Annual Report 2016-2017 Social Planning Council of Winnipeg Annual Report 2016-2017 ISBN: 1-895752-86-8 June 2017 Social Planning Council of Winnipeg 432 Ellice Ave Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 1Y4 p. (204) 943-2561 e. [email protected] f. (204) 942-3221 1 TYLER BLASHKO PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE At SPCW, we’ve been busy as staff, board Wirt and Ryan Bruyere who had to step and volunteers working towards a more away due to other commitments will also be inclusive Winnipeg, where everyone has the missed. We are lucky to attract such engaged support and ability to thrive. I’m proud to and knowledgeable community members to be connected to an organization with such our board. We look forward to introducing committed staff who work tirelessly for you to Adrien Sala, Robert J. Roddy, Shelley Winnipeg’s communities. A thank you must be Marshall, David Pancratz and Tyler Pearce given to United Way Winnipeg for renewing at the annual general meeting. They are all our funding agreement for the next three strong, experienced board members and will years. The stability that their core support help further the work of SPCW. affords SPCW allows us to seek out projects and partnerships that further our mandate. I look forward to the continued work I am It also ensures that we are a strong and fortunate to be able to be a part of. Let us independent voice for social justice. continue to work together towards a Winnipeg that we know is possible, a city that is just, Over the fall and winter, we underwent a equitable and caring. strategic planning process with the help of Health In Common. We asked members, In Solidarity, partner organizations, community leaders, Tyler Blashko board and staff to provide feedback on the SPCW Board President work and priorities of SPCW. We were told what we are doing well and where we could be heading going into our nearly 100th year in operation. This feedback informed our revised mission and vision statement as well as our new guiding principles and long term impact statement. The contributions of all involved were invaluable and we look forward to operationalizing the plan and continuing the work of ensuring SPCW is meeting the needs of the community. We have many long-term board members who have come to the end of their term with us. Thanks must be giving to John Silver, Shahzad Mussadiq and Wade Parke who have all contributed immensely over the past six Tyler Blashko at a Winnipeg Plan to End Youth years. The perspectives of both Catherine Homelessness consultation 2 As Tyler notes, much of this year was also spent on strategic planning. It was good to see that our membership, partners, staff and board were eager to participate in this process. We were able to take advantage of a grant from Health in Common to help us KATE KEHLER through the journey. The renewed framework EXECUTIVE DIRCECTOR’S MESSAGE of our vision, mission, guiding principles and hoped for long-term impact are included in We are bursting at the seams! 2016/2017 this report. We have also determined specific has been a year of tremendous growth for goals and objectives that we are working the organization. Immigration Partnership with a committee of staff and board to Winnipeg went from a single staff to two operationalize. The results should be a clearer permanent and one contract staff. The success picture of how and why SPCW chooses the of this project has meant another doubling of initiatives we become involved in but more staff to 4 permanent through funding from importantly demonstrates our continued Immigration Refugee Citizenship Canada commitment to support the sector. We all and another contract position through the know we can achieve more by working in Winnipeg Foundation for 2017/2018. We concert than discord. have also welcomed the Homelessness SPCW has also been getting back to being Information Partnership Winnipeg into involved in community safety and justice our busy hive. Funded by the Homeless issues. The link between poverty and crime Partnership Strategy, it also began with one is quite clear when we know that 80% of the staff but will have two permanent and one people we have incarcerated federally grew contract positions for the upcoming year. All up in poverty, unemployment and lack a grade this means that with the above, other projects 12 education. We also know that an average and our core operations, our 2017/1018 of 67% spent time in state care. To that budget is projected at about $1,000,000. This end, we are on the executive committee for contributes to the economy, of course, but Gang Action Interagency Network. We have more importantly to a Winnipeg that advocates just launched a community developed gang for social justice and benefits from being a just strategy called Bridging the Gaps: Solutions to city. Winnipeg Gangs. Unfortunately our funding Community animators Christina and runs out in August but we are currently Josh, supported by resource coordinator, pursuing alternatives so we can put it into Sara and office manager/bookkeeper/ action and then expand to all of Manitoba. technical support, Cindy, are the mainstay staff that continue the fundamental work of the organization. Their unique skills and knowledge allows SPCW to play important roles on many different social justice issues and initiatives. As such SPCW is always helping to ensure coordination and coalition building so we, as a community, can more effectively address inequity and injustices. Please read their reports along with Abdi’s (IPW) and Ian’s Josh Brandon and Kate Kehler presenting at (HIPW) to get a better picture of what we Meet Me at the Bell Tower have been up to! 3 We have also helped create the Migrant workers in particular are vulnerable Restorative Justice Association as their status is solely dependant on their of Manitoba (RJAM) that has a employer’s goodwill. If a worker is injured mission to advocate for more on the job, they lose their status. While they restorative justice practices, as are seeking to regularize it again, their fear of they have proven to be much deportation keeps them from accessing needed more effective and humane in services and protections. addressing crime. Manitoba Other initiatives included building on the continues to be the province resources developed through a private that incarcerates more people donation for the federal election, we created for longer even prior to any similar guides and resources to encourage finding of guilt. Our provincial inner-city citizens to vote in the provincial institutions are all over-crowded election. We assisted community partners and this year we saw 5 sudden deaths in with demographic information and proposal custody. We clearly cannot continue as we development. We continue to be a sought have. The costs of incarceration continue to after practicum placement. Over this past rise, while the recidivism rate remains at about year we had number of students work with 45 to 50%. We are paying more for a system us and we are on track to support at least that that fails about half the time. Community many again. We also continue to work on our based programs function more effectively archives to make them more accessible to any on a fraction of the cost. The RJAM board and all interested. Our goal, with the help of a is just about finished a branding process and Winnipeg Foundation grant and now a Canada have determined goals and objectives for the Summer Jobs grant to use what we have upcoming year. If interested in membership, developed over the last 98 years to better tell or to find out more, please contact Sara at not just our story but that of Winnipeg’s long [email protected]. history and important role in the social justice Through a provincial grant, we were able to movement. partner with the Southern Chiefs Organization As always, I want to acknowledge United Way to create a taxi board advocate contract Winnipeg. They provide the stable support position. Shauna Fontaine and Pamela Davis that allows us the time and other resources to were able to support individuals through the ensure we are addressing existing needs but taxi board complaint process but also help also getting ahead of emerging issues as well. them identify when a complaint was serious enough to involve the police. They also This year, we also wanted to give particular conducted information sessions for the general mention to Roger Girard. He is yet another public on their rights and responsibilities. We of those ‘retired’ community builders who will be releasing a report based on the data will never really retire. Without his incredible and experiences gathered in the upcoming technical expertise and big-picture thinking, months. the Homelessness Information Partnership Winnipeg would not be where it is today. A new initiative that we are working to We are all excited by the potential it has to support is a coalition interested in the City inform everyone working on homelessness in adopting an Access Without Fear policy for Winnipeg so we can all better play our role in undocumented individuals. It is important ending it. to note that most undocumented people came here legally but for a variety of reason, often beyond their control, lost their status. 4 2016-2017 STAFF AND STUDENTS STAFF PRACTICUM STUDENTS Kate Kehler Alidina Aliraza Executive Director Daniel Diamond Cindy Hoover Offi ce Manager Iana Petrus Christina Maes Niño Isadora Draskovic Community Animator Jannatul Fardosh Josh Brandon Jessica Cochrane Community Animator Katie Muirhead Abdi Ahmed Immigration Partnership Winnipeg Kean Goodwin