Show Up Toronto - November 4, 2025
Hi friends and neighbours,
A regional piece of news you may not have heard about is that a man broke into a women's prison in Kitchener and assaulted multiple inmates. Their calls for help were repeatedly ignored by staff, and when the man was finally apprehended, the injured inmates were told to just go to sleep and no medical care was provided.
Prisoners' rights can be fraught because we are so culturally embedded in an incarceration-oriented mindset. There is a common assumption that if you've done something that landed you in prison, you deserve whatever happens to you. This mindset ignores the way that the legal system finds ways to criminalize people it wants to render disposable, and that criminality is a socially constructed category whose definition can and does frequently change. How a society treats its prisoners is a harbinger of how it will treat everyone it deems undesirable, whether they are unhoused or disabled or mentally ill or simply have the wrong skin colour.
Our solidarity must extend to our incarcerated neighbours, because if any of us can be considered disposable, all of us can be. Incarcerated Voters Ontario are calling on the public to contact Public Safety Canada, Office of the Correctional Investigator, and the Canadian Human Rights Commission to investigate what they describe as a pattern of minimizing or covering up violence.
At least Dick Cheney is dead. (I hope this is how you found out.)
Jenny
Take heart: A tenant union in Scarborough fought an above-guideline rent increase and won!
Take action: Today is the last day to provide comments to the Environmental Registry of Ontario about your thoughts about building AI data centres in the province. ClimateFast has an open letter with good talking points about why this is an issue.
Meanwhile, the fight against Ford's war on tenant continues. The York-South Weston Tenant Union has tons of canvassing events across the city that you can join, and the Democratic Socialists of Canada are hosting a slew of tenant organizing trainings you can attend virtually.
⭐️ = events updated since the last newsletter
Events this week
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 12-1:30PM — Design and Disability Justice (Virtual)
OPIRG Provincial - Part of OPIRG’s Collaboration Lunch series. Join the Disability Network of Ontario in interrogating design, disability, and histories of disability justice in our communities, the principles of disability justice, how we utilize these principles in design, how we have to confront ableism within arts & culture spaces, urban planning, architecture & building design, and general design practices to consider!
5-6PM — East End Acts Weekly Vigil (Main and Danforth)
East End Acts for Palestine - East End Acts will be meeting weekly on Tuesday afternoons to remember the thousands of men, women, and children murdered by the zionist state. Join your east end neighbours as we gather in solidarity to mourn & honour our martyrs, demand an end to the genocide in Palestine, and an end to Canadian complicity in the ongoing atrocities.
5:30-7:30PM — A World Café: Conversations on Climate Change and Belonging (Dahdaleh Institute)
Wellness Impact Lab - Have you ever felt like the places that shaped you, whether nearby or far across the world, are changing? This is a space to reflect, share, and connect through guided conversations about how environmental change impacts our sense of identity, memory, and the idea of home. Explore how climate change affects our emotional lives and sense of belonging, while creating space for connection, community, and hope.
⭐️ 6:30-8:30PM — Canvassing Against Bill 60 (Available upon registration (YSW))
York-South Weston Tenant Union - Doug Ford’s latest attack on tenants is a declaration of war; it’s up to us to fight back. His proposed legislation will gut rent control, speed up evictions, and hand even more power to landlords while pushing working-class people out of our homes. Join the York-South Weston Tenant Union to canvass across Ontario to fight back and stop Ford. Let’s show this government that tenants won’t be bullied out of our homes.
⭐️ 7-9PM — Civic Hacknight - Making open data requests more open (Hybrid)
Civic Tech Toronto - Civic Tech Toronto's weekly hacknights bring together Torontonians who want to improve the city through design, tech, and data. tech, and data. Toronto's Open Data Team is developing a new way for the public to request open datasets. Come get a sneak peek of the new public requests portal and help shape its future by sharing your feedback. Followed by breakout group sessions to work on projects.
⭐️ 7-9PM — Working Group Meeting: Organizing Against Threats to Harm Reduction (College St United)
Harm Reduction Advocacy Collective Toronto - Join HAC Toronto for its monthly organizing meeting, following up on the province pulling funding for the last safe consumption site in Toronto’s west end. Come help discuss next steps to organize to save our sites!
Wednesday, November 5, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 12-2PM — Community Pop-Up at OCAD U (100 McCaul)
Untitled Planning - Toronto’s Downtown West is changing rapidly — and this is the chance to plan ahead together. As the neighbourhood grows and intensifies, community spaces and services need to keep pace so they continue to meet local needs. Join this community pop-up to share what makes the Grange neighbourhood work, and what’s missing.
1-3PM — Sites of Complicity Walking Tour (Sidney Smith Hall)
Toronto Students for Palestine - A guided walking tour that explores the various University of Toronto sites and buildings implicated in structures of scholasticide and complicity in the ongoing genocide in Palestine. This walk invites participants to critically rethink the familiar spaces navigate by students, faculty, and staff — mapping, both figuratively and literally, how the University’s institutions, investments, and partnerships participate in and perpetuate genocide.
3:30-5:30PM — Debunking the Manosphere & Preventing Incel Radicalization (Virtual)
White Ribbon Canada - Explore the urgent issue of harmful online ideologies targeting male youth and provide concrete strategies and tools for prevention. The event will include a keynote by experts in gender, masculinity, and radicalization who will share critical insights into how misogynistic online movements are influencing young men and boys, and what can be done to counter them.
⭐️ 5:30-7:30PM — Budget Rally: For a People’s Budget, Not a War Budget (1202 Bloor St W)
The Toronto Association for Peace and Solidarity - The Carney government’s first federal budget comes at a time of increasing international tensions and a drive to war that needs to be reversed immediately. At home, an ongoing cost-of-living crisis has eroded real wages which has been exacerbated by concessions made to the Trump administration’s attack on working people in Canada. ️Join a rally at Liberal MP Julie Dzerowicz’s office to demand a People’s Budget, Not a War Budget!
5:45-8PM — Doorknocking for Palestine (Available upon registration)
Davenport 4 Palestine - Davenport 4 Palestine is doorknocking in the neighbourhood to mobilize neighbours in support of a real arms embargo. No experience is necessary, you'll be paired up with a seasoned doorknocker. RSVP by emailing at davenport4palestine@gmail.com.
⭐️ 6:30-8:30PM — Stronger Together: Connecting Chinese and Punjabi Workers (220 Spadina Ave)
Chinese Canadian National Council and Naujawan Support Network - Join the Chinese Canadian National Council and Naujawan Support Network for a bilingual gathering connecting Chinese and Punjabi workers/students to discuss shared interests and struggles. RSVP by email at ccnctoronto.ca or WeChat at CCNCTO2.
⭐️ 6:30-8:30PM — Canvassing Against Bill 60 (Available upon registration (York Centre))
York-South Weston Tenant Union - Doug Ford’s latest attack on tenants is a declaration of war; it’s up to us to fight back. His proposed legislation will gut rent control, speed up evictions, and hand even more power to landlords while pushing working-class people out of our homes. Join the York-South Weston Tenant Union to canvass across Ontario to fight back and stop Ford. Let’s show this government that tenants won’t be bullied out of our homes.
7-8:30PM — PHP4P Community Meeting (Available upon registration)
Parkdale-High Park for Palestine - PH4P is hosting their next community meeting! In-person participation is strongly encouraged, but an online option will be offered. These meetings give you a chance to meet your neighbours and build momentum together! All levels of experience are welcome.
7PM-1AM — Clothing Swap + Bake Sale + Dance Party Fundraiser (225 Geary Ave)
Uma Nota Culture - A community celebration of circular giving, resistance, joy, collective care and mutual aid. It’s a clothing swap with an on-site stylist and a mender, a bake sale, a bar, and a dance party! And all money raised will go directly to support families in Gaza. What more could you ask for?
⭐️ 7-9PM — MPP Meeting Training (Virtual)
Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare - Being able to engage and advise elected officials is a critical part of early-childhood education advocacy. Especially with $10/day child care funding expiring in March 2026, it’s incredibly important that Ontario sign now. Perhaps you’re new to requesting meetings or you’ve already organized MPP visits. Everyone is welcome to this training!
Thursday, November 6, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 1-3PM — Parting Gifts of Empire: Palestine and India at the Dawn of Decolonization (1265 Military Trail)
Hearing Palestine - A book launch and conversation featuring the author of Parting Gifts of Empire, Esmat Elhalaby with UC Berkeley Professor Ussama Makdisi and Harvard Professor Richard B. Wolf.
⭐️ 3-7PM — Teach-In: What Kind of University Do We Want to Create (York University Keele Campus)
OPIRG York - Join OPIRG York for the crucial question: "What kind of university do we want to create?" Students, faculty, staff, community members are all welcome. Come learn about existing campaigns to transform the university and discuss how to create a democratic university, a university that nurtures just relationships with neighbouring communities, a decolonized university that serves all our relations, and a university that helps all to thrive, create and learn. Dinner provided.
⭐️ 5-7PM — Capitalism’s Safety Net: News Media and the Far Right (245 Church St)
Hellenic Canadian Academic Association of Ontario - The influence of news coverage on the rise of far-right ideologies is undeniable. Capitalism’s Safety Net investigates how the liberal media—often seen as a force for democracy—can, in fact, reinforce authoritarian, ultra-nationalist, xenophobic, racist, and reactionary politics. By tracing the connections between dominant ideology, capitalist crises, and the political economy of the news industry, this book exposes how mass media systems often serve to legitimize far-right movements while undermining radical left-wing alternatives.
6-9PM — Delivering Medical Aid to Gaza During a Genocide (St Andrews United Church)
Ismaelis for Palestine - Dr Tarek Loubani, a Canadian ER physician and humanitarian, has just returned from Gaza. Dr. Loubani co-founded Glia, an organization that develops open-source medical tools to save lives in places where resources are scarce (like besieged Gaza). He will be sharing his experiences, and sharing what each of us can do to help Palestinians right now.
6-7:30PM — Ending Homelessness: A Housing-First Solution (87 Elm St)
St Michael’s Foundation - It’s time to shift the conversation—from managing homelessness to ending it. Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud will share insights from Manitoba’s bold new strategy to end chronic homelessness by 2031. Talk will include a panel of local experts to discuss a housing-first approach to one of the most urgent health and human rights issues of our time.
6-8PM — Anti-Oppression & Anti-Racism 101 (Virtual)
Showing Up for Racial Justice Toronto - Part 1 of SURJ-Toronto’s 2025-2026 Introduction to Anti-Racism Webinar Series. How can we stand up against racism? In this friendly and introductory workshop, educator Rania El Mugammar will help attendees understand what racism and privilege mean and what all of us – especially white people – can do to learn more and be on the right side of history. This workshop is open to absolutely anybody and everybody, but it’s mainly aimed at folks who are relatively new to these conversations. Are you wanting to stand up for racial justice but feeling unsure or anxious about how to talk with a family member, colleague, or loved one? This workshop is for you!
6-7PM — Divestment Webinar (Virtual)
Palestine Impact Collective - Break the chain. Learn how to divest for yourself and your workplace from companies complicit in genocide and occupation.
⭐️ 6-7:30PM — Inclusionary Zoning Policy Information Session (Virtual)
City of Toronto - Inclusionary Zoning is a policy tool that requires affordable housing in new residential developments located near public transit. Learn how Inclusionary Zoning supports affordable housing in Toronto. Join the City’s virtual information session to hear about the latest policy updates and proposed zoning changes.
⭐️ 6:30-8PM — African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) Community Conversation Corner (24 Cecil St)
Untitled Planning - Are you part of Toronto’s African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) community and live, work, study, or spend time in the Grange Precinct or nearby Kensington-Chinatown area? What could a more inclusive, connected, and welcoming neighbourhood look like for you? Join this group session to share your experiences and ideas about the services that matter most — like social programs, recreation, health supports, and spaces that help you stay active, connected, and thriving.
Friday, November 7, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 2-6PM — Protest at Nucro-Technics (2000 Ellesmere Rd)
The Anti-Vivisection Alliance - Join the Anti-Vivisection Alliance for a follow-up protest to demand that Nucro-Technics Inc. stop testing on animals. Bring your energy, your signs, and your convictions, and make your presence felt.
3-6PM — 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.
⭐️ 6-8PM — Lessons from the Frontlines: An Evening with Chris Smalls & Jenan Matari (Second Student Centre)
York Federation of Students - Join the York Federation of Students for the annual Xpressions Against Oppressions Key Note! This year, the speakers are trade unionist Chris Smalls (leader of the Amazon Long Island campaign) and author and organizer Jenan Matari to join a conversation about their work and activism. The keynote will have speeches from both Chris and Jenan and will be followed by a moderated Q&A on resistance and political organizing on the frontlines for York University students and their community.
⭐️ 6:30-8:30PM — Canvassing Against Bill 60 (Available upon registration (Etobicoke North))
York-South Weston Tenant Union - Doug Ford’s latest attack on tenants is a declaration of war; it’s up to us to fight back. His proposed legislation will gut rent control, speed up evictions, and hand even more power to landlords while pushing working-class people out of our homes. Join the York-South Weston Tenant Union to canvass across Ontario to fight back and stop Ford. Let’s show this government that tenants won’t be bullied out of our homes.
Saturday, November 8, 2025 🔗
1-2PM — 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!
⭐️ 1-4PM — Naloxone Training (Houndstooth)
Cupid Local - Do you carry Naloxone? Do you know how to use it? Have questions? Join Cupid Local on the second Saturday of every month for Naloxone training. Get this life-saving medication in your hands and out on the streets! As the province slashes harm reduction services in favour of coercive, so-called treatment, we will continue to see an increased rate of overdoses. It can happen anywhere, to anyone, and you can have the tools and the know how to reverse an overdose and save a life.
⭐️ 1-3PM — Canvassing Against Bill 60 (Available upon registration (Willowdale))
York-South Weston Tenant Union - Doug Ford’s latest attack on tenants is a declaration of war; it’s up to us to fight back. His proposed legislation will gut rent control, speed up evictions, and hand even more power to landlords while pushing working-class people out of our homes. Join the York-South Weston Tenant Union to canvass across Ontario to fight back and stop Ford. Let’s show this government that tenants won’t be bullied out of our homes.
7-9PM — Tenant Organizing Training (Virtual)
Democratic Socialists of Canada - This 2 hour session has a strong focus on practical skills you can immediately use to start organizing your neighbours and other tenants in your city. During this time you will learn how to prepare for a campaign, chart a building, develop a power analysis, have effective conversations with your neighbours to build community and solidarity, and much more! These skills will allow you to form a tenant union that is capable of shifting the power imbalance between the tenants and the landlord.
⭐️ 10PM-2AM — When Dancehall Did Sweet (The 519)
Pride Toronto - A Night of Unity, Rhythm & Hope for Jamaica’s Queer Community. Admission by suggested donation to the Larry Chang Foundation, delivering emergency relief to LGBTQ+ Jamaicans.
Sunday, November 9, 2025 🔗
11AM-1PM — 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!
12-5PM — Zine Dump (58 Cecil St)
Zine Dump - Zine Dump is a new Toronto zine fair that aims to provide a venue for the open expression for independent publications, radical art and ideas. Tons of vendors and great programming, covid-safe protocols available!
1-3PM — Friends and Families for Safe Streets Peer Support Meeting (401 Richmond St W, Room 215)
Friends and Families for Safe Streets - Peer support group meetings for adults over the age of 18 who are bereaved through the death of a family member or friend by road violence, and for those who are recovering/have recovered from traumatic injury in a collision with a vehicle. If you are struggling in the aftermath of road violence, you are not alone. Virtual option available.
⭐️ 1-4PM — Technology for the People: TfD × TWC Social (Paupers Pub)
Technologists for Democracy and TWC Canada - Tech belongs to us all. Come join a collaborative social mixer hosted by Technologists for Democracy and Tech Workers Coalition Canada and meet fellow tech workers who believe in collectively building a future where tech is ethical, equitable and accountable to us, the people.
⭐️ 2:30-5PM — Made in Dagenham Fundraiser Screening (Available upon registration (downtown))
Toronto West International Socialists - Made in Dagenham is a 2010 film about the historic 1968 strike by women for equal pay at the Ford auto plant in Dagenham, UK that would lead to landmark equal pay legislation. Come for a fundraiser screening and meet fellow socialists.
⭐️ 6-8PM — Migrant Workers Assembly (Hybrid)
Migrant Workers Alliance - For migrants only! What do you need to know about the upcoming Immigration Levels Plan, the federal budget and long immigration processing times? Are there more raids? What about expiring permits? How does all this impact you? Join November’s Migrant Assembly to discuss all these updates and hear how migrants like you are taking action to fight the cuts. This assembly is led by migrants – don’t get scammed by immigration consultants and other people who want to make money off of our struggles by spreading misinformation. Dinner provided in Toronto.
⭐️ 6-8PM — Protecting Public Education (315 Roncesvalles)
Another Story Bookshop - Bill 33 removes decision-making power from locally-elected trustees and centralizes control of school boards, making this a critical moment for public education. Come hear from Toronto school trustee Debbie King, Elementary Teachers of Toronto President Helen Victoros, and Another Story's own Eric McCall about what’s at stake - from democratic representation to creating safe inclusive schools. Come learn firsthand about underfunding of classrooms, supervision of the TDSB, changes proposed in Bill 33, and the significant concerns it raises for families, educators, marginalized communities, and public education. Children welcome!
Monday, November 10, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 10:30-11:40AM — No Faith in Fossil Fuels: An Interfaith Service and Walk (765 Queen St E)
Faith and Climate Action - As Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin travels to the COP30 climate conference, faith communities across Canada are urging her to show moral courage and climate leadership. Join an interfaith service of mourning and hope followed by a short walk to Minister Dabrusin's constituency office. Together, grieve the mounting losses resulting from delayed action on global heating, lift up shared hopes for creation, and to urge Canada’s leaders to take bold, compassionate action to protect life on Earth.
⭐️ 6:30-9PM — TWC Canada Book Club Pt 3 (BAAA School, 300 Campbell)
TWC Canada - The Tech Worker’s Coalition invites you to join in for a book club series to read No Shortcuts by Jane McAlevey, a seminal text on labour organizing. This first session will cover chapters 5 and 6. Whether you’re worried about burnout or layoffs or concerned about the moral direction of the industry, the best way to channel your energy is through collective action. Open to all who are interested in learning more about labour organizing – you do not have to be a tech worker!
7-8:30PM — Responding to Intimate Partner Violence Through Community Care – Workshop 2 (Virtual)
Showing Up for Racial Justice - Part 2 of a three-part workshop series, which will cover safety planning using mutual aid. Explore ways communities can step in where systems fall short. Together, we will turn theory into tangible action by reimagining the intimate partner violence crisis response through collective support and sustainable alternatives.
Down the road
Tuesday, November 11, 2025 🔗
5-6PM — East End Acts Weekly Vigil (Main and Danforth)
6-7PM — Info Session on Combatting disinformation, hate and division (Virtual)
⭐️ 6-7:30PM — From Canadian Politeness to Canadian Kindness (Virtual)
⭐️ 6-8PM — Revolutionary Optimism and Struggle Forward (Available upon registration (downtown))
Wednesday, November 12, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 9AM-1:30PM — Food for Change: Building Action on Food Insecurity (17150 Yonge St)
5:45-8PM — Doorknocking for Palestine (Available upon registration)
Thursday, November 13, 2025 🔗
7-8:30PM — Book Launch - Lessons from the Zapatistas (Virtual)
Friday, November 14, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 8-9:15PM — Parents for Child Care – Media Training Event (Virtual)
3-6PM — Fridays 4 Palestine (Yonge and Bloor)
⭐️ 6-8PM — Climate4Palestine TO Community Meeting (CSI Spadina)
⭐️ 6-9PM — International Policing-Free Schools Symposium (Hybrid)
Saturday, November 15, 2025 🔗
9AM-4PM — OFL Human Rights Summit- Fighting Hate, Building Solidarity: Allyship in Action (123 Queen Street W)
1-2PM — BDS Leafletting (900 Dufferin St)
⭐️ 2-4PM — Taking Action for Safe Cycling in the City (170 Memorial Park Ave)
5-7:30PM — Canadian Labour International Film Festival (Innis Town Hall)
Sunday, November 16, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 9PM-2AM — Carousel Collective Fundraiser for Palestine (141 Bathurst St)
11AM-1PM — Gaza Square (371 Wallace Ave)
Monday, November 17, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 7-9PM — Tenant Organizing Training (Virtual)
⭐️ 6-7:30PM — Butterflies in the Coalmine: Solidarity, Strength & Warning Signs from Migrant Sex Worker Organizers (Virtual)
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 9-11PM — DSA Orientation (Virtual)
⭐️ 9AM-5PM — Youth Justice Community Forum (16 Spadina Rd)
⭐️ 5-6PM — East End Acts Weekly Vigil (Main and Danforth)
6-7:30PM — Draw The Line Against Transphobic Violence (Virtual)
Wednesday, November 19, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 7-9PM — Justice 4 Workers Ontario Organizing Meeting (Virtual)
⭐️ 2-4PM — Advancing local climate action through participatory democracy (Virtual)
⭐️ 5-7PM — Mobility Device Repair Night (230 College St)
⭐️ 5:45-8PM — Doorknocking for Palestine (Available upon RSVP)
Friday, November 21, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 7-9PM — Crisis & Resistance (Available upon registration (downtown))
⭐️ 3-6PM — Fridays 4 Palestine (Yonge and Bloor)
6-8PM — Toronto Spring Monthly Meeting (Trinity-St. Paul's United Church, 427 Bloor St W)
Saturday, November 22, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 7-9PM — Tenant Organizing Training (Virtual)
⭐️ 1-2PM — BDS Leafletting (900 Dufferin St)
⭐️ 3-5PM — Cross-Country Truck Driver Town Hall (Hybrid)
Sunday, November 23, 2025 🔗
⭐️ 11AM-1PM — Gaza Square (371 Wallace Ave)
⭐️ 1-5PM — Streetcar Summit (58 Cecil St)
⭐️ 2-4PM — Fascism, what it is an how to fight it (427 Bloor St W)
Monday, November 24, 2025 🔗
6-8PM — In Solidarity with Land Defenders in the Amazon (Carlton Cinema)
Tuesday, November 25, 2025 🔗
7-8:30PM — Responding to Intimate Partner Violence Through Community Care – Workshop 3 (Virtual)
8-10PM — Social Production of Science Reading Group – Module 2 (Virtual)
For the full up-to-date event listing, visit the Show Up Toronto website. If you find this newsletter useful, I would love for you to:
- Forward it to a friend
- Tell me if you go to an event
- Send me other organizing events in the city I may have missed
You can reach me by replying directly, or by emailing organize@showuptoronto.ca.