May
30
2019
Have tenants' voices been lost? Who is paying the price? At the annual meeting on June 18, 6:30pm at St John Church, tenants can learn more about the RENT association, about tenant organizing in general, and what supports and resources we can rely on. Before you come, you can read the report from the tenants forum held on April 9th and think more about the relationships among people in your building or renters on your street, about the communication with landlords, changes in neighbourhoods due to constructions, and mutual supports.
Natural disasters, such as floods and fires, hitting communities far and near have been featuring prominently in the media as we talk more about the climate crisis. What, as neighbourhoods, can we do to be more resilient in the case we are hit by such an event? Trust among the neighbours is the not-so-secret ingredient. "It is extremely important that you get to know your neighbours beforehand, so that you know who is elderly, who has young children, pets, may have a disability." Steve LaRochelle, Emergency Management, City of Kitchener (
Our tax clinic team completed 420 returns this March and April, and processed 2016 and 2017 returns which was offered only by a few clinics. Extraordinary accomplishment by 8 extraordinary volunteers working evenings and weekends for 8 weeks. The volunteers also responded to over 100 T1 adjustments, assessment notices & inquires, including CPP applications, and electricity bill relief. There are many ways in which we can improve the process for the next tax season internally and we hope to provide valuable feedback together with other tax clinics in the region towards greater supports to the volunteer run clinics from the federal government in the future. 
The community will have a chance to continue Exploring Life in the Margins conversations. 'Viewpoints on Poverty' is an inclusive evening for discussion and discovery on the theme of nonviolence and poverty elimination. Join us together with 
Community Information, Social Development, Neighbourhood Engagement, are you truly passionate to learn and serve the community in these fields of practice? These positions are open to youth between 15 and 30 years who are facing barriers to employment or professional development. Thy offer exposure to a broad range of activities and social issues, as well as opportunities to take initiative and test different ways of doing things. Candidates are invited to apply by May 24th including a resume and a cover letter stating the position you are applying to, why you are interested in that position and how your studies, experience and skills make you a good candidate.
Deep Breathing sessions for activits started in April 20109: Living on low income takes its toll, so does being a social justice activist. Mental and physical stress comes with concerns about income, housing, food, care-giving to family members and friends, advocacy... This leads to many health problems, including inefficient breathing, the one thing we actually can control.
After the Waterloo Region Multicultural Connections Forum, organized in November 2018, together with the Immigration Partnership and the WR Volunteer Action Centre, we followed up on the top priority that the representatives of cultural communities shared: Empowerment of Ethno-cultural Groups. The empowerment includes: access to resources (funding, space, information, communication and mentoring); mutual understanding (common spaces and activities, dialogue building); equity (anti-racism, removal of barriers for participation and representation in decision-making).
The 
