MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 12, 2022
FEMINIST SHIFT LAUNCHES WITH REGION-WIDE ALL-CANDIDATES SURVEY
WATERLOO REGION, Ontario – Today, the Feminist Shift, a coalition led by YW Kitchener-Waterloo and YWCA Cambridge, officially launched their all-candidates survey focusing on gender-based issues in Waterloo Region.
The survey, presented to all provincial election candidates throughout Waterloo Region, is a collaboration among six local feminist organizations, YW Kitchener-Waterloo, YWCA Cambridge, Coalition of Muslim Women, Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region (SASCWR), SHORE Centre ( Sexual Health, Options, Resources, Education) , Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region. The survey tackles topics like women’s economic security, employment law and decent work, safe supply and harm reduction, system gaps in Legal Aid Ontario, domestic violence shelters and housing, funding for sexual assault and reproductive healthcare, and policy priorities.
“The importance of this provincial election cannot be overstated,” said YWCA Cambridge CEO Kim Decker.
“There are too many crises impacting the most vulnerable members of our communities right now – we have a universal child care deal that needs significant provisions in order to succeed; an unwelcome debate on reproductive justice is back on the table; rising rates of gender-based violence continue to go unchecked; and the cost of living is far outpacing average wages and social assistance rates in Ontario.”
“The next Ontario government certainly has their work cut out for them and it is vital voters in Ontario make informed decisions about who they elect to address these monumental issues.”
Elizabeth Clarke, CEO of YW Kitchener-Waterloo wants to see more collaboration between the provincial and municipal governments to address these pressing issues.
“Waterloo Region is not alone in the social crises we’re experiencing. More people are living unsheltered than ever before, while homeless shelters are under-funded, under-staffed and over-capacity. More people are struggling with addictions and mental health, while waitlists for those supports only grow. The new national childcare plan is increasing demand for service, but chronically underfunded licensed childcare providers can’t recruit the staff they need in order to operate, let alone to expand. And these are just a few examples,” Clarke said.
“Waterloo Region can’t solve these crises without much greater provincial involvement and investment, and this election is an opportunity to choose a government that will deliver.”
While not all candidates chose to contribute to this survey, we are thankful for those who welcomed these conversations into their campaigning and shared their insights on the impact they plan to make if elected. You can read responses to our all-candidates survey here: https://thefeministshift.ca/candidate-survey/
In addition to Feminist Shift’s candidates’ survey, the Ontario YWCA coalition has released their campaign to urge all candidates in the upcoming provincial election to commit to a five-point, feminist plan. For more information visit choosegenderequity.ca
For more information:
Jennifer Gordon, Director of Advocacy, YW Kitchener-Waterloo, 519-590-5366, jennifer.gordon@ywkw.ca
Rosalind Gunn, Director of Communications and Advocacy, YWCA Cambridge, r.gunn@ywcacambridge.ca