Promoting cooperation and facilitating communication of information and ideas among CFUW Clubs in Ontario is key to an informed and engaged membership. We do this through our Speakers Series, and newsletters that highlight current issues and club activities. Social Media plays a big part – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linked-In. Please follow us there too. Our website is your key to all this, and behind every activity is a dedicated board member.

The policies and programmes of CFUW are another arena where OC works for you. As your President I am back on the National Board to promote a strong federation backed by the 48 clubs in Ontario.

Encouraging and initiating studies with respect to matters of a provincial nature is where the real work is done. Our Advocacy Chair and Standing Committees, Education, Legislation, and Status of Women, along with others, keep us all apprised of the current state of affairs. We have a number of dedicated Standing Committees like Resolutions and Membership with expert members involved. If you’ve wanted to participate, please contact me and I’ll show you how to get involved.

Representing you, our clubs, at Queens Park by taking issues forward through briefs and resolutions or the work done at the club level is also a key piece of what we do.

Perhaps most important, OC works to promote active participation in public affairs in a spirit of cooperation and friendship. I encourage you, if you haven’t already done so, to subscribe to our newsletter for those important connections and inspirations of other clubs. You’ll discover we are an amazing group of doers who will inspire you!

-      insurance information for club directors and events at third party locations

-      Financial support in the form of loans, grants, and awards for clubs

-      Information on networking and how to connect with your local community

-      Information about the use of social media

-      Advocacy work and guidelines

-      Information for incoming and outgoing Executive

While we’re busy promoting CFUW aims, don’t forget to have some fun too! This should be a great year for our Interest Groups to get back on track!! Please join us on Zoom on Saturday October 15 for our first Speaker Series of the year presented by our Standing Committee on Education. It’s an exciting line-up of speakers that will take us beyond the usual educational issues and delve into a variety of coping strategies for black youth, LGBTQ2S youth and the trauma of coming out. We will also look at Windreach Farm striving to enrich the lives of people with disabilities and/or special needs, and Yoga! for assisting with coping strategies, anxiety, and self-regulation. Registration can be done through our website, and it’s free!

Registration is now open for OC’s first Speakers Series of the 2022-23 year. This session’s theme is Education Beyond the School, and the event will take place on Saturday October 15 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Please click here to register.

Kendra Mullins will speak about yoga and its uses in improving coping strategies, managing stress and self-regulation. Given that so many are having difficulty dealing with mental health issues, this session will give us insight into how yoga can help in nourishing body, mind, and spirit.

Kelly Taylor, Volunteer and Operations Manager of Windreach Farm, will speak on the wide variety of programs at Windreach such as Learning-4-Life and the Community Participation Program. Windreach strives to enrich the lives of persons of all ages with disabilities and/or special needs.

Black York Region Youth – In 2020, teacher Vanessa Stoby and four youth founded BYR Youth, an organization striving to combat anti-black racism, systemic racism, anti-Indigenous hate and discrimination in all its forms within York Region through advocacy, education and communication. Vanessa will speak on the growth of BYR Youth and the milestones they have achieved.

And finally, the "Claiming Myself" session will feature a panel of young people speaking on the impact of identifying as LGBTQIA2S+.

The Speakers Series is free but advance registration is required. Please click here to register.

This Friday, September 30th, is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Also known as Orange Shirt Day, it provides us with time to do the important work of learning more about the Indigenous Peoples of this land, and to start taking action.

It is our hope that CFUW Welland & District members will stand in solidarity with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities in our district, in a demonstration of our will to address the wrongs that have been perpetrated against Indigenous Peoples throughout Canada's past,and continuing on in our present.

Please click here to see a list of links, and descriptions of activities you might wish to consider participating in. They are not limited to Friday, and do not all need to be attended in person. That being said, if you are out in public on Friday, please wear an orange shirt in recognition of this important day. And, if you are planning to purchase an "Every Child Matters" shirt, we encourage you to buy it from an Indigenous Organization where the profits can be put toward activities related to achieving Truth and Reconciliation.

There are eight Ontario Council Standing Committees: Advocacy, Articles and Bylaws, Education, Finance, Governance, Legislation, Membership, Resolutions and Status of Women and Human Rights. We are always looking for enthusiastic club members to support our goals! If you would like to become a member of one of the OC Standing Committees, please complete and submit an Expression of Interest for OC Standing Committees form, by October 31st. To learn more about the OC Standing Committees, go to CFUW Ontario Council Standing Committees | CFUW Ontario Council (cfuwontcouncil.org).

I assumed the role of Chair of Ontario Council’s Standing Committee on Resolutions in August 2021. My first task was to review and update the existing Ontario Council Guideline. I also reviewed the National CFUW guidelines. Working with Teri Shaw we presented a draft guideline to the Board and received input from Board members Beth Haynes and Myra Wilson. The final documents are posted on the Ontario Council Website at Ontario Council Policy & Resolutions | CFUW Ontario Council (cfuwontcouncil.org). We had no resolutions submitted to be considered at the 2022 Ontario Council AGM. Please note:

Resolutions come from clubs, not individuals. The date for the intention of a resolution is now October 30^th with the resolution submission date now November 30^th. The Schedule at the beginning of the Resolution provides up-front information but it is important that you read the whole document if your club is submitting a resolution. The appendices provide submission forms and an extensive APA Guideline. Members of the Resolution Committee will be available to assist you in the process. You can contact us at [email protected].

Resolutions Committee Membership - Current Members are:

We are always looking for new members. If you would like to become a member of the OC Resolutions Committee, please complete and submit an Expression of Interest for OC Standing Committees form, by October 31st.

The Advocacy Toolbox: Finding it. Using it. Sharing it. 

Meet other members of Advocacy interest groups from across Canada at this workshop and find out about the tools available to make your advocacy work easier. Click here to register!

Theme for the event was "Emerging from the Chrysalis of COVID". Seven clubs were represented: Windsor, Stratford, Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Barrie, Oakville and Headwaters (Orangeville). Three keynote speakers addressed the meeting.

Anita Gaffney, Executive Director of the Stratford Festival, recalled the ups and downs of the past three seasons. The Festival became a broadcaster at the beginning of Covid to compensate for lost revenues in 2020 and doing so made it possible to reach a far wider audience. Information requests concerning the Festival came from the far corners of the world, many viewers asking where Stratford was located in Canada. Anita concluded her remarks on an optimistic note, saying the Festival reduced its expectations by close to 40% for the 2022 season and was confident the Festival would sell 320,000 tickets. (Prior to Covid, nearly half a million tickets were sold during a regular season.)

Marva Wisdom, a dynamic woman and a motivational speaker, invited us to discuss why we can be uncomfortable with people we don't know, who are different, or hold opinions

Deanna Horton, CFUW Stratford member and former diplomat, gave a brief overview of the need to look towards the Pacific nations to grow our markets and ready ourselves for the geopolitical world of the future. She said China's economy would surpass that of the United States in the not too distant future. Canada needs to anticipate this development by adopting policies and pursuing markets beyond the United States even as it remains our largest trading partner today.

In our world of finite resources, responsible consumption of resources is more important than a green economy to slow down climate change. Scientists calculate "Earth Overshoot Day" or EOD to establish the date when humanity’s demands for ecological resources in a given year exceeds what planet Earth can regenerate in that year. In 2022, the world reached its overshoot day on July 28; Canada reached its EOD on March 13 and Jamaica will not get there until December 20. For the full story, go to overshoot day.org.

Happily Ever Older: Living Well in our Later Years with award-winning author and journalist Moira Welsh. Moira will be sharing her insights into how the right living arrangements can create a vibrancy that defies age or ability, and can create a future with strong social connections. Tickets are $65. Visit CFUW Northumberland for details and to purchase tickets.  ALL ARE WELCOME!

Join CFUW Owen Sound on October 4th when Ted Barris, esteemed historian and writer, will talk about his latest book, The Battle of the Atlantic. Tickets are $20 and are available from a CFUW Owen Sound member, and at the door. Always a popular speaker and a favourite with Owen Sound audiences, Ted Barris is presenting this talk as a fundraiser for CFUW – Owen Sound & Area [www.cfuwowensound.com] community outreach and education projects. Thanks to The Ginger Press Book Shop, copies of the book will be available to purchase at The Bayshore on Oct 4th (cash/debit/credit) and have been autographed by the author.

“From the minute the first guest arrived, I saw delight, joy, and true pleasure on the faces of the visitors,” said Jean Fraser, member of the tour steering committee. “We extended our work into the community and raised the profile of CFUW. We showed that together we can accomplish great tasks. One member said that we weren’t just fundraising; we were ‘friend-raising’.” Read more here.

A passion for life-long learning has kept Richmond Hill resident, Kathy Wosnick involved in her community in many capacities. Wosnick has served as president of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) for Vaughan and Aurora/Newmarket for more than a decade supporting the club’s work in local, provincial, national, and international issues. Congratulations Kathy! Read more here.

The outgoing president, Sandy Thomson, along with other members of the Executive Team, were very pleased with the turnout and 10 new members signed up! Read more here.

On August 9^th, in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee, CFUW Owen Sound hosted a Jubilee tea! The photo shows members meeting “Her Majesty”, President Anne Seymour. That’s a pretty good likeness, President Anne!

The Co-Chair of the CFUW Perth and District Social Justice Committee (Elaine Brazeau) and OC Advocacy Chair Sandra Shaw participated in an event held at Smiths Falls Starbucks for National Overdose day, August 31^st. The Opioid Public Health Emergency is one focus of the Committee throughout the year.

As a special project during their 85th anniversary year, CFUW Peterborough will be focusing on increasing membership by running a NEW MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN in which they are hoping to double their membership. They have hosted two special excursions during the summer months. The first excursion—a trip to Westben Performing Arts Theatre in Campbellford to see ABBA MIA—took place on July 21. The second excursion, A Walk Through Millennium Park, a manicured waterfront trail,

through downtown Peterborough, took place Thursday, July 28^th. To read the complete press release please click here. FYI, CFUW Peterborough celebrated their 85th anniversary with a special dinner event on September 27th at Berc's Steakhouse in Peterborough. Congratulations ladies!

You can get all the details about upcoming club events on the OC website at Club Events | CFUW Ontario Council (cfuwontcouncil.org).

Because Ontario Council includes close to 50 clubs, we are not always able to publish club meetings, scholarship winners and other charitable giving. However, Club newsletters are published by month on the OC website under Club Actions & Events--to have your Club's newsletters published please e-mail your newsletters and other club news to [email protected]. To help you help us, click the link below for all the information you need about our publication schedule, submission deadlines, and preferred format.