Holy Cross Box lunch auction raises $20,800!

Students at Holy Cross Catholic Secondary in Saskatoon recently held their annual Box lunch auction and raised an amazing $20,800 for DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE programs!

For the fundraiser, each homeroom chooses a creative theme for the box lunches which in the past have included, 'birthday bash lunch' and 'survivor Hawaii lunch'. Afterwards, they auction the lunch packages off to the highest home room bidders! This year, one group of students pooled their resources and beat out the teachers by bidding $7,322.90 for "The Lunch", a meal for 40 people served in the staffroom.

During the event, Bishop Albert LeGatt addressed the assembled students and staff and spoke about his experiences in Ghana.

Each year, the funds raised go to the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace. Way to go Holy Cross!!!!!

D&P Hamilton workshop is a huge success!

On Thursday May 15th, at Mount Mary Retreat Centre in Ancaster ON, 5 high schools got together to learn the differences between charity and justice, and make pledges to live justly in the world. Some of the pledges included "cycle to school", "buy fair trade coffee" and "stop before you shop!"

The day commenced and concluded with discussions surrounding inspirational artwork created by the talented Marika Ince. The paintings are featured here and can also be found at the following websites... http://www.learningandviolence.net/violence.htm and http://www.learningandviolence.net/dreams.htm

Other highlights of the day included the game 'This Gold is mine' and demonstrations about the 'No Sweat' campaigns that are happening in Ontario school boards as well as accounts of how select panellists live simply on a day to day basis.

When asked how she liked the workshop, Kasandra from Christ the King said, "It was really inspirational and really fun!" Another student said, "It was really inspiring. I really liked it! The interactive games were great, especially the gold game!" ~ Samantha from St. Thomas More

Overall the day was a huge success and many of the student attendees have decided to take up the challenge and make a difference fighting for justice!

Successful mobilization and educational campaign bears 190,000+ signed petitions

Since fall 2007, Canadian Catholics have raised the alarm about the devastating impacts of some Canadian mining companies on communities in the global south. Their voices have been raised in parishes, schools, campuses, and street corners across Canada. More than 190,000 people took heed and joined the movement to call for accountability.

Today, these 190,000 petitions were presented in Ottawa, calling on the Government to appoint an ombudsperson to verify social responsibility by Canadian mining, oil and gas companies in their overseas operations. 5 of the 41 Federal MPs met with by Development and Peace members spoke publicly in support of this campaign today: Viviane Barbot (BQ), Steven Blaney (CP), Diane Bourgeois (BQ), Bernard Patry (L) and Alexa McDonough (NDP).

Development and Peace Bling Kills street theatre troupe from Carleton University were a big part of the action.

The work by the Canadian government and NGOs is often being undone by the irresponsible operations of some Canadian mining, oil and gas companies.

Let's keep the pressure on! Life Before Profit!

Victory for the right to water!

Johannesburg, 30 April 2008

PREPAYMENT WATER METER SYSTEM UNCONSTITUTIONAL,

FREE BASIC WATER TO BE INCREASED

The Johannesburg High Court today ruled that the City of Johannesburg’s practice of forcibly installing prepayment water meters in Phiri, Soweto is unconstitutional. It also set aside the City’s decision to limit its free basic water supply to 25 litres per person per day and ordered it to provide the residents of Phiri with free basic water in the amount of 50 litres per person per day.

The City was further directed to give the residents of Phiri the option of an ordinary credit metered water supply.In a ground-breaking judgment – the first in which the constitutional right to water has explicitly been raised – Judge MP Toska criticised the municipality for its discriminatory approach to the provision of water.

The Judge found that: “the underlying basis for the introduction of prepayment meters seems to me to be credit control. If this is true, I am unable to understand why this credit control measure is only suitable in the historically poor black areas and not the historically rich white areas. Bad payers cannot be described in terms of colour or geographical area.”

The Judge stated that “25 litres per person day is insufficient for the residents of Phiri”, whom he described as “poor, uneducated, elderly, sick, ravaged by HIV/AIDS and reliant on state pensions and grants.” The judge continued that “to expect the applicants to restrict their water usage, to compromise their health, by limiting the number of toilet flushes in order to save water is to deny them the rights to health and to lead a dignified lifestyle.”

The Judge found that increasing the free basic water supply would not put significant strain on the City’s water and financial resources, especially if free basic water already supplied to rich households is redistributed to the poor.

Stuart Wilson, Head of the CALS Litigation Unit said that “the judgment speaks volumes about the City’s approach to the poor and the vulnerable. A serious rethink of the City’s approach to poverty must now take place”.

For more info, see Mail & Guardian article.

Coalition Against Water Privatisation on 072 429 4086