OPIRG Brock Membership Updates – Nov 16th, 2021.
Read past OPIRG Brock Newsletters: https://www.opirgbrock.com/membership
At the CUPE 4207 March 2021 GMM, the Policy & Bylaw Committee will be presenting the policies related to the OPIRG Brock Special Assessment. These policies will outline how members are able to review and the process for voting on the Special Assessment.
Welcome to the new OPIRG Brock Board!
At the 2021 OPIRG Brock AGM, the membership elected a full Board of Directors! The Board includes:
- Bhonita (re-elected board member)
- Claire (new board member)
- Fiona (returning board member)
- Kaho (new board member)
- Kate (returning board member)
- Kostyn (new board member)
To get in touch with the OPIRG Brock Board of Directors, please email opirgb@gmail.com
Niagara Free Store is accepting donations!
After a successful run of weekly free stores between August & October of 2021, we are so excited to go back in the swing of things! You can now regularly drop-off donations at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts (donation bin is in the lobby, near the security window) and Fine Grind Cafe (37 James St., St. Catharines), hopefully with more to come in the new year! Types of items we are accepting include:
- Accessories
- Art & Collectibles
- Audio & Electronics
- Bikes
- Books
- Gardening supplies
- Gently-used Clothes
- Hobby & Craft Items
- Housewares & Kitchen
- Musical Instruments
- Pet Supplies
- School Supplies
- Small Appliances & Furniture
- Sporting & Exercise Gear
- Tools
- Toys & Games
- Follow & Share free items to #NiagaraFreeStore on Instagram!
- On Instagram (posts or stories), Twitter, or Facebook, you can use #NiagaraFreeStore as a means of sharing items you want give away, items you are looking for, & items you see for free online (via FB Marketplace, KIJIJI, Bunz, Craigslist)
- If you are sharing an item(s) that you are giving away, please include whether it can be delivered or needs picked up
- If you are posting an item you find on the side of the road, please post the city & road (ideally closest intersection, if possible)
Niagara Tenants Union has launched a new Bad Landlord Reporting Form!
Use the Report Bad Landlords Form to share your experiences with bad landlords in Niagara. On this form, you will be asked if you would like to be followed up with and if you would like to have your story published on this page.
Get involved with Justice for Workers Niagara!
Previously Fight for $15 Niagara, Justice for Workers Niagara, based out of Brock, is currently working on a long term campaign to secure two weeks paid sick leave for all employees at Brock & they are very much in need of volunteers/ organizers! Volunteer team skills they are looking for includes everything from campus research and partnership building
To get involved with Justice for Workers Niagara, please email fairwagesniagara@gmail.com or DM them on their Instagram or Facebook Page!
2021 Membership Renewal
- You can now complete the 2021 OPIRG Brock Membership Form to renew your memberships for the year ahead
- Deadline for registering your membership to run in the 2021 Board Elections is Tuesday September 14 at 5pm – but the sooner the better!
- Deadline for registering your membership to vote in the AGM is Monday September 20, 2020 at 5pm – but the sooner the better!
- All CUPE 4207 members are immediately approved as OPIRG Brock members, but you DO need to register on the linked form for administrative purposes
- More information about your membership can be found through the:
- OPIRG Brock Membership Details Newsletter
- OPIRG Brock website – Membership section
- CUPE 4207 website
OPIRG Brock was nominated for a 2021 St. Catharines Arts Award! For more information about this announcement, click here.
Check out OPIRG Brock website main page for an up-to-date list of webinars, online events, petitions, fundraisers, rallies, etc.!
Local, Provincial, Federal, and International campaigns & resources to check out:
- 1492 Land Back Lane – Legal Fund
- Medicine for the Resistance Podcast
- Declaration of Support: Justice for Migrant Sex Workers from Butterfly – (Asian and Migrant Sex Workers Support Network)
- Open Letter: Full Immigration Status for All
Community organizations to check out:
- Brock Student Justice Centre – ongoing social justice focused events & campaigns
- Black Owned 905 – Online marketplace of Black owned businesses in Niagara
- Open Letter: Full Immigration Status for All – Sign this petition!
- Niagara Tenants Union – group of tenant volunteers and activists who are working together to build tenant power and resistance against skyrocketing rents, gentrification and displacement, and harmful landlords
- Justice for Workers Niagara – get involved in the campaign advocating for 2 weeks paid sick days for all workers at Brock
- Niagara Reproductive Justice – currently looking for volunteers for a Rapid Response Network and for their graphics/social media team. If you see anti-choice activity in Niagara, make sure to use their Anti-Choice Activity in Niagara Reporting Form.
- No Fighter Jets – national campaign to oppose the Canadian government’s spending $77B on the acquisition of 88 new fighter jets
- OUTniagara – a community organization with the purpose of uniting Niagara’s sexual and gender-diverse community through networking, research, advocacy, and programming. See more information about their 2SLGBTQ+ Community Fund.
- Willow Arts Community – an arts + peer support organization dedicated to reducing barriers and providing opportunities for adult artists and creatives living with mental illness/substance use disorder in Niagara.
- More!
Why partnership with OPIRG Brock?
All CUPE 4207 members are members of OPIRG Brock! This campus and community organization has been working on social, economic, and environmental justice since 1988, and currently hosts projects like the Niagara Free Store, Naloxone Workshops, the Community Toolbox Workshop Series, as well as publishing The DisOrientation Guide to Niagara V. 2. OPIRG Brock also works directly with community groups like Justice for Workers Niagara, Niagara Reproductive Justice, & the Niagara Tenants Union. For more information or to inquire about getting involved, please go to www.opirgbrock.com
As a CUPE 4207 member, you also have access to an OPIRG Brock annual membership! Working on a range of social, economic, and environmental justice initiatives at Brock and throughout the Niagara region since 1988, starting in mid-2020, the CUPE 4207 membership passed a motion to set up a more formal partnership between our 2 organizations!
OPIRG Brock currently hosts and supports a wide range of programs in the region and community groups in the region, as well as publishing community-based resources that are available for free on their website: www.opirgbrock.com.
Current OPIRG Brock programming and resources to check out include:
- Niagara Free Store, Naloxone Workshops
- Community Toolbox Workshop Series
- The DisOrientation Guide to Niagara V. 2
- OPIRG Brock community makers markets
- The Coming Out Monologues, & so much more!
OPIRG Brock also works directly with community groups such as the:
- Niagara District CUPE Council
- Justice for Workers Niagara
- Niagara Reproductive Justice
- Niagara Tenants Union
- OUTniagara
- No Fighter Jets Coalition
- Positive Living Niagara
- Suitcase In Point Theatre Company
- Willow Arts Community.
With your annual membership, you gain the following rights & privileges:
- Voting at the OPIRG Brock Annual General Meeting (AGM)
- Running for election to the OPIRG Brock Board of Directors
- Voting in the annual OPIRG Brock Board elections
- Accessing the OPIRG Brock button-maker
- Accessing services provided by the Niagara Skills Network
- Regular newsletters, volunteer opportunities, & updates
- Semi-regular raffle tickets for OPIRG Brock fundraiser raffles
- For more information about our membership partnership, visit https://4207.cupe.ca/coalitions/opirg
Read past OPIRG Brock Newsletters: https://www.opirgbrock.com/membership
You can now complete the 2021 OPIRG Brock Membership Form to renew your memberships for the year ahead
Check out OPIRG Brock website main page for an up-to-date list of webinars, online events, petitions, fundraisers, rallies, etc.!
Local, Provincial, Federal, and International Campaigns to check out:
Community organizations to check out:
-
Brock Student Justice Centre – ongoing social justice focused events & campaigns
-
Black Owned 905 – Online marketplace of Black owned businesses in Niagara
-
Open Letter: Full Immigration Status for All – Sign this petition!
-
Niagara Tenants Union – group of tenant volunteers and activists who are working together to build tenant power and resistance against skyrocketing rents, gentrification and displacement, and harmful landlords
-
Fight for $15 & Fairness Niagara – currently leading the “Make Brock a $15 & Fairness Campus” campaign and looking for volunteers
-
Niagara Reproductive Justice – currently looking for volunteers for a Rapid Response Network and for their graphics/social media team
-
No Fighter Jets – national campaign to oppose the Canadian government’s spending $77B on the acquisition of 88 new fighter jets