"We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated."
~ Maya Angelou
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LEADERSHIP MESSAGE
Dear YWCA Toronto Community,
Summer is coming and so is another municipal election!
In June, Toronto residents will head to the polls to elect Toronto’s next Mayor. In the last municipal election, just seven short months ago, voter turnout was at an all-time low with only 29 per cent of eligible voters casting their vote. This time, we know that Toronto residents are ready to show up for a better Toronto! By participating in the election process, whether by voting or speaking to candidates about issues that matter to you, you have the power to influence decisions made about the city.
Stay tuned, in just a couple of weeks YWCA Toronto will be launching an EXCITING new municipal election campaign! Below are some important dates and resources surrounding the upcoming by-election:
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Add or update your voter information on the voters’ list with the virtual MyVote tool until May 26. After May 26, you can add yourself to the voters’ list in person during the advance vote or on election day.
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Eligible voters can apply for Mail-in Voting packages until Friday, May 26 at 4:30 p.m.
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Advance voting will take place June 8 – 13 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., eligible voters can vote at any voting location across the city. The list of advanced voting locations will be shared by June 1.
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Election day is June 26!
More information about the mayoral by-election can be found translated into 25 different languages, here.
This summer, we also look forward to celebrating the achievements of seven remarkable women at the 42nd YWCA Toronto Women of Distinction Awards Gala! Join me for an evening of celebration, inspiration and hope on Thursday, June 8, 2023. You can learn more about our event, the award recipients and how to buy tickets here.
Best,
Sami
Interim Director of Advocacy and Communications
YWCA Toronto
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Photo | Courtesy of YWCA Ontario |
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ONTARIO’S CHILDREN & FAMILIES DESERVE BETTER!
Alongside the YWCA Ontario Coalition, we wrote to the Ministry of Education about our concerns with the proposed formula, noting that in order to build a system
that will expand to meet the needs of all children and families in Ontario, more targeted, meaningful investments are required.
“Simply put, we cannot operate high quality, affordable and universal child care systems without child care staff and we cannot retain and recruit child care staff without ensuring decent work and decent pay.”
Read our full submission here.
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Making Pottery is Healing
Last weekend, YWCA Toronto’s Inspirations Studio held it’s 29th Annual Spring Market and Open House! Attendees were able to view the beautiful pottery, meet the artists and support women and gender diverse people who have experienced poverty and homelessness, and who are healing through art!
The event was a wonderful opportunity to showcase participants’ work and shed further light on how the studio enriches the lives of women and gender diverse people through community building, healing and the making and selling of pottery.
Consider donating to this program. Your generosity helps ensure that this program will continue for many years
to come.
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TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO GET YOUR TICKET OR TABLE
On June 8th, join us for the 42nd YWCA Toronto Women of Distinction Awards Gala to honour the achievements of seven remarkable women and raise vital funds for over 13,000 women, girls and gender diverse people in the GTA.
For information contact:
Jacqueline Willis, Event & Stewardship Officer
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Photo | Courtesy of Toronto Metropolitan University
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Toronto Mayoral Debate
On Wednesday, May 31st from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., United Way Greater Toronto (UWGT), Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and The Toronto Star (The Star) are co-hosting a Mayoral debate. The debate offers an exciting opportunity for you to listen to mayoral candidates’ plans to tackle critical issues facing Toronto and make informed decisions in voting in the upcoming mayoral by-election in June.
Taking place at TMU’s Ted Rogers School of Management, the event will be live-streamed, to bring together members of the public from across the City – we hope you will join us online!
Find more information about the debate here.
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Photo | Courtesy of Momentum |
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Tell the Government of Canada to #Act4QueerSafety
Over the past several years, there has been a staggering increase in hate-motivated violence against 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in Canada.
We are seeing drag spaces under protest, online targeting of visible community leaders, efforts to roll back inclusion in schools, and attacks on essential gender-affirming healthcare.
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Red Dress Day
May 5th was Red Dress Day, a day to honour and remember the staggering number of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit People in Canada.
Indigenous women are five times more likely to experience violence than any other population in Canada.
This month, we shared some resources to deepen your understanding of this crisis and bring further awareness to the need for a concrete plan to end colonial violence and help build safer communities for Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit People.
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My Concussion Story
When people think of concussions, they think of sports. For every one NHL concussion, it is estimated that more than 7,000 women in Canada, suffer a concussion due to intimate partner violence.
This Victims and Survivors of Crime Week, we joined YWCA Metro Vancouver and former Olympian and NHL player, Trevor Linden to help bring attention to this staggering statistic and call for increased research, better pathways for concussion treatment and more support for people who have experienced brain injury as a result of intimate partner violence.
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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
YWCA Toronto operates on the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We are grateful to work on this territory as we strive to build a more equitable and just city for women, girls, and gender diverse people. For a full land acknowledgment, please visit our website.
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