SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
now have their own section. Click on the link to go to it.115 The Esplanade, Toronto, Ontario M5E
1Y7
Tel: 416-214-1518
e-mail: info@olderwomensnetwork.org
| Items of Interest | OWN Volunteers | Reading Room | Friendship Link | Book Discussion Groups | Weblinks | Home | Writers |
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: |
Winter 2010
H1N1 Flu Shot Clinic Schedule
Toronto Public Health continues to offer
public H1N1
vaccination clinics in January and February. H1N1 shots are also available through some
physicians' offices. Check with your doctor or community health clinic, call
311, or 416-338-7600, or visit
www.toronto.ca/health for current schedule information.
March 6, 1:30pm to 4:30pm
An International
Women's Day Fair is being hosted by the Ryerson Students Union and the
Ryerson Women's Centre at the Students Centre, 55 Gould St. The fair is free to
visitors, so please come out to support OWN and our sister organizations, and
celebrate the progress made by women. The fair is preceded by a rally at OISE at
11:00am.
March 8, 10:00am to 3:00pm
Come celebrate International Women's Day
at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church on the corner of Water and Murray Streets,
Peterborough. All women are welcome for this free event! There will be
refreshments, gift certificates for haircuts, workshops, art, crafts, door
prizes and much more. For more information contact Karen Basciano-Stewart,
Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre, 705-748-5901. See the
poster.
March 8 - 9, 1:00am to 6:00pm
Resources for Feminist Research (RFR) is
holding a Feminist Book Sale at the Centre for Women Studies in Education, Room
2-227, OISE, 252 Bloor St. West at the St. George subway stop. There will be
fiction and literature, mysteries, feminist texts, journals, reference books,
poetry and more. The proceeds go to RFR's Legal Defense Fund. Email
cwse@utoronto.ca for more information.
March 9, 7:30am to 9:30am
The Dorothy Ley Hospice invites you to
celebrate International Women's Day with a Breakfast featuring guest speaker
Janet Davidson, president and CEO of Trillium Health Centre; and honoured guest
MPP Donna Cansfield. Location: The Old Mill Inn & Spa, Brule Rooms B and C, 21
Old Mill Road; tickets are $30.00 each. Please RSVP by Feb. 28 to
416-626-0116 or email ghill@dlhospice.org.
Please see the 2-page poster for more
information and other Hospice events to come.
March 14, 3:00pm
Timothy Eaton
Memorial Church, in partnership with Simply
Splendid Victorian Afternoon Teas, is hosting a Sunday Opera Tea in
celebration of its Centenary, featuring Marty Smyth on piano and lyric
coloratura soprano Allison Arends. Location: 230 St. Clair Ave. West, church
Reception Room. Tickets are $30 each, and includes the Tea, please call
416-925-5997 for reservations by March 11. Have a look at the
poster, and check out the church website
www.temc.net.
March 24 to 26
Rainbow Health Ontario
Conference 2010 for improving access and
equity in health for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people . A
provincial conference to address the health and wellness issues of LGBT
communities in Ontario. Check out the latest research, health promotion,
clinical and policy ideas. Learn about innovative programs and services. Network
with leaders in LGBT health and social services from Ontario and beyond.
Location: Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel. Visit
www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/conference for details. Register now, early
bird registration fee deadline is Friday, Feb. 5th.
April 2, midnight
Resources for Feminist Research (RFR/DRF)
and the Centre for Women's Studies in Education (CWSE), University of Toronto
are calling for submissions to an edited feminist collection. They are looking
for submissions that address the question, "How did you
become a feminist and how has feminism shaped your worldview?" The above
date is the submissions deadline. The collection of stories will be published in
PDF format and distributed online. A limited number of print copies will be made
available upon request through CWSE. Please
click here to see
full details and more information.
April 17, 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Celebrate Equality
Day as OWN honours those who fought to include Clauses 15 and 28 in our
Charter of Rights, guaranteeing equality of the sexes in Canada. Speaker:
Antonia Zerbisias, the fiery feminist columnist from the Toronto Star. Mark the
date and let us know if you are coming, call the OWN office at 416-214-1518.
May 31 to June 4
"The Eyes of
Experience" photography contest and exhibition of photos taken by Ontario
seniors, who use their cameras to show the world through their eyes. If you are
50 years or older, you are invited to submit your photos before March 31.
A jury will select the best entries in a number of categories to create an
exhibit. The exhibition, sponsored by the Life Institute, will mark the opening
of the 2010 Silver Screen Arts Festival and a year of events to celebrate the
20th anniversary of the Life Institute. The Silver Screen Arts Festival is
sponsored by the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson
University. Check the website www.lifeswork.ca
for more information.
ITEMS OF INTEREST:
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.
A Splendid Holiday
Tradition continues
A small indulgence, simply delicious, and
exclusively ours. Bypass the mall, the catalogues, the hustle and bustle of
shopping for holiday gifts with a Simply Splendid Afternoon Tea Tray. Phone or
email your order, see
www.splendidafternoonteas.com/gifts for details.
Participants Needed
- for a research study of women who
have been abused in intimate relationships and their experiences as litigants in
the Family Court of Ontario.
If you have been involved in the
Ontario Court of Justice (Family Division) located at 311 Jarvis Street and/or
47 Sheppard Avenue West, Toronto, and/or 7755 Hurontario Street, Brampton, as a
litigant, and have been abused by your intimate partner, I would appreciate your
participating in a doctoral research study to examine your experiences of the
legal system and its responses to you.
You will be asked to participate in a confidential, one-on-one interview for
approximately 1.5 hours, at a time and place that is convenient for you. You
will not incur any expenses or costs by participating in this research study.
Your identity will be held in the strictest confidence to the fullest extent
possible in law.
By participating in this study, you will be contributing valuable information to
the understanding and appreciation of abused women’s experience in the legal
process.
Thank you for your interest.
For further information, please contact:
Lois Winstock, B.A., LL. B., B.S.W., M.S.W.
Ph.D. Candidate, Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, at 416-729-2683, or
loiswinstock@osgoode.yorku.ca
PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE A $25.00 HONORARIUM
Research on "The Pill" for a Doctoral Thesis
Anyone willing to
discuss their experiences with birth control pills might be interested in
contributing to the research being undertaken by doctoral student Jessica Haynes
of Carleton University. Here is her description:
The birth-control pill is often used to symbolize the huge changes sweeping
through Canadian society in the 1960s. In particular, people credit
it for causing a "sexual revolution" among single people. But,
ironically, the pill was actually intended for married women and was far more
accessible to them in the 1960s. My doctoral thesis in history explores
the impact of the pill on married Canadian women. The project relies on oral
interviews so I am reaching out to women across
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.
DAILY CHECK-IN
The Older Women's
Network, Greater Toronto Area Chapter, wants to set up a service whereby members
who may be on their own can connect with one another as a daily
"check-in" partner. Would you like to receive a "daily
check-in"? If yes, please call Betty at 905-884-0120 and leave your
name and telephone number.
HOME CARE CLIENTS WANTED
If you receive in-home, government-funded
Community Care Access Centre personal support services such as bathing, dressing, and assistance with daily
tasks, we would like to interview you for a confidential University of Toronto
study. You will be compensated for your time. Call 416-946-4061 for more
information.
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
Peterborough
Women's Hour. A woman's
place is by her radio! Trent Radio 92.7 FM, live every Saturday at 2pm. A
joint project of the Trent Women's Centre and Peterborough's Older Women's
Network, bringing you news, events, and issues affecting women in our
community. Join us each week for interviews, music, and lively
discussions. Listen online at www.trentradio.ca,
contact us at info@trentwomenscentre.ca
or 742-7195 for more information or show ideas.
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 4 chapters of the report, see the website
www.powerstudy.ca. Also available is supplementary data and the press
release of Chapter 3 The Burden of Illness. The Cancer, Depression and
Cardiovascular Disease chapters
are now available
for download.
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
What Older Women
Want is a study from
interviews of 5000 older women across Canada regarding their health needs, which
they felt were not being met or addressed by their health care providers.
Some interesting findings: www.wowhealth.ca
Toronto Disaster
Relief Committee, website
www.tdrc.net, email: tdrc@drc.net
Maquila Solidarity Network is a labour and women's rights organization promoting solidarity
with grass roots groups in Mexico, Central America, and Asia where many items
sold in North America are made. OWN supports the Maquila Solidarity
Network and they now have an informative newsletter available at www.en.maquilasolidarity.org/en/contact
.
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.
Volunteers needed by HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Habitat
for Humanity Toronto is currently looking for new people to join their
team and believe that the Older Women’s Network would be interested in the
volunteer opportunities that they have available. With the recent success of
the Women Build event (May 1st - 9th), they are eager to
increase female participation and would love to have some experienced and
enthusiastic women come on board with Habitat for Humanity. They are looking to
hold an in-person recruitment session. Please let them know whether you are
interested in this opportunity with Habitat and what dates/times would be most
convenient for you. Contact Natalie Dubois, 416-755-7353 ext. 243, email:
intern@torontohabitat.on.ca, or
check the website www.torontohabitat.ca.
Volunteers needed by the ONTARIO HEALTH COALITION
The Coalition, which has offices in Toronto, is
sponsoring a "Protect Rural and Small Hospital Tour" in the following
towns: Haliburton, Alexandria, Napanee, Hawkesbury, Picton, Renfrew, Kirkland
Lake, Iroquois Falls, Cochrane, Nipigon, and Marathon. Volunteers are
needed to help with basic office work - any amount of time would help.
Call 416-441-2502.
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.
PLAN OF ACTION ON AGING
The Review Process of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging can
be found at http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/ageing/secondworld02.html.
This is a
site established by the United Nations Non-governmental Liaison Service.
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.
OLDER WORKERS
The Federal Government has announced the appointment of an expert panel to
study labour market conditions that affect older workers. Information: lorne.coe@ontario.ca
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.
MEMBERS ALERT:
Members are reminded to advise the office of changes of address, phone numbers,
email addresses.
FRIENDLY TO SENIORS
The Toronto Seniors Council has developed a program to assist neighbourhoods and
businesses to become seniors' friendly. This is done by assessing an
office, department or store for accessibility and capacity to meet seniors'
needs. An Action Plan with practical suggestions of
adaptations/improvements is provided for $100.
Certification of a facility is conferred for no extra charge and is good for 2 years after which re-certification is required.
Qualified senior volunteers can offer employee workshops on the challenges and benefits of providing better service delivery to the growing seniors populations. Cost $50 per employee.
OWN members may have opportunities to suggest this service to community places they know and use. One OWN member would love to see coat-checking available on all or alternative floors of department stores -- that winter coat becomes unbearable after a while.
For more information call 416-351-0095 ext. 215, or at www.friendlytoseniors.ca.
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.
Reading Room Event
If you enjoyed Heather
Mallick's talk and reading from her latest book, Cake or Death,
you may email her at mrsramsay4@sympatico.ca
. She welcomes feedback and conversation.
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.
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
now have their own section. Click on the link to go to it.