STANDING COMMITTEES SPEAKERS

Over the years, the Standing Committees have had excellent speakers representing their organizations and their views.

September 29, 2012
Topic: Transitioning of Youth in Foster Care
Speaker: Irwin Elman, Ontario’s first Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth

Topic: Universal Early Learning and Child Care
Speaker: Martha Friendly, founder and Executive Director of the Childcare Resource and Research Unit, University of Toronto

Topic: Youth in Care
Speakers: Wendy Hayes, one of the Youth Leads, and Jurgen Reyes, active member on the Ministry Working Group, Ministry of Children and Youth Minister

Topic: Women's Coalitions
Speakers: Liz Simpson and Barb Spronk, CFUW Kitchener-Waterloo, Women’s Group Network of Kitchener Waterloo and Area; Anne Douglas, CFUW Oakville, Advancement of Women Halton

March 17, 2012
Topic: Wage Gaps and Pay Equity in Ontario
Speaker: Emanuela Heyninck,, Commissioner of Ontario’s Pay Equity Commission

Topic: When Communications Go Awry: The Impact of Intangible Culture on Cross-Cultural Interactions.
Presenter: Dr. Cheryl Gaver

January 21, 2012
Topic: Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health
Speaker: Ashlee Cunsolo Willox, PhD candidate in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph

Topic: A discussion on grief and mourning with respect to climate change
Presenter: Ashlee Cunsolo Willox

Topic: Mental Illness
Presenter: Christine Cooper, executive director of FAME (Family Association for Mental Health Everywhere)

September 24, 2011
Topic: Election Issues
Speakers:
Sheela Subramanian, a policy analyst with the Canadian Mental Health Association, is a member of the Elections Ontario Accessibility Advisory Committee
Andrea Calver is coordinator for the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, an advocacy group working for universal, affordable child care
Nora Loreto, formerly chair of the Ryerson University Students’ Union, and now Communications and Government Relations Coordinator for the Canadian Federation of Students – Ontario

Topic: The effects of labor disruptions in Colleges and Universities
Presenter: Nora Loreto, Communications and Government Relations Coordinator, Canadian Federation of Students—Ontario (CFS-O)

Topic: Equal Voice
Presenter: Dr. Lesley Byrne

March 19, 2011
Topic: Financial Literacy
Speaker: Greg Pollock, Task Force on Financial Literacy

Topic: Schools as Community Hubs
Presenter: John Campey, Executive Director, Social Planning Toronto

Topic: Women in prison
Presenter: Kim Pate, Executive Director, Elizabeth Fry Society

January 22, 2011
Topic: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Speakers:
Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Ph.D., Aboriginal Studies, University of Toronto
Shelia Burns, Past Chair, FASD Ontario Network of Expertise

Topic: Implementation of the Full Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program
Presenter: Dolores Cascone, Education Officer, Ontario Ministry of Education, Early Childhood Education and Child Care Implementation Branch

Topic: Provincial initiatives on water, and water stewardship
Presenter: Carolyn Day (CFUW-Southport)

Topic: Experiences of being an immigrant women in Canada
Presenter: Sabina Ali, Program Coordinator for the Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Women’s Committee

October 2, 2010
Topic: Sexual Violence from Horror to Healing
Presenters:
Rhea Pretsell, President of CFUW Belleville & District and the Ontario Council Chair of the Status of Women and Human Rights Committee presented her paper entitled Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War: The Case in the Congo.
Jacqueline Benn-John, Executive Director of the Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services of Halton, and the president of the Ontario Coalition for Rape Crisis Centres
Kim Charlebois, the Executive Director of the Sexual Assault Centre for Quinte & District

March 13, 2010
Topic: Family Court Process and its Need for Reform
Speaker: Pamela Cross, lawyer, consultant, activist

January 16, 2010
Topic: Pascal Report on Early Childhood Learning
Andrea Calver, co-coordinator of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
Susan Swackhammer, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario

September 26, 2009
Topic: Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) Why were they established? How do community members measure the success of their local LHIN?
Speaker: Juanita Gledhill, Chair, Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Local Health Integration Network

March 14, 2009
Topic: HIV/AIDS Curriculum and the Schools
Speaker: Christine Fortin, Founder, Patrick 4 Life

Topic: Family Violence Project Waterloo Region
Pamela Mank, Coordinator

January 24, 2009
Topic: Ontario’s Poverty Reduction Strategy
Hon. Deb Matthews, Minister of Children and Youth Services, Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues, Chair, Cabinet Committee on Poverty Reduction
and
Jacquie Maund, Coordinator, Ontario Campaign 2000

Topic: Access for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
Beverly Boudreau, President CFUW St. Catharines, Member, Brock University Accessibility Committee

Saturday, September 27th, 2008
Topic: Religious Arbitration Revisited- Changes in Family Law; Family Law Education for Women. Where do we go from here?
Pamela Cross, lawyer, consultant, activist

March 8th, 2008
Topic: Still Ain’t Satisfied: Equity And Female Athletes
Laura Robinson, author, playwright, journalist, athlete and coach

January 19th, 2008
Topic: Aboriginal Education and Culture from Pre-school to Post-secondary Graduation
Elizabeth Bigwin, Aboriginal Education Office, Ministry of Education
Lu Ann Hill, Aboriginal Institutes Consortium - presentation www.aboriginalinstitute.com

September 15, 2007
Topic: The Ontario Election: Women Candidates' Perspective
Liz Couture, Green Party candidate, President of her Constituency Association
Catherine Fife, New Democratic Party candidate, CFUW member
Pamela Taylor, first Progressive Conservative candidate for the new Toronto Centre riding
The Hon. Kathleen Wynne, Liberal candidate and Minister of Education

Topic: HPV Immunization Program
Margaret McGovern, formerly CFUW National Director, Status of Women and Human Rights

Topic: Woman Abuse
Vivien Green, who was the Director of Toronto Woman Abuse Council for 16 years, now with the School of Social Work, Ryerson University

Topic: Canadian Federation of Students
Amanda Aziz, National Chairperson, Canadian Federation of Students (CFS).

Topic: an update on water issues
Carolyn Day, water representative, CFUW Ontario Council

March 3, 2007
Topic: The Reform of Ontario's Electoral System: Saviour or Threat to Democracy?
Graham White, PhD., Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto

Topic: Education, People for Education and the Upcoming Election
Annie Kidder, People for Education

Topic: Ontario’s Rape Crisis Centres
Marilyn Oladimeji, President, Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres

January 13, 2007
Topic: Creating Healthy Communities through Education
Sue Sigurdson, EdD, R.S.W, Program Director, Pathways to Education
Lucy Di Carlo, Ontario Provincial Coordinator, Roots of Empathy

Topic: Maintaining Public Health Care
Natalie Mehra, Ontario Health Coalition

September 16, 2006:
Topic: Early Childhood Education and Childcare - Policy & Advocacy

Gordon H. Cleveland, economist, professor, Division of Management, University of Toronto, Scarborough

Elizabeth Ablett, Executive Director, Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare

March 4, 2006:
Topic: The High School Drop Out Rate and the Safe Schools Act: A Panel Discussion
Selwyn Pieters, lawyer
Liz Sandals, MPP for Guelph-Wellington, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services responsible for the Safe Schools Act Review

January 14th, 2006:
Topic: Making Women Safer and Emergency Management
Tracey Croft, Emergency Management Coordinator, Dufferin County
Dr. Joni Seager, Dean of Environmental Studies, York University

Topic: Chaoulli v. Quebec update
Dr. Colleen Flood, associate professor of law, University of Toronto

Topic: Freedom to Read
Gabriele Lundeen, former CEO of the Toronto Public Library and CEO of the Southern Ontario Library System

September 17th, 2005:
Topic: Will Tomorrow be better? A Discussion about Women and Violence
Pam Cross, Legal Director, Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence against Women and Children (METRAC)
Eileen Morrow, Executive Director, Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses
Ciara Adams, Amnesty International

March 5, 2005:
Topic: Public Education Today
Kathleen Wynne, MPP Don Valley West, Parliamentary Assistant to Gerard Kennedy, Minister of Education
Annie Kidder of People for Education

Jan. 15th, 2005:
Topic: Arbitration Act Panel
The Hon. Marion Boyd, Chair, Arbitration Act Review Committee 2004, former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Ontario, 1993-1995
Prof. Annie Bunting, Law and Society Program, York University
Nuzhat Jafri, Canadian Council of Muslim Women

Sept. 18th, 2004:
Topic: Women and Elections
Chi Nguyen, Young Women Vote 2004: The 20,000 Project
Peggy Nash, Assistant to the President, Canadian Auto Workers Union
Darla Campbell, National President, Business and Professional Women of Canada

March 6th, 2004:
Topic: Election Reform
Nathalie DesRosiers, President, Law Commission of Canada

January 17th, 2004:

Topic: Access to Universities
Erika Shaker, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Dr. Sylvia Bashevkin, Director of Canadian Studies, University of Toronto
Charles C. Smith, Equity Advisor, Canadian Bar Association

Topic: Municipalities Today
Ann Mulvale, Mayor of Oakville, President, Association of Municipalities of Ontario

Sept. 20th, 2003:

Topic: Women in Politics
Dr. Carolyn Bennett, MP St. Paul's
Dr. Sylvia Bashevkin, Director of Canadian Studies, University of Toronto
Carol Price, campaign manager, Ontario Liberals, Halton riding

May 10th, 2003:

Kathy Greiner, member, Ottawa Transition Board, past Chair, Nepean Hydro Commission
Mary Cunningham, Ontario Coalition for Mandatory Parenting Education

January 18th, 2003:

Doris Grinspun, Executive Director, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario
Dr. Gail McVey, Registered Psychologist, Chair of the Body Image Coalition of Peel

Sept. 21st, 2003: