This past Friday and Saturday saw three major political mobilizations in Sudbury. This is a brief report and some images from each.

Friday afternoon

On Friday afternoon, the Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty (S-CAP) and other local supporters of the Raise the Rates campaign -- which includes numerous local unions, and groups based at the university and in the broader community -- held a march as part of a week of action against poverty that saw events held in cities across the province. The local Sudbury march, also supported by the North Shore Tribal Council, was particularly focused on challenging cuts and changes made last year to a formerly provincial, now municipal, benefit that helps people on social assistance avoid and escape homelessness and supports women in leaving abusive relationships. Though political pressure both provincially and locally have staved off some of the worst impacts of the cuts and won temporary funding measures, the groups anticipate that further reductions in payment amounts and increased eligibility restrictions will be coming soon, putting more people at risk of homelessness. The march demanded that the province resume responsibility for the benefit and restore funding to its earlier levels, and that in the interim the City of Greater Sudbury maintain the previous provincial benefit levels and eligibility criteria.

The action began with a rally of close to a hundred people at Memorial Park, many of whom then proceeded to march through the downtown. The march included a stop at the constituency office of Liberal MPP Rick Bartolucci. In 2012, eleven members and supporters of S-CAP were arrested at the office while demanding to speak with Bartolucci about their opposition to the cuts that his government had made, described above. On their return on Friday, though Bartolucci continued to refuse to speak with them, they presented questions about the impacts of the benefit cuts and about the decision to arrest them last year. The march culminated with an impromptu entry into the rotunda of Tom Davies Square, Sudbury's city hall.

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) organizer Liisa Schofield said at the rally, "Poverty puts you into a place of isolation" and makes you feel like it is all your own fault. In contrast, "Fighting back is breaking out of that isolation, is realizing that it's not your fault."

Friday evening

On Friday evening, people gathered outside Tom Davies Square in solidarity with the Mi'kmaq people of Elsipogtog. They and their supporters in New Brunswick have been engaged in a peaceful blockade for months to protect their territory from surveyors whose activities are likely to lead to the environmentally destructive activity of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, to extract shale gas. In Sudbury, Idle No More organizers decided on Wednesday to plan a short-notice response to the callout for solidarity actions issued by the Mi'kmaq Warrior Society a few days before. Then, on Thursday morning, a large and militarized force of RCMP -- including snipers and many officers in combat fatigues -- attacked the blockade to enforce a court injunction, and arrested more than 40 people.

In response, and in line with solidarity actions happening across the country, between 100 and 150 people gathered in Sudbury to show their support for the people of Elsipogtog and their opposition to fracking. The action involved a candlelight vigil outside of Tom Davies Square, and a brief take-over of the intersection of Brady and Minto Streets with a rounddance.

Organizer Bruce McComber said, "I think we are in consensus that hydraulic fracturing shouldn't be allowed to happen, and we want to do something to help the people stop it from happening." He called the turnout a "significant gathering."

Saturday afternoon

On Saturday afternoon, people from across Ontario converged in Sudbury for the culmination of the week of anti-poverty action. Upwards of 200 people from Sudbury, Toronto, Kingston, Belleville, Kitchener-Waterloo, and elsewhere gathered in the auditorium of Sudbury Secondary School to share talk of their struggles over the past year and to demand that the provincial government raise the minimum wage to $14 an hour and raise social assistance rates by 55% to bring their purchasing power back up to 1995 levels. They particularly focused on the current discussion in elite public policy circles about the possibility of merging Ontario Works, the province's general social assistance system, with the Ontario Disability Support Program, citing a similar recent measure in the United Kingdom and elsewhere that have had profoundly negative impacts on people with disabilities. The assembly passed a resolution opposing the merger while simultaneously calling for First Nations to have control over all social assistance, including disability benefits, on reserve.

The speakers included Sid Ryan, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour. He said, "It is so important ... that the labour movement step up to the plate and act in solidarity with anti-poverty activists across the province and across the country." He called for building solid alliances between labour, First Nations, and community activists, and said that with those three working together, "We can win governments. We can stop governments. We can bring governments down."

After the assembly, the activists took to the streets of downtown Sudbury, led by people with disabilities. According to Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) organizer Chantal, the provincial government wants to "keep the rich rich, and keep the poor quiet." She continued, "OCAP's motto is 'fight to win,' and we intend to fucking do that."

Scott Neigh is the author of two books of Canadian history told through the stories of activist from Fernwood Publishing, and the producer/host of Talking Radical Radio.