AWH concerns are constantly evolving – local, national and international!

  • Social protection intersecting health and social democracy
  • Poverty
  • Racism
  • Climate emergency
  • Child care
  • Long Term care
  • Violence perpetrated against women
  • Affordable housing
  • Pay equity
  • Diverse and marginalized women
  • Care of the vulnerable
  • Distribution of income
  • Reproductive rights

WHAT WE’RE DOING

From the Annual Review 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:
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
MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos
Commissioner Alex Sarchuk
Developer, Schlegel Homes

Events attended:

  • August 2022: the dedication of the Veronica Tyrell Park, an AWH member.
  • 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

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

Gains in some of our issues:
The Halton Regional Police Service is increasing the number of their mental health Crisis teams.
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.

From the Annual Review 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