Empowering women through advocacy and education.

All-candidates meetings are one of the best things a CFUW club can offer during an election — a chance for your community to meet the people running for office, ask real questions, and make an informed choice. This guide walks you through everything you need, from your first planning meeting to your thank-you notes

Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This federal statutory holiday was created through legislative amendments made by Parliament. The day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.

Among the various visual elements illustrating Indigenous cultures, the circle is at the centre, which represents being together in spirit of reconciliation. The orange colour represents truth-telling and healing. The pathway represents the road to reconciliation.

The eagle represents First Nations. The narwal represents Inuit. The beaded flower represents Metis. https://www.canada.ca/en.html

Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30. Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”. The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.

Commemorating this day to honour Survivors and increase understanding of the history and legacy of Residential Schools is one step in a long journey towards truth-telling and meaningful reconciliation. 

The Learn and Reflect section of this Ontario webpage  has links to further information and support.

Kathy Wosnick

Advocacy Chair

In 2025, CFUW Owen Sound and Area's resolution to establish an independent Seniors' Advocate in Ontario passed at the OC AGM. The same year, the United Senior Citizens of Ontario (USCO) passed the same proposal. 

CFUW Owen Sound and USCO are looking for other organizations to join this movement to get an independent Seniors’ Advocate for Ontario.

GOAL: Get the Ontario government to fund an independent Seniors' Advocate who reports to all elected politicians and the public and does not work for the government.

What is an Independent Seniors’ Advocate

An independent Seniors' Advocate for Ontario would be an officer of the legislature, reporting to all elected politicians and the public — independent of the government of the day — who would be able to:

• Take complaints about services for seniors and follow up those complaints

• Review programs affecting older adults (health care, housing, transportation, etc.)

• Give ideas for making services better for seniors and keep track of the government’s answers to those ideas

• Give seniors a direct, independent voice in government decision-making

Find the full outline of CFUW Ontario Council's 2023 Resolution HERE

Find the Template letter for individuals and clubs HERE

Find the Owen Sound Poster HERE

Just a reminder that any clubs with 60 or fewer regular and life members, and that sent a delegate to the CFUW OC AGM in Peterborough, are eligible for a grant equivalent to the OC dues they paid in 2026.

The deadline to apply is November 1, 2026 and the application form can be found on the website, link below.

Education in Ontario remains in a flux with funding issues resulting in classrooms short in teachers, support workers, supplies and cuts to programs that lead to success in school. We need to continue to put pressure on this government to make quality education for all students a priority.

OSAP remains an important issue in post-secondary education. Although students are now living with this reality we still need to advocate on their behalf to make post-secondary education financially accessible for all students and their families.

Over the past few years, I have become very interested in School Food Programs. Since the commitment from the Federal Government to create Canada’s School Food Program to provide $1 billion over 5 years in schools across the country, to reduce hunger and improve health and learning outcomes, many organizations are committed to bring healthy food to Ontario schools. Unfortunately, Ontario remains near the bottom in the financial support they provide for School Food programs compared to other provinces.

During the summer I was pleased to be part of a School Food Summer Learning Lab at Lakehead University in Orillia in partnership with the Ontario Coalition for School Food and the Sharing Place Food Centre. It was a learning experience in the gardens, kitchen and classrooms. to connect food, education and health. Our conversations pointed towards the need for nutritious food in schools, and the on-going need for food literacy activities to address the increasing levels of food insecurity in our communities and strengthen equitable school food programs.

I have just outlined a few issues in Ontario Education. I will continue to advocate for all these issues. Our youth deserve to feel safe, supported and encouraged in their quest for a good start in life. Children who are in school and have nutritious food available are more likely to stay in school and learn.

I look forward to working with all Ontario Council CFUW Clubs and I always welcome your input and interest.

Kind regards,

Wendy Taylor

CFUW Ontario Council Education Chair

On September 18th, non-governmental organizations and international bodies unite to mark International Equal Pay Day. Initiated by the United Nations, this day calls for action toward realizing equal pay for work of equal value—a fundamental human right that remains unfulfilled for millions of women.

Here in Ontario, the reality of the gender wage gap continues to demand our advocacy. According to recent data, average annual earnings for women in Ontario remain roughly 31% lower than those of men—a figure that widens significantly for racialized women, Indigenous women, newcomer women, and women living with disabilities.

For CFUW Ontario Council members, pay equity is not merely an abstract economic concept; it directly shapes the lifelong financial security of women across our communities.

Key priorities intersecting with our Status of Women and Human Rights mandate include:

• The Gender Pension Gap: Lifetime wage inequities translate directly into retirement insecurity. In Canada, senior women face a 17% to 18% gender pension gap, leaving single and older women disproportionately vulnerable to low income in their later years.

• Universal, High-Quality Childcare: Access to affordable, dependable early learning and childcare is the cornerstone of economic participation. Without robust early learning infrastructure, caregiving responsibilities continue to fall disproportionately on women, leading to career interruptions and involuntary part-time work.

• Pay Transparency & Equity Enforcement: Strengthening provincial legislative frameworks and ensuring transparency in compensation structures are essential to holding employers accountable and dismantling systemic pay bias.

• Valuing Care & Public Sector Work: Female-dominated fields—such as healthcare, social services, and early childhood education—remain underfunded and undervalue the vital contributions of women workers.

As CFUW members, our collective voice is one of our most powerful tools. This September 18th, let us renew our commitment to advocacy. Engage with local representatives, support community coalitions, and champion policies that guarantee equal pay for equal value—ensuring economic justice for generations to come.