Show Up Toronto - June 25, 2026
Hi friends and neighbours,
This week’s email was written by muhannad, one of Show Up’s new volunteers. Thanks, muhannad! If you’re interested in helping out with the project, drop us a line by replying to any email.
Ford Fest happened on Friday June 19, and OPSEU workers showed up in such force demanding fair wages as part of their ongoing strike that the Ford government posted edited crowd photos so the purple OPSEU shirts looked like blue conservative shirts. This week alone, workers showed up and confronted Doug Ford on several occasions in Scarborough, Etobicoke, and Thuder Bay to name a few. If you’d like to join them, be sure to check out the province-wide action planned for next Monday the 29th. (The rest of the province will be protesting on the 27th and Toronto’s protest was moved to accommodate Pride, but what better way is there to extend Pride celebrations than by yelling at the government?)
Earlier this month, activists welcomed FIFA to Toronto with a banner to “kick Israel out of FIFA” to highlight the way that FIFA “not only turns a blind eye to the Israel Football Association's playing of games on illegally occupied West Bank and Syrian territory [but also] broadcasts those games, thereby normalizing occupation and erasure”. It’s worth remembering that many Palestinian athletes are restricted, maimed or killed, and have been for decades.
In honour of June being Indigenous History month, I want to highlight that First Nations have been asking to amend to the Indian Act for a while now. Bill S-2, which was introduced in May of last year, was written with the input of First Nations women, leaders and organizations to try and begin addressing the many inequities Indigenous peoples still face. With less than two weeks left in the legislative session, it seems the government wishes to ensure it does not pass, which neatly lines up with all the other ways this federal government has trampled on Indigenous interests.
If you’re anything like me and still on a continuous journey of reconciliation with being an uninvited guest on this land, I invite you to learn through some films on the topic, some of which were curated on Knowledge Network for free for Indigenous History Month.
This might all seem grim, but there’s still lots of beauty in all the community work that’s happening. So let’s keep showing up.
M
Events this week
Thursday, June 25, 2026 🔗
9AM — Ontario Health Coalition Research Conference (Virtual)
Ontario Health Coalition - OHC is bringing together experienced researchers and front line experts to break down the latest findings, navigate the current structure of health care information, long term care, and public health information, and discuss how and where to find the data and details that can be used to strengthen research on public health care in Ontario, and across the country.
9AM — People's MOU Day of Action (various)
Toronto Climate Action Network - Join Toronto Climate Action Network for a national day of action calling on Members of Parliament to sign an Memorandum of Understanding with the people — a deal to protect our communities, our climate, and our future.
11AM — Moral Injury Debrief (Virtual)
AIDS Bereavement and Resiliency Program of Ontario - Moral injury happens when we are forced to act or witness acts that violate the ethics that guide our work, especially if those acts cause harm to someone. This debrief is open to all workers who are feeling impacted by the closures of the remaining publicly funded CTS across Ontario.
12PM — Celebrate PRIDE with Community (Ralph Thornton Community Centre)
Ralph Thornton Community Centre - Celebrate PRIDE with Community with the Ralph Thornton Community Centre, South Riverdale Community Health Centre, and Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy. There will be a BBQ, a drag performance, glitter tattoos, arts and crafts, a photobooth, harm reduction training, and more!
12:30PM — TRANScend TO (Available upon registration)
LGBT Youthline - A transformative day of learning, community-building, and celebration for Two-Spirit, trans, and non-binary youth.
12:30PM — More fun, less trash! How large events & festivals can kickstart the shift from single-use to reuse (Virtual)
Toronto Environmental Alliance - Some leading events in Toronto are already switching to reusable cups and dishes instead of single-use to cut waste. What can we do to get ALL events to go waste free?
4PM — Fairmont Royal York Repair Café (Fairmont Royal York)
Repair Cafe Toronto - Repair Café is returning to Fairmont Royal York Hotel! They will have fixers available to help you fix your beloved broken household items and show you how to do the repairs for free. One item per person. Registration closes at 6 p.m.
4PM — People's MOU Day of Action (1596 Bloor St W)
350.org - Join the People’s MOU Day of Action for the Taiaiko’n—Parkdale—High Park riding! The Canadian government has been prioritizing the profits of oil and gas companies over the safety of our communities, the survival of our wildlife, and the future of our planet. Enough is enough.
5PM — Talk to Transit Riders (Spadina Station at Bloor)
TTC Riders - Join in flyering and gathering signatures against Doug Ford's takeover of the TTC through Bill 98. No experience required!
6PM — Scarborough: Know Your Rights At Work (The Hub, 2660 Eglinton Ave East)
Workers Action Centre - Free and confidential workshop to learn about labour rights and how to protected them. Refreshments provided.
6PM — Tenants Rights Workshop (765 Queen St E)
Don Valley Community Legal Services - This free workshop with a paralegal from the community legal clinic will cover tenant & landlord rights and responsibilities, maintenance and repairs, rent increases and AGIs (Above Guideline Increases), privacy and harassment, tenant resources, and more. Everyone welcome!
7PM — The Breach Book Launch & 5-Year Birthday Bash (Dovercourt House)
The Breach - Join The Breach for the launch of their new book, and then stick around to celebrate their 5 year anniversary! Start with a panel discussion about A New Democratic Party: The Comeback of the Left, hosted by Desmond Cole in conversation with Judy Rebick, Matthew Green, and Martin Lukacs, followed by cake, prizes, and surprises.
7PM — Don't Mess with Our Waterfront - Clean Up & No to Billy Bishop Expansion (Biidaasige Park)
Don't Mess With The Don - Join the DMWTD Board and Community and come together for a clean up of Biidaasige and Portlands. Afterwards, gather to say NO to the expansion of Billy Bishop Airport.
Friday, June 26, 2026 🔗
12PM — Pride Open House (120 St George St)
Thomas Fisher Library - Join the Thomas Fisher Rare Books Library for a one-day display of queer independent and alternative books, prints & ephemera and open mic readings of manifestos and other texts. With special readings by Dank Sinatra and Augusto Bitter.
3PM — Fridays 4 Palestine (Yonge and Bloor)
Fridays4Palestine - Come show your support for Palestinians every Friday at the Israel Consulate. Stand up for human rights and say no to genocide.
5PM — Screening: What Do: Gaza Is the Compass (UTSU Student Commons, 230 College Street.)
Students for Barrier-Free Access - Join SBA Centre for a screening & discussion of the video essay "What Do: Gaza Is The Compass" by Adi Callai in the SBA Centre (room 364). There will be snacks!
5PM — Trans Rally and March (Church and Hayden)
Pride Toronto - Trans Pride is a bold affirmation of identity, resilience, and unapologetic existence. Join Pride Toronto in celebrating the strength, resilience, and beauty of the trans community. Community fair at 5, rally at 7, march at 8, followed by an afterparty at the Community Riser.
Saturday, June 27, 2026 🔗
8:45AM — Kidical Mass TO (Evergreen Brick Works)
Cycle Toronto - Kidical Mass is an international movement for child- and cycling-friendly cities. Kidical Mass rides are an all-ages, all-abilities celebration of cycling that highlights the need for healthier cities. Kids and their grown-ups ride their bikes together.
9:30AM — Volunteer at Parkdale-High Park's Community Environment Day (Sorauren Park, 50 Wabash Ave)
TTC Riders - Seeking volunteers to table with TTC RIders at Councillor Gord Perk's Community Environment Day event in Ward 4. Engage with residents on all things public transit. Come for an hour, two, or all of it. You don't have to joing the entire time.
10AM — Pride Block Party Parade Rest Stop (George Chuvalo Neighbourhood Centre)
Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre - Join this all-ages sober community block party! There will be DJs, vendors, a craft table, BBQ, ice cream, and more!
11AM — WHIWH at the Dyke March (2 Carlton St)
Women's Health in Women's Hands - Come celebrate Pride, resistance, and community with WHIWH as part in Dyke March 2026 under this year’s Pride Toronto theme: “We Won’t Stop!” Make t-shirts and signs in the morning, then walk to the march starting point as a group!
1PM — BDS Leafletting (900 Dufferin St)
Davenport 4 Palestine - Join Davenport 4 Palestine for the weekly BDS leafleting campaign at Dufferin Mall. Meet outside south entrance and buddy up – no experience necessary!
1PM — East End Midi Repair Café (East End United, 310 Danforth Ave)
Repair Cafe Toronto - A medium sized repair cafe with three types of fixer stations, this cafe is now regularly scheduled for every three months! Location and all gender washrooms are accessible. Cafe runs from 1pm to 5pm with the last item accepted at 4:30 pm.
1PM — Dyke Rally & March (Hayden St Riser)
Pride Toronto - The Dyke March is a powerful act of resistance, celebration, and solidarity. Dyke Pride is a space for connection, joy, and collective power. Rally at 1, march at 2, afterparty and community fair from 3 onwards.
2PM — Talk to Transit Riders (Scarborough Centre Station)
Progress Toronto - Join Progress Toronto and TTCriders to talk to transit riders across Toronto to get them to take action to keep Ford’s hands off our public transit. Never volunteered before? Don’t worry! Progress Toronto will give you support, training, and pair you with an experienced volunteer.
3PM — TTC Flyering at Pride at Wellesley (Wellesley Station)
TTC Riders - Volunteer to hand out flyers and other fun items at Wellesley Station in celebration of Pride. Feel free to also make signs to bring!
Sunday, June 28, 2026 🔗
10AM — Virtual Tech Worker’s Coalition Coffee (Virtual)
Tech Worker’s Coalition Canada - Drop by for a virtual coffee hour on Sunday mornings to chat with fellow tech workers about what’s on your mind and to learn more about the Tech Worker’s Coalition. Whether you are a gig worker, data labeler, designer, software engineer, or content moderator, labour solidarity for all!
11AM — Gaza Square (371 Wallace Ave)
Davenport 4 Palestine - Daveport 4 Palestine invites you to come hang out at Gaza square on Sunday mornings with hot chocolate and coffee, buttons and posters, lawn signs and colourful chalk. Come say hi and meet your fellow neighbours/organizers as they make their presence known and continue to build safety in their community!
11AM — Sundays 4 Palestine (Bathurst and Sheppard)
Sundays4Palestine - Weekly counterprotest to the Zionist community that comes out to celebrate the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Flags and signs provided.
12PM — Free 2 Shine (450 Broadview Ave)
East End Arts - This workshop will help you transform mobility and disability-related aids into expressions of your uniqueness and creativity! Using embroidery, patches, stickers, beads, charms, and more, participants will customize and decorate items such as canes, splints, wheelchairs, walkers, hearing aids, and other assistive devices.
12PM — Creative Reuse Toronto Storefront Drop-in Repair Events (68 Abell St.)
Creative Reuse Toronto - Bring your broken items to Creative Reuse Toronto's storefront location. Creative Reuse Toronto will be fixing small appliances, home electronics, clothing, jewellery and small furniture. Accepting items for repair until 3:00PM.
12:30PM — Abolition Pride 2026 (Grange Park)
No Pride in Policing Coalition - No Pride In Policing Coalition, Queers 4 Palestine, and allies are proud to present Abolition Pride 2026. An alternative Pride march and rally featuring drummers, art, creative and insurgent pedagogy, speakers, chants, DJ, poets, musicians, and food, for an abolitionist queer future.
1PM — Volunteer at Taste of the Junction (Keele St. @ Dundas St. W)
Progress Toronto - Join Progress Toronto and TTCriders to talk to people across Toronto to get them to take action to keep Ford’s hands off our public transit. Never volunteered before? Don’t worry! Progress Toronto will give you support, training, and pair you with an experienced volunteer.
Monday, June 29, 2026 🔗
12:30PM — Weekly Phone Zap for Palestine (Virtual)
Toronto Zaps For Palestine - Join with organizers from coast to coast in calling, emailing, and faxing demands to elected officials for a full two-way arms embargo to stop Canada's complicity in the genocide
7PM — Fight Ford Protest (Queen's Park)
Protest Doug Ford - Doug Ford has been selling off our province for parts for years and he has consistently shown he’s not on the people’s side. It’s time to stand up for our rights and for those who cannot. Come to Queen’s Park to get loud!
7PM — Building a Solidarity Economy in Little Jamaica Book Club (504 Oakwood Ave)
A Dutty Boukman Book Club - A deep dive into chapters 1 and 2 of the book Jackson Rising, chronicling the blueprint of Cooperation Jackson in Mississippi, co-edited by Kali Akuno & Ajamu Nangwaya. Learn how to build a community-led Solidarity Economy and neighbourhood self-determination right here in Little Jamaica.
7PM — Phone Zap to Support Striking OPSEU Workers! (online)
Spring Magazine - Over 4,000 social service workers across Ontario are currently either on strike or locked out. Spring will be getting together on Zoom to call their local MPPs and Doug Ford to let them know that they want a fair deal for social service workers!
Tuesday, June 30, 2026 🔗
1PM — Call for Volunteers for GCNC (50 Sousa Mendes St.)
George Chuvalo Neighbourhood Centre - Want to make an impact in your community? Join our street outreach team! Get your volunteer hours!! Bring a friend, your energy, and your passion. We’ll show you everything you need to know!
5PM — East End Vigil (Main St & Danforth Ave)
East End Acts - Join east end neighbours to honour lives lost and stand for Palestinian human rights and liberation. All are welcome.
6:30PM — Workshop #3 on sharing radical messages: Spread: Making Wheatpaste (60 Lowther Ave.)
Artists for Climate and Migrants Justice and Indigenous Sovereignty - How do you spread the word without a big marketing budget? Learn to make wheatpaste, a simple inexpensive way to put up posters in your community. You’ll go home with your own wheatpaste and posters designed in the Bloom session.
7PM — Keeping Water Public (virtual)
Water Watchers - Join Water Watchers and leading experts to explore the implications of recent legislative changes, examine the history and impacts of water privatization around the world, and understand how Ontario's recent reforms fit into a broader pattern of shifting essential public services into private hands.
8PM — Exclusive Premiere: How To Buy A Country (available upon registration)
re•generation - Join re•generation for an exclusive Toronto film screening of How to Buy A Country. This eye-opening documentary rewrites the story of Canada-US relations, exposing exactly how Canada ceded its strategic autonomy and sovereignty over the last 50 years — and how we might get it back.
Wednesday, July 1, 2026 🔗
9AM — Protest Against China's New "Ethnic Unity and Progress Law" (240 St. George St.)
Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of Toronto - On July 1, 2026, China will implement the “Ethnic Unity and Progress Law,” a legislation that seeks to formalize and legitimize coercive policies of cultural, linguistic, and ideological assimilation in Tibet. To condemn and protest this unjust law, seven Tibetan organizations will jointly organize a protest rally.
11:30AM — Neighbours Together on Canada Day (Riverdale Park East (By St Matthew's Clubhouse))
Ralph Thornton Community Centre - Celebrate Canada Day at Riverdale Park East! Join for the annual Neighbours Together on Canada Day community celebration of the Ralph Thornton Community Centre. It will be a full-filled day of free, family-friendly activities including lion dance, Indigenous drumming, BBQ, Kids’ activities and info booths.
3PM — Anti-Canada Day Gathering (Christie Pits)
8th Fire Rising - Grab your friends, wear your orange shirt and join this event to celebrate Indigenous resistance to the new wave of colonialism launched by Prime Minister Banker Daddy’s Bill C-5, Building Canada Act. Dozens of projects have been fast-tracked and dozens of communities impacted by this legislation that is overriding rights across the country.
7:30PM — No Canada Day Solidarity Fundraiser for People in Iran (The Baby G, 1608 Dundas St W)
What's Left Toronto - Live show at The Baby G supporting people in Iran. Doors at 7:30, music at 8:30. Vestigio, Lee Reed & Cee.Reality, Gutter Girl, Uugghh, Despotic
Thursday, July 2, 2026 🔗
5:30PM — CFTO Presents: Trivia Night + Food Drive! (Creeds Coffee Bar)
Community Fridges Toronto - It's Trivia Night with Community Fridges Toronto (CFTO)!! Come join a casual night of trivia and socializing at Creed's while collecting fridge items + cash for the community.
7PM — SURJ Childminding Training (Virtual)
SURJ Toronto - Join the Childminding Collective which provides crucial childcare at organizing events by attending one of SURJ’s monthly training sessions. At the training, you will learn more about do's and don'ts when hanging out with kids, fun games and activities to engage in, etc. No previous experience with kids needed!
Down the road
Friday, July 3, 2026 🔗
5PM — Know Your Immigration Rights workshop (available upon registration)
6:30PM — Free All Lebanese Prisoners Letter Writing & Teach-In (Available upon registration)
Saturday, July 4, 2026 🔗
9:30AM — Volunteer at Toronto-Centre's Community Environment Day (Regent Park)
12PM — 9th Annual Community Book Share (Toronto Public Library: Don Mills Branch)
2:30PM — Understanding Wind Energy in Ontario: Community Learning Session (5120 Yonge St)
Sunday, July 5, 2026 🔗
7:30PM — Rank + File 2: A Concert for Parkdale Housing Justice Network (Handlebar)
Monday, July 6, 2026 🔗
4PM — Tati Community Art Hive (Toronto Art Therapy Institute, 124 Merton Street, Unit 407)
Tuesday, July 7, 2026 🔗
7PM — DSC Orientation (Virtual)
12PM — Protecting Your Home: Tenant Rights & Landlord Responsibilities (Virtual)
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 🔗
10:30AM — PSW Rally for Fairness (964 Albion Road)
Saturday, July 11, 2026 🔗
11AM — Black Youth: Food Sovereignty Future (Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex)
12PM — NMN Drop In (online)
2:30PM — A Breath of Clean Air: Building Climate Resilience by Improving IAQ (Swansea Town Hall)
5PM — Know Your Immigration Rights (location provided upon registration)
Sunday, July 12, 2026 🔗
1PM — Safe Streets Peer Support Meeting (401 Richmond St W)
1PM — Book launch: Counter-revolution in Egypt (Virtual)
5PM — Voices for Lebanon Fundraiser Show (DROM Taberna)
5PM — Know Your Immigration Rights Workshop (Register to get the location)
Wednesday, July 15, 2026 🔗
1:30PM — NIMBYism and Housing Equity (Virtual)
2PM — Group Grief Support Session for Peers (Virtual)
Saturday, July 18, 2026 🔗
10AM — Know Your Power - Youth Workers Skill Lab (55 University Ave, 15th Floor)