Lethbridge And District Area Council: Meeting Minutes - Sep. 18th, 2019

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Lethbridge and District Area Council

General Meeting Sept 18

Meeting Minutes

Attendees: Ray Wilson, David Pearson, Mark Snodgrass, Krysty Thomas, Sherry Hunt

Regrets: Kristy Slattery, Karen Mah, Stephanie Erb

1.    Call to Order – 6:10
2.    Treasurer Report

• bank account balance as of Sept 18 2019: $4164.07
• M/S/C – D. Pearson/S. Hunt/Consensus

3.    Old Business

1. Shelter Me in the Park debrief
   1. LDAC covered the cost of bouncy castles for the event ($661.50. A request to REVPs was submitted directly to her office to as this event was not in our original budget request. Marianne was in agreement with this event aligning with our mandate. 
   2. The event was well received, brought families to the park, not usually a well funded festival, they appreciated our support. The Goal of Shelter Me! Party In The Park is to provide a low cost family friendly event while offering low-pressure opportunities to learn more about Homelessness in the community of Lethbridge.
2. Labour Day debrief 
   1. LDAC support this event in collaboration with the Lethbridge and District Labour Council with supplying a cotton candy station and a tent with PSAC swag.
   2. Cotton candy was well received, thank you volunteers Dorothy McRae, Karen Mah, Krysty Thomas, Sherry Hunt and Patti Wright.

4.    Updates from the PRC Political Action Conference Call & Election Planning

• tell members and the community the value of public service and remind them of labour friendly parties.
• Brainstormed some ideas about actions around the election:

• Attend all local forums and get to the mic at each to ask candidate how they plan to treat federal public service if elected and how they will come to the bargaining table differently. Quote each statement and hold them to account if elected.
• Hand out stickers at election forums that say “I’m voting for public services”
• Do a phone bank with script provided by regional office
• Assist with the election mail out
• Promote the town hall
• Do a plantgate at our work places promoting PSAC Votes Mail out and have people pledge to vote
• Update our workplace bulletin boards about the upcoming election
• Social media shares
• Postcard to our member event: handmade postcards, mailed directly to members or via desk drop.
• Reach out to local groups who are getting out the student vote, getting out the indigenous  vote, help with ID clinics – Partner with Sweet Grass Youth Alliance and the Sage Clan Patrol to put on an ID clinic on Oct 3rd and then another event days before the election to ensure vulnerable members of our community have the option to vote.
•  Host a leader’s debate watching party (Oct 7th)
• Partner with the Lethbridge and District Labour Council to do a Labour Canvas with material provided from the CLC. (VOTE FOR PHARMACARE, VOTE FOR RETIREMENT SECURITY, VOTE FOR GOOD JOBS, VOTE FOR CLIMATE ACTION, VOTE FOR EQUITY AND INCLUSION).

5.    Other 2019 Fall Events
       a. Movie Screening Support -  Heroin(e)

• Movie screening took place at the Lethbridge Library on Sept 9th.
• Synopsis: A bustling industrial town, Huntington, West Virginia has become the epicenter of America's modern opioid epidemic, with an overdose rate 10 times the national average. This flood of heroin now threatens this Appalachian city with a cycle of generational addiction, lawlessness, and poverty. But within this distressed landscape, Peabody Award winning filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon shows a different side of the fight against drugs; one of hope.
• This movie is very relevant to the issues happening in Lethbridge around the drug crisis
• Motion to retroactively support refreshments (total cost $112.40) for this screening of this film

• M/S/C – S. Hunt/R.Wilson/Carried
• Ray was in attendance and said it was a very good movie. The movie was open to the public and well attended.

1. Movie Screening Support - Film Screening: nîpawistamâsowin (Sept 30)

• Synopsis: On August 9, 2016, a young Cree man named Colten Boushie died from a gunshot to the back of his head after entering Gerald Stanley’s rural property with his friends. The jury’s subsequent acquittal of Stanley captured international attention, raising questions about racism embedded within Canada’s legal system and propelling Colten’s family to national and international stages in their pursuit of justice. Sensitively directed by Tasha Hubbard, nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up weaves a profound narrative encompassing the filmmaker’s own adoption, the stark history of colonialism on the Prairies, and a vision of a future where Indigenous children can live safely on their homelands.
• The event will be at the Lethbridge Public Library, open to the public. Estimated to have nearly 150 people attend.
• Motion to support refreshments (up to $120) for this screening of this film
• M/S/C – S. Hunt/R.Wilson/Carried

1. Sisters In Spirit Vigil (Oct 4th)
   1. Request to support to the Amnesty International’s Annual Vigil. Money will go towards replacing the placards of missing women that were lost when a train hit the Friendship Centre that they were being stored in.
      1. Round Table

• M. Snodgrass mentioned the importance of educating members on labour friendly political parties and that when we should support for parties with like issues momentum may grow in future elections.

7.    Motion to adjourn - 7:45pm