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| Maytree launches new monthly editorial: Maytree Opinion
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Read the first two issues from the desk of Maytree Chair Alan Broadbent.
The Poverty Agenda
The Ontario government poverty reduction process is a year old, headed by Deb Matthews, minister for child and youth services and chair of a cabinet committee on poverty reduction that includes all of the heavyweight ministers in the McGuinty government. Over the course of the last year, Matthews and her colleagues have heard a wide range of voices and interests. They are due to report by the end of the year. Read this Opinion.
“Uploading” for Ontario’s Cities
Ontario municipalities received some particularly welcome Halloween goodies at the door of Municipal Affairs minister Jim Watson on October 31 when he announced that the province would upload welfare and court security costs over a ten year period. Watson and Finance Minister Dwight Duncan announced the upload with a group of mayors representing the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and Toronto Mayor David Miller. Read this Opinion. |
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Maytree’s Diversity in Governance Awards announces winners |
The awards recognize boards that have demonstrated boldness and innovation in bringing diversity into the boardroom. At a gala event at the Bata Shoe Museum on November 12, 150 guests gathered to celebrate this year’s winning organizations in the following 3 categories:
Public Agency, Board or Commission
· Health Professions Appeal and Review Board
Nonprofit
· Harbourfront Centre
Trailblazer
· YMCA of Greater Toronto
Learn more about this year’s winners. |
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| 2nd edition of Diversity Matters: Changing the Face of Public Boards published |
This new Maytree publication showcases best practices on diversifying public boards. Download the publication (PDF 1.9MB) or email to order a hard copy.
Diversity is more than statistics, ratios and numbers. Real diversity brings added value to organizations and to society at large by tapping into broader perspectives, experiences, networks and knowledge. Diversity also serves public institutions by strengthening ties with stakeholders and increasing accountability. |
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Maytree’s Letter to the Prime Minister of Canada |
From the letter: As you know, a well-managed immigration system is the cornerstone of an effective economic policy. Immigration fills gaps in the labour market, increases trade, generates investment and strengthens our population. If our country slips into a recession, Canada will need a robust immigration system that can withstand new challenges and guide us toward prosperity. Read the letter.
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Maytree and Toronto City Summit Alliance to announce a major new project that will transform the GTA’s leadership landscape |
Maytree and the Toronto City Summit Alliance, along with a stellar multi-stakeholder Steering Committee, have been working behind-the-scenes for several months. We have developed a series of concrete, measurable initiatives to realize our leadership potential as a city region on the world stage. Over three years, our project will expand existing professional networks, strengthen our public and private institutions, advance our knowledge on the role of diversity in leadership, and track our progress. Program details will be available online following the November 26th launch. |
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BC takes action on immigrant employment issue |
On October 22nd over 150 participants attended the launch of the BC Immigrant Employment Council in Vancouver. The Council will address the challenges of immigrants finding employment commensurate to their education and professional experience. Bob Elton President & CEO of BC Hydro was announced as the chair of the Council. Murray Coolican (pictured right), past member of the Founding Board of Directors of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) shared some of the successes and challenges of Toronto’s approach to immigrant employment councils. The BC Council will engage employers, settlement organizations, government and other stakeholders to come up with solution-based actions that facilitate the labour market integration of skilled immigrants. The BC Government, along with a start-up grant from Maytree's program, ALLIES, will support the work of the BC Council. Read the press release. |
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Tamarack’s Paul Born on Community Conversations |
Communities around the world are entering a new era of community building. Whether improving economic conditions and reducing poverty, re-energizing citizens and social programs, reducing crime, or revitalizing a troubled neighbourhood, they are engaging people from all sectors as never before to work together as equals to improve their quality of life.
At the heart of this engagement are community conversations, in which common goals are embraced by a diverse array of people with different backgrounds and needs, and influencers are drawn from multiple sectors, including community organizations, the various levels of government, and businesses big and small. Order your copy of Born’s book today. |
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Caledon Institute’s Sherri Torjman on Shared Space |
Shared Space: The Communities Agenda seeks to capture the essence of the profound changes taking place in communities across the country and around the world. Community interventions to promote economic and social well-being are not new. What is new is the way in which communities are organizing themselves both strategically and comprehensively to achieve their goals.
The communities agenda consists of three components: their vision and associated goals, the methods they employ to attain these objectives and the actions they take to create a supportive context for their work. Order the book. |
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Leader Profile: Deena Ladd |
Maytree provides funding to support the Workers’ Action Centre, a Toronto-based agency that supports immigrants facing discrimination and rights’ violations. Deena Ladd is the Centre’s co-ordinator. Her work on behalf of vulnerable workers will be recognized by the City of Toronto with the Constance E. Hamilton Persons Day award on November 27.
For more than 20 years Ladd has been working to improve wages and working
conditions primarily for workers of colour, low-wage workers and immigrant workers,
who are often the most marginalized and vulnerable. She has been successful in
establishing partnerships and linkages to shine a light on exploitation and discrimination.
Under her leadership the Workers Action Centre (WAC) has grown from a fledgling organization to one that is a well-respected champion of the rights of temporary, contract and marginalized workers. Driven by its membership, WAC aims to ensure that workers themselves become active in determining longer-term solutions. “That makes us different from lots of community agencies,” says Deena, “because our perspective is to make a real change at the policy level.”
In association with other community organizations, WAC is working with eight Muslim women who wear hijabs and jilbaabs and who were employed for almost two years as temporary agency workers at UPS. In 2005, the temporary jobs were phased out as a result of collective bargaining and the women applied for permanent positions doing exactly the same work. It was only then that UPS declared that their clothing posed a health and safety hazard. The women have filed claims at the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.
Hear Deena speak at the upcoming Good Jobs Summit on November 22, 2008 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre where she will be delivering a keynote address.
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The Socio-Economic Integration of Second-Generation Canadians |
An IRPP event on November 28th in Toronto
The real test of the inclusiveness of a society toward its newcomers is not only the socio-economic well being of immigrants in the years following their arrival, but also – and possibly more important – the socio-economic progress of their children in the decades afterwards. Register for the event.
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Public Policy 101: A Primer for Non-Profit Organizations |
A Metcalf Foundation workshop series beginning November 7 in Toronto
Governments play a critical role in the health of non-profits and the communities they serve. No matter where you work - a small performing arts company, a neighbourhood agency, or an organization working on the sustainability of land and food - governments have an impact on how you achieve your mission through such things as program funding, legislation, and regulation.
Attend this series to learn more about the public policy process and how you can influence change.
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The Canadian Council for Refugees' fall consultation and 30th anniversary celebrations. November 27-29, Toronto |
Since it began in 1978 the Canadian Council for Refugees has had a profound impact on refugee and immigrant rights in Canada. Join the CCR and hundreds of refugee and immigrant rights advocates from across Canada in marking 30 years of building a home of justice for refugees and immigrants.
Participate in the CCR Fall Consultation in Toronto from 27-29 November 2008. The consultation sessions will cover a wide range of issues affecting newcomer settlement and integration and refugee protection. More.
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Contact Us |
Questions or comments about the Maytree newsletter? Send an e-mail to info@maytree.com.
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Maytree
170 Bloor St. W. Suite 804, Toronto, ON
CANADA M5S 1T9
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