Doug Ford has been elected Leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives with a promise to make life better for ordinary people. He has made a career out of attacking out-of-touch elites who run the government for the benefit of insiders and their cronies.

We agree with Doug Ford – life has gotten worse for working class people while those at the top have made out like bandits. The question is: will Doug Ford’s policies make life better for us?

We Are Oshawa supports college faculty on strike at Durham College and across Ontario. We are inviting you to join us on the picket line at Durham College (North Campus) on Thursday, November 9 between 12PM and 4PM. We are also asking for volunteers to help distribute a hot lunch to workers on the picket line.

Workers in Ontario have long-awaited the release of the Changing Workplaces Review recommendations and today we got our first look at what the panel is recommending to the government. While there are some positive recommendations in the report, the proposed reforms fail to deliver justice in the workplace for Ontario’s working class.

In the spring of 2016, members of We Are Oshawa voted to join with workers, students, and activists across Ontario to Fight for $15 and Fairness. In Oshawa, we have watched as our local economy has shed thousands of good, full time unionized jobs which have been replaced by low-wage, precarious work. In fact, one of the fastest growing sectors of our local economy is the service industry where workers young and older alike are treated unfairly in the workplace and are paid poverty wages. 

We Are Oshawa would like to express our solidarity with all workers in General Motors’ Oshawa Assembly Plant. As we fight for decent work through the $15 & Fairness campaign, we recognize the critical importance of protecting existing jobs that support thousands of workers and their families in our community and throughout the region.

Position: Volunteer Canvasser, door-to-door, phone (multiple openings)

We Are Oshawa is a membership-based grassroots, non-partisan organization that seeks to make progressive issues a priority in Oshawa.  We aim to empower and mobilize residents to become active agents for social change in their community.

We Are Oshawa is seeking champions of social justice who can work in an anti-racist/anti-oppression framework, who are excited to canvass and eager to help us build capacity. We Are Oshawa has temporary, part-time contracts available as canvassers.

RESPONSIBILITIES 

o Organize and coordinate capacity building for We Are Oshawa

o Recruit members through door knocking and phone-calls

o Coordinate and assist with outreach and resident engagement 

o Maintain contacts lists, records, program statistics, as required by We Are Oshawa

o Build rapport with community members  

o Participate in some of the broader activities of We Are Oshawa

QUALIFICATIONS 

o Deep sense of social justice, able to work in anti-racist/anti-oppression framework working with diverse neighbourhoods

o Experience working with community development

o Strong time-management skills

o Demonstrated experience working with residents from diverse communities and backgrounds 

o Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills 

o Self-directed with ability to collaborate with multiple teams 

o Adaptable to working flexible weekdays, some evenings and weekends 

We Are Oshawa welcomes the contributions that individuals from equality seeking communities bring to our organization and invites indigenous people; people of colour; women; gays, lesbians, bisexuals, queer oriented people, transgender and transsexual persons; single parents; members of ethnic minorities; newcomers and/or refugees; people with disabilities; and people of all ages to apply.

Contract date to be determined. Honararium will be paid.  

Applications: Persons interested should send their resume and cover letter in Word, PDF or RTF format. Applications will be accepted via e-mail with “Canvasser” in the subject line to the attention of We Are Oshawa, [email protected]  no later than May 27, 2016.

We thank all applicants for their interest however, only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls or queries please.

Position: Volunteer Community Organizer

We Are Oshawa is a membership-based grassroots, non-partisan organization that seeks to make progressive issues a priority in Oshawa.  We aim to empower and mobilize residents to become active agents for social change in their community.

We Are Oshawa is seeking a champion of social justice who can work in an anti-racist/anti-oppression framework, eager to help us build capacity.

Come be a part of a movement, to build strength in the roots of the grassroots, and help work towards fairness in Oshawa.

RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Organize and coordinate capacity building for We Are Oshawa
• Liaise and build partnerships with community, labour, and grassroots organizations
• Coordinate and assist with outreach and resident engagement 
• Perform broad range of clerical and administrative tasks as required by We Are Oshawa
• Maintain contacts lists, records, program statistics, as required by We Are Oshawa
• Coordinate and perform project-related spending and budgeting in accord with project budget 
• Update website, social media, send group emails, work with canvassers
• Participate in some of the broader activities of We Are Oshawa
• Maintain Social Media and Web Presence
• Fundraising

QUALIFICATIONS 

• Deep sense of social justice, able to work in anti-racist/anti-oppression framework
• Experience working with community development
• Experience with program development and delivery in a community setting 
• Skilled in group facilitation and presentation 
• Demonstrated experience working with residents from diverse communities and backgrounds 
• Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills 
• Self-directed with ability to collaborate with multiple teams 
• Adaptable to working flexible weekdays, some evenings and weekends 
• Good working knowledge of internet, social media and MS Office programs 
• Working knowledge of NationBuilder

We Are Oshawa welcomes the contributions that individuals from equality seeking communities bring to our organization and invites indigenous people; people of colour; women; gays, lesbians, bisexuals, queer oriented people, transgender and transsexual persons; single parents; members of ethnic minorities; newcomers and/or refugees; people with disabilities; and people of all ages to apply.

 Compensation:  Honorarium with the expectation that some weeks would require more than 20 hours and other weeks would require less based on operational requirements. subject to renewal.

Applications: Persons interested should send their resume and cover letter in Word, PDF or RTF format. Applications will be accepted via e-mail with “Community Organizer” in the subject line to the attention of We Are Oshawa, [email protected]  no later than May 27, 2016.

We thank all applicants for their interest however, only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls or queries please.

We Are Oshawa will be holding our Annual General Meeting of Members (AGM) on Saturday, May 14 at 2:00 PM. It will take place at the Student Centre which is located at the main Durham College Campus. The address is 12 Founders Dr, Oshawa, ON. You will be required to Enter in the front doors of the building by EP Taylor’s restaurant and go up the stairs or elevator to the 2^nd floor. There we will meet in the student lounge area. 

It has been a big year for We Are Oshawa and grassroots organizing in our community. Through canvassing, media coverage, creative direct action, and persistent organizing, we have been able to build a grassroots movement in Oshawa for a more fair and equitable community.

To help us continue this work, please join us on May 14 at 2:00 PM and bring a friend. We will be electing our Executive Committee, doing a year in review, and setting our strategic goals for the year ahead.

We are Oshawa had a general meeting recently and the attendees decided unanimously to adopt the $15 and Fairness campaign. This campaign is of paramount importance because no working person deserves to live in poverty and everyone deserves expanded labor rights such as access to sick days. Not only is this good for our economy because it gives the working class more purchasing power, but the workers who create wealth for their respective businesses at least deserve a greater portion of that wealth.  Please join us for a Durham Region-area planning meeting as we gear up to Fight for 15 and Fairness. At this meeting we'll be discussing ideas for an upcoming April 15 Day of Action. For more information, visit www.15andFairness.org.

STUDENTS, WORKERS, COMMUNITY GROUP TO HOST PEOPLE’S DEBATE

Federal candidates in the Oshawa and Durham ridings will step up to the podium on September 17 at the Regent Theatre for the People’s Debate. Hosted by The Student Association at Durham College & UOIT (SA), the UOIT Faculty Association, Unifor Local 222, and We Are Oshawa, the debate focuses on social issues such as poverty, First Nations, education and more.

“As students, we struggle to find jobs, pay tuition and make ends meet. It is incredibly important that issues that affect us are front and centre in the federal election,” says Jesse Cullen, President of the SA.

This is the second time the SA and We Are Oshawa joined forces to host an all-candidate debate, previously co-organizing the first People’s Debate during the last provincial election.

“We want to know where our local candidates stand on issues including a federal minimum wage, child care, civil liberties, and poverty,” says Ben Goslin, an Executive of We Are Oshawa. “Too often, these issues are ignored by political parties, so we have come together with our partners in the community to create a debate. This debate is the antithesis of the $40 debate hosted by The Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce: a debate that puts working people ahead of moneyed interests”

Doors to the Regent Theatre open at 6:30PM, with the debate starting at 7PM. All community members are welcome to attend.

You can vote on what will be the last question of the debate at:

www.weareoshawa.ca/peoples_debate_survey

For more information, contact:

JESSICA VERGE | Communications & Marketing Coordinator

The Student Association at Durham College & UOIT

P 905-721-1609 ext. 3972 | E [email protected]

DENISE MARTINS | Executive Assistant

UOIT Faculty Association

P 905-721-8668 ext. 2049 | E [email protected]

RON SVAJLENKO | President

Unifor Local 222

P 905-723-1187 | E [email protected]

JIM FREEMAN | Spokesperson

We Are Oshawa

P 905-431-5607 | E [email protected]

If you have the means to contribute financially to our organization, we encourage you to give what you can. By contributing, you will be supporting grassroots campaigns that seek to build power in low income and marginalized communities. There is no fee associated with membership in our organization, therefore your contribution will go a long way to supporting campaigns such as the raising the minimum wage, saving Canada Post, and affordable child care. To donate click here!