ONTARIO COUNCIL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2005

The Ontario Council Annual General Meeting, organized by CFUW-Stratford, ran very smoothly and was attended by 186 women, including members from Thunder Bay, Ottawa, North Bay, and even Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The theme for the two-day meeting was Advocating for the Arts, in keeping with Stratford's strong connection to the arts. The keynote speaker was Antoni Cimolini, Executive Director of the Stratford Festival, who gave an interesting talk on the theme and answered questions from his enthusiastic audience. There were also three workshops: Linking the Community and the Arts, with Pat Quigley of the Festival, Developing a Music Festival in your Community with James Mason of the Grand River Baroque Festival, and Arts Education Old and New with Ron Dodson, Curriculum Co-ordinator for Secondary Schools for the Avon-Maitland District School Board.
On Saturday evening after the meeting and dinner at a restaurant adjacent to the theatre, 110 of the attendees attended a very well-received performance of As You Like It at the Festival Theatre.

Standing Committee Chairs Workshop

At the 2004-2005 Annual General Meeting of the Ontario Council of CFUW, held in Stratford on May 15th, 2005, the Chairs of the Standing Committees, as well as the Chair of the Ad Hoc Advocacy Committee and the Ontario Council President, held a workshop, attended by approximately 80 Ontario Council members, to determine issues of importance to the Clubs and their members.

The results are as follows:
Of greatest importance:

• Water - clean water
• The Arbitration Act and its impact upon women, with special reference to Shari'ia
• Education - follow-up on funding for both public and post-secondary
• Health - in particular the doctor/nurse shortage, home and palliative care
• Balance in life - with reference to child care, commuting, the environment

Other concerns:

• Education: Literacy (including adult), Physical education for every student, School drop-outs, Arts & specialty education, ESL, Trade education, Financial support for mature female students to university/college, Stop fundraising, Quality measurement
• Health Care: Increased spaces for doctors in medical schools, Delisting of services and pharmaceuticals
• Water: Selling of water
• Women: Violence and the media, Housing/ tax and pensions for older retired women, Poverty for women, Problems of ethnic minorities, Domestic violence, Aboriginal women - violence & murder
• Environment: Urban development, Wal-Mart, Quarry expansion, Endangered species, Brownfields, Pesticides, Waste management, Recycling plastics, Incineration
• Children: Child care, Child pornography