July 2018 Highlights
July Is A Busy Month
July was a very busy month for us, Canada Day, we sold hot dogs, wild rice burgers, chips, homemade cookies and pickle on a stick at Pither’s Point Park. My mom, papa, Sara, Kathleen and I set up the tent before everyone came down to the point park.
Friday July 6 to Sunday, July 8
For the 3 days in Thunder Bay, we went to Thunder Bay Blues Festival at the Marina Park. Day 1, we saw Sass Jordan and Melissa Etheridge. One Day 2, we went back to see Arkells, Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan. On the 3rd day, it was thundering and raining so we left Thunder Bay and the concert was cancelled due to severe thunder storms.
FFCBC:
On Saturday, July 21st, my mom had to do a steak dinner for the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship and they did a draw for a tickets for 2 steak dinner. My mom and papa brought the BBQ and everything and set up down at the big tent.
Submitted by Chris Del Roasario-Coish
Open Air Art Studio
The 2018 Open Air Art Studios have been in full swing throughout July featuring some great workshops such as our partnership with Borderland Pride for Pride Flags and Ribbon Wands, Stick Painting and Mobiles, Suncatchers, and Bird Feeders. Attendance has been great with around 40 participants each week. We look forward to making more art in August see below for dates!
Hoping for more progress when it comes to supported decision-making
Taken from Community Living Ontario Update Friday
In his session, Securing the Right to Make Your Own Decisions, Community Living Ontario’s Director of Policy Gordon Kyle will update attendees on where things are at with respect to advocating for the introduction of a legal framework around supported decision-making.
His presentation for Community Living Ontario’s 65th AGM and Conference will focus on two threads: the organization’s work on an Inclusion Standard over the past year, and the pilot projects underway.
The Standard, he explained, “Lays out the fundamental things that would need to be in the law in order to introduce supported decision-making.”
He emphasized that this work has been happening for a very long time. Over the past few years in particular, working with the Law Commission of Ontario, has resulted in “some progress, but we were hoping for more.”
Because of the recent change in government, Community Living Ontario will further build on conversations with the new Attorney General, who Kyle explained, holds the authority on the matter. Community Living Ontario will this time bring recommendations backed by evidence from new pilot projects.
“We’ve got some funding this year to begin development of pilot projects in five communities around the province to introduce supported-decision making, to test out the standard and provide advice on what supported decision-making looks like on the ground.”
The five communities where the pilots will take place are Windsor, Dryden, Brockville, Toronto, York Region.
These pilots will provide a foundation to “Evaluate and give advice to government on the things we’ve done that actually make sense,” said Kyle.
The pilots are modelled on three international pilots supported by the Institutes for Research and Development on Inclusion and Society underway in Zambia, Bulgaria, and Colombia. In Canada, supported decision-making already exists in all the western provinces including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, as well as the Yukon. Globally, there are various models being introduced.
Presenting on this topic at this year’s Conference is necessary because it’s difficult to advance the agenda of real inclusion and authority without supported decision-making being embedded. Members need to know about the work that is being done.
Click here to register for this year’s conference.Madison Koekkoek, Community Living Ontario
