[erinjane]

Mmmm...Ethiopian food. Downtown winnipeg has a large immigrant community and there's this fantastic hole in the wall place that I love. I can go with two friends and pay $11 for a great meal.

Tomorrow I'm going out to try Nigerian.

[pepper]

hey, i'll be there then too! i know where i'm going, all my old haunts and OUT FOR ETHIOPIAN FOOD!!!
ha ha, ej have some fun! there's a ton to do.

[erinjane]

I mentioned this a while ago but I'm going to Toronto with a friend on February 12th. We dont' have a hotel booked but we're planning to stay downtown. Neither of us have ever been. Any suggestions of places and things to check out?

I've been looking over the Bust travel section but it's pretty expansive.

[culturehandy]

The trial of Robert Pikton is starting today, and I was watching on CBC this morning, that The New York Times was the first in line at the court house. At 4:30 this morning.

[dusty]

Ha! Yep, I think Johnston is looking kind of racist. Maybe she'll end up with Warren?

[runningwestward]

I am starting to feel sorry for Elizabeth. But she better not go back to Anthony!!!

[oceandessa]

Apparently the Conservatives have selected a panel to review stem cell research and stacked it with Neocon "experts" with no real scientists at all:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...eandHealth/home

Why won't this nightmare end already? I can't believe they would do something so obviously Neocon, but of course, just before xmass so that no one notices. BASTARDS.

Anyway - Happy Holidays my lovely Canukstanis! I hope that 2007 will bring about some changes for the better.

[culturehandy]

So the Bloc want to topple the conservative government! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, wouldn't that be a holiday wish come true.

[dusty]

I would lean more to Now as it is independent, while Eye is owned by Toronto's second largest newspaper.

[superscience]

Thanks! Great suggestions, everyone. Keep 'em coming, if you have any more. I can't wait for my visit!

[pepper]

superscience, i wouldn't miss kensington market or chinatown in toronto on any visit. not exactly what you're looking for but if you've got some time to kick around definately worth a look-see.

[sukouyant]

Sorry Pepper, I've never even been to Peterborough.

SuperScience: You'll want to visit This Aint The Rosedale Library bookstore (in the gay village on Church), and The Toronto Women's Bookstore at 96 Harbord. Tangos is a fun club in the village too, they tend to have theme and party nights.
The Eye new year's guide is coming out this thursday (The Eye is one of Toronto's alternative newspapers) so there'll be more of an idea of stuff to do then. You might want to look up the events listings in the alt newspapers online. Now Magazine and Eye Magazine are like Toronto's answer to New York City's Village Voice.

[dusty]

I lived in Peterborough for ten years, but I left in 1989, so I don't know how much help I would be.

Toronto: Pages on Queen Street is probably the best bookstore. The gay village is at Church and Wellesley, but I'm sorry, I don't know specifics.

[pepper]

anyone from or familiar with peterborough? can you tell me stuff? i've been there but long ago and i forget what it's like. Thanks!

[superscience]

Hey gals!

My friend and I just decided to visit Toronto over New Years (12/29 - 1/1), and this'll be our first time. Anyone in here living in Toronto? We're hoping to get the scoop on:

-dyke bars/clubs
-something fun to do on New Year's Eve
-book stores
-good restaurants (especially sushi!)
-anything else that's must-do!

Anyone have any suggestions?

thanks! thanks! thanks!

[doodlebug]

Heh. Oops. What colour is my red face?

That's what I get for posting in a hurry!

------------

We sent this press release out today; I'm the last quote:

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

BC WOMEN’S CENTRES DEMAND FEDERAL ACCOUNTABILITY ON WOMEN’S EQUALITY

The BC Coalition of Women’s Centres is joining the voices of other groups to sound the alarm bells on Steven Harper’s speedy erosion of women’s equality in this country, and to call for the immediate resignation of Status of Women Canada Minister, Bev Oda.

The Federal Conservative Government recently announced a $5 million funding cut to SWC, the federal government agency that works to promote gender equality. In addition to eliminating funding for independent research studies and removing “equality” and “advocacy” from their group project funding criteria, Minister Oda revealed on November 30th that SWC would now be closing 12 out of 16 regional offices, including the BC/Yukon provincial office, thereby cutting 61 positions and removing direct access to the agency for millions of women.

Minister Oda proclaims that these cuts are intended to “eliminate waste”, create “efficiency” and even “modernize” SWC. “The dismal irony is that the cuts and guideline changes will actually have the opposite effect,” says Michelle Dodds, of the North Shore Women’s Centre. “Instead of moving SWC forward, what the Harper Government is doing is taking women’s equality backwards to even before SWC’s creation in 1976.”

A November fact sheet from the Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Women illustrates that equality has never been achieved for all women in Canada and is still very much a far-away dream. The fact sheet shows that in 2003 women with high school degrees earned 71% of what male graduates earned and women with post-secondary degrees earned only 68.9% of their male counterparts. Federal incarceration rates for Aboriginal women increased 74.2% between 1996 and 2004 while the overall federal inmate population went down by 12.5%. Also notable is the fact that women make up 50.4% of the population in Canada, but have only 20.8% of seats in the House of Commons.

“This government doesn’t even begin to understand the realities of women’s struggles in this province,” says Benita Bunjun of Vancouver Status of Women. In BC, women’s groups relied on funding from SWC to take on projects such as investigating the sexual exploitation of girls in rural communities, finding out about barriers for women in Canada’s immigration policy, and coordinating action on the feminization and racialization of poverty. “With the changed guidelines that eliminate equality, research, lobbying, and advocacy, these important projects are in jeopardy,” says Bunjun.

Micki Smith of the Kelowna Women's Resource Centre explains, “with the regional office closing, we won’t even be able to communicate with someone who knows what the specific situation is like for women in BC and can assist in our project development. In addition, the closure will increase the lack of communication, accountability and transparency to women in BC by the government. By closing down the regional office, the federal government sends a clear message that ‘we don’t want women’s equality to have a presence in this province’, pushing women in the margins and back 30 years. Women in BC and across Canada are in trouble.”

On this National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, the BC Coalition of Women’s Centres is demanding accountability from the federal government by calling for:

* the immediate resignation of Minister Oda,

* the reversal of the $5 million cut to the SWC budget,

* the reinstatement of “equality and advocacy” in the funding guidelines,

* the allocation of funding for independent research studies, and

* the cancellation of regional office closures in BC and across the country.

“Minister Oda is simply not acting in the best interests of women, and is certainly not promoting women’s equality,” says Dodie Goldney of the Kamloops Women’s Centre Society. "She should be ashamed that on this National Day to take action on violence against women, she is actually creating the circumstances for women’s experiences of violence to deeply worsen.”

The Coalition is encouraging women across BC to communicate their disapproval of SWC’s direction to Minister Oda, Prime Minster Harper, and their local MP.

The BC Coalition of Women’s Centres is a provincial network of rural and urban Women’s Centres seeking an end to the violence, poverty and other human rights abuses experienced by women in British Columbia.

[erinjane]

(psst...that's the article i posted about just below you, doodle.)

[doodlebug]

Don't know if anyone heard, but Stephan Dion made a point of challenging Stephen Harper in the House on Monday, re: the Status of Women cuts. Harper called Status of Women a form of 'bureaucracy' which he argued takes dollars away from the direct provision of services to women (which makes no sense, since the feds don't fund direct services). Dion accused Harper directly of closing Status of Women offices in order to silence the critics of the Conservative party's agenda.

I gotta admit, I really appreciate that this was pretty much Dion's first action in the House, as Liberal leader...

ETA: here is the article...

[erinjane]

I'm a hardcore NDPer too, but yeah, same sentiments as you, doodle.

(yes, I'm LINKING to the national post now) http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.h...bb7&k=14999

I already respect him a lot because of this. On Friday I'll be going to a Funeral for Women's Rights at our Legislative Building.

[oceandessa]

Was that you who emailed the CBC to ask if it was too late for Rex Murphy to run as a leadership candidate?

That......is.........frightening. I am so scared of Rex Murphy, I can't even tell you.

Ya, I was surprised too, but hey, it made sense. The National Compost had a very good editorial on the whole thing today (yep, you read that correctly.....the NC and good in the same sentence. Once in a lifetime event here). Basically it said that Dion is the most likely person to compete with Harper.....no Liberal baggage, same strong convictions.....they're both almost blank slates. Except that Harper of course has that Evil thing going for him.

For once in my life I hope that the NC is right about something. And yes Doodle, I really think an NDP/Liberal alliance is the way to go. Sadly I don't think either party would even consider it beyond a parlimentary agreement (like the last Liberal budget).