Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation District 11, Thames Valley The past few months have presented many opportunities for networking with our partners in the labour movement. From protests at Queen s Park, the Liberal Annual General Membership Meeting in Collingwood and MPP offices across the province, supporting CUPE 101 London City Hall striking workers, walking the picket lines with neighbouring OSSTF members and participating in the London District Labour Council Labour Day Picnic, OSSTF has proudly stood alongside our union brothers and sisters. Voting in the Federal Election is critical for everyone. The Canadian Labour Congress Better Choice Campaign brochure outlines topics important to all members of society casting your ballot, making smart choices on October 19 th will help every Canadian. Be a part of the change! During this time of job sanctions amongst all of our OSSTF bargaining units in Thames Valley and supporting our education affiliates ETFO and CUPE, your solidarity through this time cannot be over stated. Wearing black on Black Fridays is a small gesture of unity which brings all of us together through this fight. Thank you to all PAC representatives from all schools and sites in Thames Valley for your dedication to political activism. Your time and efforts are greatly appreciated. A special thank you to our new Chair of the Political Action Committee, Steve Janik from Ingersoll D.C.I., for leading the committee this year. In Federation and solidarity, Evelyn Daley, D.11 Federation Services Officer & PAC Liaison
PACtivities June 2015 Liberal AGM Collingwood, ON Deb Matthews Garden Party Labour Day Picnic Teresa Armstrong & Peggy Sattler Ready to Rally
May 2015 Walking the Peel Picket Line Rally at Deb Matthews Constituency Office July 2015 Rally at City Hall PACtivities Queen s Park Protest May 2015
Ways to vote Away from home or busy on election day? Ready to vote early? You choose the way you want to vote. Vote on election day Monday, October 19, 2015 Vote on advance voting days October 9, 10, 11 and 12 Vote at one of 400 Elections Canada offices Vote by mail To vote, you must be registered. Check to see if you are registered. Vote on election day Monday, October 19 Polls are open for 12 hours. If you're registered, you will get a voter information card by mail. It tells you when and where to vote. You should have received it by October 1. You can also use the online Voter Information Service to find out where to vote. Vote on advance voting days There are four advance voting days. Polls are open from noon to 8:00 p.m. Friday, October 9 Saturday, October 10 Sunday, October 11 Monday, October 12 Your voter information card tells you the address of your advance polling place. You can also find it in the Voter Information Service. Vote at any Elections Canada office If you find it more convenient, you can vote at any Elections Canada office across Canada. Visit the office before the deadline of Tuesday, October 13 at 6:00 p.m. Offices are open Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m. Bring your proof of identity and address. Find the Elections Canada office nearest you. When you vote at an Elections Canada office, you use a special ballot voting kit learn more. From October 5 to 8, Elections Canada is opening offices at several campuses, youth centres and Friendship Centres to help make the voting process more accessible. Check the list of where these offices will be located. Vote by mail If you will be travelling outside your riding, or if you find it more convenient, you can vote by mail apply now. Apply as soon as possible, to allow time for your voting kit to reach you and for your marked ballot to reach Elections Canada by election day. The deadline to apply to vote by mail is Tuesday, October 13 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time for anyone applying online or sending their application to Elections Canada in Ottawa. Want to vote by mail but can't apply online? You can apply to vote by mail by visiting any Elections Canada office or mailing in an application form. Forms are available at any Elections Canada office or Canadian embassy, high commission or consulate, or by calling us. (If you apply through a local Elections Canada office, the deadline to apply is Tuesday, October 13 at 6:00 p.m. local time.) When you vote by mail, you use a special ballot voting kit learn more.
This election, I m making a better choice This election, we can make a better choice. What s a better choice for you? This election there is a better choice for the economy and our future. What kind of Canada do we want for future generations? Will our health care system still be viable when your family needs it? Canada s population is aging and four million of us don t have a family doctor. But instead of helping to ensure Canadians can access health care when and where they need it, the government we have now plans to cut more than $36 billion from health care. Our economic recovery continues to be shaky. Three quarters of the jobs created in the past six years have been part-time, temporary or in the self-employed sector. That means nearly 1 million Canadians have to juggle multiple jobs to make ends meet. This election, we can choose how we overcome these challenges. We believe there is a better choice. We can choose a government we can trust to reverse over $36 billion in health care cuts. We can choose a government we can trust to create quality, full-time jobs now and for future generations. We can choose a government who will help parents get to work by ensuring affordable child care, and help seniors retire with dignity by expanding the Canada Pension Plan. As a member of the Canadian Labour Congress OSSTF is an active participant of the Better Choices Campaign. Watch for CLC brochures arriving in schools next week. This election, let s make a better choice.
Child Care - Everyone depends on someone who depends on child care. Quebec proved that an affordable child care program more than pays for itself by helping parents - especially women - go to work. Every dollar of public funds invested So let s choose a new government that will set up a national child care system. Affordable, quality child care is a better choice for kids, families and the economy. Good Jobs - What happened to all the good jobs? Canadians need quality jobs they can rely on so they can feel better about their future. Nearly a million Canadians juggle multiple jobs just to make ends meet. Young workers struggle with double the national unemployment rate. So let s choose a new government that will create good full-time jobs by investing now in public infrastructure. Lets restore in -person services for veterans, the unemployed and seniors, and invest in training for more health care workers. Let s start the transition to a low carbon economy to create tens of thousands of quality jobs and help fight climate change. Health Care - Too many Canadians wait too long for health care As our population ages, the shortage of health care workers will hurt even more, and the demand for services will soar. So why is the government cutting $36 billion from health care? Let s choose a new government that will invest instead, in recruitment, training and in long - term care. The better choice means creating the jobs that keep Canadian workers and our economy healthy. Retirement Security After a lifetime of hard work, no one should have to retire in poverty. For less than the cost of a coffee and a donut a day, workers could have double the CPP benefits and a more secure retirement. That s good for our economy. The better choice means expanding the CPP, because it s safe, fully-funded, and benefits everyone.
London Area NDP Pub Night Saturday, October 10, 2015 7:00 pm to 12:00 am Featuring Three Penny Piece Band Royal Canadian Legion Victory Branch 311 Oakland Ave. (Just west of Highbury Ave) Socialize with fellow New Democrats & the London Area Candidates Irene Mathyssen, German Gutierrez, Matthew Rowlinson, Rex Isaac & Fred Sinclair October 8th Group Photo: The London Labour Canvass with Hassan Yussuf (President, CLC), James Clancy (NUPGE), German Gutierrez, Matthew Rowlinson. Thanks to CUPW, OPSEU, UNIFOR, London Labour Council members & Council of Canadians.
Federal election 2015 Ideas for the classroom teacher Check it out at www.studentvote.ca. Canada s Democracy Week 2015 Student Vote 2015 Register your school or classroom for the Student Vote parallel election program for the 2015 federal election, administered by CIVIX. Student Vote offers students the opportunity to experience the voting process firsthand and practice the habits of informed and engaged citizenship. The program and resources are offered free to schools and are available in both official languages. This program has been and continues to be a highly successful way of engaging young people in the democratic process. The fifth edition of Canada s Democracy Week (CDW2015) takes place September 14 to 21, 2015. This year s theme, Let s Get Canada Ready to Vote, encourages Canadians to start making their plan to vote in the upcoming 2015 federal election. Inspired by the United Nations International Day of Democracy (September 15), CDW2015 encourages Canadians to learn more about the country s electoral process, and be ready to cast their ballot by knowing when, where and ways to register and vote. CDW2015 has a special focus on Canadians under the voting age. The week highlights opportunities to participate in handson activities designed to encourage an awareness and understanding of Canada s democracy, and the role youth under 18 have to play in it. Check out a digital toolkit of logos, fact sheets, web banners and a digital postcard. http://www.democracy-democratie.ca/. National Democracy Challenge The flagship activity for CDW2015 is the National Democracy Challenge. Canadian students aged 14 to 17 are invited to answer this year s Challenge question: Show Canadians how to get ready to vote through a video, an image/artwork or written text. The submission deadline is November 9, 2015. Participants will win prizes for the best submissions in each category. This year, we have partnered with Forum for Young Canadians, Encounters with Canada and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to offer great prizes for the winners. For more information, go to: http://www.democracy-democratie.ca/. Election-related materials for the classroom Elections Canada s mandate is to inform Canadians on when, where and ways to register and vote in federal elections. For this, Elections Canada has developed a series of products that can be used to help Canadians be ready to vote. Products include print and digital products and infographics, as well as videos on the English and French YouTube channels that may be of interest to teachers and students. http://www.elections.ca