"Vancouver, City of Hope" will be launched over a two week period in the fall of 1993. It is a coming together of active solutions, people and energies. A workshop for "City of Hope" took place Feb 12-14 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.. Contact Vision Into Action, Sharon Wehner at 736-7078.
An Environmental Youth Alliance conference, "Turn the Page," was also held Feb 12-14. The conference featured inspirational and informational speakers and workshops on the school system, jobs in the environment, media literacy, and learning activist skills.
The Mid-Vancouver Island VANA (Veterans Against Nuclear Arms) group held a town hall Forum on "Needless Nuclear Hazards" on Feb. 18 1993 in Nanaimo. VANA is particularly concerned about the Hanford Nuclear Plant in Northern Washington State. The local cable station taped the proceedings.
On March 19-21, activists from the U.S. and Canada met in White Rock B.C. in a transboundary gathering which focussed on "Redirecting the Military." Topics included cleaning up toxic waste sites, converting from a military economy to a civilian economy and addressing the presence of U.S. military in the Puget Sound and Georgia Strait area.
End the Arms Race has launched a newspaper called Peacetimes. It will publish five times a year. B.C. issues will be covered and connections will be made to the larger Canadian context, says Peter Combs of End the Arms Race. Anyone interested in a subscription can send $10 to the Public Education for Peace Society, c/a End the Arms Race (Insert address!!). Articles are welcomed.
End the Arms Race is also organizing a lobbying effort to meet with the newly appointed justice minister, Kim Campbell, in her Vancouver riding. "We want to hammer home to Kim Campbell that the biggest peace event is held in her riding every year," says Combs. "We will pressure her on the issues of military spending and trade."
The Greater Victoria Disarmament Group has begun lobbying the federal government on military helicopters and nuclear ships in Canadian ports.
Alberta
Many Calgary groups have been involved in a dispute with the minister responsible for human rights, Diane Mirosh. Mirosh made a statement to the effect that homosexuals and other minority groups had too many rights. In response to the public outcry following her statement, she went on to say that the human rights commission was not necessary at all. Groups in Calgary have been phoning and writing the ministry, placing ads in newspapers, and staging demonstrations in response, says Dave Palmer at Project Ploughshares.
Ontario
A graduate student at Western is doing research on media influence on activists. She needs to interview peace activists from the 1980s. If that's you, please give Heather Scotsfield a call at 519/438-5091.
The ACT Women's Collective and Voice of Women have produced a media information kit on the issue of war rape in Bosnia. They have been networking with Autonomous Women's House and other independent women's' groups in Croatia and Serbia.
The Toronto Disarmament Network "Action Monkeys" have been staging street theatre and demonstrations against Ottawa's planned purchase of 54.4 billion worth of helicopters.
ACT and the Toronto Disarmament Network occupied External Affairs minister Barbara McDougall's constituency office in protest of Canada's official endorsement of "Allied" bombing of Iraq in January. Spokespeople from ACT and the TDN spoke with Assistant Deputy Minister Gaetan La Vertu, and others went to Ottawa to meet with External Affairs "special advisor" Gerald Wright. "These joint actions mark the first extended cooperation between ACT and the TDN since the early 1980's. This is widely seen as a turning point for the Toronto peace movement," says Jim Hedger at TDN.
Newfoundland
The Project Ploughshares Peace Centre in St. John's held a talk and discussion on Peacekeeping and Peacemaking, and showed the video "A Nasty Business...". The Peace Centre is now seeking an administrator for 10 hours a week since it has lost Peggy Kratchun, who needed more hours of work.
World Court Project
Veterans Against Nuclear Arms (VANA) have joined Lawyers for Social Responsibility and Canadian Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War in the World Court Project. The goal of the project is to render an opinion on the legality of use and threat of use of nuclear weapons. The case is being heard at the International Court of Justice, the principal organ of justice of the United Nations in The Hague. The groups are organizing a tour of major Canadian cities, featuring Commander Robert Green, R.N., Retired, who will speak on the world court case. For information on the World Court Project write CPPNW, 178 Booth St., Ottawa, K1R 7W1. Tel. 613-233-1982.
Peace Magazine Mar-Apr 1993, page 31. Some rights reserved.
