By Andrew Loucks and Devin K.                                                                              linchpin.ca

GUELPH - The courts have put an end to the occupation of what was to be the Hanlon Creek Business Park, but the City of Guelph has also been prevented from beginning construction for 30 days. Activists who occupied the undeveloped area southwest Guelph July 27 have left, but they are also relishing a small victory.

In a suprising decision August 13, Ontario Superior Court Justice Douglas Gray ordered people to leave the proposed construction site, and ordered the City to delay construction so that the Ontario Minister of Natural Resources might act to protect endangered Jefferson Salamander habitat. Lawyer Eric Gillespie, who represented people occupying the site, has called the decision “remarkable and virtually unprecedented” for stopping construction on environmental concerns.

The issues raised surrounding the development go beyond the technicalities of the Endangered Species Act or other legislation. The project has been controversial since its proposal in 1993, and in recent months a community group calling itself LIMITS (Land Is More Important Than Sprawl) has formed to contest the development.

LIMITS has organized public meetings, trips to the old growth forest and media projects. Concerns range from possible compromise of ground water, to encouraging quarry exploitation, to questioning an economy that must grow in perpetuity.

Public outcry and appeals to the Ontario Municipal Board and various arms of the City of Guelph have put the spotlight on the Hanlon Creek Business Park, and have won some protective regulations. But they have failed to affect the core of city’s develop plans.

Initial stages of construction, including a four lane access road and culvert, began in July, leading some to take direct action and occupy the site. With the court ordering a 30 day delay, it is unclear how initial phases of the business park could be completed by September 15th , a deadline the City must meet if it is to protect cold water fish habitat in a Hanlon Creek tributary that crosses the site.

Those involved in the occupation won’t be wasting any time. They plan to use the 30 day window won in court to try and pressure Minster of Natural Resources Donna Cansfield to order construction halted, and further organize “networks of resistance.”

Local government and chamber of commerce officials justify the park by citing its job creation potential, by warning of higher taxes on renters and home owners if business development is not accelerated, and by dismissing concerns about the development’s environmental impact.

It’s an animated look at the dogs of War Corporatism unleashed upon the world by Bush and the PNAC as stated in the September 2000 document Rebuilding America’s Defenses.

NDP MP Olivia Chow speaks in support of U.S. Iraq war resisters in Canada - August 7, 2009

Just days before Iraq war veteran Rodney Watson faces deportation by the Harper government, Immigration Critic Olivia Chow speaks out in support of the Iraq war resisters at a vigil in Toronto, Canada.

More info or to get involved:
http://www.resisters.ca/

Issue 13 Now Available in PDF

Click on image to view a PDF of Iconoclast Issue 13.  Feel free to print and distribute.

The past month has seen a shakeup at Iconoclast, which has ushered in some changes to the magazine. As regular readers will no doubt notice, this month’s issue has a new look. Along with the new look has come some changes to the editorial staff.

Two of the founding members of Iconoclast have left to pursue other projects. They have been invaluable contributors to the magazine since its inception, and their absence will be missed. We wish them well in all their future endeavors.

On a bright note, however, the group is happy to announce the arrival of two fresh faces to its editorial staff. We can all look forward to some exciting innovations in the look and content of Iconoclast over the next several months – this issue’s new layout being only the first.

Holding ideals is an important part of being an activist - or a well-adapted human being, for that matter. That being said, there are certain situations when adherence to ideological purity can become an obstacle to mutual struggle. All ideals can’t (and don’t need to) be applied to every situation, and the attempt to do so can end up dividing groups or creating dysfunction within their ranks.

Sometimes lifestyle choices, ambiguities and personal differences need to be put aside in order to achieve a common aim.

We will only win through Unity.

The united front is a form of struggle that may be pursued by revolutionaries. Revolutionary socialists represented a minority in the working class, and the united front offered a method of working with large numbers of non-revolutionary workers, while simultaneously winning them to revolutionary politics.

A popular front is a broad coalition of different political groupings, often made up of leftists and centrists who are united by opposition to fascist or far-right groups. Being very broad, they can sometimes include centrist and liberal (or “bourgeois”) forces as well as socialist and communist (”working-class”) groups. Popular fronts are larger in scope than united fronts, which contain only working-class groups.

Ideology: a system of ideas or way of thinking, usually related to politics or society, or to the conduct of a class or a group, and regarded as justifying actions, especially one that is held implicitly adopted as a whole and maintained regardless of the course of events. (Canadian Oxford Dictionary)

Dogma: a belief or set of beliefs held by an authority or a group, which others are expected to accept without argument.

July ‘08 was the birth of Iconoclast out of the ashes of the Indymedia feud. The last of the ‘Reconcilliation Meetings’ took place with the end result being the split of the group into two factions. The first crew stayed with Indymedia and have operated the website to some degree since. The second faction started Iconoclast Media. Since then, we have produced 13 consecutive monthly zines, a regularly updated website, our first public panel discussion (with focus on the War Resisters), and taken part in a number of social functions locally. We plan even more in the year to come, with fresh blood in the group and plenty of exciting ideas.

The July 27/ ‘08 London Pride parade was a festive event enjoyed by nearly everyone in attendance. Nearly everyone, because there were a handful of haters with signs denouncing the rights of homosexuals. They were congregated around Dundas and Wellington, silently milling around. When asked to further explain these positions they were advocating, they responded with short non-answers. “We don’t need to explain this to you.” One might think that they would be more anxious to get their message out there. Especially since they were greatly outnumbered by their opposite, the Anti-Racist Action group. These were a substantial number of mainly youth, some with their identities hidden, others not. They stood in front of the haters with signs of their own. The crowd seemed to get quite a kick out of this. It was heartwarming and entertaining to see. The absence of some of the more notorious local haters was refreshing too. Wayne Kellestine, who has come out to shout hate at the gays regularly in the past, was missing this year due to his incarceration over the Bandidos murders of ‘06.

The anti-Wal-Mart/ Save Meadowlilly Woods campaign reached its peak around Sept ‘08. After several well attended info sessions to build awareness and screenings of docs like “The High Cost of Low Prices” and “Wal-Mart Nation”, the coalition of various interest groups and concerned citizens developed a following. Along with attempts to influence the company and local politicians, an energetic rally at Victoria Park was held on September 6th as an expression of the animosity towards Wal-Mart and the appreciation of natural preserves like Meadowlilly Woods. As of now this fight continues.

The War Resisters Support Campaign in London has been a popular effort since its inception. They were really pushing the cause after the Parliament of Canada voted to let the US resisters stay in Canada. The vote was non-binding and the Conservative government decided to ignore it, choosing instead to follow the wishes of their ideological brethren in Washington. With several resisters here in London, the local community rallied behind them in large numbers. A decent turnout to the rally at Vic Park on Sept 13th, even though there was rain, was indicative of the level of concern shown on behalf of Londoners. The real demonstration of these feelings came on Monday Sept 15th at the London Convention Center, as hundreds came to greet Stephen Harper himself. The rally consisted of several different groups and causes - centered around a shared resentment of the Harper government - including the War Resisters, London District Labour Council, CAW, CUPE, ABC (Anyone But Conservatives), Anti-War Organization of London and the Council of Canadians. The large group shut down the York street area in front of the Convention Center and used chants, songs and puppets to send a message to our PM. On June 27^th, Iconoclast Media hosted a public panel discussion on the War Resisters at the Central Library. This struggle also continues. Let them stay!

The fallout of the ‘08 federal election led to a situation where the Liberals (still under Dion) were toying with the idea of a coalition government with the NDP, (with the Bloc in support.) The Conservatives cried foul, saying this was undemocratic and arranged to prorogue parliament with the blessings of the Governor-General. In between these events, however, fault lines appeared in the Canadian left - even locally. Many NDP supporters seemed to smell power, with thoughts of cabinet ministers dancing in their heads. Opponents to the coalition cited the Liberals support for war, pro-corporate and neo-liberal policies as evidence that the concerns of many activists weren’t on their agenda. The issue was divisive, with passionate stances adopted on both sides of the divide. This was evident at the December 4th Coalition Rally at Vic Park, which was a sea of labour and NDP/Liberal friends with cries of “Yes We Can!”. This was met by an Anti-coalition rally of anarchists and others distrustful of the Liberals. “We can’t let our votes for the NDP be extended to the corrupt Liberals.” In the end, the idea died as Ignatieff took control of the Liberals and expressed his cool feelings of any sort of power-sharing plans.

The December Greek rebellion was a major source of inspiration to our radical left. Originally an anarchist response to heavy handed police tactics, the population rose in rebellion against both the police and the state. The demonstrations were coupled with strikes and occupations across the nation. The youth in Greece are particularly radicalized by a past filled with confrontation with fascist state power and polarized politics. By attacking both capital and the state, the Greek insurgents showed that these are two sides of the same coin, a currency whose denominations are hierarchy, exclusion, and exploitation. They were not seeking merely another government, but another society altogether. Many here watched these events unfold with wide eyes. The simmering turmoil crossed Europe for a spell, climaxing Jan 29th - Black Friday in France. In England a lesser version was evident for Financial Fool’s Day on April 1st.

Suddenly came the Dec/Jan Israeli attack on Gaza - a brutal and hyper-violent assault on a mostly undefended people by the regional superpower. Day after day, the coverage was horrifying in its levels of violence; war crimes have since been alleged by several respected human rights organizations. December 30th a large group of people gathered at Victoria Park to express their dissatisfaction. Flags and signs, songs and chants filled the sides of Richmond at Central. The killing continued for weeks. A packed audience at the Wolfe Hall heard Norman Finkelstein talk on January 14th about the Israeli aggression on Gaza, and how the situation is spun into fairy tails here by the North American media. On January 23^rd Forwell Hall at Fanshawe was the scene of an inspiring rally for Gaza, including songs, speeches, poetry, and emotional testimony. UWO Students Taylor Davy, Ashley Annis, Peige Desjarlais, along with Dr Nabil Sultan and activist Beth Guthrie travelled with the Canadian Delegation to Gaza as part of Code Pink. They were invited by UNRWA, the Red Crescent, and the government of Gaza, to visit schools, children’s centres and hospitals and to report back to the Canadian people about the disastrous effects of Israel’s bombardment earlier this year, and the ongoing 19 month siege.

Empowerment Infoshop (636 Queens Ave) has continued to be an important center for activism in London. Open to all progressives, many local groups hold meetings and events here. Fundraisers, workshops, info sessions, presentations, concerts, discussion groups, and movie nights are part of the action. You can find radical books and literature, including Iconoclast and Linchpin on the shelves of their infoshop. Empowerment has played host to the War Resisters, Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall, the Re-Education Project, the Olympic Resistance Network, Iconoclast, BC Anarchists, Common Cause and the Grassy Narrows campaign in this last year.

The Fanshawe Social justice Club had a successful year too. Among the numerous events and campaigns organized by the club were the Fanshawe Rally to Drop Fees, two Really, Really Free Markets, the School of the Americas trip, the Second Annual ‘Empowerment Film Festival’, Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall, No2010 (which seems to have successfully discouraged a Coca-Cola sponsored appearance of the torch at Fanshawe), and a fairly major non-event in the absence of the Canadian military at the Fanshawe Career Fair this year. After two years of counter-recruitment demonstrations, such as the ‘08 ‘Die-In’, the school decided not to have the military didn’t participate in this year’s Career Fair. Apparently they didn’t want to have to use violence against their students to stop them from effectively voicing their opinions. The school’s administration doesn’t want confrontation, but they will continue being confronted.

On April 16/09, an incident between London police and some students on a Dundas street property between Beal and CCH escalated into a confrontation with many students surrounding the police after perceived aggression was carried out against a young female. The students had the normal, healthy and ethical reaction that people should have to injustice; they tried to stop it. The police called in for backup and arrested some of the students for ‘trespassing’. Hundreds of students responded with a march and demonstration in front of city hall and the downtown police station on April 17th. Outrage was expressed in various forms by witnesses and fellow students over the actions of London’s finest. “Fuck The Police!” was the cry heard over and over. The contradiction of the day-to-day oppression of the police apparatus upon the people of London was brought to the surface by the students of Beal.

On May 11th students demonstrated in front of the London courthouse in solidarity with their friends and fellow students being tried inside. The students voiced their opinions with signs, a megaphone and chants of “Drop all charges; Charge the Police!” and “No Justice, No Peace. No racist Police!” These young champions of civil rights were an inspiration to many in the city who find themselves tired of the stagnant complacency demonstrated by Londoners in the face of police brutality.

by Heatscore

2010 will be a watershed year for the Canadian left; three major international events will descend upon this country, each offering excellent opportunities for the growth of Canada’s radical activist community. While the protests that these events generate will no doubt be impressive, their true practical significance will come from the long-term connections forged by their participants and the effects that they have on Canadian society at large. Bonds born of mutual sacrifice, nursed by shared struggle and baptized in streams of pepper-spray are not easily broken by those who would seek to keep us subjugated, divided and weak.

THE 2010 OLYMPICS (Feb 12-28):

The most high-profile of the three events coming to Canada next year will be the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver and Whistler, BC. The highly-publicized Olympic torch relay that precedes the games will offer a chance for activists from across the country to organize to demonstrate their anger and disgust towards VANOC, the IOC and the campaign of environmental destruction, civilian displacement and increased militarization that have followed in their wake.

The Games themselves will see the host city of Vancouver transformed into a virtual police state.

A phalange of thousands of militarized pigs and RCMP agents - aided by their shiny new state-of-the-art surveillance cameras (with built-in facial recognition software) and intelligence provided by the brown-shirts of the Vancouver Integrated Security Unit (VISU)’s Joint Intelligence squads - will confront thousands of protestors in the streets under the watchful gaze of unmanned Predator drones circling the skies above.

THE G8 SUMMIT (June 25-27):

Soon after the Olympics have packed up and left town (leaving the BC taxpayers to foot the bill) the party will head eastwards to Huntsville, ON - as the idyllic cottage community of (nominally) 18,500 inhabitants plays host to the G8 Summit of world leaders.

Hosting a G8 Summit is a surefire way of boosting a small town’s tourism industry. Unfortunately for the business community of this sunny retreat for the rich, most of these tourists will be either dedicated members of the international social justice movement or menacing security agents decked out in full riot gear; either way, few will be there for the antiquing. As the leaders of Canada, the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia gather in the relative tranquility of the Deerhurst Resort to discuss their plans for another year of collective world domination, you can bet that there will be plenty of folks on the other side of the security cordons looking to share their opinions on issues ranging from climate change to nuclear disarmament.

NORTH AMERICAN LEADERS SUMMIT (date and location unannounced):

Continuing the tradition set out by his predecessor George “Dubya” Bush, US President Barack Obama will bless Canada with a visit so as to meet with his Mexican and Canadian counterparts in what is being euphemistically termed a “North American Leaders Summit.” This so-called summit will center around an ongoing campaign to integrate North American policies on trade, regulation, immigration, energy security and foreign policy until recently known as the Security for Prosperity and Partnership (SPP) framework.

The last such meeting held on Canadian soil took place in Montebello, Quebec, where an RCMP agent provocateur was outed attempting to incite masked anarchists into throwing stones at his police colleagues.

The SPP is a deeply controversial project that operates without parliamentary or congressional oversight. Though a more obscure target than the 2010 Olympic Games, this “Leadership Summit” will doubtless attract the attention of informed citizens from both sides of the border.

hcbpOccupation.wordpress.com

On Monday July 27, at 6:30am, 60 people walked onto the land that is home to Guelph’s Old Growth Forest and the proposed-Hanlon Creek Business Park (HCBP) site. The workers left and an ongoing camp has been initiated to prevent Drexler Construction from inflicting further harm at the bidding of the City of Guelph. Since then, supporters have come from far and wide to help protect this land for future generations. We have worked together to create a safe and healthy space and have constructed numerous simple structures, a collective kitchen, and a compost toilet.

Despite broad public outcry, the City has continued to pursue the HCBP, disregarding the intrinsic worth of an Old Growth Forest, the significance of the Paris-Galt Moraine to the integrity of our drinking water, and provincial and federal regulations concerning the preservation of the Jefferson Salamander and Provincially Significant Wetlands.

The City claims to be in consultation with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to determine how it will proceed with the HCBP without harming the Jefferson Salamander. However, it has initiated the first phase of development, the installation of a 4-lane access road and culvert over Tributary A of the Hanlon Creek. This destruction of the land renders this consultation a farce.

The City claims responsibility for the preservation of the very land it profits from developing, but it is not possible to do both.

It is our responsibility to intervene in the City’s destruction of this vital land.

We are demanding that the City:

• Listen to public outcry and respect the intrinsic importance of this land by immediately ending this development and terminating their contract with Drexler.

• Compensate the skilled labourers of Drexler Construction for lost wages, including those who choose to stand with us.

• Publicly apologize to the people of Guelph for disregarding their opposition to this development.

There are two important ways you can help:

Come visit, and bring your friends and family!

Spread the word and come check out a very inspiring and friendly space. Food, coffee, and camping supplies will also be appreciated.

Camp Contact: (519) 820-6280

Media Contact: (519) 820- 6239

Help place pressure on the City of Guelph to let the campers stay, and demand the City lives up to their statements of protecting wildlife habitat and concern for the environment. For police to arrest anyone for trespassing, they need authorization of the landowner. In this case the landowner is the City of Guelph, and we need to make sure they don’t send in police to arrest people who are defending this land and water that we all need.

Please call:

Mayor Karen Farbridge

519-837-5643

mayor@guelph.ca

Hans Loewig

Chief Administrative Officer

519-837-5602

administration@guelph.ca

Peter Cartwright

General Manager of Economic Development and Tourism

519-837-5600 x2820

peter.cartwright@guelph.ca

Ward 6 Councilors

Christine Billings

519-826-0567

christine.billings@guelph.ca

Karl Wettstein

519-763-5105

karl.wettstein@guelph.ca

Hear the land! Heed the call! HALT THE SPRAWL! NO HCBP!

By Will Dean

Regular Canadians are continually looking to parliament for solutions to the growing economic crisis. Policy such as the $200 Billion “Extraordinary Financing Framework” which passed in parliament will give our country’s financial institutions injections of capital in the hopes that the economy will stabilize. While the wealthy C.E.O.s of financial institutions around the world receive multi-million dollar salaries and bonuses, the companies that they drove into the ground will be bailed out by our tax dollars, and the tax dollars of our children. So how does covering the debts of irresponsible financial institutions help the average Canadian?

The premise is that the bail out should open up the credit market so that we and the corporations can again start borrowing money at interest from those who were responsible for the crisis in the first place. It is ludicrous that Canadians will be borrowing their own tax dollars at interest for private profit. It’s like passing your money around a room of full of thieves and waiting to see a return. I am tired of trickle down economics. The wealthy get taken care of and the crumbs are left for the rest of us.

We do not need to put up with a system that does not represent the interests of the majority. We do not need to accept policies that indebt ourselves and our future generations. We do not need Ottawa to save us from the system that they created and endorsed on our behalf. Economists would have us believe that we are a spoiled working class with salaries that are too high and with benefits that are too costly. They would have us believe that we need to accept unemployment because it is the way of the market. They would have us believe this as they pillage everything they can from our hard earned savings through inflation and regressive financial policies. The members of the ruling class are, and have always been, hypocrites and we need not accept their empty rhetoric.

Electoral politics has proven countless times that it cannot or will not work for the interests of the people. Canadians don’t need to fight an imperial war in Afghanistan under the guise of “freedom”; Canadians don’t need to throw away money to failed institutions. Canadians need a new system which provides all Canadians with a place to live, food on their table, health care that works and an education system that isn’t falling apart. The best part is we don’t need Ottawa to do it.

The media and the state tell us that everything will be alright in two years. They are lying. This is a depression and what’s good for the rich is not good for the gander. The corporate and state policy solutions just aren’t good enough for the victims of this crisis who are losing their jobs, their homes, and are struggling to feed their families.

This is a call out to those who want real solutions. The soccer moms and dads, the young professionals, the high school students, the elderly, the dwindling middle class, the poor and the unemployed: you are not alone.

Only through community and grassroots organization can we begin to address the needs of real people and their problems rather than providing a welfare state for the rich. Forget the NDP, the Green Party, the Liberals, the Conservatives and the Bloc-Quebecois for they are the five factions of the capitalist party and have shown no interest in getting to the root of the problem. The capitalists need us, but we don’t need them.

Let’s join together and let them know: What happens in Ottawa stays in Ottawa.