Hello dear readers!
It was a fantastic day of protest in Allan Gardens, on Yonge Street, and of course out front of Maple Leaf Gardens on Carleton. The news reports say there were 15,000 of us. I would guess significantly more. Most everybody was out in force. I'd have to say it was the best protest day I have had since the Harris years!
The protest in front of Maple Leaf Gardens on Carleton Ave
I got to meet with a lot of our OECTA dissident leaders + colleagues. We marched in solidarity with our colleagues from OSSTF, ETFO + the other unions + groups. Hello again, to everyone who came over to say you read my blog. I am humbled. Our OECTA members were very well treated. We had a lot of great conversations. We got started on some very interesting protest plans and so on and so forth.
Jason [St. Basil's CSS], me + James Ryan
OECTA members? Enthusiastic, but fairly sparse. You will recognize most of the names. I heard President Kevin O'Dwyer was up front of the speaker's stage in Allan Gardens but did not see him in the crush, nor was he introduced or did he speak. Apparently at one point Chis was going to get up to speak instead, but I'm not sure what happened there either. Chris did make it out both days though. James Ryan was with us today. Bad Boy Brock was back again, OECTA TECT President Mario Bernardo, Mo' with some of our TSU PAC'ers and the Metro 7... the hardcore group. Well I will tell you more tomorrow ...
It's been 2 days of protesting for me now. I got home in time to see Kathleen Wynne be elected Premier. I know we have worked very well with her in the past, Gerard Kennedy too. It's going to be a real up hill struggle for them to try to right all the wrongs that now exist between us and the party, so I wish them luck. They got a lot of work to do! The end result is certainly not a given.
I'm totally pooped. I will continue with my reports tomorrow. Tonight I'm going to relax at home with Janet. I will start to post the great protest photos I got of everybody in my slide show top left side of my blog. Til then!
In solidarity!
David
It was a fantastic day of protest in Allan Gardens, on Yonge Street, and of course out front of Maple Leaf Gardens on Carleton. The news reports say there were 15,000 of us. I would guess significantly more. Most everybody was out in force. I'd have to say it was the best protest day I have had since the Harris years!
The protest in front of Maple Leaf Gardens on Carleton Ave
I got to meet with a lot of our OECTA dissident leaders + colleagues. We marched in solidarity with our colleagues from OSSTF, ETFO + the other unions + groups. Hello again, to everyone who came over to say you read my blog. I am humbled. Our OECTA members were very well treated. We had a lot of great conversations. We got started on some very interesting protest plans and so on and so forth.
Jason [St. Basil's CSS], me + James Ryan
OECTA members? Enthusiastic, but fairly sparse. You will recognize most of the names. I heard President Kevin O'Dwyer was up front of the speaker's stage in Allan Gardens but did not see him in the crush, nor was he introduced or did he speak. Apparently at one point Chis was going to get up to speak instead, but I'm not sure what happened there either. Chris did make it out both days though. James Ryan was with us today. Bad Boy Brock was back again, OECTA TECT President Mario Bernardo, Mo' with some of our TSU PAC'ers and the Metro 7... the hardcore group. Well I will tell you more tomorrow ...
It's been 2 days of protesting for me now. I got home in time to see Kathleen Wynne be elected Premier. I know we have worked very well with her in the past, Gerard Kennedy too. It's going to be a real up hill struggle for them to try to right all the wrongs that now exist between us and the party, so I wish them luck. They got a lot of work to do! The end result is certainly not a given.
I'm totally pooped. I will continue with my reports tomorrow. Tonight I'm going to relax at home with Janet. I will start to post the great protest photos I got of everybody in my slide show top left side of my blog. Til then!
In solidarity!
David
2 comments:
It was good to see OECTA there. I made a point to go and talk to the people holding the light blue flags to see where they were from, which wasn't always easy to do given the tight congestion of people, but I managed it. I talked to one girl from Toronto who said she was holding your flag, and was getting tired and would like to give it back to you. I was trying to find you and the Toronto 7. Everyone kept saying, "I think they're back there." At Allan Gardens I talked to a very excited group from Sudbury who mentioned that they were looking forward to some serious spring cleaning. Whatever did they mean? Anyway, hope to see more of OECTA in the coming weeks.
Ha ha! Yeah, I passed on the flag after waving it for a day and a half so I could go get more photos. Almost poked out some folks eyes with it while I tried to hold onto it and do both. That wouldn't have helped OECTA relations 4 sure. Don't worry about AT, my compatriot with the flag though. She's tough.
At Allan Gardens I had been up left side of the stage waving it to make sure it got seen along with Sudbury elementary, who you also met.
Let's arrange to meet up next time + I can introduce you or anybody else around.
Maybe that's why OECTA doesn't protest at/ or actively promote the rallies? We all get to meet and connect, rather than be separate and apart.
Post a Comment