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Welcome to the Annual General Meeting and Conference issue of D&D containing reports on the event.
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Brenda Robertson |
President's
Message
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To me CFUW is all about opportunities, taking you places you may not think to go. The more I participated, the more I learned and the more interested I became in its activities.
CFUW opens doors to -new friendships-new interests-- and new beginnings in many ways.
For the past four years, I have had the privilege of being Regional Director for Ontario North and serving on Ontario Council. My knowledge of CFUW has been broadened and opportunities to develop skills has been available. I am grateful for this source of growth. Ontario Council is a team....made of volunteers who share their talents, creativity and experiences generously. Along with the responsibilities, there is enjoyment in coming together.
Ontario Council brings you together as with the AGM hosted by CFUW Etobicoke where we were engaged in meaningful sessions, and enjoyed the weekend of fellowship. We get to experience the Standing Commiitee meetings during the year and share in stimulating discussions on advocacy issues. Clubs are recognized for their efforts in being that visible voice. Ontario Council is there to give support and encouragement in your club efforts to achieve your goals, and be a strength in your communities.
As with each of us, we have another life outside of CFUW.
Along with my participation in CFUW Ontario Council, I am married with two adult married daughters. And we have much fun being grandparents to our two 2 ½ year old Maisie Rose. I do believe I may have Maisie already on the waiting list for CFUW Kitchener-Waterloo where her mother is a member. And with two more grandbabies due in the coming months, perhaps they too will be future members.
Since retiring after thirty-three years as an Elementary School Teacher, I have also been involved with development work in Tanzania where we have built and supported the Mpunguzi Youth HIV/AIDS Resource Centre. CFUW North Bay has provided Christmas donations each year to support local schools in that central region of Tanzania. Currently funds are being raised to build a Montessori school in the Masai community of Oltepesi in northern Tanzania. My most recent trip was in 2010.
I would like to thank my home club, CFUW North Bay for giving me the stepping stones to be a part of the Canadian Federation of University Women. I am grateful to the Ontario North clubs for making my role so rewarding as their Regional Director.I value the friendships made among you.
And I would like to extend gratitude to our recent Ontario Council President, Myra Willis. Myra has a fountain of knowledge, she has studied hard to earn her Parliamentarian certification. She has been a dedicated, passionate spokesperson for Ontario Council and has served on the National Board with exemplary skill. We, as members of Ontario Council can be very proud of the representation by Myra on our behalf.
I am proud to belong to an organization that represents so many fine qualities, supports further studies, provides a voice for women, and a forum on issues of great concern.
Yes, there is work ahead of us, challenges to face, obstacles to overcome, successes to celebrate. And we get to do this together. You, the members, are the source for growth. You are the strength of our organization. Working together we can achieve much.
I welcome your ideas, your suggestions, your solutions as we begin a new biennium.
In closing, I would like to leave you with two quotes
The first by the UN Secretary Ban- Ki Moon
"Equality for women and girls is not just a basic human right, it is a social and economic imperative. Where women are educated and empowered, economies are more productive and strong. Where women are fully represented, societies are more peaceful and stable."
The second quote from the Famous Five
"We want women leaders today as never before, Leaders who are not afraid to be called names and who are willing to go out and fight. I think women can save civilization. Women are persons."
Emily Murphy
Our Ontario Council Biennium Theme is "Women are Persons"
Brenda Robertson |
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ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING REPORTS
Friday Evening Reception
The 2012 AGM opened with a reception Friday night with Donna Cansfield, MPP Etobicoke Centre as guest. Energy and its uses are dear to Ms. Cansfield's heart, having been Minster of Energy between 2005 and 2006, and later, Minster of Natural Resources from 2007 to 2010. While Minister of Energy, she sponsored the Energy Conservation Responsibility Act, and implemented the government's energy plan, creating a culture of conservation. Her knowledge of and enthusiasm for energy conservation was both enthusing and infectious. |
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Saturday Keynote Speaker
Helle Tosine introduced speaker Peter Love by describing the need to sort out the facts from the complex, contradictory mass of information available on renewable energy, and possibly shift focus from the availability of resources to public policy. What is needed is a higher degree of renewable energy literacy. Peter Love is a professor in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York, with a long history working on Canadian energy policy issues.
He described the sources of energy in Canada, apart from the 25% supplied by "clean" hydro, - oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear. The advantages of these are mainly cost - Canadian oil is $67 per barrel, North Sea oil $112; Canadian natural gas $2.00 per million BTU, Japan $16.00). The disadvantages are more numerous - Waste: reliance on oil for transportation extremely wasteful: 51% of energy we produce is wasted
- Oil Sands: process of extracting oil sands oil and (fracking shale gas) destructive and wasteful of water, as well as being hugely expensive and environmentally destructive
- Transport: shipping natural gas as liquid (LNG) volatile and dangerous
- Nuclear - nuclear waste dangerous and the necessary repairing of aging facilities ruinously costly: power from new nuclear facilities would cost .40 - 1.00 per KWH, power in Ontario now is .02 - .04, mainly because of hydro
- Coal: greenhouse gas emissions unacceptably high
It is not debatable that rising fossil fuel energy use will cause catastrophic climate change. ("Climate Change is the defining challenge of our ages - Ban Ki-Moon"; "Debating climate change is like debating gravity" - Peter Love)
In Canada, 82% of the greenhouse gasses are from the production and use of energy. Ontario was commended for closing its coal-fired power plants, resulting in a 90% reduction in emissions from coal, and the biggest greenhouse gas emission reduction in North America. But what is needed is a National Energy Strategy, which would include oil sands, fracking, a national electric grid, renewables, energy pricing and conservation. (Measures on energy pricing are being attempted - BC has a carbon tax, and there is discussion on cap and trade systems.)
In the meantime, conservation measures are essential, and need the participation of every one, with benefits to employment (energy-efficient projects are labour intensive), the economy and the environment.
Role of Government: Set minimum standards for appliances, etc
Role of Business: Take advantage of incentives (300 million available for conservation projects); Tell customers, employees and community about programs
Role of Individuals: THINK about energy and conservation BELIEVE that you can make a difference ACT. Possible measures for Individuals: - Behavioral: (low tech) turning off lights,
- Energy efficient (tech) using energy-efficient light bulbs and shower heads
- Time of use meters
- Fuel substitution
What is needed is a culture of conservation to change the way people act, as happened in changed attitudes toward the Blue Box, seat belts and designated drivers.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead |
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Afternoon Panel Discussion:
Environmental, Economic and Societal Impacts
Moderated by Keynote speaker Peter Love.
Jose Etcheverry is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York, who researches and studies renewable energy and is, among other things, co-chair of the Sustainable Energy Initiative. He is alarmed that Canada is moving from its internationalist stance of 20 years ago to become more insular, and more inclined to listen to a small group of Climate Change deniers with questionable credentials.
In addressing attempts to meet energy needs he pointed to Japan and Denmark as examples of the catastrophic and the hopeful:
Japan: The Fukushima disaster revealed the potential for unexpected disaster from even a well-run nuclear facility. It has so far cost Japan $40 billion and endangered the food supply, without yet "fixing" the problem.
Denmark: The Danes produce 25% of their power from wind, and are aiming to raise that to 50%. To address the problem of too much or too little wind, they are working on small generators that can store excess electricity as hot water.
Canadian strategies to control fossil fuel use (carbon tax, cap and trade, carbon capture) have so far failed for political reasons, stymied by the three elephants in the room:
- Getting rid of coal in Alberta and Saskatchewan
- Transportation - could be improved by use of electric streetcars, trains, etc
- Oil sands
Ralph Torrie is a long-time worker in the field of renewable energy, and is managing director of a project of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Suzuki Foundation to develop a low-carbon, sustainable energy future for Canada.
He points to perilous, difficult times ahead, leading to a "climactic showdown with nature" in which our behaviour is impacting on the ability of the planet to survive. Anything not renewable is uneconomic, and principles of sustainability must guide our actions. We must believe that pollution is morally wrong! He sees some good news in that structural changes are in some cases reducing demand, and his project with the Suzuki Foundation is working with further technological innovations. He feels that renewable energy is economic, and can be achieved within this century, but only with government help.
Adarsh Mehta is Development Director of ACCIONA Wind Energy of Canada and past chair of the Canadian Wind Energy Association.
A strong advocate for energy from wind as a replacement for present sources, Ms. Mehta stated that the number of wind projects is increasing worldwide, and that in 2010 there were 50% more wind facilities installed than nuclear facilities in the previous decade. She described the benefits of wind energy - lack of waste, no emissions, benefits to the economy and employment, no scientific evidence of danger to human health. She went on to describe the state of wind energy production in Canada: we are currently 6th in the world in new installations, and 9th in capacity. Presently wind accounts for 2% of electricity production in Canada, but the goal is to increase this to 20% by 2025, (which would involve wind turbines covering an area the size of PEI). In order to increase these numbers, however, it will be necessary to have government support and stable policies to attract capital investment.
Questions were raised about possible health impacts and noise problems caused by turbines being located too close to residential areas. The panelists admitted that there is debate between these issues and the environmental advantages of wind, and it was stressed that local community approval should be sought before turbines are installed.
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Leadership Workshop
Conflict Resolution
In a leadership workshop for club executive and prospective executive members, Dick Cappon, a career planner, coach and author, addressed the topic of conflict resolution.
Mr. Cappon confined himself to a general discussion of conflict, ranging in intensity from interpersonal misunderstanding to war, and beginning with Adam and Eve. He feels that most conflict exists because people fail to understand each other. No one likes to be in conflict, and on one level we are constantly trying to resolve conflict and return to our comfort zone. On another level we push back against the source of conflict, which intensifies it. Furthermore, we erect barriers to understanding. He discussed some of the causes of misunderstanding, principally our failure to listen to and understand each other.
- We speak at 125 words per minute, and listen at 500 words per minute: conflict happens in the gap as we try to speed up the conversation, and stop listening.
- We often fail to be aware of non-verbal communication.
- The difference in meaning of words depending on tone and inflection.
Mr. Cappon provided a booklist and several pages of exercises, quizzes and related material to expand attendees' understanding of the topic.
Ontario Council Website
Monique Tougas (RD Ontario East) reviewd the OC website, pointing out resources available to clubs. She urged attendees to contribute content.
Presidents' Package
Valerie Hume (RD Ontario Central) spoke about the prepared resources available to incoming club Presidents.
Submitted by
Peggy Pinkerton
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AGM Photo Gallery
For a complete list of all Advocacy Award recipients Click Here
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AGM Committee |
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Past & Present Presidents |
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