The Regional Women’s Committee is a focal point for mobilizing women members. The RWC informs, educates and empowers women within their union and their community. Check out these minutes for current activities and actions.
General Meeting – Planning for 2022
May 25, 2022 @ 6:00 pm Zoom Meeting
In attendance:
Kim Cardinal, Chair
Charmaine Nelson, Vice Chair
Carol Morrison, Secretary
Melanie Greenfield, Member
Shirlyn Oborowsky, Member
Fatima Rizvi, Member
Maria Dworak, Member
Joan Tomma, Member
Carm Chan, PSAC Representative
Regrets:
Erin Gibbs, Member
Megan Carley, Member
1. Welcome to all / Call to Order / Land Acknowledgement / Harassment Statement:
Kim Cardinal called the meeting to order at 6:20 pm and acknowledged the Land agreement. Charmaine read the Harassment Statement.
2. This Agenda – Adoption:
Kim requested adoption of the agenda – Consensus – Approved.
3. Approval and Posting of March 9, 2022 AGM Minutes:
Consensus – Approved. Kim will ask PSAC to post to the website. Kim confirmed that the March 9th minutes were also posted to the PSAC website.
4. Treasurer’s report:
Was unable to present as the treasurer was not available to provide the balance. However the balance as of April 27, 2022 statement: $1094.35, was recorded for this meeting. Kim shared with the committee that the purposed budget has not yet been approved.
5. New Business:
5.1 PSAC Priorities – Below are the four priorities for the RWC for 2022.
5.1 (a) Child Care –
Kim shared the email that she received, “building a Canada wide system of Early Learning and Child Care”. Kim asked about how becoming a member of “Child Care Now Canada” looks for this women’s committee. It is an annual membership, snap shot of membership details below. Carm advised committee to send to Marianne to see if we the committee can sign up and/or make a donation to this cause.
5.1 (b) Violence Against Women –
Committee agreed to go forward with the event “Helping Women get back to the Workforce”. Kim has suggested that a sub-committee be started and has asked Megan Carley to lead the committee. Megan finished the poster and Kim shared with the committee members for input. There was none received. Kim asked at this meeting for consensus to send out the poster tomorrow, May 26, 2022, via Union ware. By show of hands – Consensus – approved. In regards to getting a list for the sub-committee volunteers, please submit your interest to myself at cardika@hotmail.com with your name and email. As well if you would want to help pick up, or store donations to add this to the email with the following:
Pick up or Store or both – Address and Phone number. Once I have received the list, Charmaine Nelson our vice chair volunteered to organize the lists of volunteers for this. Once we start getting the calls to pick up, the information will be passed on to Charmaine and she can than deploy the volunteer list. If you are only a picking up volunteer we will ensure that the “storing” volunteers will be in close proximity. I would like to set a deadline to submit your interest on this sub-committee for June 1, 2022. This will give us an idea of when to set up the 1st meeting to discuss more of the event’s details. The tentative date for the 1st event is September 8th – 11th. Thursday will be for the committee to set up, Friday and Saturday opened for women to come and Sunday to clean up. A budget of $1050 was requested for this event, which we still have not been approved.
5.1 (c) Pay Equity –
Charmaine shared that the committee can start gathering some facts of this topic and create a ‘mosaic’ type. We can start working on it and it could be shared at events, meetings, etc. in order to start a discussion of pay equity.
5.1 (d) Employment Equity –
This will be a standing item for discussion.
5.2 Brainstorm ideas for this year’s committee and budget plan:
5.2 (a) Visual Artistic Journaling (VAJ) –
Event tabled for 2023 – for more details see minutes from April 27, 2022 and Item #6-Actions below.
5.2 (b) International Women’s Day, Tuesday, March 8, 2023 –
A forecasted budget was submitted recognizing any women days that an event can be held by the committee (i.e. lobbying). Committee came up with some ideas for this event, such as getting members to submit a poem, pictures, art work, etc. on what is International Women’s Day mean to you, and have a draw of all entries to win a prize. As well Carm suggested to get in contact with the other six Women’s committee’s and see what they might have planned or work on doing a “webinar” event.
5.2 (c) Team Building Ideas –
Kim asked the committee members to choose an activity that we could do before summer. Most committee members voted on have an outside craft painting rocks. Kim volunteered her home as she has a very big yard to hold this activity. In regards to getting/collecting rocks, Kim suggested that we can all go for a walk to collect rock as there is a ravine by her place. Kim also mentioned that she can talk to some of the Elders that she works with about a teaching in picking rocks and if they would be available to provide a teaching. Event date was picked for Sunday, June 12th, 2022 @ 1 pm. Carol volunteered to work on the invites to send to all committee members past and future to attend this team building event.
6. Actions:
| Who | What | When | Date completed |
| Kim | Request that the April 27th meeting minutes be posted | May 26, 2022 | |
| Megan / Kim | Start a sub-committee for “helping women get back to the workforce” | ASAP | |
| All committee members | If interested in being on the sub-committee, submit your name, contact information to cardika@hotmail.com | June 3, 2022 | |
| Carm | Send advertisement via Union Ware for the event | May 26, 2022 | |
| Kim – Standing item for minutes | Have discussions with Marianne in regards to events for next year and having budget approval this year | November, 2022 | |
| Carol | Invites for Team Building – “painting rocks” | June 1, 2022 | |
| Carm | Send invitation for painting rocks | June 2, 2022 |
7. Next meeting date, time and location:
Next meeting date, time and location: Wednesday, September 7, 2022 at 6:00PM
8. Roundtable:
Charmaine Nelson expressed her gratitude. Introduction for Joan and Sherilyn.
9. Adjournment @ 7:38 pm