Episodes
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Summary
I met Helen Tremethick, a rurally-based Regenerative Business Designer and Holistic Business Coach, through her workshop for the Canadian Women's Chamber of Commerce and it was her workshop's title, "Sustainability is B******t" that caught my and so many others' interest.
In this episode, Helen discusses her approach to disrupting business coaching and the importance of redefining success. She emphasizes the need to consider how our businesses are running for us and the impact they have on our ecosystem. Helen also highlights the challenges and benefits of being a rural resident and business owner. She shares her insights on somatic therapy and its role in decision-making and self-care. Helen concludes with advice for entrepreneurs, encouraging them to connect with their bodies, define their own version of success, and focus on their own journey rather than comparing themselves to others.
How to connect with Helen:
Website: helentremethick.com
Motorcycle Club: helentremethick.com/club
IG: instagram.com/helentremethick
Free Gift: bit.ly/beyondsustainable
Book A Chat: tidycal.com/helentremethick/cuppa
Takeaways
* Consider how your business is running for you and the impact it has on your ecosystem.
* Connect with your body to make better decisions and prioritize self-care.
* Redefine success based on your own values and priorities.
* Focus on your own journey and avoid comparing yourself to others.
Sound Bites
* "How is our business having an impact? And ideally, what we want to do is create an impact that is net positive, has a net gain for everyone involved."
* "We need to factor in future care, present care, and the fact that your mortgage broker doesn't take fresh baked bread."
* "If you have a community where you can exchange time or energy or attention, then great, then you don't need to have money as part of that equation."
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and the Concept of Regenerative Business
02:59 Redefining Success: Beyond Traditional Measures
06:24 The Impact of Our Businesses on the Ecosystem
09:22 Somatic Therapy: A Tool for Better Decision-Making
25:36 Finding Joy in the Outdoors and Parenting
27:25 The Love and Badassery Motorcycle Club
32:34 Advice for Entrepreneurs: Redefine Success and Focus on Your Journey
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April Lindgren, a former journalist and current professor, discusses the state of local journalism in Canada and the challenges it faces. She shares insights from her research on the decline of local news outlets and the emergence of new models. Lindgren emphasizes the importance of local journalism in building communities, holding power accountable, and combating misinformation. She explores the role of digital mapping in understanding the landscape of local media and highlights the need for multiple revenue streams to sustain local news organizations. Lindgren also discusses the potential role of philanthropy in supporting local journalism and the importance of collaboration among newsrooms.
Takeaways
Local journalism plays a crucial role in building communities, holding power accountable, and combating misinformation.
The decline of local news outlets in Canada has led to a lack of verified, timely, and independent local journalism.
Digital mapping can provide insights into the state of local media and track the opening and closing of news outlets.
Sustaining local news organizations requires multiple revenue streams, including advertising, membership models, philanthropic support, and events.
Collaboration among newsrooms can lead to more impactful journalism and a diversity of voices in local communities.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:14 The Decline of Local News Outlets
05:51 Understanding the Local Media Landscape
09:01 Sustaining Local News Organizations
14:05 The Role of Philanthropy in Supporting Local Journalism
28:59 The Future of Journalism
32:55 Conclusion
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Missing episodes?
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Andrew Button - MashUp Lab
I first met Andrew Button from MashUp Lab over the phone. He was inquiring about the national conference the organization I was working with, Community Futures Ontario, was hosting and how he could become a speaker. That was in the throes of the pandemic.
Andrew and I caught up again recently to chat about how he’s supporting entrepreneurs in rural Canada (and the US), what is missing for many rural communities and some of the opportunities they have at the start of a New Year.
After a 15-year career working in rural communities with various innovation, businesses, and economic development organizations, Andrew founded Mashup Lab in 2014.
Mashup Vision: A world where EVERY person in a rural place has the opportunity to unleash their full potential.
Identifying a gap in resources and a need for support in his community, Andrew has since launched a community of 3 co-working spaces for freelancers, entrepreneurs and independents in the south shore under the brand WorkEvolved.
Andrew is from a small rural community in Newfoundland and married a girl from a small rural community in Nova Scotia that they now call home with their two boys
Summary
Andrew Button from Mashup Lab discusses the challenges faced by rural and remote communities in Canada and the US. He highlights the importance of addressing equity and systemic barriers and shares his personal growth journey in understanding and addressing these issues. Andrew also talks about the role of co-working spaces in rural communities and the potential of social innovation and social business models. He emphasizes the need for open-mindedness, collaboration, and taking small steps to create positive change in rural communities. The conversation explores the importance of taking the first step and the potential for surprising ourselves with what we can achieve.
Takeaways
Addressing equity and systemic barriers is crucial for supporting entrepreneurship in rural and remote communities.Personal growth and learning are essential for understanding and addressing these challenges.Co-working spaces can play a significant role in fostering entrepreneurship and collaboration in rural communities.Social innovation and social business models offer opportunities for solving social challenges in a sustainable and profitable way.Open-mindedness, collaboration, and taking small steps can lead to positive change in rural communities. Success stories often start with one person taking the first step.Opportunities arise when we take action without expectations.We can achieve more than we think in a short period of time.Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Mashup Lab
03:01 Challenges Faced by Rural and Remote Communities
06:33 Equity and Systemic Barriers
10:53 Personal Growth and Learning
13:41 Healing Communities through Personal Growth
16:25 Barriers and Opportunities in Rural Communities
20:21 Co-Working Spaces in Rural Communities
27:22 Understanding Social Innovation and Social Business Models
33:17 Bartering and Mutual Aid in Entrepreneurship
40:18 Progress in Rural and Remote Communities
44:25 Goals for 2024
46:06 Finding Opportunities in Your Community
48:28 Taking the First Step
49:03 Surprising Ourselves
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Elder Cindy Crowe - Sacred Circles
This is the third time I have had the pleasure of speaking with Elder Cindy Crowe for a podcast episode, however, I speak with her often as she is my mentor, a dear friend and my chosen family.
Cindy is an Anishinaabe Grandmother Elder, a Knowledge Keeper, a Lodgekeeper, a Pipe Carrier and a Drum Keeper.
Cindy is from Opwaaganisiniing close to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. She is called to connect Indigenous & non-Indigenous folks, as well as support the relationship between Spirit & our human experience. Through her Anishnaabe lens, Cindy holds space for belonging & interconnectedness through vulnerable storytelling & unconditional acceptance.
I have had the benefit of participating in one of Cindy’s Sacred Circles for almost a year. It is a weekly date I rarely miss. And it has literally healed me and changed my life.
Cindy is now hosting virtual circles twice a week and we talked about what circles are, what makes them sacred, who can host them and how they can heal communities.
Summary
In this conversation, Cindy Crowe, an Identity and Purpose Coach, discusses the concept of sacred circles and their significance in creating a sense of belonging and connection. She explains that sacred circles provide a space where individuals can feel loved, accepted, and free from judgment. Cindy emphasizes that anyone can host a sacred circle as long as they approach it with an open heart and the belief that everyone is equal. She also explores the roles of knowledge keepers and lodge keepers in facilitating circles and highlights the importance of inclusivity in community healing. Cindy encourages individuals to focus on self-healing and love, as well as to foster a sense of unity and collaboration within their communities.
Takeaways
Sacred circles provide a space where individuals can feel loved, accepted, and free from judgment.Anyone can host a sacred circle as long as they approach it with an open heart and the belief that everyone is equal.Knowledge keepers and lodge keepers play important roles in facilitating circles and passing down wisdom.Inclusivity is crucial in community healing, and circles should be open to people of all backgrounds.Focusing on self-healing, love, and fostering unity within communities can lead to positive change and a brighter future.
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The Coxes: Rural Ontario in Colour
This episode, I again handed the microphone to folks who share a lens I do not have.
This is an intergenerational conversation, from a mom and son, whose experience and perspective is, as people of colour, who once lived in urban settings and now have moved to the country.
Mojdeh and her son Darius talk about safety, access to cultural food, infrastructure, climate and agriculture among a number of other topics. The two have recently gone into business together with their consulting agency, Cox & Co, a full scale values-driven firm providing strategic advisory services, training and skills building, and specializing in ethical governance and deep anti-oppression.
Mojdeh Cox is an award-winning consultant, convener and facilitator who is nationally recognized for her expertise in anti-oppression and human rights.
For over a decade, Mojdeh has coached organizational and community leaders, businesses and not-for-profit organizations across all sectors on re-imagining their work through a heightened equity lens rooted in social justice, from organizing and convening the largest equity-based lobby on Parliament Hill on Indigenous rights and justice for the Canadian Labour Congress, to facilitating consultations leading to the co-creation of the Community Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (CDIS) for the City of London.
Most recently, Mojdeh’s thought leadership on Radical Accountability has been nationally recognized in her tenure as President and CEO of Pillar Nonprofit Network.
Mojdeh currently lives in the county with her partner, their four children (including Darius) and their not-so-mini Mini Goldendoodle, Leo.
Darius Cox was born and mostly raised in London and is currently a King’s University College, Western University student majoring in Political Science and minoring in Sociology.
With a passion for learning and leadership, Darius has been a leading delegate in the North Meets South Exchange where youth create a policy framework to draw attention to issues facing Indigenous peoples in Northern Ontario after learning first-hand of the culture and experiences.
Darius has also been a delegate at the Smart Start Youth Summit centred around developing leadership and ethics competencies to work on building your future.
During highschool he had a leading role in a program called “MANUP”, addressing toxic masculinity and emphasizing respect towards others, especially women. He also sits on the board for the Gender Equality Coalition of Ontario as the youth chair.
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Organizing and Activism in Rural Canada
As a response to injustices that happen around the globe, protests and demonstrations have always been a way for people to express their views in a public way.
We’ve all seen big protests and demonstrations depicted on television news and increasingly on social media. But many of those displays of solidarity happen in big cities.
I believe that there are progressive folks, looking to get involved in social movements in smaller rural and remote communities across Canada too but many don’t know where to start.
David Alton is a queer organizer and community facilitator. They co-founded GroundUp Waterloo Region (GroundUPWR) in 2020 to help fill gaps and build bridges in the grassroots world of Waterloo Region. What started as a twitter account has now grown into a network of 100 local organizers.
David is an urban planner and community facilitator, who is passionate about humanizing public discourse, overcoming stakeholder conflicts and advancing societal values.
Roy Mitchell grew up in Northern Ontario and escaped to be gay, make films and videos and… trouble in Toronto.
He is now back in Northern Ontario where he is a community organizer and runs the Hybla Artist Residency. After 10 years, he still can’t believe he is living rurally and loving it!
I met Roy through our mutual involvement in the Drag Storytime Guardians and that group’s counter protests at drag storytimes in rural Ontario this summer, but Roy has become a great friend and mentor to me and I am grateful to have benefited from his wisdom.
Both he and David share insights into what folks across rural Canada can do to form their own grassroots movements and organizations.
Special mention to the Blueprints of Disruption podcast with Jessa McLean, as that’s where I heard about David and GroundUp. It was a suggestion from Roy!
You can reach David and the folks at GroundUpWR at [email protected]
You can reach Roy Mitchell at [email protected].
**Roy mentions a video that illustrates the creation of a movement. You can watch that here.***
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Racism: Rural vs Urban - A Gen Z Perspective
Racial inequities exist in Canada, and particularly in rural, remote and northern Canada.
I have heard the stories. Just one example is a Black woman entrepreneur in rural Alberta, who told me of the racism she experienced at her local Chamber of Commerce.
She’s the reason I enlisted the help of post secondary students (from the Venture for Canada Intrapreneurship program) from racialized and marginalized communities to create the report: How Inclusive are Canada’s Chambers of Commerce? A Report Card and the Words 2 Action: DEI Mobilization Map that followed.
As a white settler, am I the right person to facilitate a conversation about race?
I again enlisted the help of students from the Venture for Canada program.
This time, I asked the students to help me rethink the podcast. What more could I be doing to bring attention to contentious and uncomfortable topics in rural Canada, like racism?
Yvonne Wang and Uttej Mannava, both Western University students, took on the challenge of planning a podcast episode about racism from a rural vs urban perspective. Yvonne’s studies are currently around health and Uttej is studying data science.
They hosted Kirsten Schmidt from the rural perspective. Kirsten is a research assistant with the Rural Development Network and a student at the University of Alberta. She grew up in rural Alberta.
From the urban perspective, Cedric Richards, a local travel influencer from London, Ontario added his lens to the conversation.(You can follow his awesome newsletter/blog here!)
I listened ‘backstage’ and it was really evident to me, because Yvonne, Uttej and Cedric are all people of colour, there was so much more context, richness and fullness to the conversation.
I am so grateful to all of them for taking this on.
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This Rural Canadian History Moment was created by Christian Doran as part of the University of Guelph Diarist course project in 2023. The course was taught by Catharine A. Wilson, PhD, F.R.S.C. / Redelmeier Professor in Rural History / Department of History / College of Arts at the University of Guelph.
From the Diary of Thomas Alexander Loghrin (1878-1936), Downie Township, Perth County. Courtesy of his descendants.
You can also access the full diary on the University of Guelph Rural Diary Archive.
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Dispelling Period Stigma with Free Periods Canada - Zeba Kahn and Niki Oveisi
As our rural Canadian communities grapple with conflicting views about gender identity and the right to live freely as authentic people and simply exist, if we take a step back, often conversations around periods and menstruation along gender lines (and generations) can be strained and awkward at best.
Why is this? Why does the very mention of the word period make people uncomfortable? Including those of us who menstruate? Why has the onus fallen on typically woman-identifying members of families to educate, and often gate keep, those conversations?
And if we can’t even have the conversation, how can we ensure rural menstruators get the products they need?
When I was in Whitehorse, Yukon recently, attending the Equal Futures Conference, I met two incredible women doing work around menstrual and healthcare equity.
Zeba Khan founded Free Periods Canada in 2016, a grassroots non-profit based in Western Canada. But the organization started out as a university club. Zeba grew up in Bangladesh and relocated to Canada in 2015 as an international student. She is a staunch believer in equal access to healthcare for all and she advocates for free access to menstruation care supplies.
Her dedication to advocating for menstrual and healthcare equity has earned her the 2021 BC Community Achievement Award, 2019 Diana Award, as well as the International Community Achievement Award by University of British Columbia four times in a row.
Niki Oveisi is the Associate Director of Free Periods Canada Foundation, and has worked tirelessly to promote menstrual equity and address period poverty in the country. Niki’s participation in the menstrual equity movement gave her the power to celebrate menstruation, and disrupt barriers surrounding cultural stigma and menstruation in her community.
She is also a Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia using both qualitative and quantitative data to explore the impact of cancer treatments on the psychosocial, sexual, and reproductive outcomes of adolescent and young adult cancer patients.
I spoke to these two women about their work.
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This Rural Canadian History Moment was created by Emma Rutledge as part of the University of Guelph Diarist course project in 2023.
The course was taught by Catharine A. Wilson, PhD, F.R.S.C. / Redelmeier Professor in Rural History / Department of History / College of Arts at the University of Guelph.
Many rural women, and the work they did, was often overlooked, many even eliminated from being counted as a person, in the Canadian Census.
Diary of Jemima Ripley (1850-1919), South Crosby Township, Leeds & Grenville County. Rideau Lakes History Center Archive.
You can also find the full diary at the University of Guelph Rural Diary Archive.
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Lisa Gallant-McRobb - Leading Indigenous Healing Through Trauma and Triumph
June is traditionally Pride Month but June is also Indigenous History month. It’s an opportunity to learn about the unique cultures, traditions and experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis. It's a time to honour the stories, achievements and resilience of Indigenous Peoples, who have lived on this land since time immemorial.
While in Whitehorse last month, I had the opportunity to speak with folks doing amazing work in rural and remote Canada.
One of those incredible people was Lisa Gallant-McRobb. And she told me her story.
Lisa is a Cree/Metis woman who has found her home on the traditional territory of The Kwanlin Dunn First Nation and The Ta'an Kwach'an Council.
A proud mother of 3 Tlingit children, Lisa has broken through the generational traumas that have plagued her family and she has bravely blazed her own path.
Coming from a life of addiction, abuse, neglect and violence, Lisa has risen up to become a voice for change, an advocate for our most vulnerable, and a powerful force pushing back against the systems that were designed to keep her down.
Working with victims of abuse and sexual violence, cooking with her catering company, the many many hours of volunteer work and contributing to the various boards and committees she sits on, Lisa has become a powerful force determined to give back to the community she loves, to change her world around her and to set an example for her children and her childrens children to follow.
CONTENT/TRIGGER WARNING:
A content trigger warning that Lisa speaks about her experience with domestic violence, addiction, alcoholism, homelessness and generational trauma. This may trigger some of you, you may want to take breaks or you may not want to listen at all. Please take care.
National Indian Residential School Crisis Line for former Residential School Students:
1-866-925-4419
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Sista Patricia and the Drag Storytime Guardians
Earlier this month, a Drag Storytime was scheduled in the rural town of Parkhill, Ontario. Protestors were expected but what wasn’t expected was a group of woman-identifying motorbike enthusiasts, some of which belonged to the group, Wind Sisters.
One of those women was 70 year old Patricia Ginn, or Sista Patricia as she likes to be called.
Sista Patricia and her friends showed up to support the folks trying to enter the Parkhill library with their children. OPP officers were there too. Things got loud. Nasty and derogatory things were said and a bullhorn was activated to intimidate. But the group locked arms and later escorted families inside.
Since then, Drag Storytime scheduled in another town in the same county, was canceled, for a number of reasons but police could not guarantee the safety of the patrons so the event was put on hold.
Sista Patricia is passionate about supporting members of the 2SLGBTQAI+ community and she has a very special personal story about why she says, the time is NOW for allies to show up. Her group is now called Drag Storytime Guardians.
*I want to add that during our conversation, I said I have been an ally for a long time. That is true, but I wasn’t always as aware, in fact, I was ignorant. My allyship has grown over the years. ALL of us have things to learn, including me.
You can connect with Sista Patricia at the email: [email protected].
She's expecting you.
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Who Fuels Division in Rural Canada and Why? - Kurt Phillips - Canadian Anti-Hate Network
I’ve spoken with Kurt Phillips from the Canadian Anti-Hate Network in an episode previously, called Bias, Hate and Extremism in Rural Canada - Part 2 about the organizations at play spreading hate and disinformation in the news deserts of rural Canada.
This time, we’re talking about the campaigns to overturn proclamations, Pride events and flags, and the protests around Drag Storytime.
Who are these groups and what is their end game?
Kurt Phillips started doing anonymous online research into hate groups in Canada, but was doxxed in recent years, losing his anonymity. He’s a board member of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network and also a high school teacher in rural Alberta.
Canadian Anti-Hate Network's Educational Toolkit, which is a Government of Canada-funded resource, aims to give teachers and students the tools to address displays of hate on campus.
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Pride and Prejudice in Rural Ontario
In April of 2023, in the town of Norwich, Ontario the municipal council voted to ban all flags except for Canadian flags and provincial flags. At the same meeting, the council refused to recognize a Pride celebration and voted down the creation of a DEI committee.
This isn’t a new fight in this town, and it’s not a new fight in rural Canada. Protests at Drag Storytime are growing and a veil of intolerance is not only lifted but being shouted proudly.
This episode, I speak with two community representatives that refuse to give up.
Tami Murray is the President of the Oxford County Pride Committee coordinating Pride events throughout the County of Oxford. Her day job is being the proud owner and operator of Diversity Counseling with a clinical approach that supports best practice perspectives in the area of mental health wellness. Tami is also a workplace wellness facilitator for Homewood Health Care, providing psychoeducational wellness workshops throughout southwestern Ontario.
Patricia Marshal is a neuro-divergent, demi sexual woman of mixed Anishnaabe, Celtic and German decent and resident of Oxford County. She is mother to four children, two of whom openly identify under the 2slgbtqia+ umbrella and the soon to be wife of a proud Houdenesaunee descendent; She is the founder and director of IISAN- Ingersoll & Area's Indigenous Solidarity and Awareness Network as well as a member of the Ingersoll Accessibility committee and Ingersoll's Diversity & Inclusion Committee,
IISAN is a collaborative friendship network of Indigneous and non-Indigenous members. It is a grassroots not-for-profit organization that was formed in the wake of the discovery of the 215 children at a residential school in Kamloops BC in 2021. The intention of the group is to help the community of Oxford County take meaningful steps towards Truth and Reconciliation. IISAN is responsible for hosting the annual march for T&R in Ingersoll on September 30th, a youth program titled IndigiKNOW, MMIWG2S+ Awareness initiatives, creative art displays, community activism and community speaking and education.
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Andrea Palframan and RAVEN - Supporting Indigenous Land Back Legal Claims
Many of us have colonial roots and understand that our ancestors were responsible for attempting to erase Indigenous people and culture in Canada. But with that understanding, what can we do?
Here is one thing you can do.
SUPPORT/DONATE to the Protect the Breathing Lands campaign, mentioned in the podcast.
RAVEN is a registered charity with a mission to raise funds for Indigenous People's access to justice.
RAVEN is guided by some of the most brilliant legal advisors in the country, and they work to enshrine environmental justice for all. The law is clearly on the side of Indigenous peoples and the group believes that Indigenous victories protect all of us.
RAVEN also has an educational arm, with a series of 10 videos about Indigenous law and history. You can watch those for free.
Andrea Palframan is the Director of Communication with RAVEN. She is dedicated to making media that brings the strength of data together with the power of storytelling.
She holds a Masters in Intercultural & International Communication. Her research focus— how Indigenous communities are responding to, resisting, and adapting to climate change—forms the underpinning of her understanding of environmental justice and human rights issues. She spent 10 years working in sub Saharan Africa as Programs Manager for Glasswaters Foundation, working with grassroots community leaders to bridge the digital divide.
Andrea is also a filmmaker: her documentary "Raven People Rising" screened at VIFF and won People's Choice award at the Vox Popular Film Festival; she is producer of "The Story of a Girl" with the Visual Epidemiology Project, and most recently directed “The Sky and the Land will Turn” with youth from Capilano University’s Indigenous Film Program.
RAVEN invites support from foundations, organizations, businesses and individuals. RAVEN supporters can donate, organize events, and fundraise online to support our campaigns.
SUPPORT/DONATE to the Protect the Breathing Lands campaign, mentioned in the podcast.
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Kendra Fry - Rural and Remote Churches - What's Next?
This episode came about when I was looking up how many churches are for sale or even abandoned in rural and remote Canada. I couldn’t find a current number but I did find a story about the selling off of Catholic churches in Newfoundland. In 1999, 39 men — former residents of Mount Cashel Orphanage in St. John’s — filed statements of claim at Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court claiming they were abused during the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s by members of the Irish Christian Brothers, who ran the orphanage. They won and since the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s appeal in 2021, over 100 men have come forward. Their claims exceed 50 million dollars. Hence selling off churches to pay.
I was then looking for people who had an expertise in repurposing or re-imagining churches no longer in use, or even abandoned. That’s when I found Kendra Fry.
Kendra has a long career in the arts mostly as a General Manager in theatre before beginning her work creating multi sectoral community hubs for the common good. Working with partners from across Canada, Kendra unlocks the hidden value in historic building sites, creating broad cross-sectoral community centres that involve the arts, housing, food security, education and many other not for profit organizations. Some of her better- known sites include Carlton University at Dominion Chalmers, Crescent Fort Rouge Centre in Winnipeg, Copperlight in Stratford and Trinity St. Paul’s Centre and Eastminster United in Toronto. She is currently working on eighteen sites across Canada.
Kendra is the author along with Milton Friesen of “No Space for Community; An in depth look into the loss of infrastructure due to faith building closures in Ontario '' which can be read at www.communityspacefaithplace.org.
This study of not for profit and community usage of faith buildings was created in partnership with the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Ontario Nonprofit Network, Cardus, the City of Toronto and Faith & the Common Good.
Kendra is an Associate with the National Trust for Canada where she works on enhancing the community value of, and engagement with historic places including museums, faith buildings, cultural sites and historic landscapes.
Kendra is also the General Manager of Stratford Summer Music , a summer festival that produces 40 concerts and one collaborative cross sectoral arts weekend each summer.
You can see some of her projects at www.creativecollisions.org
Trinity Centres Foundation’s: STRATEGY COURSE FOR CHURCH BOARD MEMBERS
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Dr. Jacquie Newman - How Some Rural Municipalities Use Power to Exclude
Through a chain of events, I found myself watching a previous recording of a municipal council meeting, a municipality in rural Alberta. It’s called Olds, Alberta. The CAO was briefing council (and a delegation that was there about another matter) on why the administration was recommending the municipality get out of the ‘proclamation business’. He facetiously said he advised council against proclamations because they might deny a proclamation to a cause dear to someone like 'Save the Rainbows Day' or 'Save the Pandas Day'.
This prompted me to inquire around my own area in rural Ontario. Was this something municipalities were using to avoid supporting specifically Pride events? (Baring some closeness to Save the Rainbows Day, referenced in the clip)
In rural Ontario, in the small town of Norwich, “Coun. John Scholten is proposing a policy that only federal, provincial and municipal flags be flown on any Norwich Township property and that only banners related to the "promotion of downtown businesses or for downtown beautification" be installed on township streetlight poles.” (Source: CBC London)
Let's be honest, this is simply exclusion. An attempt to side step an uncomfortable and perhaps contentious issue.
I decided to ask Dr. Jacquie Newman from Western University in London, Ontario her thoughts about what this means.
Dr. Newman is a Professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations at King’s University College at the Western University in London Ontario. She writes and researches on topics of gender and politics. Currently, she is undertaking a research program, “This is Where I Do My Work” which examines the motivations and commitments of women municipal councillors.
We also talk about how women councillors approach equity deserving topics and that adding women of colour to councils brings a positive outcome for all equity deserving groups.
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Kim English - Addressing a Rural Canadian Nursing Crisis
Professor Kim English first sent me an email, suggesting the topic of rural and remote nursing.
Kim is a Doctoral candidate who has been teaching nurses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level since 2002.
Kim draws from her clinical experiences in acute care and professional practice, and her lived experiences in rural health and working with Indigenous communities.
Kim’s narrative-informed research explores the work of rural and remote nurses, celebrating their innovation and leadership. Kim’s work draws from the social sciences and humanities. She is privileged as a settler to be able to learn with and from many Indigenous nurses, elders, and colleagues to inform an anti-colonial lens to her understanding of context and health.
This is important as she addresses issues in the provision of nursing education using virtual simulations, the impact of inclusive, anti-racist and anti-oppressive approaches to education.
Kim has a particular interest in addressing racism in healthcare to serve as an ally to Indigenous populations.
Internationally, Kim is working with a collective of Fellows from Switzerland, New Zealand, and Australia to explore the enhancement of scope of practice in rural areas to address primary healthcare needs. It is expected this fellowship will grow to include 5 additional countries.
Kim has been the recipient of several teaching awards, including the Trent University Excellence in Online Education Award in 2020.
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Isaac Murdoch - Revolution of the Heart
I first saw Isaac Murdoch telling his stories on Facebook, during the pandemic. A prolific and legendary Indigenous storyteller, he was so entertaining he left an indelible impression on me.
Later, during my own training and healing about the real beginnings of Canada, Isaac’s stories turned up again, during a training session as someone all of us should listen to.
Isaac is also a singer/songwriter, artist and maker.
I had the honour and privilege of having a conversation with Isaac recently, just before he attended a special event deemed Revolution of the Heart. He designed the logo.
Bomgiizhik (Isaac Murdoch) is from Serpent River First Nation. He is of the Fish Clan and is Ojibwe and has 4 beautiful children. He currently lives in the forest at Nimkii Ajj-bi kong, a indigenous community that focuses on indigenous language, art, and land based activities. Being blessed with the opportunity, Bomgiizhik grew up in the traditional setting of hunting and gathering on the land. Having spent many years learning from Elders, he spends a lot of his time as a Storyteller. Many of these stories become his visual art pieces which have become recognized world wide. Bomgiizhik is also an author and singer/songwriter who loves to make music and make books whenever he gets a chance. You will often find him on the land looking at his favorite plants or gazing into the beautiful night sky.
Isaac’s website
Isaac’s YouTube channel
Isaac’s Facebook page
Isaac’s Instagram
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Emily McIntosh - Bill 5 - Women of Ontario Say No
I first heard about the Women of Ontario Say No campaign on Instagram. One of the campaign’s posts was shared by a number of female municipal council members that I follow.
It’s a growing grassroots advocacy effort to address the gap in a provincial accountability structure for municipally elected officials. Multiple Ontario municipalities have learned the hard way about the lack of tools in the Municipal Act for holding councillors accountable for workplace harassment. Currently the most severe penalty that can be imposed on a municipal councillor is suspension of pay for 90 days- even in the worst cases. There is no process for removing councillors from office and they can even seek re-election. (Some of them have)
Bill 5 addresses this by amending the Municipal Act & City of Toronto Act. The legislation would ensure elected officials are 1) held to their municipality's violence and harassment in the workplace policies 2) permit the Integrity Commissioner to apply to the court to vacate the councillor’s seat for failing to comply with the municipality's workplace violence or harassment policies and 3) restrict subsequent re-election.
Emily McIntosh is at the heard of this campaign
Born and raised in Simcoe County, Emily has a longstanding interest in politics, human rights, and immigration and refugee policy. With international development experience in East Africa and Central Asia, Emily knows first-hand that the rights of women in Canada are never something to be taken for granted. Emily spearheaded this advocacy when her own hometown, Barrie, ON was directly affected. A municipal councillor ran for Mayor in the most recent election while in civil ligation for sexual harassment of a city employee.
Emily is passionate about advocating, protecting and strengthening the rights of all people, but particularly women- recognizing that the barriers to dismantling the longstanding patriarchal foundations of our current political environment make it challenging to speak out. That’s why she is using her voice and privilege to bring this Bill to the Ontario legislature.
The Women of Ontario Say No website
The Women of Ontario Say No Instagram
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