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2026-06-24

TfD Weekly - 24th June 2026

TWC Canada marks a year of organising tech workers, plus Repair Cafés and the Canada Day potluck this week in TfD Weekly.

Welcome to TfD Weekly

TfD Weekly is the newsletter of Technologists for Democracy (TfD), a Toronto-based civic tech organisation working at the intersection of technology, privacy, and democratic accountability. Each week we recap what's happening at Civic Tech Toronto, share updates on our campaigns, and keep an eye on legislation that affects Canadians' digital rights.

Our active campaigns:

  • Stop Cineplex from Facial Detection
  • People's Consultation on AI

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This Week at Civic Tech Toronto

Andrew Do from the Tech Workers Coalition Canada presented on the one year anniversary of the organisation. TWC is a global group that looks out for the interest of workers in tech: yes engineers, but this also extends to everyone who plays a role in the wider tech space. This also includes gig workers, support staff and suppliers. TWC are friends of both Civic Tech Toronto and TfD, with the People's Consultation on AI our previous major collaboration.

Working in tech in 2026 comes with a unique set of challenges. Our space moves fast and worker protections are not as widespread as in many other industries. Andrew's presentation showed that we don't need to go through these challenges alone, and that there's a community for us too.

If you missed his talk, there is a coffee chat taking place this Sunday for you to explore how you can contribute to TWC Canada.

Join the Sunday coffee chat

TfD meets every Tuesday as part of Civic Tech Toronto, a weekly gathering of technologists, designers, policy folks, and community members working on projects for the public good. Each week features a presenter and Q&A, followed by breakout sessions (anyone can propose one!), light snacks, and time to connect with other attendees.

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Next Week: Annual Potluck

Next week's Civic Tech is the annual potluck ahead of the Canada Day long weekend.

RSVP on guild.host

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Monthly Volunteer Meeting: Second Wednesday of the Month

TfD hosts a monthly volunteer meeting on the second Wednesday of each month. The next one is on July 8th. These meetings are a great way to get more involved with our ongoing campaigns and projects, and are open to all who are interested.

Sign up on Luma to be notified when it goes live: luma.com/techfordemocracy

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Repair Cafés Around Town

We have not talked much about right to repair, but Repair Café Toronto offers a grounded take on it. Bring your broken household appliances, clothing, and jewellery, and volunteer fixers will help you mend them instead of throwing them out. Two repair cafés are happening before our next edition:

Thursday, June 25: Fairmont Royal York, 100 Front St W, 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm. Event details

Saturday, June 27: East End United, 310 Danforth Ave, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Event details

Both events cover small appliances, housewares, jewellery, and clothing and textiles.

Before attending, please review the Repair Café Toronto house rules, safety procedures, and code of conduct.

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Find Us Online

Follow TfD on Mastodon:

Technologists for Democracy (@techfordemocracy@thecanadian.social) - TheCanadian.Social

7 Posts, 24 Following, 72 Followers · We are Canadians keeping tech accountable. Canadians using technology towards better democracy for all

Follow TfD on LinkedIn: Technologists for Democracy

Follow TfD on Instagram: techfordemocracy

Follow TfD on Bluesky: techfordemocracy.bsky.social

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Until next time, The TfD Team

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