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First Nations have made the point before: this is their land to protect but in the current dispute there is comething different: perhaps never before has the importance of protecting the land that became known as Canada engaged so many, especially young people, beyond its original First Nations stewards. Canada depends on the richness of the land for all its wealth, but if extraction destroys it then Canada is imperilled. Seen rightly then, current transportation blockages are sustainability measures, not the economic plagues some short-term psofiteers are making them out to be. By making this point all those supporting the Wetsuweten protests, whatever their origins and whether aboriginal, or settler, environmentalists in their values, are united in conserving this land. Far from dividing those who live here the Wetsuweten protest has the unique potential to bring together as one all who live here in common loyalty to the land called Canada, the lifesource of all who live here.               

TorontotheBetter is pleased to recognize the participation of TorontotheBetter visitors to awareness of our blog in 2019. Our most popular 2019 posts were: 
1. Introduction to Platform Co-ops (Sept.29)
2. Coops to the Economic Rescue? (July 20)
3. Cathy Crowe in conversation with friends about homelessness (Nov.13)
For more on these topics and to participate in our work check in to this space or send your contact email to postmaster@TorontotheBetter.net. 
Our TorontotheBetter platform co-op is under development and our activism against Toronto's shameful homelessness continues in 2020.     

His tax haven indiscretions hoped long forgotten in our minimal attention span days, Liberal Minister of Finance Bill Morneau is now crowing about the booming conomy he and his colleagues have created. In a recent public report on this positive turn of events, one lost, we note, on the homeless attending our recent visit with the Peel Poverty Action Group at  the Knight's Table food bank in Brampton, Morneau cited as evidence of his team's success that housing prices were increasing, meaning high demand.
It takes a special kind of unawareness to ignore the fact that higher demand means higher prices and higher prices mean less  affordability, that is fewer people with roofs over their heads at night, aka more poverty, but Morneau has often shown us his special gifts in this area. His glutinous smile and unctious ways need no words to depict the mental planet where Morneau lives. And it aint the unaffordable downtown where many of his constituents have to live.     

The opposition can be happy, sad, or indifferent towards this. But being happy and 

accompanying the criminals' imperialism or being sad and defending the so-called 

Islamic Republic's fake struggles against imperialism both deviate from the Iranian  

people's struggles and the people oppressed worldwide. As we condemn the Islamic 

Republic's criminal regime, American crimes must be equally condemned around the world. 

One cannot become an ally of the criminals who used to manufacture and use chemical 

weapons to support countries such as Israel that use chemical weapons and phosphorus 

bombs. In addition, one also cannot unite with other killers against other criminal regimes 

such as Assad and the Islamic Republic.

People who value freedom cannot be associated with the happiness of the imperialist or the 

sadness of so-called "anti-imperialist" assassins of the Islamic regime.The people who value 

freedom do not participate in the happiness of fascists and international looters, nor in the 

domestic fascists and looters! These joys and sorrows have nothing to do with the dignity of 

humanity and have oppressed people anywhere in the world particularly in the Middle East. 

Happiness and sadness of honorable human beings must be different from those of aggressors 

and looters.

As guilty as the US, Britain and France are, so is Russia.As cruel as the Iranian and Syrian 

regimes are, so are Israeli, Saudi and Turkish regimes.Trump, Putin, Netanyahu, Assad, Erdogan 

and Khamenei are criminals. People who value freedom and equality do not get along with criminals 

of any kind or form.

However hard you try to plead good intentions if your basic
purpose is to make money such “embarrassments” are part
of your DNA. Fairbnb is doing what needs to be done for
ethical and affordable short-stay accommodation.

It's been said before and Cathy repeated it at the Knight’s Table, Brampton again on Thursday Feb.6, for the benefit of the audience and any political leaders who have not been listening: the reason Finland reduced its homeless numbers to zero is simple: it built affordable housing for those unable to pay market rates.

By contrast, since Canada killed most of its affordable housing programmes about 30 years ago unit availability has virtually disappeared, the market rules and homelessness grows. What is also growing in Canada's largest cities like Toronto are high rise towers of high priced condos since developers can make the most money from those who can afford ever growing down payments. Whatever affordable rental units once existed have also long since disappeared as market logic drives prices higher and the affordable units have not been replaced. Despite talk by some politicians of housing investment there has been little in the way of action and as one member of the PPAG audience pointed out what has been spent so far is for specific demographics, not everyone. There is no national housing strategy in Canada, so the market decides and the homeless suffer, Homelessness is not an accident, it is designed and it will remain a blight on people's lives until Canada's political leaders decide to do something about it. Everybody needs a decent home, not just some exceptions who fail to make an arbitrary market determined cut.

Congratulations to  the Peel Poverty Action Group for bringing Cathy's powerful advocacy to Peel region. At TorontotheBetter we commit ourselves to hosting the voices of those working for homes and better living conditions for all,                  

 Long time friend of TorontotheBetter and former colleague at the Community Bicycle Network, John Hanje, now working at Amego, a Toronto e-bike pioneer, had an important story to tell us about the evolution of non fossil-fuel transportation when we recently spoke to him.Though, to purists, the battery-powered e-bike, increasingly visible in  large cities around the world, may be a compromise, all revolutions proceed in steps and compromises before they universalize new norms. The E-bike provides options for GTA commuters, the elderly or the disabled that the traditional bike does not. As long time promoters of bicycle transportation as a plus for all in Toronto by virtue of its gentleness on the air we all breathe TorontotheBetter welcomes e-bikes as another step towards the sustainability of our urban commons. With major companies in China, North America  and Europe now hustling ebikes, as well as gas-guzzling cars we will focus our attention on the social and economic context in which, and by whom, e-bikes are  produced. Check this space for more on the e-transportation economy in Toronto and around the world. For more information send email to postmaster@TorontotheBetter with E-bikes in the subject line.