINGING FOR THE PLANET
[ https://www.earthday.org/5-stunning-son ... he-planet/ ]


GOOD READING & VIEWING & LISTENING

LA LOCHE: 'UNACCEPTABLE' FOR SPSA TO TURN BACK WILDFIRE EVACUEES DUE TO CONFUSION ABOUT SMOKE LEVELS
[ https://leaderpost.com/news/la-loche-un ... oke-levels ]


TREE REPLANTING BEGINS IN NARROW HILLS AFTER SASKATCHEWAN WILDFIRE DEVASTATION
[ https://leaderpost.com/news/tree-replan ... evastation ]


BE ANGRY AT THE SYSTEM, NOT HOMELESS PEOPLE, ADVOCATE URGES AHEAD OF CK ENCAMPMENT MEETING
[ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/ ... -1.7593670 ]


HIGH COST OF LIVING HAS MORE PEOPLE COLLECTING CANS FOR CASH
[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUHpBWPh4A4 ]


SENIOR WINNIPEG POLICE OFFICER ACCUSED OF DRUG TRAFFICKING, TAKING INTIMATE PICTURE OF DECEASED PERSON
[ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba ... -1.7603244 ]


BOTH SIDES LOOKING FOR A PATH FORWARD AFTER POSTAL WORKERS REJECT ‘FINAL OFFER’ FROM CANADA POST
[ https://rabble.ca/labour/both-sides-loo ... Newsletter ]


US HEADING IN WRONG DIRECTION ON EDUCATION, by Doug Cuthand
[ https://thestarphoenix.com/opinion/colu ... experience ]


MILITARY'S HATEFUL CONDUCT REPORTS SPIKED IN 2024 AFTER YEARS OF STEADY DECLINE
[ https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadi ... -1.7603885 ]


ONTARIO FIRST NATION ASKS FOR HALT TO RING OF FIRE MINING
[ https://www.cjme.com/2025/08/07/ontario ... velopment/ ]


ELBOWS UP? PM WON’T EVEN SKATE INTO THE CORNERS, by Yves Engler
[ https://yvesengler.com/2025/08/09/elbow ... e-corners/ ]


THIS ECONOMIC STORY DOESN’T END WELL. LET’S CHANGE IT!
[ https://davidsuzuki.org/story/this-econ ... change-it/ ]


THE 2025 ELLEN MEIKSINS WOOD LECTURE—A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC SYSTEMS AND NEOLIBERALISM CAPITALISM THAT HELPS MOVEMENTS TAKE BACK DEMOCRATIC POWER FOR THE WORKING-CLASS.
[ https://broadbentinstitute.ca/events/20 ... d-lecture/ ]


WHILE GAZA BURNS, US EMPIRE IS GOING DOWN THE TOILET, with Dimitri Lascaris
[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96C6KV-bshY ]


PROTESTS, WARNINGS OF 'CATASTROPHIC CONSEQUENCES' CONFRONT ISRAELI PLAN TO TAKE CONTROL OF GAZA CITY
[ https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/israel-ex ... -1.6860265 ]


ISRAEL’S GAZA WAR IS ONE OF HISTORY’S WORST CRIMES EVER
[ https://jacobin.com/2025/08/israel-gaza ... rimes-ever ]


INTERGENERATIONAL HUNGER: THE EFFECTS OF ISRAEL’S STARVATION OF GAZA
[ https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/08/06/ ... n-of-gaza/ ]


GAZA TAKEOVER: MOUIN RABBANI ON ISRAEL’S “INDEFINITE, GENOCIDAL MILITARY CAMPAIGN”
[ https://www.democracynow.org/2025/8/8/mouin_rabbani ]


“TIGHTENING THE CHOKEHOLD”: AMJAD IRAQI ON ISRAEL’S PLANS TO “EMPTY OUT” GAZA AND ANNEX WEST BANK
[ https://www.democracynow.org/2025/8/7/a ... ng_corpses ]


'STUPID, CRIMINAL, AND HORRIFYING': NETANYAHU PLAN TO TAKE CONTROL OF ENTIRE GAZA STRIP CONDEMNED
[ https://www.commondreams.org/news/netan ... earing-end ]


WAR IN PERPETUITY: M. GESSEN WARNS PUTIN WON’T MAKE PEACE WITH UKRAINE BECAUSE IT RISKS HIS OWN SURVIVAL
[ https://www.democracynow.org/2025/8/7/m ... _assassins ]


PESTICIDES, PFAS, AND SMOKE: HOW TOXIC POLLUTION FUELS WILDFIRES
[ https://ecojustice.ca/news/pesticides-p ... wildfires/ ]


FROM THINKING TO ACTION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST PLASTICS
[ https://www.democracynow.org/2025/8/7/f ... ion_in_the ]


GREENPEACE CALLS FOR OIL GIANTS' EJECTION FROM GLOBAL PLASTICS SUMMIT
[ https://www.commondreams.org/news/green ... ics-treaty ]


3 ESSENTIAL REASONS INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE CUBA FUELS THE REVOLUTIONARY RISING ENERGY TRANSITION
[ https://www.telesurenglish.net/internat ... =available ]


“THEY POISONED THE WORLD”: THE CORPORATE COVER-UP & FIGHTBACK AGAINST PFAS, “FOREVER CHEMICALS”
[ https://www.democracynow.org/2025/8/8/forever_chemicals ]


ATOMIC BOMBING AT 80, by John Pilger
[ https://peaceandplanetnews.org/atomic-bombing-at-80/ ]


WAR ABOLISHERS OF 2025: ROGER WATERS, FRANCESCA ALBANESE AND RALPH NADER
[ https://worldbeyondwar.org/war-abolishe ... r-podcast/ ]


IF HUMANS WERE AS EVIL AS WE’RE USUALLY TOLD, WE’D BE EXTINCT
[ https://worldbeyondwar.org/if-humans-we ... e-extinct/ ]


EVENTS, WEBINARS, TV PROGRAMS, & FILMS

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13, 10 am: HUMAN RIGHTS IN AFRICA
[ https://worldbeyondwar.org/africom-webinar/ ]


THURSDAY AUGUST 14, 4 pm: BANKS OFF CAMPUS CAMPAIGN
[ https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/registe ... CevUqRpQog ]


THURSDAY AUGUST 14, 5 pm: ZIONISM VERSUS THE CANADIAN CHARTER, with Yves Engler and others
[ https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/registe ... gistration []


THURSDAY AUGUST 14, 6 pm: DRAW THE LINE—MASS ORGANIZING CALL
Hear from a powerful cross-movement panel, including David Suzuki and Eriel Deranger, about the interconnectedness of our struggles and why we must unite.
[ https://act.350.org/signup/dtl-call/ ]


TUESDAY AUGUST 19. 11 am – 1 pm: SCREENING OF SEEING THROUGH THE DARKNESS, MACKENZIE ART GALLERY, 3475 ALBERT ST
Through an immersive sound environment, Seeing Through the Darkness delves into the lives of five resilient individuals who have lost their sight in armed conflicts. This film challenges our societal blindness to violence and suffering amidst a flood of images, urging us to listen to these inspiring stories echoing with urgency and profound humanity.
[ https://riffa.ca/movie/seeing-through-the-darkness/ ]


WEDNESDAY AUGUST 20, 9 am: MEETING OF CITY OF REGINA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
We have been advised that we should come out to the August 20 Executive Committee meeting to make our presentations on the City’s Encampment Response, as it will give Council the opportunity to discuss changes prior the final vote at the August 27 Council meeting.
Administration’s report to Council regarding the encampment strategy can be found at the following link, pages 68-71:
[ https://reginask.iqm2.com//Citizens/Fil ... nline=True ]
The report is intended to be an overview of how the city currently handles encampments—which is VERY INSUFFICIENT. Below is a Citizens Encampment Strategy to compare to the City’s.
We need lots of folks presenting at the meeting. A request to present has to be submitted by submitted by noon on Monday August 18. To speak at Executive Committee all you need to do is apply. You do not need to submit a presentation.
Go to [ https://www.regina.ca/city-government/c ... -meetings/ ]


A CITIZENS ENCAMPMENT STRATEGY
Commit to not removing encampments established on City property unless all residents have been provided with permanent, adequate, appropriate housing. To do otherwise, is to violate the Canadian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.”

Provide support for such encampments. Support would include the provision of the following:

Bathrooms with handwashing capability
Potable water
Garbage disposal and collection
Easy access to public transportation

Repeal laws and policies criminalizing homelessness, including being in a City park after 11 pm and erecting tents and other such structures on public property without a permit or a license.

Continue to work to end houselessness in Regina so that encampments do not become a permanent feature of our city. Such work would include:

Commit to allocating $10 million annually, starting with the 2026 budget, to the construction of affordable rental units;

Work with other Saskatchewan municipalities to put pressure on the Government of Saskatchewan to make available for immediate occupation all empty Sask Housing units in Regina—and throughout the province;

Work with other Saskatchewan municipalities to put pressure on the Government of Saskatchewan to raise the rates of the province’s two income assistance programs above the poverty line—currently a person on the Saskatchewan Income Support program gets $1,005 a month, while a person on Saskatchewan Assured Income For Disability receives on average $1,382 a month—both well below the poverty line;

Work with municipalities across Canada to put pressure on the Government of Canada to restart the national affordable housing program, cancelled in 1993, which, for a period, starting in 1974, created up to 20,000 affordable housing units every year.


WEDNESDAY AUGUST 20, 11 am – 1 pm: SCREENING OF FARMING THE REVOLUTION, MACKENZIE ART GALLERY, 3475 ALBERT ST
Amidst COVID lockdowns, India’s farmers rise up on an unprecedented scale against unjust new laws.
[ https://riffa.ca/movie/farming-the-revolution/ ]


THURSDAY AUGUST 21, 11 am – 1 pm: SCREENING OF RULE OF STONE, MACKENZIE ART GALLARY, 3475 ALBERT ST
If Jerusalem stone could speak, it would tell this story: from Imperial Britain to the Israeli occupation, buildings in Jerusalem have been clad in it. This is a story of how beauty and abuse go hand in hand


FRIDAY AUGUST 22, 11 am – 1 pm: SCREENING OF TOROBORO: THE NAME OF THE PLANTS, MACKENZIE ART GALLERY, 3475 ALBERT ST
Twenty-five years after a renowned ethno-botanical study in the Ecuadorian Amazon region inhabited by the Waorani, the central figures involved reunite. Members of the community talk about the genocidal colonization of their people since the arrival of Christian missionaries. The main threats to their survival are now the oil and timber industries.
[ https://riffa.ca/movie/toroboro-the-name-of-the-plants/ ]


SATURDAY AUGUST 23, 2 -4 pm: URBAN AGRICULTURAL FAIR, MALTY NATIONAL, 1130 15TH AVE
BRING YOUR PRODUCE! You can win a ribbon!!!
Major categories: Veggies~Fruits~Herbs~Flowers~Animal Partners' Produce~Baking~Weird & Big Veggies
$2 per entry (kids entries free)
KIDS ART CHALLENGE
Any kind of art made from things found in a garden
Your entry fee & food items will go to the FASTT meal program, delivering 800 delicious & nutritious meals a week to neighbours in need.
For more information: [ https://www.facebook.com/events/1517026205953127/ ]


WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27, 1 pm: MEETING OF REGINA CITY COUNCIL—CITY OF REGINA ENCAMPMENT RESPONSE WILL BE ON THE AGENDA


THURSDAY AUGUST 28, 7pm: REVISITING DOWNTOWN SAFETY AND COMMUNITY WELL-BEING, CENTRAL LIBRARY, 2311 12TH AVE
This panel is presented by Regina Public Library (RPL) and Regina Downtown Business Improvement District (RDBID). Panelists will include Dave Slater (City of Regina), Sgt Laurie Alexander and Sgt Ross Kauk (Regina Police Services), Katie Dockham (Cushman and Wakefield/Cornwall Mall), and Jason Knudsen and Rob Kraushaar (Regina Street Team). Judith Veresuk, Executive Director of RDBID will moderate the discussion.
The panelists will reflect on the past year's challenges and opportunities related to safety and wellbeing in the downtown core, as well as strategies and initiatives that the different organizations have taken or are undertaking to address these challenges.
[ https://www.facebook.com/events/733558552637704/ ]


WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 7 pm: QUEEN CITY URBANIST BOOK CLUB, CATHEDRAL COMMUNITY CENTRE, 2900 13TH AVE
The book that will be discussed is Reclaiming Indigenous Planning, by Ryan Walker et al.
[ https://www.facebook.com/events/1638879343488097/ ]


SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 10 am – 4 pm: REPAIR CAFÉ, GEORGE BOTHWELL LIBRARY, 2965 GORDON ROAD
[ https://www.envirocollective.ca/repair-cafe/ ]


STARTING MONDAY SEPTEMBER 8, FIGHTING TO WIN: A 10 WEEK COURSE WITH JOHN CLARK
[ https://www.tickettailor.com/events/pan ... ol/1782334 ]


TUESDAY SEPETEMBER 9, 4:30 pm: FIRE WEATHER: THE MAKING OF A BEAST, with John Vaillant
Presented by Seniors for Climate
[ https://seniorsforclimate.org/en/webina ... -vaillant/ ]


FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 10 am: RAISING OF THE PEACE FLAG TO MARK INTERNATIONAL PEACE DAY, REGINA CITY HALL


WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1, 7 pm: QUEEN CITY URBANIST BOOK CLUB, CATHEDRAL COMMUNITY CENTRE, 2900 13TH AVE
The book that will be discussed is Better Buses, Better Cities, by Steven Higashide
[ https://www.facebook.com/events/2486789288326245/ ]


THURSDAY OCTOBER 2, 4:30 – 11:30 pm: REGINA 2025 POINT-IN-TIME—PiT—COUNT OF HOMELESSNESS IN REGINA,
Volunteers are needed for Regina’s 2025 PiT Count, which will take place on October 2. Namerind Housing Corporation, as the Reaching Home Community Entity for Regina, will be leading the 2025 PiT Count of homelessness on October 2nd, and they need volunteers to make it happen.
To volunteer, go to: [ https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/call-for-vo ... tdtcreator ]


NEW PETITIONS & OTHER ACTIONS

TELL YOUR MP TO STOP FUELLING WILDFIRES
[ https://ecojustice.ca/take-action/tell- ... wildfires/ ]


JUSTICE FOR INUIT
[ https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-in ... 427cc01d28 ]
[ https://www.saskndp.ca/fightback ]


ASK MEDIA CEOS TO ENSURE THEIR COVERAGE OF STORMS, HEAT WAVES, AND OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS CONNECTS THE DOTS TO HUMAN-CAUSED CLIMATE CHANGE
[ https://act.sierraclub.org/actions/National ]


CALL YOUR MP: DEMAND CANADA DO MORE TO CONFRONT ISRAEL’S FAMINE IN GAZA
[ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96C6KV-bshY ]


NO SPORTS WASHING OF GENOCIDE, WAR CRIMES AND APARTHEID: NO TEAM ISRAEL AT THE DAVIS CUP.
[ https://actionnetwork.org/letters/no-sp ... -davis-cup ]


BBC: REMOVE ROBBIE GIBB NOW
[ https://action.eko.org/a/bbc-remove-robbie-gibb-now ]


- Making Peace Vigil