This week in the Activist Agenda (Edmonton):

• October 29th, Sunday – Names Not Numbers Rally and March
• October 29th, Sunday- Postponed Counter-Protest 1MillionMarch4Children
• October 29th, Sunday – Online Intro Talk: Stop Canada Burning Down. Hear the Plan and How You Can Help
• November 1st, Wednesday – RBC: Stop Funding the Climate Crisis
• November 2nd, Thursday – Negotiating the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive: Promoting the sustainable transport fuels of the future” by Geert Decock, Electricity and Energy, European Union, Brussels
• November 3rd, Friday – Weekly Coffee Outside
• November 3rd, Friday – Weekly Climate Strike Ceasefire Now!
• November 3rd and 4th- United Conservative Party Annual General Meeting (UCP) Calgary
• November 4th, Saturday – Power Up for Climate Solutions Postponed – stay tuned for when it is rescheduled
• November 4th, Saturday – National Day of Action 10K March for Gaza
• November 5th, Sunday – Truck Trudeau Rally (Info purposes Only)
• November 6th, Monday – Bike Repair 101: Hands-on Intro to Bike Maintenance
• November 8th, Wednesday – Night Out on the North Saskatchewan
• November 12th, Sunday – Migrants Workers Fightback
• November 17th-19th – Parkland Conference
• November 20th, Monday – Tar Sands Songbook – Edmonton Workshop Presentation
• November 22nd, Wednesday – Housing– Who is it for?

I will be posting some items that are for information purposes only. These are in case anyone reading this would like to show up as a counter-protest to the actions, learn about how groups like Take Back Alberta are mobilizing, etc. They are better organized in many cases. I have highlighted these items with a gray background as exemplified by this paragraph.
This article in the National Observer shows some of their tactics. This is not only about climate change and 15-minute cities but many of our social tenants are being pushed to align more to the far-right ideology complete with the religious overtones.
Check out this video by Take Back Alberta lead spokesperson David Parke to hear what they envision for Alberta.

Video of the Week

October 29th, Sunday – Names Not Numbers Rally and March: Let it be known that the focus of the rally and march has shifted and is not just a call for a ceasefire. It has become a Pro-Palestine event.
I just want to be transparent.
This was not my intention when I was first involved in initiating this march and rally.
I will be there.
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Sir Winston Churchill Square and marching to Violet King Henry Plaza
Event Page: Facebook

October 29th, Sunday – Postponed Counter-Protest 1MillionMarch4Children: On September 20th, 2023, 1MillionMarch4Children (they seem to have changed the link. Here is one for the lead organizers – Hands Off Our Kids) held a protest outside the Alberta Teachers Association building in Edmonton. This was part of a cross-country (Canada) day of action.
In response, there were counter-protests. On October 21st, 1MillionMarch4Children will be hosting another protest and United for Change Facebook will be hosting a counter-protest event.
This event was originally scheduled for October 21st, 2023 but has now been postponed to October 29th.
Time: 1 pm to 2:30 pm
Location: Violet King Henry Plaza, 108th Street and 99th Avenue
Event Webpage: United for Change Facebook

October 29th, Sunday – Online Intro Talk: Stop Canada Burning Down. Hear the Plan and How You Can Help: (weekly online talk by On2Ottawa. I put this here so that people in Edmonton can understand what other groups are doing) “Canada is burning and life as we know it is falling apart. Extreme weather events and mass species extinction cover the globe. And government has failed to implement the radical change we need.
In this talk, we will tell the truth about the state of the climate – including the hard truths that people in power don’t want you to know.
And most importantly, we will talk about the social science of radical change and how YOU can make it happen! There is a long history of movements that have forced those in power to make change – through bottom-up people power.
You will get the chance to connect with people who are involved in the movement. People who have been arrested, have done hunger strikes, and have risked a lot to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience – following in the footsteps of movements of the past, like the civil rights movement and movements for the right to vote.
Come learn about what YOU can do – and what we all MUST do – to avoid the worst effects of climate breakdown and create a livable future.”
Time: 5 pm MT
Location: online
Registration: Zoom
More information: On2Ottawa

November 1st, Wednesday – RBC: Stop Funding the Climate Crisis: “RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) is the largest funder of fossil fuel projects in Canada. These projects include the CoastGas Link pipeline and the TMX Pipeline.
The world needs to transition away from burning fossil fuels. Building pipelines locks in money and resources allocated to perpetuate the fossil fuel industry. We need to transition away from fuel fuels as the basis of our economy and society.
We need to do this as soon as possible.
This action is to highlight to the general public how RBC funds climate chaos and ignores indigenous rights.
It is our intention to do this every week and at a variety of RBC locations around Edmonton. Please consider joining us for this one hour of action.
Funders are the foundation of this industry.
Signs will be available for people to use.
Time: 12 noon to 1 pm
Location: 10843 – Whyte Avenue – This will happen at the RBC branch on Whyte Avenue just east of 109th street. We will be on the west side of the bus shelter/stop.
Facebook: Edmonton Climate Strike – RBC

November 2nd, Thursday – Talk: “Negotiating the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive: Promoting the sustainable transport fuels of the future” by Geert Decock, Electricity and Energy, European Union, Brussels: “Bio: Geert joined T&E in July 2019 after a decade in advocacy roles in Brussels for organisations representing civil society and industry. Geert has been deeply involved in the European Union’s negotiations on the Renewable Energy Directive, promoting renewable electricity as a transport fuel as a sustainable alternatives to biofuels. He leads T&E’s work on green hydrogen and e-fuels and how such synthetic fuels can help to decarbonise planes and ships. In his previous positions Geert worked on a host of environmental and energy dossiers, ranging from the EU’s Clean Energy Package negotiations to Ecodesign and Energy Labelling policies to a campaign to ban fracking for shale gas.”
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 pm MDT
Location: Tory 12-15, University of Alberta

November 3rd, Friday – Weekly Coffee Outside: “Edmonton’s outdoor coffee club. We meet every Friday, rain, snow or shine between 7 & 9 am at Ezio Faraone Park.”
Time: 7 to 9 am
Location: Ezio Faraone Park, Edmonton
Twitter: YEG Coffee Outside

November 3rd, Friday – Weekly Climate Strike Ceasefire Now!: A weekly reminder to Edmontonians that we are in a Climate Emergency.
Because of the immediacy of situation of the Israel/Hamas conflict we will be using our time at these strikes to focus on Ceasefire Now. The world has dragged its feet on taking acting on the Climate Breakdown for 5 decades I don’t think it will matter much if we shift our time for a bit to Ceasefire Now!
Extra signs will be available for people to use – or bring your own.
This is to promote the event that is happening on Saturday at 2 pm (see below)
Time: 8 am to 9 am
Location: 109th street and 88th Avenue
Facebook: Edmonton Climate Strike

November 3rd and 4th- United Conservative Party Annual General Meeting (UCP): The UCP party (the present party that has formed the government in Alberta) is holding their AGM in Calgary. They will be voting on 30 policy proposals – see the above video for a good overview of the resolutions (along with colour commentary).
One of the biggest pluses for sex education is teen pregnancy. There is a major correlation between those countries that have strong sex education in schools and those that don’t and teen pregnancies. The report was comparing Holland and the USA.
Location: BMO Centre Calgary
AGM Website: United Conservative Party

This has been postponed so that it does not conflict with the Palestinian event at 2 pm November 4th, Saturday – Power Up for Climate Solutions: “We’re calling on governments to use all financial means possible to reclaim the excessive profits of the fossil fuels industry. Whether through taxes, by ending subsidies and by stopping all investments in old and new fossil fuel projects, they must use this money to power up the global renewable energy revolution, that is fair and distributes resources equitably around the world. Let’s power up the future we want! Join us.”
“350.org and partners are holding a global day of action to stand together against the fossil fuel industry’s greed and lift up our vision for a just future powered by the sun and the wind.
There are already over a hundred Power Up actions planned worldwide, including quite a few in Canada. Check out this Canadian map to find an action near you. If there isn’t one yet, sign up to host your own. You can also check out the global Power Up! website here.”
Time: 12 noon
Location: Sir Winston Churchill Square – south edge of the square closer to the new LRT stop on 102 Avenue
Organizers: Climate Justice Edmonton

November 4th, Saturday – National Day of Action 10K March for Gaza: See guidelines below.
Time: 2 pm
Location: Sir Winston Churchill Square
Instagram: Free Palestine YEG

November 5th, Sunday – Gather for Peace: A silent gathering of Edmontonians to call for peace and end armed conflict. Peace starts with a ceasefire.
We don’t take sides. We are not looking for one side to win and another to lose. We want peace to win so that everyone wins.
We will stand in silence for one-hour with our candles of hope.
Time: 5:00 pm to 6 pm
Location: South Plaza, Edmonton City Hall
Facebook: Gather for Peace

November 5th, Sunday – Truck Trudeau Rally: for information purposes only.
Time: 1pm
Location: Edmonton Capital Plaza (Actually it is called Violet King Henry – named after Alberta’s first Black lawyer) and they may find that trucks aren’t allowed into the plaza.

November 6th, Monday – Bike Repair 101: Hands-on Intro to Bike Maintenance: Bike Edmonton is offering a great intro course on bicycle maintenance.
Time: 6:00 PM through  9:00 PM
Location: Bike Edmonton Downtown Community Workshop, 10612 105 Avenue NW
Registration: Bike Edmonton
Cost: $ 50.00 + $ 2.50 GST or better yet Registration including 1-year Bike Edmonton membership $ 75.00 + $ 3.75 GST

November 8th, Wednesday – Night Out on the North Saskatchewan: “Dark Night Skies! Join us for three perspectives on our dark night sky. Come learn from the chair of the Beaverhill Bird Observatory, Geoff Holroyd, about light pollution and other impacts to the saw-whet owl, once thought to be rare in the Edmonton River Valley. Elder Francis Alexis will talk about astronomy and star stories from an Indigenous perspective, and Robert Dick, who helped get Dark-Sky Preserves on the map, will be joining us from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. There will be time for questions and a panel discussion. We’ll also shake things up part way through with an ecologically-themed live auction! Come join us for a virtual night out on the river!”
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM MST
Location: Virtual – online
Registration: Eventbrite
Cost: Donation
Organizer: Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition

November 12th, Sunday – Migrants Workers Fightback: “Join us in discussing issues facing migrants today and more importantly finding collective solutions”
Time: 9am
Location: Providence Renewal Centre, 3005 – 119th Street
Registration: Eventbrite
Cost: 0$-30$

November 17th-19th – Parkland Conference – “Alberta at the Crossroads: Building the World We Want”: “Alberta is at a crossroads. The status quo is not sustainable politically, economically, or ecologically. The decisions we make from now on will determine whether we join a worldwide movement towards building a more just future or if we go backward. This conference is about ensuring Alberta moves forward. It is about dreaming big and making things happen. It is about how we push for change and envision a province that is just, equitable, and sustainable. It is about how we look to what others outside our borders have been doing, while also finding ways to support and expand the work that many among us have already been doing to build a more just province and world.
By bringing together thinkers, writers, and activists from Alberta and beyond, “At the Crossroads” will be a space where we can learn from each other and begin shaping the Alberta we want for us and for future generations.”
Time: See site for details of times and schedules
Location: Engineering Teaching & Learning Complex (ETLC), University of Alberta & LIVESTREAM
Website: Parkland Conference

November 18th, Saturday – Bike Edmonton AGM: Bike Edmonton (formerly Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society) is one of those groups that is near and dear to me. They were the first community bicycle workshop in Canada and have been a space for people to learn and a great collection of people – as with most grassroot organizations.
Time: 2-5pm
Location: Virtual – Google Meet
Registration: Google doc

November 19th, Sunday – World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims: “It is a high-profile global event to remember the many millions who have been killed and seriously injured on the world’s roads and to acknowledge the suffering of all affected victims, families and communities – millions added each year to countless millions already suffering: a truly tremendous cumulative toll.”
Though I think this focuses on the wrong end of the devastation of road traffic victims I think it can be used for purposes to demand safer infrastructure for roadway safety. Can this be used as a tool for Vision Zero? The focus needs to be weighted towards the most vulnerable – those without a metal box surrounding them.

November 20th, Monday – Tar Sands Songbook – Edmonton Workshop Presentation: “You’re invited to an intimate workshop showing of the TAR SANDS SONGBOOK before it heads out on a tour along the Trans-Mountain Pipeline. The performance will begin at 5pm, followed by an informal feedback discussion.
About the performance: Created by musician, author and activist Tanya Kalmanovitch, TAR SANDS SONGBOOK is an 80-minute solo performance that combines field recordings, storytelling, personal history, and live violin and fiddle music to investigate our invisible relationships to oil.”
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM MST
Location: Star of the North Retreat Centre, 3 A Saint Vital Avenue St. Albert
Tickets: Eventbrite
Cost: Free

November 22nd, Wednesday – Housing– Who is it for?: “Tens of thousands of people lack decent affordable housing in Edmonton. Learn more about why this is getting even worse for renters.”
Time:  7:00 PM MST
Location: Metro Cinema, 8712 109 Street Northwest Edmonton
Tickets: Eventbrite
Cost: 15$
Facebook: Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (ECOHH) – this is their new Facebook page

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Start Planning for the Future

There are global days of action happening throughout the world. Edmonton can participate in these actions – all it takes is you.

• November 30 until December 12, 2023 – COP28 – The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP28, will be the 28th United Nations Climate Change conference, held from November 30 until December 12, 2023, at the Expo City, Dubai. Wikipedia. I suspect that the local Edmonton Climate Justice group will do something in solidarity with the worldwide activities that will be happening. That it is being hosted by a petrostate, headed by an oil executive, and in a state that will be very unsympathetic to protesters is going to make this COP very interesting.
• December 1st – 10th – Ignite Change Global Convention: 75th Anniversary United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights hosted by the John Humphrey Centre in Edmonton.
• December 13th Wednesday – Building a Stronger Town: An Evening with Charles Marohn: Charles Marohn has an excellent YouTube channel which has some excellent commentary on urban design, taxation, land-use, etc. Tickets are at Eventbrite.
• February 5th – 9th – International Week at the University of Alberta: “A warming globe, increasing numbers of refugees and displaced persons, gender disparity, economic inequalities, freshwater shortages, famine, war… We are bombarded with these issues and many others facing the planet and its inhabitants daily. 
  To address these issues, the UN established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030. The Goals, adopted in 2015, call on governments and civil society worldwide to address the world’s most pressing issues, from poverty and education to health and the environment.
  I-Week is a chance to hear international and local perspectives on global issues. On February 5-9, 2024, International Week speakers connected their work to the SDGs. 
  U of A’s annual International Week is an incubator of ideas and a source of inspiration for us to work together for a better world. Stay tuned for updates on I-Week 2024.
• 2024 YEG Winter Cycling Congress is happening in Edmonton this year: “Join us in February 2024 [22nd to 24th] for an unforgettable multi-day event filled with informative sessions, bicycle excursions, and a community of passionate winter cyclists. Discover new possibilities while exploring the cycling-friendly city of Edmonton. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to connect with fellow enthusiasts and learn from experts in the field.” [I think the “cycling -friendly” is a bit of a stretch – Michael].
  You can register here. Early bird rate is only until September 30th, 2023 so if you want to save a bit of money because the 450$ could be a bit of a deterrent. Mind you, if you go as a representative of a non-profit group the cost is only 200$. Good time to step up as your Community League cycling advocate and representative.

Youth Climate Corps

“Climate mobilization in Canada has yet to feel like a grand societal undertaking. The Youth Climate Corps is an invitation to the country’s youth to mobilize to confront today’s gravest threat: the climate emergency. We are past overdue on a real plan that acts fast to transform the country away from its current trajectory to growing emissions and climate disaster. A Youth Climate Corps would put thousands of young people to work in rapidly curbing emissions, preparing our infrastructure for its coming impacts, and responding to the emergencies we’re locking in.”
You can support the call for a Youth Climate Corps through the Climate Emergency Unit website.

Heat Pumps

The National Observer issued a good article on heat pumps – let’s call it Heat Pumps 101 and it includes a link to an online calculator so that we can do a rough estimate of the savings that could be garnered by switching to a heat pump.
If you are buying a new home or upgrading your heating system, please consider a heat pump system.
ALL new housing should be electric heat pumps.

Information and Suggestions

There is a housing crisis in the world. Everywhere across Canada there is a housing crisis. The causes are numerous and the effects devastating. Not enough options for people, land speculation, landlords increasing rents beyond reasonable, conversion to condominiums, AirBnB and their ilk, etc.
If you are a renter feeling the squeeze you might be interested in a workshop/training being put on by Tenant Union. Yes – this is for the Toronto area but much of the skills and knowledge that a person would learn could be transferable to the Edmonton area.

If you are on Facebook, check out the Edmonton Activist Calendar page.

Please share information with me so that I can populate this with more details and information. I intend to eventually get it so that it is emailed out to people and has a better site but for now, this is what I have to offer you.

We know that landlords are raising rents/lease prices quite substantially across Canada. One of the reasons for this is because Airbnb drives up the prices. I was pleased to hear a more equitable platform is soon to launch in Canada. Check out Fairbnb. You can read more about it in the Breach.
If you are an Airbnb host (and only have one location), consider switching to this more community based platform.

Edmonton Tool Library – a great resource for sharing tools and resources within our community. Check them out. They are also looking for volunteers to join their team.

Petitions/Letter writing

See the Petition page under resources for more information on how to create your own.
Petitions can be an effective way to raise awareness of an issue, get the ball rolling, and sometimes they even work. Here is a list of present ongoing petitions in Canada that I wish to highlight:

• Amnesty International does great work around human rights. They have a great portal where you can sign several petitions at once. Just click here and take action that can save a life, alter the course of history, and more.
• Grassy Lakes Coal Mine – Canadian Parks and Wilderness (CPAWS) have initiated a letter writing campaign to the provincial government to shut down the application process for this mine to open in the Crowsnest Pass area of the Rocky Mountains.
• The NDP is looking for people to participate in a simple survey – one question.
  “Should Alberta leave the Canada Pension Plan?” Please consider participating in this survey. https://www.albertasfuture.ca/event-registration/pension-survey
• Save Our Canada Pension Plan – It appears that Public Interest Alberta has a letter-writing campaign and petition to the UCP government to express citizens’ opposition to their expressed intention to withdraw from the CPP and establish an Alberta Pension Plan. Check it out here.
• Efficiency Canada has launched a letter writing campaign to petition the federal government to invest in energy efficiency programs for low-income households.
• Let’s Get Indigenous Communities Safe, Clean Drinking Water Now. FFS.
• Plant Based Treaty – this portal will help you send a letter to your city councillors
• Make Mental Health Accessible To All Canadians Through Our Universal Health Care System
• No raises for public servants until the minimum wage is a living wage! – every segment of the workforce will tend to stand up for what they will benefit from taking action. We need a living wage/universal basic income right across our country.
• STOP BIG OIL FROM POLLUTING OUR CLIMATE
• Sink the fossil fuel industry’s plan!
• Reject forest biomass as a false climate solution
• Stop toxic tailings pollution
• Stop Executions of Activists in Iran
• RESPECT INDIGENOUS RIGHTS ON WET’SUWET’EN TERRITORY

Volunteering

As the governments fail at their jobs they are offloading more onto the volunteer/charity communities. Charities are a failure of government of doing their job. They have not managed the finances well – they have not taxed corporations adequately, they did not get the royalties from extractive corporations, they allowed tax loops to continue without fixing them, they have not implemented a wealth tax, and so much more.
So, compassionate people step up to try and help. It will never be enough because the problem just continue and continue to get worse. The Food Bank is a good example – started as temporary measure it is not ‘needed’ by some many people to allow them to get some food into their household. People depend on that food.

Casino Volunteering – most charities, non-profit groups (NGOs), and other organizations conduct casinos to help them out with their funding. I recently read this in a newsletter: “It was calculated that each volunteer hour generated $640 in funding to Argyll”. (This is a sizable amount of money – I used to say that each volunteer shift provided the NGO with about 2,000$. Great return on time for the volunteer’s time.)What can you legally do that could bring in this kind of funds for a group that you support or what to see stay solvent?
Your community league, your child’s school/kindergarten, your church, community league, etc are always looking for volunteers. The local environmental group, the groups that feed people on the streets, etc also need your participation in casinos (if they do them).

Courses/Workshops

The University of Alberta has several courses on climate change and related subjects. You can find a list of them on the Climate Action at the University of Alberta website.

Employment

If you are looking to get a ‘green job’ you might want to check the GoodWorks website

Apply: See Indigenous Climate Action for details how to apply to this Director of Operations position

Please send things that should be on this list to michael.kalmanovitch@gmail.com

Disclaimer – the Activist Agenda tries to ensure that the information contained within it is accurate but mistakes do happen. Please double-check events and information that are relevant to you to make sure you have the correct date, time, location, and any other relevant information.

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