Dear friends and supporters of the campaign to Stop Ottawa Arms Shows!

A right-wing, business-friendly City of Ottawa committee (appropriately called "Corporate Services") is now planning to overturn Ottawa's 20-year ban on hosting arms shows!  What's worse, they are poised to replace our historic ban with a new resolution to actually encourage the use of City facilities for any and all military trade exhibitions!  This is utterly shameful and it must be opposed now!

It is not yet too late to help.  If you want to keep Ottawa free of weapons industry export events, then NOW is the time to do something!

Please join our efforts:
(1) Contact the City Council asap!
(2) Join us Friday, June 12, for a slide show and talk by Richard Sanders.
(3) Join us Tues., June 16 at City Hall, for a bevy of peace presentations! (Be a presenter!)
(4) Get more people to sign our Petition (ONLINE and OFF)!
(5) Make a financial contribution!

(1) Contact City Council asap!
Click below for info. on how to contact your councillor, and the Mayor.
http://coat.ncf.ca/ARMX/ContactCity.htm
Phone them!  Write a letter!  Send an email!  CC them all!  Send a fax!  Arrange to meet them! 
Even if you've contacted them before, PLEASE CONTACT THEM AGAIN!
This is especially important if you live in a suburban or rural riding!
Encourage as many other citizens as possible to join this lobbying effort.
Be sure to tell Councillors that you'll be watching how they vote and that during the next election, you'll work against all those who supported the return of arms shows!

(2) Join us Friday, June 12, 7 pm
at Southminister United Church (15 Aylmer Ave., at Bank St. just south of the Rideau Canal)
A 30-minute slide show and talk by Richard Sanders on:
"Weapons Profiteering:  CANSEC Companies and their Part in Fueling Major Wars"
Richard Sanders, coordinator of the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT), is an anti-war researcher and activist who was instrumental in the COAT campaign 20 years ago that secured Ottawa's ban on arms shows. Richard will use slides to highlight some of Canada's most profitable war industries and to show how their products contribute to wars now raging around the world. This will be followed by a discussion on the most effective means to counter the bogus claims by CANSEC organizers that their trade show is only about "defence," "security," promoting disaster relief and protecting "first responders."  (Those interested in presenting 5-minute briefs to the City Council Committee meeting on June 16, will find this information and the discussion most useful.)

(3) Tuesday, June 16, 10 am. (running much of the day!)
Make your voices heard! Join us at City Hall for a bevy of peace activists!
Everyone is welcome to make 5-minute presentations to Councillors at this Corporate Services Committee Meeting
This Committee of Ottawa's City Council had so many presentations from concerned citizens opposing CANSEC, at their June 2 meeting, that they needed to reschedule many of these delegations until this next meeting, on June 16.  Even more people are now signing up to make 5-minute presentations at that time.  If you want to have your voice heard on this important topic, please contact Committee Coordinator, Diane Blais, at 613-580-2424, ext. 28091 or simply email her by clicking here:
mailto:Diane.Blais@ottawa.ca

Even if you spoke on June 2, you can speak again by representing a different organization. If you have time constraints on June 16, you can ask to speak first, or to speak immediately after the lunch break. Speakers can also register to make a presentation when they arrive (at 10 am) on June 16.  The Committee is obligated to allow all citizens to have their say. Let's make sure they hear all the arguments against allowing the return of international weapons trade shows to publicly-funded municipal property!

Whether you speak or not, please consider attending the meeting on June 16. We need to pack the room!

There was a great spirit and camaraderie for peace, when dozens of activists filled the City Council Chamber on June 2!  It was empowering to hear so many strong and committed voices opposing CANSEC.  June 16 will be even better!  Please join the excitement and ensure that Council gets the message that Ottawa citizens overwhelmingly want to retain their City's historic ban on hosting arms trade exhibitions!

(4) Get more people to sign our Petition (ONLINE and OFF)!
Encourage as many people as possible to sign our online and offline petitions.
Sign ONLINE Here:
http://prax.ca/coat/No-Arms-Shows

View thousands of signers and their comments here:
http://prax.ca/view/coat/No-Arms-Shows

(5) Make a financial contribution!
We could sure use your financial support.  Please make a donation to this campaign by supporting the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT). Click here for a form that you can mail to COAT.
http://coat.ncf.ca/support_us/donation.html

Or, just mail a cheque to "COAT" care of this address:

COAT
541 McLeod Street
Ottawa ON K1R 5R2

It's not yet too late to help.

Thanks very much for any assistance or support for this campaign to keep Ottawa facilities free from arms trade shows!

Peace!