Updates
Minister of Education: We Have Serious Concerns for Equity
A letter to the Minister of Education, Kathleen Wynne concerning the School Information Finder
April 17, 2009
Dear Minister Wynne:
The Ministry of Education’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy, and the Ontario government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy mark significant progress in addressing equity issues in Ontario, and the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto applauds these important initiatives. It is in this context that we write you to express our support for the concerns raised by People for Education and other community-based education advocacy organizations related to the School Information Finder website, and our strong concern that the Ministry of Education has not taken the website offline while it is undergoing review.
Esurio
This is a new student refereed academic journal published by the Ontario Association of Food Banks. Esurio publishes twice annually on issues of hunger and poverty through a youth lens.
Five Good Ideas - Building Conversations on the Web (Video)
CSPC-T Communications Officer Christopher Wulff and Marco Campana of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants explored building conversations online for a crowd of about 110 at the Maytree Foundation’s November Five Good Ideas brown bag lunch back in November. Video of the session is now available and can be viewed below.
The turnout, which was a record for the series, demonstrates how much people in the community-based services sector are struggling with new communications technologies and where they fit in the organization. The Council will continue to look for ways that they can support the sector on this issue with more workshops and resources soon to come.
Ontario Youth Matter
The Ontario Youth Matter! campaign for better youth policies is a network of community organizations calling on the Ontario government to implement a Provincial Youth Policy Framework.
Summary Report: South Asians and Health
CASSA set out to identify gaps in health promotion for South Asian communities in Ontario. This summary includes the discussions that took place as well as input from those who couldn't attend the roundtable.
Read more here: http://atwork.settlement.org/sys/atwork_whatshappen_detail.asp?rss=1&anno_id=2008191
Rally to Fix EI postponed
Due to inclement weather reports, the Good Jobs for All Coalition has decided to postpone the Rally to Fix EI that had been scheduled for April 21st. More details will be available soon.
Rally to Fix EI Now!
The Good Jobs for All Coalition is hosting a rally at 12:00 on April 21st at 4900 Yonge St (just North of Sheppard) calling on the Federal government to make substantial changes to Employment Insurance for all Canadians.
Recession Relief Fund Community Forum
We're All in This Together: Defending the Public Interest During the Recession is being hosted by the Recession Relief Fund Coalition on April 28th. Speakers include Naomi Klein, Uzma Shakir, Gail Nyberg and Peggy Nash.
ISAC Update - April 2009
The April newsletter of the Income Security Advocacy Centre is online! Highlights include information on the special diet litigation, the Ending Poverty project, their revised case criteria and the impending social assistance review.
New Website to Save Toronto Pools
LetsMakeWaves.ca was set up by some community leaders across the city who are concerned that the Toronto District School Board plans to close 39 of its 79 pools in June of 2009.