Calendar

NOTE: The announcements on the list below are often accompanied by a poster, flyer, or document with much more information than we have room for here. Some of these documents may be in PDF format, a graphics format accepted all over the world. It requires that you have a program called Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. This application is provided free by Adobe and can be easily downloaded from www.adobe.com, many websites also make it available for download.

EVENTS:

Older Women's Network Events:
Watch this space for future events.

MEMBERS ALERT:
Members are reminded to advise the office of changes of address, phone numbers, email addresses.

Please renew your membership in OWN. If you can add a donation to your membership, please do so, and if you can bring a new member (friend, neighbour, relative ) on board, that is a great way for us to grow. The application form for membership can be printed off from the website, or if you have no printer, send in your information to 115 The Esplanade, Toronto, Ont. M5E 1Y7. The form also includes instructions for becoming a preauthorized monthly contributor. To maintain our small office (run by volunteers) and support the costs of our advocacy work, the target is $26,000, which is higher than last year’s revenue of $21,000, reflecting rising costs and our plans to improve communications. We need, too, to be able to respond to the increase in opportunities in the community to speak up on our priorities: affordable housing, economic security, health services, and long term care. We must be involved in discussions and strategizing with partners and affiliates. So please become a member, or renew your membership for 2010 as soon as possible. We can't do it without you. Thank you.

Upcoming Meetings of the Writers Group and Women for African Grandmothers, all held at the OWN meeting room at 115 The Esplanade:

In My Own Voice Writing Group - See the Special Interest web page or watch this space. Check their page for details of future meetings. Meet on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. Note: there will be no meeting in August, so the next meeting is September 8. The topic will be school, boarding school, and orphanage. Have a good summer.

Friendship Link - See the Special Interest web page or watch this space. Check their page for details of future meetings.

Women for African Grandmothers - See the Special Interest web page or watch this space.

The Peterborough chapter of OWN invites you to join them for coffee! OWN will be at the Whistle-stop Café on Wednesdays 10am to 11am. Hope to see you there.

Jaclyn Desforges' Equality Day story is now online. Here is the link:
http://www.torontoobserver.ca/2010/04/16/women-mark-enshrinement-of-equality-rights

July 24, 10:00am to 6:00pm
Please join us for the Art of Authentic Living Festival at the Buckhorn Community Centre, 1801 Lakehurst Road in Buckhorn. There will be a Peace Pole Ceremony at 9:00am, dedicated to the Community Centre and registered with the World Peace Organization. The Art of Authentic Living is a show about natural living, natural healing services and products, related to a healthy Green lifestyle and sustainability. This will be held in an air-conditioned building with guest speakers, inspirational movies, natural products, musical entertainment, interactive demonstrations, and healers and therapists offering mini treatments.

July 29 to August 24: Events at the Toronto Reference Library
July 29, 7:00pm - In the Appel Salon, 2nd floor, Carl Hiaasen in conversation with Linwood Barclay. Hiaasen will talk about his latest thriller "Star Island" with journalist and author Linwood Barclay. Cash bar, reception at 6:00pm, Question & Answer, book sale and signing to follow.
July 31, 2:30pm - In the Beeton Auditorium, 1st floor, author Richard Poplak and illustrator Nick Marinkovich discuss their graphic novel "Kenk" with host John Miller. A spoken word music performance will follow.
Summer Afternoon at the Movies:
July 27, 2:00pm - "Sherlock Holmes"
August 3, 2:00pm - "Man on a Wire"
August 10, 2:00pm - "The Blind Side"
August 17, 2:00pm - "Capitalism: a Love Story"
August 24, 2:00pm - "The Queen"
Coming this Fall: Salman Rushdie, Margaret Trudeau, Mayor David Miller, Joseph Boyden, Katherine Govier, Antonia Fraser, Simon Winchester, Jane Urquhart, Louise Penny, David Clayton Thomas, and many more. Visit http://tpl.ca for details.
Note: The Toronto Reference Library is undergoing renovations. During construction, the entrance is located on Yonge St. opposite Yorkville Ave.

September 12, time to be announced
Simply Splendid Victorian Afternoon Teas is pleased to partner with Timothy Eaton Memorial Church in hosting Opera Teas at the church, 230 St. Clair Ave. W., Reception Room. Due to the size of the reception room and the popularity of the teas, advance reservations are recommended, call 416-925-5977, and check the website www.temc.net for upcoming programs and performers.
More Opera Teas are scheduled on September 12, October 10, November 14, and December 12. Advance reservations are recommended.
Check the Simply Splendid Victorian Afternoon Teas website for special events and gift ideas, call 416-658-5518 or email marilyn@splendidafternoonteas.com to consult on your gift requirements.

September 19, 12:00 to 2:00pm
Oakville Poetry Alliance features Tower Poetry Society member John Corvese as guest poet. All are welcome to attend John's reading at the Moonshine Cafe, 137 Kerr Street, Oakville.

October 28 to 30
Save this date for the Canadian Conference of Elder Law, at the Delta Chelsea Inn, Toronto. The Canadian Centre for Elder Law and the Law Commission of Ontario, with the support of the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, invite you to attend the 5th annual Canadian (International) Conference on Elder Law. This year's conference is on "Developing an Anti-Ageist Approach to the Law ". Conference registration will commence shortly.

Nov. 12 to 14, 9:00am to 5:00pm
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) with a gala dinner and many events at Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle, University of Toronto downtown campus. All are welcome.
Nov. 12 - lecture, reception, gala dinner with keynote speaker Cora Weiss, President of Hague Appeal for Peace; special guests Kim Phuc, and others, music.
Nov. 13 - panels, workshops on de-legitimization of war and non-violent conflict resolution, dinner, original play on women, peace and security.
Nov. 14 - reflections, actions, short business meeting.
Billets available, package rates and limited support funding.
Contact Sandra Ruch - 416-603-7915, email info@vowpeace.org, website www.vowpeace.org
Join us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=293092664500&ref=ts

ITEMS OF INTEREST:

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update
Sign up for AODA Alliance email updates on aodafeedback@gmail.com. See the draft brief, and send us your feedback on the brief to the email address. For more information, see www.aodaalliance.org.

New Email address for CWSE
The Centre for Women's Studies in Education has a new, simpler email address: cwse@utoronto.ca, please be sure to update your address book. Emails sent to the old address are not guaranteed to reach us. We will be working to get our new website launched, and will be continuing to plan our 2010 events, which include a Women's History Conference, screenings of the movies "63 Years On" and "Jewish Girl Power", and of course the 2010 Women's Human Rights Institute. We are looking forward to seeing you at our events in 2010.

Still working?
If you are 65 and over, and are still working, Barb Joy would like to hear from you. She is a freelance writer who is working on a story about older people who are still working full- or part-time for pay. She would like to interview you. Please contact Joy at bjoy@cogeco.ca

Mesothelioma Information
Women are 50% more likely to develop mesothelioma than men when exposed to asbestos. For more information check www.asbestos.com, or contact Ansley Stevens by email: ansley@asbestos.com

Pay-equity action
Please visit http://cupe.ca/action/pay-equity-budget They are running an online action (emailing your MP) on an issue that may concern you. It takes only minutes and you can make a difference.

Free computer training for women
The YWCA Moving on to Success (MOTS) program has spaces available for FREE computer training. This program will sharpen your computer skills, business communications and on the job training, thereby increasing your your employment prospects. We make it work for you!
No waiting, immediate openings! Call today 416-269-3762 or 416-269-0090 to book an appointment. We will be pleased to visit your location to share more about this and other YWCA employment programs.

Sunshine Centres for Seniors offers year-round programs providing recreation, socialization, and health promotion for seniors across Toronto. Described as a place to meet new friends and become part of a supportive community, a day of activities might include exercises, singalongs, euchre, bridge, speakers, special events, refreshments. There is a cost of $2, $3, or $5 per day. There is also a summer day camp at Ward's Island. In Toronto the location is 117 Bloor St. East. Information: 416-924-3979 or www.sunshinecentres.com

WEBLINKS OF INTEREST
(see also our Resources page)

http://www.thefirstcanadianhealthcareconference.ca
Showcases "what's happening" in healthcare around the corner and around the world. Check out this work at this website. Click on the presenters' photos to read their bios. A number of presenters pose questions related to their work, and you are encourage to interact by providing feedback. If you are involved in work which you think would be of interest and benefit to a wide and diverse spectrum of healthcare professionals around the world, please get in touch with Gloria Lattanzio, Chief Executive Organizer, at email gloria.ceo@thefirstcanadianhealthcaremailbox.ca or phone 416-525-5465. The website also provides various means of sharing it, and joining a facebook group, or twitter. The exhibitors change every month.

http://ontariononprofitnetwork.ca/home The Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) is a network of networks that helps to build communication and coordination amongst nonprofit organizations working for the public benefit in Ontario.

www.womencan.ca is the Canadian Women's Virtual Resource Centre. It has an impressive listing of women's resources across Canada.

POWER Study - Project for an Ontario Women's Health Evidence-Based Report Card
The Power Study is producing a Women's Health Report Card for Ontario. It is a multi-year project funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, focusing on the leading causes of illness and death among women, such as cancer, heart disease, depression, diabetes and others. It will also report on women's access to health care services and the social determinants of women's health. POWER is a partnership between St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Toronto. For more information, and to download the first 2 chapters of the report, Introduction to the POWER Study, and The POWER Study Framework, see the website www.powerstudy.ca. The Burden of Illness, Cancer, Depression, Cardiovascular Disease, Access to Health Care Services, and Musculoskeletal Disorders chapters are now available for download. Also available is supplementary data, chapter highlights, and the press release for each chapter. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on the Report.
Still to come are the Volume 2 chapters, which will include, Reproductive Health, Diabetes and HIV.

OWN has recently become a member of the Common Front for Retirement Security (CFRS). CFRS will advocate for better governance of pensions, investments and retirement savings and promotes a wide range of legislation to improve the security and integrity surrounding these tools for planning and managing our resources. The organization cites a range of legislation to achieve improvements in banking, pension issues, protection for whistleblowers.
Contact: dan.braniff@sympatico.ca

ACORN - The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now; a democratic, multicultural, grassroots organization, member-owned and member-run, www.canada.acorn.org

VOLUNTEERING

OWN NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
OWN would like to find volunteers who can provide some training to members in the maintenance of our database. There are members ready to do this important work but who need some help in getting started. It would mean a commitment of three two-hour sessions at the OWN office. Please email barbaragreer26@rogers.com if you are interested in helping us.

The Communications Committee of OWN would welcome members interested in assisting in the work of producing CONTACT, maintaining the website and developing new ways of communicating our message as broadly as possible. The work does not require previous experience, it is based on language skills, meeting deadlines and being accurate. The Contact group meets bi-monthly to produce 4 issues a year.

The TEL-TREE needs more people to work the phones, as they say. This is ideal for someone who prefers to work at home and has the time to make 5 or 6 calls a month. It is a very important aspect of OWN's mandate, as it is a way of keeping in touch with members and reducing isolation. Call the office at 416-214-1518 and leave a message for Rachel Tamari.

NEW PUBLICATION
Click on this link http://cansim2.statcan.gc.ca/cgi-win/cnsmcgi.pgm?Lang=E&SP_Action=Theme&SP_ID=70000&SP_Mode=2 for statistics on Seniors.

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
For older women, at Ryerson University, Toronto, see www.seniorcentre.ca for more information.

GRANDPARENTS CARING FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN
Grandparents, extended family members and community members who care for children in need of protection may now be eligible for financial support and services as part of new reforms to Ontario's child well-being and protection system. Information: 416-325-5666, or 1-888-789-4199.

PEACE TAX RETURN
You can make a declaration of objections to military taxes to attach to your income tax return. Information: consciencecanada@shaw.ca

WHITE RIBBON CAMPAIGN
The White Ribbon symbolizes a man's pledge to never commit, condone, or remain silent about violence against women.
Email: info@whiteribbon.ca

A STROLL IN THE PARK Walking and Adventure Club
Fun for single nature lovers - 99% single, couples and groups welcome. There is an annual membership charge of $ 40.00, plus a charge for each walk, payable either in cash or tokens you can purchase. Check their website www.astrollinthepark.com for upcoming walks and a list of charges.

Alfreda Mordas Reading Room

The Alfreda Mordas Reading Room is open in the OWN office on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The aim of the Reading Room is to highlight the the literary contributions of midlife and older women. Donated books in these categories would be welcome: feminist fiction and non-fiction on midlife and older women; self-help and self-affirmation for midlife and older women; up to date information on managing finances, pensions, finding employment; health in all its aspects.

The Reading Room Committee has established some rules for its use and they are posted in the Room. Please observe the system for signing out books. A limit of 2 books can borrowed by OWN members only.

Volunteers for the Reading Room - OWN members interested in being part of the Alfreda Mordas Reading Room Committee are welcome. An interest in, and familiarity with Canadian mid-life and older women writers is the most important aspect of this work. A volunteer is needed for Fridays to help keep the collections up to date. Call the OWN office 416-214-1518 and leave a message for Victoria. Please contact Marilyn Schafer or Erin Harris at the OWN office 416-214-1518.

WHAT’S ON

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