ONTARIO COUNCIL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2002

The 2002 Ontario Council AGM was hosted by CFUW Etobicoke at Black Creek Pioneer Village and the theme was The Persons Case: A Platform for Progress. On Friday evening a musical presentation by The Ginger Group celebrated the work of the Famous Five women who took the fight to have women included in the term "persons" to the Privy Council of Great Britain. Jean Augustine, MP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore and the Minister of Multiculturalism and the Status of Women was a guest at this reception and was presented with the CFUW national brief.

Business on Saturday included discussion and voting on two education resolutions. The resolution on public funding of public education was passed by the delegates and is now part of Ontario Council policy.

During the regional meetings members were asked to identify concerns in their region and the compiled list included: health care issues; poverty and homelessness; abuse of children and the elderly; water quality; deregulation of public resources; and the social cost of gambling.

The main focus of the afternoon program was a workshop on advocacy during which Carolyn Day gave us a CFUW perspective and our keynote speaker, Marilou McPhedran, gave us the benefit of her expertise in this area. Marilou was given a list of the regional concerns and made the point that health and human rights are inextricably linked and that women must strive to insure healthy communities.