SPC Monthly Meeting Minutes - Feb 25/13

SPC Monthly Meeting Minutes (draft)

Feb 25, 2013 - 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Location: Cariboo Regional District Library (parking lot entrance)

In attendance (from sign-in sheet): Jay Goddard, Carla Bullinger, Coleen Onofrechuk, Bruce Mack, Charlie Wyse, Krista Niquidet, Anne Burrill, Monica Johnson, Sharon Taylor, Shannon Thom and Jessica Knodel.

Accept Mins & Agenda:

                                                                                                                                                   

Reviewed meeting minutes from Jan 28, 2012

Reviewed the agenda for Feb 25, 2013 meeting - addition to agenda – view Anti-bullying video during lunch

 

Youtube Video -  This Day Project - Shane Koyczan

Shane Koyczan "To This Day" (http://www.tothisdayproject.com) video message about confronting bullying. The video can be viewed online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltun92DfnPY

The Living Wage:

Background info provided – In 2010 the SPC invited Seth Klein from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) to speak at the SPC’s Annual General Meeting. He gave a presentation on Child Poverty in BC which also touched upon the subject of a Living Wage. This caught the attention of the SPC which then used grant funds awarded by the Social Development Working group of CCBAC to hire a student to complete the first Living Wage and Poverty Reduction research project. The CTC program also provided resources to help with the first wage calculation. Anne Burrill and Monica Johnson have remained a constant in this local campaign. We are now at the next stage of moving forward.

To begin, we showed a short Youtube video (google the Living Wage).

Notes from the Living Wage Subcommittee Handout:

The living wage is calculated as a hourly rate at which a household can meets its basic needs, once government transfers have been added to the family’s income (such as the Universal Child Care Benefit) and deductions have been subtracted (such as income taxes and EI premiums).

Calculation of 2013 Living Wage has been completed

-What does the Living Wage include

-Discrepancies with 2010 LW (15.77 but should likely have been 16.52)

-Comparisons to other communities

Next Steps

-Public Release of Living Wage for 2013 – when and how?

-MOU with LWBC – needs to be signed to move forward with Employer Certification

-Employer Certification project (with funding/coordination)

A decision was made to hold off publically releasing this new calculation until some adjustments are made. To move this project further, more time is required and a dedicated position was recommended in addition to the committee. These next steps and recommendations will be presented to the SPC Board by the Subcommittee at the next Board meeting.

Discussions which followed:

Food costs have significantly increased since the first calculation (from dieticians report “The Cost of eating in BC”)

A Living Wage is a non judgmental number. It is not what the employer needs to pay, it’s the wage that is needed, and employee benefits reduce the costs of living for their employees.

There is an employer certification process, and online tools for employers.

Suggestion to present to Chamber of Commerce as the Living Wage is tied to economic development. The Chamber could also be a “gate” for smaller organizations to get wholesale rates (also see below).

A great example to share – on Family day, the pool held a free swim at the Rec Complex and so many families showed up, the pool had to turn people away. This attests to the need and desire for more affordable recreation activities. Healthy families = healthy communities but these activities can be expensive

The City is also a good place to discuss this further as local government need to see the cost saving and economic benefits.

There needs to be a momentum from the broader community to help small business owners who want to pay a Living Wage but cannot on their own.

Roundtable Updates:

Updates are shared via weekly updates. The information below is in addition to these updates.

Charlie Wyse – thanked the table for this information. Only at the SPC table was he able to find any information on a local living wage which is important to our region.

Anne Burrill – The Heritage Day events were well attended with approximately 50 people at the museum for neighbor to neighbor story telling and conversations. The Shuswap language and learn program put on by the City which taught some basic Secwepemctsín finishes this Friday. It was another great course and learning opportunity.

Krista Niquidet – Taseko supports healthy community initiatives and recently supported the Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy, Search and Rescue, Indoor Rodeo and Dry Grad. To request funding assistance from Taseko, please send a letter to Taseko, Attention Donations Committee.

Shannon Thom – Williams Lake Employment Services (WLES) – workshops, resume writing, and all other services are in full swing. If someone works less than 20 hours a week or unemployed, WLES can offer assistance.

Sharon Taylor – Justice Theatre: Bullying with Violence is tomorrow (posters handed out). This performance will connect Canada’s justice systems to the lives of students by making its principles more understandable and by demonstrating that it is there to help citizens who are victims of crimes. Presented by IMSS Welcome WL, CTC, SD#27, and TRU.

Bruce Mack -  lost provincial funding and will be strategically planning next week.

Colleen Onofrechuk – The pediatrician at the CDC is available by referral from your GP. Infant development and parenting classes are available.

Carla Bullinger – The CTC also has a distribution list for those who have information to share. CTC encourages people to get involved anyway they can.

Jay Goddard – a) “Ending the R word” campaign is gaining momentum right now. It is an awareness campaign to stop using the word retarded, b) After the Child and Youth Care Consortium in Victoria, a new diploma program in this field will be coming to our local TRU campus, c) go see the play “Little Women” (Jay is in it).

Jessica Knodel – attended the Chamber of Commerce’s Board Governance training and the valuable information learned can be shared with anyone or organization who wishes to learn more. The course book can also be borrowed, and will be shared with the SPC Board.

Meeting adjourned – the next meeting (Succession and Retention) will be held on Mar 25/13, from 11:30 am – 1 pm, location TBA.