November has been filled with surprises so far. Here it is mid-month and at the time of this writing we are enjoying weather that reminds us of early Fall. The leaves are mostly gone but the memory of the glorious reds, yellows, oranges and browns are fresh in our minds and remind us of why we treasure our country and its changing seasons.
Interpreter Services Toronto (IST), the Barbra Schlifer Clinic’s social purpose enterprise has launched an innovative new service for Deaf interpreters, allowing access via video for remote interpretation. Deaf interpreters are limited in availability and can be difficult to access with short notice, and in rural areas. The new feature improves services access for Deaf newcomers to Canada. Free trial provided. Contact 416-323-2503contact@interpreterservicestoronto.ca.
23 enthusiastic and energetic sector practitioners from across Ontario have completed OCASI School of Social Justice (SSJ) 2016. The SSJ builds the organizing and advocacy capacity of OCASI member agencies by supporting sector practitioners to strengthen social policy analysis and building skills for organizing and social, political economic justice action.
Mental Health Training
OCASI supports immigrant and refugee serving organizations in Ontario to address the mental health needs of clients through dialogue & collaboration, and in-person & online training for front line workers. Training is provided by Hong Fook, CCVT, and St. Michael’s Hospital. In the coming weeks, more details will be posted here.
New Report! Telling our Stories
In ‘Telling our Stories from the Frontline: Adverse Institutional Impacts of Cuts to Immigrant Settlement Funding in Ontario’, OCASI documents the impact of the 2015 program funding cuts by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (former CIC, now IRCC). CIC-funded agencies tell their stories of the scope and scale of the impacts.
OCASI, Rexdale Women’s Centre & Centre for Research & Education on Violence Against Women & Children are partnering on the project, Advancing Recognition and Response to VAW in Ontario. The project will establish a resource guide, training, and protocol to support Ontario RAP centres to respond appropriately in situations of domestic violence.
The Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention partners with Buddies In Bad Times Theatre for a special one night only performance of Black Boys followed by post-show reception with the cast. Black CAP is a registered charity working to reduce HIV/AIDS in Toronto’s Black, African and Caribbean communities and enhance quality of life of those affected by HIV/AIDS.
Urban Alliance on Race Relations (UARR) has issued a statement on racist incidents in Toronto. The UARR statement calls for vigorous opposition to racism, xenophobia, and homophobic violence that have been on the increase with Donald Trump’s election as US President last week.
The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs will be holding public hearings for the 2017 Pre-Budget consultations in select Ontario communities. Interested in making an oral presentation? Contact the Clerk of the Committee by 12:00 noon on Monday, November 28, 2016. Written submissions may be sent by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 20, 2017.
The Ontario government is holding consultations on Basic Income, a pilot project to study new approaches to improve health, employment, and housing outcomes and different ways of delivering income support and reducing poverty in Ontario. Click on the link below to learn more about participating in an in-person meeting or completing the online survey.
OCASI SSJ 2016 Grads