Regina members of at least five unions will board Calgary-bound buses next week to protest the upcoming G-8 Summit in Kananaskis.
Local protest organizers estimate two busloads will transport union members from the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, the Communication, Energy and Paper Workers Union, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, the Retail Wholesale Department Store Union and the Canadian Union of Public Employees. And those unionists will likely be joined by some 50 students from the University of Regina.
"The response has been better than expected," says Loretta Gerlach, a Regina-based organizer with the Council of Canadians. She estimates interest in protesting the meetings of world leaders has gone up at least four-fold since last year's Summit of the Americas in Quebec City.
In preparation for Calgary's peaceful protest, Gerlach and her colleagues have organized a series of workshops at the Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre that have covered issues around protesting, organizing affinity groups, and understanding your comfort zone. Most recently, the centre held a "protester preparedness training" night to discuss the escalation of violence at protests and "what kind of things you want to have with you during a protest," such as items to protect oneself against tear gas, says Gerlach.
Due to liability concerns, the University of Regina or its student union will not be providing transportation, says Jason Horseman, vice-president of projects and development with the school's student union. Instead, he says some students will catch lifts with other unionists, but most will take part in local events to counter the summit.
That local action includes "The Resistible," a carnival-type event organized by the Council of Canadians June 23 on the grounds of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum.
"The goal will be to have a citizen's analysis (on issues of global concern)," says Horseman. "It will seek to balance out the pro-business analysis that people might get by turning on the TV or reading the paper."
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