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Queen’s Park forum draws 100 people to push for housing
by Murray MacAdam

Report on the morning session of ISARC's Religious Leaders' Forum November 5, 2009 at Queen’s Park, Toronto - Affordable Housing
By Janet Howitt

Proceedings

The day started with a welcome and opening prayer.

A panel of persons, living in affordable housing, spoke from their experience. They included Connie Harrison, a resident of Beaver Creek Housing Co-operative, and Mubeen Qureshi.

Adding to these stories of lived experience, Brice Balmer, ISARC Director, spoke of the unique challenges of housing for low-German, large, rural families in the Waterloo Region in his presentation, Journey to Housing is a Spiritual One.

The morning ended with:

• Mario Sergio, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, giving greetings on behalf of the Hon. Jim Watson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
• Redeemer University College students explaining their affordable housing postcard campaign, which you can download and distribute amongst your own community. The students are participating in the Ontario Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy Consultation and encouraging their fellow students to get involved with a postcard campaign at Redeemer.
  
• Shelley Melanson, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario, introducing their Poverty-Free Ontario campaign.

MPPs, who dropped by throughout the day and were introduced, included:

• Joe Dickson, Ajax--Pickering
• Cheri DiNovo, Parkdale--High Park 
• Kevin Daniel Flynn, Oakville 
• Andrea Horwath, Hamilton Centre, NDP Leader
• Eric Hoskins, St. Paul's 
• Frank Klees, Newmarket--Aurora 
• Hon. John Milloy, Kitchener Centre
  
• Khalil Ramal, London--Fanshawe
  
• Mario Sergio, York West 
• Peter Tabuns, Toronto--Danforth
  

After lunch, Brian Eng of the Wellesley Institute gave a presentation on the Housing Network of Ontario.

This was followed by two presentations on becoming visionary as we tackle affordable housing.

• The first was by Harvey Cooper of the Cooperative Housing Federation of Canada entitled, Visioning Affordable Housing Possibilities.
• The second was by Sharad Kerur, Executive Director of the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association entitled, Rebuilding the Foundations: ONPHA’s Response to the Long‐Term Affordable Housing Strategy.

The day ended with a benediction and closing by Rev. Jeffrey Brown, ISARC Vice-Chair.

Pictures of the day