Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux works with a young helper to release hundreds of ladybugs that will help keep the plants in the new Millennium Library Park, that opened today, healthy and environmentally friendly.

July 20, 2012

MILLENNIUM LIBRARY PARK OFFICIALLY OPENS

Winnipeg, MB – A beautiful and inviting urban green space has come to life behind the Millennium Library in downtown Winnipeg. The Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, on behalf of the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister for Western Economic Diversification, the Honourable Ron Lemieux, Minister of Local Government, Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz and other dignitaries, gathered today to officially open the park.
This active and viable green space includes a Learning Commons, Urban Wetland, Millennium Plaza and Prairie Garden. The City and Downtown BIZ will work together to offer educational and cultural programming, as well as recreational and entertainment events.
Under the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF), the joint federal-provincial-municipal funding to the Millennium Library Park totals $2.1 million ($700,000 from each level of government).
“The new Millennium Library Park is an example of the Government of Canada’s commitment to creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity here in Winnipeg,” said Minister Toews. “By investing in community spaces and local infrastructure, we are securing the continued success of our cities while providing a solid platform for future growth.”‪
“Library resources are a gift to the mind, and this new park is a gift to our spirit of wellbeing by providing a relaxing atmosphere where people and families can enjoy and appreciate nature in the midst of Winnipeg’s downtown,” said Minister Lemieux. “A successful partnership toward a common goal has made the merging of these two gifts possible.”
“I hope Winnipeggers will visit this new outdoor space now that it has been entirely revitalized,” said Mayor Katz. “This new urban green space is a wonderful complement to the Millennium Library and will be a welcome oasis for downtown workers and visitors alike.”
The Millennium Library Park redevelopment was spearheaded by the Winnipeg Library Foundation, which has worked to raise funds to enhance Winnipeg Public Library programs and services for over 15 years. This initiative is the Foundation’s largest project since the redevelopment of the Millennium Library in 2005. Fundraising is continuing for additional enhancements to the park, and opportunities are still available for corporate or individual sponsorship of some significant park features.
“We know that projects like Millennium Library Park don’t happen without the support and cooperation of elected officials, civic leaders and concerned citizens,” said Karen Keppler, past chair of the Winnipeg Library Foundation. “Once again, it’s gratifying to see years of hard work pay off and we are so grateful for all the people who helped make it happen.”
Two public artworks, emptyful and Sentinel of Truth, are also integral to the revitalization of the park. These works, created through the Winnipeg Arts Council, were conceived of and planned as part of the project from the very beginning of the renovation process.
“Including art in the planning of public spaces is a sure sign that Winnipeg continues to be an enlightened and progressive city,” said Laird Rankin, a representative of the Winnipeg Arts Council. “One of the Council’s goals is to provide the citizens of Winnipeg with access to the arts.  Emptyful does this in a big way, both literally and figuratively.”
The Downtown BIZ co-ordinates many events and programs in the downtown each year. With the opening of the Millennium Library Park, the BIZ sees ongoing opportunities to co-ordinate
programming efforts with groups such as the Millennium Library – with initiatives and events like our Out to Lunch concert series and Yoga and Zumba in the Park – helping support a collective vision in making the downtown a vibrant and engaging place to work, shop, live and play.
“Green spaces like the Millennium Library Park help foster connections between communities and the natural environment, allowing for a more breathable and liveable city,” said Stefano Grande, executive director of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ. “The Millennium Library Park will positively shape and re-energize our downtown, playing an important role in providing families, youth, students and kids a place to learn, play, hang out and share experiences.”

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Cruising is Within Your Reach: Part 3

UPCOMING EVENTS OF NOTE
Hello friends, and supporters of UNIFEM!

Just wanting to let you know, we are making plans for another year of activity and programs for our local Winnipeg Chapter of UNIFEM. We welcome your participation, whatever that may be - supporting UNIFEM is supporting the voices of women, and projects that make a real difference to their lives. A recent UNIFEM report "Who Answers to Women? Progress 2008/2009" shows that realizing women's rights and achieving the Millennium Development Goals depends on strengthening accountability for commitments to women and gender equality. We must hold the governments of the world accountable, including our own!

So mark the last Tuesday of the month for October, and November ie October 28th, and November 25th at 7:00 to come together at the University Women's Club, 54 West Gate. The September date was taken, so we will have our first meeting in October. The program for October is still being negotiated, but not the date.

It seems that our last year's activity will generate a donation of $5,000.00 to UNIFEM, to support microcredit programs for women, under the Women, Poverty and Economics section of UNIFEM. This seems to be, generally, the amount of funds we have generated annually to support UNIFEM's work.

The coordinating group met this week, and have lots of ideas, for possible speakers, programs, and themes for the Local to Global event. We will share these with you in October and make further plans, with your help.

Also, we signed on to a letter, prepared by the Child Care Coalition of Manitoba, asking the Province to obtain and share, a legal opinion about the impact on Manitoba's Childcare system of corporate (private) childcare, establishing in other provinces such as Alberta, Ontario, or BC. Concerns have been raised as to what the situation might be because of free trade, and interprovincial agreements.

Finally, there has been considerable discussion at the UN about a "gender entity" for women - including UNIFEM. What this new entity will look like, we don't really know - the NGO's want something stronger, higher profile, and more resources. I'll include the latest on this from IWTC (International Women's Tribune Center) at the end of this message.

So please mark the October 28th, and November 25th dates in your calendars now, and hope to see you then,

Mary

1.MEMBER STATES EXPECTED TO DECIDE ON NEW GENDER ENTITY PROPOSED AS PART OF UN SYSTEM-WIDE COHERENCE
At an informal consultation about the UN's work on gender equality and women's empowerment, Member States were asked to decide next steps, before the end of the 62nd General Assembly session on September 15, 2008, including the institutional option or combination of options they wished to pursue with regards to the gender entity. Countries that spoke at the September 8 consultation indicated an emerging consensus on moving forward with the last of the four options under consideration - Option 4/ D, which proposes the creation of a composite entity of the four existing women-specific agencies, i.e the United Nations Development Fund for Women, Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues, the Division for the Advancement of Women, and the International Research and Training Institute for Women.

Even as this option emerged as the most popular, countries requested the Secretary General to develop the option further and present a concrete proposal to the 63rd General Assembly session which opens on September 16, 2008. The framework resolution moving the System Wide Coherence process forward in the 63rd GA session and requesting the Secretary General to further develop Option 4/D is expected to be adopted during this week.

The other three options being considered as possibilities to strengthen the UN's work on gender equality and the empowerment of women are (A) maintaining the status quo -women-specific agencies operating as they are now; (B) creating an autonomous fund/programme; and (C) creating a department within the Secretariat. All options were explored and analyzed in paper that was circulated in the General Assembly by the UN Deputy Secretary General (DSG) in July 2008 (see section 4 for a fuller explanation).

2. COUNTRY POSITIONS
France, on behalf of the European Union, endorsed the co-chairs recommendations and supports the creation of a new structure, headed by an Under-Secretary General. The EU believes that Options D best addresses gaps and challenges, but further discussions are needed.

Iceland, on behalf of the Nordic countries, stressed the need for Member States to take concrete steps and that Option D is the best option.

On behalf of the CANZ group (Canada, Australia and New Zealand), Canada stated that the Composite entity option was more promising and a decision should be made in the next GA session.

Korea expressed its full support for strengthening the gender equality architecture in the UN, and voiced that the Fund/programme and the Composite entity were the two options that could be effective.

A number of African and Latin American countries including Kenya, Mozambique and Rwanda; Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay also spoke in support of strengthening the gender equality architecture, and some specifically supported Option D.

3. NGO POSITIONS
Prior to the September 8 consultation, a number of NGOs have stated their preference for option D highlighting its combination of the normative with the operational role and its potential to have a strong presence at the country level. They however stressed that it should be led by an Under Secretary General to guarantee representation at the highest decision-making level of the UN. Some NGOs and women's groups, including European Women's Lobby, OXFAM/novib, WIDE, WOMANKIND and GAD network UK, demanded that in order to set in place a fully operational, programmatic and efficient women's agency the new agency must be funded to the minimum of $1 billion USD and lobby for this budget to double to $2 billion in 5 years.

4. INSTITUTIONAL OPTIONS TO STRENGTHEN UN WORK ON GENDER EQUALITY & EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN
The four options under consideration were based on the paper, Institutional Options to Strengthen United Nations Work on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, prepared by the office of the Deputy Secretary General. This paper was sent to the President of the General Assembly on July 23 and circulated to Member States on July 28 in response to the request of the General Assembly to address the gaps and challenges in the work of the United Nations system on gender equality. The paper presents four options:

1/A. Maintaining the status quo - This option would not entail any structural change in the UN's gender equality architecture.

2/B. Creating an autonomous fund/programme - involves the establishment of an autonomous programame that would consolidate the Office of the Speacil Adviser toe the Secreatray Genereal on Gender Issues, division for the Advancement of Women, UNIFEM, and INSTRAW

3/C. Creating a department within the Secretariat - In this option, a Department will be created within the UN Secreatriat to perform the functions including leadership in country-driven programming, gender mainstreaming and capacity building and provision of support to UN bodies such as the commission on the Status of Women and the Economic and Social Council

4/D. Creating a composite entity - requires the creation of a new governing body (or bodies) reporting to the General Assembly. It would be headed by a USG who is a full member of the Secretary General's policy committee.

For a copy of the full copy of the paper prepared by the office of the Deputy Secretary General visit http://www.wedo.org/library.aspx?ResourceID=279. The analysis paper on this options prepared by the Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) campaign is available at http://gear.collectivex.com/discussion/topic/show/86809




Mary
Mary Scott
Say No To Violence
UNIFEM, Winnipeg Chapter
UNIFEM is the United Nations Development Fund for Women
unifem@shaw.ca

http://www.saynotoviolence.org/

Ethiopian Millennium Celebration
Today I was fortunate to be invited to the Ethiopian Millennium Celebration at the Ethiopian Cultural Centre in Winnipeg, 595 Notre Dame Avenue. The little hall was packed with people, most of them Ethiopians with their families. It was nice to see that there are so many children in this community. The Ethiopian community in Winnipeg is a young one. The children were having fun while the parents tried to keep them quiet during the formal part of the presentation. It reminded me of home. Children and adults are always part of an audience and people appeared to have developed an ear to hear over the natural noises of children as it was at the celebration. There were some special guests in the personage of Dr. Jon Gerard, Leader of the Liberal Party, Mr. Harvey Smith, City Councillor and the owner of Palliser Furniture, who owns one of the largest furniture factories in Winnipeg and who employs a large number of new immigrants.
The celebration was open with a prayer by the Minister of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. He wore a long black gown bearing a huge gold-plated cross around his next and he held a smaller one in his hand. Members from the community would come up to him and he would offer the cross which they kissed in several places and then hugged or in some cases kissed the Minister. It is obvious that the Minister is highly respected. Like Catholic priests, Ethiopian Orthodox priests do not marry.
Ethiopians follow the Gregorian calendar. According to an Ethiopian woman who sat next to me during the proceeding, this is the original calendar. She said the Western calendar deviated from the original calendar after Jesus' birth.
Another reason said the Guest speaker, Taye Zegege, past President of the Ethiopia Society of Winnipeg, is that one of the three wise men was an Ethiopian and that he took seven years to walk back to Ethiopian (LOL). Anyway, this Millennium is seven years after Canadians celebrated its Millennium and like that time, it went by uneventful.
Mr. Taye gave a brief historical background of Ethiopia, the only African country that was never colonized. He boasted that twice the Ethiopians fought the Italians who was trying to colonize them and twice they succeeded in driving them out. He said Ethiopians are found all over the world because of despotic governments but that Ethiopian has a long history of democracy and good government. He said that Ethiopians embraced diversity because within it million odd square kilometres, there are 80 different cultures with their own distinct languages coexisting in peace. He said that Ethiopia have some of the most fertile lands in the world but there is famine which he claims is man made through poor government and wars and only partly because of drought.
There was a display of traditional Ethiopian clothes followed by a sumptuous meal of injera, chicken, beef, vegetables, seasoned cream cheese, Ethiopian flat bread and samosa. The meal was absolutely fabulous.
The meal was followed by the Ethiopian coffee ceremony. The coffee was roasted in the building and the fragrance inhaled and passed around as a feast to the sense. The coffee was brewed in a traditional pot and then served in small espresso containers. Great coffee.
I had a great time. Theinvitation was sent out to the entire community but I was the only person of colour who was a non Ethiopian. Why? We have to move out from our insularity and embrace community life in a big way. That means supporting other communities as they celebrate important cultural events.