The Hoser Media’s ‘Summer of Labour’ Fundraiser

In honour of all working people, May Day, and Toronto's rich labour history, The Hoser is raising money to fund investigative journalism projects that cover stories related to the labour movement and centre the experiences of workers in the pandemic. Our goal is to raise $5,000 over the summer.

If you haven’t heard of us, The Hoser is a brand new independent digital media company with a focus on covering local news in the Greater Toronto Area. You can read about our values in our mandate here: thehoser.ca/mandate


Why this is necessary:

Toronto is a city of six million people, yet has only one full-time labour reporter. There has not been nearly enough media focus on workers' and unions' struggles, especially through the pandemic. There are a huge number of stories from the lives of working people that are missed or ignored by mainstream media in the Greater Toronto Area. 

Reviving this crucial area of journalism was a central pillar in founding The Hoser. As a new organization, we depend on community support to fund this reporting work which is so relevant and necessary. Please consider helping us reach our goal.

The first $500 dollars donated will be doubled by an anonymous donor who is an enthusiastic supporter of this work. You can help us reach $1000 quickly if you get on board early on!

Our small but mighty outlet was officially launched just over a month ago. We are so grateful for every dollar we receive from one-time donations or from our growing community of Patreon subscribers . With your support we can pay talented, hard-working journalists to seek out the stories that matter to working people in the GTA, accurately report on the struggles and successes of everyday workers, and renew confidence that labour reporting is a valuable part of Toronto’s media landscape.

Here are some of the stories we’ll be covering through the summer with your help:

Nestlé

Nearly five-hundred workers are on strike at a Nestlé factory in Toronto's west end. Due to a variety of problems in a new contract proposal, including long-standing issues regarding full-time hours at part-time pay, inadequate medical benefits, and an unequal pension system, workers with Unifor Local 252 will be on strike until an agreement can be met with the company. We'll be following this story and interviewing workers and Unifor representatives. We wrote about their picket line and the full story earlier this week. You can read it here. 

Retail 

Retail worker unionization is very, very difficult. Why is this? We’ll survey union leaders and grassroots organizers for comment and perspective on this, initiate discussions about where these efforts have worked and where they’ve failed in Ontario, and what the pandemic means for ongoing organizing and retail work. Labour and union experts we’ve spoken to have repeatedly told us that “the pandemic is a new paradigm.” We seek to unpack this idea, and hope to identify what this means for working Torontonians. 

Healthcare

Hospitals in Ontario are drastically underfunded. The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions has warned that healthcare budgets in the province will fall behind by $18 billion in the coming decade. We are asking those who work in the healthcare system how the government is falling short and how they think healthcare can better serve people in Ontario. The Hoser endeavours to not only highlight these issues but employ ‘solutions journalism’ that offers clear insights on how to make our institutions stronger and more accessible

You can read more about Ontario healthcare budget cuts in this article here .

Transportation

Public transportation workers in the GTA have experienced the brunt of the pandemic. With more budget cuts over the last year, working conditions for those in ATU Local 113 have only gotten worse, including a twenty-six percent increase in assaults on TTC operators. With the help of local organizations who advocate for the TTC, we are writing a series of stories on what TTC workers have experienced during the pandemic, with the aim of offering clear solutions for improving this vital piece of Toronto’s infrastructure. 

Mayworks

The Hoser celebrates art and artists! The Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts  is an annual festival that is cherished in the GTA. We’ll be providing preview and review articles, interviews with the artists and organizers, and a history of the festival itself. 

As a brand new independent media company in the GTA we rely on donations from people just like you. Please consider giving what you can, we will be extremely grateful. Your dollars will go a long way towards sharing the voices of workers and funding journalism that matters.