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NEWSBYTES - October 2, 2009
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The Advisory Council on the Status of Women is the provincial government agency that promotes equality, fairness and dignity for women, by bringing forward concerns and advising the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Act. Through research, policy, education, and partnerships, the council works to ensure women have an equal voice in society, fair pay and pensions, freedom from violence, and good health and well-being.
Newsbytes is a free bi-weekly e-mail newsletter with links to stories and contacts.
You can also read the newsletter and about coming events at the Advisory Council's website: <http://www.women.gov.ns.ca >.
Also, visit our online catalogue at <http://women.gov.ns.ca/library.asp> or access it through the Provincial Library at "One-Place-to-Look" <http://ibistro.library.ns.ca/, or come visit us!
CONTENTS AT A GLANCE
/1/ Tonight – March for Women and Children
/2/ Commemoration of the Persons Case
/3/ Women in the House: Does Gender Equity Require Electoral Reform?
/4/ Rural Leadership Initiative Grants for 2009
/5/ Economic/Rural Development: Funding for Community Internet Development
/6/ Registered Disability Savings Plans
/7/ A User's Guide to Advocacy Evaluation Planning
/8/ National Association of Women and the Law: Call for Proposals
/9/ New Research from the Centre for the Study of Living Standards
/10/ Canada’s Record on Poverty among the Worst
/11/ Counting Women In: a Toolkit for Rural Action on Poverty
/12/ National Video Competition
/13/ Did You Know?
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/1/ TONIGHT – MARCH FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN
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Take part in the Take Back the Night Rally and March for Women and Children at Victoria Park. The MC El Jones, speakers, and performers will pump up the crowd. After the scheduled program, women and children will march through the streets of downtown Halifax, passing the Citadel Hill, downtown bars, the Palace, and the HRM Police Station.
This march assertively reclaims the right for women to walk independently and free from violence, rape, shouting obscenities, oppression, and fear. After the march, there will be a reception at the Mi'qmaw Native Friendship Centre with a healing ritual and a vegetarian serving.
For more information on this and other events visit our website at: http://women.gov.ns.ca/calendar.asp .
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/2/ COMMEMORATION OF THE PERSONS CASE
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The Advisory Council congratulates this year's Persons Case recipients! The Governor-General's Medal was awarded to six women this year. Celebrating their 30th anniversary, the awards recognize outstanding individuals who have helped to advance the goal of equality for women. The awards ceremony took place at Rideau Hall on October 1, 2009.
Learn more: http://www.gg.ca/media/doc.asp?lang=e&DocID=5884 .
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/3/ WOMEN IN THE HOUSE: DOES GENDER EQUITY REQUIRE ELECTORAL REFORM?
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While women have made dramatic advances in elected public office in Canada, the fact remains that women hold only 23 per cent of the seats in the Nova Scotia legislature and the federal Parliament. A similar pattern prevails across the country. What will it take to change this picture? Would electoral reform help to get more women in the house?
This question will be the focus of discussion in a multi-partisan panel on Wednesday, October 14, from 3 to 5 pm in the Multi-Purpose Room in Rosaria Centre, Mount St. Vincent University. A reception will follow.
Speaking at the event: Alexa McDonough, Interim President, MSVU and Former NDP Leader; Karen Casey, Interim Leader, PC Party Nova Scotia; Megan Leslie, NDP MP, Halifax; Elizabeth May, Leader, Green Party of Canada; and Diana Whalen, Liberal MLA, Halifax-Clayton Park. The panel will be chaired by Dr. Meredith Ralston.
The panel discussion is open to the public. This event is sponsored by the Department of Political and Canadian Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University, Fair Vote Nova Scotia, Equal Voice, and the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women.
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/4/ RURAL LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE GRANTS FOR 2009
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The Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia is responsive to the needs of rural Nova Scotians. Its mission is to build on the strengths and assets of the province’s coastal and rural communities by encouraging philanthropic giving, developing a permanent endowment fund, and managing the granting of funds.
Grants for the Rural Leadership Initiative for 2009 amount to $15,000. The board recognized the need for more attention to rural leadership and adopted the following goal: “to promote rural leadership that will blend traditional community values with emerging community needs.”
Guidelines for the program have the following priorities:
• Leadership -- enhance the leadership within rural communities.
• Capacity building -- enhance skill and leadership capacity.
• Partnerships and community support -- clearly identify and build on existing resources in the community.
• Public awareness -- increase the understanding of the impact of leadership on rural communities.
A typical grant will be between $1,000 and $5,000. The deadline for applications is Nov. 2, with disbursements by Dec. 31. Contact: Jayne Hunter, 1.800.255.5203 or email: jayne.hunter@nscc.ca . You can also visit this website at http://www.ruralcommunitiesfdn.ca/ for more information.
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/5/ ECONOMIC/RURAL DEVELOPMENT: FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY INTERNET DEVELOPMENT
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At the Celebrating Communities conference in Truro recently, Percy Paris, Minister of Economic and Rural Development, announced $100,000 in funding to develop community-based Internet programs through the Broadband for Rural Nova Scotia Initiative. The minister told delegates everyone must work together to develop a culture of broadband use across Nova Scotia. He says broadband applications will allow community programs and services, business, and education to be delivered more effectively.
Funding will be shared by the province and communities. The deadline for proposals is Dec. 18.
For more information email fumertmj@gov.ns.ca .
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/6/ REGISTERED DISABILITY SAVINGS PLANS
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In the determination of financial eligibility for needs-tested welfare or disability benefits, each province and territory decides how it will treat assets and income from various sources, both at the point of application and on an ongoing basis. This page from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada provides a current overview of the treatment of the RDSP in all Canadian provinces and territories.
Visit: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/disability_issues/disability_savings/rdsp_ptb.shtml .&
Registered Disability Savings Plans:
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/disability_issues/disability_savings/index.shtml
Source: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada & Canadian Social Research Newsletter, Sept. 2009.
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/7/ A USER'S GUIDE TO ADVOCACY EVALUATION PLANNING
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Check this new tool developed for advocates, evaluators, and founders who want guidance on how to evaluate advocacy and policy change efforts. The User's Guide will take you through four basic steps that generate the core elements of an advocacy evaluation plan, including what will be measured and how.
• Identify how the evaluation will be used and who will use it to ensure it delivers the right kind of information.
• Map the strategy being evaluated to illustrate how activities lead to policy-related outcomes.
• Prioritize the components that are most essential for the evaluation to make sure it is resource-efficient and manageable.
• Identify measures and methods that signal whether advocacy strategy elements have been successfully implemented or achieved.
Download the document: http://www.hfrp.org/UserGuide .
Source: The Evaluation Team at Harvard Family Research Project, Sept. 2009.
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/8/ NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN AND THE LAW: CALL FOR PROPOSALS
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Trustees of NAWL and the Law Charitable Trust for Research and Education announced the first call for proposals for grants to support feminist legal research.
NAWL knows how difficult it is for researchers to find funding to support their work. The trustees wish to support the development of papers on legal issues that affect women whose interests are often excluded from public policy discussions. The papers would support the work of NAWL and other women's equality-seeking organizations.
Legal research proposals (English or French) on any topic related to women, law and policy (for example, women's economic security, family law, immigration, reproductive rights) is welcomed. As many as four proposals will be accepted from each call for proposals, for up to $5,000 in funding each. The application deadline for this round is Oct. 31, 2009. Successful applicants will be notified by Nov. 30. Completed papers are due to NAWL by May 31, 2010.
For more information visit this site: http://www.nawl.ca .
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/9/ NEW RESEARCH FROM THE CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF LIVING STANDARDS
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The Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS), a national, independent, not-for-profit, economic research organization, released new research in July: “Median Wages and Productivity Growth in Canada and the United States.”
Learn more: http://www.csls.ca/notes/Note2009-2.pdf .
Source: Canadian Social Research, Aug. 2, 2009.
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/10/ CANADA’S RECORD ON POVERTY AMONG THE WORST
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Poverty rates in Canada, especially among children and the working-age population, are among the worst of 17 leading developed countries, according to the Conference Board’s annual ranking on Society indicators. With more than 12 per cent of the working-age population living in poverty, Canada’s D grade places it 15th out of 17 countries – ahead of only Japan and the United States. More than one in seven children lives in poverty here – that’s a C grade and 13th place.
Learn more: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/press/newsrelease/10-21.aspx .
Source: the Conference Board of Canada, Sept. 2009, http://www.conferenceboard.ca/ .
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/11/ COUNTING WOMEN IN: A TOOLKIT FOR RURAL ACTION ON POVERTY
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This kit is now available online. It’s a culmination of eight years of research and community development by the Rural Women Take Action on Poverty Committee. The strategies and tools in the toolkit were developed and piloted in Grey, Bruce, Huron, and Perth counties in Ontario, to make the issue of poverty more visible and to build hope for change.
To access the resources visit: http://www.endabusenow.ca/node/149 .
Source: Grey Bruce Domestic Violence Coordinating Committee, September, 2009.
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/12/ NATIONAL VIDEO COMPETITION
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Citizenship and Immigration Canada has announced the launch of the 2009-2010 Racism. Stop it! National Video Competition. It’s part of the March 21 Campaign against racial discrimination. The contest provides the chance for youth between 12 and 20 to submit short videos (45 to 60 seconds) on their thoughts about eliminating racism.
The initiative reaches thousands of youth and educators from across the country every year and includes participation from many partners, including the National Film Board of Canada, Panasonic Canada Inc., MuchMusic, and VRAK.TV.
Winners will receive, among other prizes, an all expenses paid trip to the Capital Region where they will participate in an awards ceremony hosted by the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism in March 2010. This year's deadline for submissions is Friday, Jan.15, 2010.
Learn more: http://www.march21.gc.ca .
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/13/ DID YOU KNOW...
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There are many dates to mark in October:
• Women's History Month - http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/dates/whm/index_e.html
• October 1 is Treaty Day and Mi'kmaq History Month
• Breast Health Month
• October 5 to 11 - National Family Week
• October 12 is Thanksgiving
• October 17 is Diwali the “Festival of Lights” symbolizing unity in diversity as each state of India marks this celebration in its own, individual way with gift exchanges, fireworks and festive meals
• October 12 to 18 - YWCA Week Without Violence
• October 18 - Persons Day, the day in 1929 when a British Privy Council decision recognized most Canadian women as “persons qualified” for appointment to the Senate.
• On October 20, Bahá'ís around the world celebrate the Birth of the Báb, one of eleven Holy Days in the Bahá'í calendar. The Báb is often refered to as the Herald of the Bahá'í Faith, because it was His mission to prepare the way for Bahá'u'lláh, the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith
• October 31 is All Hallows Eve or Halloween
For more information contact the Diversity Round Table at: diversity_round_table@gov.ns.ca .
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NEXT ISSUE – October 16, 2009
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