@BrockLabour Prof | Author, Social Reproduction & the City @UGAPress (2020) | Producer, #ItTakesARiot (2017) | work, labour, care, and the political economy of.

Joined August 2011
"I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops." - Stephen Jay Gould
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Simon Black retweeted
The conservative takeover of Toronto city hall, which many had predicted, did not go as planned. Olivia Chow wins a decisive victory over Brad Bradford and returns to power, for her first full 4-year term, at the head of a more progressive council thestar.com/news/gta/city-ha…
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Great to see more progressives (and dare I say, some socialists) elected to Toronto city council. All worthy winners, but I’m especially excited to see @chipadovani elected.
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Olivia Chow inherited a mess, a city in decline. The Ford/Tory years were characterized by private affluence and public austerity. She has her faults. For someone who taught community organizing, she has not prioritized engaging and mobilizing her base as a counterweight…1/4
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…yet unwillingness to take on bloated police budget means 30 cents of every new tax dollar raised has gone to cops, when it could be spent addressing “quality of life” issues that conservatives have used to gain ground and undermine a progressive agenda. 3/4
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But school lunches, TTC, affordable housing are all good policy that move TO in right direction. Bradford would take city backward. I’m voting for Chow in hopes that Progress TO, labour, progressives on council will rethink strategy and push her to the left in second term. 4/4.
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Simon Black retweeted
Another dictator down! After the historic victory of Lula against fascism (and US imperialism) in Brazil, the students movement in Serbia has an electoral victory! theguardian.com/world/2026/o…
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Simon Black retweeted
Thanks @TorontoStar & @mahdishabibinia for this insightful piece clarifying @BradMBradford's & @fordnation's path to water privatization: "What qualifies as 'an agent' could be a private company, a public-private partnership like Metrolinx or the Canada Infrastructure Bank, which facilitates private investment in infrastructure projects." thestar.com/gift-redeem?t=e9… @cupelocal79 @Local416 #keepwaterpublic
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Simon Black retweeted
Lula pulled off a historic comeback in Brazil. Despite right-wing voter suppression tactics deployed across the country, further online suppression by Meta, and the US backing his opponent, he’s projected to win 51-48.
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Simon Black retweeted
Obrigado, povo brasileiro! 📸 @ricardostuckert
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Simon Black retweeted
Brad Bradford has been endorsed by a tech billionaire, Rob Ford's former chief of staff, and the founder of the far-right rag Rebel News Our friends at @TheGrindTO compiled a list of the mayoral candidate's most questionable supporters
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Simon Black retweeted
Some corporations don't just harm workers. They undermine democracy. ➡️ Our latest report Corporate Underminers of Democracy 2026 is out: buff.ly/YU4tSnU Find out which companies and billionaire owners are profiting while ❌ Violating workers' rights ❌ Influencing politics for private gain ❌ Fueling far-right agendas #FightforDemocracy @luc_triangle @jordaniaurena04 @manzieric65 @ArabTradeUnion @ITUCAsiaPacific @ITUC_Africa @CSA_TUCA @ETUC_CES @ILO @ILOACTRAV
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Simon Black retweeted
World renowned environmentalist David Suzuki spoke out Wednesday about mayoral candidate Brad Bradford’s plan for Toronto’s water, appealing to people to vote to protect it rather than try to turn it into a money-making venture. toronto.citynews.ca/2026/10/…
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Simon Black retweeted
I’ve been released from IDF custody with a “warning,” apparently because of my public profile (I told them I wasn’t even a congressmember yet, just a nominee). But several dozen rabbis & participants harvesting olives with me are still in detention. For harvesting olives. They should all be released immediately. To be clear: Palestinians face far worse consequences every day. These detentions by the IDF are one more attempt to undermine Palestinians’ right to harvest their olive groves, travel on their roads, and live in their homes. Yet one more element of escalating, and very clearly state-sponsored ethnic cleansing. We’ll update on their status as soon as we hear.
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Olivia Chow has run underwhelming campaign w/poor comms. Lack of big, bold ideas at the off, welcoming police union’s endorsement, record of 30 cents of every new property tax dollar going to police budget, has not excited her base. In tight race, she’ll need that base on E-Day.
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City government alone cannot address the “quality of life” and public safety issues that have become lightening rod for municipal conservatives. But a bloated police budget can’t either. The progressive turn on encampment policy showed how city dollars could be better spent.
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Simon Black retweeted
The textile industry must change. Workers have a vision for how. 📄 buff.ly/6922xEb Get our Just Transition Manifesto – A plan to transform one of the world's most polluting and labour-intensive industries, with workers' rights, decent work, gender equality and social dialogue at its centre. #JustTransition #GarmentWorkersNeedUnions @industriAll_EU @IndustriALL_GU @luc_triangle @luc_triangle @ArabTradeUnion @ITUCAsiaPacific @ITUC_Africa @CSA_TUCA @ETUC_CES @ILO @ILOACTRAV @jordaniaurena04 @manzieric65
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