The Festival of Neighbourhoods (FON) grant got a long-overdue increase in yesterday’s community and infrastructure services committee meeting. Pending ratification by council on April 14, the $10,000 grant, which started 20 years ago and has never had an increase, will now be $21,000.
Despite widespread opposition, the process moves onwards with the Bill C-23 called the "Fair Elections Act". End of March, it passed second reading in the House of Commons by a vote of 149 to 131 – with all opposition parties and independent MPs voting against it. If passed into the Fair Elections Act, it would: eliminate vouching, disallowing voter ID cards as valid identification of residence, change regulations surrounding campaign financing, limit the ability of Canada’s chief electoral officer to speak publicly, and more.
April 23rd at 7 p.m. at W-K United Mennonite Church in Waterloo, we are hosting "Is Fair Elections Act Fair?" Awareness Panel to talk about the impact of the proposed changes for low-income people, seniors and youth, Aboriginal population, people with disabilities, homeless.
The Community Engagement certificate program is geared towards practitioners in the public and non-profit sector from a variety of fields and disciplines. Courses in this program have been developed through community-based social planning practice across Ontario. Leadership for developing and delivering the curriculum is provided by Peter Clutterbuck, a long standing contributor to the Social Planning Network of Ontario.
As a member of the Social Planning Network of Ontario, the Social Planning Council of Kitchener-Waterloo is working with the Chang School of Continuing Education at Ryerson University to provide local field support for the online Certificate Program.
Community Information Centre of Waterloo Region is creating information resources in collaboration with its settlement sector partners in the project "Building Local Information Support to Ontario Newcomers". The first resource is the on-line Waterloo Region Settlement Services Directory which will be accompanied by a sharable list of live links allowing easy access to the records updated on weekly basis. Read more about the resources created for settlement providers in the Region.
After the completion of a public consultation process, new accessibility amendments have been added into Ontario's Building Code. If you'll recall, a working group of community members and the Social Planning Council of K-W collaborated to create a submission to the Building Code consultation and we're happy to see that this process is now complete. For more information on the new accessibility changes to the Building Code, please view the update on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing website.
The right to vote is guaranteed by the Canadian Constitution to any Canadian citizen who is over the age of 18. Our laws should not create barriers to those living in poverty e.g. those with no identity documents or with no fixed address. The proposed changes to the Elections Act have caused concern across the country. Of particular concern are the proposed changes to Elections Canada’s role and ability to promote voting, changes in enforcement and, changes to what can be used for voter identification.
Leadnow community has been organizing Connect events across Canada. TransitionKW has hosted one in Kitchener today, March 8th, supported by Fair Vote Canada Waterloo Region Chapter. Social Planning Council of Kitchener-Waterloo and Poverty Free Kitchener-Waterloo joined the conversation about issues worth voting for and getting re-engaged in public life our our communities: open democracy, climate justice and fair economy! We are continuously building on shared values: equality, legacy for future, compassion and community of voices.
Our enquiry counselors have been tirelessly scouring different types of print and online sources to compile this exhaustive list of summer camps happening in the Waterloo Region. To make this decision easier, we've split up the camps by type (Science, Dance, Art etc). If you know of a summer camp that we've missed, please call 519-579-3800 or email us at
March E-Neighbour is out! We are revealing the Festival of Neighbourhoods theme for the year, announcing the first Early Bird Winner, and calling in Spring with Community Clean-ups! Plan for your neighbourhood clean-up, school-yard clean-up, 20 Minute Makeover on April 22nd and let us know how you enjoyed the sun with your neighbours, colleagues and friends. You can be a star on our 2014 FON Map! Next Early Bird registration deadline is March 31!
Tax time can be a stressful time if you're not sure where to go to get your taxes done without paying an arm and a leg. This list of free tax clinics in Waterloo Region includes clinics that are targeted towards individuals or couples who are seniors, who are newcomers, or who have a disability. Check the list for the clinic that's right for you. If you know of a clinic that we've missed, please call 519-579-3800 or email us at info@waterlooregion.org
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23 Water St N, Kitchener, ON Canada N2H 5A4
519-579-3800 | 1-877-579-3859 | sdcwr@waterlooregion.org
Charitable Number: 107987166RR0001