Regina Regional Women’s Committee Meeting Minutes
May 2, 2012
In Attendance:
- Connie Gress, Chair Suzanne Huggins, Treasurer
- Melissa Brandt, Secretary Raelene Ramnes, L40005
- Linette Carignan, L40811 Caroline Cote, L40818
- Laura Ursu, L40022 Lisa Garnier, PSAC Representative
The meeting convened at 5:45 p.m.
PSAC Convention:
A first time delegate setup a blog through Facebook which provided a really good opportunity to receive immediate updates on which resolutions had passed. Elections will be held tomorrow. The budget was passed in just over 1.5 days, it includes a special levy of $2.58 per member per month and top-up of the Social Justice Fund. The resolution dealing with setting up a supplemental pension plan was lost.
Open Discussion:
Members in attendance expressed concerns and discussed the impacts on public services which are resulting from budget cuts. There was also some discussion about implementation of the new public service values and ethics code.
Finances:
The mini-audit was completed by Sister Bucknell, Regina Area Council Secretary/Treasurer. Current bank balance is $5,050.12. Expenses for meetings have been very modest; in 2011 $30.00 was spent. It is recommended we ear-mark $500.00 each year for a total of $1,500.00 for 2014 Prairie Region Convention.
Social Justice Projects for 2012:
United Way Week of Caring
The deadline to bid on projects was May 1. Sister Gress submitted three choices on behalf of the committee. Baking cookies at Rainbow Youth Centre (twice); or painting a room at Clare Parker House. If not selected we will consider doing a soup kitchen at Souls Harbour.
Community Helping Hands Project
We will continue collecting toiletry items and eyeglasses. Collecting laundry detergent, underclothing, and hand towels in which to package toiletry items was also suggested.
Sister Gress had emailed Sister Johnson about the workshop but has not heard anything back – she will contact again.
Social justice projects are only band-aids. We need to highlight and address what women have lost through attacks brought on women’s programs by the Harper government. We are also now seeing the Brad Wall government do the same thing provincially.
Invite a woman to speak about what we have struggled to achieve through collective bargaining and which has now been cut. Sister Ursu will approach her mother about speaking.
Next meeting May 29, starting at 5:30 with the guest speaker at 6:30.
The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.