#University of Sudbury

[universeinthebox]

Hey again

Shout-out to all the people who liked and commented on my last post. Glad to know that Squeak hasn’t been forgotten. =)

Comments:

winterstraystar said: For Sonic: Thank you for still looking out for his blog, it means a lot. For Squeak: Hope you are going better wherever life has taken you. I hope you live with no regrets 

You’re welcome. I should mention that I’ve done a little writing, and one of my stories is about Squeak. Here it is: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/528407/thanks-for-the-memories

I can’t believe how long it took me to get a fimfiction account. It says something about all the trauma I’ve been through.

There were a lot of us in the Box with mental health struggles of one sort or another. It was really valuable to have that space to talk, and also create! It reminds me of that one Subnormality comic...

pinkusponkus said: Squeak did so much for so many people. I miss him! 

Thank you! We miss him too!

kasamari said: I miss the care and love of the whole team you guys put together. I will keep following this and Squeak’s other spaces in the hopes that I get the chance to tell Squeak that the soldier who left his pregnant wife for training all those years ago is now a proud father of 4, still married to the same amazing woman. I will always be so grateful for the story of Good Night and for the wonderful Ponies in a Box that worked to share so many stories.

CONGRATULATIONS! Hip Hip Hurray! I hope we can all be so fortunate. =)

You didn’t ask for advice, but I’m gonna provide some anyway. My favorite parenting book is Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn. Also, conventional school sucks and kids would be much better off at Sudbury Schools: https://www.facebook.com/HudsonValleySudburySchool/videos/10155951019968804/ (The teachers are better off too!) Anyway, give your kids a hug from us. And maybe show them an old PIAB video or two =)

And hopefully, hopefully someday you’ll be able to tell Squeak the news directly. I’m sure he’d be happy for you. =)

warbalist said: I miss writing music for his stuff. 😭

Oh wow, you wrote music for him? (Sorry, I don’t recognize the username!) What did you write?

I miss working with him too. I miss the sheer sense of possibility we had in 2012, in the brony fandom generally and especially with Pony in a Box. I still remember how I was on vacation and Squeak came up with the idea for The Best and within 12 hours it was fully written, recorded and posted on Youtube. Or how about that time the other boxers and me secretly made a short for Squeak’s birthday?

I miss hearing our stuff premiere on Celestia Radio. I miss reading the comments as they came in. I miss the little ARG we did for Wrong Way Backwards. I miss the feeling that anything was possible.

I’m really sad that I didn’t go to BronyCon 2013. A lot of PIAB people were there, and in retrospect that was the best opportunity I ever had to see the boxers in person. But my mom had cancer and I had anxiety mixed with self-hatred and the flight seemed too much of a risk and it didn’t seem fair to mom so in the end I didn’t go. =(

I miss my box friends. Too many of us had IRL problems at the same time, and we gradually scattered to the winds. We’ve still got a discord server but it rarely gets any activity. It’s so sad. =(

Special shout-out to Togpie, who was a vital support to me during some extremely difficult times in my life. I think maybe she burnt out, caring for me all the time. If so, I don’t blame her. She worked really hard to help me when she was already busy with her own problems. I haven’t heard from her in over a year now. I hope she’s ok...

It’s strange how Life is so much grander and deeper than it seems. Do you know what I mean? There is so much meaning and passion and joy and opportunities taken and opportunities missed just in this one little group of people. There are so many things that shaped us, so many traumas that the Box helped us face, and then the Box itself drifted away because we still hadn’t found perfect solutions to Life’s problems.

And here I am, posting this little thing that a handful of people will see. How will it impact you? What’s your story?

A good life is possible, I’m sure. The solutions involve things like Children’s Rights and Sudbury Schools and Democracy and Universal Basic Income. The solutions involve things like ponies and fandoms and community for its own sake. The solutions involve knowing that you matter and your feelings matter, and it’s ok to cry when you’re hurt and it’s ok to get mad at abusive people and systems.

I think of the billionaires of the world and I wonder why they don’t just feed the poor. I’ve had a lot of friends who deserve money, good people tied down by bad circumstances. I’ve given a few thousand myself, trying to figure out how much I can afford considering I still can’t manage a full-time job (on account of my mental health). And I wonder why anyone thinks Elon Musk is a good person, seeing that he has so much money but he refuses to help people.

I think back to a time when guys openly liking ponies would have been impossible, when this fandom would have been impossible, where the formation of Pony in a Box would have been impossible. I wonder how many wonderful memories past generations never got to experience because of their stupid rules, and I’m glad for the progress we’ve made and the hope of more progress to come, and I’m also very sad that more progress hasn’t happened already.

Every so often I google anti-aging medicine (which is a legit field now) because I want to make up for all the time I’ve lost to trauma and abuse.

In the meantime, though, I’m glad we had Pony in a Box. And I’m glad that the fandom still exists. And I hope that the choices I make today will help future generations. Maybe new opportunities will come our way, like the TARDIS fading in from the Vortex.

Thank you, my friends.

Onwards and Upwards --Sonicsuns

[herpsandbirds]

Seeking Student: MSc Position in Litzgus Lab:

Social behaviour of Painted Turtles during nesting

This MSc project will examine whether social information from dominant females guides PATU nesting decisions, to answer the question: Do population matriarchs lead the way to the best nest sites? Using nesting observations and genetic data, the student will build a social network to elucidate whether females that nest together are related by estimating relatedness among individuals and in preferred associations. The MSc position will be in the lab of Dr. Jackie Litzgus at Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON (https://laurentian.ca/faculty/jlitzgus), and the student will be co-supervised by Dr. Julia Riley at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB (https://www.rileyecology.com/). The project is also in collaboration with Dr. Njal Rollinson at UofT (https://rollinson.eeb.utoronto.ca/) who collaborates on the long-term turtle research in Algonquin Park. Field research will be based out of the Algonquin Wildlife Research Station (https://www.algonquinwrs.ca/). Please email your resume, (unofficial) transcripts, and a cover letter detailing your background, interests and why you should be considered for the position to Dr. Jackie Litzgus (jlitzgus@laurentian.ca) with “PATU Sociality” in the subject line. Applications will be considered as they are received. All applications will be reviewed, but only those invited for an interview will be contacted.  The anticipated start date is May 2025 or Sept 2025, and the deadline for applying is 15 November 2024.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Defeat Depression Fundraiser in Sudbury, Ontario!

Since Tumblr is the mentally illest of all the webbed sites, get ready to join us for 4 awesome events to raise money for mental health supports! Can't come? Still donate here: sudbury.defeatdepression.ca

Events:

Boston Pizza Dinner/Trivia Night - May 9th

Porketta Bingo - May 18th

Gala/Silent Auction - May 23rd

Walk/Run - May 25th

Details below!

Boston Pizza Dinner:

May 9th, 2024

5:00pm-8:00pm

Boston Pizza, 120 Donna Dr, Sudbury, ON P3B 4K6

Trivia: 

6:30pm start

$20 Tickets

Porketta Bingo:

May 18th, 2024

Arrive: 1:30pm, Start: 2:00pm

1837 Lasalle Blvd, Sudbury, ON P3A 2A3

Gala/Silent Auction

May 23rd, 2024

Reception: 6:30pm, Performances: 7:30pm

Thorneloe University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6

Walk/Run

May 25th, 2024

Registration: 9:30am

Grace Hartman Amphitheatre, Bell Park, Sudbury

Register/Donate at sudbury.defeatdepression.ca 

Check out our Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sudbury.defeatdepression

See you there!

[arkadenboden]

update on the fanfic for the nation. The first chapter is being edited and should be finished soon, however may be delayed because I kind of want to make art to correspond with the release of each one. For now, here are some headcanons that will be going into it:

starting with more minor ones that are just little things:

-Kim graduated with a degree in filmmaking!

-Ramona makes deliveries across Ontario, not just in Toronto.

-Kim’s father called himself “King Jeremy, the Wicked” as an unofficial nickname in highschool. This is a reference to Jeremy by Pearl Jam(Out of universe, anyway. Jeremy wouldn’t have been in highschool by the release of Ten because Kim was born in 1980)

-Kim’s hometown is in Greater Sudbury.

More important, spoiler-ish ones under the cut. Just cause.

-Jeremy wanted to be an artist, but settled for it being a hobby when his wife got pregnant

-Kim has OCD. I don’t see it represented much in media, let alone well. It’s something I also struggle with and I thought putting my experience with intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors into a fic like this may help with the desire to see myself represented

-Kim is the result of a teenage pregnancy. This decision was made specifically because I always thought Kim’s parents looked very young in comparison to the other older characters, and looked more like background characters that Scott would be acquainted with than Kim’s parents. They are both currently around 38-39.

-Kim’s little “area of subspace(think the desert Scott dreams about)” is a recreation of her hometown during her childhood. Things are exactly the same way they were when she was 7-15 ish. Subspace doors open onto a local trail, and pass through the trail and exit at the end of it. Ramona frequently passes through this area, but doesn’t encounter Kim for a while, as she has a tendency to wander off of the path and go elsewhere while Ramona uses it to move along.

-A character’s “Nega” form isn’t actually called that. I don’t know what they would officially be called on like a Wikipedia page but I think that is just what Scott thinks of Nega Scott as. Kim’s is dubbed “the Eidolon,” because she perceives it as a phantom or ghostlike figure of some kind.

thats all i can think of for now hope u enjoyed

[world-beauty]

Sudbury Indicates Nonstandard Particle Model

Credits: Queen's University, The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Institute

[secretswiftymarvelfan]

New Girl In Town - Bookstore Owner!Chris AU (Headcanon)

A/N: okay so I literally couldn’t stop thinking about this little universe and thus this was born because I have no chill

Summary: As you explore your new town you stumble across your version of paradise

Warnings: Bookish Fluff! Not edited at all!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Masterlist

It had been two months since you moved into the small town of Sudbury

You knew nothing about the area, or anyone else who lived here but it was a small price to pay for your dream job working at a small independent publishing company

You had slowly began to make friends at your job but your days off were spent in solitude, exploring the small town you now called home

One of your co-workers had suggested you check out this small cafe on one of the smaller side streets

Her directions weren’t the best though so despite your best efforts you couldn’t find it, not even google maps could help

As you were about to make your way back onto the Main Street, you spotted a small bookstore that instantly captured your attention with its old school look

A small bell chimed as you pushed the door open, and the feeling of warmth instantly hit you, the smell of books filling your nostrils

You had barely stepped inside and you felt more at home than you did in your apartment

The wooden floorboards creaked as you slowly began exploring the quiet shop, your fingers gently brushing over the spines of the books

You were pretty deep into the store when you found a dog who kinda looked like the Artful Dodger from Oliver and Company curled up on a dog bed

The pup lifted its head, tail gently wagging as you bent down to stroke the top of its head

“Hi is there anything I could help you find?” A deep voice says behind you.

You quickly stand back up, turning around to face the man, smoothing out your clothes when you saw just how handsome this stranger was, wearing a cable knit sweater, a pile of book in his hands

“Oh uh no I was just looking, is this your dog?” You ask.

“Yeah his name’s Dodger, found him on the doorstep a few years back and we’ve been hanging together ever since” the man smiles “I’m Chris by the way” he adds holding out his free hand.

“Y/N” you smile shaking his hand.

Chris repeats your name with a gentle smile “are you new around here? I’ve just never seen you before and I know I’d remember seeing you around if you weren’t”

You tried to stop the blush the crept up onto your cheeks, ducking your head to hide it instead “yeah moved in a couple months ago, i’ve just been exploring the town”

“Oh nice, have you checked out Mugs and Magic, best coffeehouse in town” Chris asks

“No I was actually trying to find it when I found this place” you tell him.

“It’s a pretty easy place to miss, doesn’t look like a coffeehouse at all” Chris chuckles “I can draw you a map” he offers nodding his head back towards the front desk

“That would be amazing thank you” you smile following him over to the front desk

He quickly grabbed a scrap piece of paper and drew you a simple map that showed the way from the bookstore to the coffeehouse “there you go, is there anything else I can help you with?”

"actually you don't happen to have a copy of The Mysterious Affair Of Styles do you? Don't worry if you don't I know its pretty rare, and I know I could just get it on my Kindle but..." you ask

"but its not as nice as reading a physical copy" Chris says with a smile at the same time as you

"exactly, you don't get the book smell" you say with a bashful smile

"well we don't have it but I'll keep my eyes out for it" Chris offers

“That’ll be amazing, i’ll see you around, I’m sure you’ll be seeing me in here a lot” you smile taking a step back, glancing around the shop

"i look forward to it" Chris smiles are you walk back towards the door

"see you around Chris" you smile as you step outside the chime of the bell signalling your exit

Sharing is caring so please reblog if you enjoyed this and maybe even leave a comment to make my day!

Masterlist

I don’t have a taglist so follow @secretswiftymarvelfanlibrary​ and turn on post notifications to be kept up to date!

[mbenvs3000w23]

My Connection to Nature & It's Evolution

Hey everyone, welcome to my blog!

Today I'll be discussing my relationship with nature and its evolution over the years.

As I’ve progressed through university, I’ve found myself developing a greater appreciation of nature. Not that I ever didn't respect or appreciate it, but it was just always there, so I never took the time to truly immerse myself in its entirety. That's kind of the reality of growing up; you learn that life isn't simple and easy but rather that things can change quite quickly. When I was a kid I never thought about the future of the planet or of the colossal impacts we have on our environment. Now that I’ve grown up and taken classes detailing the science behind our planet and environment, I know how fragile it is and how unpromised its future is. 

I grew up in Sudbury, Ontario. Sudbury is a city in northern Canada known for its rich natural surroundings and historical significance. The city is located on the Canadian Shield, and as such, has an abundance of rocky terrain and greenery. My house was 30 minutes out of town and ‘deep into the bush’ as some would say (I've included a picture below for context). Due to this, I was surrounded by forests and lakes with really no urban influence. Living there, surrounded solely by nature, I found a “sense of place”. Nature was not just a backdrop in Sudbury; it was an intrinsic component of my daily life. The trees provided a safe place, the lakes brought serenity, and the hard terrain was like a huge playground. Growing up I had a deep connection with the land, creating memories that were linked with the rustling of leaves, the smell of fresh pine, and the cool winds that blew around us while we played outside. As we had no real neighbours and about 140 acres of land with our house, me and my brother were often left to do whatever we pleased outside. This allowed us to fully immerse ourselves in nature and, honestly, gave us no other choice even if we didn't want to play outside. There was nothing even remotely close; just us and nature. This led to me having a more recreational connection to nature. I think this is why as a child I never truly appreciated nature, as I thought that it was just standard to always have it around us. It was only when I was old enough to understand the realities of the world that I developed a stronger appreciation for nature. 

Over the last several years, I've been fortunate enough to have taken various courses and learned a lot about nature. So far, Climate Change Biology (ENVS*3010) has by far been my favourite and truly opened my eyes about our impacts on the environment. As a result, my viewpoint on nature as a whole has changed significantly. I have also developed new kinds of connections with nature recently, including therapeutic, scientific, and sustainable-based connections. I now use my early memories as a source of reflection and thankfulness, displaying the long-term evolution of my relationship with nature. 

I also have such a love for nature as it allows me to spend time with my family. Going out for walks and looking at all the diverse scenery is a great way to clear your head and take in its beauty. Recently, I've been training my new puppy how to walk on her leash. My parent's house is up north still so there aren't any sidewalks. Due to this, it's been challenging to get her to stay on the side of the road and walk off the paved road when cars pass. She seems to love cars so this has been quite a challenge. Especially when she tries to run in front of them or after them 🙃

[the-teapot-collection]

me, attending a hockey game with my dad: this better not send me back into shoresy hyperfixation hell ive got like 3 super active hyperfixations right now.

the arena: hello! it is pride night! you better be thinking about gay people!!!!!

the man sitting on the other side of my dad: *shows up wearing a sudbury blueberry bulldogs jersey*

i think the universe has spoken or some bullshit like that

[secreteviltwin]

Hi! I saw one of your posts that mentioned 'Sudbury' and I was hoping that you may be willing to help us get the word out about the Sudbury Defeat Depression fundraiser? It raises money for mental health supports, not only for people struggling with depression but for anyone struggling with mental illness. We also have a Facebook and Instagram! Thanks in advance!! : )

Defeat Depression Fundraiser in Sudbury, Ontario!

Since Tumblr is the mentally illest of all the webbed sites, get ready to join us for 4 awesome events to raise money for mental health supports! Can't come? Still donate here: sudbury.defeatdepression.ca

Events:

Boston Pizza Dinner/Trivia Night - May 9th

Porketta Bingo - May 18th

Gala/Silent Auction - May 23rd

Walk/Run - May 25th

Details below!

Boston Pizza Dinner:

May 9th, 2024

5:00pm-8:00pm

Boston Pizza, 120 Donna Dr, Sudbury, ON P3B 4K6

Trivia: 

6:30pm start

$20 Tickets

Porketta Bingo:

May 18th, 2024

Arrive: 1:30pm, Start: 2:00pm

1837 Lasalle Blvd, Sudbury, ON P3A 2A3

Gala/Silent Auction

May 23rd, 2024

Reception: 6:30pm, Performances: 7:30pm

Thorneloe University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6

Walk/Run

May 25th, 2024

Registration: 9:30am

Grace Hartman Amphitheatre, Bell Park, Sudbury

Register/Donate at sudbury.defeatdepression.ca 

Check out our Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sudbury.defeatdepression

See you there!

!!

[pet-genius]

Of the Harry Potter villains, Lucius Malfoy is the only one who make my skin crawl. To me, his brand of evil is the one that is the closest to what I have experienced. I used to attend Laurentian university, and my father was a professor there. Used to because now it is de-facto bankrupt, and as the university kept spiraling down, the corrupt made sure students received (infuriating) messages that "all is well". Not only did the rector not receive criminal charges, but he came to direct a hospital (all the doctors of course hated his reforms), and was moved from Sudbury to Ottawa. This kind of sleaze bag who can get away with way too much because of their wealth and connection is too real. Also, I was lucky enough to never face sexual assault, but I heard stories people who had, and Lucius Malfoy's sadism just felt...violating. I find him I still love him as a character, and I think J.K Rowling was amazing at creating such a realistic and terrifying villain. Also, my parents had a messy, messy divorce and they would sometimes use me against each other. I am doing much better now, and my relationship with my parents had significantly improved. I love my mom and dad. So for me, his more manipulative side and ability to intrigue makes me just hate Lucius' guts. Still, he's a character I love to hate, and he is amazingly written.

So anon, may I advise that you don't name a specific institution and all that? Unless you're deliberately trying to get people to google and find out who this is, in which case I stan your indirection, very Slytherin! I agree, Lucius is very intriguing and very vile. The idea that he pretended to be concerned for students throughout COS while he in fact planted the diary on Ginny is infuriating, never mind that assault he committed against a Muggle lady. I hate him the most, though, for how his influence directed Snape's life, and I don't think it's coincidence that Lucius is the one who sends Snape to the Shrieking Shack to die. Which is kind of funny, honestly, because he might very well have taken Snape under his wing with the best intentions he ever had. Also his seamless and genuine transition to loving family man really drives home the point. It's not that Lucius doesn't know better, it's that some people count and others don't. Here are fics about the Malfoys, sort of, by me! https://archiveofourown.org/works/35100112 and https://archiveofourown.org/works/44740957 I know others also wrote about Lucius and Snape and the potentially exploitative/transactional nature of their relationship, and I'm not sure how canonical it is, but it's definitely interesting to imagine how two Slytherins from very different social strata might deal with one another and if they'd even try to wear a mask of benevolence, or the lies they might tell themselves about it. I think they would, honestly, but I'm also sure Lucius won't hesitate to "pull rank" too, to get his way.

I'm getting top asks today!

[goalhofer]

2024 IIHF World Juniors Slovakia Roster

Wingers

#9 Adam Žlnka (Waterloo Black Hawks/Detva)

#10 Filip Mešár (Kitchener Rangers/Spišská Belá)

#14 Adam Sýkora (Hartford Wolf Pack/Piešťany)

#18 Servác Petrovský (Owen Sound Attack/Veľký Šariš)

#19 Juraj Pekarčík (Dubuque Fighting Saints/Trstená)

#20 Martin Mišiak (Erie Otters/Banská Bystrica)

#22 Alex Čiernik (Västerviks Ishockeyklubb/Wolfsburg, Germany)

#27 Samuel Honzek (Vancouver Giants/Trenčín)

Centers

#13 František Dej (Sherbrooke Phoenix/Bratislava)

#15 Dalibor Dvorský (Sudbury Wolves/Zvolen)

#21 Peter Repčík (Drummondville Voltigeurs/Košice)

#28 Alex Šotek (AquaCity Pikes/Poprad)

Defensemen

#3 Milan Pišoja (H.K. Dukla Michalovce/Považská Bystrica)

#4 Maxim Štrbák (Michigan State University Spartans/Košice)

#5 Dávid Nátny (M.H.K. 32 Liptovský Mikuláš/Martin)

#6 Jozef Kmec (Prince George Cougars/Košice)

#8 Marián Moško (Cornell University Big Red/Žilina)

#11 Luka Radivojevič (Örebro H.K. J20/Trenčín)

#26 Boris Žabka; Jr. (H.K. '05 Banská Bystrica/Bratislava)

Goalies

#1 Rostislav Eliáš (H.I.K. A20/Košice)

#29 Samuel Urban (Sioux City Musketeers/Dolné Kočkovce Mesto)

#30 Adam Gajan (Green Bay Gamblers/Poprad)

[falcqns]

rant from an angry canadian 🫶🏼

i don’t understand why it’s so hard for americans to understand what is happening. my country, and my province are on fire. the closest fire to me is 4 hours away, in Sudbury. i am pregnant, i have a 3 year old, and my elderly grandmother lives with me and my husband. we bought this house a year ago now, almost two. if the fire comes any closer, we could lose everything. not only our home, our dream home that is not at all close to being paid off, but our lives. i can’t go to work without wearing an N95 because of the smoke. my toddler can’t go to daycare without one. she can’t play outside. we can’t go for walks, bike rides, nothing. i am putting my unborn daughter at risk by going outside. i am currently trying to make sure i have a place to stay in my hometown that is run by a cult so i can have somewhere “safe” for my family to stay if we have to evacuate. so i’m sorry if you have bad air quality, but at least you’re not in danger of losing EVERYTHING. you’re not in danger of your house burning down, or you or your loved ones losing their lives. i am. all of canada is. i know you think you are the centre of the fucking universe, but you aren’t. i am so fucking sick of americans thinking everything is about them. it isn’t. you guys keep talking about climate change AS IF YOU’RE MAJORLY THE REASON WE ARE IN A CLIMATE CRISIS. grow up, and understand that it ain’t all about you.

[pollytaylor]

I went to university in Sudbury, a small city northern Ontario, Canada. One clear winter night, the power went out across the whole city. The fire alarm in the dorm went off for some reason, so we had to go outside until the fire crew cleared the building. Sudbury is pretty isolated compared to cities in southern Ontario, where I grew up. I had never seen so many stars before. I've never seen that many since. The sky was more stars than empty sky. If you've never seen the sky with zero light pollution, it's almost impossible to imagine.

The black areas represent the remaining natural dark skies in the United States

[paschameleon]

C’est notre jour, faut célébrer! Bonne journée des Franco-Ontariens et des Franco-Ontariennes.

Happy Franco-Ontarian day!

For those of you who don't know: Franco-Ontarians are Francophone Canadians (people who speak French as their first language) that live in the province of Ontario.

Franco-Ontarian Day is a special day in Ontario that celebrates the contributions, culture, and identity of Franco-Ontarians, the French-speaking community of the province.

September 25 is the anniversary of the raising of the Franco-Ontarian flag. The flag was raised for the first time on September 25, 1975 at the University of Sudbury.

[terriwriting]

George Weston Jr continues his policy of treating his customers like shit:

[anth489project]

Photo #3: Freedom Convoy

This is a picture of the Sudbury branch of the Freedom Convoy. Every Saturday afternoon, from 12:30 until about 5:00, they gather in their pickup trucks in the public parking lot across from Bell park, which is the biggest and most frequented park in the city, along Paris Street, one of the main thoroughfares throughout Sudbury. They park their pickup trucks along the street, set up their tent, and walk around waving their Canada flags and "Fuck Trudeau" flags and hoisting their signs for everyone driving by to see. I'm not even entirely sure what it is they're protesting anymore, since the Freedom Convoy was originally conceived to protest mask mandates and vaccine protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they seem to have their fair share of causes. I've seen signs about protecting the children (I'm not sure from whom, probably transgender people), distrusting the government, and encouraging people to do their own research before labeling them as conspiracy theorists.

I decided to use the Freedom Convoy as an example of resistance because I feel like it goes against what we normally expect of resistance and guerrilla urbanism. A lot of the examples we discussed in class, whether from Cartographies of Youth Resistance (Magaña, 2020) or from the lectures, along with the rest of the photos on this blog, tend to focus on forms of resistance from more leftist or centre-left political perspectives. I would consider the Freedom Convoy to be a far-right organization, and I'm sure many of the individuals belonging to the Convoy would consider themselves to be conservative or right-leaning as well, but they are also participating in a form of guerrilla urbanism. In Sudbury, they are gathering in a parking lot and occupying public space in order to protest against the government, as well as gathering at Tom Davies Square (municipal government office) to disrupt an open house town hall meeting and protest government actions. During the COVID-19 lockdown, a much larger group of them from across the country drove to Ottawa and occupies the capitol in order to protest COVID-19 mandates. Although we generally tend to associate guerrilla urbanism and resistance with more left-leaning groups, it's not fair to discount right-leaning groups using the same tactics (eg. occupying public spaces for protests, leaving signs and stickers on public infrastructure to promote their cause without permission) to combat oppression (whether real or perceived).

The Freedom Convoy demonstrates resistance and refusal by protesting the government and its laws that they deem unjust and/or unfair, creating online and in-person counterspaces to organize grassroots campaigns and spread their message, and choosing not to follow laws that they believe violate their freedoms. Whether you agree with them or not - and it's definitely a polarizing issue for a lot of people in Canada (although I'm not entirely sure the Freedom Convoy still exists and regularly gathers anywhere else but Sudbury_ - they are a good example of a small group's guerrilla usage of urban space for resistance.

Word count: 497

Works cited: Clarke, T. (2024, March 21). Protesters disrupt open house at Tom Davies Square. Sudbury.com. https://www.sudbury.com/city-hall/protesters-disrupt-open-house-at-tom-davies-square-8490527

Magaña, M.R. (2020). Cartographies of Youth Resistance. University of California Press.

Parliamentary Committee Notes: Evolution of the Freedom 2022 Convoy. (2022, December 20). Public Safety Canada. Retrieved July 11, 2024, from https://www.sudbury.com/city-hall/protesters-disrupt-open-house-at-tom-davies-square-8490527.