KAIROS Times e-Newsletter - September 2015

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In This Issue

Women of Courage gather at the International People's Conference on Mining in the Philippines
Rolling Justice Bus rolled into action in BC heartland
Refugees Welcome!
Toxic Tour

Upcoming

KAIROS’ New Website
KAIROS Regional Gatherings
Winds of Change
Gendered Impacts Symposium, October 13
Public Forum on Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking)

Featured Resources

Policy Briefing Paper: Canada Falls Far Short of Pope Francis’ Call for Ecological Justice
Strength for Climbing: Steps on the Journey of Reconciliation
Federal Election Resource
Geez's Decolonization issue

KAIROS Witness

B.C. Rolling Justice Bus connects Indigenous and environmental rights, Steve Gray and Zsuzsa Harsman

Featured Resources

Geez's Fall 2015 issue focuses on decolonization and includes an article by Sara Stratton, former KAIROS staff person. Discounts offered for bulk orders of 10 or more: subscriptions@geezmagazine.org

Forward

Women of Courage gather at the International People's Conference on Mining in the Philippines

The voices of Indigenous women were heard at the International People’s Conference on Mining in the Philippines, July 30-August 1, thanks to KAIROS and its partners.

More than 100 participants from 28 countries participated in the conference, including KAIROS partners who shared experiences of mining impacts in their regions. They included Gloria Chicaiza, Mining Justice Coordinator of Accion Ecologica, a KAIROS partner in Ecuador, and Meeka Otway, an executive member of the Board of Pauktuutit, a national organization representing all Inuit women in Canada. They were panelists and presenters at the conference.

KAIROS’ Connie Sorio joined Gloria and Meeka in a solidarity tour of mining affected communities. The latter two shared their experience on KAIROS’ blog:

Bringing the experience of Latin American women to the International People's Conference on Mining in the Philippines, by Gloria Chicaiza

A trip to Mankayan, a mining town in the mountains of the Philippines, by Meeka Otway

Also of interest:

Final Declaration and Action Points from Gendered Impacts workshop at International Peoples Conference on Mining in the Philippines, by Rachel Warden

Women of Courage gather in the Philippines to discuss mining and its impacts

Rolling Justice Bus rolled into action in BC heartland

More than 20 people from churches and social justice organizations visited five communities in BC’s heartland to connect the dots between Indigenous rights and reconciliation, and resource extraction and climate change. The BC/Yukon KAIROS-led Rolling Justice Bus Tour kicked off in Vancouver on August 24 with stops in Chilliwack, Kamloops, Williams Lake, Prince George and Fort St. John.

The tour was a moving experience for the participants and those they met. To read more:

Follow the Rolling Justice Bus journey

Media Advisory: Rolling Justice Bus rolls into action in BC heartland, August 24-31

See KAIROS Witness below for the Rabble blog on the Rolling Justice Bus tour.

Media attention:

Electric City.ca: Rolling Justice Bus finishes week-long BC tour

The Prince George Citizen: Justice on a roll

CBC Kamloops: Ajax Mine Tour

News Kamloops: Taking the anti-tour, abridged version

Kamloops Infonews.ca: Advocacy coalition rolls into Kamloops to speak with Anti-Ajax groups

Refugees Welcome!

KAIROS joins those voices urging Canada to respond with urgency and commitment to the largest refugee crisis since World War II. Please join your voice to what should truly be a national anthem of welcome. Resources.

Toxic Tour

Members of the KAIROS network and staff were among hundreds of people from across the province who walked together in solidarity with the people of Aamjiwnaang First Nation and Sarnia against Canada's toxic Chemical Valley. They learned about the atrocious health and environmental impacts of having more than 60 petrochemical refineries surrounding these communities, the complete lack of cumulative emissions tracking, and the grassroots efforts to secure independent water testing.

KAIROS staff Connie Sorio and her grandchildren on the Toxic Tour 2015. Photo: Shannon Neufeldt

Upcoming

KAIROS' New Website
Coming soon: A whole new look for the KAIROS website! We think you’ll like it. Check it out early in October!

KAIROS Regional Gatherings
KAIROS regional networks will in different ways and formats continue laying the foundations to answer questions like What’s Next? and How do we work together ecumenically in response to the Calls to Action from the TRC? Read more.

Winds of Change, October 12
The Winds of Change are upon us! KAIROS is busy preparing its campaign in support of reconciliation. We will post campaign details on kairoscanada.org in early October. In the meantime, we encourage you to participate in #94calls2reconcile through Twitter and Facebook.

Gendered Impacts Symposium, October 13
Gendered Impacts: Indigenous Women speak about Resource Extraction will be an opportunity to hear directly from Indigenous women and organizations from Canada, the Philippines and Ecuador about the impact of resource extraction on their communities and to learn about their efforts to defend collective rights and the environment. The symposium will take place on October 13 at the Vancouver Public Library, the day before the GEMM (the Global Energy Minerals and Markets) 2015 conference. Read more.

Covenant Chain Link VI, October 16 & 17
Register now for Covenant Chain Link VI in Ottawa, October 16 & 17, 2015. In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, the theme of this year’s event is Walking Together: The Reconciliation Journey. Read more.

Public Forum on Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking)
Livestreamed from eastern and western Canada, October 30-31
On October 30 and 31, KAIROS will sponsor a public forum on fracking that will take place simultaneously in Vancouver, B.C. and Moncton, N.B. with interactive live-streaming between the two sites. It will be accessible online to all. Read more.

KAIROS Witness
B.C. Rolling Justice Bus connects Indigenous and environmental rights, Steve Gray and Zsuzsa Harsman

We traveled for eight days in late August from Vancouver through the heartland of British Columbia to Fort St. John and back again on the Rolling Justice Bus. Our purpose? We wanted to connect with First Nations, faith-based groups, environmentalists and others following the formal close of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in June. We wanted to connect the dots and see how we might contribute to reconciliation. As mostly urban dwellers, we were making an explicit effort to connect with people living in rural areas. Read more.

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For more information, please visit our website:
www.kairoscanada.org

KAIROS Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
310 Dupont St. Suite 200, Toronto, ON, Canada M5R 1V9
Tel: 416-463-5312 | Toll-free: 1-877-403-8933| Fax: 416-463-5569