"Feminism isn’t about making women stronger.
Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way
the world perceives that strength."
~ G.D. Anderson
MESSAGE FROM OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

As feminists fighting for gender justice in this city, we know that our voices are stronger together. That’s why YWCA Toronto - with a united sense of mourning and resolve - joined with eight other women’s shelters on December 6th to make a strong statement about gender-based violence. 
 
Alongside The Redwood, Red Door Family Shelter, North York Women’s Shelter, Women’s Habitat, Anduhyaun, Ernestine’s, La Maison and Homeward Family Shelter – Julliette’s Place, YWCA Toronto connected the dots between mass murder, which so often has its roots in misogyny, and the violence our shelter residents have fled. New research from Women’s Shelters Canada shows the pandemic has led to an alarming increase in intimate partner violence, leading to a sharp rise in the severity of new cases.

As the massacre at Polytechnique, the Toronto van attack and the murders this spring in Nova Scotia remind us, mass violence hurts everyone. It’s time to address the roots of gender-based violence by investing in affordable housing and transition programs, creating good jobs for women and supporting shelter workers on the frontlines. If you still have holiday donation budget, please consider contributing to YWCA Toronto’s December 6 Fund, which gives interest-free loans to women fleeing violence.
Photo | Dillon Kydd_unsplash
ADVOCACY CORNER
As the pandemic wears on and winter settles in, rental evictions have continued to be a massive problem in this city – one that disproportionately impacts Toronto’s marginalized women and girls. YWCA Toronto was pleased to support efforts to stop this harmful practice by urging Ontario’s MPPs to vote in favour of Motion 125, which would reinstate the temporary moratorium on rental evictions province-wide. On Wednesday, December 9th, the NDP motion, tabled by MPP Suze Morrison, was unanimously passed. Now, Premier Ford must sign an emergency order to implement the moratorium. While we are relieved the motion passed, it is non-binding and was pushed through without debate. That means the Ontario government never made a true commitment to enact it. Let us work to ensure they do: Please be loud on social media about the importance of this emergency order to help renters breathe a sigh of relief this holiday season. 

PROGRAM UPDATE
At the end of November our Skilled Trades and Technology program launched our first mobile app! The Women in Trades & Technology [WiTT] app is for women and gender-diverse people in trades and technology who are looking for ways to connect and build community. Through this app, you will find news, networking opportunities, job postings, personal stories and event announcements. The app was designed and built by our very own graduates. Read more on our blog about how this app came to life and download it today from the iOS App Store or Google Play!

PHILANTHROPY HIGHLIGHT
Mark this challenging holiday season with a donation in support of women and girls most affected by COVID-19.

Consider donating to the Adopt-A-Family Fund, which provides gift cards to women and their families who are facing multiple challenges: COVID-19, violence in their homes, job losses and food insecurity. Your donation allows families to celebrate the holidays by helping to buy gifts, clothing and food for their families

This year’s holiday season will be very different than years past. You may not be able to spend in-person time with the people you love - but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate them. Honour your loved ones by making a donation in their name to YWCA Toronto in lieu of a holiday gift. Your generous gift will support women and girls in communities most impacted by COVID-19. 

Photo | Courtesy of Women's Shelters Canada
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Women’s Shelters Canada has released a sobering special edition of their Shelter Voices report, "The impact of COVID-19 on VAW shelters and transition houses.The report includes several findings that illustrate the urgent need to address gender-based violence and create economic and social supports for women and their families.


“I felt uplifted. I felt full. I felt joy… I really had a lightness in being and even when there was commotion or you know, turbulent waters, it all settled finally.” 

At the end of a hard year, 
a new report from YWCA Toronto’s Winona’s Place, the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and Women’s College Hospital shows the hopeful benefits of specialized programming to help Indigenous peoples heal from the ongoing layers of colonial trauma.

Over several weeks, Indigenous residents and community members in Toronto participated in teaching circles and a full moon ceremony, a cultural practice that gathers women to honour their connection to Grandmother Moon. This report offers their reflections, and a roadmap of possibilities for community organizations when thinking about healing work to support Indigenous peoples

You can check it out here.

Edgy
This year, our CEO, Heather McGregor, and directors awarded our two annual staff awards to all YWCA Toronto staff for their hard work throughout the pandemic. The Marilda Tselepis Award of Excellence goes to all of our frontline workers providing onsite service, and the YWCA Toronto Impact Award was dedicated to all YWCA Toronto staff. These awards honour the creativity, innovation and dedication YWCA Toronto staff have demonstrated in their programs this year. 
 
"Congratulations to all of you! I can’t tell you how much your tenacity, persistence, determination, and your dedication to your program participants means to all of us. Thank you so, so much!”
- Heather McGregor during our year-end all-staff meeting.
Photo | Courtesy of Fight for $15 and Fairness
Please take a moment to read and 
sign this petition from Fight for $15 and Fairness asking the federal government to follow-through on their promise to raise minimum wage to $15.

We know that essential workers are experiencing high rates of burnout after a very difficult yearWomen are concentrated in precarious and minimum wage work and stand to gain a great deal from federal legislation that supports decent work conditions. Decent labour market conditions create healthier communities for everyone. Act now and sign today!
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
YWCA Toronto operates in communities that stand on the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Ojibwe and allied nations to share peacefully and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.

Today, the meeting place of Toronto is still the home to many Indigenous people and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this territory as we strive to build a more equitable and just city for all residents.