PSAC Regional Women's Committee Meeting Tuesday 18 November 2014
PSAC Regional Office 460-175 Hargrave Street
In Attendance: Lorelei Topnik, Darlene McClure, Dawn MacAulay, Anna Pazdzierski, Christine McJannet, Shelley Jamieson
Introductions and Call to Order at 5:25pm
PSAC statement on Harassment read by Mona Simcoe identifying anti-harassment resource person as Mona Simcoe agreed to by all.
Adoption of Agenda
Motion to adopt agenda as circulated. Lorelei Topnik/Dawn MacAulay
Adoption of minutes
Motion to adopt minutes as circulated September 2014 Lorelei Topnik/Dawn MacAulay Motion to adopt minutes as circulated October 2014 Mona Simcoe/Lorelei Topnik
Treasurer's Report
Motion to adopt treasurer's report as circulated to October 31, 2014 Dawn MacAulay/Darlene McClure
Previous Business
A) Update on December 6 "Sisters United" event
-PSAC Regional Boardroom from 10:00 to 3:00
-interactive opportunities/networking in morning
-quest speaker Deanne Crothers MLA speaking on political activism and work life balance
-lunch provided
-door prizes
New Business
A) Video-Rosie's of the North available at PSAC Regional office for loan
B) Bracelets to support our bargaining teams available from PSAC Regional office
C) Rally-VIA Rail station to support our bargaining teams on November 19 from 12:00 to 1:00
Guest speaker
Anna Pazdzierski Executive Director of Nova House, Women's Shelter in Selkirk, MB
Nova house is one of 10 shelters in the province and one of the busiest as some feel safer their partner won't find them in Selkirk.
Anna talked about the statistics of women and violence.
She explained what services Nova house offers and what women are given when they leave the shelter.
Nova house runs a second hand store where women from the shelter shop for free as they usually arrive with the clothes on their backs. All income earned from the second hand goes to the shelter for children's programming. The impact of domestic violence on children is
generational and we need to find a way of intervening in children's lives as well and need the government to understand this.
Nova house believes in public awareness:
-Stand up and be counted
-Being a bystander isn't working
-if no one does anything it will continue
-9 murdered women in MB to date by partners
-women need to know they have a place to go to
Nova house is doing a faceless dolls project and their goal is to make 1200 which will represent missing and murdered women in Canada. A suggestion was made that we do this project at the Dec 6 Sisters United event.
6000 people a year visit the shelters in the province and Nova house usually has a waiting list with safety being a criteria. Nova houses area is Interlake and northeast Manitoba from the top of the lakes to perimeter to top of lakes to Ontario.
Anna talked about funding from the provincial government and the struggles with that. There has been no increase to funding in 5 years. Nova house fundraises approximately $120,000-
$150,000/year just to maintain the programs they offer. Harper has cut all funding to any women's programs that dealt with domestic violence. Most funding is through donations and grant writing.
They have a mentors for mom program where someone touches base once a week to be a friend especially for women that know now one in the area.
Incidents at the shelter have not decreased in the 14 years at the shelter. Every 6 days a women is murdered in Canada by domestic violence.
Mona Simcoe presented a donation of pyjamas made by various locals and the women's committee. All too often when women and their children appear at the shelter they have only the clothes on their backs.
Anna remained available during desert time for questions.
If you would like to donate to the second hand store to support Nova house items of any kind (adult/children's clothing, housewares, seasonal decorations, toys etc) can be brought to the women's committee meetings and Mona Simcoe will see that they are delivered to the shelter.
Meeting adjourned by Darlene McClure