The 4th annual Coldest Night of the Year West Niagara is being held in support of the YWCA’s West Niagara Affordable Housing program!

Get excited for the non-competitive 2km, 5km, or 10km walk that raises awareness about and funds for the fight against poverty and homelessness in our community! And don’t forget, after the walk you can join the YWCA back inside to warm up with some chili and vote for your favourite in our “Chilly” Cook-Off.

The goal of YWCA’s West Niagara Affordable Housing program is to provide transitional supportive housing to all of West Niagara, which will lead individuals to self-sufficiency within the time frame of one to three years.

Together with community partners, the YWCA Niagara Region provide supportive programming and housing solutions to individuals who are committed to attaining self-sufficiency. Partners include community organizations, individuals, service providers and the faith community as well as residential clients.

The Meridian Credit Union Coldest Night of the Year is a 2, 5 or 10 km winter walk raising funds to support the hungry, homeless and hurting in Niagara Falls who rely on Project SHARE.

Gather a team or friends, family or coworkers, or join Project SHARE’s team, collect pledges and come out for a fun winter walk. Warm up after with hot chocolate and soup.

Register to walk, volunteer or donate at www.cnoy.org.

EDUCATION TOPIC: Bill 47 and the Ever Changing Legal Landscape of Employment Law
PRESENTER: Leanne E. Standryk, Partner, Labour, Employment and Sports Law, Lancaster, Brooks & Welch LLP

Leanne was called to the Ontario Bar in 1998. After her call to the Ontario Bar, Leanne became a Legal Consultant for the Ministry of the Attorney General at the Crown Law Office in Toronto and joined Lancaster, Mix & Welch (now Lancaster Brooks & Welch LLP) as an associate shortly thereafter. Leanne acts for a variety of employers both in the private, charitable, not for profit and public sector and is experienced in the full range of employment and labour issues including employment contract issues, terminations, workplace restructuring, labour relations, contract negotiation, wrongful dismissal, workplace privacy issues, occupational health and safety, as well as policy development.

This session will focus on Bill 47 and the ever changing legal landscape of employment law. In particular, Leanne will present a summary of Bill 148 in review, a summary of Bill 47, and an ‘Employment Law 101’ including an overview of employment agreements and obligations on termination.

Employment is an important determinant of health. From inadequate pay to occupational hazards, poor jobs can contribute to increased injuries, disease and mortality. Alternatively, healthy and safe work can be a source of income, meaning and social connection that contributes positively to workers’ health and wellbeing.

Rebecca Cheff and Malaika Hill, researchers from Wellesley Institute, will share how the HEIA tool was used to identify potential health equity impacts of recent changes to workers’ protections in Ontario. This webinar will outline how a rapid desktop health equity analysis was conducted on the changes to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act introduced by the Making Ontario Open for Business Act (Bill 47). It will also discuss how results were disseminated using a report, blog, infographics and social media to highlight the potential harms to the health of workers and families.

This webinar is hosted by the Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) Community of Interest.

In this webinar Nisa Mali, Senior Policy Analyst at the Brookfield Institute will share what leading academics and practitioners are learning about what is needed to increase access to entrepreneurship for all Canadians.

These perspectives will be grounded in the real experiences entrepreneurs who will share their journeys and their thoughts on the supports needed for others who wish to follow the same path. This is a must-see webinar for anyone whose work supports entrepreneurship or employment skills training.

This webinar is hosted by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Ellis Katsof, MSW and author of Life 3.0 speaks on “Protirement not Retirement”

There are dozens of books telling us how to plan financially for retirement but few people plan properly for their future lives. Ellis interviewed over 100 baby boomers from all walks of life who reached the next capture of their lives and were left wondering “What’s Next?” Come hear insights and ideas to start you on a planned path to creating a fulfilling third chapter of your life.

This event is hosted by the Business of Ageing Niagara Network.

Residents are invited to learn more about:

• Information about cannabis and its uses
• Risks and harms associated with cannabis use
• Legalization information
• Practical tools and resources to reduce the harms associated with cannabis use

Light refreshments will be provided. Register with Roberta Santin.

This event is hosted by Niagara Region Public Health.