WOMEN'S EYES ON THE CITY
Women’s Action Forum
2010 Draft City Budget
January 14, 6:00-8:00,
Honeywell Room City Hall
What do you want to see in the 2010 City Budget?
What are your opportunities for input?
The City of Ottawa has a new budget process. Committees of Council are receiving input from the community now. Click here for details on City of Ottawa web-site.
At the forum, we will discuss opportunities for input and the kind of budget you would like to see.
Reimbursing Expenses: We have limited funds for those of us who need to have childcare, bus tickets or transportation reimbursed in order to participate. Help us keep parking costs low, by taking the bus or finding a parking spot that is free after 7:00.
We hope you can join us.
Women’s Action Forum
Reflecting Diversity in Parks and Recreation Services
October 14, 2009, Wednesday, 7:00-9:00,
Honeywell Room City Hall
What do you think is most important about City of Ottawa recreation services?
What is needed to make them accessible for you, your family and community?
These are questions that women asked their communities in 14 focus groups held across the city this last spring. CAWI compiled the learning in a report so as to inform the City of Ottawa Recreation Master Plan. This Master Plan will guide the way recreation services are delivered.
To see report click here: English or French Summary
Come join us on October 14th, when we:
- thank the women who facilitated groups in their communities
- share what we learned, and
- City of Ottawa staff give us an update
Reimbursing Expenses: We have limited funds for those of us who need to have childcare, bus tickets or transportation reimbursed in order to participate. Help us keep parking costs low, by taking the bus or finding a parking spot that is free after 7:00.
We hope you can join us.
Women's Perspectives on inclusive municipal governance The Peach Paper Re-Visited
Women Eyes on City Decision Making
City of Ottawa is in the midst of a governance review. This will include the ways City Council and its committees operate, and the ways citizens can provide input into city decisions.
One of the objectives is to “maximize input from residents….while ensuring that seniors, new Canadians, women and the economically disadvantaged are included.”
Women’s Eyes on Subsidized Child Care
On April 2, Community and Protective Services Committee of City Council received a report on Child Care Subsidies. The recommendations in the report could have resulted in decreased subsidized child care spaces in order to address funding shortages.
Knowing that subsidized spaces are critical for low-income women and their families, women in the CAWI network presented a deputation asking two things:
- Don’t reduce subsidized spaces; they are too important for women and their families.
- Set up a Child Care Advisory Committee to look at other solutions to funding shortages.
Great news! Councillor Alex Cullen put forth a motion that this be added to the report’s recommendations and it passed! Next step is for the report to be approved at City Council.
Send a message to Council to help ensure this happens.
Write to members of the CPS committee to thank them for voting in favour of this motion and ask your City Councillor to support it when it comes to full Council. See sample messages below.
Click here for e-mails of all City Councillors.
Sample Messages
To members of Community and Protective Services Committee:
Diane Deans, Shad Qadri, George Bedard, Michel Bellemare, Rick Chiarelli, Alex Cullen, Peggy Feltmate, Diane Holmes, Christine Leadman
Dear Councillor __________
I write to thank you for voting to not reduce subsidized child care spaces, but to instead set up a Child Care Advisory Committee to identify other ways of addressing funding shortages. We already have too few subsidized child care spaces. Reducing subsidized spaces would make it even more difficult for women with children to be employed.
I know this is important because……
I recognize the city has a funding shortage. I would be pleased to work with you to obtain more funds from the provincial and federal government for childcare.
Thank you for encouraging other members of City Council to vote in favour of these amended recommendations.
Best regards,
Name, address, phone
If your Councillor does not sit on the CPS Committee, you might say:
Dear Councillor_______
I live in your ward and I am writing to ask you to vote in favour of women and children when you vote on the Child Care Fee Subsidy Plan. I know this is important because……..
I ask that you support the amended recommendations to not reduce the number of subsidized child care spaces and to set up a Child Care Advisory Committee to identify other ways to stabilize funding.
By involving the child care community, parents and the wider community in an Advisory Council, the community can work with you to find solutions that do not jeopardize the well-being of women and their families.
I recognize the city has a funding shortage. I would be pleased to work with you to obtain more funds from the provincial and federal government for childcare.
Best regards,
Name, address, phone
Women’s Eyes on Our City’s Buses
Thank you Marion Dewar
It is with deep respect that the City for All Women Initiative (CAWI) joins with women and men across this city in honouring the life of Marion Dewar, past mayor of Ottawa and community leader. With her sense of compassion and dedication to equity in our city, she is a role model of women’s leadership. She will be deeply missed and yet will continue to be an inspiration for so many women finding their voice in our city.
For these reasons, City for All Women Initiative is dedicating our five –month training program on Women’s Civic Participation Training to Marion Dewar. On September 17th, we opened the training with a drumming ceremony in her honour. We will strive to learn from her example as we strengthen our leadership.
Thank you Marion for helping us to know that “Our Views Matter!”
CAWI skit
CAWI women present skit to the Standing Committee of Community and Protective Services on how the community is affected when the provincial and federal government do not provide enough funding for cities.
Click here for a copy of the skit that you can present in your community. (pdf - word)
CAWI Peach Paper Governance Review
City Council is reviewing how it makes decisions. This is partly because the Government of Ontario passed legislation (Bill 130) permitting municipalities to have more choice about the way they govern themselves. It is extremely important for all those who care about how the City operates – how it makes decisions, who gets listened to, what decisions are taken, what services result from the decisions, and how these decisions affect the quality of all Ottawa residents’ lives – to take part in these important discussions.
In Spring 2007, the City of Ottawa prepared a series of White Papers, which are discussion papers that provide an overview of the governance issues resulting from Bill 130. Upon hearing of CAWI’s interest for women’s perspectives to be considered in deliberations on governance, Mayor Larry O’Brien, extended an invitation to CAWI to prepare a White Paper. The Peach Paper (with the colour symbolizing women’s distinct perspectives) is our response to the Mayor’s invitation.
In October 2008, the city is to release a new white paper on the city governance review. Let your Councillor know what you think is important for the future of good decision making in our city.
Immigrant Ottawa Initiative
Nubia Cermeño and Cristina Pullido did a great job of representing CAWI Employment and Action Team at City Hall. They delivered the presentation on the City Staff Report on Immigration Ottawa Initiative to Community and Protective Services to the rapt attention of Council Committee members.
The Employment Action Team would like to thank the CAWI sisters who came out to give visible support - we had a good number of peach scarves in the audience! Please see the presentation (pdf - word)
Women’s Eyes on Funds for Our City
Take Back the Costs of Public Health
Send a message today
When the 2008 Provincial Budget was announced, women met at City Hall to ask what was in it for our city. We wanted to know if the province listened to the 2000 postcards sent to McGuinty asking the province to take back the costs of public health.
The budget did include $1 billion for roads, bridges, public transit, along with a small amount for social housing repair costs and a 2% increase in social assistance rates. But there was no mention of taking back the full costs of public health and other social services.We have another opportunity to get our message to the province. Later this spring, the province and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) are to release a joint report on ways to fix the current funding shortage plaguing Ontario cities. Taking back the full costs of public health could be part of this report.
Write now to Jim Watson, Minister of Municipal Affairs, to tell him what you hope to see in that report. See sample message below. You can use this text or change it to fit your own concerns, then copy and paste it into the feedback form on Jim Watson’s web-site. Be sure to include your full name and address
Sample Message:
The City of Ottawa plays an important role in delivering social services like public health, childcare and social housing, but cannot afford to pay for them from the property taxes. Ontario is the only province where cities pay for social services with property taxes. The result is that Ottawa does not have the funds it needs to run an effective city.
I am counting on the report of the “Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review” to provide real solutions to this critical problem. One important first step is for the province to take back 100% of the cost of public health; as well as other social services. The health of my community depends upon it.
I look forward to hearing from you on this important issue.
City for All Women Initiative joined with People for a Better Ottawa and the Coalition of Community Health and Resource Centres to deliver 2000 post cards to Premier McGuinty.
POSTCARD CAMPAIGN
We invite you to join CAWI and other community groups in a postcard campaign. We want to call on Premier McGuinty to take back the cost of public health, so our city will have funds for other social services. See postcard and information flyer attached.
This is an opportunity to work with City Council to make it more possible to fund vital services in our community. Our Views Matter!
