OUR ISSUES

We advocate for women around such issues as democracy, poverty, childcare, gender-based violence, affordable housing, pay equity, diverse and marginalized women, justice and corrections, distribution of income, and reproductive rights

WHAT WE’VE BEEN WORKING ON:

2025

Campaigns on:

The Elections: Ontario: Questions were sent to the Candidates with a number of responses received. Congratulations sent to those elected. March 2025

Canada: Letter of thanks for leadership campaign sent to Karina Gould, Mar.2025. Letters sent to all federal candidates about the Parliamentary Pledge and gender based violence, with some responses

Congratulations sent to those elected, May 2025. Letter of thanks sent to Jagmeet Singh.

Child Care 2025: Letters of concern about the lack of finalizing the Canada Wide Early Learning and Childcare (CWELCC) program sent to Ford, Calandra and local MPPs. Response received from Whitney Wilson, Director Early Years Branch, Early Years and Child Care Division, Ministry of Education

Other letters and briefs:

May 2025 – Statement concerning Judicial Independence posted.

May 2025 – Maplehurst Correctional Facility, Email sent to Premier and local MPPs, response from office of Effie Triantafilopoulos

March 2025 – Letter of thanks to Premier of Manitoba Hon Wab Kinew concerning the MMIW search, response May 16, 2025.pdf

March 2025 – Concerns about the loss of Women and Gender Equity from Cabinet sent to local MPs,

Feb. 2025 – Ontario Budget Consultations 2025

2023-2024

Campaigns on:

Disabilities 2023-2024: Bill C-22 Canada Disability Benefit Plan: letters sent with our concerns to the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities , the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Person with Disabilities, the NDP Critic for Disability Inclusion, 4 MPs; reply received from Adam van Koeverden staff;

Child Care 2023-2024: Bill C-35 Canada Early Learning and Child Care Act: Oct.2023 – letters of support sent to Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology; March 2023 – Brief sent to Commons HUMA Committee; Jan.2023 – letter was sent to Jagmeet Singh asking his support for  Bill C-35 Early Learning and Child Care Act

Ontario: Feb.2024-Minister Stephen Lecce, Ontario Minister of Education, Implementing Child Care In Ontario, our 4 MPs; ; letters sent to Regional councillors and Halton MPPs, answer received from Zee Hamid; meeting held with Region staff

Housing 2024: Burlington’s federal grant for housing and its consultations concerning housing accessibility .

Other letters and briefs sent:

  • April 2024 – Pharmacare letter to local MPs celebrating legislation.
  • Mar. 2024 – Karina Gould responded-letter re Gaza which she supported.
  • Mar.14,2024 – Mayor Meed-Ward re use of the Housing Accelerator Fund resources to help homeless families. 
  • Mar.6,2024 – Motion M-86, a Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral Reform: letters sent to Halton MPs concerning loss of M-86; replies from Michael Chong and Adam van Koeverden did support M-86.
  • Feb.13,2024 – Hon. Stan Cho, Minister, Long-Term Care and others re Auditor General’s December 2023 report.  The AWH letter focused on staffing and accountability via inspections. 
  • Feb. 9,2024 – Canada Budget Consultations 2024
  • January 27,2024 – The Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada M-86, a Citizen’s Assembly on Electoral Reform
  • April 2023 – AWH Response to the Region of Halton Strategic Business Plan
  • Feb.21,2023 – Letter sent to Minister Lametti re announcement of a commission to review the wrongful convictions and establishment of Canadian Registry of Wrongful Convictions.  It is a follow-up to the Justice Committee advocacy a few years ago.
  • Feb.2023 – Ontario Budget Brief asked for increased financial support for health care, assisted living, childcare and social assistance.
  • Jan. 31,2023 –  Hon. Karina Gould concerning post-secondary tuition relief for low income families

Meetings attended/held:

  • Oakville Community Leaders Round Table  monthly meetings attended by Chair, Anne Douglas
  • May 16,2024 – Hon. Karina Gould re Early Learning and Child Care Agreement
  • Mar. 2024 – Bev and Joey attended Jody’s presentation to HDSB regarding the Board’s renaming of Iroquois Ridge High School.
  • Feb.24,2023 – Natalie Pierre, MPP Burlington MPP Natalie Pierre discussion regarding early learning and childcare, income security and Bill 60 Health Care re Community Surgeries and Diagnostic Centers.
  • Feb.15,2023 – Stephen Crawford, MPP Oakville MPP Stephen Crawford discussion regarding income security, health care and education
  • Jan.11,2023 – Hon. Karina Gould, MP Burlington MP Karina Gould discussion regarding health transfer payments, child care and income security

Newsletter: AWHsome, our AWH newsletter, Published quarterly since April 2023

Endorsements:

  • October 2023 – Signed onto letter by Ontario for All re Bill 23 More Homes Build Faster Act 2022 permitting housing development on dedicated green spaces, reducing conservation authority on sensitive lands and transfer of infrastructure costs to the municipality from the developer. 
  • October 2023 – Signed onto letter by No Demovictions Ontario
  • Dec.2022 – Signed onto letter by Campaign 2000 joint community and labour requesting EI Reform

Guests: Rishia Burke, Executive Director of Community Development Halton; Richard Judson, Halton Regional Police Force concerning Mental Health Response; Karen Swift, Halton Health Care; Sherry Seavil, Indigenous Education Advisor to the Halton Catholic District School Board; Laurie Hepburn, Halton Women’s Place, outlined the services offered.

Gains in some of our issues:

Bill C-35 adopted, but more work for implementation.

Bill C-22 adopted but with concerns.

2021-2022

Campaigns on:
Provincial Election:
Spring 2022: We prepared position papers on our 4 main topics: Education, Income Security, Justice and Corrections, Long-term Care
Sending our election package to 16 candidates for office (4 for each of the 4 main parties), we met with the Green, Liberal and NDP candidates who responded to our position papers. The Conservative candidates did not.

Long-term Care
October 4: we staged a protest walkabout in downtown Oakville to demonstrate our dismay about Long Term Care in Ontario, in cooperation with CFUW Oakville and the Ontario Health Coalition.

Letters sent:
Nov. 2022: Federal hearings re Bill C-22, the Canada Disability Benefit Act requesting more benefits and financial support to people living with disabilities.  Cc sent to Halton MPs.
Nov.2022: Minister Neil Lumsden, Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport regarding Hockey Canada’s payments to sexual assault victims. The request was to divert government and private industry support from Hockey Canada to support sexual assault victims and prevention education.
Oct. 2022: Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care regarding Southbridge Care Homes’ application for a 30-year license renewal to build and operate Orchard Villa.  
Jan. 2022: Minister Doug Downey concerning legal issues such as eviction, the Legal Aid System, access to justice
Jan. 2022: Halton Chair Gary Carr concerning urban boundary expansion
Nov. 2021: MPP Stephen Crawford concerning child care

Meetings:
MP Karina Gould twice
MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos
Commissioner Alex Sarchuk
Developer, Schlegel Homes

Events attended:

  • August 2022: the dedication of the Veronica Tyrell Park, an AWH member.Veronica Tyrell park
  • March 2022: WHAM’s International Women’s Day Undinner Party with our Secretary Ancilla Ho Young as the keynote speaker
  • February 2022: Webinar on the Housing Crisis sponsored by Poverty Free Halton
  • November 2021: Ontario Federation of Labour Convention
  • September 30.2021 – National Truth and Reconciliation Day activities sponsored by our member group, Grandmothers’ Voice.

Endorsements:
Supported GASP in their attempts to stop the construction of Highway 413
Supported Ontario For All by signing onto their letter concerning Ontario’s Bill 23, More Homes Build Faster Act.

Internally:
Committees were established:
Health, Justice, and Income Security/Disability, Education, Democracy

Gains in some of our issues:
The Halton Regional Police Service is increasing the number of their mental health Crisis teams. Halton Regional Police Service now now has one of the best records in Canada concerning ‘unfounded’ sexual complaints – 4%.
The Province of Ontario has signed on to the National Childcare Programme.
The Government of Canada has seriously reduced the number of mandatory minimum sentences available to judges.

2020-2021
Internally:
Ten General Meetings and ten Steering Committee Meetings over the year;
Three committees, Long Term Care, Income Security and Justice produced policy-oriented letters for elected officials;
Research being done on the Ontario Government’s plans for reorganization of its Income Support Programmes; and 
Welcomed two new groups: the Retired Teachers of Ontario, and Grandmothers Voice.

Externally:
Ten meetings with elected officials including 6 federal Ministers and 1 provincial Parliamentary Secretary, and with senior officials such as the Commissioner of Social Services for Halton;
Three committees, Long Term Care, Income Security and Justice
produced 22 policy-oriented letters to approximately 26 elected officials; and
Two events, including a public Demonstration on Long Term Care and a Meet the Candidates meeting prior to the federal election.

September 2019-Sept. 2020

Campaigns on:
The New Normal- the AWH vision for life after COVID-19
The Social Commons

Letters Sent/Phone calls:
Region of Halton:
July 2020: Mayor Burton and the Police Services Board about redirecting funds towards police training
Jan.2020: Inspections of private child care centres

Provincial:
Feb.2020: Education Minister Lecce on a number of issues – teachers’ strike, budget cuts, increased funding for programs and services, class sizes, gender wage parity with other public services, etc.
Feb.2020: Attorney General Doug Downey and local MPPs for stabilized support to sexual assault centres in this time of #MeToo.
March 2020: Local MPPs about what AWH would like to see after COVID
May 2020: To protest the cancelling of the state-of-art courthouse in Oakville that involved loss of jobs and services
July 2020: The need to regulate Long Term Care homes
July 2020: The capping of wages contained in Bill 124

Federal:
July 2020: Prime Minister, supporting universal child care program
August 2020: A precise definition of what we wanted to see in a national child care program
August 2020: supporting basic income as part of a network of social supports.

Briefs presented:
January 2020: Pre-Budget comments to the Ontario Government, including a presentation to the Committee
August 2020: Pre-Budget comments to the federal government

Guests:
Heather Thompson, Halton Age Friendly Network
Eleanor McMahon, former President of the Ontario Treasury Board
Lisa Koehler, Coordinator of Halton Environmental Network
Pam Damoff, MP Oakville North Burlington

Meetings:
December 2019: meeting concerning the new courthouse in Oakville
July 2020: with GASP to discuss liveable income
August 2020: Mayor of Oakville the Chair of the Police Services Board and deputy police chief discussing racial discrimination and the use of force by the police.
Rising Together: Women for a Just Economy – webinar series developing a plan

Events attended:
Protest with Black Lives Matter
Protest with CFUW Oakville concerning Long Term Care

Sign-ons:
Income security letter from Income Security Advocacy Centre
The Prosperity Project


























    

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