2010 Homelessness Hunger Strike Relay

The 2010 Homelessness Hunger Strike Relay began on December 29th, 2008 to call for the re-establishment of a national housing program in Canada. Each week, new volunteers in Canada will join the fast for 7 days. The hunger strike will continue past the 2010 Olympic Games to highlight misguided public spending priorities by all three levels of government. In June 2010, supporters from across the country will board the train to Ottawa, commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the On to Ottawa Trek, and will demand government support for affordable housing, a living wage and accessible social programs for all. For more information visit www.2010homelessness.ca. To join the relay contact: am_johal@yahoo.ca.

Canada needs to re-establish a national housing program in 2010

Am Johal

| January 3, 2010

On December 29th, 2009, a rolling hunger strike calling for a national housing program in Canada reached the 1 year mark. Each week, for the past year, citizens in Vancouver have taken part in a week long fast to put pressure on the federal government to re-establish a program that was recognized as one of the best in the world. The action will continue until June 2010 when a delegation will be sent to Ottawa to meet all of the political parties represented in Parliament.

Hunger strike update: Day 3 for rabble

Derrick O'Keefe

| May 5, 2009

Initiated by one of our regular contributers, Am Johal, it was a natural for rabble.ca to take up the 2010 Homelessness Hunger Strike relay. The ongoing direct action will run past the February 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. I'm just starting Day 3 of the strike, and I plan to go till next Sunday. I am drinking milk and juice, and trying to get as much work done as possible early in the week...

It's a modest and symbolic action, but the ongoing strike is a very welcome initiative. The homelessness crisis in Vancouver, B.C. and across Canada is one of the shameful legacies of a generation of neo-liberal policies. Even with a provincial election underway, the issue does not receive the profile it deserves.

rabble.ca takes up hunger strike on homelessness in Vancouver

rabble staff

| May 3, 2009

rabble.ca Editor Derrick O'Keefe accepted the wooden spoon today as rabble joined the 2010 Homelessness Hunger Strike relay. O'Keefe, Associate Editor Alexandra Samur, Publisher Kim Elliott and rabbletv Program Director Tor Sandberg will each be doing at least two days of rabble's week of the hunger strike, and will be blogging about the experience.