Ford’s Budget Committee Shut Down - 2 arrests made, Call for Court Support Friday

by OCAP

Ford’s Budget Committee Shut Down -
2 arrests made, Call for Court Support Friday

**Legal Update: 2 arrests were made today at City Hall. Both are being
held over and will be appearing in court on Friday, Feb.11th.
Come out for Court Support!
Friday, February 11th
10 AM
College Park (College and Yonge)
Court room #: 507

On February 10, Rob Ford and his friends on the handpicked Budget
Committee of City Council got a first taste of community mobilization
against the massive social cutbacks they are cooking up.  Members of
OCAP, No One is Illegal, Disability Action Movement Now, Community
Solidarity Network, Common Cause, Rhythms of Resistance, and other
people from communities facing attack were involved in the 'People's
Delegation'.

Dozens of angry people, facing cuts to transport, hostel/emergency
shelter services, community programs, tenant services and attacks on
refugees and immigrants, entered the Committee Room and immediately
and loudly confronted the assembled budget cutters.  Two people were
arrested by the one ‘service’ that seems to be exempt from cutbacks –
the Police.  Police were there in full force, giving us a picture of
what we can expect for the coming years as social cuts will be
enforced with lines of brutal cops and arrests.

Ford and his crew made a hasty retreat and those who had come to
challenge them held the Committee Room and area outside the Council
members’ offices while several of the organizations involved in the
action spoke to the crowd about the seriousness of Rob Ford’s attacks.

As bad as the present round of cuts are, they are only the first
round.  Ford has made clear he intends to contract out services to low
paying employers and take a knife to vital community needs.  He is
bringing high paid consultants to plan a vicious series of attacks.
His regime is the local expression of an austerity agenda that people
are facing and resisting across the world.  We are calling on workers
facing the loss of their jobs and communities the loss of basic
services to unite and stop the Ford Agenda.  The February 10 action
was strong and important but it’s only a first step.  Ford and
everything he stands for must be defeated.

Next Steps:

1) Mass Call-in to City Councillors
Next Week! February 14th – 18th

Call your City Councillor in the lead up the Ford's budget being
brought to City Council (coming to Council on Feb.23rd). Every City
Councillor has a vote at Council and need to be held accountable for
what will come of the 2011 Budget and the proposed cuts by Ford to
shelter services, tenant rights resources, and transit – and this is
just the tip of the iceberg.

Tell your City Councillor to Vote AGAINST Ford’s Budget. We want real
action on poverty, not lip service and sound bites.

Find your local councillor’s contact here:
http://app.toronto.ca/wards/jsp/wards.jsp

*******
2) Ford's Austerity Budget Comes to Council:

On Wednesday, February 23rd the Toronto City Council will begin
debates on the proposed Ford Budget for 2011. Council is meant to vote
on the Budget by Monday, February 28th. February 10th's delegation to
the Budget Committee may just be the beginning of resistance to the
2011 Budget ...
*******

3) Join the FIGHT BACK -  Join the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty:
www.ocap.ca / 416-925-6939