Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!

Upon reflection of the year 2008 we have some successes to celebrate.

Some highlights for 2008 include:

• The official name change of the organization to Independent Living Canada

• Creating a new position of Director of Operations

• Participatory action research with consumers on eating and lifestyle issues – after one year consumers will participate in focus groups to identify changes and/or challenges

• Development of the Virtual - ILRC and ability to create online communities for various projects and topics

• Held a successful Executive Director’s Forum in May 2008

• Managed to fly in 18 board members (mostly people with disabilities) into the rural Shippagan region for a national board meeting and by doing so we created a great deal of ongoing support from the community and politicians

• Successful Annual General Meeting held in Victoria BC, October 2008

• 7^th Annual United Nation’s International Day of Disabled Persons Event on Dec. 3, 2008 – all political parties in attendance and participating

• Creation of a Planned Giving Program for the IL Movement in Canada

Looking ahead – where is IL Canada going in 2009?

• Strengthening the national office based on needs of IL Centres (consultation to be held January – February)

• Numerous government proposals submitted and waiting for response

• New Gov. of Canada Disability Savings Plan Initiative is very promising for people with disabilities under 49. IL Canada will provide support to Centres in order for them to host workshops to help people with disabilities open accounts and access governments bonds and grants

• 8 IL Centres will undergo accreditation process

• Creation of a youth and IL Committee

• A new strategic plan for the organization will be created at the spring national board meeting

• Development of new corporate partnerships

• Looking for new office space that will accommodate both the Ottawa IL Centre and the national office to reduce costs and share administration

• Ongoing delivery of the national Registered Educational Savings Plan Project – Investing in Futures and the healthy eating project entitled “Food for Thought”

• More meetings, more learning, more projects and most importantly more fun!

Update

In my last journal entry I wrote about the Social Development Partnership Program and its end date on March 31^st. We learned just prior to the holiday season that the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development has renewed the program for another three years. This is good news for IL Canada and the network of Centres because we at least know that our operational funding is guaranteed for another three years. What we need the department to do is increase the budget that has been virtually unchanged for decades.

UN Day 2008

IL Canada’s UN Day event was well attended by consumers and politicians. Political speakers included the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of HRSDC, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett (Lib), Judy Wasylycia-Leis, (NDP), Yves Lessard (Bloc) – HRSDC critic and Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party.

We were also very honoured to have partnered with People First of Canada and thank all of their representatives for participating in our event. All in all it went well and we look forward to planning UN Day 2009

The pictures below are from the event. I hope you enjoy them.

Traci