The Leveller

70 workers at the Sheraton Ottawa Hotel are at risk of losing their jobs. The terminations include the #unionized laundry, housekeeping, and catering staff, some of whom worked for #Sheraton between 5 to 25 years. #HSTU #ottawa #CERB #labourlaw Read more in the link below:... https://leveller.ca//how-70-unionized-ottawa-hotel-worker/ See more

Listening alert: Ausmuteants made a quick-and-dirty satirical punk concept album about how great it is to be a cop. https://ausmuteants.bandcamp.com//present-the-world-in-han

If you haven't already listend to CANADALAND Commons' podcast series on the police, now's a great moment to binge to the whole season we personally guarantee it will be eye-opening. https://www.canadaland.com/shows/commons/

Oh look, the RCMP showed up for a booklaunch in New Brunswick on mining justice by local activist stalwart Joan Kuyek. It's almost like the RCMP exist to defend the interests of corporations, not people. https://nbmediacoop.org//did-the-rcmp-attend-a-university/

Now that the RCMP's watchdog found it discriminated against Colten Boushie's family (no shit, Sherlock), may we recommend this article from our archive, which touches on the specifics of the case but also all the systemic racism around it? https://leveller.ca//systemic-injustices-in-colten-boushi/

If you're wondering WTF is is up with the Epoch Times, CANADALAND provided some valuable context the last time they hit people's mailboxes with a batshit paper. (https://www.canadaland.com//338-what-the-hell-is-the-epoc/) We can remember when the The Epoch Times was a pretty decent indie newspaper you could pick up around town, with a strong anti-Chinese Communist Party slant given its origin with the Falun Gong movement. All fair enough the CCP is authoritarian and aggre...ssively anti-democratic, as well as constantly committing all kinds of horrible, systemic human rights abuses, including against Falun Gong and Uyghurs, as we oultined in detail recently (https://leveller.ca/2020/12/who-are-the-uyghurs/). But the Epoch Times' more recent enthusiastic embrace of Trumpism and right-wing conspiracy theories is sad and worrying, especially given how many people they're now reaching. (According to Canadaland/NBC they spent more on pro-Trump facebook ads than anyone other than the Trump campaign!) Also, as we touch on in that article on the CCP's persecution of Uyghurs, China's systems is more of authoritarian state capitalism than communism. (Or a socialist market economy, as the CCP has officially termed it since 1992.) The worst of both systems, it seems. To oppose the CCP or even communism, you don't have to embrace the poisonous capitalism of Trump and co. It's corrupt, authoritarian plutocrats running both systems, and it's hypocritical and intellectually bankrupt to not criticize both. And hey, if someone wants to sponsor a mailout of a special Leveller issue to balance things out, we will happily take your $. (http://en.liberapay.com/TheLeveller or [email protected]) See more

"When opioid use was seen as a black or brown people thing, the media covered it like a criminal justice problem. But the new face of addiction was covered like a public health problem. Drug companies and doctors were to blame." This Crackdown podcast episode also makes a counter-intuitive and fascinating argument that the *underpresciption* of opioids has actually led to more overdoses and deaths. http://citedmedia.ca/crackdown/PodcastGenerator-2.7/

Rich countries with 14% of the world’s population have secured 53% of the most promising vaccines. Canada is one of the worst offenders, having secured enough vaccines to vaccinate its entire population five times. Canada is also fighting attempts to deregulate vaccine patents, because it prioritizes pharma industry profits over vaccine access in poor countries. (It seems like free markets are only good if they perpetuate corporate monopolies and existing power relations.) https://readpassage.com/canada-is-robbing-the-global-south/

"We feel under-appreciated and vilified, and little more than cash cows for landlords and university chancellors. ... Student voices should not be underestimated: we are the future but we are treated as if we play no useful role in society. We are not just young people enjoying a frivolous youth: we are activists, volunteers, researchers, trainee doctors, nurses, teachers, parents and much more. Many are already working on the frontline while we continue our studies." https://www.theguardian.com//lockdown-universities-student

At our story meeting last night, the way lockdowns increases vulnerability to domestic abuse came up. Good time then for a public service announcement about Unsafe at Home Ottawa "a secure text and online chat service for women and members of LGBTQ2S+ communities in Ottawa and Lanark County who may be living through increased violence and abuse at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our personnel provides emotional support, practical advice and referrals using encrypted technology so conversations are confidential and secure." https://unsafeathomeottawa.ca/ (Also, if you want to write about this for the Leveller or otherwise have patriarchy-challenging pitches, send them to [email protected].)

Tonight! 7pm https://www.facebook.com/events/333665297755076