Everyone's Downstream

Tar Sands Realities and Resistance

Conference was held at:
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
November 23-25th, 2007

Everyone’s Downstream was a conference designed to explore the links between oppression and self-determination on many levels: indigenous land rights, gender, ecological rights, workers democracy, anti-racism and anti-border perspectives as they relate directly to the tar sands of Northern Alberta. Speakers from a multitude of indigenous nations, social justice groups, and environmental organizations will discuss the social impacts of the tar sands on workers, women, indigenous nations, ecology, migrant populations, homelessness, and the anti-war movement.

The conference included:

November 23rd
Dominion Launch of Tar Sands Special Issue
with Dru Oja Jay ed., brought to you by APIRG.
6:30p.m, Business Building 1-05
(APIRG/Dominion Event with help from oilsandstruth.org)

November 24 9:00a.m-5:00p.m
Engineering, Teaching and Learning Complex, UofA,
Room ETLC 1 001
A series of panel discussions led by our guests.

November 25th 9:00a.m-5:00p.m
Telus Building, UofA Campus
Room TEL 217-219
A chance for the multitude of groups and individuals attending to sit down and discuss a collective way forward.

The size of the tar sands issue can seem daunting, but in reality few issues have presented an opportunity for a social justice movement to truly articulate a different vision of organizing the world that has as many entry points, and can provide as large of an impact. The scale and scope of the tar sands is huge and has tremendously deep implications for the way we approach questions that span the social justice spectrum. With a coordinated response involving all sectors of North American social justice movements currently impacted by the largest industrial project in human history we have the possibility to change the course of human and ecological fate like nowhere else.

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Conference schedule was:
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November 23rd
Dominion Launch of Tar Sands Special Issue
with Dru Oja Jay ed.
6:30p.m-9:30p.m, Business Building 1-05
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November 24th
Engineering, Teaching and Learning Complex, UofA,
Room ETLC 1 001


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November 25th, 2007
Telus Building, UofA Campus
Room TEL 217-219




Coverage on CJSR
Rise Up Links

Rise UpSolidarity in the Environmental Movement
"There
is no softer tar sands, the f*cking thing is killing people. Stop it."
Dr Peter Kulchyski is a Professor of Native Studies at the University
of Manitoba and is a part of the Winnipeg Indigenous Peoples Solidarity
Movement, formerly, the Friends of Grassy Narrows.
This talk was recorded on November 25th 2007 and was a part of the
Everyones Downstream; Tar Sands Resistance and Realities Conference at
the University of Alberta.
listen download Dec 19, 2007 / Rise Up

Newsroom Explores the Conference Everyone´s Downstream
Working
conditions in Fort McMurray. We welcome Janice Sparrow who delivered a
powerful speech at the Everybody´s Downstream conference on November
24/25. Also at the conference was activist Peter Kulchyski. He spoke on
the need for solidarity movements in activist culture. Working in
Grassy Narrows he speaks on how indigenous communities worked with
local activists to bring change.
listen download Nov 30, 2007 / News Room

News RoomJaggi Singh on Everyone´s Downstream and Ecosocialism
Jaggi
Singh, activist with No One is Illegal Montreal, speaks on the upcoming
conference - Everyone´s Downstream: Realities and Resistance in the
Alberta tar sands. Ian Angus delivers a speech on Ecosocialism, the new
movement and organization internationally. We´ve also got a lost
interview with Tanya Tagaq from this past summer´s folk fest and Terra
Informa´s Mat Berezan brings us a tip on environmental shopping.
listen download Nov 23, 2007 / News Room

Rise UpTILMA in Saskatchewan and Living Downstream of the Tar Sands
Tar
sands development in Alberta shows no sign of slowing down despite
growing concerns about the environment and our health. Aaron Chubb
recorded George Poitras speaking about the effects of living downstream
of the tarsands. Norah Bowman brings us the story of how labour in
Saskatchewan is responding to TILMA.
listen download Jun 06, 2007 / Rise Up