Nancy Johnson, Regional Women's Committee Rep
Report to the Prairie Region Council
April 2013
First I would like to apologize to the council for missing the last PRC meeting, I had never missed a meeting since being elected in 2008 however I managed to catch one heck of the flu and laryngitis which kept me from attending. Marianne and I participated in the Sisters in Spirit vigils in Winnipeg and clearly were not prepared for the cold weather followed by snow and rain, however we managed to tough it out and stand in solidarity with the families of the missing women. I would encourage each and everyone of you to support but more important to participate in these vigils, they will touch your heart and get you moving for action!
As a member on the PRC Health and Safety committee, along with Alec and Clint we were busy planning for the Regional Conference in Edmonton. It was a great conference and we received some very positive feedback on how we can move forward in H&S in the prairies. The committee report will be presented at PRC and we hope you will support us on our H&S initiatives.
I will be attending my 1st PSAC National Health and Safety conference in Montreal from April 12-14, it promises to be a packed weekend discussing Mental health issues which continues to affect many of our members.
Attended and supported the December 6th memorial events in Saskatoon as well had the opportunity to attend the Thunder Bay RWC's event at the University of Lakehead campus. We have amazing sisters across the country who continue to support and organize these great events.
I attended the Leadership summit and Human Rights meeting in Ottawa to plan for the National Human Rights conference in November. We have held several calls with the regional women's council reps as well. We discussed our plans and themes for the event nationally and regionally.
Attended the 1st SK women's forum as well as helped organize the event. We had three wonderful SK women tell us their stories as a feminist, the panel discussion was well received and then we broke into smaller groups to discuss how we can work together in our communities to move women's issues forward. I set up an information table with the work of PSAC women. Sister Marianne attended and we were able to connect with a few PSAC members and provide them information about the Saskatoon RWC. Discussion is taking place to improving the event for next year.
I have been extremely busy with the chairs if the RWC's organizing the upcoming Prairies Women's conference being held in Banff from May 3-5. I have to thank Marianne and Lisa for their guidance and the awesome work that the staff have been doing in assisting us in our preparations. The organizing committee has dedicated many hours to the event and I am anticipating a successful weekend of laughter and sharing.
I have been working with the RWC committees to get their completed financials returned to me for review before the allocation of funds is distributed. This has been a challenge but there are no obstacles that we cannot face together. Thank you to the work of the committees, your work is very much appreciated and I look forward to connecting in Banff in May.