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Dates & Data
September 9, 2016
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Dear CFUW Ontario Council Members:
Welcome to the Dates & Data issue containing information on: September 24, 2016 Standing Committees Meeting
and Ontario Council updates.
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President's Message September 2016
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Hello Ladies,
I am pleased and privileged to serve as your Ontario Council President for the 2016-2018 term.
CFUW Ontario Council, since its inception in 1978, has been a driving force in pursuing knowledge and life long learning, in improving the status of women and girls and by actively participating in CFUW and public policies. The Council is proud of all its past efforts to promote fellowship, cooperation and communication of ideas between and among all 54 clubs in the province.
It is no small feat to stay in front of over 5,000 interested, galvanized and passionate women! I am confident that the 2016-2018 Ontario
Council Executive is ready and prepared to work diligently and effectively with our club presidents and club members. The Council is here for all of you.
My goal, as President of the Council, is to continue the work of previous councils by striving for achievements and successes -- for the good of our organization, our members, and for all women and girls in the province of Ontario.
Our Standing Committee meetings will take place on September 24, January 21, and March 25 in Toronto. Please feel free to "Bring a Friend" to these programs. This is my personal theme for increasing membership in our dynamic organization. Who would not want to join us? The clubs' variety of offerings--from book clubs to hiking to bridge to writing resolutions to meeting with local politicians for a local concern--present something for any woman who believes in our purpose.
The Standing Committee Chairs - Sheila Lacroix, Anne Cordon, and Kathy Wosnick - were certainly not idle over the summer months as we feature this month Professor Joan Simalchik, our keynote speaker, topic: Women on Campus and Beyond: Engendering Solidarity....What is the Status of Women Today? From an education perspective, we will have Jessica Oultran and Chantell Tunney, enlightening us on, "It Takes a Village," and for a very instructive how to, Sheila Lacroix and Teri Shaw will co-facilitate the workshop, "Legislation and Policy 101."
Ladies, you do not want to miss this day - September 24!
Please send in your registration early!
Kudos to the following CFUW clubs: Burlington, Guelph, Kanata, and the Toronto region clubs of Central, for hosting Fall Gatherings! On behalf of Ontario Council, these clubs will fulfill the following objectives for our members:
1. To introduce Club members to the regional level of CFUW and provide them with the opportunities to network with one another on issues specific to their Clubs;
2. To explain to Club members the connection between the local, regional, provincial, national and international levels, and how this connection is instrumental in successfully doing the work of CFUW;
3. To develop leadership potential and skills by providing training relevant to Club Executive members, both current and potential; and
4. To provide a learning environment that will encourage Club members to consider assuming a position of responsibility at the local, Ontario Council, and National levels.
With these objectives in mind, you will want to mark your calendars for the following dates: October 22 - Kanata, "Women Effecting Change;" October 29 - Guelph, "Leading the Way - Women Taking Leadership in the Community;" November 5 - Burlington, "Reflect-Refine-Rejuvenate- Embrace Change;" and November 12 - Toronto Forum - Open Discussions on CFUW Club Issues.
The first priority to prepare for the upcoming term was to update the website: www.cfuwontcouncil.ca. The website coordinators - Teri Shaw, Ann McElhinney and newly appointed Cheryl Ambrose - met over the summer to discuss this major undertaking and parcel out specific tasks of the project. The ladies have been working in stages, which included reviewing every page for design and content, document rewrites, updating resources, and archiving valuable advocacy material. This critical work continues at the time of this publication. Please have a look and give us your feedback at president@cfuwontcouncil.ca!
I am also very pleased to announce that Teri Shaw, former Vice President of Advocacy, has accepted the position of Advocacy Co-Ordinator for Ontario Council. Teri has many years of experience in the advocacy realm! Teri will be responsible for coordinating the advocacy activities of Ontario Council, including the work of the Board-approved policy advisers, assisting me with advocacy activities, tracking legislation, acting as a resource and working with and also coordinating the activities of the Board approved researchers. Please welcome Teri to her new position!
The Regional Directors (RD) have been busy contacting the club presidents and setting up their action plans. The Executive welcomes the new RDs: Judy Gay, Ontario Huron, Christine Tworo, Ontario North, Mary Partington, Ontario East and Heather Foss, Ontario South. They join veterans Cheryl Ambrose, Ontario West and Pat Joyce, Ontario Central. The RDs are the "go to" individuals when clubs have questions or concerns. They are the hub, so to speak. All information flows to and from them - a very valuable resource for the clubs!
I am very fortunate to have returning Lori Ker, secretary, Marlene Bristol, treasurer, and Teresa Habs, communications. Their knowledge and expertise ensure efficient and effective Board operations!
In closing, I would like to quote Ernestine
McKenna, Past President of CFUW Owen Sound, who advised her Club not long ago: "be bigger than yourselves, relevant, current and dynamic".
With all the work we are involved in, CFUW Ontario Council and its CFUW members can work together to be just that!
Sandra Thomson,
President
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Next Standing Committees Meeting
September 24, 2016
Register Here
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Joint Morning Session Status of Women and Human Rights Committee
Topic:
Women on Campus & Beyond: Engendering Solidarity...
What is the Status of Women Today?
Speaker:
Dr Joan Simalchik is the Program Coordinator for Women and Gender Studies and the Associate Chair of the Historical Studies Department, University of Toronto Mississauga.She researches and writes on the themes of gender,violence, historical memory, and trauma. Joan served as the founding executive director of the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (1985-1994) and subsequently was elected to the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims. She is a founding board member of the Canadian Centre for International Justice, and chairs CCIJ's Gender Working Group. Joan is the recipient of the Jus Human rights Award from the University of Toronto, and the CCVI's Amina Malko Award for her work with refugee women.
To support and highlight the importance and relevance of the CFUW's national initiative to target sexual assault policies in Post-Secondary institutions in Canada, the CFUW Ontario Council, Status of Women and Human Rights Committee is starting this year with a plenary session on violence and harassment with a focus on our post-secondary campuses.
Our guest speaker will look at the persistence and prevalence of gender-based violence while having a look at the limitations and advantages of a legalistic approach. She will emphasize the importance of building a human rights culture whether on post-secondary campuses or in society in general.
One of her take home messages will be how we can work to shift our culture away from the persistence of violence to create antidotes to the syndrome.
Drawing on inspiration from her mentor and friend, the late Dr. Ursula Franklin who was famous for asking the "wicked questions", Joan will guide us through the process of developing our own: " the ability to look at the issues and realities to turn the topic around so it may be viewed differently and get to the root of problems by taking nothing for granted as to why things have been the way they are".
AFTERNOON SESSION:
Joan will facilitate further discussion on the morning themes including ways to build community on campus, and she will demonstrate tools such as running circles of solidarity exercises to identify existing resources and gaps.
Anne Cordon, Chair
Status of Women and Human Rights Committee
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September 24, 2016 Afternoon Sessions
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Education Committee
Topic:
It Takes a Village: Supporting Student Well-being Using a Collective Impact Model
Speakers:
Jessica Outram
is a principal in Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board at Colborne Public School is a principal in Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board at Colborne Public School. She worked in high schools for 15 years before accepting a position as an elementary school principal in 2014. Graduate studies at OISE focused on Adult Education and Community Development. When Jessica is not working, she is writing.
www.sunshineinajar.com
Chantell Tunney
is President at Impact Matters: Social leadership for strong communities. She has worked within the non-profit and public sectors for 20 years. Chantell has led numerous large-scale projects which focused on system transformation and organizational transition at both local and provincial levels. Recently she was Chief Executive Officer for Ronald McDonald House Charities Hamilton. She is a certified Corporate Sustainability Practitioner (CSR-P), a member of the International Association of Facilitators, and a Collective Impact Coach with www.innoweave.ca. You can read more about her at
www.impactmatters.ca
"Lasting change for complex social problems needs to include the whole village, not just the school. Sustainable community development thrives when there are multiple influences such as active engagement of home, school, and community focused on a common goal." Jessica Outram. "It Takes a Village." OPC Register. Summer 2016. Volume 18, Number 2.
This workshop explores the following two questions: How are we currently supporting student well-being in schools, especially students with mental health issues? What is Collective Impact and how does it work as a change process? Then we plan to go deeper, exploring the idea of supporting student well-being using a collective impact process with you. We will work together to brainstorm the opportunities and the challenges, looking for ways you can begin this work within your communities.
Kathy Wosnick,
Chair, Education Committee
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Legislation Committee
Topic:
"Legislation and Policy 101"
Facilitators:
Sheila Lacroix:
Retired health librarian and OC Legislation Committee Chair
Teri Shaw:
OC Advocacy Coordinator and retired CFUW VP Advocacy
Planned as a kick off for a new year of advocacy, this session will prepare our members with information sources, tools and strategies for moving forward. It will serve as an introduction to mining the basics of laws and legislation, and how to take action.
Part I: The Basics of the Legislative Process: How to Find What You Need
Sheila will cover the following, focusing on Federal and Ontario sources
* How to find laws and regulations
* The life of a bill,
* How to track legislation and policy development, new and updates.
* Our Rights: the Charter and the Ontario Human rights Code - crucial lenses.
Points in the process where advocacy efforts are essential will be highlighted. Wherever possible, examples from CFUW advocacy work will be used. Attendees will be provided with key information sources.
Part II: Advocacy Work: How to Use What You Find
Teri will complement this with suggestions on how to use this information, both within CFUW (as either an club or an individual member) or as a citizen and consumer.
Sheila Lacroix
Legislation Committee Chair
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Speech to Delegates at the 2016 GWI Triennial Cape Town, South Africa
Cheryl Hayles
CFUW supports and encourages women in leadership positions. Cheryl Hayles, member of CFUW Oakville and CFUW Milton, has shown great leadership in her positions in CFUW. She offered to stand for the presidency of GWI. Her speech to the delegates warrants a read - sound ideas, thought provoking, and reflective:
The Feminine Engaged in Her Creative Power is Unstoppable as Long as She Stands in Integrity with Her Divine Destiny.
Why do we exist as an organization? We exist because of the unrealized dream of women experiencing their right to Presence, Power and Peace. In other words, women must have equal opportunity to self actualize. In 1919 IFUW was created to address this.
Lets dial it forward to today. Yes, at this stage of GWI's engagement to realize the dream of ending harmful practices against women, we must reflect on our "Why Factor" and the potential that exists in all NFAs. I submit to you that the Feminine energy Engaged in Her Creative Power is Unstoppable as long as she Stands in Integrity with Her Divinity.
You believe in the girl in the mud hut becoming a leader in her nation or you would not be here. You believe in the absence of gender based violence or your heart would not bleed when you hear of attacks against women.
Once we refocus on our "Why" that's when we start asking the "How" question. How do we align our actions with our beliefs? How do we bring the dream to life? Once we are clear about the "How", we can ask the "What" question. What are the results of those actions?
Funding has been identified as the saviour of the organization. Essentially saying our "Why" needs money. Money is a modality of the "How". Let's not forget that several other modalities exist that contribute to the success of an organization.
There is a spiritual law of attraction that states, when in alignment with our "Why" those who share our beliefs will beat down our door to support us even in an economic down turn. There is much documentation to suggest that money finds its opportunity in the "Why".
We heard from the base that the proposed dues increase is unsupportable. This means we must be creative in finding solutions that do not negatively impact NFAs.
Recently, we re-branded ourselves to focus on the "How" and the "What". The "How" and the "What" will have no potency if there is a crack in the "Why". Let's use some of the 10, 080 minutes given to us every week to be courageous together in making the "Why" message clearer.
Does GWI have challenges ahead? Of course we do. Very talented women volunteered to serve and I will be tapping into their potential.
My commitment to you is...
- There will be greater communication from the President's desk
- There will be more consultations with NFAs.
- There will be more opportunity for NFAs to collaborate.
- I believe the constitution is important. If we are to govern with integrity we must have guiding principles such as a strong constitution to inform our practice.
On "take your child to work day" productivity increases. Employees are at their best because youth is observing them at work and they are proud to be mentors. I wonder what the inclusion of youth would do for the culture of the organization. An organization focused on supporting women and girls should have girls on the Board. I'm proposing that we address this in our governance practice.
In 2019 we will be celebrating 100 years. GWI needs a President who will take our "Why" into the next generation. With your support, I would like to be the President to usher us into a constructive and influential future. The health of the organization depends on us realizing the dream for women and girls of today and tomorrow.
Thank you.
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2016 - 2017 Ontario Council Advocacy
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- August 8 - An email was sent to Mitzie Hunter, the Minister of Education acknowledging the new regulation concerning wait lists for child care centres
- June 29 - Ontario Council joined others with the Canadian Environmental Law Association and Environmental Defence to endorse their submission concerning the Great Lakes, water quality and aquaculture.
- June 7 - Brenda Robertson, President, Anne Cordon, Status of Women Chair, Sandra Thomson, incoming President, had the opportunity to meet with members of the Ontario Women's Directorate discussing the Public Funded Campaigns such as violence prevention and family law.
- M a y 14 - T he resolution proposed by CFUW Ottawa, on Age Discrimination in Ontario Employee Benefit Programs was adopted.
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Advocacy in Action at Ontario Clubs
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CFUW-Ottawa Nominates Hally Siddons for the 2016 GWI Chitra Ghosh Award
Hally Siddons was the CFUW- Ottawa nominee for the 2016 Graduate Women International Chitra Ghosh Award because of her outstanding contributions to CFUW, to Afghan women and to the re-building of Afghan society after so many years of conflict and discrimination.
Hally was President of CFUW-Ottawa from 2006-2008, and Co-Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee for the 2010 CFUW National AGM.
From keynote speaker Dr. Sima Samar of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, Hally learned about the pressing needs of Afghan women for education and human rights. Inspired by Dr. Samar, Hally recruited 45 women, and they became University Women Helping Afghan Women (UWHAW), dedicated to learning, advocacy and support for the women of Afghanistan.
Now in its sixth year, UWHAW has raised over $70,000 for scholarships at Dr. Simar's Gawharshad Institute in Kabul.
Read Hally Siddons' nomination letter written by CFUW-Ottawa President Dr Charlotte Rigby here.UWHAW corresponds with political leaders, and is on Facebook at
Read More about University Women Helping Afghan Women here.
Note: Though Hally was not the recipient of the award, we extend our gratitude for her outstanding efforts on behalf of Canadian Federation of University Women Ontario Council.
CFUW Toronto Caucus
Ad Hoc Committee On Poverty in Toronto
On August 29, 2016 the representatives from the Ad Hoc Committee on Poverty in Toronto provided general information about CFUW and a copy of the CFUW Fact Sheet on Early Learning and Child Care to Ministry of Education officials.
The meeting was an open exchange of ideas and information. They were able to stress the need for subsidized spaces and for not-for-profit, universally accessible programs.
There are 500 million dollars scheduled to start flowing from the federal government to the provinces across Canada in 2016-2017. One hundred million of these funds is slated for early learning and child care for indigenous children.
Up to this point, Ontario has focused on the implementation of universally accessible junior kindergarten with before and after care as part of the legislation.
At this time weekly meetings are taking place between the policy staff of the Ontario Ministry of Education, and the policy staff of The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, regarding the funding for the national framework.
Read more about the meeting here.CFUW Stratford Continues Lobbying for Transportation Services in Rural Ontario
CFUW Stratford recently participated in a series of meetings with the Ontario Government concerning Inter-community Bus Modernization, another aspect of the bigger issue of well-integrated transportation services for rural Ontario.
Read CFUW Stratford President Mary Jane Amey's letter to the Ministry of Transportation Policy and Planning Division here. CFUW Hamilton Working for Bill 185 to Establish Social Research Commission
CFUW Hamilton is working with other poverty groups in Hamilton to garner as much support as possible for Bill 185 - a private member's bill -- which proposes to establish a Social Research Commission. The purpose of the Commission is to define the various regions of Ontario on the basis of economic factors in order to determine the true cost of living in each area. This would make it possible to determine social assistance rates in a realistic manner.
Laura Cattari, a board member on the Hamilton Round Table for Poverty Reduction, presented this information at our 2016 May OC AGM.
Read more at hamiltonpoverty.ca |
Celebrations at Ontario Clubs
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CFUW Kincardine 25th Anniversary Celebration! CFUW Kincardine celebrated its 25th anniversary on Tuesday, August 16 at the Best Western, Governor's Inn, Kincardine, with 22 members and former members attending.
Five of our members have been with the group since the first meeting was held in September 1990. Mary Wightman, Kathleen Dunn, Jackie Clements, Sylvia Kirby and Pauline Whelan (a member of the steering committee). Also, on the original steering committee was former club member June Emond. In recognition and appreciation, these 6 ladies were presented with wrist corsages.
CFUW President, Jane Rigby introduced Judy Gay, our new Regional Director Ontario Huron, and Sandy Thomson, a member of our club and President of Ontario Council.
The memorabilia table prompted lots of conversation sharing of stories and fund raising events over the last 25 years.
CFUW Kincardine received its charter in 1991 and is a group of women who are committed to the promotion of education and improvement of the status of women and children. All women who support the purposes of CFUW are welcome to become members. Founded in 1919, CFUW is a non-partisan, non-profit organization.
Visit us at www.cfuwkincardine.com.
CFUW (Sudbury) " A Gift From the Heart"
Spring 2016
Nothing is better than two great friends, especially when that friendship spans many years. Marg Chambers and Eleanor Milliken are friends like that.
CFUW (Sudbury) was formed in 1948. Two years later, Marg became a member and has remained an active member since. In 1968 she convinced her friend Eleanor to come with her to a CFUW meeting. Little did she know how this one meeting would change Eleanor's life.
By 1970, Eleanor was part of the Sudbury executive and became president in 1974. After attending Ontario Council meetings and National AGM's, Eleanor became even more involved. She was Regional Director for Ontario North and then President of Ontario Council and Vice-President of CFUW National. She also held the position of National Coordinator of International Relations and was a member of the CFUW nomination committee. So busy, but always an active member of CFUW Sudbury.
Eleanor and her husband, John, have recently moved to Milton and she has joined CFUW Vaughan. However, we still consider her one of us and love it when she visits.
To honour Eleanor for all her hard work, we have renamed the CFUW Sudbury Scholarship to be The Eleanor Milliken Scholarship. Eleanor proudly accepted at our June dinner.
But that is not the end of the story. The story is about a friendship of 50 years. We are pleased to announce that the CFUW Eleanor Milliken Award will be an Endowed Bursary thanks to a generous donation by Marg Chambers to Laurentian University in honour of her friend.
Thank you, Eleanor, for your dedication to CFUW. Thank you, Marg, for your generous gift that will assist young women to further their education.
May your friendship be blessed for years to come.
Susan Stuart
President, CFUW (Sudbury) |
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Ontario Clubs Receive Awards at 2016 CFUW AGM and Conference
Membership Increase Awards
CFUW Ajax/Pickering 24%
CFUW Cornwall and District 10%
CFUW Markham/Unionville 12%
CFUW Nepean 40%
CFUW Perth and District 12%
CFUW Thunder Bay 12%
CFUW Vaughan 24% New Member AwardsCFUW Barrie and District 12% CFUW Brampton 10% CFUW Burlington 13% CFUW Etobicoke 12% CFUW Haliburton Highlands 15% CFUW Markham/Unionville 13% CFUW Muskoka 11% CFUW North Toronto 11% CFUW Orangeville and District 13% CFUW Orillia 11% CFUW Ottawa 10% CFUW Owen Sound and Area 26% CFUW St. Thomas 12% CFUW Stratford 14% CFUW Sudbury 18% UWC North York 13% Special Project Awards Fighting Violence Against Women Awards
CFUW Aurora-Newmarket: CFUW/Children's Aid Society "Stay in School" Project CFUW Scarborough and Ajax/Pickering:International Women's Day Event Speaker: Director of Violence Prevention Programs, Canadian Women's Foundation CFUW Scarborough:1) Provide support for abused women with children all year round. 2) Fashion Show Fundraiser: A portion of the funds raised went to the Scarborough Women's Centre. Advocacy AwardsCFUW Stratford: For getting the trains back to Stratford through its GettingThere.ca campaign with the involvement of local, provincial, and national organizations. 2016 Small Club Grant RecipientsCFUW St. Thomas CFUW Kingston CFUW Cambridge |
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October 22, 2016
Ontario East
Hosted by CFUW Kanata
Women Effecting Change
October 29, 2016
Ontario West
Hosted by CFUW Guelph
Leading the Way - Women Taking Leadership in the Community
November 5, 2016
Ontario South
Hosted by CFUW Burlington
Reflect - Refine - Rejuvenate
Embrace Change
November 12, 2016
Ontario Central
Hosted by Central Region Clubs
Open Discussions on CFUW Club Issues
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Club Anniversaries in 2016
Congratulations!
CFUW St. Catharines 1921 95
CFUW Welland & District 1941 75
CFUW North Bay 1941 75
CFUW Windsor 1946 70
UWC North York 1951 65
CFUW St. Thomas 1951 65
CFUW Scarborough 1961 55
CFUW Brampton 1961 55
CFUW Georgetown 1971 45
CFUW Kincardine 1991 25
CFUW Owen Sound & Dist. 1991 25
CFUW Northumberland 1991 25
CFUW Grimsby 1991 25
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2017
Standing Committees Meetings
January 21 and March 25 Enter the Dates on Your Calendar Now!
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2017 AGMs and Conferences
Ontario Council AGM and Conference
May 12 - 13, 2017 in Stratford Ontario
Enjoy the AGM in the iconic setting where Shakespeare comes alive!
For more Information:
CFUW AGM and Conference
June 22 - 24, 2017 in Richmond, B.C.
"Gateways/Passerelles"
Experience the beauty, culture and excitement that Richmond has to offer.
We hope to see you next year!
More Information Soon
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