Agendas and Minutes of the Issues and Advocacy Committee Submitted by Co-chair Janet Poudrier
CFUW NORTH BAY ISSUES AND ADVOCACY MINUTES
Monday, February 6, 2023
ZOOM MEETING
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
MODERATOR: Kelly Ann Smith
CO-CHAIRS: Cathy Whiting and Jan Poudrier
SECRETARY: Jan Poudrier
PRESENT: Jan Poudrier, Kelly Ann Smith, Kaarina Tulisalo, Cathy Whiting, Bonnie Roynon
REGRETS : Brenda Robertson, Diane Wallace, Nimmi Pitt, Marilyn Savage, Wynn Blair, Brenda Lecour-Bouker, Angie Hudson
6:15 – 6:29: Meeting Login and Social
6:30: BUSINESS MEETING
1. CALL TO ORDER and WELCOME: 6:40 p.m. by Cathy Whiting
2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Moved by Bonnie Roynon and seconded by Kelly Ann Smith. Carried.
3. MINUTES OF last meeting on January 9, 2023: Moved by Jan Poudrier and seconded by Kelly Ann Smith. Carried.
4. DISCUSSION ITEMS AND UPDATES: (5 minutes per item)
• Club Participation on the Petition for stronger Bail Laws to the Federal Government: Jan Poudrier said that she would get in touch with Orillia to find out when the Bail Law Petition will be on the agenda when parliament resumes in February. She will check on line for the outcome. Bonnie Roynon commented that we should follow-up on what is happening with the local law enforcement and provincial courts. We should show our support for this very important initiative by Orillia.
• Report on National Aboriginal Committee: Wynn Blair was unable to attend and will give an update at the next meeting.
• Report on Ontario Health Coalition including Long-Term Care and Seniors for Action Ontario: Kaarina Tulisalo updated us on the strong campaign that the Ontario Health Coalition is organizing against the privatization of our Ontario Health Care. To make sure that our citizens are educated about the economic impact of privatization the OHC is organizing Emergency Town Hall meetings, Upcoming Rallies and other Upcoming Events across the province.
They are also organizing a rally for Public Health Care at the Trudeau-Premiers Meeting in Ottawa on February 7th. We need to pay attention as to the outcome of this meeting and the funding that will be given to the provinces and how each province will be made accountable. A rally is being planned on February 21st, on the opening of the Provincial Legislature, in front of Vic Fedeli’s office. OHC is planning to hold a Province-wide Referendum on the privatization of our health care before it comes up for a vote in the legislature. Our hospitals and operating rooms are underused due to lack of funding. Our Canada Health Act does not allow extra billing by private clinics. Ontario citizens should not accept an American style healthcare system which forces them to get extra health insurance to cover the exorbitant costs that are not covered by OHIP.
Nimmi Pitt has offered to write a letter to our MPP with Kaarina’s help and meet with him to discuss our concerns on behalf of CFUW North Bay.
Kaarina is attending a National ZOOM Meeting on National LTC Standards on Thursday, February 9th. She will report on the meeting. Information can be found on their website www.csagroup.org>news
• GASP - Grandmothers Act to Save the Planet and the Green Belt: Jan Poudrier updated us on the fact that a General Strike is planned for the spring. This issue has been taken to the Attorney General and we will have to wait for the results before we can take any action as a club because it ties in with our resolution on the environment which was passed last year.
• Preparation for Resolutions Meeting to be held on March 29th:
Cathy Whiting informed us that we will keep the same format as last year and will have a special meeting on March 13th after we receive the resolutions on March 10th. It will be a special meeting for organizing who will present the various resolutions. Jan will send out the agenda before she leaves for Vancouver and Bonnie will take the minutes. Bonnie will also take the minutes at the general meeting.
5. OTHER BUSINESS: None
6. NEXT MEETING: March 13th, 2023 @ 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.
7. ADJOURNMENT: 7:26 p.m.
CFUW NORTH BAY ISSUES AND ADVOCACY MINUTES
Monday, January 9, 2023
ZOOM MEETING
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
MODERATOR: Kelly Ann Smith
CO-CHAIRS: Cathy Whiting and Jan Poudrier
SECRETARY: Jan Poudrier
PRESENT: Wynn Blair, Brenda Lecours Bowker, Nimmi Pitt, Jan Poudrier, Kelly Ann Smith, Kaarina Tulisalo, Diane Wallace, Cathy Whiting
REGRETS: Bonnie Roynon, Brenda Robertson
6:15 – 6:29: Meeting Login and Social
6:30: BUSINESS MEETING
1. CALL TO ORDER and WELCOME: Cathy Whiting welcomed everyone who were in attendance and wished them a Happy New Year.
2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Kaarina asked for additional items to be included under 4. C. Moved by Wynne Blair and seconded by Nimmi Pitt. Carried.
3. MINUTES OF last meeting on November 27, 2022: Janet mentioned a couple of typo errors which she will correct as secretary. Moved by Janet and seconded by Wynne. Carried.
4. DISCUSSION ITEMS AND UPDATES: (5 minutes per item)
a. Club Participation on the CFUW Orillia Petition for stronger Bail Laws to the Federal Government: Jan Poudrier thanked Nat for sending the petition out to the club membership to sign and also thanked the membership for their enthusiastic participation. Almost a thousand signatures were received. Adam Chambers, the MP for Orillia, will present the petition to Parliament in the New Year.
b. Report on National Aboriginal Committee: Wynne Blair reported from Tucson, Arizona that Marion Buller has agreed to run a workshop for all CFUW Clubs across Canada on the murdered aboriginal women. It will take place on a Saturday; midday EST. Marion is having surgery so will not be able to do it until after she recovers. Wynne will keep us up-to-date.
c. Report on Ontario Health Coalition including Long-Term Care and Seniors for Action Ontario: Kaarina Tulisalo announced that the first of many local meetings in 2023 is being held today, January 9th at the OPSEU building on Lakeshore. They are being called the “Meeting of the Minds” involving community individuals concerned with the current direction of the Ford Government on the privatization of our Health Care and LTC, the Green Belt, Climate Change and Education.
On Saturday, January 28th there will be a provincial virtual meeting on strategic planning called: “Enough is Enough”. Kaarina will send us the information on the time and link.
On Saturday, February 25th the Coldest Night of the Year will be held. It is a fundraiser for the Gathering Place. CFUW North Bay Cool Cats are encouraged to participate with donations as they have in the past. National results for 2022 showed CFUW placing 3rd of all the national organizations that participated.
d. 16 Days of Activism on Violence Against Women (November 25 – December 10): Cathy Whiting thanked Kelly Ann and Kristin for doing a great job of organizing THE Vigil at City Hall. She said that she had bought battery operated candles that could be lit so that we don’t have the same problem next year of candles being blown out in the wind. Kaarina Tulisalo mentioned that Amelia Rising partnered with Nipissing University this year.
e. GASP - Grandmothers Act to Save the Planet and the Green Belt: Jan Poudrier talked about the Green Belt and the fact that the OPP are now involved in an investigation as to the sale of the land to supporters of Ford. A General Strike is being planned. She said that she would send out links for information on GASP and the Greenbelt.
f. Other business: Cathy talked about the letter writing to our MPP and MP that should be done as a follow-up to our adopted resolutions. No one volunteered. Cathy and Janet will compose a letter on Violence against Women in Politics. After the letter is sent an appointment has to be set up with the politician. Volunteers are needed to attend the meeting.
Kaarina suggested that we organize a letter writing session and ask Brenda Robertson if she would do it. Information on letter writing and templates are on CFUW National and Ontario Council websites under Advocacy. Besides a club letter, individual club members should be encouraged to write a letter on a resolution issue about which they feel passionate.
Janet mentioned that she would not be here in March as they are hoping to go to Vancouver to visit the grandkids.
The date of the March resolutions meeting was discussed because we will not receive the resolutions until March 10th which will not give us enough time to prepare. It was suggested that the date be moved from March 15th to March 22nd to be discussed with the executive.
5. NEXT MEETING: February 6, 2023 @ 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.
6. ADJOURNMENT: 7:29 p.mIssues and Advocacy: Agendas and Minutes for 2022-23
CFUW NORTH BAY ISSUES AND ADVOCACY MINUTES
Monday, November 7, 2022
ZOOM MEETING
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
MODERATOR: Kelly Ann Smith
CO-CHAIRS: Cathy Whiting and Jan Poudrier
SECRETARY: Jan Poudrier
PRESENT: Wynne Blair, Brenda Lecours-Bowker, Janet Poudrier, Bonnie Roynon, Marilyn Savage, Kelly Ann Smith, Kaarina Tulisalo, Cathy Whiting, Diane Wallace
REGRETS: Brenda Robertson, Nimmi Pitt, Angie Hudson, Eunice Saari
6:15 – 6:29: Meeting Login and Social
6:30: BUSINESS MEETING
1. CALL TO ORDER and WELCOME: Cathy Whiting started the meeting at 6:35 p.m. She welcomed everyone who was able to attend including returning members and new members.
1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Moved by Wynne Blair and seconded by Bonnie Roynon. Carried.
1. MINUTES OF RESOLUTIONS MEETING ON MARCH 16, 2022: Moved by Janet Poudrier and seconded by Kaarina Tulisalo. Carried.
1. DISCUSSION ITEMS AND UPDATES: (5 minutes per item)
1. Resolutions from 2022 and follow-up: The Fall Advocacy Package was sent to the committee and put on the website. Discussion took place as to which as to which of the four resolutions we should consider as priorities and on which to focus. It was decided that they would be Violence Against Women and Climate Change. It was suggested that we ask Brenda Robertson to prepare the letters to the provincial and federal governments since she has had previous experience with this and the templates. She has done an excellent job. Other members of the I & A committee or the club can write personal letters if they wish. Members of the I & A committee can volunteer to set up a meeting with MLA and MP.
Wynne informed us that the Book Club is reading two books on Climate Change and suggested that our committee members join the Zoom meetings to learn more about the topic and listen to the discussion.
1. Update on resolution process for 2023 from workshop: Cathy, Jan, and Kaarina attended by Zoom the September workshop dealing with the resolution process. We have a problem in that the resolutions will not be sent out until March 10th and our general meeting dealing with resolutions is on March 15th which may not give us enough time for preparation. The problem was discussed and it was decided to not make a decision until 2023. The matter will have to be discussed at our executive meeting in January.
1. Report on National Aboriginal Committee: Wynne Blair reported on her involvement on this committee. She has attended all of the meetings and has learned a great deal. Wynne will send information about the website and the First Treaties recognition. Below is an excerpt from the website: htpp.www.ontario.ca/page/treaties-recognition week
Ontario passed the first legislation of its kind in Canada declaring the first full week of November as Treaties Recognition Week.
This year Treaties Recognition Week is November 6-12, 2022. Sudbury is conducting all of the workshops.
This annual event honours the importance of treaties and helps students and residents of Ontario learn more about treaty rights and relationships. By learning more about our collective treaty rights and obligations, we can create greater understanding and nurture relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
Treaties Recognition Week represents one of many steps on Ontario’s journey of healing and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. The week was launched in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action to increase treaty awareness and provide students and the public with an important opportunity to learn why treaties matter.
1. Report on Ontario Health Coalition: Kaarina Tulisalo reported on the Ontario Health Coalition whose interests includes Long Term Care, Privatization of Health Care and Hospitals. She attended the AGM on October 1 & 2 on Publicly Funded Health Care. North Bay has a Health Coalition under Henri Giroux who is with the Labor Council. She recommended that we Google Ontario Health Coalition if we want more information.
1. 16 Days of Activism on Gender Violence Against Women (November 25 – December 10): Kaarina encouraged our members to participate in the sixteen days of activism. Kelly Ann described our Vigil on December 5th. These 16 days are our major effort on the resolution dealing with Violence Against Women. Cathy announced that the National Tool Kit on the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence will be sent out next week.
1. Long Term Care and Seniors for Social Action Ontario: Kaarina Tulisalo is involved with this and is on their email list. She stressed the importance of having our older adults looked after. More information can be obtained from their website.
1. GASP - Grandmothers Act to Save the Planet: Jan Poudrier emphasized how important Climate Change is and how it will impact our children and grandchildren. She became aware of GASP through Facebook. They are doing very important work and are taking the Ford government to task on various environmental issues. If you are on Facebook, send Janet a friend request and you will get the link.
1. Discussion of North Bay Municipal Election: The Municipal election on November 24th was discussed. The committee noted that half of the council members are now women and were the top five elected and will be chairs of important committees.
1. NEXT MEETING: Monday, January 9th, 2023 @ 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.
1. ADJOURNMENT: 7:35 p.m.
CFUW NORTH BAY ISSUES AND ADVOCACY AGENDA
Monday, November 7, 2022
ZOOM MEETING
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
MODERATOR: Kelly Ann Smith CO-CHAIRS: Cathy Whiting and Jan Poudrier
SECRETARY: Jan Poudrier
PRESENT:
REGRETS: Brenda Robertson
6:15 – 6:29: Meeting Login and Social
6:30: BUSINESS MEETING
1. CALL TO ORDER and WELCOME: Cathy Whiting
1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA:
2. MINUTES OF RESOLUTIONS MEETING ON MARCH 16, 2022
1. DISCUSSION ITEMS AND UPDATES: (5 minutes per item)
1. Resolutions from 2022 and follow-up: see attachment
1. Update on resolution process for 2023 from workshop
1. Report on National Aboriginal Committee: Wynne Blair
1. Report on Ontario Health Coalition: Kaarina Tulisalo
1. 16 Days of Activism on Violence Against Women (November 25 – December 10): Kaarina Tulisalo
1. Long Term Care and Seniors for Action Ontario: Kaarina Tulisalo
1. GASP - Grandmothers Act to Save the Planet: Jan Poudrier
1. Discussion of North Bay Municipal Election
1. NEXT MEETING: Monday, December 5, 2022 @ 6:30 p.m. via Zoom.
1. ADJOURNMENT: