ACROSS THE COUNTRY

NOUVELLES DU PAYS

Ontario

CCLOW Ontario now has at least three active local chapters meeting on a regular basis.

The Kitchener-Waterloo group has been participating in a coalition of women's groups pressing their regional government to hire staff to do affirmative action for women. Their efforts included attending a personnel meeting and making presentations to local alder persons as well as to the mayors of Waterloo, Cambridge and Kitchener. The coalition appears to have been successful since both the Waterloo Region and the Kitchener governments proceeded with hiring people for affirmative action work. This chapter has now turned its attention to the need for child care on all of the campuses of Conestoga College. A needs survey has been done by the group and now a proposal is being submitted to the College President.

The Toronto chapter met in March to hear presentations by Joyce King of Employment and Immigration Canada and CCLOW President Lisa Avedon on the implications for women of new federal and provincial training initiatives. The Toronto group is focusing on information- sharing and networking particularly on innovative programs for women. Because of the wide variety of services in the Toronto area, the group is working to identify gaps and avoid duplications.

Terry Dance spoke on the STEP Program at Dixon Hall. This is a 36-week full-time program, funded by CEIC for single parents on government assistance and includes a work experience placement. Rita Mifflin, Director of community programs and services at the YWCA also spoke to the group on their programs for women. Carol Towne talked about, "Immigrant Women into Electronics," a joint program of the Working Women Community Centre and Humber College.

The Ottawa chapter submitted a paper entitled a "A New Direction for Canada" to the Minister of Finance for the Economic Summit consultations. This paper discusses “the value structure which should form the basis of our social policy and our future as a nation.” It encourages policies that would reflect the needs and aspirations of women and allow women to choose from a variety of alternatives. The paper stresses that economic policy is not an end in itself but the means to direct the course of society.

In addition to active involvement with the Ottawa chapter, the Ontario Director:

1. participated in the Women and the Invisible Economy Conference in Montreal;
   
2. served on the editorial board for the Canadian report prepared for the forth- coming UN NGO Conference on Women;
   
3. sent telegrams to the Prime Minister and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women as well as to the leaders of the Liberal and New Democratic parties urging that federal women's program funds go only to groups promoting equality for women;
   
4. represented CCLOW at consultations with national women's groups held by the federal New Democratic MP's;
   
5. attended one day of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women Conference as the CCLOW alternate delegate;
   
6. submitted the CCLOW proposal to examine the learning needs of young women school-leaves to the Ontario Minister for Youth. He had expressed interest in it after it had been rejected by the Ontario Women's Directorate.