Connexions Expired Events
Jan 1, 2013 through Dec 31, 2013
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Gather 11 AM and join for a Round Dance at 12 PM in opposition of Bill C 45 and in support of Terese Spence meeting with Harper as well as her hunger strike while fighting for treaty rights.

Time:  11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Venue:  Canada Place
Location:  9700 Jasper Avenue T5J 3C6, Edmonton, AB
Website:  http://idlenomore.com/
Categories:   Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Apportez les photos, les tambours, les pancartes pour montrer votre solidarité avec Chef Theresa Spence et le mouvement Idle No More!

Time:  10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location:  Carré D'Youville G6K 1J3, Quebec, QC
Website:  http://idlenomore.com/
Categories:   Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

At 1:00pm in UTC-07 HMV stage which is located in between entrance 56 and 58 on the West side of the Mall

Time:  1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Venue:  West Edmonton Mall
Location:  8882 170 Street Northwest, Edmonton, AB
Website:  http://idlenomore.com/
Categories:   Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Calling all Chiefs, Councillors, Dancers, and Drummers!
In Support of the Idle No More Movement and Chief Teresa Spence, We will be Having a Flash Mob Grand Entry At West Edmonton Mall…..We will Start at the HMV stage which is located in between entrance 56 and 58 on the West side of the Mall, we will dance to Phase 1 of the mall turn around at the BAY and back to the HMV stage…there is a Site Map of the route posted on the event page…. OUR goal is to have at Minimum 500 dancers!! Lets exercise our Nationhood and Sovereignty to show that we DO NOT RECOGNIZE BILL C-45!!!! HOKA!!!!

We look forward to seeing all of you in your colors and Regalia!! Let’s Show the World what we are PROTECTING!!

Time:  1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Venue:  West Edmonton Mall
Location:  8882 170 Street Northwest, Edmonton, AB
Website:  http://idlenomore.com/
Categories:   Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

An IdleNoMore march and rally will be happening in Victoria on JANUARY 26th. The First Nations Student Association (FNSA) and Native Student Union (NSU) have been working in collaboration to organize this demonstration, making it a youth-led initiative. This will be a peaceful and respectful event.

Rough Agenda:
10:00am: Assemble at Centennial Square
11:00am: March down Government St. to the Legislature
11:30am: Rally featuring speakers at the Legislature

MISSION
Idle No More calls on all people to join in a revolution which honors and fulfills Indigenous sovereignty which protects the land and water. Colonization continues through attacks to Indigenous rights and damage to the land and water. We must repair these violations, live the spirit and intent of the treaty relationship, work towards justice in action, and protect Mother Earth.

Time:  11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Venue:  Centennial Square
Location:  Victoria, BC
Website:  http://idlenomore.com/
For information contact:  justinf@uvic.ca
Categories:   Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This coming Saturday, January 26th is the 'Anti-Poverty march' as part of the broader day of action challenging the Liberal Party Leadership Convention. Here are some important updates for the day and please see the growing list of participating orgs below:
Staying Warm on the Day: We are getting a donation of warm clothes, hats and mitts from the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario. We will have this for distribution at Moss Park at 11:45am on Saturday so everyone can make sure to stay warm. We will also have free hot coffee and a hot
meal.
Transportation and getting to the march from your area:
Out of Town: Buses are coming from Kitchener, Hamilton, Sudbury, Kingston, and London for the day and participating in the Anti-Poverty march. If you need info on those buses please send us an email or call: 416-925-6939
In Toronto: groups will be meeting up with TTC tokens and coming to the march together. You can join up with ( map ):
- Sistering Drop-in: 11am @ 962 Bloor St. West (Bloor/Dovercourt)
- Bread and Bricks: 11:15am @ Dundas West Subway Station
- Weston-King: 10:30am @ 2017 Weston Rd
- Parkdale: 11am @ PARC drop-in (1499 Queen St. West)
Join, Endorse, Organize a Contingent: Plan to join us on the day, organize a contingent from your neighborhood, area, or organization to meet up with us at Moss Park, 12noon, and march through Toronto's Downtown East neighborhood to join the OFL rally.

Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.facebook.com/events/124643624368784
For information contact:  ocap@tao.ca
Phone:  416-925-6939

The 2013 observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust is built around the theme “Rescue during the Holocaust: The Courage to Care”. Through exhibits, film, educational activities and the annual memorial ceremony, the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme and the global network of United Nations Information Centres honour those who risked their own lives to save tens of thousands of Jews, Roma and Sinti and others from near certain death under the Nazi regime during the Second World War in Europe. The week’s events, beginning on 21 January 2013, will provoke each participant’s own thoughts and beliefs about the moral values and courage that lie behind such daring acts of rescue. Each person who becomes aware of this history will no doubt reflect upon his or her own capacity to turn compassion for others into decisive and heroic action in their time of need.

Website:  http://https://www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance/2013/calendar2013.html

A literary exhibition drawn from U of T collections and curated by Christopher Young.

Monday-Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM
Thursday: 9 AM - 8 PM

Venue:  University of Toronto Libraries
Location:  120 St. George Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://fisher.library.utoronto.ca/events-exhibits/upcoming-exhibitions
For information contact:  Christopher Young, fisher.library@utoronto.ca
Phone:  416-978-5285

The purpose:

1. Draw attention to the governing crisis in Canada & the need for UN intervention caused by Bill C-45, & seek UN Support of First Nations to honor treaty, nation-to-nation status.
2. Draw attention to the missing and murdered aboriginal women of Canada.
3. US immigration policies that deny indigenous people of their human rights, and addressing racialized immigration policies that deprive indigenous people of dignity.
4. Address the safety of child immigrants, & US policies that deport immigrant parents, in support of broader free movement.
5. The status of non-recognized tribal groups in Canada & the U.S.
6. Indigenous rights, land rights of Mexico.
7. Addressing core human rights within the scope of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
8. Provide a universal voice of survival of indigenous youth of the western hemisphere, including the right to be free from poverty, landlessness, the right to education, healthcare, housing, clean water, and affirming the universal right to exist.
9. Free movement of indigenous people across borders.
10. Lack of economic advancement & policies that favor a corrupt bankster climate that exploits resources on & adjacent to native lands & communities.
11. Addressing energy policy of industrialized nations that are causing climate change, and its negative impact on indigenous communities, need for clean energy investment in native communities & environmental protection.
12. To support community resolution bldng

Time:  10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Venue:  United Nations HQ
Location:  760 United Nations Plaza, New York 10017, New York
Website:  http://idlenomore.com/
Categories:   Native Peoples; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Stand Up, Don't Give Up The Fight!

Time:  3:00 PM
Location:  Sioux Lookout, ON
Website:  http://idlenomore.com/
For information contact:  Candace Warner
Phone:  807-737-5229
Categories:   Native Peoples; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

First week of February every year: Spreading harmony and tolerance among followers of the three monotheistic faiths and all the world's religions.

World Interfaith Harmony Week came about as a result of a UN resolution for a worldwide week of interfaith harmony proposed in 2010 by HM King Abdullah II and HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad of Jordan.

It seeks to spread the message of harmony and tolerance among the followers of the three monotheistic faiths and all the world's religions. It also seeks to promote the common basis of "Love of God and Love of the Neighbour, or Love of the Good and Love of the Neighbour” among religions to safeguard world peace. Its message invites everyone, excludes no one, and is purely voluntary.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and accounted for 7.6 million deaths (around 13% of all deaths) in 2008.

Each year on 4 February, WHO supports International Union Against Cancer to promote ways to ease the global burden of cancer. Preventing cancer and raising quality of life for cancer patients are recurring themes.

The International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation is observed each year to raise awareness about this practice. Female genital mutilation of any type has been recognized as a harmful practice and violation of the human rights of girls and women. WHO is committed to the elimination of female genital mutilation within a generation and is focusing on advocacy, research and guidance for health professionals and health systems.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. Female genital mutilation has no known health benefits. On the contrary, it is associated with a series of short and long-term risks to both physical, mental and sexual health and well-being.

FGM is affecting about 140 million girls and women, and more than 3 million girls are at risk every year. A special focus for WHO this year, is the troubling trend of health-care providers increasingly being the ones performing female genital mutilation, and thereby contributing to legitimize and maintain the practice.

13 February is World Radio Day — a day to celebrate radio as a medium; to improve international cooperation between broadcasters; and to encourage major networks and community radio alike to promote access to information and freedom of expression over the airwaves.

As radio continues to evolve in the digital age, it remains the medium that reaches the widest audience worldwide. This multi-purpose medium can help people, including youth, to engage in discussions on topics that affect them. It can save lives during natural or human-made disasters; and it provides journalists with a platform to report facts and tell their stories — so their personal safety should not be at risk.

UNESCO encourages all countries to celebrate World Radio Day by planning activities in partnership with regional, national and international broadcasters, governmental and non-governmental organizations, the media and the public.

Throughout these web pages, you will find a wealth of resources that you can use free of charge and without copyright restriction to help plan your World Radio Day event.

Hundreds of cities and communities across Canada are leading the charge towards local sustainability and the shift to a green economy. Every year, they come together to share their experiences and discuss the latest strategies for sustainable community development.

Be part of this exciting forum for municipal sustainability champions. Attend the 2013 Sustainable Communities Conference (SCC) and Trade Show hosted by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Themes and Streams for 2013

This year's conference theme, "Building Blocks for the Next Generation", focuses on best practices in sustainable development from a wide range of Canadian communities and regions, and highlights innovative projects. Sustainable communities are built upon sustainable infrastructure, including high-efficiency facilities; leadership to envision and implement change; the skills to manage physical and human assets; and a willingness to test and develop new technologies.

Venue:  Caesars Windsor, Windsor Essex
Location:  377 Riverside Drive East, Windsor, ON

Canadian Voice of Women for Peace V-Day FUNdraiser

A Night Of Dinner & Celebration

· Opening ceremony with Eagle Women Singerz
· Lishai Peel, spoken word poet (www.lishai.ca)
· Faith Nolan- activist, singer and songwriter (www.faithnolan.org)
· Sacred Circle Dance facilitated by Margaret Rao,
· DJ & Dancing
· Jazz/blues singer Barbara McDiarmid
· Delicious Middle-Eastern buffet

PLUS: Lots of incredible silent auction and raffle prizes to be won!!!

Come help support members of our Young Peacemaker's Summer Camp 2012 who are going to the 57th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in March 2013. This year's theme is the Elimination and Prevention of All Forms of Violence Against Women & Girls.

Time:  6pm-930pm
Venue:  Steelworkers Hall
Location:  25 Cecil Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://vowpeace.org
For information contact:  Sandra
Phone:  416-603-7915
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Music; Women

Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.

For the United Nations, the pursuit of social justice for all is at the core of our global mission to promote development and human dignity. The adoption by the International Labour Organization of the Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization is just one recent example of the UN system’s commitment to social justice. The Declaration focuses on guaranteeing fair outcomes for all through employment, social protection, social dialogue, and fundamental principles and rights at work.

The General Assembly proclaimed 20 February as World Day of Social Justice in 2007, inviting Member States to devote the day to promoting national activities in accordance with the objectives and goals of the World Summit for Social Development and the twenty-fourth session of the General Assembly. Observance of World Day of Social Justice should support efforts of the international community in poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equity and access to social well-being and justice for all.

International Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November 1999 (30C/62).

On 16 May 2009 the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution A/RES/61/266 called upon Member States "to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world". By the same resolution, the General Assembly proclaimed 2008 as the International Year of Languages, to promote unity in diversity and international understanding, through multilingualism and multiculturalism.

International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The date represents the day in 1952 when students demonstrating for recognition of their language, Bangla, as one of the two national languages of the then Pakistan, were shot and killed by police in Dhaka, the capital of what is now Bangladesh.

Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. All moves to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

Migrant worker families shut out of basic EI benefits have little to celebrate say critics who are planning to gather outside Federal Human Resources Minister Diane Finley’s office Friday afternoon. A large banner will be draped over the Simcoe office by her constituents to shame the Minister for her cuts to EI benefits for migrant workers.
In December 2012, Diane Finley announced that EI benefits will be eliminated for migrant workers. This program is solely funded by workers and their employers. Migrant workers have been paying into Employment Insurance since 1966.
Caribbean and Mexican workers have used E.I. maternal and paternal benefits to provide much needed support for their newborn children, explained local activists.
“Norfolk County is an agricultural community, which heavily relies on the contribution of agricultural workers for its economic survival and its branded identity as Ontario’s Garden. These men and women leave their families and children for months at a time, year after year, premiums are
deducted from their salaries and this is a benefit that they are entitled to” says Donnaree Douglas a resident of Simcoe, Ontario.
Tzazna Miranda Leal, a member of Justicia for Migrant Workers (J4MW) argues that “these benefits meant families could stay healthy, and in some cases have kept children alive. We are calling on the Federal Government to restore them immediately."

Time:  12:30 PM
Venue:  Office of Federal Human Resources Minister Diane Finley
Location:  76 Kent St., Simcoe, ON
For information contact:  Amar Bhatia
Phone:  647-924 3663
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions

Love and Anarchy
Emma and Leon, the intimate side of anarchist revolutionaries

The lively political and personal worlds of early 20th century anarchists come to life with a presentation by researcher Debbie Rose. She focuses on a fascinating collection of over a thousand letters and postcards belonging to her great-great uncle, Leon Malmed of Albany, New York who was one of the followers and lovers of Emma Goldman, the high profile activist, feminist pioneer and writer-lecturer.

The presentation provides a glimpse into the development of a young man's thinking and feeling as he responds to the political climate of his time to become an outspoken proponent of anarchist philosophy. Later, as he travels with Emma Goldman on a speaking tour across North America, the letters reveal the tension between Malmed and his wife over his anarchist activities and his intimate relationship with Goldman who, banned from the U.S., spent her last years in Toronto. Debbie is working with translators to bring the correspondence which is in Yiddish to a larger public realm.

Co-sponsored by UJPO-Toronto and Beit Zatoun.

--
Need to know:
- Doors open at 6:45
- $5 (minimum donation)
- Accessible on demand via portable ramp; washrooms not accessible

Time:  7 pm
Venue:  Beit Zatoun
Location:  612 Markham St. (Bathurst Subway), Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.beitzatoun.org
For information contact:  info@beitzatoun.org
Phone:  647-726-9500
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Politics & Political Organizations

Celebrating 6 years as Manitoba's premiere food security event, the Growing Local conference will once again bring together consumers, farmers, traditional harvesters and everyone in between, for 2 inspired days of learning and sharing. This year's conference is again being held at the Marlborough Hotel in Winnipeg and offers a great lineup of over 30 workshops, networking opportunities and displays. Conference themes include: Health, Food Justice, DIY Food Skills, Sustainable Agriculture, and Indigenous & Northern Issues.

Venue:  Marlborough Hotel
Location:  Winnipeg, MB
Website:  http://www.foodmattersmanitoba.ca/
For information contact:  Erica Young, erica@foodmattersmanitoba.ca
Phone:  2049430822

- Passage of so-called "right-to-work" legislation in Michigan, the birthplace of industrial
unionism, has sent shockwaves across both sides of our border.
- Conservative MPs are planning the same here, and Ontario Tory leader Tim Hudak has made it part
of his election platform. Canadians are about to experience an unprecedented level of aggression
against the very foundations of collective bargaining. The entire labour movement is poised to
take on this immediate threat.

Time:  9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Venue:  Allstream Centre
Location:  Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.labourcouncil.ca
Categories:   Labour, Workplace, Unions; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Celebration & Fundraising Concert
Flavours and Sounds of Beit Zatoun

~ John Millard and Waleed Abdulhamid
~ The Near East Ensemble
(Ravi Naimpally, Ernie Tollar, Demetri Petsalakis)
~ Maryem Tollar, Roula Said, Naghmeh Farahmand
~ Total Jam with all participating

Beit Zatoun's annual open house / anniversary / fundraising concert has become a party and music highlight of the year. Join the Beit Zatoun community for an evening of Middle Eastern sounds and flavours to go along with sharing and warm friendships.

The story of Beit Zatoun continues thanks to ever-increasing circle of friends, guests and inspiration. Together we are creating a uniquely interesting and relevant space where ideas, culture and activism converge.

~ Flavours at 6:30 pm
Refreshments, savories and desserts.
~ Sounds at 7:30 pm
Amazing performances from very generous friends of Beit Zatoun who have donated their time and talent to create this exciting evening.

This is a major fundraising event to help Beit Zatoun become financially self-sustaining. We need to pay the rent for this warm, beautiful and central place which has become home for so much sharing, learning and solidarity.

Please be generous - sliding scale ($50 to $20).
Guaranteed to sell out - purchase advance tickets via pingg and PayPal.

Time:  6:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Venue:  Beit Zatoun
Location:  612 Markham St. (Bathurst Subway), Toronto, ON
Website:  http://beitzatoun.org
Phone:  647-726-9500
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Music

Dr. Deepa Kumar, author of Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, speaks in Vancouver in March on how American Islamophobia is rooted in centuries of conquest and colonialism, from the Crusades to the War on Terror.

Time:  7:00 p.m.
Venue:  SFU Harbour Centre, Room 1700
Location:  555 W Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
For information contact:  Brian Campbell, co-chair, SFSC
Phone:  604-254-1803
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Politics & Political Organizations

The case study is on the TravelSmart pilots conducted in six different Vancouver neighbourhoods with differing urban environments and levels of transit service. The result was an 8% reduction in vehicle trips and a corresponding increase in walking, transit use, cycling.

Discussion and Case Study

Venue:  on-line
Website:  http://www.webinars.cullbridge.com
Categories:   Transportation & Travel; Environment; International
Event is recurring

Ontario's Liberal government is cutting billions of dollars from the health care you and your
family count on.
Come and join our Save our Services rally that is taking place outside the Health Minister Deb
Matthew's constituency office. Help protect our services in London! There are severe cuts
coming to the London Hospital! We need to protect Ontario's Public Health Care System.

Time:  4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Venue:  Outside of Health Minister Deb Matthew's constituency office
Location:  242 Piccadilly Street, London, ON
Categories:   Health/Health Care

Speakers: Prof. Nelson Lichtenstein, director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor and Democracy, University of California Santa Barbara & Dr. Natalie Des Rosiers, General Counsel of Canadian Civil Liberties Association

Topic: Labour’s Responses to Globalization: Alternative Forms of Organization

The Sefton Award for contributions to labour relations will be presented to Homer Seguin

Time:  7:00 PM
Venue:  Kruger Hall Commons, Woodsworth College
Location:  119 St. George Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.wdw.utoronto.ca/index.php/calendar/event/1324/
For information contact:  events.woodsworth@utoronto.ca
Phone:  416-978-5301

International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.

In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day on 8 March. Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. In adopting its resolution, the General Assembly recognized the role of women in peace efforts and development and urged an end to discrimination and an increase of support for women's full and equal participation.

International Women's Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and across Europe.

- Fires are Burning, We are Rising
- No more violence!
- No more abuse!
- Respect Our Bodies!
- Respect Our Choices!
Fair is at Ryerson - 55 Gould St.
Dance by CAMP SIS at 707 Dundas St. West

Time:  Rally 11:00 am March 1:00 pm Fair 1:30 pm Dance 8:00 pm
Venue:  OISE Auditorium
Location:  252 Bloor St. West (St. George Subway Station), Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.iwdtoronto.org
Categories:   Women; Human Rights, Law, Legal; International

JACK tells the inspirational story of Jack Layton's life: from his love life with NDP Member of Parliament Olivia Chow, to his move to the national political stage, to his unfortunate death in 2011.

Time:  8:00pm - 10:00pm
Venue:  CBC television
Categories:   Politics & Political Organizations; Government & Public Sector

Come join us for an evening of inspirational stories of animal rescue, redemption and sanctuaries.

Time:  7pm -9pm
Venue:  Northern District Public Library, 2nd Floor
Location:  40 Orchard View Blvd., Toronto, ON
Categories:   Animals & Pets; Environment

To commemorate World Water Day and Bottled Water Free Day, this film screening shines light on the real implications of bottling Earth's precious resource in Nestle's products.

Admission is free.

Time:  7:00 pm
Venue:  Mahone Bay Centre
Location:  Mahone Bay, NS
For information contact:  southshore.coc@gmail.com
Phone:  527-2928
Categories:   Environment; Business & Economics

To celebrate the Law Union of Ontario's 40th anniversary, they have combined forces with activists to create an exciting collection of events including: workshops, panels, and discussions.

Please Register at the website provided.

Time:  8:00am - 6:00pm
Venue:  Victoria College, University of Toronto
Location:  91 Charles Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.lawunion.ca/conference
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Come for a better understanding of Canada's current extractivist development strategy and how improvements can be made to it in the future.
Admission is free but make sure to RSVP to beyondextraction@gmail.com.

Time:  9:00 am
Venue:  Carleton University, UC, Room 180
Location:  1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://www.miningwatch.ca
Categories:   Mining & Petroleum; Government & Public Sector

FIN's first seminar challenges the Canadian Government's management of our fisheries and estimates that unless changes are made, all edible seafood will be depleted by 2048. Come join us with our discussion of how this will not only affect the environment but also: politics, economics and international relations.

Time:  6-8 PM
Venue:  Sandford Fleming Building, Room 1105
Location:  10 King's College Road, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.finsustain.com/events.php
For information contact:  info@finsustain.com
Categories:   Fishing & Hunting; Environment; International

- Connect and network with brands, agencies, entertainment and digital executives
- Experience successful cross-media brand integrations
- Identify the key trends transforming and driving digital and social media
- Align your digital marketing with overall business goals
- Improve your ability to manage multiple campaigns across multiple platforms

Venue:  Downtown Marriott
Location:  Downtown Marriott, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.digitalmediasummit.ca
Categories:   Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations; Media, Entertainment, News, Communications

International Day of Happiness!

Kensington Market Historical Society will present two distinguished speakers, each the author of an iconic book on the region: Jean Cochrane (Kensington, Boston Mills Press, 2000), and Rosemary Donegan (Spadina Avenue, Douglas & McIntyre, 1985.)
Jean Cochrane will present "Kensington Market: An Evolving Haven", an illustrated overview of the Kensington Market area through its many changes.
Rosemary Donegan will speak on "Spadina Avenue: The Gateway to Kensington Market." In this illustrated talk, Donegan will focus on the stretch of Spadina Avenue running from College Street south to Dundas Street - a bustling hive of commerce and entertainment that has for the
past century served as a kind of Main Street for the inhabitants of the Kensington area.
"We felt it important that our first public foray take a broad view of the issues we plan to explore in our future activities", says Dennis Reid, President of the Society, "laying a solid foundation for our
subsequent investigations of the history of Kensington Market."
About Kensington Market Historical Society
The objectives of Kensington Market Historical Society are to gather, study and disseminate knowledge pertaining to the Kensington Market area of Toronto. The Society aims to develop a resource of documentary literature that will include new primary research exploring cultural,
historical and art-historical topics specific to the Kensington Market area.

Time:  6:00 pm
Location:  239 College Street (at Huron), Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.kmhs.ca
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space

- This event will present two distinguished speakers, each the author of an iconic book on the region: Jean Cochrane (Kensington, Boston Mills Press, 2000) and Rosemary Donegan (Spadina Avenue, Douglas & McIntyre, 1985).

Time:  6:00 pm
Venue:  Lillian H. Smith Library
Location:  239 College St. (at Huron), Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.kmhs.ca
Categories:   Arts & Culture

We have some terrific award-winning films this year. And, we’re pleased to announce that we have two filmmakers joining us: Velcrow Ripper with Occupy Love for our opening night and Andrew Nisker with Orange Witness on Saturday afternoon.
Mini-Gala: New this year, we have an opening night mini-Gala planned for after Occupy Love, our kick-off film. This will take place at our hospitality sponsor: Tony & Adams Restaurant. This is a chance to relax, chat and meet our evening’s filmmaker, Velcrow Ripper. Note: gala is only open to that evening’s movie attendees.

Location:  Thunder Bay, ON
Website:  http://tbefilmf.wordpress.com/
For information contact:  Charlene Rogers - environmentalfilmnetwork@gmail.com
Phone:  807-475-3631
Categories:   Environment; Arts & Culture; Media, Entertainment, News, Communications

Down syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human condition, exists in all regions across the globe and commonly results in variable effects on learning styles, physical characteristics or health.

Adequate access to health care, to early intervention programmes and to inclusive education, as well as appropriate research, are vital to the growth and development of the individual.

In December 2011, the General Assembly declared 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day (A/RES/66/149). The General Assembly decided, with effect from 2012, to observe World Down Syndrome Day on 21 March each year, and Invites all Member States, relevant organizations of the United Nations system and other international organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to observe World Down Syndrome Day in an appropriate manner, in order to raise public awareness of Down syndrome.

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid "pass laws". Proclaiming the Day in 1966, the General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination (resolution 2142 (XXI)).

In 1979, the General Assembly adopted a Programme of activities to be undertaken during the second half of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (A/RES/34/24). On that occasion, the General Assembly decided that a week of solidarity with the peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination, beginning on 21 March, would be organized annually in all States.

Since then, the apartheid system in South Africa has been dismantled. Racist laws and practices have been abolished in many countries, and we have built an international framework for fighting racism, guided by the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Convention is now nearing universal ratification, yet still, in all regions, too many individuals, communities and societies suffer from the injustice and stigma that racism brings.

International Day of Forests and the Tree!

International Nowruz Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/64/253 of 2010, at the initiative of several countries that share this holiday (Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan.

Inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a cultural tradition observed by numerous peoples, Nowruz is an ancestral festivity marking the first day of spring and the renewal of nature. It promotes values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families as well as reconciliation and neighbourliness, thus contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and different communities.

Poetry contributes to creative diversity, by questioning anew our use of words and things, our modes of perception and understanding of the world. Through its associations, its metaphors and its own grammar, poetic language is thus conceivably another facet of the dialogue among cultures. Diversity in dialogue, free flow of ideas by word, creativity and innovation. World Poetry Day is an invitation to reflect on the power of language and the full development of each person’s creative abilities.

Every year on 21 March UNESCO celebrates the World Poetry Day. A decision to proclaim 21 March as World Poetry Day was adopted during the UNESCO’s 30th session held in Paris in 1999.

According to the UNESCO’s decision, the main objective of this action is to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their communities. Moreover, this Day is meant to support poetry, return to the oral tradition of poetry recitals, promote teaching poetry, restore a dialogue between poetry and the other arts such as theatre, dance, music, painting and so on, support small publishers and create an attractive image of poetry in the media so that the art of poetry will no longer be considered an outdated form of art but one.

UNESCO encourages the Member States to take an active part in celebrating the World Poetry Day, at both local and national level, with the active participation of National Commissions, NGOs and the public and private institutions concerned (schools, municipalities, poetic communities, museums, cultural associations, publishing houses, local authorities, etc.).

In 1979, the General Assembly adopted a Programme of activities to be undertaken during the second half of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (A/RES/34/24).

On this occasion, the General Assembly decided that a week of solidarity with the peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination, beginning on 21 March, would be organized annually in all States.

International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater.

An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/47/193 of 22 December 1992 by which 22 March of each year was declared World Day for Water, to be observed starting in 1993, in conformity with the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) contained in Chapter 18 (Fresh Water Resources) of Agenda 21.

States were invited to devote the Day, as appropriate in the national context, to concrete activities such as the promotion of public awareness through the production and dissemination of documentaries and the organization of conferences, round tables, seminars and expositions related to the conservation and development of water resources and the implementation of the recommendations of Agenda 21.

Come join our forum which will explore green and sacred spaces and how they have and can further be combined.
Please register with us for the cost of $35 (includes lunch).
Learn more about Green Awakening network here: http://www.tucc.ca/churchdevelopment/green-awakening-network.html

Time:  9:00 am to 3:30 pm
Venue:  First Unitarian Congregation
Location:  175 St. Clair West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.greeningsacredspaces.net
Categories:   Environment; Religious

Each year, on 23 March, the World Meteorological Organization, its 189 Members and the worldwide meteorological community celebrate World Meteorological Day around a chosen theme. This day commemorates the entry into force, on that date in 1950, of the WMO Convention creating the Organization. Subsequently, in 1951, WMO was designated a specialized agency of the United Nations System.

On 21 December 2010, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 March as the International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims.

The purpose of the Day is to:

Honour the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations and promote the importance of the right to truth and justice;
Pay tribute to those who have devoted their lives to, and lost their lives in, the struggle to promote and protect human rights for all;
Recognize, in particular, the important work and values of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, of El Salvador, who was assasinated on 24 March 1980, after denouncing violations of the human rights of the most vulnerable populations and defending the principles of protecting lives, promoting human dignity and opposition to all forms of violence.

The UN General Assembly, in its resolution, invites all Member States, international organizations and civil society organizations and individuals, to observe the International Day in an appropriate manner.

World TB Day, falling on March 24th each year, is designed to build public awareness that tuberculosis today remains an epidemic in much of the world, causing the deaths of several million people each year, mostly in developing countries. It commemorates the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch astounded the scientific community by announcing that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus. At the time of Koch's announcement in Berlin, TB was raging through Europe and the Americas, causing the death of one out of every seven people. Koch's discovery opened the way towards diagnosing and curing TB.

The tragic transatlantic slave trade, which marked one of the darkest chapters in human history, lasted for 400 years, despite a spirited resistance by the millions of enslaved peoples.

The transatlantic slave trade, often known as the triangular trade, connected the economies of three continents. It is estimated that between 15 to 20 million people, men, women and children, were deported from their homes and sold as slaves in the different slave trading systems.

The yearly remembrance serves not only as an opportunity to reflect on those that suffered and perished at the hands of slavery, but also as an occasion to raise awareness to the world’s youth about the dangers of racism and prejudice.

The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members is marked each year on the anniversary of the abduction of Alec Collett, a former journalist who was working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) when he was abducted by armed gunman in 1985. His body was finally found in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley in 2009.

The International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members has taken on even greater importance in recent years, as attacks against the United Nations intensify. This is a day to mobilize action, demand justice and strengthen our resolve to protect UN staff and peacekeepers, as well as our colleagues in the non-governmental community and the press.

Come join us as we celebrate with Olivia Chow and other friends of Public Transit the accomplishements we have made so far as we push for a National Transit Strategy.
Free snacks will be provided and volunteer awards will be handed out in the beginning of the night.

Time:  7 pm
Venue:  Free Times Cafe
Location:  320 College Street, Toronto, ON
Categories:   Transportation & Travel; Politics & Political Organizations; Awards, Scholarships, Prizes

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that manifests itself during the first three years of life. The rate of autism in all regions of the world is high and it has a tremendous impact on children, their families, communities and societies.

Throughout its history, the United Nations family has promoted the rights and well-being of the disabled, including children with developmental disabilities. In 2008, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities entered into force, reaffirming the fundamental principle of universal human rights for all.

The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day (A/RES/62/139) to highlight the need to help improve the lives of children and adults who suffer from the disorder so they can lead full and meaningful lives.

Come join our collection of young voters and political candidates to discuss climate change and its toll on British Columbia.

Time:  7pm (doors at 6:30)
Venue:  The Rio Theatre
Location:  1660 East Broadway (and Commercial Drive), Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://bringyourboomers.com
Categories:   Environment; Politics & Political Organizations

On 8 December 2005, the General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

It called for continued efforts by States, with the assistance of the United Nations and relevant organizations, to foster the establishment and development of national mine-action capacities in countries where mines and explosive remnants of war constitute a serious threat to the safety, health and lives of the civilian population, or an impediment to social and economic development at the national and local levels.

The Outreach Programme on the Rwanda Genocide and the United Nations is an information and educational outreach programme run by the United Nations Department of Public Information.

The programme was established by the General Assembly on 23 December 2005 (A/RES/60/225) to "mobilize civil society for Rwanda genocide victim remembrance and education in order to help prevent future acts of genocide". The programme's mandate was extended on 17 December 2007 (A/RES/62/96).

The programme focuses on learning the lessons of the Rwanda genocide in order to help prevent similar acts in the future, as well as raising awareness of the lasting impact of genocide on the survivors and the challenges that they still face today.

World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April to mark the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948. Each year a theme is selected for World Health Day that highlights a priority area of public health concern in the world.

The theme for 2013 is hypertension.

Hypertension – also known as high blood pressure – increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. Uncontrolled hypertension can also cause blindness, irregularities of the heartbeat and heart failure. The risk of developing these complications is higher in the presence of other cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes. One in three adults worldwide has hypertension. The proportion increases with age, from 1 in 10 people in their 20s and 30s to 5 in 10 people in their 50s. Prevalence of hypertension is highest in some low-income countries in Africa, with over 40% of adults in many African countries thought to be affected.

Join us for an exciting evening when many of the VOW delegates who attended the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women will update us on all that happened during their time at the UN.

Vegetarian Dinner and report back and special acknowledgement of our New Members.

$20 per person or pay what you can.

Contact us by email info@vowpeace.org or by telephone 416-603-7915

Time:  6pm- 930pm
Venue:  Friends House
Location:  60 Lowther, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://vowpeace.org
For information contact:  Sandra
Phone:  416-603-7915
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Women

Come to this public forum on the political, economic and social situation in Haiti since the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the United Nations' cholera outbreak. We will also discuss how solidarity can be established between Toronto and progressive grassroots organizations in this Caribbean island-nation.

Time:  7 pm
Venue:  William Doo Auditorium
Location:  45 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON
Categories:   International; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

With the new provincial government lead by Kathleen Wynne, it has become very important to let our voices be heard regarding the approaching Budget and how it relates to decent living wages. The Raise the Rates Campaign is calling on supporters to hold actions at local MPP's and Minister's offices the week of April 8 to demand real actions to combat poverty. Other issues at stake are to raise the three year freeze on minimum wage and to increase it to $14 an hour as well as to raise social assistance rates by 55%.

Toronto Buses:
1) East-end: leaves Carlton and Sherbourne, 12.30 PM
2) West-end: leaves from out front Parkdale Legal (1266 Queen St W) at 1:15pm
*Call and register to confirm a seat on the bus: 416-925-6939

Time:  2 pm
Venue:  Charles Sousa, Minister of Finance, constituency office
Location:  Missausauga South, Missausauga, ON
Phone:  416-925-6939
Categories:   Government & Public Sector; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Human Rights, Law, Legal

The General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/65/271 of 7 April 2011, declared 12 April as the International Day of Human Space Flight “to celebrate each year at the international level the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes.”

12 April 1961 was the date of the first human space flight, carried out by Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet citizen. This historic event opened the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity. The General Assembly expressed its deep conviction of the common interest of mankind in promoting and expanding the exploration and use of outer space, as the province of all mankind, for peaceful purposes and in continuing efforts to extend to all States the benefits derived there from.

This year’s observance has been organized by the United Nations Academic Impact, an initiative of the Secretary-General. As a global alliance of more than 800 institutions of higher education and research, it is committed to supporting the United Nations realize its mission and mandates.

Come explore green living with over 400 exhibitors on everything from health, wellness, home, automotive, business, decor, fashion and food.

Venue:  Direct Energy Centre
Location:  Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.greenlivingonline.com/torontoshow/
Categories:   Environment; Business & Economics

The Green Living Show is North America’s largest green consumer show dedicated to educating the public about easy and workable solutions for leading a sustainable lifestyle. The three day event offers innovative products, demonstrations and ideas to help fuel the green economy. Health, wellness, home, automotive, business, decor, fashion and food - all showcased at the Green Living Show.

Celebrate leading Eco-Innovations at the NEW innovation exhibit. Savour locally sourced foods prepared by the country’s leading chefs. Understand the green economy at our popular Green Jobs and Business Forum and participate in dedicated youth programming. Great Fun for the whole family with something for every one from children’s interactive displays to automotive test drives, and home building / renovation displays.

Visitors can shop at over 400 exhibits, eat local foods prepared by renowned chefs, taste eco-friendly wines and enjoy a diverse selection of demonstrations, presentations, and activities.

Venue:  Green Living Show Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place
Location:  Lakeshore Blvd. & Strachan Ave, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.greenlivingonline.com/torontoshow/

A momentous gathering of businesses, governments and NGOs to discuss the real implications of climate change and what can be done to help combat it.

Venue:  India
Location:  New Delhi
Website:  http://www.b4esummit.com
For information contact:  Roshilah Atan
Phone:  roshilah.atan@globalinitiative
Categories:   Environment; International; Business & Economics

Sakura Saunders hosts an evening of exploring the exploits and implications of the Munk Contract which led to the creation of the Munk School of Global Affairs. The Munk Contract was signed in secret and the public only became aware of it once two professors put out a Freedom of Information request for it.

Time:  6:30 pm
Venue:  University of Toronto/OISE
Location:  252 Bloor St W. room 5150, Toronto, ON
Categories:   Information, Libraries, Research; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

This conference will explore various themes and their relation to urban forestry including: historical narratives, urban tree cultures and identities, social inclusion, from government to governance, urban ecology pedagogies, as well as adaptation and vulnerability.
Please remember to register for this event.

Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.ufpe.ca
Categories:   Environment; Politics & Political Organizations

Ontario's Science Fiction and Fantasy Music Festival

As it says in the header, FilKONtario is a festival of music that has its roots in fantasy and science fiction. Every year we spend a weekend in a hotel in Mississauga singing, listening, making friends and having a great deal of fun. Most of us stay at the hotel, but some of us commute. We have lots of concerts, music circles and free snacks in the Consuite. By Sunday evening, we are sorry it is all over. Come and find out why we love filking so much!

Location:  Mississauga, ON
Website:  http://www.filkontario.ca/
Categories:   Music

Come to this book launch for Continental Crucible: Big Business, Workers and Unions in the Transformation of North America (Fernwood) by Richard Roman and Edur Velasco Arregui. There will also be a panel discussion featuring numerous speakers including co-author of the book, Richard Roman.

Time:  7 pm
Venue:  Ryerson Student Centre
Location:  55 Gould Street, Toronto, ON
Categories:   Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language; Labour, Workplace, Unions; Business & Economics

Come and witness an incredible talk by Adriana Pérez, wife of one of five Cuban intelligence officers arrested and sentenced to long prison terms in the United States for their efforts to monitor violent anti-Cuba groups in Miami. These five men have become known as the Cuban Five, and Pérez's husband, Gerardo Hernández, was sentenced to the harshest punishment, two life terms plus 15 years.

Time:  6:30 pm
Venue:  Steelworkers Hall
Location:  25 Cecil Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://canadiannetworkoncuba.ca/tribunal
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; International

Exciting and funÂ…..fundraising event for Gaza' s Ark in Toronto fabulous music and silent auction

Live music featuring
Doula (Maryem Tollar and Roula Said with guest Nahmeh Farahmand
Eagle Woman Singerz
Layaleena Dabkeh Dancers

$20 for tickets (does not include dinner or drinks)
Doors open at 6pm and show starts at 7pm

Silent auction featuring beautiful hand crafted dresses and jewellery from Palestine

For dinner reservations guarantee seating please call 416-588-0307
Buy your tickets online:
Other information info@gazaark.org or call 416-716-4010

Time:  6pm - 11:30pm
Venue:  LulaLounge
Location:  1585 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://gazaark.org
For information contact:  Sandra
Phone:  416-716-4010
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Human Rights, Law, Legal

Mother Earth is a common expression for the planet Earth in a number of countries and regions, which reflects the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species and the planet. For instance, Bolivians call Mother Earth Pachamama and Nicaraguans refer to her as Tonantzin.

The proclamation of 22 April as International Mother Earth Day is an acknowledgement that the Earth and its ecosystems provide its inhabitants with life and sustenance. It also recognizes a collective responsibility, as called for in the 1992 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations of humanity.

23 April was first proclaimed as World Book and Copyright Day by UNESCO in 1995. The Day is celebrated by a growing number of partners and since its launch has shown itself to be a great opportunity for reflection and information on a significant theme.

It is observed by millions of people in over 100 countries, in hundreds of voluntary organizations, schools, public bodies, professional groups and private businesses. In this lengthy period, World Book and Copyright Day has won over a considerable number of people from every continent and all cultural backgrounds to the cause of books and copyright. It has enabled them to discover, make the most of and explore in greater depth a multitude of aspects of the publishing world: books as vectors of values and knowledge, and depositories of the intangible heritage; books as windows onto the diversity of cultures and as tools for dialogue; books as sources of material wealth and copyright-protected works of creative artists. All of these aspects have been the subject of numerous awareness-raising and promotional initiatives that have had a genuine impact. There must nevertheless be no let-up in these efforts.

In December 2005, United Nations General Assembly resolution A/60/5 on improving global road safety called for a Global Road Safety Week. This resolution followed others from both the United Nations General Assembly and the World Health Assembly that reflected the growing concern over the problem of road traffic injuries on the part of governments and of the international public health and development communities. The Week will be modeled on previous Road Safety Weeks organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and on World Health Day 2004.

Come join us for a screening of Twyla Roscovich's ground breaking documentary "Salmon Confidential" which follows biologist Alexandra Morton as she discovers why BC's salmon population is in decline. Both Roscovich and Morton will be there to discuss the film, grassroots science-based activism, and the safety of our food supply among other things.

Time:  7 pm
Venue:  Ladner Community Centre
Location:  4734 51st Street, Ladner, BC
For information contact:  Cathy, cathwi@telus.net
Phone:  (604) 946-0877
Categories:   Environment; Fishing & Hunting

In 2010, about 3.3 billion people - almost half of the world's population - were at risk of malaria. Every year, this leads to about 216 million malaria cases and an estimated 655 000 deaths. People living in the poorest countries are the most vulnerable.

World Malaria Day - which was instituted by the World Health Assembly at its 60th session in May 2007 - is a day for recognizing the global effort to provide effective control of malaria. It is an opportunity:

- for countries in the affected regions to learn from each other's experiences and support each other's efforts;
- for new donors to join a global partnership against malaria;
- for research and academic institutions to flag their scientific advances to both experts and general public; and
-for international partners, companies and foundations to showcase their efforts and reflect on how to scale up what has worked.

Every year on April 26, World Intellectual Property Day celebrates innovation and creativity and how intellectual property fosters and encourages them.

This forum will discuss our precious Lake Ontario as well as other sources of water such as other lakes, rivers, watersheds and aquifers that bring life to our region. Guest speakers will include: Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, as well as others who will remind us of the fact that our sources of water are valuable and shared.

Time:  12 pm - 5 pm
Venue:  Harbourfront Centre
Location:  235 Queens Quay W, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.canadians.org/greatlakes
Categories:   Environment

Discover Sustainable Healthy Living

Venue:  Ottawa Convention Centre
Location:  55 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://www.LivingGreenExpo.info
Categories:   Environment

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an annual international campaign to promote safe, healthy and decent work. It is held on 28 April and has been observed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) since 2003.

The Conference of the States Parties at its Tenth Session PDF (paragraph 23.3 of C-10/5, dated 11 November 2005) decided that a memorial Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare would be observed on 29 April each year — the date in 1997 on which the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force.

This commemoration will provide an opportunity to pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare, as well as to reaffirm the commitment of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the elimination of the threat of chemical weapons, thereby promoting the goals of peace, security, and multilateralism.

Now in its 21st year, The annual Canadian Environmental Conference & Tradeshow (CANECT) offers exceptional Professional Development courses for environmental managers and professionals combined with one of Canada's largest Environment Health & Safety tradeshows.

For more information about the conference and courses or to register as an exhibitor for the 2013 event, go to the Envirogate Event Management website at:
http://www.envirogate.ca/index.php/spring-programs-canect/overview

Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://envirogate.ca
For information contact:  Denise Simpson
Phone:  905 727 4666

In November 2011, the UNESCO General Conference proclaimed PDF document 30 April as "International Jazz Day". The Day is intended to raise awareness in the international community of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people. Many governments, civil society organizations, educational institutions, and private citizens currently engaged in the promotion of jazz music will embrace the opportunity to foster greater appreciation not only for the music but also for the contribution it can make to building more inclusive societies.

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then, 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. It is an opportunity to:
* celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom;
* assess the state of press freedom throughout the world;
* defend the media from attacks on their independence;
* pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Categories:   Media, Entertainment, News, Communications; Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language; Human Rights, Law, Legal

"Vesak", the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May, is the most sacred day to millions of Buddhists around the world. It was on the Day of Vesak two and a half millennia ago, in the year 623 B.C., that the Buddha was born. It was also on the Day of Vesak that the Buddha attained enlightenment, and it was on the Day of Vesak that the Buddha in his eightieth year passed away.

The General Assembly, by its resolution 54/115 of 1999, recognized internationally the Day of Vesak to acknowledge the contribution that Buddhism, one of the oldest religions in the world, has made for over two and a half millennia and continues to make to the spirituality of humanity. This day is commemorated annually at the UN Headquarters and other UN offices, in consultation with the relevant UN offices and with permanent missions, which also wish to be consulted.

By resolution 59/26 of 22 November 2004, the UN General Assembly declared 8 - 9 May as a time of remembrance and reconciliation and, while recognizing that Member States may have individual days of victory, liberation and commemoration, invited all Member States, organizations of the United Nations System, non-governmental organizations and individuals to observe annually either one or both of these days in an appropriate manner to pay tribute to all victims of the Second World War.

The Assembly stressed that this historic event established the conditions for the creation of the United Nations, designed to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, and called upon the Member States of the United Nations to unite their efforts in dealing with new challenges and threats, with the United Nations playing a central role, and to make every effort to settle all disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations and in such a manner that international peace and security are not endangered.

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) was initiated in 2006 and is a global awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the protection of migratory birds and their habitats. On the second weekend each May, people around the world take action and organise public events such as bird festivals, education programmes and birdwatching excursions to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day and to help raise awareness around a specific theme.

This conference will discuss the various benefits of depending on the world's forests for food and nutrition, especially for those in the developing countries. Other topics to be explored will be possible policies that can be put in place to increase the roles of forests, trees on farms and agroforestry systems in food security and nutrition as well as to identify the key challenges that need to be faced that hinder that contribution.

Feel free to contact us at: forests-foodsecurity@fao.org

Location:  Rome, Italy
Website:  http://www.fao.org/forestry/food-security
For information contact:  Eva Muller
Phone:  (+39) 06 570 54628
Categories:   Farming; Environment; Food & Beverage

The International Day of Families is observed on the 15th of May every year. The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 with resolution A/RES/47/237 and reflects the importance the international community attaches to families. The International Day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families.

In its resolution, the General Assembly also noted that the family-related provisions of the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits of the 1990s and their follow-up processes continue to provide policy guidance on ways to strengthen family-centred components of policies and programmes as part of an integrated comprehensive approach to development.

The International Day of Families has inspired a series of awareness-raising events, including national family days. In many countries, that day provides an opportunity to highlight different areas of interest and importance to families. Activities include workshops and conferences, radio and television programmes, newspaper articles and cultural programmes highlighting relevant themes.

This marks the 20th Anniversary of the River Symposium which will discuss and educate people about ways in which we can and the importance of preserving the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes Ecosystem.

For more information about the event: ccollard@riverinstitute.ca

Location:  Cornwall, ON
Website:  http://www.riverinstitute.ca
For information contact:  Christina Collard
Phone:  6139366620 ext 222
Categories:   Environment

The St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences, in partnership with the Raisin Region Conservation Authority, is pleased to host its 20th annual international River Symposium on the St. Lawrence River Great Lakes Ecosystem. The meeting theme highlights the connection between the St. Lawrence, Great Lakes and their watersheds, and the challenges and successes of empowering communities to participate in the restoration and protection of these connected ecosystems. The annual symposium is a key meeting place to bring together stakeholders to understand the issues and challenges facing our precious water resource. Knowledge is the most powerful tool to protecting water ecosystems.

The symposium will explore how we can empower communities to become better stewards of water ecosystems by protecting water, improving wetlands, beaches and nearshore areas, protecting habitats and biodiversity, tracking new chemical threats to our rivers and lakes, and by assessing the need for adaptation to mitigate a warming climate.

Location:  Cornwall, ON
Website:  http://www.riverinstitute.ca
For information contact:  Christina Collard
Phone:  6139366620 ext 222

Michael Harris, award-winning author of several books including: Rare Ambition: The Crosbies of Newfoundland, Unholy Orders: Tragedy at Mount Cashel, and Justice Denied: The Law Versus Donald Marshall, has turned his renowned skills of investigative journalism to the state of Canada's parliamentary democracy.

Time:  7:30 pm
Venue:  Lunenburg Fire Hall
Location:  25 Medway Street, Lunenburg, NS
For information contact:  southshore.coc@gmail.com
Phone:  527-2928
Categories:   Government & Public Sector

The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide. 17 May marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union.

In 2001, UNESCO adopted the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity and in December 2002, the UN General Assembly, in its resolution 57/249, declared May 21 to be the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.

The day provides us with an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the values of cultural diversity and to learn to live together better.

The UN General Assembly, by its resolution 60/119 of 8 December 2005, requested the annual observance of the Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

In the UN Charter, a Non-Self-Governing Territory is defined as a Territory “whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government”.

In 1946, several UN Member States identified a number of Territories under their administration that were not self-governing and placed them on a UN list. Countries administering Non-Self-Governing Territories are called administering Powers. As a result of the decolonization process over the years, most of the Territories were removed from the list.

It urged the administering Powers concerned to take effective measures to safeguard and guarantee the inalienable rights of the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories to their natural resources, including land, and to establish and maintain control over the future development of those resources, and requests the Administering Powers to take all necessary steps to protect the property rights of the peoples of those Territories.

It also urged all States, directly and through their action in the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system, to provide moral and material assistance to the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories.

The United Nations General Assembly, by its resolution 55/201 of 20 December 2000, proclaimed 22 May as The International Day for Biological Diversity, to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The date designated for the day was chosen to commemorate the adoption of the text of the Convention on 22 May 1992 by the Nairobi Final Act of the Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The day was first created by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in late 1993, and the UN General Assembly, by its resolution 49/119 of 19 December 1994, designated December 29th (the date of entry into force of the Convention of Biological Diversity) the International Day for Biological Diversity. However, it was difficult for many countries to plan and carry out suitable celebrations for the date of 29 December, given the number of holidays that coincide around that time of year.

The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, which is commemorated each year on the 29th of May, is an occasion to salute the 120,000 peacekeepers serving in 17 missions in some of the world’s most volatile and dangerous environments. This Day is also a time to mourn fallen peacekeepers. During its history, nearly 3,000 “Blue Helmets” have died devoting their lives to peace, including 112 men and women in 2011.

Every year, on 31 May, WHO and partners everywhere mark World No Tobacco Day, highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death globally and is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults worldwide.

The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2013 is: ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

Global Day of Parents

On 19 August 1982, at its emergency special session on the question of Palestine, the General Assembly, “appalled at the great number of innocent Palestinian and Lebanese children victims of Israel’s acts of aggression”, decided to commemorate 4 June of each year as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression (resolution ES-7/8).

The purpose of the day is to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. This day affirms the UN's commitment to protect the rights of children.

Without staying informed, expanding traditional thinking, and adapting to new ideas - no real change is possible. Our industry is constantly pushing itself forward with new thinking that is changing the built environment in ways that will impact generations of Canadians. This is why in 2013 the CaGBC National Conference and Expo will be focused on not just building sustainably, but Building Lasting Change.
Bringing our industry together in one, comprehensive event

Each year, the CaGBC brings the green building industry together for the CaGBC National Conference and Expo. It is the premier green building event that connects sustainably-minded businesses, organizations and individuals, and encourages them to look beyond their day to day work and embrace the bigger picture.

This year we're taking it a step further, by building on the themes and ideas generated at last year's Conference in order to more specifically target our education streams, keynote speakers, and events to highlight the latest that Canadian green building has to offer.

Location:  Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.cagbc.org/Content/NavigationMenu/TheCaGBC/NationalEvents/CaGBCExpo2013June
Categories:   Environment

World Environment Day is an annual event that is aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. World Environment Day activities take place all year round but climax on 5 June every year, involving everyone from everywhere.

World Environment Day celebration began in 1972 and has grown to become the one of the main vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.

Through World Environment Day, the UN Environment Programme is able to personalize environmental issues and enable everyone to realize not only their responsibility, but also their power to become agents for change in support of sustainable and equitable development.

World Environment Day is also a day for people from all walks of life to come together to ensure a cleaner, greener and brighter outlook for themselves and future generations.

On June 8th sex workers and allies across Canada will hold actions in 6 cities across Canada in support of repealing prostitution laws currently being challenged in *Bedford v. Canada*. Sex workers and their allies, families and friends are asked to come out and support sex workers in the Supreme Court challenge that will be heard on June 13. These events have been organized in solidarity with sex workers to show public support for Bedford, Lebovitch, and Scott in their courageous fight against Canada's unjust prostitution laws.

WHAT: "Sex Workers Will Be Heard!" March and Community Gathering
WHY: Sex workers are calling for the decriminalization of prostitution
WHERE: March begins at Moss Park (Queen & Sherbourne). Community Gathering
at Allan Gardens
Community Gathering at 3 PM WHO: community leaders, sex workers and our friends,
family and supporters

Prostitution laws threaten the liberty and security of almost every sex worker in all sectors of the indoor and outdoor sex industry. Sex workers and allies call for people who support the removal of all prostitution laws to be visible and vocal in their support for sex workers' rights.
The Canadian sex worker rights movement has called for the decriminalization of sex work for more than 30 years. Decriminalization is part of our larger struggle for the recognition and actualization of sex workers' rights.

Time:  1:30 pm
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.maggiestoronto.ca
For information contact:  Chanelle Gallant
Phone:  647-362-8838

By its resolution 63/111 of 5 December 2008, the UN General Assembly designated 8 June as World Oceans Day.

The official designation of World Oceans Day is an opportunity to raise global awareness of the challenges faced by the international community in connection with the oceans.

Winnipeg Folk Festival

info@winnipegfolkfestival.ca
1-866-301-3823

Location:  Winnepeg, MB
Website:  http://www.winnipegfolkfestival.ca/
Phone:  (204) 231-0096
Categories:   Music

The International Labour Organization (ILO) launched the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it. Each year on 12 June, the World Day brings together governments, employers and workers organizations, civil society, as well as millions of people from around the world to highlight the plight of child labourers and what can be done to help them.

The ILO’s adoption of Convention No. 182 in 1999 consolidated the global consensus on child labour elimination. Millions of child labourers have benefited from the Convention, but much remains to be done. The latest figures estimated that 215 million children are trapped in child labour, and 115 million of these children are in hazardous work. The ILO’s member states have set the target for eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016. To achieve this goal requires a major scaling up of effort and commitment.

On 14 June, countries worldwide celebrate World Blood Donor Day with events to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank voluntary unpaid blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood.

The global population of people aged 60 years and older will more than double, from 542 million in 1995 to about 1.2 billion in 2025. Around 4 to 6% of elderly people have experienced some form of maltreatment at home. Elder maltreatment can lead to serious physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences. The incidence of abuse towards older people is predicted to increase as many countries are experiencing rapidly ageing populations.

Elder abuse is a global social issue which affects the health and human rights of millions of older persons around the world, and an issue which deserves the attention of the international community.

The United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution 66/127, designated June 15 as World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. It represents the one day in the year when the whole world voices its opposition to the abuse and suffering inflicted to some of our older generations.

The demand for life’s essentials will rise significantly in the next 20 years. About 50% more food will be needed, 40% more energy and 35% more water. How will these demands be met and with what resources?

In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 17 the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought to promote public awareness of the issue, and the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa.

Whether you are coming by yourself or with the entire clan there's something for everyone, you don't even have to be Scottish! Celtic Music, crafts for the kids, heavy events championships, bagpipes, drums, author appearances, bands, Highland dancing, story telling, singing, clan information and heritage, beer tents, artisans and vendors galore! Enjoy the best of Scotland... without the airfare.

Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex (Fergus)
550 Belsyde Ave. E.
Fergus, Ontario
Canada N1M 2P7


info@FergusScottishFestival.com
519.787.0099
1.866.871.9442

Location:  Fergus, ON
Website:  http://www.fergusscottishfestival.com/index.cfm?page=home
Phone:  1.866.871.9442
Categories:   Music

Home County presents its 40th Anniversary festival July 19 – 21, 2013 in downtown London’s beautiful Victoria Park. Hear some of Canada’s finest songwriters sharing the stories behind their songs on three afternoon workshop stages, and sit back and enjoy the evening main-stage concerts at the Kiwanis Memorial Bandshell.

Home County is renowned for its juried craft show, showcasing 120 Canadian artisans. Craft booths include pottery, glass, jewelry, fine art, textiles, metal, wood, photography and gourmet foods.

Location:  London, ON
Website:  http://www.homecounty.ca/
Categories:   Music

For years, many countries and regions have been holding their own Refugee Days and even Weeks. One of the most widespread is Africa Refugee Day, which is celebrated on 20 June in several countries.

The UN General Assembly, on 4 December 2000, adopted resolution 55/76 where it noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had agreed to have International Refugee Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day on 20 June.

The General Assembly therefore decided that 20 June would be celebrated as World Refugee Day.

Summer Solstice, sometimes known as Midsummer, Litha, or St. John's Day, occurs in the middle of June. It is a celebration of the longest day of the year and the beginning of Summer. It has been a grand tribal gathering time since ancient times. The Goddess manifests as Mother Earth and the God as the Sun King. Colors are Yellow, Green, and Blue. It is a festival of community sharing and planetary service.
Summer Solstice 2013 occurs Jun 20 11:04 PM MDT
Opening Ceremonies 5:30(ish) PM Friday. Closing Circle 4:30 PM Sunday
Contact Ken at 482-2292 for Bus information

Location:  Driftple Valley, AB
Website:  http://lslncca.ca/current/indexnew.php
Categories:   Music

In December 2010, the General Assembly declared 23 June as International Widows’ Day (A/RES/65/189). The General Assembly decided, with effect from 2011, to observe International Widows’ Day on 23 June each year, and called upon Member States, the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations, within their respective mandates, to give special attention to the situation of widows and their children.

The first International Widows’ Day was observed on 23 June 2011, providing an opportunity to give special recognition to the plight of widows and their children in order to restore their human rights and alleviate poverty through empowerment.

The UN General Assembly, in its resolution 57/277, designated 23 June as Public Service Day.

The UN Public Service Day intends to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community; highlight the contribution of public service in the development process; recognize the work of public servants, and encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector.

Since the first Awards Ceremony in 2003, the United Nations has received an increasing number of submissions from all around the world.

With Brian Roper, author of The History of Democracy - A Marxist Interpretation

The concept of democracy has become tarnished in recent years, as governments become disconnected from voters and pursue unpopular policies. And yet the ideal of democracy continues to inspire movements around the world, most recently the uprisings across the Arab world. Brian Roper refreshes our understanding of democracy using a Marxist theoretical framework. He traces the history of democracy as it has passed through various historical moments from Athenian democracy to the Roman Republic, the revolutionary emergence of liberal representative and socialist participatory democracy in Europe and North America, and the global spread of democracy during the past century.

Roper argues that democracy cannot be understood separately from underlying processes of exploitation, and the class and social struggles these generate. He offers an engaging Marxist critique of representative democracy, and raises the possibility of alternative socialist and participatory democratic forms, which will be of interest to students and scholars of history, politics, and those in other disciplines who are concerned about the past, present, and future of democracy.

Brian Roper is a long-time activist on the socialist left in New Zealand and an Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Otago. He is the author of The History of Democracy – A Marxist Interpretation.

Time:  7:00 - 9:00 pm
Venue:  Beit Zatoun
Location:  612 Markham Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://beitzatoun.org
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Politics & Political Organizations

25 June of each year is the "Day of the Seafarer", recognizing the invaluable contribution seafarers make to international trade and the world economy, often at great personal cost to themselves and their families.

Ali Abunimah from Electronic Intifada in conversation with Rick Salutin

Media and the creation, reporting and dissemination of news plays a major part in our everyday reality. To many observers this is the single most critical factor in the creation or maintenance of war or peace and therefore a key point of resistance. We see this perhaps most starkly in the search for justice and peace in the 100 year struggle for Palestine against Zionism.

It is only recently that this equation has shifted thanks to relative decline of traditional mainstream media and ascendancy of online news sources and resources such as Electronic Intifada. Is this a "game changer" for Palestine - Israel and other situations of abusive power in the world?

Ali Abunimah is co-founder of Electronic Intifada and author of One Country: A Bold-Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. Founded in 2001, the Electronic Intifada, an independent online news publication and educational resource focusing on Palestine, its people, politics, culture and place in the world, has helped change media perception of Palestine especially in North America. Hear Ali Abunimah in conversation with Toronto Star columnist, Rick Salutin. Followed by Q&A with the audience.
Doors open at 6:50; $10 suggested

Time:  7:00 - 9:00 pm
Venue:  Beit Zatoun
Location:  612 Markham Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://beitzatoun.org
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Media, Entertainment, News, Communications

By resolution 42/112 of 7 December 1987, the General Assembly decided to observe 26 June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse. This resolution recommended further action with regard to the report and conclusions of the 1987 International Conference on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Torture seeks to annihilate the victim’s personality and denies the inherent dignity of the human being. The United Nations has condemned torture from the outset as one of the vilest acts perpetrated by human beings on their fellow human beings.

Torture is a crime under international law. According to all relevant instruments, it is absolutely prohibited and cannot be justified under any circumstances. This prohibition forms part of customary international law, which means that it is binding on every member of the international community, regardless of whether a State has ratified international treaties in which torture is expressly prohibited. The systematic or widespread practice of torture constitutes a crime against humanity.

On 12 December 1997, by resolution 52/149, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 26 June the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, with a view to the total eradication of torture and the effective functioning of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, (resolution 39/46), annex, which entered into force on 26 June 1987.

Smithers Midsummer Music Festival

Location:  Smithers, BC
Website:  http://www.smithersmusicfest.com/
Categories:   Music

An International Festival of Songwriters

Stan Rogers Folk Festival
Queen Street Extension
P.O. Box 46
Canso, NS B0H 1H0

Phone: 888.554.7826
Fax: 902.366.2978
Email: queries@stanfest.com

Location:  P.O. Box 46, Canso, NS
Website:  http://www.stanfest.com/
Phone:  888.554.7826
Categories:   Music

Harrison Festival Society

info@harrisonfestival.com

Location:  Harrison Hot Springs, BC
Website:  http://www.harrisonfestival.com/
Phone:  (604) 796-3664
Categories:   Music

In 1992, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed, in its resolution 47/90 of 16 December 1992, the International Day of Cooperatives to be celebrated annually on the first Saturday of July.

The aim of this International Day is to:

Increase awareness on cooperatives;
Highlight the complementarily of the goals and objectives of the United Nations and the international cooperative movement;
Underscore the contribution of the movement to the resolution of the major problems addressed by the United Nations;
Strengthen and extend partnerships between the international cooperative movement and other actors, including governments, at local, national and international levels.

As the world population edged to 7 billion people in 2011 (up from 2.5 billion in 1950), it has had profound implications for development. A world of 7 billion is both a challenge and an opportunity with implications on sustainability, urbanization, access to health services and youth empowerment.

In 1989, in its decision 89/46, the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme recommended that, in order to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues in the context of overall development plans and programmes and the need to find solutions for these issues, 11 July should be observed by the international community as World Population Day.

This is an amazing event and there are only two in Canada like this that I know of that are FREE! So please offer your support when they pass the hat around and keep this wonderful time happening here. - Lennie Gallant
2009 Canterbury Folk Festival
15 time ECMA Award Winner.


canterburyfolkfestival@ingersoll.ca

Location:  122 Innes Street, Ingersoll, ON
Website:  http://www.canterburyfolkfestival.on.ca/
Phone:  519-485-6337
Categories:   Music

Vancouver Island Music Fest located at Comox Valley Fair Grounds

Location:  Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.islandmusicfest.com/
Categories:   Music

3rd International Conference on Environmental Pollution and Remediation (ICEPR)

The International Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (International ASET Inc.) is proud to present the 3rd International Conference on Environmental Pollution and Remediation (ICEPR).

ICEPR is a series of international conferences held yearly. These conferences focus on all aspects of Environmental Science, Engineering, and Technology. After successfully holding the second ICEPR in Montreal (Canada), International ASET Inc. will be hosting this conference in Toronto this year.

ICEPR is an acronym for International Conference on Environmental Pollution and Remediation.

The aim of ICEPR'13 is to bring together the Canadian and International community working in the field of environmental sciences, engineering, and technology, and to foster an environment conducive to present advances in this field. This conference will also provide a golden opportunity to develop new collaborations and gather world experts on the different topics including pollution detection, environmental remediation, and pollution prevention. Through the 3rd conference a great opportunity to share knowledge and expertise will be created taking advantage from the synergy of the 1st and 2nd conference. The ICEPR'13 program will include invited keynote talks, oral presentation sessions, and poster sessions.

For more information in regards to ICEPR, please visit the website!

Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://icepr2013.international-aset.com/
For information contact:  icepr2013@international-aset.com
Categories:   Environment

In November 2009, the UN General Assembly declared 18 July "Nelson Mandela International Day" in recognition of the former South African President’s contribution to the culture of peace and freedom.

General Assembly resolution A/RES/64/13 recognizes Nelson Mandela’s values and his dedication to the service of humanity, in the fields of conflict resolution, race relations, the promotion and protection of human rights, reconciliation, gender equality and the rights of children and other vulnerable groups, as well as the upliftment of poor and underdeveloped communities. It acknowledges his contribution to the struggle for democracy internationally and the promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world.

Northern Ontario Fiddle & Stepdance Championship July 19th & 20th, 2013

Hello and welcome to the Fiddleworks website! The menu which contains all the sections is found on the left. Check everything out! Thanks and enjoy your stay.

About us:
FIDDLEWORKS is a not-for-profit corporation established in 1999 to promote year-round fiddle and stepdance which includes the annual 'Northern Ontario Fiddle & Stepdance Championship' in July.

Committee members - Norm Rivard (president), Dee Beaulieu, Renee Bradley, Joelle Hamelin, Yvon Lalonde, Paul Lemelin, Melika Lemelin, Antoinette Lemelin, Jean-Paul Lemelin.

Contact Info
Fiddleworks|Violon à l'oeuvre
4972 Fiddleworks
Chelmsford, Ontario
P0M 1L0
Tel: (705) 855-0248
E-Mail: info@fiddleworks.net

Location:  Chelmsford, ON
Website:  http://www.fiddleworks.net/index.shtml
Phone:  705-855-0248
Categories:   Music

The 2013 lineup features a great mix of veterans and rookies, popular and emerging performers, and as always, Folk on the Rocks’ unique combination of northern and southern talent.
Tickets for the 2013 Folk on the Rocks Music Festival go on sale Friday April 19th, at the “early-bird” rate (“advance” rate begins May 13) and are available at Fiddles & Stix, 5018-52nd St., Yellowknife and on-line at www.folkontherocks.com. Entering its 33rd year, Folk on the Rocks is Northern Canada’s largest festival north of 60.

Hayden
Grapes of Wrath
Hey Ocean!
George Leach
Digawolf (Jesse James Gon)
The Crooked Brothers
Owls by Nature
Nelson Tagoona
The Trade-offs
Jaffa Road
Paulatuk Moonlight Drummers & Dancers
Louis Goose
The Sweet Lowdown
The Medicine Hat
Kelly Clark
Natasha Duchene
Erebus & Terror
The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer
BAM!
Poor Choices
Dene Drummers
Genticorum
The Kerplunks
Yes Nice

Location:  Yellowknife, ON
Website:  http://folkontherocks.com/
Categories:   Music

35 years of music and still going strong...

Dubbed “Canada’s tiny perfect Festival” by Vancouver’s Georgia Straight, the Dawson City Music Festival has been a fixture of the Yukon cultural calendar since 1979. This truly unique, grassroots event offers world-class music from a variety of genres and annually draws an appreciative and spirited audience from around North America.


Thanks to everyone who helped make the 2012 Dawson City Music Festival a great success.


Join us, July 19-21, 2013, for the 35th annual Festival.

Location:  Dawson City, YT
Website:  http://www.dcmf.com/
Phone:  867.993.5584
Categories:   Music

Folk on the Rocks

Location:  Yellowknife, NT
Website:  http://folkontherocks.com/
Categories:   Music

23rd Annual

The Ness Creek Cultural & Recreational Society is a not-for-profit organization that exists primarily to create an annual Festival to celebrate Music, Arts, Community and Ecology in the boreal forest.

Location:  804 Dufferin Avenue, Saskatoon, SK
Phone:  306-652-6377
Categories:   Music

South Country Fair is a rural, peace-oriented, camping, music and arts festival that manifests itself annually just outside Fort Macleod, Alberta.

Location:  Fort Macleod, AB
Website:  http://www.scfair.ab.ca/Who/tabid/63/Default.aspx
Categories:   Music

Vancouver Folk Music Festival

Location:  Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://thefestival.bc.ca/
Categories:   Music

du 24 au 25 juillet
Centre-ville de Joliette

du 26 au 28 juillet
Parc Bosco à Saint-Charles-Borromée

1 888 810-6798

Location:  25, place Bourget Nord, bureau C, Joliette, QC
Website:  http://memoireracines.org/
For information contact:  festival@memoireracines.org
Phone:  450 752-6798
Categories:   Music

Staged in one of BC’s loveliest parks, overlooking the Fraser River, the Mission Folk Music Festival presents a festival renowned for its mix of accessibility and easy-going comfort, affordability and small-town friendliness, shaded day stages and some of the finest folk, world, roots, blues and brilliantly “un-categorizable” music from across Canada and around the world.

The Festival Music Camp will be July 22 to 26

1-866-494-FOLK (3655) Toll Free

Location:  Mission, BC
Website:  http://www.missionfolkmusicfestival.ca
Phone:  604-826-5937
Categories:   Music

Hillside Festival

Location:  Guelph, ON
Website:  http://hillsidefestival.ca/
Categories:   Music

Despite its staggering toll on health, hepatitis remains a group of diseases that are largely unknown, undiagnosed and untreated.

The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.

The resolution (A/RES/65/275) places particular emphasis on involving young people, as future leaders, in community activities that include different cultures and promote international understanding and respect for diversity.

The Day is also intended to support the goals and objectives of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace and the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010).

To mark the International Day of Friendship the UN encourages governments, international organizations and civil society groups to hold events, activities and initiatives that contribute to the efforts of the international community towards promoting a dialogue among civilizations, solidarity, mutual understanding and reconciliation.

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 170 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. It commemorates the Innocenti Declaration made by WHO and UNICEF policy-makers in August 1990 to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is the best way to provide newborns with the nutrients they need. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding until a baby is six months old, and continued breastfeeding with the addition of nutritious complementary foods for up to two years or beyond.

Western Canada's largest bluegrass festival.

Location:  Stoney Plain, AB
Website:  http://blueberrybluegrass.com
For information contact:  info@blueberrybluegrass.com
Categories:   Music

Welcome to the Canmore Folk Music Festival!

Bringing exquisite folk music to the Rocky Mountains in Alberta since 1978, the Canmore Folk Music Festival is a destination for residents of Alberta and beyond!

Location:  Canmore, AB
Website:  http://www.canmorefolkfestival.com/
Phone:  403.678.2524
Categories:   Music

Great Woods Park www.greatwoodspark.com and GWMF Music Society will proudly present the 18th annual indoor-outdoor Blues/Rock/Roots music festival in a beautiful 120-acre park and campground on the banks of the Brokenhead River, at a very unique venue, The Moonrise Cabana on August 8-10, 2013
park@greatwoodspark.com

Location:  Beausejour, MB
Website:  http://www.greatwoodspark.com/Festival-greatwoods/index.htm
Phone:  204-268-2814
Categories:   Music

2013 CELTIC ROOTS FESTIVAL ARTISTS
The 2013 Celtic Roots Festival design by artist Linda Wiebe has been revealed! This year, we are featuring the SUN TURTLE
The Once The Kruger Brothers Brock McGuire Band De Temps Antan Niamh Ni Charra
Sean Keane The Fretless Ennis James Keelaghan Cara Luft Archie Fisher
Kimberley Fraser Shane Cook & Jake Charron Comas Kim Robertson & Sharlene Wallace
Cassie & Maggie MacDonald Caroline Keane & Tom Delany Canadian Celtic Choir
Té Gentlemen of Song Huron Harp School with El Salvador Peace Ensemble

Location:  Goderich, ON
Website:  http://www.celticfestival.ca/fr_home.cfm
For information contact:  Email festival@celticfestival.ca
Phone:  519-524-8221
Categories:   Music

Edmonton Folk Music Festival

Location:  Edmonton, AB
Website:  http://www.edmontonfolkfest.org/
Categories:   Music

TD Festival of Friends

Time:  Friday 3pm-11pm Saturday & Sunday 12pm-11pm
Location:  Hamilton, ON
Website:  http://www.creativearts.on.ca/aboutus.html
Phone:  905-777-9777
Categories:   Music

The Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival brings the best in traditional and contemporary folk music to the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. We are Nova Scotia’s longest-running folk festival and have showcased great Nova Scotian, Canadian and international talent during our 25 years. We are proud to have introduced many of the Maritimes’ best-loved musicians to a wider audience on our stages.

info@folkharbour.com


Folk Steps Conference - August 8th, 2013
Musical Traditions of Acadie, Louisiana and Quebec

Location:  125 Montague Street, PO Box 655, Lunenburg, NS
Website:  http://www.folkharbour.com/
Phone:  902-634-3180
Categories:   Music

The International Day of the World's Indigenous People (9 August) was first proclaimed by the General Assembly in December 1994, to be celebrated every year during the first International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1995 – 2004).

In 2004, the Assembly proclaimed a Second International Decade, from 2005 – 2015, with the theme of "A Decade for Action and Dignity."

Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival

toll-free 1-866-576-8508

Email: office@nlfolk.com

Location:  St John's, NL
Website:  http://www.nlfolk.com/
Phone:  (709) 576-8508
Categories:   Music

From August 9th to 11th, Victoria Park will come alive with the sounds of Regina's best alternative to mainstream music: The Regina Folk Festival. The 2013 festival lineup is very exciting, featuring an incredible blend of musical styles, cultural influences and above all, some of the world's best talent. With free daytime concerts and workshops, a CHILDREN'S AREA with music & crafts, an ARTISTS' MARKET with all sorts of one-of-a-kind stuff, the outdoor ROCK GARDEN with liquids to get your mind racing and your body moving, and a FABULOUS FOOD COURT with soul nourishing edibles, the Regina Folk Festival is a full-on experience. Enjoy a weekend of international talent, art and culture in an intimate setting.

Location:  101-1855 Scarth Street, Regina, SK
Website:  http://www.reginafolkfestival.com/festival-info.html
For information contact:  info@reginafolkfestival.com
Phone:  306-757-0308
Categories:   Music

On 17 December 1999, in its resolution 54/120, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) that 12 August be declared International Youth Day.

Welcome to the Northern Lights Bluegrass & Old Tyme Music Society

We are a non-profit society of members who do a whole heck of a lot to promote bluegrass and old time music all over Saskatchewan and beyond. We host a big Festival and Music Camp every August and during the year we keep ourselves busy with Old Time Dances, Concerts, Jams, Potlucks and generally too much fun.

info@northernlightsbluegrass.ca

Location:  Saskatoon, SK
Website:  http://www.northernlightsbluegrass.ca/
Phone:  306.373.4190
Categories:   Music

The Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival is held at the Salmon Arm Fair Grounds–with Mount Ida and the Fly Hills providing a scenic background. We are one block off the Trans Canada Highway in the centre of Salmon Arm.

Location:  Salmon Arm, BC
Website:  http://www.rootsandblues.ca
Categories:   Music

Student, Social movements and labour activists from across Ontario will come together to build alternatives to a right-wing agenda of austerity, poverty and repression. We believe a future is possible that respects democracy, environment, land and human rights. But we need deep organizing.

Time:  9am - 5pm
Venue:  Holiday Inn Toronto Yorkdale
Location:  3450 Dufferin St, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://commonfront.nationbuilder.com/2013_08_general_assembly
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Politics & Political Organizations; Labour, Workplace, Unions

World Humanitarian Day is a time to recognize those who face danger and adversity in order to help others. The day was designated by the General Assembly to coincide with the anniversary of the 2003 bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, which killed 22 UN staff.

Every day humanitarian aid workers help millions of people around the world, regardless of who they are and where they are. World Humanitarian Day is a global celebration of people helping people.

What Future for Egypt?

Egypt is going through its worst economic recession since the Great Depression, with high unemployment particularly among youth, capital flight, corruption, lawlessness, and depreciating currency. An elected President is deposed while millions of Egyptians demonstrated for change. What does the future hold for Egypt? Will democracy return to Egypt? Will the new government succeed in turning the economy around?

Dr. Gouda Abdelkahleq is Professor of Economics at Cairo University, he has an MA in Economics from UBC and a PhD from McMaster University. Dr. Abdelkahleq served twice as Minister in the the two governments post Mubarak and just turned down a ministerial post in the newly formed government.

Need to know:
- Doors open at 6:50
- $5 donation (suggested minimum)
- Accessible on demand via portable ramp; washrooms not accessible

Tasty refreshments (non-alcoholic) with Zatoun oliveoil+za'atar dipping.

Time:  7:00 pm
Venue:  Beit Zatoun
Location:  612 Markham Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://beitzatoun.org
Categories:   International

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is intended to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all peoples.

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition was first celebrated in a number of countries, in particular in Haiti (23 August 1998) and Goree in Senegal (23 August 1999). Cultural events and debates too were organized. The year 2001 saw the participation of the Mulhouse Textile Museum in France in the form of a workshop for fabrics called "Indiennes de Traite" (a type of calico) which served as currency for the exchange of slaves in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Eaglewood Folk Festival

Location:  Pefferlaw, ON
Website:  http://www.eaglewoodfolk.com/
Categories:   Music

2013 Art Theme: Cargo Cult
Who is John Frum? Across the ages and around the world, the stories all agree: one day he will return, bearing great gifts.

What Is Burning Man?
Once a year, tens of thousands of participants gather in Nevada's Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. They depart one week later, having left no trace whatsoever. Burning Man is also an ever-expanding year-round culture based on the Ten Principles.

What Isn't Burning Man?
Burning Man isn't your usual festival, with big acts booked to play on massive stages. In fact, it's more of a city than a festival, wherein almost everything that happens is created entirely by its citizens, who are active participants in the event.

Website:  http://www.burningman.com

FEATURED SPEAKERS:
- Tarek Ramadan: Spokesperson for Egyptian Community of B.C.
- Azza: Tunisian Social Justice Activist. MAWO Executive Member
- Ali Yerevani: Political Editor for the Fire This Time Newspaper.

Time:  7PM
Venue:  Joe's Cafe
Location:  1150 Commercial Dr. (at Williams St.), Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.mawovancouver.org
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; International; Politics & Political Organizations

On 2 December 2009, the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly declared 29 August the International Day against Nuclear Tests by unanimously adopting resolution 64/35. The resolution calls for increasing awareness and education “about the effects of nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions and the need for their cessation as one of the means of achieving the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.” The resolution was initiated by the Republic of Kazakhstan, together with a large number of sponsors and cosponsors with a view to commemorate the closure of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test site on 29 August 1991.The Day is meant to galvanize the United Nations, Member States, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, youth networks and the media to inform, educate and advocate the necessity of banning nuclear weapon tests as a valuable step towards achieving a safer world.

On 21 December 2010, by its resolution 65/209 the UN General Assembly expressed its deep concern, in particular, by the increase in enforced or involuntary disappearances in various regions of the world, including arrest, detention and abduction, when these are part of or amount to enforced disappearances, and by the growing number of reports concerning harassment, ill-treatment and intimidation of witnesses of disappearances or relatives of persons who have disappeared.

By the same resolution the Assembly welcomed the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and decided to declare 30 August the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, to be observed beginning in 2011.

Two of Canada's largest unions are planning a rally in Toronto this Friday to protest the Harper government's decision to allow U.S. telco giant Verizon to compete in Canada's telecommunications market. The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union and the Canadian Auto Workers, together to become Unifor, have organized the march through downtown Toronto.
"Opposition to allowing Verizon to take over our Telco industry is growing every day," says CEP President Dave Coles. "The deal will give Verizon the green light to piggyback on technology built by and for Canadians, and put thousands out of work."
"There is the falsity being circulated right now that allowing Verizon in Canada will automatically lower costs for consumers," says CAW President Ken Lewenza. "Not only will this not be the case, Canadian jobs are at stake."

Time:  12:30 pm
Location:  151 Yonge Street (corner Richmond), Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.cep.ca
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

The founding convention to create a new union - Unifor - uniting more than 300,000 members from two of Canada's largest unions will be held Aug. 31st and Sept. 1st at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
More than 2,500 elected leaders from the Canadian Auto Workers union (CAW) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) - from every province and territory and nearly every sector of the economy - will gather for the two-day event, before leading Toronto's Labour Day Parade under their new banner on Sept. 2
It will be the largest gathering of a single labour union in decades. Unifor has generated considerable interest for its commitment to open the doors of unionism and take a new approach.
Policy and discussion papers will call on the new union to expand organizing efforts into traditionally non-unionized sectors of the economy, build a strong community-based presence through Community Chapters, and advocate at all political levels for issues that affect all working people.

Venue:  Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Location:  255 Front Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.newunionconvention.ca
For information contact:  Shannon Devine
Phone:  416-302-1699
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Labour, Workplace, Unions

This year, Labour Day marks the formation of a new union - Unifor - with the coming together of the Communications Energy and Paperworkers' union and the Canadian Auto Workers.
Unifor is Canada's newest union - A union for everyone.
To celebrate we are hosting a free public concert at Nathan Phillips Square with diverse acts from all across Canada. Come see some of Canada's greatest bands:
STARS - Blackie and the Rodeo Kings - Les Colocs.

Time:  6:30pm
Venue:  Nathan Phillips Square
Location:  100 Queen St W, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.newunionconvention.ca.
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Labour, Workplace, Unions

International Day of Charity!

On September 11, 2001 a small group of religious extremists shocked the world by killing more than 3,000 people. United States President George W. Bush responded by declaring a “War on Terror”. As Canada’s Parliament rushed to pass a tough new Anti-Terrorism law, Canada’s shocked Muslim leaders struggled to deal with a sudden wave of Islamaphobia.
In a revealing new documentary, Film Maker Fuad Chowdhury and former CBC Security Correspondent Bill Gillespie show how Canadian Muslims became 9/11’s unintended victims.
Chowdhury interviews an impressive roster of top academics, journalists and religious leaders who explain how the fallout from 9/11 spilled over the border. A compelling interview with young Muslim couple reveals their fears about raising their children in a society where their religion is under suspicion. Change your name Ousama! was made possible with the participation of OMNI Television, a division of Rogers Communications.

Time:  6:30pm - 9:00pm
Venue:  Ralph Thornton Centre
Location:  765 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.doctoronto.ca/events/free-community-connections-screening
For information contact:  jackie@docorg.ca
Categories:   Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Religious; Media, Entertainment, News, Communications

On March 11, 2011 a 9.0 earthquake triggered a massive tsunami off the coast of Japan. This disaster resulted in an estimated 15,878 deaths and trillions of dollars in damage, including a partial meltdown at three reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

In April 2012, Yogi, Buddhist teacher and activist Michael Stone arrives on a pilgrimage to Japan in the wake of the tsunami and Fukushima meltdown to learn how the Japanese are responding to the crisis. Michael speaks with local residents, artists, activists, and researchers about life in the aftermath and reflects on the old Zen traditions and cities of beautiful temples. How we can embody the Bodhisattva vow in this time?
REACTOR is a short film that aims to uncover how and why we can let go of old stories, and move towards personal and social awakening by bringing to light our interconnectedness and showing us that our actions matter.

Time:  6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Venue:  Beit Zatoun
Location:  612 Markham St, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.reactorfilm.com
Phone:  647-726-9500
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Environment; Health/Health Care

Join Run for the Earth for the second annual eco PARADE on Sunday September 8, 2013! Come dressed in FULL COSTUME that you own, borrow, rent, or salvage. Consume nothing new! The parade starts at 10AM at Trinity Bellwoods Park and ends at 1PM at the Vegetarian Food Festival at the Harbourfront Centre. To register or get more information, please visit www.RunForTheEarth.org.
Spread the word and come join us for a family-friendly fun-filled time!
About Us:
Run for the Earth is a non-profit eco group founded in 2011 in Toronto, Canada. We believe that the key to a sustainable tomorrow lies in society's transition from massive overconsumption to consuming less and consuming smarter, to having compassion and ethics, and to leading a happier and healthier lifestyle. Our mission is to develop and promote educational materials to explain the major causes of overconsumption and their respective solutions. We hold annual events, such as parades and runs, to connect with the public and exemplify ways to enjoy a simpler life. To learn more about us, please visit www.RunForTheEarth.org .

Time:  10AM-1PM
Location:  starts at 10AM at Trinity Bellwoods Park and ends at 1PM at the Vegetarian Food Festival at the Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.runfortheearth.org
For information contact:  Run for the Earth, info@runfortheearth.org
Categories:   Environment

For over 40 years now, UNESCO has been celebrating International Literacy Day by reminding the international community that literacy is a human right and the foundation of all learning.

ICCE 2013: International Conference and Exhibition on Clean Energy
September 9 - 11, 2013
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

ICCE 2013 takes place in Ottawa, Canada. Nestled on the banks of the majestic Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau Rivers, Ottawa is one of the most beautiful G8 capitals in the world. Ottawa is also rich in culture and heritage with its many national institutions, parklands, waterways and historic architecture.

This conference is organized to share and discuss recent developments in clean energy sector. The aim of ICCE 2013 is to gather researchers, scientists, engineers, practitioners, policy makers, from all over the world to present advances in the clean energy technologies. We are in an era in which there is a continuous progress in green energy sources and technologies and ICCE 2013 will provide a forum to exchange information, present new technologies and developments, and discuss the future direction, strategies and priorities in the field of clean energy.

Location:  Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://iaemm.com/ICCE2013/
For information contact:  icce2013@iaemm.com
Categories:   Environment

World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September promotes worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides. On average, almost 3000 people commit suicide daily. For every person who completes a suicide, 20 or more may attempt to end their lives.

Our conference venue, the Eaton Chelsea hotel is offering special delegate rates starting at $159/night (plus applicable taxes and gratuities). For reservations, call 1-800-243-5732 and reference affiliation with our group: Compost Council of Canada.
The 23rd National Compost Conference will be held in Toronto, Ontario taking place September 11-13, 2013 at the Eaton Chelsea, 33 Gerrard Street West. Our Conference annually provides some of the most extensive opportunities for learning and networking available nationally for those engaged in organics recycling and compost marketing and utilization, providing a national forum. Participants include representatives from all levels of government (particularly with interests in Environment, Agriculture, and Economic Development), industry (organic waste generators, compost system manufacturers and designers, facility operators, consultants and others) and academia.

Venue:  Eaton Chelsea
Location:  33 Gerrard Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.compost.org/English/attend_events.htm#Toronto_2013
Phone:  18002435732
Categories:   Environment; Economic Development

In the 2013 Vancouver Human Rights Lecture, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond will cover a range of topics including a description of living conditions and statistics on Aboriginal children in BC, and how we might go about addressing these unacceptable statistics. She will discuss recent work of the Representative's Office and the government's role in Aboriginal services over the past ten or so years. She will also look at education past and present and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as related to the rights described in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Time:  7 PM
Venue:  Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, UBC Point Grey Campus
Location:  2260 West Mall, 2nd Floor, Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.rcybc.ca/Content/AboutRCY/WhoWeAre/WhoWeAre.asp
Phone:  604.822.1444
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Native Peoples

South-South cooperation, as an important element of international cooperation for development, offers viable opportunities for developing countries and countries with economies in transition in their individual and collective pursuit of sustained economic growth and sustainable development.

Developing countries have the primary responsibility for promoting and implementing South-South cooperation, not as a substitute for but rather as a complement to North-South cooperation, and in this context reiterating the need for the international community to support the efforts of the developing countries to expand South-South cooperation.

By resolution 58/220 of 23 December 2003, the General Assembly decided to declare 19 December, United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation. On 22 December 2011, the General Assembly, in its decision 66/550, decided that, beginning in 2012, the observance of the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation would be changed from 19 December to 12 September, to mark the day in 1978 when the United Nations Conference on Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries adopted the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries.

Mark your calendars for the 5th Annual Green Gala on Saturday, September 14, 2013 from 7-10 pm at Tucker House in Rockland, ON. The Green Gala is the annual fundraising event in support of Tucker House Renewal Centre, a charitable retreat and environmental learning organization which operates throughout the Ottawa community as well as at our beautiful 30-acre property in Rockland.
The Green Gala is a unique, ecologically-oriented event that features local and sustainable food and beverages, organic beer, a silent & live eco-auction and other fun activities. Guests are invited to dress in 'vintage masquerade' attire to suit the atmosphere of Tucker House. Tickets are limited to the first 100 people. Our goal is to raise funds for our programs and activities while celebrating our work and having a great time with like-minded people.
Tickets are only $45 each! You can order your tickets online at http://www.maisontuckerhouse.ca/
More about Tucker House
Our programs cover a wide range of topics, including green energy, simple living and organic gardening. We also offer nature camps and retreats for children and school groups at our 30-acre facility located in Rockland, Ontario. We also run Bunching Onions, an organic garden that operates as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). We at Tucker House are becoming well-known in the community as a name for sustainability and the go-to organization for learning how to live lightly on the earth.

Time:  7-10 pm
Venue:  Tucker House
Location:  1731 Tucker Rd, Rockland, ON
Website:  http://www.maisontuckerhouse.ca
For information contact:  Leslie-Ann Robertson,larobertson@sympatico.ca
Categories:   Environment

The UN General Assembly, in resolution A/62/7 (2007) encouraged Governments to strengthen national programmes devoted to the promotion and consolidation of democracy, and also decided that 15 September of each year should be observed as the International Day of Democracy.

In 1994, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 16 September the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, commemorating the date of the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (resolution 49/114).

States were invited to devote the Day to promote activities in accordance with the objectives of the Protocol and its amendments. The ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas, protects the Earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, thus helping preserve life on the planet.

Frustrated about congestion in Ottawa? Feel like you’re wasting time and money sitting in traffic every day? It’s time to make your commute faster and more fun! The third edition of STW is coming to Ottawa September 16 to 22. Coordinated by EnviroCentre in partnership with the City of Ottawa and Vivre en Ville in Gatineau, the goal of STW is to encourage residents of the National Capital Region to walk, cycle, take transit, and carpool instead of driving alone.
There are many benefits of sustainable transportation: saving time and money, getting exercise as part of your daily routine, and exploring new neighbourhoods. Participants in Sustainable Transportation Week also benefit by being eligible to win about $4,000 worth prizes, including:
•a trip for 4 on VIA Rail;
•a year of free transit from OC Transpo; and
•$50 at Bayshore Mall or Smakk.ca!
How can you participate?
•Commit to using sustainable transportation at least once by joining our free online contest. It only takes a minute to enter and you become eligible for $4,000 worth of exciting prizes!
•Follow the bike-bus-car race to see which mode can navigate through rush-hour traffic the fastest!
•Learn about how your workplace can benefit from flex-hours at the public conference on work-shifting.
•Participate in the launch of Ottawa’s first Sustainability Tour on September 14th and explore rural and urban sites in the region that demonstrate a commitment to economic, environmental, and social sustainability.

Location:  Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://www.infostw.org/ottawa/
Categories:   Transportation & Travel

Bidder 70 centers on an extraordinary, ingenious and effective act of civil disobedience demanding government and industry accountability. In 2008, University of Utah economics student Tim DeChristopher committed an act which would redefine patriotism in our time, igniting a spirit of civil disobedience in the name of climate justice.
On December 19, 2008 Tim DeChristopher disrupted a highly disputed Utah BLM Oil and Gas lease auction, effectively safeguarding thousands of acres of pristine Utah land that were slated for oil and gas leases. Not content to merely protest outside, Tim entered the auction hall and registered as bidder #70. He outbid industry giants on land parcels (which, starting at $2 an acre, were adjacent to national treasures like Canyonlands National Park), winning 22,000 acres of land worth $1.7 million before the auction was halted.
Two months later, incoming Interior Secretary Ken Salazar invalidated the auction. DeChristopher, however, was indicted on two federal felonies with penalties of up to 10 years in prison and $750,000 in fines. Patrick Shea, former BLM Director for Clinton, represented DeChristopher pro-bono.

Time:  6:30 - 9:00 pm
Venue:  The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
Location:  506 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://cinemapolitica.org
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and writer Chris Hedges will be speaking about his experience with the on-the-ground reportage and writing of days of destruction, days of revolt as he travelled to depressed pockets of the United States to report on recession-era America. What follows is a terrifying glimpse of the future for America and the nations that follow its lead — a future that will be avoided with nothing short of revolution. This publication addresses occupy Wall Street in Hedges’s first book since the international protests began.
Introductions by Simon Black and CAW Economist Jim Stanford. Q & A moderated by Punam Khosla.
Tickets $20. Available online now at Canadian Dimension

Time:  7:00 pm
Venue:  Bloor United Church
Location:  300 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://canadiandimension.com/store/item/5394/
Categories:   Arts & Culture

Ryerson University and the Canadian Civil Liberties Assocation partner to present the fourth annual RightsWatch Conference. Join us for a discussion of the impact that new technologies and modes of communication have on legal and societal understandings of privacy, freedom of expression and the media.

Venue:  Ted Rogers School of Management
Location:  Ryerson University, 55 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.ccla.org/events/rightswatch-2013
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal

Ontario Nature is holding its fourth annual Youth Summit to bring young leaders from across the province together for a weekend of building friendships and exploring beautiful Lake Couchiching. The Summit will be hosted by Ontario Nature's Youth Council.
WANTED: Young people in grades 9-12 from communities across Ontario
Highlights to look forward to:
-Activities: Bird banding, searching for reptiles and amphibians, hiking, canoeing, nightly campfires and a high-energy team challenge
- Interactive workshops: Ontario's species at risk, green technology, First Nations traditional medicine, urban planning, local food and MUCH more!
- An inspiring keynote presentation delivered by Rob Stewart, conservationist and creator of the highly-acclaimed films Sharkwater and Revolution
If you are a young person in grades 9-12 and are interested in building your leadership skills, learning more about conservation from experts, or meeting new friends who share a passion for nature, register at www.ontarionature.org/youthsummit

Venue:  YMCA Geneva Park
Location:  Orillia, ON
Website:  http://www.ontarionature.org/youthsummit
For information contact:  Sarah Hedges, sarahh@ontarionature.org
Phone:  416-444-8419 ext. 241
Categories:   Nature & Outdoors

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.

Are you interested in working, volunteering, studying or living overseas? Check out opportunities in more than 100 countries at the 2013 Go Global Expo (www.letsgoglobal.ca).
Taking place September 21 - 22 at the Sheraton Centre in downtown Toronto, this FREE event will showcase:
Volunteer-sending organizations, universities from around the world, jobs abroad, non-profit groups, jobs teaching English, internships, adventure travel operators and lots more!
Verge Magazine's 2013 Travel Photo Exhibit.
Informational seminars and workshops presented each hour by experts in the field.
Drop by to speak with exhibitors, or plan your visit to attend one or more of the hourly seminars.
For more information, please visit www.letsgoglobal.ca.

Time:  September 21, 2013 - 11:00am - September 22, 2013 - 5:00pm
Venue:  Sheraton Centre
Location:  123 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.letsgoglobal.ca
Categories:   Education

The One World Film Festival brings together filmmakers, activists, students, and members of the public concerned about human rights and environmental sustainability. The OWFF features documentary film screenings, panel discussions, Q&A's with visiting filmmakers, kiosks, and presentations from NGO's.

Venue:  Library and Archives Canada,
Location:  395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://oneworldarts.ca/film/about
Categories:   Arts & Culture

A sustainable, in other words, safe, efficient, economical energy supply adapted from renewable energy is the great challenge of our time.
The focus at RENEXPO® will be set on renewable generation, smart distribution and efficient use of energy; in short: on sustainable energy systems. Key aspects this year are Combined Heat and Power, Wood Energy, Wind Energy, EnergyPlus Buildings, Resource Efficiency and Acceptability & Project Management.
In short RENEXPO® covers the entire spectrum of renewable energy generation, intelligent energy distribution and efficient use of energy. It is a meeting place for decision makers and presents energy supply and energy use of today and tomorrow.
At RENEXPO® 2012, 350 exhibitors on 19,500 sqm will be showcasing innovative products and solutions for highly complex tasks addressing energy transition.
Internationally, RENEXPO® also is quite successful: 14 % of exhibitors from 12 countries in 2011 show international interest in the German energy platform. This year's partner country is Austria.
The 3-day-RENEXPO® guiding Conference with about 200 speakers, some 20 separate events and 1,500 participants will be providing trend-setting ideas, demonstrating potential risks and opportunities of energy transition and offering solution-oriented applicable knowledge.
The visitors of the energy fair RENEXPO® will be informed in more than 15 forums about almost all renewable and efficient energy technologies.

Location:  Germany
Website:  http://www.renexpo.de
For information contact:  redaktion@reeco.eu
Phone:  49-7121-3016-0
Categories:   Science & Technology

Set in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, the Canadian Deep Roots Music Festival is an annual September event enjoyed by music lovers of all ages. With this picturesque university town and its beautiful natural surroundings as the backdrop, the Canadian Deep Roots Music Festival brings together some of the finest folk and roots singers, songwriters and musicians in the world for a weekend of concerts, workshops and celebration.

The Town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia is in the heart of the Annapolis Valley. With its rich and vibrant history, stunning landscapes and architecture, an abundance of wonderful restaurants, shops and accommodations, as well as a flourishing arts community, Wolfville is an ideal location for an annual music festival.


10th Anniversary

Location:  446A Main Street Wolfville Nova Scotia B4P 1E2 Canada, Wolfville, NS
Website:  http://deeprootsmusic.ca/festival.php
Phone:  (902) 542-ROOT (7668)
Categories:   Music

One of the consequences of the sinking, in 1912, of the Titanic, in which more than 1,500 people lost their lives, was the adoption, two years later, of the first International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (the SOLAS Convention). The 1914 version of the Convention was gradually superseded, respectively, by SOLAS 1929, SOLAS 1948, SOLAS 1960 (the first adopted under the auspices of IMO, then known as IMCO) and SOLAS 1974. SOLAS 1974 is still in force today, amended and updated many times.

World Tourism Day (WTD) is commemorated each year on 27 September.

Its purpose is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. The event seeks to address global challenges outlined in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and to highlight the contribution the tourism industry can make in reaching these goals.

Check out the Annual Salamander Festival at Belfountain Hamlet and Belfountain Conservation Area. Discover the farmers' and artisans' market, live entertainment, tasty local food, kids eco zone, real river critters and live animals.

Belfountain Conservation Area
- Meet real, live salamanders
- Tie a fly with the Izaak Walton Fly Fishing Club
- Kids Eco Zone Activity Centre
- Electrofishing demos
- Discover river critters and more!

Belfountain Hamlet
- Artisans' and farmers' market
- Silent auction and live entertainment
- Exciting new 'Local Food Court' featuring:
- BBQ beef, bison and lamb
- delectables from our restaurateurs
- squash soup, baked potato
- a myriad of baked goods
- warm apple cider & hot organic coffee
- Trash-free & earth-wise practices

Meet Birds of Prey!
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Belfountain Conservation Area
Get "nose to beak" with some amazing birds of prey from Mountsberg Raptor Centre.
For more information contact The Stewardship hotline at 905-670-1615 ext 221 or education (at) creditvalleyca.ca

Time:  11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Venue:  Belfountain Conservation Area
Location:  Belfountain, ON
Phone:  905-670-1615 ext 221

World Rabies Day highlights the impact of human and animal rabies and promotes how to prevent and stop the disease by combating it in animals. Sponsors - the Alliance for Rabies Control and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - report that 55 000 people die every year from rabies, an average of one death every 10 minutes.

There are safe and effective vaccines available for people who have been bitten by an animal that might have the disease, but usage in developing countries is low due to the high cost.

Cardiovascular diseases are the world’s largest killers, claiming 17.3 million lives a year. Risk factors for heart disease and stroke include raised blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, smoking, inadequate intake of fruit and vegetables, overweight, obesity and physical inactivity.

In partnership with WHO, the World Heart Federation organizes awareness events in more than 100 countries - including health checks, organized walks, runs and fitness sessions, public talks, stage shows, scientific forums, exhibitions, concerts, carnivals and sports tournaments.

On 14 December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly (by resolution 45/106) designated 1 October the International Day of Older Persons.

This was preceded by initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing - which was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing - and endorsed later that year by the UN General Assembly.

In 1991, the General Assembly (by resolution 46/91) adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons.

In 2002, the Second World Assembly on Ageing adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, to respond to the opportunities and challenges of population ageing in the 21st century and to promote the development of a society for all ages.

In Resolution 40/202 of 17 December 1985, the UN General Assembly designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day. In 2012, World Habitat Day is commemorated on 1 October.

The International Day of Non-Violence is marked on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.

According to General Assembly resolution A/RES/61/271 of 15 June 2007, which established the commemoration, the International Day is an occasion to "disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness". The resolution reaffirms "the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence" and the desire "to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence".

“Goodbye, my books! Farewell to the house of wisdom… I do not know what became of you after we left….” These haunting words by Khalil al-Sakakini, a prominent Palestinian educator from Jerusalem, chronicle one of the untold stories of the Nakba. As Palestinians were expelled from their land in 1948, librarians from Israel’s National Library followed the militias as they forced their way into Palestinian homes. Their mission was to collect as many valuable books, manuscripts, photographs and artworks as possible – an estimated 70,000 books were seized and labelled ‘AP’ (Abandoned Property). Officially, the Israelis labelled this as a ‘cultural rescue operation’ but for Palestinians it was ‘cultural theft’. In 2008, an Israeli PhD student stumbled across documents in the national archive that revealed the full extent of the ‘collection’ policy. Using interviews, animation and secret footage, the film tells the stories of the books and their owners, and exposes Israel’s refusal to return the looted property to their rightful owners.

Time:  7:00 pm
Venue:  Jacakman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario
Location:  Dundas & McCaul, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://tpff.ca/tpff-program-2013/
Categories:   Arts & Culture

World Space Week is an annual event, observed during the week of 4-10 October.

By Resolution 54/68 of 6 December 1999, the General Assembly proclaimed World Space Week, to celebrate the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition.

The dates recall the launch, on 4 October 1957, of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, and the entry into force, on 10 October 1967, of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.

World Space Week is the largest annual space event in the world. It builds the workforce of tomorrow by inspiring students, demonstrates visible public support for the space program, educates the public about space activities, and fosters international cooperation into space outreach and education. Since 2007, more than 94 nations have participated in more than 2,250 events with more than 1.3 million attendees.

Saturday October 5, 2013
Starting at Queens Park at 1:00PM
WHY WE'RE MARCHING:
To bring recognition of the struggles and value of disabled people as we fight against ableism and other forms of oppression.
To encourage cross-disability solidarity and community building.
To be visible and show that we have a voice in our community and a right to be heard by taking to the streets.
To celebrate and take pride in ourselves as a proud community of disabled people.
Be Loud, Be Proud, Come March with Us!
Find us on Facebook and Twitter @DisabilityPM

Time:  1:00pm - 4:00pm
Location:  Starting at Queens Park and wrapping up at 99 Gerrard Street East, Toronto, ON
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Disability Issues
Event is recurring

Why take a stand for teachers? Because the profession is losing status in many parts of the world.. World Teachers’ Day calls attention the need to raise the status of the profession - not only for the benefit of teachers and students, but for society as a whole, to acknowledge the crucial role teachers play in building the future.

Following up on last year's success, North America's only turbine climbing fundraiser is happening again - and we hope that you can help word!
From October 5th - 8th, 2013, TREC Education presents the 2nd annual Climb the Turbine Fundraiser. Building on the success of last year's event (which raised over $20,000), people from across Ontario will climb the first urban-based, co-operatively owned wind turbine in North America located at Exhibition Place in Toronto, ON. The event will raise funds to inspire and educate youth in renewable energy and energy conservation.
Participation in this event is limited and spots are filling up fast - however we are still looking for individuals or teams of two to climb the wind turbine located at Exhibition Place in Toronto. It would be very much appreciated if you could pass this information on to members of your organization and others who may be interested in participating and support renewable energy education - crucial tool for a renewable future!
Below is an example description you could share with your networks:
Here's your chance to climb to the top of the Toronto wind turbine - and do it in support of teaching youth about the science and benefits of renewable energy.
From October 5th - 8th, 2013, TREC Education presents the 2nd annual Climb the Turbine Fundraiser. Participants will climb a ladder, inside the turbine, with a guide. Each climb, either in pairs or solo, is required to raise at least $500 to participate.

Venue:  Exhibition Place
Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.climbtheturbine.com
For information contact:  Wesley Normington
Categories:   Science & Technology

Join us for Ecology Ottawa’s 7th annual Gala Dinner Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at the St. Elias Banquet Centre to celebrate the agricultural richness and the vibrant environmental community in Ottawa! We will be featuring entertainment, a silent auction, and a chance to connect with a variety of people in Ottawa who are involved in the growing environmental movement. The dinner will be a four-course meal created in collaboration with Executive Chef Michael Blackie of Nextfood.ca and will include vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. This event sells out every year and for 2013 we plan to have over 550 people in the room. This is a great way to support Ecology Ottawa’s important outreach and community building projects while having fun.
Learn more about Ecology Ottawa: http://ecologyottawa.ca/

Venue:  The St. Elias Banquet Centre
Location:  Ottawa, ON
Website:  http://ecologyottawa.ca/eco-gala/
Categories:   Environment

World Post Day is celebrated each year on 9 October, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern. It was declared World Post Day by the UPU Congress held in Tokyo, Japan in 1969.

Since then, countries across the world participate annually in the celebrations. The Posts in many countries use the event to introduce or promote new postal products and services.

The CEB® Clean Energy Building Expo is an international trade fair and congress for energy efficiency and will take place for the fifth time in Budapest. At the exhibition you will receive extensive information on the products, technologies, services and innovations in the area of energy efficient buildings and reconstruction.
The focus in 2013 will be on energy efficient construction and renovation - green building, zero-energy buildings and passive house, intelligent buildings, building automation, smart metering, smart grid, energy rationalization and facility management (office buildings, industrial parks, commercial networks), renovation of old buildings and national monuments, energy consulting, financing and the new supporting systems.
Your target group is represented: Architects, Designers, Engineers, Producers of Materials, Plant and Equipment for Construction, Project Developers, Mechanical Engineer, Public Authorities, Ministries, Communities, Associations, Energy Suppliers, Energy Consultants, Trade, Facility Managers, Contractors, Banks, Tender Writers, Energetic Professionals, Handcraft, Installation, Industry, Science and Research, Service Provider.
The CEB® brings project partners and decision makers together!

Location:  Hungary
Website:  http://www.cep-expo.hu
For information contact:  info@cep-expo.hu
Phone:  36-1-213-4240
Categories:   Science & Technology; Architecture

World Mental Health Day raises public awareness about mental health issues. The day promotes open discussion of mental disorders, and investments in prevention, promotion and treatment services.

Depression affects more than 350 million people of all ages, in all communities, and is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease. Although there are known effective treatments for depression, access to treatment is a problem in most countries and in some countries fewer than 10% of those who need it receive such treatment.

World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness to focus global attention on blindness, visual impairment and rehabilitation of the visually impaired held on the second Thursday in October.

World Sight Day is observed around the world by all partners involved in preventing visual impairment or restoring sight. It is also the main advocacy event for the prevention of blindness and for "Vision 2020: The Right to Sight", a global effort to prevent blindness created by WHO and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.

On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.

Celtic Colours 2013

Location:  Cape Breton Island, ON
Website:  http://www.celtic-colours.com/
Phone:  1.877.285.2321
Categories:   Music

By resolution 44/236 (22 December 1989), the General Assembly designated the second Wednesday of October International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. The International Day was to be observed annually during the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, 1990-1999.

By resolution 64/200 of 21 December 2009 the General Assembly decided to designate 13 October as the date to commemorate the Day and to change the Day's name to International Day for Disaster Reduction. The objective of the observance is to raise awareness of how people are taking action to reduce their risk to disasters.

Are you a Runner or a Walker?
We're looking for dedicated supporters to Walk or Run for Biodiversity as part of the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon, half marathon and 8km races on October 13th.
- All R4B-Victoria runners and walkers who commit to raising $100 will receive a specially-designed Run for Biodiversity T-shirt in appreciation for their fundraising efforts.
- As a special thank you, the top 10 R4B-Victoria fundraisers will be registered for free!
Where do Donations go?
All donations will go to support USC's work with seed-saving farmers in remote regions of the South Asian country of Nepal.
Our R4B-Victoria goal in 2013 is to raise $8,000 to support the community-based agricultural, biodiversity and environmental initiatives of our local NGO partners in Nepal.
Our partners are working with women and men farmers to help ensure they have a diverse and healthy seed supply in order to grow nutrititous food for their families.
Why Run or Walk for Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is all about food and farmers. It's the earth's life-support system, and nature's brilliant insurance policy against disaster. If something fails, there's a back-up plan: Biodiversity! Much is at stake for us all, and in a real sense, USC is helping farmers plant the Seeds of our very Survival.

Location:  Victoria, BC
Website:  http://usc-canada.org/run-for-biodiversity/victoria/
For information contact:  David Rain,rain@usc-canada.org
Phone:  1-613-234-6827, ext 231
Categories:   Sports & Games; Environment; Farming

The first International Day of Rural Women was observed on 15 October 2008. This new international day, established by the General Assembly in its resolution 62/136 of 18 December 2007, recognizes “the critical role and contribution of rural women, including indigenous women, in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty.”

Rural women play a critical role in the rural economies of both developed and developing countries. In most parts of the developing world they participate in crop production and livestock care, provide food, water and fuel for their families, and engage in off-farm activities to diversify their families’ livelihoods. In addition, they carry out vital functions in caring for children, older persons and the sick.

World Food Day!

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been observed every year since 1993, when the UN General Assembly, by resolution 47/196, designated this day to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries. Fighting poverty remains at the core of the UN development agenda.

Are you a Runner or a Walker?
We're looking for dedicated volunteers to Walk or Run for Biodiversity on October 20, in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, half marathon, or 5 km race.
To help support USC's work with seed-saving farmers in Honduras, please send an email to David Rain at R4B@usc-canada.org to receive the details before you register.
Where do Donations go?
All donations go to support USC's work with seed-saving farmers in remote regions of the Central American country of Honduras.
Our R4B-Toronto goal is to raise $12,000 to support the community-based agricultural, biodiversity and environmental initiatives of our local partner, FIPAH, the Foundation for Participatory Research with Honduran Farmers.

Location:  Toronto, ON
Website:  http://usc-canada.org/run-for-biodiversity/toronto/
For information contact:  David Rain
Phone:  1-613-234-6827, ext 231
Categories:   Sports & Games; Farming; Environment

The National College Media Convention is the largest gathering of college journalists and advisers in the world. Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Advisers partner to prepare nearly 400 practical and professional learning sessions, from high-profile keynotes to specific, problem-solving breakouts, hands-on workshops and discussion groups. College Broadcasters, Inc., arranges a slate of broadcast-oriented speakers. Other convention activities include an exhibit hall with vendors who sell to student media, ACP’s Best of Show contest, receptions, awards convocations, critiques and a newspaper job fair.

Breakout sessions for newspapers, online outlets, broadcast stations, yearbooks and magazines are planned to meet the publishing and broadcasting needs of all college and university student media. Some are specifically for college dailies, some for journalists at community colleges and private schools. Others are for those looking for the latest information from the FCC affecting their campus radio station or how to use the latest software. Whether it’s ethics and law, technology and design, advertising and business operations, photography and art or just the basics of news writing and reporting, this convention covers all the bases.

Venue:  Marriott
Location:  New Orleans
Categories:   Awards, Scholarships, Prizes; Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language; Publishers & Publishing

Join the Nature Trust for our 16th Annual Dinner and Auction on October 24, 2012 at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax. Come network with like-minded individuals, learn about land conservation work taking place in Nova Scotia, and help raise critical funds for the Nature Trust to continue saving unique and outstanding places across Nova Scotia. This year’s theme is: Celebrating Nova Scotia’s Treasured Island.
For more details or to purchase your tickets, please call our office at 425-5263 or visit www.nsnt.ca/newsevents/dinner.

Time:  5:30am
Venue:  World Trade and Convention Centre
Location:  1800 Argyle St, Halifax, NS
Website:  http://www.nsnt.ca/newsevents/dinner
Phone:  425-5263

UN Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations officially came into being.

24 October has been celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948. In 1971, the United Nations General Assembly recommended that the day be observed by Member States as a public holiday.

The General Assembly in 1972 instituted World Development Information Day to draw the attention of world public opinion to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them (resolution 3038 (XXVII)). The Assembly decided that the date for the Day should coincide in principle with United Nations Day, 24 October, which was also the date of the adoption, in 1970, of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade.

The annual observance of Disarmament Week, which begins on the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, was called for in the Final Document of the General Assembly 1978 special session on disarmament (resolution S-10/2). States were invited to highlight the danger of the arms race, propagate the need for its cessation and increase public understanding of the urgent tasks of disarmament.

In 1995, the General Assembly invited governments, as well as NGOs, to continue taking an active part in Disarmament Week (resolution 50/72 B, 12 December 1995). It invited the Secretary-General to continue using United Nations information entities as widely as possible, to promote a better understanding among the public of disarmament problems, and the aims of the Week.

Audiovisual documents, such as films, radio and television programmes, are our common heritage and contain the primary records of the 20th and 21st centuries. They help to maintain the cultural identity of a people; but countless documentary treasures have disappeared since the invention of image and sound technologies that permit the peoples of the world to better share their experiences, creativity and knowledge.

All of the world's audiovisual heritage is endangered. Nowhere can it be said to be preserved, but through initiatives such as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage and the Memory of the World Programme, the precious work of preservation professionals is given impetus to manage a range of technical, political, social, financial and other factors that threaten the safeguarding of our heritage.

It was in this context, that the General Conference in 2005 approved the commemoration of a World Day for Audiovisual Heritage as a mechanism to raise general awareness of the need for urgent measures to be taken and to acknowledge the importance of audiovisual documents as an integral part of national identity.

Re: City of Toronto Public Consultations on the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy 2020 meeting.
On Tuesday, November 5, the City of Toronto is holding its final public consultation on the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy 2020 at Oakdale Community Centre.
This meeting was called at the insistence of the community when it learned that Jane and Finch, along with the entire northwest quadrant of North York, had been left out of the consultation process.
It is clear from the City's online survey (see question 6) and other related documents that the 'strategy' will include significant cuts to the Priority Neighbourhood programs. These documents show that the City wants to reduce the number of priority neighbourhoods from 13 to "12 or
fewer."
Strategically leaving Jane and Finch out of the consultation process, tells us that we are likely the community that will lose the 'priority neighbourhood' designation.
At stake are:
* Poverty elimination programs and services
* Enhanced community, children, youth and seniors programs in arts and recreation
* Youth employment and leadership programs
* Park accessibility
* Library services
* Community based social services
* Tenant support
* United Way, provincial, and federal funding that are dependent on the priority designation
Community residents and organizations are organizing to tell the City that we oppose these cuts, and in fact, demand that more funding and services be added, so that all City neighbourhoods can prosper.

Time:  7:00 pm
Venue:  Oakdale Community Centre
Location:  350 Grandravine Drive, Toronto, ON
For information contact:  Suzanne Narain - suzannenarain@gmail.com
Phone:  647-269-8867
Categories:   Social Services; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space

This 5th of November, iFixit is teaming up with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to empower technology users (AKA everyone) to reclaim tech freedom. Now through Friday, 11/8, purchase iFixit's EFF Activist Bundle and $10 of your purchase will go directly to EFF! The bundle includes the top-selling, 70-piece Pro Tech Toolkit and a batch of EFF stickers to trick out your hardware.
What are we reclaiming? Common sense and fair use. iFixit is fighting for your right to repair your stuff. And EFF is fighting to protect your right to use that stuff without the NSA—or anyone else—peeking over your shoulder.
“EFF’s mission is to protect your digital freedom, including your right to repair and tinker. But the freedom to tinker doesn't mean much if you can't exercise it, and that's where iFixit comes in. iFixit knows that if you can't fix it, you don't own it. We are proud to work together as guardians of fair use and common sense.” -- Corynne McSherry, IP Director, EFF
So, this 5th of November, pause V for Vendetta and put down those fireworks--there’s work to be done.
Get your bundle here: http://www.ifixit.com/Tools/EFF-Activist-Bundle/IF145-245
Learn more about how EFF is fighting for hardware tinkerers at eff.org/RightToRepair.

Website:  http://www.eff.org/event/remember-remember-5th-november-ifixit
Categories:   Computers

On 5 November 2001, the UN General Assembly declared 6 November of each year as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict (A/RES/56/4).

Though mankind has always counted its war casualties in terms of dead and wounded soldiers and civilians, destroyed cities and livelihoods, the environment has often remained the unpublicized victim of war.Water wells have been polluted, crops torched, forests cut down, soils poisoned, and animals killed to gain military advantage.

The International Week of Science and Peace was first observed during 1986 as part of the observance of the International Year of Peace. The organization of events and activities for the week was undertaken as a non-governmental initiative; the secretariat for the International Year of Peace was informed of the preparatory activities and the final summary of events that occurred during the week. The organizers sought to encourage the broadest possible international participation in the observance.

The annual observance of the International Week of Science and Peace is making an important contribution to the promotion of peace. The Week encourages greater academic exchanges on a subject of universal importance while also generating greater awareness of the relationship of science and peace among the general public. Based on observances of Science and Peace Week to date, it may be expected that participation each year will increase, contributing to greater international understanding and opportunities for co-operation in the applications of science for the promotion of peace throughout the year.

Participation House, Markham announces its 2013 “Students Helping Students” Charity Music concert, held Friday, November 8, 2013 at the FLATO Markham Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd. Markham, On L3R 8G5. Doors open at 7:00 pm, show starts at 7:30 pm. All proceeds support the charity’s Day Program Services for adults with physical and developmental disabilities.
This year’s event is sponsored by Rotary Club of Markham Sunrise Inc., TD Bank and Long & McQuade and features performances by talented music students from five local high schools. All ensembles will be led by guest conductor Dr. Paula Holcomb from New York City’s SUNY Fredonia School of Music. Special guest performers include Participation House Education Students using the Soundbeam(TM), an ultrasonic beam that responds to movement to make music, and internationally acclaimed break-dancer Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli who will demonstrate that anything is achievable with the right attitude. The evening’s Master of Ceremonies is long-time friend and supporter to Participation House, Markham - Mark Cullen, Canada’s Gardening Expert. The event ends on a high note with the sounds of York University’s Rhythm & Blues Band, Soul Collective.
Purchase tickets at the FLATO Markham Theatre Box Office: 905-305-7469 or online at http://tinyurl.com/ok99q3t. $20 Adult, $18 Students/ Seniors, $15 each Groups 10+

Time:  7:00 pm
Venue:  FLATO Markham Theatre
Location:  171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham, ON
Website:  http://www.participationhouse.net
For information contact:  Lucy Lehman
Phone:  905-513-2756 ext.222
Categories:   Music; Disability Issues

Canadian Voice of Women for Peace presents a special night with the classical pianist Piette Jasmin.


A noted interpreter of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin, pianist Pierre Jasmin marks the latter’s 200th anniversary in Rideau Hall in front of Governor General Michaëlle Jean, the King and Queen of Norway and the Polish Ambassador. He performs as a soloist in the five main provinces of Canada, Austria, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Taiwan, Tibet, the United States and during 18 years, in the Czech Republic (honorary president of the South Bohemia Piano Master Classes).

Graduate of McGill, ARCM (London), USC (Los Angeles), Vienna and Moscow, he is a tenured professor at Université du Québec à Montréal, where his work as Director launched the construction of both its Music Department’s facilities and Pierre-Péladeau Centre (Pierre-Mercure Hall).

A main subject of the documentary film Our last days in Moscow (Martin Duckworth, NFB) which won the only prize awarded to a Canadian film in the 1988 Montreal Arts’ Films International Festival, a special Radio-Canada television program was dedicated to his presence, as Artists for Peace president (see www.artistespourlapaix.org ) in a Flotilla of Peace in the Adriatic Sea in 1994, giving concerts for refugees. Jasmin sits on the executive boards of Pugwash Canada and of the Canadian Network for Abolishing Nuclear Weapons.

His program for November 9, 2013

Sonata in C minor opus 13 (Pathétique)

Grave – Allegro di molto e con brio

Adagio cantabile

Rondo : allegro

Sonata in C major opus 53 Waldstein

Allegro con brio

Introduzione: adagio molto

Rondo : allegretto moderato - Prestissimo

Intermission



Sonata in C sharp minor opus 27 nr 2 (Moonlight)

« Sonata quasi una fantasia »

Adagio sostenuto

Allegretto – trio

Presto





Sonata in A flat major opus 110

Moderato cantabile molto espressivo

Allegro molto

Adagio, ma non troppo

Fugues: allegro, ma non troppo

Time:  7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Venue:  First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto
Location:  175 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://vowpeace.org
For information contact:  Sandra
Phone:  416-603-7915
Categories:   Arts & Culture; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Women

Sunday, November 10, 2013 9:30 A.M.
9:30 am- 10:00 am Registration and light breakfast
10:00 am - 11:30 am Discussion - Feminist Process - Why it is important to our work.
11:30 am - 12:00 pm Report on the Young Women Peace Leadership Camps
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Annual General Meeting - Canadian Voice of Women for Peace
Financial Report
Election of Board
Peace Education Proposal
Resolutions
Cost $30 regular, $15 students or for both - pay what you can
Metro Hall, 55 John Street
includes catered breakfast and lunch (vegetarian with vegan options)
Co sponsors: Christian Peacemakers Team, The Council of Canadian, Older Women's Network and no2nuclearweapons.org

Time:  930 am - 5:00 pm
Venue:  Metro Hall
Location:  55 John Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://vowpeace.org
For information contact:  Sandra Ruch
Phone:  416 603-7915
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Women; Government & Public Sector

Proclaimed by the UNESCO General Conference (Resolution 31C/ 20) in 2001, the World Science Day for Peace and Development is an annual event celebrated all over the world to recall the commitment made at the UNESCO-ICSU World Conference on Science (Budapest 1999).

The purpose of the World Science Day for Peace and Development is to renew the national, as well as the international commitment to science for peace and development and to stress the responsible use of science for the benefit of society. The World Science Day for Peace and Development also aims at raising public awareness of the importance of science and to bridge the gap between science and societies.

World Pneumonia Day seeks to raise awareness of pneumonia as a public health issue and help prevent the millions of avoidable child deaths from pneumonia that occur each year. It is organized by the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia (a network of international, government, non-governmental and community-based organizations, research and academic institutions, foundations, and individuals) to bring much-needed attention to pneumonia among donors, policy makers, health care professionals, and the general public.

World Diabetes Day is celebrated annually on 14 November for it increases the visibility of diabetes as an important global public health problem that requires urgent attention from policy-makers and health planners around the world.

After 50 years of urban forestry discussions, we continue to arrive at one essential question: How do we increase how trees are valued? The overarching and underlying question is: How do we get people to change their behaviours? To help answer that question, we have invited Dr Doug McKenzie-Mohr, a world-renowned speaker and the founder of community based social marketing. "Identifying barriers to desired behaviours and overcoming those barriers" is the core of community based social marketing.

Venue:  Ontario Urban Forest Council
Location:  1225 Lake Shore Bl W M6K 3C1, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://oufcconference.wordpress.com
For information contact:  Jack Radecki
Phone:  416-936-6735
Categories:   Environment; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space; Nature & Outdoors

I'm hoping you'll help me spread the word that my book, Svend Robinson: A Life in Politics, has been released by New Star Books.
Few politicians have enraged opponents, frustrated colleagues and polarized Canadians like Svend Robinson - but few embraced the causes he did. Over his twenty-five years as a New Democrat MP, Robinson was imprisoned for blocking loggers from clear-cutting in Clayoquot Sound, assaulted by police while protesting at the 2001 Summit of the Americas, expelled from foreign countries for defending human rights, and harassed after coming out as Canada's first openly gay MP. Robinson always took his ideals to the front lines, helping to define the Canadian left.
Though his brash tactics dominated headlines, Robinson's full story has not yet been told. This in-depth biography explores an accomplished life and career, including Robinson's difficult childhood, his growing realization of his own sexuality, and the bipolar diagnosis which followed his baffling, career-ending theft of a diamond ring. A portrait emerges of a complex figure - driven, gifted, visionary and flawed - who challenged his country and continues to make his indelible mark on the world.

Time:  7.00pm
Venue:  Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art
Location:  639 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC
Website:  http://www.graemetruelove.com
Categories:   Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language; Politics & Political Organizations

David Hughes is a geoscientist who has studied the energy resources of Canada for nearly four decades, including 32 years with the Geological Survey of Canada as a scientist and research manager.
The presentation will provide a big picture of the future of global and North American energy with a focus on the "Shale Revolution". Hughes' will also present findings from his recent landmark report, Drill, Baby, Drill. The report is a far-ranging and painstakingly researched look at the prospects for various unconventional fuels to provide energy abundance in the 21st century.

Drill, Baby, Drill
"they tell us we're on the cusp of an oil and gas revolution"
http://shalebubble.org/drill-baby-drill/

About David Hughes
http://www.postcarbon.org/person/36208-david-hughes

Time:  7:30
Venue:  Chelsea United Church
Location:  8 Mill Road, Chelsea, QC
Website:  http://acrechelsea.qc.ca/
Categories:   Mining & Petroleum; Environment

World Philosophy Day was introduced in 2002 by UNESCO to honour philosophical reflection in the entire world by opening up free and accessible spaces. Its objective is to encourage the peoples of the world to share their philosophical heritage and to open their minds to new ideas, as well as to inspire a public debate between intellectuals and civil society on the challenges confronting our society.

Genetically Engineered (GE) Foods & Human Health Presentation
Do you have questions or concerns regarding genetically engineered (GE) foods and human health? If so, the Cowichan Green Community is excited to announce that they have partnered with the Society for a GE Free BC and the Greenpeace Vancouver Local Group to bring the Genetically Engineered Foods and Human Health: A Cross-Canada Speaker's Tour to Duncan, BC.

Time:  6:30pm
Venue:  Vancouver Island University
Location:  Cowichan Campus Room 140 (2011 University Way), Duncan, BC
Website:  http://www.cowichangreencommunity.org/content/ge-foods-human-health-cross-canada-speakers-to
For information contact:  Cowichan Green Community
Phone:  250-748-8506
Categories:   Health/Health Care; Farming

In 1996, the UN General Assembly (by resolution 51/95) invited UN Member States to observe the International Day for Tolerance on 16 November, with activities directed towards both educational establishments and the wider public.

This action followed on the United Nations Year for Tolerance, 1995, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 at the initiative of UNESCO, as outlined in the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and Follow-up Plan of Action for the Year.

The 2005 World Summit Outcome document (A/RES/60/1) furthered the commitment of Heads of State and Government to advance human welfare, freedom and progress everywhere, as well as to encourage tolerance, respect, dialogue and cooperation among different cultures, civilizations and peoples.

On November 16, people across the country are forming a united wall of opposition to pipelines, reckless tar sands expansion and runaway climate change.
Spell out our resistance against the Line 9 pipeline proposal to ship dirty tar sands through Toronto. Meet in the South-East corner of the City Hall courtyard. We will spell out our displeasure at the proposal using our bodies and banners, and will take several pictures that will be shared with thousands of others who are participating in Defend our Climate actions on the same day.

Time:  2.00pm
Website:  http://www.defendourclimate.ca
Categories:   Environment

World COPD Day is a global effort to expand understanding of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and advocate for better care for patients. Organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), the Day is marked by activities implemented by health care professionals and patient groups throughout the world.

In 2004, 64 million people had the illness and WHO predicts that COPD will become the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030. Key risk factors for COPD are tobacco smoking, indoor and outdoor air pollution, and exposure to occupational dusts and chemicals.

Road traffic crashes kill nearly 1.3 million people every year and injure or disable as many as 50 million more. They are the leading cause of death among young people aged 15–29 years.

In October 2005, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution which calls for governments to mark the third Sunday in November each year as World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. The day was created as a means to give recognition to victims of road traffic crashes and the plight of their relatives who must cope with the emotional and practical consequences of these tragic events.

WHO and the UN Road Safety Collaboration encourage governments and nongovernmental organizations around the world to commemorate this day as a means of drawing the public’s attention to road traffic crashes, their consequences and costs, and the measures which can be taken to prevent them.

Within the framework of the Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa (1991-2000), the UN General Assembly, in 1989, proclaimed 20 November Africa Industrialization Day (resolution 44/237). The Day is intended to mobilize the commitment of the international community to the industrialization of Africa.

By resolution 836(IX) of 14 December 1954, the General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. It recommended that the Day was to be observed also as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world. The Assembly suggested to governments that the Day be observed on the date and in the way which each considers appropriate. The date 20 November, marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.

The theme of the 20th A.D. Latornell Conservation Symposium is Resilience - the ability to adapt to change.
Resilience building allows us to anticipate and adapt to ongoing challenges and enables us to cope and even thrive in the face of change. The outcomes from such an approach will be robust ecosystems, sustainable economies and healthy people. Delegates attending the 20th A.D. Latornell Conservation Symposium will learn how to build local resilience to continue to manage towards a sustainable future.

Venue:  Nottawasaga Inn & Convention Centre
Location:  6015 Highway 89, Alliston, ON
Website:  http://www.latornell.ca
For information contact:  Jane Lewington(Conservation Ontario);Mario Maillet / Karen Anderson (Allset
Phone:  905-895-0716 x 222
Categories:   International

The International Day to End Impunity is a day dedicated to a call to action to demand justice for those who have been targeted for exercising their right to freedom of expression, and to shed light on the issue of impunity.

Why was 23 November chosen as the International Day to End Impunity?
This day marks the anniversary of the 2009 Maguindanao, Ampatuan massacre, when 58 people - including 32 journalists and media workers - were murdered in the Philippines. To date, none of the perpetrators have been brought to justice.

How can I get involved?
There are numerous ways to participate in the campaign. Here are just a few:
23 Actions in 23 Days: Each day, from 1 to 23 November, a new digital call to action will be revealed Actions include sending a letter, tweeting at the authorities, sharing infographics and more. Visit the website every day during the campaign, take action and share with your friends.

Venue:  International
Website:  http://daytoendimpunity.org
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language

The LeftWords Festival of Books and Ideas is a free public event that celebrates and promotes the work of Canadian and international writers and thinkers - especially those whose works appear in books and magazines by Canadian independent publishers. Canadian authors will be on hand for presentations on topics such as food security, women in a globalizing world, health activism and disability, plus the launch of the Socialist Register 2013. Canadian book publishers, booksellers and magazines will be on hand with great deals.
The Oakham House Café will be open and selling fair trade organic coffee, great sandwiches, and snacks.

Time:  11:30 - 5:00 pm
Venue:  Oakham House/Ryerson Student Centre
Location:  55 Gould Street, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.leftwordsfestival.ca/
Categories:   Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives; Publishers & Publishing

By resolution 54/134 of 17 December 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and invited governments, international organizations and NGOs to organize activities designed to raise public awareness of the problem on that day. Women's activists have marked 25 November as a day against violence since 1981. This date came from the brutal assassination in 1960, of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists in the Dominican Republic, on orders of Dominican ruler Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961).

On 20 December 1993 the General Assembly, by resolution 48/104, adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women.

The Road to Palestine – A Personal Journey
Judy Rebick: Author, Media Commentator, Activist
The Road to Palestine is a series of personal talks programmed by and hosted at Beit Zatoun. Guest speakers are Canadians who have taken a public stand on Israel/Palestine. Speakers come from a variety backgrounds and careers. They share a recognition that a resolution to the question of peace and conflict in Israel / Palestine is essential to global justice, international law and to peace in the world.
The evening is meant to be personal and autobiographical. The speaker is traces their journey and relationship to the situation of Israel/Palestine from earliest views and opinions. What are their present views? What is their unique contribution to the question? What are their thoughts on the future and what is needed to resolve the situation?
The Road to Palestine seeks to share a human and personal story in our midst that would otherwise not be told.
About the Speaker - Judy Rebick is the author of Transforming Power: From the Personal to the Political and was the founding publisher of rabble.ca, Canada’s most active independent online news and discussion site. She also was the first person to hold the CAW Sam Gindin Chair in Social Justice and Democracy (2002-2010).A journalist by trade and activist by nature, Judy is leading the charge for social justice through print, broadcast and in person.
$5 donation (suggested minimum)

Time:  7.30pm to 9.30pm
Venue:  Beit Zatoun
Location:  612 Markham St., Toronto, ON
Website:  http://beitzatoun.org/event/the-road-to-palestine-with-judy-rebick/
Phone:  647-726-9500
Categories:   Publishers & Publishing; Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language

It's About Time!! Action on Climate Change through Electoral Reform
Co-sponsor: Just Earth
The forum panel will be three high profile MPs:
Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party
Craig Scott, NDP MP for Toronto-Danforth
Stéphane Dion, former Liberal leader
Moderator: Toronto City Councillor, Adam Vaughan.
After the panel presents their views, there will an open Q&A.

Time:  7.00pm to 9.00pm
Venue:  Ralph Thornton Community Centre
Location:  765 Queen St E., 2nd Floor,, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.rabble.ca/whatsup/electoral-reform-town-hall
Categories:   Environment; Politics & Political Organizations

In 1977, the General Assembly called for the annual observance of 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (resolution 32/40 B). On that day, in 1947, the Assembly adopted the resolution on the partition of Palestine (resolution 181 (II))

In resolution 60/37 of 1 December 2005, the Assembly requested the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Division for Palestinian Rights, as part of the observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People on 29 November, to continue to organize an annual exhibit on Palestinian rights or a cultural event in cooperation with the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the UN.

The observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People also encouraged Member States to continue to give the widest support and publicity to the observance of the Day of Solidarity.

Exhibition, Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, Moscow, Russian Federation
In the brandnew Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow, a highlight from the collections of the IISH is on show: the manuscript of the memoirs of the Russian writer and advocate of freedom of speech Alexander Herzen (1812-1870), Byloe i dumy (English-language edition My Past and Thoughts, the Memoirs of Alexander Herzen). Herzen left his fatherland in 1847 to fight a propaganda war against the Tsarist regime and the restrictions to freedom of speech in Russia.

The archive of Alexander Herzen resides at the IISH since 1938. The lending and exhibit of this manuscript takes place on the occasion of the Russia-The Netherlands Year of Cultural Exchange 2013.
The exhibition in the Jewish Museum accompanies a project on illegal publications Samizdat - Limits.
The Herzen papers have been digitized, the manuscript of Byloe i dumy is online available from our website.

Venue:  Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre
Location:  Moscow
Website:  http://socialhistory.org/en/news/alexander-herzen-back-moscow
Categories:   Museums; Information, Libraries, Research

World Aids Day!

The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, 2 December, marks the date of the adoption, by the General Assembly, of the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others (resolution 317(IV) of 2 December 1949).

The focus of this day is on eradicating contemporary forms of slavery, such as trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation, the worst forms of child labour, forced marriage, and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.

Canadian Renewable Fuels Summit 2013 - CRFA Summit 2013
Fueling Growth and Innovation
Come Celebrate 10 years of the CRFS!
Canada is now a frontrunner in the worldwide effort to create clean, renewable sources of transportation fuel. The benefits of this approach are many. From an economic standpoint, our industry generates $2 billion in economic activity each and every year and has created more than 14,000 jobs in total - most of those in rural Canada. At the same time, renewable fuels production will help to reduce GHG emissions by over 4.2 mega-tonnes. This is the equivalent of taking over 1 million cars off the road each and every year.

Venue:  Le Centre Sheraton
Location:  1201 Boulevard Rene-Levesque West, Montreal, QC
Website:  http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/booking/reservation?id=130...
For information contact:  Deborah Elson
Phone:  613-594-5528, ext 223
Categories:   Mining & Petroleum

Toronto, Ontario. At 6am this morning, members of Rising Tide Toronto successfully shut down construction for Enbridge's Line 9 pipeline in North Toronto. Five people, including two priests, locked down to equipment to prevent further work on this project. Approximately 40 workers were sent home for the day and activists continue to occupy the construction site.

Enbridge's Line 9 reversal proposal has not yet been approved by the National Energy Board (NEB), but Enbridge is carrying out what they call maintenance work on the pipeline. Shortly after the NEB hearings, which heard unanimous opposition from First Nations and residents along the line, Enbridge said that they would idle the pipeline if their proposal was not accepted.

More info: #LockDownLine9

Time:  11:00 am
Venue:  Occupied construction site
Location:  Pineway Blvd, 1km north of Finch, Toronto, ON
For information contact:  Amanda Lickers - amandalickers@gmail.com
Phone:  705-957-7468
Categories:   Mining & Petroleum; Environment; Native Peoples

Persons with disabilities are both agents and beneficiaries, who would also take the lead in development processes. The full and effective participation of persons with disabilities is a prerequisite for inclusive, sustainable and equitable development.

3 December was proclaimed as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities by the General Assembly in its resolution 47/3 of 14 October 1992.

Whether it's the NSA scandal, other ongoing digital surveillance or hacking attacks: It's clear that the digital realm has become increasingly unsafe - especially for journalists. In response, DW Akademie has put together the first online workshop "Digital Safety for Journalists". It runs from December 2 – 6, 2013 and is open to journalists and others interested in the subject. The workshop is offered in conjunction with Reporters Without Borders Germany and is free of charge.
Journalists can find answers to questions they are increasingly asking themselves: How careful do they have to be online? What dangers lurk behind Google, Facebook and What's App? What can their mobiles reveal about them? And above all, what can they do to minimize their risks and maximize their safety?
Six live online seminars (webinars) will be held with renowned journalists and digital safety experts.
Registration is simple: http://akademie.dw.de/digitalsafety...
Daily posts will accompany the workshop and look at a wide range of digital security topics: from taking the anonymous browsing tool TOR for a test run in Cambodia to dealing with password mayhem. Posts start November 25 and will continue for the duration of the workshop.
http://akademie.dw.de/digitalsafety
The workshop can also be followed on twitter at @dw_akademie and #digisafe
Google Plus Event Page: http://bit.ly/digitalsafety

Venue:  Germany - online
Website:  http://akademie.dw.de/digitalsafety
For information contact:  Google Plus Event Page: http://bit.ly/digitalsafety
Categories:   Journalism, Writing, Literary, Language; Computers; Human Rights, Law, Legal

Our modern building practices assume a high dependency on non-sustainable inputs and result in the deteriorating health of our environment. The construction industry, planners, design professionals, and policy makers are seeking solutions that obviate these conditions in practical and economic ways. The vegetating of building surfaces is widely perceived as a quintessential attribute of green architecture and promises a multitude of benefits. However, most applications are achieving a narrow range of possible benefits and are sometimes seen as competing with other strategies. This course will provide insights, strategies, examples, and tools for integrating living architecture into building services to capture synergies, enhance performance, and improve economic and health performance. Energy services will be a particular focus as these pertain to the most critical issue - how best to transition from fossil fuel usage to renewable energy and reverse global warming.

Time:  1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Venue:  Center for Social Innovation Whole Connector
Location:  215 Spadina Avenue, Suite 400, M5T 2C7, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.cvent.com/d/34q842
For information contact:  Tamara Lee
Phone:  416-971-4494 ext 228
Categories:   Architecture

International Volunteer Day (IVD) offers an opportunity for volunteer organizations and individual volunteers to make visible their contributions - at local, national and international levels - to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Join Us in a Day of Remembrance for Women Murdered by Men
24th Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre
National Day of Action and Remembrance on Violence Against Women
All welcome. Bring a rose and candle. Ceremony goes on regardless of weather.
Vigil consists of a Native healing ceremony, speakers, and musical and spoken word performances.

Time:  6:00 pm
Venue:  Philosopher's Walk
Location:  South side of Bloor, West of Avenue Road, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://womenwontforget.org
Categories:   Women; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

International Civil Aviation Day!

On 31 October 2003, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption and requested that the Secretary-General designate the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as secretariat for the Convention’s Conference of States Parties (resolution 58/4).

The General Assembly designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it. The Convention entered into force in December 2005.

Human Rights Day presents an opportunity, every year, to celebrate human rights, highlight a specific issue, and advocate for the full enjoyment of all human rights by everyone everywhere.

Join human rights lawyers Geri Sanson and Michelle Mulgrave, Toronto Star Reporter Jim Rankin, Action for Neighbourhood Change, Breaking the Cycle and others to learn about racial profiling and what you can do about it.
What's the latest with racial profiling cases?
Have you been racially profiled?
Find out what to do and who to call.
Everyone is welcome.

Time:  5.00pm to 7.00pm
Venue:  Toronto City Hall - (Committee Room 3)
Location:  100 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON
Website:  http://www.rabble.ca/whatsup/i-am-not-stereotype-end-racial-profiling-now
Categories:   Human Rights, Law, Legal; Urban Issues, Transit, Housing, Public Space

International Mountain Day strives to achieve a stronger engagement of actors/institutions and the civil society in sustainable mountain development.

The City of Student Memory is pleased to invite you on to the fifth day of "Archives and memories students.
The archives of student activists entering at the National Archives under the partnership signed with the Archives of France (Ministry of Culture).
This agreement will thus allow communication and conservation of archives of student activists (structure and activists of national dimension), at the National Archives. These records will be kept at Pierrefitte -sur- Seine, where will take place the 13th of December.
On this occasion,We want to gather all of our institutional partners , associations , students, scientists , etc ... To present the first achievements and consider other partnerships and joint projects !
You can register by email .
Discover the City of Student Memory in English on our website: http://www.citedesmemoiresetudiantes.org
Regards
Marina Marchal
City of Student Memory
Responsible for archives and documentary resources
President of the collective of documentation centers in labour and social history (CODHOS)"

Location:  Paris
Website:  http://www.citedesmemoiresetudiantes.org
For information contact:  Marina Marchal
Categories:   Education

Migrants in Lindsay, Ontario, have been on strike since September 17th. They have gone on hunger strike (two of them for over 60 days), refused to attend their detention hearings or enter their cells; and participated in other political actions. Striking migrants have faced reprisals with many deported, locked up in segregation, moved to other prisons and denied access to legal counsel. Yet actions have continued. A demonstration is now planned at Lindsay jail at 1pm on December 14th, with migrants on the inside organizing a 24 hour fast.

Time:  1:00 pm
Venue:  Lindsay jail
Location:  Lindsay, ON
Website:  http://www.endimmigrationdetention.com
For information contact:  Macdonald Scott
Phone:  647-761-3860
Categories:   Law Enforcement & Corrections; Human Rights, Law, Legal; Social Change, Social Justice, Alternatives

On 4 December 2000, the UN General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, proclaimed 18 December as International Migrants Day. On 18 December 1990, the General Assembly had adopted the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

UN Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations are invited to observe International Migrants Day through the dissemination of information on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of migrants, and through the sharing of experiences and the design of actions to ensure their protection.

The General Assembly, on 22 December 2005, by resolution 60/209 identified solidarity as one of the fundamental and universal values that should underlie relations between peoples in the Twenty-first century, and in that regard decided to proclaim 20 December of each year International Human Solidarity Day.