Poverty Awareness in York Region

A reminder there is a "Do The Math" group meeting ( Put food in the Budget Campaign ) today at 10:00 am at the Inn from the Cold building - 510 Penrose st Newmarket.


Also Fri Sept 17 at Fairy lake Park there will be a short PACC meeting at 6:30 pm followed by a "stand-up" call at 7pm-7:30 where we'll accept signatures/stand pledge against poverty which will be added to names around the world for (to pressure) the UN leaders who meet this month. ...and Sat Sept 18 from 9 AM-1:30pm we have a booth at the Newmarket Farmers market to accept pledges and promote Oct 17. All supporters welcome to participate - entertainers, face-painters etc also welcome!

I met with the Y.R. Commissioner yesterday in regards to the ISARC social audit which we presented them the 1st copies of. The meeting scheduled for an hour went 2/1/2 hrs! Very productive... More later on this. Tomorrow to meet with Debra Kelly of YR media group re: social audit. Those who participated and wish to, may get a chance to be profiled by them.

Below radio interview I did yesterday for airing today at noon on 93.3fm.

Instructions for accessing archived CFMU 93.3 disRespect interviews:
- point your web browser to http://radio4all.net/
- enter key word(s) in the search field near top right of home page (e.g., "disRespect")
- search through found list for the show you are looking for and click on it
- from here there are several choices, though what I do is click on the PODCAST button, then right-click on the mp3 filename to get a popup menu from which you can select to "Download Linked File As...", or alternatively select another option
- another way to access the audio file is to not click on that PODCAST button and instead click on the download button near the bottom right of the page (the button that is a white triangle in a red circle)

Tom out
www.povertyacc.com/getinvolved

On Aug 18 2010 I met with The Honourable Bryon Wilfert MP from Richmond Hill on behalf of Campaign 2000 ( http://www.campaign2000.ca/ ). I was to be meeting him with another who relies on wheel-trans to get around. When trying to book a ride, this person was told there were no rides available at that time because those early times are taken up by those who need medications, thus she could not go. I mention this because it's another way those in poverty and reliant on public wheel-transport (in YR) are often left out - such as in this case.


At any rate we met Aug 18 just the two of us(no assistant) and had a good discussion. I also received a letter the other day from his office following up on our meeting reiterating his positions..

I was impressed by his candor and knowledge. Having been a longtime municipal politician his local knowledge was also good.He knew that 3 and 1/2 million people lived in poverty in Canada - seemed to have a grasp on poverty nationally as well.

The MP supports a pan-Canadian conference on poverty ( and a national poverty reduction strategy with measurable outcomes) which would include all levels of government and hear from those in poverty. He supports income supplements and a $10 national minimum wage and indexing it to the cost of living.

He mentioned only 4.6% of a billion $'s alotted for fixing housing has been accessed to date and only 1.9% of $400 million for low income seniors housing and only .1% of 75 million for helping house those with disabilities.

MP Wilfert spoke of investing - not spending - mentioning that the only 12% of infrastructure spending actually created jobs.

He feels that the bill C-545 and C-304 are private members bills and are "feelgood" bills .

He supports pension reform, pan-Canadian learning approach including early childhood, aboriginal, workforce literacy for newcomers and access to higher education and training.

His letter to me concluded by saying he looks forward to working with me on this issue in the future...let's hope he means it.

Tom Pearson
Chairman, Poverty Action for Change Coalition
Make Poverty History YR
http://www.povertyacc.com/

Make Poverty History YR and PACC will be holding a stand-up station on Fri Sept 17 at Fairy Lake Park Pavilion in Newmarket at 7 to 7:15 pm. Join millions worldwide standing at once and pledging against poverty either at our station or ...create your own!!

This is our chance to make a difference.

Stand Up and Make Poverty History.

The countdown to Stand Up 2010 has begun! On September 17, 18 and 19 join with millions of people around the world and help us make 2010 the year our leaders can no longer ignore our calls to end poverty at home and abroad.


Stand Up events and actions can be as big or as small as you would like them to be. They can be quick and easy to plan or they can be bigger events that require more planning. The choice is yours!

Whether big or small, Stand Up events and actions are meant to raise awareness of poverty, show support for ending poverty and bring as many voices together so that we make the biggest noise possible.

Where to Stand Up? You can Stand Up anywhere! You could Stand Up: at the office; on campus; at your school; with your faith group; at home with your family and friends; online (Facebook, Twitter); at a local event or concert.

Check out our new Organizers toolkit for more ideas on how you can participate in Stand Up 2010. Register your event by August 31st and receive a free resource kit!

Leaders will no longer be able to ignore our voices when millions of voices have come together and the noise, as Archbishop Desmond Tutu famously said, “will be deafening. Politicians will have to listen.”

Stand Up is our chance to do that. But we need your help.

Stand Up. Take Action. Make Poverty History. September 17, 18 or 19.

Last meeting was great! We had it outdoors at Fairy Lake Park and were able to envision how Oct 17 - International Day for the Eradication of Poverty will could look. We discussed the idea of moving the stage to be more open and welcoming to walkers-by and participants and had some good suggestions. We discussed more signage for this year and received donations to help put things together. We also heard from several organizations interested in having an info booth at the event. On a further update Glen Marais has agreed to play Oct 17 as well! Glen will be performing in Africa assisting efforts to make changes and is a welcome addition with an original song n that encompasses our theme. The performing/arts portion will also host some art pieces this year and likely a photo-display so looking to be a unique event and a short doc on poverty as well!


Also mentioned was the fact that the official stand-up count is slated for Sept 17,18,19 this year to coincide with the UN heads meeting in order to put pressure on world leaders to attend to poverty. We agreed that we would have a stand-up event on location at Fairy Lake Park on Sept 17 at 7PM . We can also have a short meeting at the same time for anyone wishing to help organize.Those that cannot make it can still be counted towards a new worlds record for those standing against poverty by pledging online and vowing to stand while pledging.The link is on our website should you need.

We also named a new program that PACC has rolled out in cooperation with YRDSB which we named - PACC to School - what we did was distribute about 100 backpacks stuffed with supplies, calculators etc through PACC going into the communities and delivering them via a neighbourhood BBQ! Hey how can you beat that! As well Operation Sparrow's Spotlight Theatre school also performed in one of the communities and we hope to expand this next year!

We will be looking to call a meeting for organizers - anyone from all organizations attached to poverty- interested in collaborating as well on the Oct 17 committee - likely next week so watch for announcements.

We are meeting with MP Wilfred from R Hill (East Beaver creek) on Wed morning at 10:00 am if anyone is interested to attend with me. We are asking for federal support on several key fronts (campaign 2000)

Sept 14 - YR transit - info session re: mobility transit - we plan to attend this the more the merrier! Let's put an end to "stupid rules" especially when it affects the lives of those with no choice!..to give you an example someone wishing to attend with me WEd cannot because there are no vehivcles available at that time..good thing(and no wonder) she's not going to work!

All 4 now..
tom Out

www.povertyacc.com/getinvolved

For all you "summer workers" who are using the season's slower pace to make plans for the coming year, we are happy to offer a range of great learning opportunities to expand and deepen your thinking.

At 12:00 ET on Thursday August 26th, the next installment of our Vibrant Communities Provincial Poverty Reduction Strategies Series continues with a closer look at All Aboard: Manitoba's Poverty Reduction and Social Inclusion Strategy. In May 2009, Manitoba became the sixth province in Canada to unveil a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy. On this call, Eric Leviten-Reid will interview Jan Forster, Executive Director of the Policy and Planning Branch of Manitoba Family Services and Consumer Affairs who co-chairs the province's cross-departmental working group responsible for this strategy. Jan will speak about Manitoba's approach to poverty reduction and the progress they have made to date.

Our final call in the Vibrant Communities Provincial Poverty Reduction Strategies Series will be held on Thursday September 23rd at 12:00 ET when Mark Cabaj speaks with Sherri Torjman, Vice President of the Caledon Institute of Social Policy. Sherri will summarize the substantive elements and process highlights of the various provincial poverty reduction strategies and discuss the important role that communities can continue to play in advancing and monitoring them.

Only a handful of spots remain for the 2010 Communities Collaborating Institute - Tamarack's signature, week-long learning event. You can learn more about the event's thought leaders and workshops on the CCI webpage. Please contact Leisa Nichol by email or by phone at 519-885-5155 to inquire about registering for any remaining spaces.

Please don't forget to visit our updated Friends & Partner Events for a listing of more learning opportunities. And, be sure to subscribe to Engage! Tamarack's monthly e-magazine for the latest on collaboration and community engagement.

We look forward to continuing to learn with you,

The Tamarack Team
Tamarack - An Institute for Community Engagement
5 Father David Bauer Drive, Suite 106
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 6M2
Tel: (519) 885-5155
Fax: (519) 885-4454
E-mail: tamarack@tamarackcommunity.ca
Web: http://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/

Next PACC meeting Thursday Aug 5...6:45 - 7:45 PM Fairy Lake Park Pavilion Newmarket!


Hello everyone hope the summer's going well as can be!

Our next meeting is as listed above...we decided to meet at Fairy lake so we can get a good look/see feel as to the shaping of this years Oct 17 event which we will discuss and visualize!

Also on our agenda is holding a 'stand-up" meeting / MPH event for Sept 16,17,or 18

Discuss attending the YR transit info session

Do The Math update - Ontario wide strategy - we are to come up with a wish list of local "celebs" to have live a poverty diet for 5 days and shadow someone.

Social Audit update - to be released September via news conference - those who participated can participate in the media conference at any level they wish - anonymous helper, speaker, or just be available to speak to the media whichever level people want.

• new news and updates - Tom
• schools yrdsb activity - kristine
• new funds pledged - Tom
• Operation sparrow update - childrens art classes still avail starts Oct, Aurora Karate spots still available immediately
• web update

Hope to see you there!

Tom

After a lot of discussion at the global level, Stand Up has been moved to September 17, 18 and 19th 2010 this year. This is because there is a huge UN meeting in New York around the Millennium Development Goals from September 20 - 22nd. Stand Up was moved to the weekend just before the Summit so that we can put last minute pressure on world leaders before they head to New York for the UN meeting.

We've got some info posted on our new MPH website at www.makepovertyhistory.ca/standup.

We encourage people to stand-up or organize a "stand-up" event near you on any of those September dates. We will of course still be hosting Oct 17 Int Day for the Eradication of Poverty at Fairy Lake Park in Newmarket.

Tom Pearson
Chair, Make Poverty History YR,
P.A.C.C.
http://www.povertyacc.com/