Women Helping Women for a Better Future | |
Education | Action | Advocacy | |
CFUW Ontario Council News | | |
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In this Issue
- Message from Sandra Shaw, President 2024-2026, Ontario Council
- Speaker Series - October 26th, 2024
- Gender Equality Week
- ONCA (Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act) Compliance
- Seniors and Climate Action
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
- Pieces4Peace
- Resolutions 2024-2025
- Resolutions in Action: Warming Centres
- Our RDs in Action!
- Club News & Events
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A Message from Sandra Shaw | |
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Dear Ontario Council Colleague,
September is always a month of renewal for me. Like the days of my youth spent in school, at this time of year I am preparing for new friendships, hunkering down to new and exciting work and reopening my mind to new ideas, new challenges and new problems to solve. I have pristine blank notebooks, sharpened pencils, fountain pens and ink, clean blotters and Pepto Bismal coloured erasers with sharp, unused edges in front of me and I am ready to take on whatever life throws at me. I can smell the earthiness of the ink in my inkwell, the faint odour of the mimeographed papers the teacher is about to distribute and the freshness of the recently waxed hallways. I am always glad to be back.
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There is always an element of diffuse anxiety at this time of year, too. How will I do? Will I measure up? Will I withstand the schoolyard rough and tumble? Will I find my ‘passion’ that everyone talks about?
This passion crept up on me rather slowly over the years. I was well out of school when I realized that altruism can be a way of life, providing great satisfaction and meaning. I wasn’t particularly organized about it and it was only in my fifties that I realized how important ‘helping’ was to me as well as to others. Fast forward a decade and after moving from Montreal to the village of Portland I found CFUW, an organization filled with women who were like minded, were organized about their giving, held values that meshed with mine and who were moving mountains to help others in need. Add to that, these women accomplished their goals, moved the bar upwards, poked the bear for the greater good and gave and gave and gave.
It is with great pride that I lead Ontario Council. So many of you have led me to this responsibility through example and through support. Like those first few days back at school, I feel some trepidation. How will I do? Will I measure up? However, I remind myself of all the friendships that await, that there is exciting work to be undertaken to ensure that women and girls live safely and with good standards of living, can be educated without fear, and can pursue their dreams, that there is much learning to do from all of you, that new challenges await to be overcome and that there are so many problems to help solve.
We are in this together. I look forward to standing with you as we move forward, feeding my passion and perhaps yours, as we move those mountains.
Thank you for your belief in me. Let’s get started!
Sandra Shaw
President, CFUW Ontario Council (2024-2026)
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October 26th Speaker Series: Post Secondary Funding | |
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Our first Speaker Series event for this CFUW year is on October 26th and will focus on Post Secondary Funding. This is a virtual meeting, held on our Zoom platform. These events are free and all members are welcome to attend but you must register to attend.
Saturday October 26th, 2024
10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on ZOOM
Post Secondary Funding
Registration is now open!
Click here to register.
Hope you can join us!
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About the October 26th Speaker Series
Funding for Ontario colleges and universities affects students and their parents. The subject is an ongoing issue of discussion and has become of greater concern with the institutions’ reliance on enrollment of foreign students, who pay higher fees than local students. To understand the ongoing base funding and the role foreign students play in ongoing funding we have invited two speakers to provide some insight.
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Guest Speaker: MPP Peggy Sattler
Peggy Sattler was first elected as the Member of Provincial Parliament for London West in a by-election in 2013, and re-elected in 2014, 2018 and 2022. She is the Official Opposition Critic for Colleges & Universities and the Chief Opposition Whip.
Prior to her election as MPP, Peggy served as a Trustee on the Thames Valley District School Board for 13 years, including two terms as Board chair. As Director of Policy at a London research firm, Peggy led provincial and national research studies with a focus on post-secondary education and workforce development. She holds a Masters of Education from Western University, and is also a graduate of McMaster University and Fanshawe College.
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Gender Equality Week 2024 | |
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Gender Equality Week 2024 takes place from September 22 to 28.
Women, in all their diversity, should be able to fully participate in Canada’s economic, social and political life. Gender Equality Week is an opportunity to celebrate the progress Canada has made to date in advancing gender equality, while reflecting on the work that remains. This year’s theme, Unlocking Potential: Economic Power Through Gender Equality serves as a powerful reminder that gender equality is essential for a thriving and equitable society. Dismantling barriers to gender equality leads to a more robust and sustainable economy which fosters a future full of opportunities that benefits everyone.
https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/commemorations-
celebrations/gender-equality-week/gender-equality-week-2024.html
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ONCA (Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act) Compliance | |
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EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! Please read...
The ONCA was proclaimed on October 19, 2021. You have until October 18, 2024 to review, update and file your governing documents with the Ontario government. Until then, the rules in your articles and bylaws continue to be valid provided they were valid before the ONCA took effect.
ONCA applies to incorporated entities. If your Club or Scholarship Fund are not incorporated you do not need to comply to ONCA legislation, however, it is good business practice to have bylaws and be compliant anyway. If either your Club or Scholarship Fund are incorporated its articles and bylaws should comply to ONCA legislation.
Ontario Council articles and bylaws are ONCA compliant. The OC Governance and Bylaws Committee reviewed our articles and bylaws in the 2021-2022 year, made appropriate changes where necessary and had the revised articles and bylaws reviewed by a lawyer. The changes were provided to the membership and voted on at the 2022 AGM.
Thanks to Margaret Gilbey (CFUW Belleville) and Marlene Starkman (RD Ontario East) for bringing this to the Ontario Council Clubs’ attention.
For additional information, go to: https://nonprofitlaw.cleo.on.ca/transition-to-onca/.
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Seniors and Climate Action | |
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Seniors Day of Climate Action—October 1st
To mark this day, Seniors for Climate Action is organizing a Seniors Day for Climate Action on October 1st, with over 50 planned events across the country. Seniors for Climate Action brings together six climate organizations that are led by seniors: Seniors for Climate Action Now (SCAN), Climate Action for Lifelong Learners (CALL), Grand(m)others Act to Save the Planet (GASP), For Our Grandchildren (4RG), Suzuki Elders, Climate Legacy.
Check their website to find out about events near you, learn more about their work and how to participate. (https://seniorsforclimateactionnow.org/)
National Seniors Day: October 1st is National Seniors Day in Canada; the United Nations General Assembly designated this day as the International Day of Older Persons. In Ontario, June has been designated Seniors month.
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National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | |
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Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This federal statutory holiday was created through legislative amendments made by Parliament. Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30.
The day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. Read more...
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Pieces4Peace - September 21st | |
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September 21st is the International Day of Peace. Many CFUW clubs across Canada spent the summer creating beautiful panels to display on Parliament Hill on that day. These panels have become known as "Pieces4Peace".
CFUW Georgetown was one of those clubs who wholeheartedly embraced this project. Their efforts were showcased in their local online newspaper, HaltonHills Today. You can read about CFUW Georgetown’s contributions here.
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A CFUW Ontario Council Advocacy Resolution is a formal motion proposing positive change about a current issue relevant to the importance of the mission of CFUW Ontario Council and provincial in scope.
Resolution Schedule for 2024-2025
October 30, 2024 - Notice of Intent is due
October 30, 2024 - January 15, 2025 - Resolution Development
January 15, 2025 - Submission of Resolution to OC
January 15, 2025 - February 15, 2025 - Committee Review
February 15, 2025 - April 1, 2025 - Amending Process to the clubs
April 1, 2025 - Amendments are due
April 1, 2025 - April 30, 2025 - Amendment Study
For more information, please see these documents on our website:
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Resolutions in Action: Warming Centres | |
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At the CFUW Ontario Council AGM in May, our members passed a resolution to support and protect vulnerable members of our communities. Hypothermia is a potentially lethal but highly preventable condition that can occur during periods of temperatures at 0⁰C, and with serious cumulative impacts of several cold weather days and is the most serious consequence for the vulnerable population during cold temperatures. We are requesting that our provincial government and all municipalities budget for and develop a clear cold weather strategy by providing Warming Centres which are reliable, accessible and provide a safe environment.
To find out more and consider how our members can bring attention to this serious concern, please access these resources on our Ontario Council website.
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At the RD National Standing Committee, CFUW Vice President Ontario (Sandra Shaw) and Ontario Regional Directors (Eman El Halies – RD Ontario West, Elizabeth Sachs – RD Ontario Huron, Marg Esaw – RD Ontario Central, Christine Marks – RD Ontario South, Marlene Starkman – Ontario East) working with other regional VPs and RDs to share ideas, explore challenges and find solutions which emerge from CFUW clubs. This year’s biennium theme is to improve communications to and from CFUW clubs. | |
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CFUW Southport
CFUW Southport kicked off their 35th Anniversary year with a visit from OC President Sandra Shaw. There are a lot of fabulous things happening this year at Southport. Read more about them here.
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CFUW Hamilton would like to invite you to attend two of their upcoming events: | |
- On October 2nd, the film/documentary "An Unfinished Journey" will be shown at Westdale Theatre, followed by a panel discussion. This film documents the struggles of four women from Afghanistan as they struggle to win back women's rights in their country. CFUW Hamilton is a screening partner for this event.
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- On October 30th, CFUW Hamilton is hosting its annual fundraiser for scholarships. The evening will feature columnist Lorraine Sommerfeld, unveiling her debut novel A Face in the Window. Tickets are $20 and are available through their website cfuw-hamilton.com.
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CFUW Perth and District - October 21, 2024 | |
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Congratulations to all Ontario CFUW clubs celebrating important milestone anniversaries this year. The list includes:
- CFUW Leaside - East York - 70 years
- CFUW Markham - Unionville - 40 years
- CFUW Southport - 35 Years
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Women Helping Women
Our vision for Ontario Council can be summed up in the following key words:
Education. Action. Advocacy.
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Ontario Council News is a newsletter for and about our Ontario Clubs.
- Because Ontario Council includes close to 50 clubs, we are not able to publish club meetings, AGMs, scholarship winners and other charitable giving.
- Club newsletters are published on the OC website under Club Actions & Events
- To help you help us, click the link below for all the information you need about our publication schedule, submission deadlines, and preferred format.
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Please share your club's social media posts to
Ontario Council's Facebook and Instagram accounts!
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