Briarpatch
Encyclopedia
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and distributed across Canada.
Launched in 1973 as an anti-poverty newsletter published by the Saskatchewan Coalition of Anti-Poverty Organizations, the magazine's founding mission was "to provide a forum for disadvantaged peoples and progressive movements working to change unjust structures and build a genuine political and economic democracy."
Briarpatch is published six times a year by Briarpatch Incorporated, an independent non-profit organization. It is a member of Magazines Canada and the staff are members of RWDSU Local 568.
Briarpatch is printed by union labour on FSC-certified paper using vegetable-based ink.
History
On August 24, 1973, a ten-page newsletter called Notes from the Briarpatch was published using a GestetnerGestetner
The Gestetner, named after its inventor David Gestetner, is a duplicating machine brand and company.David Gestetner, born in Csorna, Hungary, moved to London, England, and in 1881 established the Gestetner Cyclograph Company to produce stencils, styli, ink rollers, etc. He guarded his invention...
machine. A subscription cost $2 a year. The publication grew over the next few years, providing a forum for low-income earners. Briarpatch became a magazine with a two-colour cover and two staples in 1976. It increasingly covered issues relevant to women, trade unionists and farmers.
In 1979, the provincial government cancelled Briarpatch's $54,000-a-year funding, claiming the magazine no longer reflected its low-income origins. Many Briarpatch supporters felt the real reason was Briarpatch's vocal criticism of the province’s embrace of uranium mining
Uranium mining
Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. The worldwide production of uranium in 2009 amounted to 50,572 tonnes, of which 27% was mined in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia are the top three producers and together account for 63% of world uranium...
.
Now relying on reader support and fundraising, the publication received a letter on September 27, 1996 from Revenue Canada informing the magazine that it had "ceased to be a registered charity." Briarpatch had achieved charitable status in 1975, but in 1987, in the midst of Briarpatch's fierce criticisms of the provincial Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
government of Grant Devine
Grant Devine
Donald Grant Devine was the 11th Premier of Saskatchewan from May 8, 1982 to November 1, 1991.- Early life :Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, he received a B.Sc. in Agriculture degree specializing in Agricultural Economics in 1967 from the University of Saskatchewan, an M.Sc. specializing in...
, Revenue Canada audited the publication and determined that the magazine no longer fit their criteria.
A lawyer worked on behalf of Briarpatch for free for the next eight years, keeping the lawsuits at bay. The case was finally lost in the Federal Court of Appeal, and as a result, Briarpatch can no longer issue tax receipts to its donors.
In March of 2009 Briarpatch launched its new sister publication The Sasquatchhttp://www.sasquatchnews.com, which focuses solely on Saskatchewan news and issues.
Issues
Briarpatch covers a variety of social just issues like peace, equality, environment, democracy, racism, sexual orientation and class differences.Maude Barlow
Maude Barlow
Maude Victoria Barlow is a Canadian author and activist. She is the National Chairperson of The Council of Canadians, a citizens’ advocacy organization with members and chapters across Canada. She is also the co-founder of the , which works internationally for the human right to water...
once said, Briarpatch is "one of the few voices that will still challenge the corporate agenda and present workable alternatives."