[KWPeace-groups] Potluck Meeting for Summer 2018: Thu 19 Jul 2018 at 6pm, Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church
Bob Jonkman
bobjonkman at kwpeace.ca
Wed Aug 1 20:26:40 EDT 2018
Hi everyone! Here are the meeting notes of our Potluck Meeting for
Summer 2018. Many thanx to Mo Markham for taking notes, and many thanx
to Scott Cressman for taking pictures.
Please let me know if there are any corrections, additions, or changes
that need to be made...
You can also find the meeting notes online at
http://kwpeace.ca/meeting-minutes/minutes-of-potluck-meeting-for-summer-2018/
--Bob.
=====
KWPeace Potluck Meeting for Summer 2018
Date
Thursday, 19 July 2018
Location
Peace and Justice Room, Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church, 57
Stirling Avenue North, Kitchener Map <https://osm.org/go/ZXnwZqzh--?m=>
Present
* Sharon Sommerville (Fair Vote Waterloo, Alliance Against Poverty,
Council of Canadians, Yes Cambridge)
* Esther Kern (Christian Peacemakers Team)
* Aleksandra Petrovic (Social Development Centre Waterloo Region)
* Gehan Sabry (Cross Cultures)
* Dwyer Sullivan (Conscience Canada, Educators For Justice, Camp Micah)
* Mary Groh (Conscience Canada)
* Charles (Social Development Centre Waterloo Region, Disabilities and
Human Rights Project)
* Ellen Papenburg (Council of Canadians, Animal Protection Party of
Canada, Funeral Advisory and Memorial Society of South and East
Ontario)
* Mo Markham (KW Animal Save, KW Vegan Society, Mother Earth Save, KW
Climate Save)
* Sue Klassen (Alternative Vision for Peace, Stirling Avenue Mennonite
Church Peace and Justice Committee)
* Megan Ruttan (Citizens Climate Lobby)
* Cathy Scott (Fair Vote Waterloo)
* Jim Sannes (Council of Canadians, Unitarian Church Peace Outreach)
* Bob Jonkman (WR Nonviolence, Green Party, Fair Vote Waterloo)
* Scott Miller Cressman
Meeting Notes
WR Nonviolence Day In The Park
The day in the park is Saturday, July 21st, on Roos Island in
Victoria Park, and many of us participated. (The rain held off until
just about 5pm. YAY!) ... Bob or Matthew
Photography At This Meeting
Scott Miller Cressman from WR Nonviolence took some photos at the
meeting, at Bob's request. He is hoping to post on some of the
social media sites, including KW Peace:
http://kwpeace.ca/pictures-from-the-kwpeace-potluck-meeting-for-summer-2018/
KW Peace Blog
From Bob:
o Please contribute!
+ An invitation for all groups to post to the blog.
+ http://kwpeace.ca/posts/
Civic Hub
From Aleksandra:
o We have a chance to move ahead with the idea of a Civic Hub and
I can ask how important is that civic space to the groups that
come to the potluck. The idea would be to be cross-promoting as
well.
o *If yes,* I would have specific questions for the groups such as:
+ the need for the space (meetings, work, events, etc.)
+ the times the space would be mostly used (evenings,
weekends... )
+ other logistics needed in the space for the first while
(telephone,Internet, printing, scanning, storage, etc.)
o link to survey re civic hub:
http://www.waterlooregion.org/civic-hub-survey
Municipal Elections
Aleksandra:
o doesn't have anything for this year.
+ the pages are from 2014 meet the candidates...
http://www.waterlooregion.org/kitchener-all-candidates-october-21
o we would be looking at a different model, simpler and somewhat
creative to host a dialogue with people and candidates on the
local issues.
Blanket Workshop
from Hannah Enns:
o Blanket Workshop taking place on July 25th at Seven Shores
Community Cafe...
o Register at
http://www.sevenshores.ca/events-1/2018/7/25/blanket-exercise
o Tickets:
$25/settler (non-indigenous)
$15/student/low-income/refugee
Free for Indigenous folks
o What does it mean to be a treaty person today in
Kitchener-Waterloo? What is the untold history in Canadian
society about colonization and movements of resistance? How do
you push yourself to unsettle the settler within?
Perspectives On Peace (KW Peace)
o Laura Hamilton has arranged for KW Peace to use the Rotunda at
City Hall on Saturday, 27 October 2018 from noon to 2:00pm
(setup at 11:00am). Tamara Lorincz will be the speaker, and Food
Not Bombs will provide snacks.
o All KWPeace groups are invited to have display or information
tables around the rotunda.
" ...we're calling the event "/Perspectives on Peace/" or "/KWPeace
Connections/".
Grant Applicant Needed
From Laura:
o We need someone to apply to the city for an in-kind facilities
grant for our October 27 perspectives on peace event. See below
regarding the event, and contact Bob or Mo regarding applying
for the grant. This is the application:
https://www.kitchener.ca/en/city-services/grants.aspx
+ Sharon has agreed to do this
KW Peace co-sponsor film?
From Tamara:
o Wondering if KW Peace would "co-sponsor" a screening of the film
/A Bold Peace: Costa Rica's Path to Demilitarization/ that she
is hoping to screen at Conrad Grebel with Project Ploughshares
this fall (likely early November) as this year is the 70th
anniversary that Costa Rica abolished its army. The movie is a
very powerful. It wouldn't cost KW Peace anything to
"co-sponsor" just to add our "moral" support. More info about
the film is at: http://aboldpeace.com/
+ we agreed we'd be happy to do this
Updates On Our Groups
Fairvote
Sharon & Bob:
o meeting with Bardish Chagger and Karen Gould ... was Bardish who
suggested the meeting, which is new!
o Fairvote Waterloo and Fairvote Canada collaborating
o there was a pop-up rally when Karen Gould was here ... we got
lots of support with honking etcetera
o national and provincial chapters of fairvote are meeting
o fairvote social next week at Sharon's
o need national education campaign but there is no money for this
o YES Cambridge ... they're trying to get a ranked ballot for
Cambridge municipal elections... Fairvote is supporting this
because it's a beginning and people would have the opportunity
to get used to an alternative voting system
Alliance Against Poverty
Sharon Sommerville:
o free transit requested ... there will be (was) a pledge at the
Nonviolence Day in the Park
Council of Canadians
Sharon Sommerville:
o attended all-candidates meeting
o will help establish A Chapter Ontario health coalition ... they
have a couple meetings coming up
o they are discussing the privatization of healthcare etc
Waterloo Region Nonviolence
Bob Jonkman:
o 26 exhibitors now for the nonviolence day in the park compared
to 15 last year
o then IDOPAN (/International Days Of Peace And Nonviolence/) is
coming up, and they have 3+ events planned
+ human peace sign
+ games night (fundraiser for sexual assault center and recovery)
+ and maybe a ...meditation for peace,
+ a movie night & discuss peace and democracy
KW Peace
Bob Jonkman:
o Web site statistics:
+ Steady hits 400/day
+ Events <https://kwpeace.ca/events> page alone gets 2000 hits
in 2 months
+ KW Vegfest <http://kwpeace.ca/event/kw-vegfest/> is the top
page since May 2018 with 262 hits
+ 6 Month Statistics:
# Perspectives On Peace
<http://kwpeace.ca/eventsmanager/perspectives-on-peace-local-approaches-for-positive-change/>
top non-Events page with 5788 hits
# KW Vegfest <http://kwpeace.ca/event/kw-vegfest/> second
place with 477 hits
# Various Potluck Meeting events rank from 6 to 10
+ Search Terms:
# nonviolence waterloo day in the park
# where to vote in elmira%2C ontario
# vegan festival waterloo june
o we have free web hosting
+ but we need pay for our domain name in October
o /Perspectives On Peace/
+ October 27 noon to 2:00pm...
+ Tamara Lorincz speaking on violence and climate change;
+ food available from Food Not Bombs;
+ all groups in KW Peace can have tables
o all agree to us co-sponsoring the film
o Megan Ruttan will help Tamara with the film
o application in-kind grant for the use of City Hall... Sharon
will apply
Green Party
o very successful last election ... in Waterloo Region three of
the Green candidates were in 90th percentile for Ontario
ridings; all five WR candidates in 80th percentile
o approached by Guelph and Brantford to collaborate???
o Green Party has an MPP in provincial parliament now for the
first time ever!
Social Action Committee Unitarian
Jim Sannes:
o attended the all-candidates meeting re municipal election
Funeral Advisory and Memorial society (FAMS) of South and
Eastern Ontario
Ellen Papenburg:
o green burial
o they're working on London and KW and other cities
o many thought had reached goal, but no
o still lot funeral homes don't show list options even though
obligated to show
o funerals can be done very cheaply but people not made aware
o Bereavement Authority of Ontario exists at to ensure laws
followed... FAMS works with them, but there are some ongoing
issues with BAO re green burial, and composting human remains
Animal Protection Party
o Ellen may run for the party
o she met with Dutch /Party for the Animals/... they have five
seats in their parliament because they have proportional
representation
Disability and Human Rights
Charles:
o help for people with disabilities
o they were also at the all-candidates meeting
o there's also an advisory group through disability services on
campuses
Citizens' Climate Lobby
Megan Ruttan:
o coming up ... talking Kai Raimer-Watts re event Sept... /Beyond
Crisis/ film may be shown
o need motivate people get involved ... get past despair and into
action
Divest Waterloo
o the film /Directly Affected/ was at KPL with three area members
of parliament and speakers. The audience was quite vocal about
their concerns for the climate.
Alternatives to Violence Project
Sue Klassen:
o looking for more facilitators (not lecturing ... experiential)
o it involves 18 hrs of training... communication skills, using
power to respect all, non Violence etc
o in prisons or outside
o $90 for training unless $ not possible
o speak to Sue if you're interested
KW Animal Save and Kitchener-Waterloo Climate Save
Mo Markham:
o KWCS was one of the organizers for KW's first VegFest on July
7th in front of City Hall
+ 3000 people
+ coverage from CTV News
# two speakers, one of them talking about climate and
animal Agriculture, and the other about the
intersectionality between speciesism and racism and
sexism Etc
+ the film Sea of Life was shown as well, and the filmmaker
came for a Q&A
o we also attended sarnia vegfest, and the nonviolence day in the
park
o a member of another of the animal rights groups in Kitchener,
Malcolm, is on trial right now for breaking in and filming the
deplorable conditions in several Ontario mink farms. He
submitted the films to the OSPCA. No action has been taken by
the OSPCA, but one "farm" is charging him, and another one may
as well
o /be save/ movement and many other environmental and animal
rights groups I had a large protest in Ottawa on July 14th
called Nation Rising, demanding that the federal government stop
subsidizing animal Agriculture and, thereby, subsidizing climate
change, to the tune of billions of dollars every year
o we will be promoting an Australian animal rights film,
/Dominion/, in universities and colleges in the fall. It is a
brutal but realistic film about what happens to the animals in
animal agriculture
o we are still trying to promote the film /Sea of Life/, an
award-winning environmental film made by a high school student
in Burlington, in high schools, if anyone has any connections
o also trying to promote other films across world, and I have
started the save movement animal rights film page to try and
encourage people to show films as much as possible
o we continue to do monthly vigils Atlee slaughterhouse outside of
Kitchener, and we do outreach on the street as well
o we are starting an Adopt-A-School campaign in the fall to target
high schools as much as possible
o some of the local sanctuaries needing financial support and
practical help as well, and most of them have times available
where people can visit with children, or come to help out with
Farm chores
o the /Save Movement/ started in Toronto 8 years ago, and now has
420 groups in 50 countries, and we are actively growing this
number and recruiting organizers in other countries.
o we made upcycled shirts to sell at our booths this year...
bought Thrift store shirts and had them printed ... more
environmentally friendly and more economical
o we attended both days of the Benjamin Stein trial and
sentencing, and had an online petition that got several thousand
signatures regarding the farmer who left several thousand pigs
to die in his barn without heat or food ... the petition was to
ask that part of his sentencing be that he never have animals in
his care again ... the petition was largely for a media
attention, which we got, but in fact this is one of the
conditions he was given, except domesticated animals such as
cats and dogs were excluded from his sentence . .. this was the
largest case of animal cruelty in Canadian history ... almost
all of the media around it was local to Simcoe and Brantford,
unfortunately, despite the magnitude of the case... he pleaded
mental health issues, and got no jail time at all
Scott
o attended the meeting to take some pictures
o former journalist and blogging and websites, and he is looking
for volunteer opportunities
Conscience Canada
Mary Groh:
o will be at nonviolence fest
o people don't want support military with taxes
o can withhold tax and send the money to Conscience Canada to hold
in a peace tax trust fund ... can get it back from CC if CRA
comes after you
o or you can do a peace objection without holding funds from CRA
o started by Mennonites and Quakers
o they'll have a table at the /Beyond War/ conference
o Tamara spoke at one of their meetings re climate change spending
and military spending
o Trudeau increased military spending and no MP objected,
including Elizabeth May
o trying get bill thru Congress to allow conscientious objectors
to be allowed to not fund war
o Stephen Woodworth ... ???
Palestine meetings
Dwyer Sullivan:
o Israel just voted themselves to be called a Jewish State ...
official now ... apartheid-like
o monthly vigil outside the embassy
Camp Micah
Dwyer Sullivan:
o August 19 to 24
o usually 60 people at the camp, but don't have that many this
year so far
o it's a leadership and peace and justice camp
o there are a number of Syrian refugees attending
o inclusive camp ... have more spots ... 3rd week August... high
school or on way into ... usually grades 9/ 10 / 11 ... or
mature grade 8
o funding ... many free ... money never problem
o need more attendants
Cross Cultures
Gehan Sabry:
o restoring common ground... monument at Victoria Park, it's in
the works ... unveiled mock-up of it
o now indigenous group looking at ???
o will partner with indigenous scholars and others to discuss
water in the area
o maybe in the spring an event called Arabian Nights ... with
artists, documentaries, discussions and booths etc with
different groups from various Arab countries.... maybe get
Montreal and Vancouver to host a similar event as well
o she needs help with organizing it
Gehan on her own
o is taking the city on
o seniors advisory committee involved
o snow removal ... city not taking responsibility ... pitting
people against each other. She wants the city to take
responsibility for snow removal
Mennonite Central Committee
Esther Kern:
o Mennonite Central Committee is sponsoring a speaking tour of two
young adults from Israel from October 23 - 29. The first one is
Tarek Zoughbi, a Palestinian Christian who works with Wi'am - a
Palestinian Reconciliation group in Bethlehem. The second one is
a Quaker Israeli Conscientous Objector, ((I don't have her name
--Mo)). They are looking for venues, and especially an audience
of young adults. Contact Laura VanderGreindt at the MCC office
if interested in hosting them. lauravandergreindt at mcco.ca
Justice for Palestine
Esther Kern:
o I met with my MP, Irene Mathyssen in May after the attacks on
Gaza protesters. She was part of the MP Delegation to
Israel/Palestine in March and is putting together a Power Point
presentation of her experiences, and wants audiences to speak
to. She is very sympathetic and supportive of justice for
Palestinians. Let Esther know if you have a venue for her!
estherk at cpt.org
Christian Peacemakers
Esther Kern:
o Skylight Festival at Five Oaks Education and Retreat Center,
Paris, ON - July 27 - 29. Esther is representing CPT and leading
a workshop on Palestinian justice. www.skylightfestival.ca
o Canadian Voices of Women for Peace Retreat at Hub and Hearth,
August 17 - 19. Esther is a resource for the weekend, speaking
on peacemaking initiatives. info at vowpeace.org
o MC Canada Resolution Working Group - will be starting to meet
again in September, with new initiatives on the agenda.
o CPT will be (was) represented at the Day at the Park, with
Waterloo Region Nonviolence Group
o Rizwan - a Student from Pakistan in the MPACS program at Grebel
is available to speak in churches or other groups about his
peace and nonviolence work in the country, and the persecution
directed toward Christians.
=====
On 2018-07-18 03:36 PM, Bob Jonkman wrote:
> Hi everyone! A quick reminder and an agenda for tomorrow's KWPeace
> Potluck Meeting. Everyone is welcome!
>
> *What*: KWPeace Potluck Meeting for Summer 2018
> *When*: Thursday, 19 July 2018 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
> *Where*: Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church
> *Location*: 57 Stirling Avenue North, Kitchener, Ontario
>
>
> == Agenda ==
> Please send brief updates and upcoming events to Mo at
> mo.markham at kwpeace.ca so we can include them in the minutes of the
> meeting. Thanks!
>
> === Photography At This Meeting ===
> From Scott Cressman: Scott would like to take some photos at the
> meeting, if people are okay with this, but he will not photograph anyone
> who doesn’t want to be photographed. He is hoping to take some pictures
> to post on some of the social media sites, and he will explain more at
> the meeting.
>
> === Updates of Our Groups ===
> We’ll each give updates on our groups.
>
> === Upcoming Events ===
> We’ll each share upcoming events.
>
> === WR Nonviolence Day In The Park ===
> The Day In The Park is coming up this Saturday, July 21st, on Roos
> Island in Victoria Park, and many of us will be participating. Speak to
> Bob Jonkman or Matthew Albrecht if you have questions.
>
> === Grant Applicant Needed ===
> From Laura Hamilton (KW Peace): We need someone to apply to the city for
> an in-kind facilities grant for our October 27 Perspectives On Peace
> event. See below regarding the event, and contact Bob Jonkman or Mo
> Markham regarding applying for the grant. This is the application is at
> https://www.kitchener.ca/en/city-services/grants.aspx
>
> === KW Peace Blog ===
> From Bob (KW Peace): An invitation for all groups to post to the blog.
> http://kwpeace.ca/posts/
>
> === Civic Hub ===
> From Aleksandra Petrovic (Social Development Centre Waterloo Region): We
> have a chance to move ahead with the idea of a Civic Hub and I can ask
> how important is that civic space to the groups that come to the
> potluck. If yes, I would have specific questions for the groups such as:
> the need for the space (meetings, work, events, etc.)
> the times the space would be mostly used (evenings, weekends… )
> other logistics needed in the space for the first while (telephone,
> Internet, printing, scanning, storage, etc.)
>
> === Blanket Workshop ===
> from Hannah Enns: Blanket workshop taking place on July 25th at Seven
> Shores Community Cafe… Register at
> http://www.sevenshores.ca/events-1/2018/7/25/blanket-exercise. Tickets:
> $25/settler (non-indigenous); $15/student/low-income/refugee; Free for
> Indigenous folks. What does it mean to be a treaty person today in
> Kitchener-Waterloo? What is the untold history in Canadian society about
> colonization and movements of resistance? How do you push yourself to
> unsettle the settler within?
>
> === Perspectives On Peace ===
> Laura Hamilton has arranged for KWPeace to use the Rotunda at City Hall
> on Saturday, 27 October 2018 from noon to 2:00pm (setup at 11:00am).
> Tamara Lorincz will be the speaker, and I believe Food Not Bombs will
> provide snacks. All KWPeace groups are invited to have display or
> information tables around the rotunda. …we’re calling the event
> “Perspectives on Peace” or “KWPeace Connections”.
>
> === KW Peace co-sponsor film? ===
> From Tamara Lorincz: She’s wondering if KW Peace would “co-sponsor” a
> screening of the film A Bold Peace: Costa Rica’s Path to
> Demilitarization that she is hoping to screen at Conrad Grebel with
> Project Ploughshares this fall (likely early November) as this year is
> the 70th anniversary that Costa Rica abolished its army. The movie is a
> very powerful. It wouldn’t cost KW Peace anything to “co-sponsor” just
> to add “moral” support. (Tamara can’t be at the meeting on Thursday.)
> More info about the film is at http://aboldpeace.com/
>
>
>
> On 2018-07-06 12:21 AM, Bob Jonkman wrote:
>> Hi Everyone! It’s time we held another information sharing and planning
>> meeting, and had some wonderful potluck food.
>>
>> Every few months the organizers of many different peace, social justice,
>> environmental, political, and spiritual organizations from Waterloo
>> Region come together to share what they’re doing in the community,
>> invite each other to participate, and possibly collaborate on new
>> ventures. Everyone is invited! It’s a potluck meeting, so bring some
>> food or a beverage to share, and enjoy all the different dishes others
>> have brought. The food is mostly vegetarian, some vegan, some gluten-free.
>>
>> Many thanks to our hosts at the Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church for
>> letting us use the Peace and Justice room again!
>>
>> *What*: KWPeace Potluck Meeting for Summer 2018
>> *When*: Thursday, 19 July 2018 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm
>> *Where*: Peace and Justice Room, Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church
>> *Location*: 57 Stirling Avenue North, Kitchener, Ontario
>> *Map*: https://osm.org/go/ZXnwZqzh--?m=
>>
>> See you all soon!
>>
>> --Bob.
>>
>> --
>> Bob Jonkman bobjonkman at kwpeace.ca
>> https://kwpeace.ca/
>> KWPeace - Event Schedule for Peace and Social Justice Activists in KW
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Groups mailing list
>> Groups at kwpeace.ca
>> http://kwpeace.ca/mailman/listinfo/groups_kwpeace.ca
>>
>
--
Bob Jonkman <bobjonkman at kwpeace.ca>
KW Peace - Calendar and Newsletter for
Kitchener-Waterloo Peace and Social Justice Activists
https://kwpeace.ca/
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