I'm tired

I’m tired. Not the “I’ve drank too much egg nog and stayed out too late at a party tired”. I’m “there is no program, resource agency or government body…that can help you,” tired. I’m tired of letting people down.

“Yes I know you are working full time and I know your minimum wage job isn’t enough to live on but there is no help yet for your bills…maybe in January.”

“I know you’re cold now, I know you have no food, no heat, no hydro and worst of all…no hope, but this is all the information I can give you.”

“I agree it’s not fair they claw it back.”

“I know it’s not enough to live on”

“I’m sorry you have nowhere to live”

“I’m just sorry.”

They closed the Status of Women’s offices because the funds were being spent on administration. So what? Is there something inheritantly wrong with paying people to do a job? Do they want more programming and needed the administration funds to fund these programs? I don’t think so because if that were true they would have just closed the offices, not cut the funding and announced the investment in more programs.

The removal of the word equality from the Status of Women’s mandate, what’s the point of that? It is a word, with a huge meaning behind it to women, what would be the harm in leaving it there? Is the word ‘scary’?

I truly wonder what the thinking is behind government decisions. I’ve found some statistics that say it costs upwards of $40 000 to have a child in the foster care system. Imagine if some of that was used to cope with poverty related refers to Children’s Aid. Raising Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Payments, the minimum wage to a point where it is conceivable to make ends meet would prevent a lot of government involvement, and therefore administration costs, in people’s lives.

There is a huge reliance, of the government, on public will, to cover off what is suppose to be our safety net. Social Services refers people to the United Way of Bruce Grey all the time. We can connect people to food banks, financial counseling, second hand stores and other resources. I wonder what would happen if we all closed up shop and went home?

What would the government do then?

We won’t do it, we cannot risk people going hungry, cold or without a resource. It amazes me that everyone I talk to agrees that many of the rules surrounding government related assistance don’t make sense and are a deterrent for working and getting ahead. But no one seems to have the political will to do anything about it.

Extra allowances are disappearing

This is what I've been told.

OCB= Ontario Child Benefit

NCBs= National Child Benefit Supplement

The OCB starts July 1 2008 and it does include the Back to School Allowance and the Winter Clothing Allowance. The full OCB implementation is being phased in over a couple of years and there will be transitional funding in the interim.

Ultimately, all families will be better off. They will keep their NCBS funds and they will receive OCB as well. The Province is still working on transitional plans for 2008 and there is a commitment to ensure that families are not worse off. There is a lot of active discussion over issuing Back to School and Winter Clothing in 2008 as the implementation of OCB closely coincides with Back to School. I am expecting to see an Interim Directive addressing this issue before August 2008.

There will also be an information package which will be sent to all agencies in Bruce/Grey with explanations around OCB and the impact on our clients. The first year of OCB has the potential to cost families money. The transitional plan will address these issues and it is expected that the Province will respond in a positive fashion. Municipal Delivery Agents are strongly advocating for a transitional package which will address all financial matters.

All of us want to make sure that our clients receive their full benefits and that no one is penalized during the implementation period.

Not just my voice

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=903114&auth=Doug+Edgar

Local women who are physically abused by their partners are almost three times as likely to face either a weapon or the threat of a weapon than the national average, according to a new two-year study.
“It’s something I think is a very important finding that we as a community really need to look into more deeply, what this is about, because the use or the threat of a weapon is also linked to a much higher level of fear,” said research co-ordinator May Tettero. “It just ups the ante quite a bit.”
Feelings of shame, concerns about losing control over their life if the social and legal systems get involved and a lack of anonymity in small communities may also prevent some women from seeking help or even talking about such abuse, she said.
The study group, made up of 95 women whose partners were registered with The Men’s Program, were divided into one group of 30 women who live in Owen Sound; the rest were included in a group considered rural for the purposes of the study
“We found that the use or threat with a weapon was significantly higher in the rural area,” Tettero said. “That doesn’t prove anything, but it makes us think that perhaps there is a relationship between that form of abuse within a relationship and abuse in rural areas.”

is Feminism unreasonable?

The following discussion has taken place in the Sun Times, primarily between myself and Jim Merriam, a bi weekly columnist and editor.

It should be noted that I was a columnist for htis paper for 5 years, but my 'services' were no longer required in November. Actually I was the first female columnist when I started writing "Running With Scissors" 5 years ago. They told me they were trying to keep the paper 'fresh' but they kept all the old boys. But my issue is trying to change the attitudes in a rural community.

A Column he wrote

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=856114&auth=jim+merriam

My letter to the editor in response

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=868579

He buries a response in here (Sisterhood of Perpetual Victim)

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=870001&auth=Merriam%2C+Jim

Someone else wades into the debate

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=879770

Jim full responds here

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=895188&auth=Merriam%2c+Jim

I am formulating a response to the last column but have nothing submitted as of yet.

From my letter to the editor I got 2 phone calls and 2 emails the morning it was in the paper, all from men, all telling me to keep battling on, and how I was right.

Joachim's letter has also gotten a huge response to people connecting with him.

We're not letting this go.