This is a time when Canada must harness its community-driven resilience. We’re asking you to share examples of how Canadian communities are responding to the crisis with creativity and imagination. Collective problem-solving and collaboration will be instrumental in how Canada mitigates the local impacts of COVID-19 and creates on-the-ground solutions.
Highlighted Initiatives
CBC documentaries & local films featuring Windsor’s independent producers, directors and student filmmakers
Links include:
Leslie McCurdy Story: On the Money
Award-winning actress and playwright Leslie McCurdy has dedicated her life to staging the stories of heroic Black women who stood up against racial injustice. For two decades, McCurdy has been bringing the stories of her heroines to life on stage. Like her, they inspire others to follow their dreams and to stand up for what they believe and not be treated as second class. They include Harriet Tubman and Viola Desmond, both known as firmly established heroines of civil rights in North America. McCurdy comes from seven generations of civil rights activists, the most recent being her father, the late Dr. Howard McCurdy, Jr.
You can watch it now on CBC Gem.
Graffiti: The art that changes a city
Watch as Windsor gets transformed by graffiti artists and discover how their art brings life back into the city’s neighbourhoods. This project is a collaboration with CBC Arts, CBC Windsor and local independent producer/director Sasha Jordan-Appler.
CBC ARTS | Meet Derkz, one of the artists behind the murals transforming Windsor neighbourhoods
Featured artists: Eugenio Mendoza (DREVMZ), Daniel Bombardier (Denial), David Derkatz (Derkz) and Briana Benore (Athena)
You can watch it now on CBC Gem.
A drama, documentary and musical all in one? Directors Trista Suke and Ellis Poleyko follow Trista’s experience struggling with alopecia, a hair loss condition. An eccentric memoir intertwined with interview segments of people living with the condition, Foxy shines a light on mental health and society’s unachievable beauty standards.
You can watch it now on CBC Gem.
Q&A | FOXY director Trista Suke on why alopecia doesn’t define her
A compilation of short, scripted films and documentaries from independent producers and student filmmakers from the University of Windsor and finalists from the Windsor Youth Short Film Showcase. This year’s compilation brings together stories about performance and the creative process, identity and learning to love who you are, plus some fun with time travel, dogs and fireworks. You’ll have to watch to find out more!
Short films include: Band Together, Starving Artist, Led By Her, Time Record, Season of Seven Loves, Love Me and Fire Work.
You can watch it now on CBC Gem.
Stories from the Land: Corn Soup and The Last Fishermen
Stories from the Land, a podcast dedicated to Indigenous storytelling, has been adapted into a documentary series by Wanderer Entertainment Inc. for CBC Short Docs. Watch a sneak peek of the series on Absolutely Canadian with this special Ontario broadcast featuring the short films Corn Soup, from Fort Erie, and The Last Fishermen, from Rainy Lake in Fort Frances.
You can watch it now on CBC Gem.
List of financial relief efforts offered by governments around the world to support small businesses
A regularly updated resource on government financial relief measures and programs from around the world to support small businesses impacted by the COVID-19.
COVID-19 resources for Indigenous peoples
COVID19 Resources for Indigenous Peoples, put together by Indigenous Climate Action.
Quarantunes: Concerts gratuits à regarder à la maison pendant COVID-19
Quarantunes: Concerts gratuits à regarder à la maison pendant COVID-19 Distanciation, artistes canadiens et autres
Quarantunes: Free concerts to watch at home during COVID-19
Quarantunes: Free Concerts to Watch at Home During COVID-19 Distancing, Canadian and other artists
Volunteer matchmaking platform for food and supplies
Two local Vancouver women set up a free matchmaking platform to help people who can’t afford food and supplies get matched to volunteers based on their location, family size, and donation amount.
List of community response networks across Canada
Many grassroots groups have come together with the shared goal of organizing to ensure vulnerable community members have access to food, housing, healthcare, and other necessities. They’re also redistributing resources in case stockpiling prevents people from accessing basics. Amara Possian, community organizer and professor, started a Google Doc that lists those community response networks across Canada by province.
Resource with Indigenous-friendly NFB movies and documentaries to watch while in self-isolation
List of free indigenous-friendly movies and documentaries on National Film Board website.
$100,000 Fund launched by Facebook and the National Arts Centre provides artist fees for online performances
The Facebook-National Arts Centre Fund for Performing Artists will provide $100,000 in artists fees to support online performances between now and March 31, 2020 to help ease financial strain for those impacted by the closure of performance venues across Canada related to COVID
United Way and City of Calgary release COVID-19 Community Response Fund
The COVID-19 Community Response Fund is a collaboration with The City of Calgary (including the Calgary Emergency Management Agency), and United Way of Calgary and Area, to support community agencies who are working diligently to keep Calgarians safe and well.
Energy company buys up $10,000-worth of gift cards to keep coffee shop afloat
Serafina Energy committed to buying up $10,000 worth of gift cards from the locally based coffee company, Lau’s Deville Coffee shop, to be spent when better times return.
Pet Food Bank for those affected by COVID-19
Alberta’s Lost and Found Pet Listing opened a pet food bank for people to donate and apply for pet food (the bank includes litter, cat food, dog food, pet beds, leashes, bowls, etc.)
Calgary grocery store prepares care package to those quarantined
Calgary Co-op chain is offering a Calgary Co-op Care Package containing food essentials, free of charge, to anyone required to be quarantined as directed by a public health agency. These Calgary Co-op Care Packages will contain non-perishable food items such as canned meat, pasta
Small Business BC creates digital meetups for small businesses to come together
Small Business BC launches Digital Meetups, a community video call for the small businesses community during COVID-19. Every working day, daily Digital Meetups focus on one pressing issue regarding COVID-19: from how to generate revenue, to employment law, all specific to small businesses.
Alberta Nonprofit Network provides resources for nonprofits
Alberta Nonprofit Network has partnered with the Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (ECVO) and FuseSocial to be resource hubs for COVID-19 information. Check out their website for: resources for workplaces; community/sub-sector specific resources; and Alberta-specific FAQs.
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