Neo-nazis, drug deals, and the absence of fear

the weekly rant

In this episode we unpack restorative justice, performative action from the Minister of Justice David Lametti and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Doug Ford and his family’s history with drug dealing, Neo-Nazi presence at Pride Parades in Hamilton, and politicians using hope versus fear to mobilize voters. Matthew Green was elected in 2014 to serve as Councillor for Ward 3 (Hamilton Centre) in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Matthew is a graduate of Political Science from Acadia University. He has also attended McMaster University and received a certificate of Executive Education and Governance for Non-Profits from Harvard University. Matthew is an accomplished community organizer and has served for over a decade to advocate for barrier free access to healthy living on First Nations territory and with inner-city Hamiltonians. Matthew was also active in the CasiNO campaign which successfully stopped a casino from opening in Hamilton’s downtown. As a City Councillor, Matthew’s advocacy has made a meaningful difference for residents. He passed the Blue Dot Motion, making Hamilton the first city in Ontario to adopt an environmental bill of rights. He is a strong advocate for affordable, dignified housing, actively supporting inclusionary zoning, and serves as Vice Chair and Treasurer for City Housing Hamilton. He fought for improved consumer protections for residents by taking on the payday loan industry’s predatory lending practices and made Hamilton the first Ontario City to licence payday loan outlets. Matthew’s advocacy opposing police carding and racial profiling had a direct impact on provincial policy resulting in more stringent regulations on how local police interact with our community.