Anti-Poverty Rally

Last Friday, almost 100 concerned community members gathered on the steps of Sarnia's city hall to encourage action against poverty.

Here are a few of the photographs from last week's Anti-Poverty Rally. 

Peace begins when the hungry are fed.

Second-year SSW student Katie Horvath
with her daughter, Kali.

Lambton SSW students

 

Students display their signs for
passing motorists.

Lambton College's SSW students

Tomorrow: Anti-Poverty Rally downtown

photo and design credit: Katie Horvath

Friday: Anti-Poverty Rally

Friday, October 16, 2015

12:00 Noon

Sarnia City Hall

___________________________________

Living in poverty reduces a person’s health, limits their education and employment opportunities, affects their mental health and tears away at their dignity & self-respect.

Karen Mathewson – Community Legal Assistance Sarnia

Myles Vanni - The Inn of the Good Shepherd,

Thea deGroot – Citizens for Public Justice Lauren Duncan- Circles

The Federal Government needs to create a national anti-poverty plan and a national affordable housing plan. Join us to urge the parties running in the federal election to implement anti-poverty and affordable housing plans. Join us to let them know poverty in Canada is unacceptable and an affront to Human Rights!

Donate your lunch money or purchase a

Make Poverty History bracelet to support The Inn of the Good Shepherd

Democracy Talks Next Week!

Thursday, October 15 from 11:30 - 12:30 in L208: Democracy Talks

Talk of democracy and our political process seems to be everywhere these days as we prepare for the upcoming election--but we know that voter turnout seems to be forever declining in Canada, and the discussions around politics, for too many of us, drop away once election day is over. 

Samara would like to change that.

Samara is a charitable organization dedicated to educating Canadians about democracy. Named after the maple keys that fall to the ground this time of year and take root everywhere, Samara believes that true change can also take root and grow. 

A local representative from Samara will join us at Lambton College on Thursday, October 15 from 11:30-12:30 in L208 to facilitate a non-partisan conversation about the democratic process. 

I had a preview of the presentation yesterday, and it’s really memorable and engaging. Please consider joining us no matter how familiar you are with the political process: this conversation is open to all students, faculty, and staff, and it will be most successful if we have a diverse group of participants.

How to Register and Vote!

1.      Register online: ereg.elections.ca (You might already be registered.)

2.      Decide where you’ll vote.

•   If you’re not from Sarnia, you can still vote here. Stop by 595 Murphy Road (the old Sport Chek building) or call 1 866 281-4745 for more information.

3.      Find your polling station. (closest to college = Sarnia Christian School @ 1273 Exmouth St.)

4.      Vote! You have options:

• on Election Day: Monday, October 19, 2015
•  OR in an Advanced Poll at Fairwinds Lodge @ 1218 Michigan Ave: Friday, October 9; Saturday, October 10; Sunday, October 11; or Monday, October 12, 2015

5.      Remember your ID!

• Bring your Driver’s License (if the address matches the city you’re voting in).
• Bring any other TWO pieces of ID (one of these must show your current address).

To learn more, visit elections.ca or call 1-800-463-6868

Can’t decide? Try the CBC Vote Compass: https://votecompass.cbc.ca/

All Candidates Debate: A Packed House!

The room was packed--some attendees
listened from the hallway.

Students, staff, faculty, and community members crowded into the room last week to hear this region's four candidates share their views on student poverty, immigration, marijuana, and more. 

Member were given a few minutes to introduce themselves and their party platform, and then the questions began. 

Lambton College Professor Lois Nantais, our debate moderator,
kept us organized and focused.

To keep the candidates on their toes, the debate featured a "lightning round": each candidate was invited to ding in to answer speed questions including the light (favourite book, favourite band) and the serious (personal relationships with poverty).

One hour was not enough. We spilled into hour two, but still, time ran out, because we all have questions that need answering. Audience members were invited to submit questions via Twitter, and we had more than we could handle: what will your party do to make Sarnia a welcoming place for young people to stay? What steps will your party take to ensure Canadian scientists have access to data? What are your thoughts on a woman's right to choose? What really happened to Marilyn Gladu's Twitter account?

The goal was to encourage students to talk about the election and to remind all of us to vote, and that was certainly accomplished. The event also reminded the candidates that they should be listening to what students have to say.