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Hello Everyone,
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We just found out via Sarah Manns and the Trans Lobby Group that Bill C-279 (the Federal ‘Gender Identity’ Bill) will be discussed at the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on November 20, 22, and 27.
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This is the bill that was originally written to add ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ as protected grounds from discrimination and hate crimes under the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms and the Criminal Code of Canada; however, it is now only proposing ‘gender identity’ after the Conservative Party of Canada threatened to defeat the bill during Second Reading.
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More information on the Bill can be found here: http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?billId=5122660&Mode=1&Language=E
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Information about how to depute or make a submission has not been published yet. It will likely be posted on the House of Common’s Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights website.
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Moving forward,
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Martin Otarola
Queer Ontario Secretary
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Hello Everyone
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Please find below the Re:searching for LGBTQ Health Team’s last call for responses to its Risk & Resilience Survey, which is set to close on November 19, 2012.
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We encourage all bisexual people to fill out the survey to ensure that the study results are as representative and accurate as they can possibly be.
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Also, don’t forget to pass it on!
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Martin Otarola
Queer Ontario Secretary
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Last Call for the Risk & Resilience Study of Bisexual Mental Health
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The data collection period for the Risk & Resilience Study of Bisexual Mental Health is closing on November 19, 2012.

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When: Sunday, November 4, 2012, from 1:00 to 5:00pm
Where: Room 201 at The 519 Community Centre in Toronto
———-  At 519 Church Street, just north of Wellesley Street

Note: The 519 Community Centre is a wheelchair accessible place.
This event will be livestreamed with opportunity for online participation.
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Greetings!
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Queer Ontario invites you to join us for our second Annual General Meeting, to be held at The 519 Community Centre on Sunday, November 4, 2012. All Participating Members and other interested individuals are invited to take part, be it in person or online. Light refereshments will be available for those attending in person.
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Childcare and ASL interpretation can also be made available with advanced request. If you require any of these services, please let Martin Otarola, the Queer Ontario Secretary, know by 5:00 pm on Friday, October 27, 2012.  Martin can be reached at info@queerontario.org.
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And, as always: Queer Ontario highly encourages participation from individuals outside of Toronto, be it in person or online. Information on how to do this can be found in the links below.
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The documents you will need for this meeting are available here. [Queer Ontario > About > Meetings > 2012 Annual General Meeting]. These include:
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1. An agenda for the 2012 Annual General Meeting
2. A financial statement for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, and a proposed budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year.
3. Instructions on how to designate a Proxy.
4. Instructions on how to run for one of the elected Steering Committee positions that will make themselves available at the AGM.
5. The minutes to the last Annual General Meeting, held on November 5, 2011.
6. The minutes to the Special General Meeting to amend the bylaws, held on April 18, 2012.
7. A copy of the current version of the Queer Ontario Bylaws.
8. Instructions on how to participate online.
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Remember: Only “Participating” Members (individuals who have contributed a minimum of six meeting and/or volunteer hours between November 5, 2011 and September 30, 2012) are entitled vote at the Annual General Meeting and/or run for an elected Steering Committee position. Those who are not Participating Members can still take part in discussions, ask questions, and provide feedback and comments, as desired.
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If you have any question about any of the information or documents herein, do not hesitate to contact Martin Otarola, the Queer Ontario Secretary, at info@queerontario.org. All attempts will be made to respond to your question(s) within 48 hours.
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Indeed, we hope to connect with many of you on November 4th!
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Nick Mulé
Queer Ontario Chair
On Behalf of the Queer Ontario Steering Committee