510 25th Street East  Saskatoon, SK  S7K 4A7  306 244 0944 MEDIA RELEASE June 14, 2011

YWCA Celebrates 100 years with a Fun Day in Kinsmen Park Open to Everyone

YWCA Saskatoon was born in a community bursting with opportunity and optimism in 1910. As young women arrived in the city, others recognized that they needed support and someone to ensure their safety. Deaconess Millicent Simcox began meeting every train even in the wee hours of the morning to ensure that no girl was left on her own. It is because of visionary women like her, that the association has grown from a cottage with four cots to a vibrant and vital cornerstone in the City of Saskatoon.

As the YWCA continues to grow, evolve and serve the needs of thousands of women, youth and families in our city, important to mark this momentous achievement 100 Years

with a party – YWCA

100th Anniversary Fun Day in Kinsmen Park.

Everyone is invited to attend the Fun Day in Kinsmen Park on Sunday June 19th, from 1-6pm. This all-ages, free to attend event will be complete with entertainment, activities and of course food vendors. From face-painting to heritage games to air-balloon rides, there will be activities for

-up includes: Brenda Baker, The Saskatoon Suzuki Strings, Phoenix dance band, the Vinyl Retreat rock and roll band and the Great Plains Dance

Troupe. YWCA Saskatoon is extremely proud of its record of service to this wonderful community.

Working to eliminate poverty, violence and homelessness for women and their families.

To request further comment, please contact:
Genine Neufeld
Director of Development and Communications, YWCA Saskatoon
Ph: 244-7034 ext. 132
E: gneufeld@ywcasaskatoon.com

 

MEDIA RELEASE
NOT TO BE RELEASED UNTIL 12:00am May 27, 2011

11 women become recipients at the 2011 YWCA Annual Women of Distinction Awards®

With 40 nominees and nearly 800 guests in attendance, the 30th Annual YWCA Saskatoon Women of Distinction Awards® was an incredible success. Since 1981, the YWCA Saskatoon Women of Distinction Awards has honoured the outstanding achievements of women in and around our city and last night 11 women were honoured for their contributions to the community.

The 2011 YWCA Women of Distinction Awards went to:

Art, Culture & Heritage                              Claudine Audette-Rozon
Athletics                                                        Michelle Dezell
Community Building                                  Saba Andu
Education                                                     Allison Cameron
Entrepreneurship                                       Marie Jensen
Health & Wellness Tie:                            Peggy MacLeod & Dr. Pat Blakley
Leadership & Management                    Marion Ghiglione
Science, Technology & Research          Monique Dubé
Youth                                                            Jackie Cook
Lifetime Achievement                              Betty-Ann Heggie

The YWCA Women of Distinction Awards are YWCA Saskatoon’s largest fundraising event of the year and have recorded a new high in nomination numbers in this 30th year of the awards and 100th anniversary of YWCA Saskatoon. “We are very grateful to the incredible community support this event receives each year. We are proud to honour women who are doing so much to strengthen our community. These incredible women remind us that each person has great potential and our role in this community is to support women and families to reach their potential and rise above challenging circumstances,” says Barb Macpherson, Executive Director, YWCA Saskatoon.

Working to eliminate poverty, violence and homelessness for women and their families.

To request further comment, please contact:
Genine Neufeld
Director of Development and Communications, YWCA Saskatoon
Ph: 244-7034 ext. 132
E: gneufeld@ywcasaskatoon.com

510 – 25th Street East • Saskatoon, SK • S7K 4A7 • 306 244 0944

MEDIA RELEASE

March 4, 2011                                                                                            For Immediate Release

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YWCA Canada report calls for early learning and child care services to be as normalized in our social structure as the public school system.

Why is this necessary and how does a national child care plan affect parents in Saskatchewan?

A report set to be released Monday March 7th, 2011 by YWCA Canada, Educated, Employed and Equal: The Economic Prosperity Case for National Child Care, outlines serious and concerning gaps in social policy on issues of child care. While women’s employment has seen over 30 years of uninterrupted increases and women reversed the gender gap in higher education 20 years ago, early learning and child care services in Canada today remain an inadequate patchwork that does not offer choice. As stated in the report “With a workforce that is increasingly well-educated and in which more women than men are obtaining university and college educations, a national plan to ensure comprehensive access to quality affordable early learning and child care services is essential to Canadian prosperity, a crucial support of children and parents and a common sense response to a changed society. As a choice for parents, early learning and child care services should be as normalized in our social structure as the public school system.”

When it comes to child care, Saskatchewan is in last place, as there are regulated, centre-based child care spaces for only 9.1% of children between 0-5 in 2008, compared to 20.3% nationally (source: ECEC in Canada 2008, Beach et al, 2009). While the provincial government has increased child care spaces significantly, it is not enough and we continue failing to meet the needs of families and children in our province. Child care issues need to become a priority so that our province’s prosperity can be enjoyed by everyone.

To discuss this report and national and local childcare issues, YWCA Saskatoon will be hosting a panel discussion in coordination with release of the full report.

When: 10 am, Monday March 7th, 2011

Where: YWCA Saskatoon’s Child Development Centre located at 510 – 25th Street East

Barb Macpherson, Executive Director, YWCA Saskatoon will relate the YWCA’s expertise in the area of child care and the need to empower and support women as their roles become more integral to our economic success.

Sue Delanoy of the Child care Advocacy Association of Canada will comment regarding the need for a comprehensive national Early Learning Childcare System. She will also speak to the local situation on behalf of kidSKAN, the Saskatchewan Knowledge to Action Network for Early Childhood Development.

Dr. David McGrane, Professor of Political Studies at St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan and a specialist in Saskatchewan Public Policy, will speak about his research on childcare in Canadian provinces. He will comment on the situation of childcare in Saskatchewan and the consequences of a federal government childcare plan for our province.

Fleur Macqueen Smith, MA, a mother of four, Knowledge Transfer Manager of the Healthy Children research team at the Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit (University of Saskatchewan office), and co-lead on kidSKAN, will speak from her experience both professionally and as a mother experiencing early education and care services in multiple provinces.

All speakers will be available for comment or interview on Monday following the panel discussion. To request an interview with a speaker listed above, or with a representative from YWCA Canada, please contact Genine Neufeld, Director of Development and Communications, YWCA Saskatoon Monday.

Genine Neufeld
Director of Development and Communications
YWCA Saskatoon
P: 244 7034 ext. 132
E: gneufeld@ywcasaskatoon.com

Copies of the report Educated, Employed and Equal will be available at the panel discussion Monday, as well as online at either YWCA Canada or YWCA Saskatoon’s websites: www.ywcacanada.ca or http://ywcasaskatoon.com/main/about-us/mediacentre/.

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YWCA Saskatoon 510 25th Street East, Saskatoon, SK S7K 4A7 306 244 0944 www.ywcasaskatoon.com
Crisis Shelter & Residence • Employment & Learning Centre
Child Development Centre • Fitness on 25th

Each year, in the city of Saskatoon, thousands of women find themselves and their children facing circumstances of poverty, homelessness and violence. When they reach critical turning points in their lives and need somewhere to turn, YWCA Saskatoon is that place. It is a shelter in times of crisis, an employment support in times of transition, a childcare provider for working mothers and a foundation in the pursuit of health and wellness. We believe in women and work tirelessly to give them, and their children, a better future.

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See the original letter here

Saskatchewan Coalition to Preserve the Gun Registry
1940 McIntyre Street
Regina, SK S4P 2R3 Ph: 525-2141

September 14, 2010

Dear NDP Caucus Members:
This is an open letter to all members of the NDP caucus from organizations in Saskatchewan who are concerned about the possibility of having long guns removed from the gun registry. We urgently request that, on September 22, all members of the NDP caucus vote in favour of the motion which will stop Bill C-391 from proceeding. In doing so you will ensure that we maintain an important tool in keeping women and children safe as well as demonstrating your commitment to a culture of non-violence in Canada.

We are fortunate in this country to have a Firearms Act, the purpose of which is to ensure responsible gun ownership. This act offers as much protection as possible from injury or death from a firearm. The key components of the act include registration of all firearms, licensing in order to be able to purchase a weapon, controls on ammunition sales, tight provisions on storage, spousal notification of an application for new or renewed licenses or registration of firearms, a ban on semi-automatic military weapons and short-barreled handguns, successful completion of the Canadian Firearms Safety course, and appropriate sentences for those convicted of using firearms in serious crimes. Our gun laws originated in 1934 with the introduction of the hand gun registry. They have been strengthened over the years with the most comprehensive legislation enacted in 1991, after more than 350 organizations coalesced following the Montreal Massacre. It is clear from this response that we are a country that values non-violence, that we will not tolerate violence against women, and that we demand laws and policies which are seen to protect not only women but all of our citizens.

Why then are we debating the issue of removing long guns from the gun registry and why are some NDP caucus members accepting the Conservative position that certain guns should be exempted from being registered? Further, why are Rifle Associations and other pro-gun lobbies so engaged in this discussion? These individuals and groups are not currently saying that they are opposed to the registration of handguns. Why then are they opposed to registering long guns? Both are lethal weapons. And the fact is that long guns are the weapon of choice for men who use a firearm to kill their intimate partners. In fact, in 88% of all intimate partner homicides against women, long guns have been used (CAEP 2009). Those working with victims of domestic violence know the danger presented by long guns. In rural areas of the country, shelter workers routinely ask women calling in crisis if there are guns in the home. These are not only handguns they are asking about, rather they are primarily asking about long guns. Women in violent relationships where long guns are present in the home must be extra vigilant because a rifle is a weapon which has an immediate deadly force that can be impossible to avoid. Police know this as well and ask the question, often using the gun registry, as to whether there are guns in the home when they are responding to a domestic violence call. And there is no distinction between hand guns and long guns. Both have the potential for the same deadly impact.

Advocates of removing long guns from the registry state that having guns registered does not reduce homicide rates. They argue that homicide rates had been declining prior to having long guns added to the registry. The fact is that we do not know exactly why homicide rates have been going down. In terms of violence against women, it could well be because of the work of women over the last 40 years who have been relentlessly bringing the issue to the forefront and have had success in changing the public and judicial response to this formerly hidden and ignored crime. It could indeed be because having strong gun control laws sends a message that the use of a gun as a means to control other human beings or to resolve conflict is not acceptable. We cannot base our decision to remove long guns from the gun registry on data that does not exist. Instead our decision must be based on what we do know. We know that long guns are used to kill women. We know that there is strong evidence that the risk of a crime of passion or other domestic dispute ending in a fatal injury is much higher when a gun is readily available. (Kellerman,1993) We know that shelter workers, others working in the field of domestic violence, and women who have experienced abuse say that when there are weapons in the home women are at a higher risk of serious injury or fatality (Campbell et.al. 2003). We know that there is a logical argument that says that strong laws, including connecting gun proprietors to their weapons through a registry, is a tool that can be used to hold owners of guns accountable for the responsible use of their weapons, and to assess the degree of risk of women experiencing violence. We also know that registering all guns is consistent with a value system that does not support the use of force to control another person. We require guns to be registered because we are a society that believes in non-violent responses to conflict.

And so until we have clear evidence to prove otherwise, we need to take the course of action which we know will do no harm. We cannot conduct an experiment for which the results may be the deaths of women and children. Once these guns have been removed and the homicide rate goes up will it have been worth the lives lost if we find out we made a mistake? Will we regret making a decision based on the rhetoric of the gun lobbyists who are motivated by the idea that long gun ownership is something not to be interfered with by the state?

While our message is directed at the members of the NDP caucus who are meeting in Regina today, we also want Saskatchewan Members of Parliament to take note that their position on the gun registry does not represent the views of all their constituents. We know that violence against women is not just a problem in urban areas – it’s an epidemic in all parts of our country, and rural women stand a greater risk of injury or death from long guns. All members of parliament should consider this when they vote on this bill.

We should all be engaged in the discussion about how to create non-violent societies. We should be embarking on further research which tells us what the factors are which will reduce and eliminate violence in our country. Now is not the time to take the regressive step of removing life- threatening weapons from the gun registry – a step which could potentially lead to an increase in the homicide rate. We need to make better laws that protect people from violence. We do not do this by dismantling a system that is already there. We do this by examining in a thoughtful, collaborative and informed manner, over a period of time, what it is that we need to be doing to ensure that we are keeping people safe.

We have our existing legislation because people who experienced gun violence first hand demanded a response that sends a message that gun ownership is a privilege that requires responsibility. Law enforcement officers, who act on behalf of all citizens, have a right to know the identity of every person who is responsible for a specific weapon. It is an acknowledgment – a statement – that we understand the power of these weapons and the accountability that is necessary for ownership. On September 22nd, we urge ALL Members of Parliament to vote in favour of the motion recommending the bill be given no further consideration. And then we ask that the NDP provide leadership in beginning a meaningful dialogue on the important issue of keeping all of us, including women and children, free from violence.

Yours truly,

Saskatchewan Coalition to Preserve the Gun Registry cope-225

See the original letter here

510 – 25th Street East • Saskatoon, SK • S7K 4A7 • (306) 244.0944
MEDIA RELEASE

May 27, 2010                                                         For Immediate Release

14 women become recipients at the 29th Annual YWCA Women of Distinction Awards®.

Nearly 650 people attended the 2010 YWCA Women of Distinction Awards, YWCA Saskatoon’s single largest fundraising event of the year. ‘‘This event is a very special way to honour women. Everyone leaves the dinner touched by the achievements of women who have made, and are making, our community a better place,’’ says Barb Macpherson, Executive Director, YWCA Saskatoon.

Since its inception in 1981, the YWCA Saskatoon Women of Distinction Awards® has honoured the outstanding achievements of women in and around our city. Over 638 women have been nominated in its 28 year history for their achievements and accomplishments as mentors, volunteers, activists, teachers, leaders and researchers. Tonight, 14 women joined the 221 others who have come before them to receive the prestigious YWCA Women of Distinction Awards.

This year’s recipients are:
Art, Culture & Heritage	Carrie Catherine Horachek
Athletics	Darcy Hryn
Community Building	Susan Barrett
Education	Laurel Chelsom
Entrepreneurship	Vickie Dyck,
Health & Wellness	Colleen Dyck and Jane Dyck-Friesen
Leadership & Management	Barbara Schultz-Hurlburt
Science, Technology or Research	Patricia Katz
Youth	Colleen Dell and Sharon Acoose
Lifetime	Tie: Lindsey Li, Ashley Smith
Achievement	Vera Pezer

Each year, in the city of Saskatoon, thousands of women find themselves and their children facing these circumstances. When they reach critical turning points in their lives and need somewhere to turn, YWCA Saskatoon is that place. It is a shelter in times of crisis, an employment support in times of transition, a childcare provider for working mothers and a foundation in the pursuit of health and wellness. We believe in women and work tirelessly to give them, and their children, a better future.

YWCA Saskatoon: Working to eliminate poverty, violence and homelessness for women and their families.

To request further comment, please contact:
Genine Neufeld
Director of Development and Communications,
YWCA Saskatoon
Ph: 244-7034 ext. 132
E: gneufeld@ywcasaskatoon.com

MEDIA RELEASE October 27, 2008
For Immediate Release
YWCA year end sees record numbers of homeless women turning to the Shelter for help.

YWCA Saskatoon recently held its AGM marking its 97th year serving the city of Saskatoon. The most significant number unveiled at the meeting was the over 50% increase in women and their families the YWCA was not able to accommodate in their Crisis Shelter due to a shortage of space.

The YWCA Saskatoon Crisis Shelter has 22 rooms, 38 beds and provides safe, 24/7 emergency sheltering to women, children and youth at risk. In the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the Shelter supported 499 women, 13 at-risk youth and 403 children. Unfortunately, the significant increase in those seeking help resulted in the Shelter turning away 1468 women and their families, helping them find alternate shelter opportunities.

“Homelessness has been growing in this city in recent years. And it has been further impacted by Saskatoon’s economic boom that saw last year’s rental increases reaching 13.7% over the previous year,” says Barb Macpherson, Executive Director of YWCA Saskatoon. A lack of affordable rental housing has resulted in a large ‘new homeless’ population as evidenced by YWCA Saskatoon’s shelter numbers. “The city is in urgent need of more social housing to provide emergency, transitional and long-term housing to its homeless population,” adds Kim Newransky, YWCA Saskatoon Housing Team Leader.

In addition to the Shelter, YWCA Saskatoon facilities also include a transitional residence, an Employment and Learning Centre, a Child Development Centre and a fitness facility, Fitness on 25th, offering a variety of services and programs that positively impact the lives of women, their families and the community. “We provide vital services that strengthen the social fabric of Saskatoon and we are committed to continue these services, with ongoing support from our partners, funders, donors and volunteers” comments Barb Macpherson.

For a copy of YWCA Saskatoon’s Annual Report 2007-2008, please contact:
Genine Neufeld

Director of Development and Communications, YWCA Saskatoon Ph: 244-7034 ext. 132 E: geneufeld@ywcasaskatoon.com

To request further comment or schedule an interview, contact:
Barb Macpherson

Executive Director, YWCA Saskatoon Ph: 244-7034 ext. 120 Genine Neufeld

Director of Development and Communications, YWCA Saskatoon Ph: 244-7034 ext. 132 E: geneufeld@ywcasaskatoon.com

YWCA Saskatoon 510 25th Street East, Saskatoon, SK S7k 4A7 306 244 0944 www.ywcasaskatoon.com
Crisis Shelter & Residence • Employment & Learning Centre • Child Development Centre Fitness on 25th