The larger movement
The collective protests are primarily against social and economic inequality, corporate greed, and the corrupting influence of corporate money and lobbyists on government and democracy.
Characterized by leaderless, horizontally-organized, participatory democratic action, and nonviolent civil disobedience, the grassroots democratic movement hopes to effect societal change to put the public good over corporate profits.
According to Armine Yalnizyan, a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives:
This is an awakening. The Occupy movement, if it succeeds, is like a kind of second chance to have that conversation we didn't have in 2008 amid the recession. Civil rights [protesters] and feminists changed societal thinking. If this movement turns into a real movement, it will change our thinking about the relationship between the rich and the rest of us. ... Occupy Wall Street is partly about Wall Street, and Bay Street, and taxes – But it's mostly about getting governments to serve the interests of the other 99%.
Armine Yalnizyan, senior economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
The Occupy movement grew from an idea publicised in July 2011 by Vancouver-based non-profit Canadian group Adbusters Media Foundation, which had been inspired by the Arab Spring protests, such as the one in Egypt's Tahrir Square, that toppled many long-established governments in the Middle East.
The time has come to deploy this emerging stratagem against the greatest corrupter of our democracy: Wall Street, the financial Gomorrah of America
— Adbusters, on launching the occupation of New York City's financial district on September 17, 2011
Put forward as an iconic poster of a graceful ballerina balanced atop the charging Wall Street bull, with the hashtag "#Occupy Wall Street", their call to action was the spark that started the larger Occupy movement. Two young New York bloggers provided the movement's defining slogan, "We are the 99%".
The movement calls on U.S. President Barack Obama to set up a presidential commission "tasked with ending the influence money has over our representatives in Washington."
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| Occupy Toronto on October 15, 2011 |
For the Occupy movement's first Global Day of Action on October 15, 2011, rallies took place in 951 cities in 82 different countries around the world.
Occupy Canada rallies for the Global Day of Action took place in at least 20 Canadian cities, including:
Toronto, Ontario
Montreal, Quebec
Vancouver, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Calgary, Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Regina, Saskatchewan
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Saint John, New Brunswick
Moncton, New Brunswick
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Windsor, Ontario
London, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Kelowna, British Columbia
Kamloops, British Columbia
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Nelson, British Columbia
Hamilton, Ontario
Sudbury, Ontario
Occupy Toronto
All about: Occupy Toronto
In Toronto, around 3,000 people convened at the financial hub of Bay Street and King Street. The peaceful protest continued on to St. James Park with approximately 1,500 people. Around 100 people set up camping tents there and websites associated with the protest indicated that they expected to remain there for a week.
Occupy Montreal
On October 15, 2011, the global Occupy movement arrived in Montreal on its first Global Day of Action. Over 1,000 Montrealers participated at Victoria Square, a public square directly between the Montreal World Trade Centre and the Montreal Exchange, where financial derivatives are traded.
Occupy Vancouver on October 15, 2011
Occupy Ottawa protest at Cartier Square
The event began at 9:30, with hundreds of people arriving in the morning. By 11 a.m., the area was packed with people dancing, and tents occupied a significant portion of the green space. By late afternoon, the crowd had increased to over 1,000 people, who marched up Beaver Hall Hill and down Saint Catherine Street. 85 tents were set up at Victoria Square
Over the next five days, the occupation continued to expand and grow more complex each day. By October 20, 2011, the number of tents in Victoria Square had nearly doubled to 168, with no room to squeeze anymore in, and participants had two generators, six rented chemical toilets, canned and dried food, recycling and compost bins, and a savings fund to take the occupation through the cold winter.
Occupy Vancouver
In Vancouver, where the idea for the Occupy movement was first promoted, around 4,000 people participated in producing the highest turnout in Canada. The well-organized event in a square at the city's art gallery included a food tent set up for those planning to stay for the long haul. Tents were set up with the City of Vancouver insisting only that they not be staked into the ground, and daily general assemblies were scheduled, with the permission and support of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Occupy Ottawa
The movement's presence in Ottawa began on Saturday October 15, 2011 with around 500 people participating at Confederation Park. A march on Sussex Drive was held the second day, passing by the U.S. embassy. Around 75 people camped in tents, with the group planning to occupy the downtown park indefinitely. Many participants, prepared for the long haul, described Occupy Ottawa as a movement of presence, rather than just a protest.
Occupy Edmonton
On October 15, 2011, over 1,000 people participated in an Occupy march in Edmonton, with over two dozen people spending the first night in a park in the downtown core. A tent city, complete with food, art, and medic tents, was set up with consent of the owner of the property.
Occupy Victoria
On October 15, 2011, over 1,000 people marched through downtown Victoria, and a large 800-person rally took place at Centennial Square on the B.C. Legislature grounds.
The Occupy Victoria demonstrations included an event downtown organized by the recently founded People’s Assembly of Victoria and a similar demonstration organized by We Are Change Victoria that involved around 300 people on the B.C. legislature grounds.
A tent city of at least 17 tents and 30 occupants was set up at Centennial Square, with plans to remain until the social and economic problems that prompted the Occupy movement are addressed.
Victoria Mayor Dean Fortin praised the Occupy Victoria movement and its international counterparts as "citizen participation and one of the emerging issues of our times," saying that "people have an urgent need to be involved in the events and process that shape their lives."
Occupy Nova Scotia
Occupy Nova Scotia camp at Halifax's Grand Parade
An Occupy Nova Scotia camp began in Halifax on October 15 at the Grand Parade between Halifax City Hall and St. Paul's Church beside the Halifax Cenotaph in Downtown Halifax. A demonstration of about 300 people began the site with about 25 tents including a medical tent, art supplies, a food and entertainment tent hosting discussion groups, art creation as well as a daily General Assembly. The first major activity were performance contributions to Halifax's Nocturne nighttime arts festival. The gathering grew to 30 tents by Oct. 20, despite a heavy rain storm Oct. 19 that destroyed several tents and caused local flooding. On Oct. 25, Mayor of Halifax Peter Kelly asked the Occupy Protestors to move from the Grand Parade to the Halifax Common so the area can be prepared for the Remembrance Day Commemorations usually held in the square. Occupy protestors said they would seek a compromise On Oct. 30, Occupy Nova Scotia participants agreed to clear Grand Parade on Nov. 6 for Remembrance Day ceremonies and move to Victoria Park until Nov. 12 when they will return to the Grand Parade.
Occupy participation in other Canadian cities
Estimates of the number of Occupy movement participants in other Canadian cities on the Global Day of Action included:
Calgary: over 400 people at Bankers Hall downtown, and a camp was set up at St. Patrick's Island, west of the zoo.
Winnipeg: over 400 people downtown, and dozens of people camped in Memorial Park.
Saskatoon: 200 people took part in a rally at Friendship Park, and dozens camped.
Charlottetown: 125 people outside Province House, the P.E.I. legislature.
Windsor: Around 125 people participated in a demonstration near city hall and 15 people camped overnight.
London: 100 people demonstrated in Victoria Park and some have set up camp in Victoria Park and outside nearby St. Paul's Cathedral Church.
Regina: over 100 people marched downtown in Victoria Park.
St. John's: Some 50 people protested in wet weather near the waterfront.
Calls for specific Canadian measures
Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch, a non-profit citizen advocacy organisation based in Ottawa, suggested the Occupy Canada movement should push for 15 key measures endorsed by 140 Canadian citizen groups over the past decade, including:
The creation of civilian watchdog agencies to oversee corporate activity in each economic sector
Increased financial and legal penalties for corporate illegality
Expanded protection for whistleblower employees
A requirement that corporations must legally represent not only the interests of shareholders, but also those of their employees, customers, society, and the environment.
All about: Occupy Wall Street, USA Today, Fox News, The New York Times, New York City , Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, John McCain, We are the 99%, Occupy Toronto
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