Earth, water, air, and fire - the basic elements, the building blocks of nature – are the inspiration for Elements of Justice, a KAIROS gathering in BC on October 24 – 27.

Nature is under siege. Its health and integrity are threatened by governments and corporations, by undemocratic laws and destructive, unsustainable economic practices.

Elements of Justice is an opportunity for people of all ages to explore these issues and to work towards just solutions with activists, visionaries, local leaders and peers in an atmosphere of collaboration and respect.

Elements of Justice will draw on the energy of youth, and on the knowledge and expertise of experienced social justice educators and advocates, to build the skills and forge the tools that are needed for positive change.

Elements of Justice will take place on Squamish Nation Territory. It will foster partnerships and active alliances between Indigenous and non-Indigenous , and cultivate a better understanding of the links between Indigenous rights and environmental sustainability.

Elements of Justice is a chance to learn first-hand what it means to work collaboratively towards a more just and peaceful society.


For more information please contact:
Shannon Neufeldt
Network and Young Adult Coordinator (interim)
sneufeldt@kairoscanada.org
1-877-403-8933 x221

Be not Afraid: 40 years for Ecumenical Social Justice

KAIROS staff, friends, and partners are putting the finishing touches on the beginning of our celebration of the history and future of Canadian ecumenical social justice. Keep your eye on www.kairoscanada.org for the launch of our web page for Be not Afraid: 40 years for Ecumenical Social Justice.  On the site you will find an interactive timeline of KAIROS and our predecessor coalitions highlighting the events, causes, and successes in the fight for justice over the last 40 years. Gather your memories to share with KAIROS to complete the timeline!

Soon the dedicated page will also contain materials on how to host your own ecumenical service, looking back to our roots and forward to changing contexts and new challenges.

If you are in Toronto on May 8th, please join us at 7:00 pm at the Church of the Redeemer for KAIROS’ ecumenical service. KAIROS staff, partners, network and Board will be present to share their wisdom and to celebrate 40 years worth of work for justice. All are welcome at the service (location details in the event poster) and at an informal reception after.

You can download the event invitation here.


For more information on this event please contact:
Anne Herteis
Board Relations Associate
416-463-5312 x 243
aherteis@kairoscanada.org.

Mining in Mexico … Through Canadian Eyes

In February 2013, KAIROS network member Janette McIntosh represented KAIROS on a delegation to mining-affected communities in Mexico. Janette is the also the Presbyterian representative to and co-chairs our Ecumenical Circle of Collaboration on Sustainability.

Organized by the United Steelworkers, the delegation included steelworkers and representatives from CUPE and the Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers union (CEP).  Janette and her compatriots had a moving and challenging experience in Mexico, and she returned to Canada with a determination to face the justice struggles posed to us all by Canadian mining activities overseas.

You can read and download Janette’s report here.

You can also read the open letter prepared by the Delegation here.


For more information please contact:
Sara Stratton
Education and Campaigns Coordinator, Sustainability
sstratton@kairoscanada.org
416-463-5312 / 1-877-403-8933 x 241

KAIROS delegation heads eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in June

Preparations for the KAIROS DRC church delegation in the latter half of June continues.  The delegation consists of Sister Mary-Ellen Francour (CRC), Rev. Marie-Claude Manga (UCC), Peter Lamont (PCC), Amelia Torrie (PCC) and a delegate from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) which supports KAIROS.  A pre-delegation orientation with the delegates was held in Massena, New York, in early March so as to permit the engagement of Maurice Namwira, Executive Director of Héritiers de la Justice (HJ). HJ is a KAIROS funded partner that operates a legal clinic to assist women victims of sexual violence in Sud-Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The delegates then travelled to Montreal to complete their orientation at the offices of Development and Peace. 

Maurice tried in vain twice to receive a Canadian visitor visa through the Canadian Consulate General in New York City following his participation in a leadership training conference.  He was rejected in part because of records showing he was arrested and jailed for the assassination of his predecessor, Pascal Kabungulu, in 2005.  He was, of course, falsely accused by authorities, including the army, to cover up what the former executive director of HJ knew of illicit mining activities.  Maurice is staying in Portland, Maine where he is being treated for back injuries complicated for the last six months by post traumatic stress disorder stemming from his ordeals as a human rights defender.

The third week of March saw KAIROS staff visit eastern DRC to plan the delegation programming and itinerary in more detail.  The delegation will focus on sexual and gender based violence, as well as the impetuses for it stemming from conflict minerals or militarised commerce, conflict between artisanal and industrial mining, and land tenure.  In addition to Canadian delegates, the delegation will be joined for portions of the trip by representatives of the Fellowship of Christian Council and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA), Conseil Protestant du Rwanda, Conseil national des Eglises du Burundi, Église du Christ au Congo and Conférence Episcopale Nationale du Congo.  It is anticipated that the delegation will meet with the Executive Secretariat of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in Burundi. At the end, the delegation will hold press briefings in both Bukavu, Sud-Kivu and Kinshasa and seek audiences with the Ministers of Justice and Gender, and the Canadian Embassy.  A final pre-delegation orientation will take place in Ottawa, May 21-22 at which time civil society, government and parliamentary stakeholders will be heard and consulted.

This delegation builds on several  years of KAIROS support for HJ’s legal clinic which combats sexual gender-based violence, as well as a KAIROS-supported 2012 workshop in eastern DRC on United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women, peace and security.  At the conclusion of the delegation , the delegates will follow up on, among other things, the DRC’s UNSCR 1325 Action Plan, Canadian Private Member Bill C-571 on conflict minerals, and Canadian consumer understanding of supply chain management of retail electronics.

For more information please read KAIROS' recent article 'Is the new Blackberry 10 conflict free?'

For more information please contact:
Jim Davis
Program Coordinator, African Partnerships and Climate Justice/
Équipe de la durabilité -- Coordinateur, Partinariats Afrique et justice climatique
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives /
Initiatives oécumeniques canadiennes pour la justice
310 Dupont Street, Suite 200
Toronto, ON Canada M5R 1V9
jdavis@kairoscanada.org
Tel: 416 463 5312 ext. 238

United Church Launches Petition to Regulate Canadian Mining Companies Overseas

As a result of decisions taken at its  41st General Council in August 2012, the United Church of Canada has launched a petition campaign to encourage “the regulation of Canadian mining companies and their practices abroad.”

You don’t have to be a member of the United Church to sign on to this important initiative!  Please visit the United Church website to download a copy of the petition, which will be presented in Parliament in September 2013.  If you’d like more background information on why this issues matters to people of faith, check out KAIROS’ video Remember the Land: Global Ecumenical Voices on Mining and accompanying study materials.

KAIROS’ Economic Justice Program Coordinator John Dillon reflects on speaking out against injustice in the face of fear. KAIROS is celebrating 40 years of speaking out for justice through it’s predecessor coalitions. Join us on May 8th at Church of the Redeemer in Toronto for an ecumenical service celebrating 40 years of bold witness for ecumenical justice!

John Dillon is a native of Sarnia, Ont., and graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1970. He began work in Toronto in 1973 as a researcher with GATT-Fly (later Ecumenical Coalition for Economic Justice), one of KAIROS’ predecessor coalitions. John is currently Economic Justice Program Coordinator at KAIROS in Toronto.

Click here to read John's reflection.