NOTICE: Queer Ontario’s first Annual General Meeting and Elections
Saturday, November 5, 2011 – Light Meal: 7 p.m. – Meeting 8 p.m.
519 Community Centre, Toronto – Room 100/106 (main floor)

NOTE: Nominations for steering committee at-large positions and senior coordinator positions are extended to Monday, October 24, 2011.

Queer Ontario invites you to join us for our first Annual General Meeting and Elections, being held Saturday, November 5, 2011 – light meal at 7 p.m., meeting at 8 p.m. – at the 519 Community Centre, 519 Church Street, Toronto. All members and friends are welcome to join us.

A free light meal will be provided at 7 p.m. (donations appreciated) before the meeting begins at 8 p.m. We will have an ASL interpreter, and childcare will be provided with advance request at info@queerontario.org. The meeting agenda and meeting documents are available below.

Participation from Outside Toronto

Queer Ontario welcomes and encourages participation in this meeting from members and friends outside of Toronto. QO is in the process of evaluating the best method by which to include those who are unable to attend in person (i.e. Skype, Cover It Live, Ustream, etc.). Notice of the online participation process will be posted once the steering committee and senior coordinator nominees are announced.

Voting and Proxies

Please note that Queer Ontario participating members (those who participated in three or more monthly, general or committee meetings between February 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011) are eligible to vote in the elections, to vote on bylaw revisions, and to participate in consensus decisions on other AGM items as required. For voting purposes only, participating members unable to attend may designate a proxy, who need not be a Queer Ontario member. Each individual may hold and cast a maximum of one proxy vote. Participating members holding proxy votes may cast one vote of their own, and one proxy vote. Please bring one piece of valid identification (photo not required) with you to verify your membership or proxy eligibility. 

Steering Committee and Senior Coordinator Nominations

Nominations are now open for positions on Queer Ontario’s steering committee (two at-large positions) and senior coordinators (chair, two-year term; vice-chair, one-year term; secretary, two-year term; treasurer, one-year term). All participating members (those who participated in three or more monthly, general or committee meetings between between February 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011) are eligible to run for these positions. Participating members may nominate themselves, or may be nominated by another participating member with the nominee’s consent. Nominations close on October 24, 2011. Nominees will be posted on the Queer Ontario website shortly after, and notice of the posting will be sent to the general membership.

(Continued…)

September 29, 2011

Queer Ontario Denounces Offensive ICV Ad in National Post

Toronto – Queer Ontario denounces the “advertisement” printed in this past Saturday’s and yesterday’s National Post attacking equity and inclusion practices at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) as nothing more than factually incorrect thinly veiled bigotry and ignorance. Incorrectly “advertising” teaching resource guide material as curriculum, it does nothing more than to distort the truth of the situation and further marginalize the lives of queer and Trans persons of Ontario. 

“Once again, Charles McVety has chosen to rely on distortions of the truth and fear mongering to rile up confusion and create a backlash against what is probably the most equitable and inclusive Board in any publicly funded school in Ontario” says Casey Oraa, Chair of Queer Ontario’s Political Action Committee. Oraa added, “Last time I checked, two key Canadian values are equity and inclusion, both which are accomplished to a degree of excellence beyond any others in Ontario by the TDSB. Their ongoing work to better the lives of LGBTQ students in their schools is commendable and we can only hope other schools Boards across Ontario follow their lead. ”

The “advertisement” which has been printed by the National Post twice now also raises questions about the journalistic integrity of the National Post. “I don’t think it’d be a far stretch to say that the National Post has violated Provision 14: Unacceptable Depictions and Portrayals of the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards” says Oraa. He continues “It’s sad that in this day and age that chasing the mighty dollar has won out in this instance over Code and journalistic credibility”.

“We call on everyone who is just as offended by this “advertisement” and the complicity of the National Post in proliferating it to write to Advertising Standards Canada. As well, think of where you put your money and next time you go to buy a National Post, think again.”

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Contacts:

Casey Oraa,
Chairperson,
Political Action Committee,
Queer Ontario
caseyoraa@gmail.com

Nick Mulé,
Chairperson,
Queer Ontario
nickjmule@gmail.com

.The four years since the 2007 provincial election in Ontario have been riddled with commendable advancements, broken promises, and reprehensible misactions from all three major parties. Many of these have had a direct effect on LGBTQ Ontarians, their families, and their communities, and the time has come to highlight some of these in advance of Election Day, on October 6th.

As with every provincial election, Queer Ontario has developed a Provincial Election Report Card to outline the Progressive Conservative, Liberal, and New Democratic actions and statements around pertinent issues that affect LGBTQ persons in Ontario. Our hope is that you vote in favour of human rights and unconditional support for LGBTQ persons, and consider the many ways in which LGBTQ Ontarians are still being marginalized and going under-recognized  throughout the province.

The Queer Ontario Steering Committee

Note:

1. As much as we would have liked to, the Green Party of Ontario was excluded from this edition of the Report Card because no Green Party candidates were elected in the 2007 provincial elections. This has prevented us from being able to document and analyze the party’s performance, as we have done for the other three major ones.

2. “LGBTQ” will be used to refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, intersex, two-spirited, queer, pansexual, polyamorous, and kinky individuals; and all other individuals who are marginalized for their sexual or gender differences.

3. Lastly, Queer Ontario is a non-partisan group. The information in this Report Card is informational and should not be read as an endorsement of any political party or candidate.
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