Toronto activist groups gather in honour of deaths under incarceration on this year’s Prisoners’ Justice Day

August 14, 2026 - On August 10th, organizers around the city came together to hold a vigil in honor of lives lost in prisons around the country. Through vigils, talks, and demonstrations, these people aimed to raise awareness about the ways that people experiencing incarceration are treated on a day-to-day basis. Host Claire Van De Weghe immerses viewers in events in Toronto through interviews with activists from two prison abolition based groups- PASAN and Rittenhouse. While discussing their events, they speak about what it means to the community to be able to protest and mourn together, the ways their organizations make room for the complicated mix of emotions this day brings, and how they carry lessons on into their future work. Listen in to get an understanding of the history of Prisoners’ Justice Day and learn how these organizations plan to continue their work.