Mad Activism Now! – with Erick Fabris and Irit Shimrat

Sunday, October 26, 2014, 11.00am – 1.30pm

There is a sharp contrast between the fate of the Mad movement in Toronto and Vancouver over the last four decades. In Toronto, an activist community grew steadily in size and political strength while managing to maintain its cohesion. In Vancouver, an initial blossoming of radical energy was followed by a gradual shift towards integration with mainstream mental health and housing services, with the result that protest and direct action have become increasingly rare. This event features two speakers whose lengthy involvement in the Mad movement means they are well positioned to speak about the history of Mad activism in Toronto, and the prospects for a renewal of Mad activism in Vancouver.

Erick Fabris has been a leading figure among Mad activists in Toronto since working to found Canada’s first Psychiatric Survivor Pride Day, which took place in 1993 in Parkdale, Toronto. His book on psychiatric coercion in the community, Tranquil Prisons: Chemical Incarceration under Community Treatment Orders, was published in 2011, and Gallery Gachet hosted one of the book launch events.

Irit Shimrat edited the influential magazine, Phoenix Rising: The Voice of the Psychiatrized, from 1986 until its final issue in 1990, which was also the year in which she co-founded the Ontario Psychiatric Survivors’ Alliance. Her memoir and exploration of Mad activism in Canada, Call Me Crazy: Stories from the Mad Movement, was published in 1997.