Designs and Democracy: The politics of imperfectly levelled playing fields

 One of the facts of life on the water is that reckless operators of boats are legally responsible for their wake damage. But you have to catch them first. In the politics of democracies, it’s even more of a free-for-all, but sometimes your wake damage does catch up with you.

Status quo is failing women and girls – it’s time to think bigger

 New Equality Fund brings together grant-making, gender-lens investing and philanthropy under one tent By Jessica Houssian and Jess Tomlin We had much to celebrate this past International Women’s Day, including the hard-fought changes to advance women’s equality that have come before us. But to build the world we want to

Still In A Room Without A View

 A summer scene in 2018 and the market value of female labour remains as depressed as the women whose labour is valued less than mine. It was back in ’92 that Rage against the Machine stamped the lyrics that are the title of this article into public consciousness. It was

Worldwide EndoMarch Looks to Break the Stigma and Silence Behind Endometriosis

 Pain and infertility, two frightening words usually associated with Endometriosis, an abnormal growth of endometrial cells outside of the uterus. This chronic illness affects approximately 1 in 10 women and to date, even more concerning, the exact cause of it has not been identified. There is no cure.  With March

Their Time is Up

 You’ve probably heard that Oprah Winfrey accepted the Cecil B. DeMille award at the 2018 Golden Globes and gave one of the most powerful speeches of 2018. In the weeks following the Award Show, her speech became the waving flag of the #TimesUp and #MeToo campaign: at the Golden Globes,

Book Review: Canada 150 Women

 Canada 150 Women • Conversations with Leaders, Champions, and Luminaries: Inspiring Women, Empowering Stories By Paulina Cameron 328 pages • ISBN 978-0-9959591-2-5 “I’d like Canada to have more global corporate champions. We have a wonderful country, but we need to become leaders in innovation and attract brains to build world-class

Belle Starr Packs Its Fiddles for Ottawa

 In the 1800s, Belle Starr was the name of a notorious American outlaw. Today the title has also come to represent a Canadian female trio, who similar to the rebel, defy categories. The band, consisting of Miranda Mulholland, Kendel Carson and Stephanie Cadman, hit the road this February on a

Putting children’s health and resiliency on the national agenda

 By Chris Harper Last year, at a camp in southern New Brunswick, I met Evan. Before turning eight, he had bounced from foster home to foster home. He was sent to camp without a bathing suit or sufficient lunch. Regardless, Evan smiled constantly, excelled in school and had a striking sense of compassion.

How Casual is Casual Labour?

 Photo courtesy of Katie Sample. An ongoing issue in retail and administrative positions is the classification as casual labour, which trends towards lower pay, reduced or no benefits and zero security. A large part of the casual labour pool is also female, which brings gender parity into the discussion. At the highly profitable Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), some

Women and the World Wars

 Photo © Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum is celebrating Canadian women’s roles and contributions made during the First and Second World Wars in the museum’s new exhibit, World War Women. Dr. Stacey Barker is the Acting Historian, Art and War, at the Canadian War Museum. Barker has been working at the

Working Together Towards Equality

 The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) comprises working men and women from a variety of fields. From education to health care to social services, OPSEU represents about 130,000 workers across Ontario. One of the many causes OPSEU fights for is gender equality, an important issue for so many of

Burn Baby Burn at The Dailey Method

 New to Ottawa this year, The Dailey Method is a full body workout that will work all of your major muscles (and all of the other muscles that you never knew existed) in less than sixty minutes. The two classes offered, Dailey Basics and Dailey Barre are designed to help

Nine Steps to a Healthier You!

 Martine, 44, works for Statistics Canada. She is married with two children, Samantha, 13, and Gordon, 11. Both play high-level soccer, which means that both she and her husband Graham are kept extremely busy ferrying them both to practice sessions and games. This combined with a demanding job and shouldering

Latin Expo 2015: Visit Latin America Without Leaving Ottawa

 Culture, community and commerce are coming together for one high-powered event that’s sure to spice up your Sunday. The third annual Latin Expo will take place at Ottawa City Hall on Sunday, May 17, 2015. “It’s like going to Latin America without getting out of Ottawa,” says Red MELOG public

Exploring Beauty at the National Women’s Show

 You cannot help but feel an overwhelming sense of curiosity and a burst of adrenaline rush through your veins when you walk into a room filled with over 250 exhibitors and thousands of excited women looking to discover the next best thing. The aisles are crowded, the discounted goods are

5 Safety Tips for Women Travelling Alone

 A few precautions help reduce risks so you can focus on fun, globetrotting author says Perhaps more than ever, women are willing to ditch their travelling companions and go solo when it comes time to hit the road and see the world. A survey by Small Luxury Hotels of the

Wage Equality: Lessons from the public sector

 By Warren (Smokey) Thomas, President of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union As a general rule, women get paid less than men do. It doesn’t matter how you measure it. If you go by the average annual pay of all women in Ontario, women make 69 cents for every dollar

Women, Wages & The Workplace

 The year is 2015. Do women still make less money than men? Generally, yes, although the discrepancies are no longer the huge yawning gaps of the 1960s. A recent paper by Richard Shillington of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has analyzed public sector v. private sector wages. Shillington found

WOMEN IN THE TRADES: Gender Equality, Gender Titles and Respect

 It might make a feminist linguist cringe, but the title “journeyman” is one most women in the trades industry are proud to be called. It refers to those who have completed their apprenticeship and are completely qualified in their chosen field. While women seek the same respect given to anyone

No First Ladies in retirement, please

 Teresa Heinz Kerry and Laura Bush may differ in public personalities and the way in which they campaign for their husbands; however, there is no comparison to the obvious lack of action from our Canadian "First Ladies." These ladies lack the zest, courage and obvious public profile that helped their

Citizen Cain: Claudette Cain on the campaign trail

 By Kate Heartfield Claudette Cain has been scrutinized by the media, the public and her peers for 20 years. Yet after all this time in politics, she is not an easy woman to pigeonhole. Her office at Gloucester City Hall is trimmed with flowered window treatments and a crocheted doily,