The Slummies: Inside London ACORN’s “slumlord” awards

d an ACORN banner

On July 14, London’s ACORN tenant organizing group held its first “Slumlord of the Year” awards ceremony, a mock award ceremony to call attention to what their survey-based data suggests are some of the city’s worst landlords. Their aim is to encourage the city to hold these landlords accountable.  Over the past several months, London ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), a tenant advocacy group, conducted a survey of tenants across the city, gathering around 80 responses. Complete with tenant testimonials and bronze, silver, and gold “slumlord” trophies to give to landlords across the city, the awards ceremony…

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Fried Green Tomatoes with Tonnato Sauce – Full Circle Cooking Episode 3

Still, I lay in wait for tomato season. That sumptuous crimson delight who tempts me to become lost within her splendor, whose firm, silken bosom casts shadows upon my mind, and–  Oh, uh, hey, Antler River Media.  … How did you get in here?  …  You want another article?  … Yeah, I know just the thing. Welcome back to Full Circle Cooking!  It’s summer now, everyone’s tired and sticky, and nobody feels like cooking anything elaborate. Further, more and more produce is coming into peak season. This is the time where cooks set their egos aside and recognize when a…

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Canadian Hearing Services workers ‘relieved’ to return to work

After 11 weeks on strike, workers at Canadian Hearing Services (CHS), represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 2073 voted overwhelmingly in favour to ratify a new collective agreement. “We are super relieved and very happy with the new collective agreement. It’s what we were working towards,” said Amanda Seavers, CUPE 2073 London picket captain for the strike. “We’re eager to get back to our clients on Monday.” The small strike line in London had only ten workers picketing daily in front of the CHS office in Cherryhill Village Mall. After news that the new collective agreement was…

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Dresden community rallies against Bill 5 and proposed landfill site

On Thursday, more than 160 people gathered in Dresden’s Rotary Park to oppose the Ford government’s Bill 5 and a controversial landfill site proposal that the province has reopened the doors to.  The landfill proposal would expand and reopen an inactive landfill site less than a kilometer away from the Dresden town line. The landfill proposed by York1 Environmental Waste Solutions would accept more than 6,000 tonnes of solid non-hazardous construction and demolition waste every day, running around the clock with an estimated 700 trucks travelling to the site each day.  The Dresden community has been actively opposed to the…

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Pride and Protest: “Parade” Screening at Museum London

Last month, I went to Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre to watch a production of Michael R. Jackson’s Tony and Pulitzer award-winning musical, “A Strange Loop.” I was stunned by its unapologetic Blackness, especially seeing it amongst a predominantly white crowd. The musical offers a gritty understanding of the lived experiences of a Black gay man in the modern era (modern as in like 2015 modern, to be fair), so much so that a white family with their young daughter packed up and left by the third song. I could not stop thinking about this white family leaving. I kept wondering if…

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MAGICAL Evenings: June 18, 19 Music Show Reviews

Crowd of people sitting on the floor of Poacher's Arms surrounding the stage as Whine Problem prepares to play their final song of the evening

Last week I went to two music events at a local bar, Poacher’s Arms, 171 Queens Ave. The first one was a free event on Wednesday called “Queerrr Jam”. This was held in collaboration with “Grrrls Jam”, a free event held at Poachers Arms once a month, where femme and gender-nonconforming people can go up and jam on the Poacher’s stage.  In this case, it was for anyone within the queer community to perform at. Queerrr Jam was run in collaboration with MAGICAL 519, which stands for Multicultural Accessible Gatherings Improving 2SLGBTQIA+ Community Affirmation in London, a collective that aims…

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