Celebrating small victories before tackling capitalist power
As we wrap up a whirlwind of a year with the Ford government destroying everything progressives hold dear, it's a good idea to celebrate a few small victories before tackling capitalist power in 2025!
Elders 4 Climate Sanity protest poster Credit: Elders 4 Climate Sanity
As we wrap up this whirlwind of a year that saw the destruction of the Ontario Science Centre and Ontario Place along with ongoing manufactured crises in healthcare, all levels of public education, as well as the Ford government targeting public service employees and unions while denying the existence of the climate crisis, I thought it might be a good idea to look back at some of the small victories we should make time to celebrate. Then, we can take on capitalist power again in 2025!
Don Brown – who turns 99 this month, Sue Markey (74), Rose Janson (79) and Gail Lorimer (80), have been taking their message to the streets in Dundas, ON for the past three years — RBC, TD, CIBC, BMO and Scotiabank, STOP DESTROYING EARTH! And, stop greenwashing!
On March 22, the members of Elders 4 Climate Sanity (E4CS) were arrested for their peaceful sit-in at the RBC in downtown Dundas. Their message was simple, “The five largest Canadian banks loan billions of dollars to fossil fuel industries. RBC is the worst offender in the world. These banks loan their clients’ money to an industry whose products are destroying the very source that makes possible the livelihood of all living creatures: the Earth.” – E4CS.
You can read the entire story about their arrest and hear my interview with E4CS here.
Despite bank manager William (Cris) Osborne’s ludicrous accusation that the Elders assaulted him and directing RBC staff call 911 multiple times — resulting in six officers converging on the scene — E4CS members were only charged with failing to leave the premises when directed. The charge for trespassing is not criminal and falls under the provincial Trespassing Act.
You can see the arrests right here.
Don, Sue, Rose and Gail appeared April 24, 2024 at the Provincial Offences Offices where they submitted their disclosure requests before it was decided they would appear again on June 12 when they would be asked how they would be pleading. That subsequent appearance ended in a postponement until September 11.
The Elders’ September 11 court appearance resulted in another postponement because the prosecutor’s report arrived too late for their lawyer to review the material in time for the September court appearance. The case was rescheduled for November 6.
In the meantime, the Dundas Four continued drawing attention to the role Canada’s five big banks play in fuelling the climate crisis. In fact, on October 1, National Seniors' Day, Don, Sue, Rose and Gail were at their favourite intersection at King and Sydenham streets where four of the five big banks can be found Their messaging was straightforward and simple, "fossil fuels are killing us" and "stop financing the earth's destruction.”
The four members of E4CS also made a proposal to pay $250 each to a non-profit environmental non-governmental organization (NGO) that their lawyer forwarded to the prosecutor. That proposal was rejected.
At their November 6th appearance the Elders’ decades long list of community activism, volunteering and accomplishments as presented by their lawyer had the justice of the peace calling them outstanding citizens before fining each Elder $250 plus costs for a total of $305 each to be paid within six months. The E4CS were then free to go.
When the dedicated activists emerged from the courthouse, they went for coffee to plan their next climate change protest. Bravo!
In a recent email to Small Change, Don, Sue, Rose and Gail stated, “While this incident revealed where the power resides in our society, and the relative powerlessness of our action to effect change, it has not deterred us from continuing to inform people of the role our banks, as well the Canada Pension Plan, are playing in the willful destruction of our Earthly home by those whose major purpose is the accumulation of wealth.”
Playwright, actress, filmmaker, artist, author and activist, Radha Menon Credit: Stephanie Beeley
Playwright, actress, filmmaker, artist, author and activist, Radha Menon has kept me busy this year! The founder of Red Beti Theatre (RBT) launched a brilliant multi-media project, Touched By Devi, at the Art Gallery of Hamilton that is on until January 5, 2025.
I’ve taken several folks multiple times to this must-see show and always find something new and interesting. And, you have to love the brilliant sound track Radha put together to accompany the installation including Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie, Nazia Hassan - Disco Deewane, David Bowie & Freddie Mercury - Queen - Under Pressure and M. I. A.’s Paper Planes.
From Touched By Devi Credit: Doreen Nicoll
Touched By Devi grew from Radha’s travels to Karnataka, India in 2019. That trip not only gave her greater insight into the past and present role Devadasi play in Indian society, but led her to explore the history of women’s rights in India within the context of her own family history. And, unsurprisingly, colonisation had a tremendously detrimental affect on Indian women that continues today.
Based on that trip to Karnataka, Radha also wrote Devi Triptych, three plays each centered on a Hindu Goddess and set in the present day Hamilton, Birmingham and India. The full-length production of Devi Triptych will be featured at RBT in the summer of 2026.
In October, RBT launched its fourth annual Decolonise Your Ears New Play Reading Festival at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, ON. The pay-what you want event featured works by playwrights Sheetala Bhat, Shiann Croft and Shaharah Gaznabbi performed as developmental workshops.
Find the original article here.
And, as if that’s not enough to accomplish in a single year, Radha just announced RBTs first Artist in Residence, Fareh Malik.
Fareh is an author and artist from the Greater Toronto Area. Originally a spoken word poet, Fareh was named the 2023 winner of the Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence, the 2022 PEN Canada New Voices Award winner and his book, Streams that Lead Somewhere (Mawenzi House), won the Hamilton Literary Award for Poetry while being longlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award.
RBT is thrilled to support the creation of new work by Fareh and welcome him as the first of many artists selected to participate in RBTs, Resilience Residencies.
Radha also had her play, Blackberry — a social commentary on our times — published by industry newcomer, LivenBooks.
You can read about Radha’s research into white supremacy within the Canadian play publishing industry here.
Gabriel Ndayishimiye, Lead Publisher and Founder of LivenBooks Credit: Gabriel Ndayishimiye
LivenBooks founder and lead publisher, Gabriel Ndayishimiye, is a breath of fresh air when it comes to the publishing industry. LivenBooks is a volunteer-run, non-profit independent publishing house dedicated to elevating critical stories from the margins.
By offering an inclusive platform that actively seeks out and promotes underrepresented voices, LivenBooks aims to bridge the gap between writers who find themselves consciously excluded by the mainstream publishing industry and readers who can benefit from their unique perspectives.
Gabriel is also the author of Run Elvin! (Laskin Publishing) an expansive, three-dimensional account of one man's refugee experience in all its traumas and triumphs, and a love letter from father to son on the power of will, hope and self-examination in the face of the darkest echoes of history.
Hear my interview with Gabriel Ndayishimiy here.
Gabriel has also established two groundbreaking sites that you should subscribe to, read and share.
Gabriel’s personal Substack, Why Am I Here?, shares writings that critique ‘refugee the Gaze’ — narratives that don’t fit neatly into boxes but instead question how we are taught to see.
Gabriel also publishes, Umuvugizi – The Advocate: a critical News & Opinion Blog on Wix. The name Umuvugizi is a Rwandan word for "The Advocate" that is a battle cry against silence. It stands for defiance, for speaking truth to power when others cannot, for raising voices against oppressors who thrive on fear and submission. It is a call to arms for justice, a demand that the silenced be heard, no matter the cost.
The inaugural post states, “Umuvugizi — The Advocate is a coalition of exiled critical writers, journalists, and artists committed to amplifying the stories of those forced to the margins. These are the voices of people living under the suffocating grip of dictators — rulers propelled into power by the very masses they now oppress. Through the work of these writers, journalist and artists, this coalition seeks to bear witness, challenge authoritarian regimes, and reimagine justice for those silenced by fear and displacement.”
And, as for 2025? Well, it’s shaping up to be another brilliant year thanks to all of the folks who have already made the time to speak with me, as well as those on who are going to be keeping me busy throughout the coming months.
Small Change is taking a brief hiatus after Thursday’s podcast with Dr. Jeffrey Morris. Jeff and I discuss his book, Just Live: Simply Take the Next Breath — a labour of love to help folks manage mental health issues and a guide to preventing suicide.
Small Change begins 2025 with an incredibly happy podcast with actor, comedian and playwright Shaharah Gaznabbi, who some folks will recognize as Noor, the teenage love interest of Mannix, in Season 3 of CBC's Run the Burbs.
Shaharah Gaznabbi playing Noor in Run the Burbs Credit: Shaharah Gaznabbi
This quirky, high-energy nymph will steal your heart as easily as she steals the show — and, believe me she did just that as a cast member of Devi Triptych transforming herself from a serious mother in the musical, A Pot Made of Sand, to the hilarious, cranky old woman who just wants to eat fatty patties at Harrods in Brick Lane Bargain!
Then, Dennis Raphael and Erin Flanagan are going to convince you that credit unions are the co-operative form of finance that may be the answer to late-stage capitalism and neoliberalism that will create a more equitable world.
And, thank you Dennis for introducing me to the phrase, “capitalist power” which is a much better term for describing what the right and the one per cent are doing — they are accumulating and exerting power. It’s such a better descriptor than simply calling it “corporate greed” which just evokes emotions rather than calls to meaningful action.
And, yes, I agree with you that progressives, including the NDP, need to start calling it what it is, capitalist power — because only when we properly name it, can we address and challenge it.
LivenBooks current selection Credit: Gabriel Ndayishimiye
The following week, Emmanuel Mudakenga and I discuss his book, My Father’s Son (LivenBooks) detailing his life as a Rwandan refugee.
It wasn’t until Emmanuel’s surviving family settled in Malawi in 2001 that he received a formal education. Yet, Emmanuel managed to squeeze 12 years of education into eight graduating in 2009 among the top ten best students in the nation.
Emmanuel received the best science student award along with a scholarship to the University of Toronto where he studied Economics and International Relations completing a four-year program in three years with distinction.
He then completed a two-year Master of Economics at McGill University in a single year.
Of course, after that, Emmanuel became a mail carrier and served in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserve.
Emmanuel and I discuss why refugees are the perfect political scapegoat for what ails Ontario and Canada when we know the real problem is neoliberal policies.
We also discuss why diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hire has become the new N-word.
Be sure to listen to Small Change every Thursday to hear from insightful folks like Keith Stewart, Senior Energy Strategist at Greenpeace Canada discussing why Poilievre is protecting polluters while betraying people; Michael Hurley, President of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, tackling the role nurse practitioners can play to alleviate some of the pressures on the healthcare system; and Mike Balkwill, VP Campaigns and Engagement, Small Change Fund, who tells listeners how the residents’ group Get Concerned Stratford, defeated a factory slated to be built on prime farm land and why he co-created, A Winning Campaign, a case study that makes it super simple for environmental activists to replicate Stratford’s success.
If you find yourself needing something to read while Small Change is on holiday, then I suggest checking out Magaret Shkimba, Nora Loreto, Scott Martin, Gabriel Ndayishimiye’s Why I Am Here and Umuvugizi.
Happy Winter Solstice! Windham Hill Winter Solstice on Ice
Happy Hanukkah! Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings "8 Days (of Hanukkah)"
Merry Christmas! Putumaeyo World Christmas
Happy Kwanzaa! This Kwanzaa (feat. Pierce Freelon)/Happy Kwanzaa Song for Kids and Families
And, Happy Hogmanay! A Happy Scottish New Year!