Places to Be, Things to Read, People to Meet

CCPA released Leadership for Tough Times: The Alternative Federal Budget Fiscal Stimulus Plan.

The one-year package would create 407,000 jobs, boost the economy by 3%, and help protect Canadians from the worst of a recession. Consistent with recommendations by the IMF and OECD, the Plan would inject $32.9 billion (or 2.1% of GDP) into Canada’s economy to protect Canadians who experience loss of income, as well as strengthen and build hard and soft infrastructure to address the challenges of climate change, income inequality, and aging populations.The news release for the report is pasted below. The full report is available, in English and French, on our website: www.policyalternatives.ca.
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STAND for Housing

We will be at the corner of Nanaimo and Hastings for the province wide STAND for Housing on:

Saturday, Jan 24 from 1-2

Hope you can all be there! This will be one of three stands that will lead up to the GRAND MARCH for Housing on April 4. Our hope is to build the number of people at each stand and the number of stands at monthly, province wide stands for housing. Mark these dates in your calendar:

Saturday, February 21 from 1-2

Saturday, March 21 from 1-2

Saturday, April 4 details about the GRAND MARCH will be coming out soon.

Hope to see you all on Jan. 24. Bring friends and neighbours!

Labour of Love Sock Drive

Labour of Love Sock Drive January 12^th to February 14^th, 2009. RECLAIMING OUR SPIRIT’S goal this year is to collect 3,000 new pairs of socks for our weekly homeless outreach. With our snow white winter weather lingering longer than usual it’s critical that we meet our goal!

RECLAIMING OUR SPIRIT is encouraging the business communities, faith organizations, non profits, academic schools elementary/ secondary/colleges/ universities, media-television & newspaper, and other organizations to support our sock drive by doing their own sock collection.

You could even send out a friendly challenge to others to meet or beat your donation!

WHY SOCKS?

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The Vancouver & District Labour Council Education Committee

and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives present

The Economic Crisis in BC: Developing a Progressive Alternative

Public Forum & Conference

Public Forum – Economics For Everyone

Friday, January 30, 2009
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Maritime Labour Centre

Guest Presenter – Jim Stanford, author and CAW economist
Suggested donation - $10 – no one turned away.

Conference - The Economic Crisis in BC

Saturday, January 31, 2009

9:30 am to 3:00 pm

Maritime Labour Centre

Morning Session 9:30 – 12:00
How We Got Here & Debunking False Solutions

• Jim Stanford - Opening reflections
• Marjorie Griffin Cohen – Economist and Professor in Department of Political Science and Women’s Studies Department.
• Bob Simpson – NDP MLA for Cariboo North - Opposition Critic for Forests and Range, Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services
• Jim Sinclair - President, BC Federation of Labour
• Moderator – Joey Hartman, HEU and VDLC
  

Lunch – Soup & Sandwiches

Afternoon Session 12:30 – 3:00

Alternatives for the Future

• Andrew Jackson – Canadian Labour Congress – Provincial & Federal Options
• Seth Klein – CCPA – Poverty Reduction and Green Jobs
• Adrienne Montani – First Call – Solutions for Families; Living Wage and Child Care
• Municipal Pension Plan – Putting Pensions Funds to Work for Working Folk (OR Alternatively, someone speaking to an indictment of capitalism)
• Moderator – Harjap Grewal, Council of Canadians
  

Registration - $25 with lunch (preregistration required) \ $15 without lunch – no one turned away.
Contact the VDLC to register - 604-254-0703 or office@vdlc.ca

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Offered by the Association of Women in Finance:

Women in Politics

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

5 :30 p.m. Registration and Networking

6 :00 p.m. Dinner

6 :45 p.m. Speakers

At the Sutton Place Hotel at 845 Burrard St. Vancouver

Women in Finance will host a lively and interactive panel discussion featuring Women Politicians who have enjoyed great successes at municipal, provincial and federal levels.

The panel, subject to change to due house and legislature sittings :

• MP for Vancouver East, Libby Davies ;
• MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, Jenny Kwan;
• Former MLA for Vancouver-Hastings , Joy M acPhail,
• MP for Vancouver Quadra, Joyce Murray;
• Minister of Healthy Living and Sport and MLA for Langley, the Honourable Mary Polak ; and
• Minister of State for Childcare and MLA for Richmond East, the Honourable Linda Reid.

***Note: This is a non-partisan event.***

Cost for AWF members: $55; Guests: $75

Register by calling 604-662-4401 before noon January 15th

Equal Voice - We are committed to working to increase women's representation among elected officials.
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2009 Poverty Olympics

Mark you calendar now!!! The second annual Poverty Olympics will be held on February 8 at 1 pm at the Japanese Language School, 487 Alexander St. in Vancouver.

This family-friendly event will include a Torch Parade (starts at 380 E. Hastings at 12:30--come and join!), mascots Creepy the Cockroach, Itchy the Bedbug, and Chewy the Rat, Opening and Closing Ceremonies, events like Skating around Poverty and the Housing Hurdles, and a special appearance by Mr. Con Dough. Cockroach Cake will be served.

Free. Everyone welcome. Sponsored by Raise the Rates, Carnegie Community Action Project, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, Power to Women, Streams of Justice, BC PWA, Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House.

For info or to get involved call 604 729-2380 or visit www.povertyolympics.ca.