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We're halfway through Volume 16, and it's clear that The Leveller is in need of article contributions, editors, copyeditors, proofreaders, photojournalists, illustrators. We've published one issue this volume, when we usually have four by December. Learn how to get involved and come to our 15 January Story Meeting.

We are proud of the work we've done in 2023 and we published incredibly important articles. This is a list of the top 10 most searched and read articles from The Leveller published last year:

#1: Code SOS at The Ottawa Hospital

1 May 2023
By David Julian Wightman

Heavy machinery has begun the destruction of forest and parkland to erect a $3-billion “mega-hospital” at Dow’s Lake. According to the Ottawa Hospital website, the 2.5 million square metre building will be “the largest and most important health-care infrastructure project in Ottawa’s history.” The new facility will also be the first hospital built in Ottawa since the amalgamation of the Civic, General, and Riverside Hospitals by Mike Harris’ Conservative provincial government in 1997. [continue reading]

#2: Stuck with the Suburbs

How Amalgamation Handcuffs Progress in Ottawa’s Downtown

1 Feb 2023
By Amy Oldfield

The city of Ottawa is massive. Amalgamation has made the city so bloated that it’s difficult for a progressive candidate to win the mayoral seat — as we saw in last fall’s election — even with the strong support of the central wards of downtown Ottawa. This problem compounds disastrously as Doug Ford passes bills that divert power away from city councils into the hands of “strong mayors.” [continue reading]

#3: Anime for Leftists

A guide for fans and newcomers alike

28 Mar 2023
By Jessie Krahn

Audiences around the world may watch anime for entertainment and escape, but there are many series and films that reflect real world political struggles in fun and thought-provoking ways. That’s life-giving at times like these, when news of climate catastrophe, widening wealth gaps, and the increasing unaffordability of daily necessities can make the future seem bleak, gray, and devoid of possibilities. Stories of people resisting and persisting in political contexts that threaten to crush them are vital for keeping hopeful. [continue reading]

#4: Post-secondary students in Ottawa seek safer gym spaces with women’s only hours

24 Apr 2023
By Anne Tuba

It’s an ordinary day on campus, and the Algonquin Recreation Centre is filled with students on all floors, running, lifting weights, and climbing. The weight section is packed with dozens of people — the majority of them men, but only a handful of women.  [continue reading]

#5: No Ford Prison in Kemptville

Upcoming Logan Staats concert shines light on fight to stop new prison

23 Oct 2023
By Amanda Wilson

Opponents of the controversial prison that the Ford government plans for Kemptville are joining forces to hold a benefit concert in nearby Ottawa. Headlined by Mohawk singer-songwriter and rising star Logan Staats, the concert will take place on Friday, November 3.  [continue reading]

#6: Carleton launches award honouring slain Palestinian journalist

Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead while covering an Israeli raid on a Palestinian refugee camp

23 Oct 2023
By Josh Lalonde

On September 22, the Carleton University School of Journalism and Communication launched a new award for journalism students: the Shireen Abu Akleh Emerging Reporter Award in Social Justice Journalism. The award is named in honour of Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot dead on May 11, 2022, while reporting on a raid of the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Each year, the award will offer $5,000 to a journalism student for a project related to social justice.  [continue reading]

#7: Kasama Review

Filipino Canadian comic critiques colonialism and celebrates Filipino culture

22 Apr 2023
By Jessie Krahn

Montreal-based Filipino Canadian comic artist Allan Matudio’s debut graphic novel Kasama is an action-fantasy jam-packed with drama, lighthearted humour, and mysterious folklore. Beyond that, the comic is also exceedingly successful as a heartfelt homage to Filipino culture. Published in 2021 by Winnipeg worker cooperative Anak Publishing, the book is a fresh entry in a medium oversaturated with Western superhero comic influences. [continue reading]

#8: Ottawa Police oversight board continues attacks on public participation

23 Mar 2023
By Robin Browne

The Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB) continues to respond to criticisms of its restrictions on public participation by imposing even more. In theory the board exists to provide democratic public oversight over the Ottawa police. In practice, they seem determined to shut out critical public voices. [continue reading]

 

#9: The Leveller's Media Recommendations

27 Feb 2023
By Tim Kitz & Ashton Starr

Media matters. Governments are more corrupt and unaccountable without strong media to report on them, for starters. More importantly, story-telling is one of the only ways the exploited can level the playing field against those oppressing them. [continue reading]

#10: March 2023 Horoscopes

26 Feb 2023
By Medium Rare

Pisces (Feb. 19 – March 20)

This month, Pisces, you are the golden child. You will swim through the stream of life like a Midas trout, devouring all the little fish that you require, while your scales become ever healthier and more resplendent. [continue reading]

Did you manage to read all of these articles in 2023? Be sure to follow, share and read the critical news and analysis from The Leveller throughout 2024!

On behalf of the whole team, have a happy new year,

Ashton Starr
Operations Manager

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