Volume 3, Issue 2

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New Chair and Board members elected

Ground-breaking report demands action for Peel

Visual impairment: Joshua’s Story

Labrecque wins Tribute 2005 Award

Meet Mississauga’s Citizen of the Year: Jake Dheer

The month of May was a double celebration for United Way volunteer Jake Dheer. The Station Manager for Rogers Community Television Peel celebrated a birthday and was named Mississauga’s Citizen of the Year.
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Volunteers roll up their sleeves for United Way’s Day of Caring

Campaign kicks off September 9

New Chair and Board members elected

Front (L-R): Sue Ritchie, Carol Seglins, Savita Junnarkar, Pat Au Coin, Janice Telfer, Shelley White.
Back (L-R): Marshall Platt, Charles Courneyea, Paul Jones, Harminder Singh Mann, Don Taylor, Bobby Sachdeva, Colin Saldanha, David Szwarc, Steve Hall.

At United Way of Peel Region’s annual general meeting on June 9, Savita Junnarkar was elected Board Chair for a one-year term. In addition, five new Directors were elected for a three-year term.

Junnarkar has been a Board member since 2001, serving as a member of the Executive Committee and the Nominating Committee, and Chair of the Human Resources Committee. “I am honoured to be elected Board Chair,” said Junnarkar. “I am excited about the opportunity to help United Way strengthen its role as a community builder and a capacity builder.”

In addition to her experience at United Way, Junnarkar has been actively involved for over 20 years in promoting multiculturalism through providing community leadership in race relations and employment equity. She served as President of India Rainbow Community Services of Peel and the Peel Multicultural Council (PMC). She was on the Board of Governors of Sheridan College and on the Board of Trillium Health Centre/Mississauga Hospital. Since 1998, Junnarkar has been a member of Peel Police Services Board. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the field of biochemistry, holds a Masters degree in clinical biochemistry and has held positions in both private laboratories and hospitals.

The following individuals were elected to the Board for the first time:

Marshall Platt: Platt has been an audit partner with Deloitte & Touche since 1999. Over the past 20 years, he has served a number of clients, including medium and large owner-managed, private and public companies. Platt has been an active member of the United Way of Peel Region Golf Committee during the past six years, more recently as the Chair of the committee and currently its Treasurer. Platt is a member of the Canadian and Ontario Institutes of Chartered Accountants, and has been the past president for both the Halton-Peel CA Association and Southern African Business Association. He will serve as United Way of Peel Region’s Treasurer.
Bobby Sachdeva: He has been a partner with Pallett Valo, LLP since January 2001 in the Commercial Litigation and Insolvency Group. Sachdeva represents and provides advice to mid-size and large corporations, financial institutions and other professionals in all levels of courts and before administrative tribunals. He has extensive involvement in personal and firm-wide client development activities. Sachdeva was Practice Group Head in the Litigation Department and Insolvency Group and was Chair of the Articling Committee.
Dr. Colin Saldanha: He practises Family and Occupational Medicine in Mississauga. Dr. Saldanha also serves as a corporate physician to a number of business establishments and government agencies, including the RCMP, Transport Canada, Health Canada, and Immigration Canada. Involved extensively in community work, he participates in numerous forums on race relations and equity, policing and social justice issues. A past President of Peel Multicultural Council, Dr. Saldanha participated in the Spicer Commission on Canadian Unity. Appointed by Ontario’s Solicitor General to Chair of the Peel Police Services Board in 1990, Dr. Saldanha later served as President of Canadian Association of Police Boards. He is past President of the Mississauga Board of Trade and a member of the Toronto Immigrant Employment Council. Dr. Saldanha is also a member of the Fair Share Task Force, the Success by 6 Peel Council of Champions and the Mentoring Partnership Circle of Champions.
David Szwarc: Peel Regional Council appointed Szwarc as Commissioner of Social Services in January 2002. Previously, he had served as the Region of Peel's Director of Ontario Works since April 1990 and also served as Interim Social Services Commissioner in 2001. In leading the Social Services department at the Region, Szwarc oversees the operations of three large service delivery divisions: Ontario Works in Peel, Children's Services and TransHelp. He is also responsible for a program that funds non-government social service agencies in Peel. In addition, he serves as a member of the Corporation's Executive Management Team, working with the Chief Administrative Officer and Peel Regional Council. Prior to joining the Region of Peel, Szwarc served for three years as Manager of Community Services with the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services.
Don Taylor: He is currently Director of Human Resources and Organizational Development at Peel Children’s Aid, where he also sits on the Board’s Diversity Monitoring sub-committee. Taylor worked in government and telecommunications as an economist and strategic planner, and taught university courses in economics. He is a member of the leadership team for a national association of senior human resource leaders and guides the association’s strategy development. As well, he co-chairs the Peel Learning Institute Development Committee, part of the capacity-building initiative of United Way, the Region of Peel, the Trillium Foundation and other major organizations.

In addition to the newly elected Board members, the Brampton Mississauga District Labour Council appointed Charles Courneyea as its representative on United Way’s Board. He has been a member of the United Steelworkers for over 22 years. In that time he has served as a Health and Safety Committee member for 20 years, Chief Steward for six years and Unit Chairperson for over 10 years. In addition, Courneyea serves as the Recording Secretary for his local union and for 10 years was a Workplace Safety and Insurance Board advocate for the Ontario Federation of Labour. Courneyea was recently elected President of the Brampton Mississauga and District Labour Council.

Continuing as members of the Board are outgoing Chair Steve Hall, Pat Au Coin, Paul Jones, Harry Mann (newly elected Vice Chair), Sue Ritchie, Carol Seglins (newly elected Secretary) and Janice Telfer.

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Ground-breaking report demands action for Peel

Doug Martin is 76 years old and has suffered a heart attack. But that’s the least of his worries. Every day he must carry his severely disabled 25-year-old daughter on his back up and down a flight of stairs, despite his doctor’s warnings not to do so. And every day, Martin and his wife worry about what will happen to their daughter in the future.

Martin shared his family’s story at the launch on May 13 of Portraits of Peel: Facing the Facts, an alarming report on the serious social services crisis in the community. A collaboration among United Way of Peel Region, the Fair Share Task Force, the Region of Peel and the Social Planning Council of Peel, Facing the Facts demonstrates that explosive population growth, diversity, poverty and inequitable federal and provincial funding are having a dramatic impact on the children and families of the region. With both local and national media present, many of the more than 200 people in attendance at the launch were stunned by the statistics unveiled. Who would believe that more than 115,000 people live below the poverty line? How could it be that more than 6,000 people rely on Peel’s largest food bank each month?

“Our goal in preparing Portraits of Peel: Facing the Facts is to put a human face on the challenges facing our region,” explained Steve Hall, Board Chair for United Way of Peel Region. “We want to make a compelling case for more equitable government funding of human services for Peel so that all our citizens can thrive.”

During the past two decades, Peel has experienced incredible growth — four times the national rate. This growth, while contributing greatly to Peel’s economic success, has put pressure on every corner of our community and exacerbates many of the challenges the region is facing. The level of provincial funding provided to Peel for programs related to children’s services, child care services, adult services and developmental services is, in most cases, less than 50% of the provincial per capita funding. Peel has 8.7% of Ontario’s population but receives only 4.4% of the province’s social services funding. The region receives less than other neighbouring municipalities on a per capita basis.

“Keeping up with the growth has become virtually impossible for agencies seeking to deliver services and programs,” said David Szwarc, Commissioner of Social Services, Region of Peel. “The explosive population growth has led to an urgent need for increased social and health services, as well as housing, schools and transportation. But financial resources have been limited in addressing these issues.”

One of the key drivers of Peel’s growth is the rate of immigration. Immigrants make up 43% of Peel’s population and the region has the second highest volume of new immigrants in the country. Immigration is vital to Peel’s stability and economic prosperity. But new immigrants, who offer tremendous value to the community, face significant barriers to equitable participation in Canadian society. These barriers include language, lack of Canadian experience, and difficulty in having trade and professional credentials from their homelands recognized. The Conference Board of Canada estimates that our country’s economy loses an estimated $4.1-billion to $5.9-billion a year by not recognizing the qualifications and credentials of newcomers.

Among the recommendations for governments put forward in Portraits of Peel: Facing the Facts are:

In the short term, provide catch-up funding to address the historical trend of funding inequity for Peel;
Review and revise the funding formulae for social services to account for factors such as population growth and poverty;
Provide equitable funding for social services so that people are not denied access to services depending on where they live;
Provide a fairer share of federal funding for immigrant settlement services.

The report also presents a call to action for Peel residents, encouraging them to write to their government representatives, send letters to newspaper editors and become more familiar with the issues facing our community.

Download the full copy of Portraits of Peel: Facing the Facts (pdf, 1,337 kB).

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Visual impairment: Joshua’s Story

A day after he was born in January 2002, Joshua Roul was diagnosed with nerve damage to his left shoulder as the result of a difficult delivery. As serious as this situation was, it paled in comparison to what happened next.

“I had been heavily medicated due to complications because of the difficulty of the birth, and did not realize that there was something not quite right with his eyes until he was two days old,” explained Joshua’s mother, Jodi Roul. “At this time, I saw that neither of his pupils was in the centre of his iris. Joshua was diagnosed with Ectopic Papillae et Lentis (dislocated pupils and lenses).”

To make matters worse, when Joshua was only six weeks old, he developed a perianal abscess that required surgery. “Between doctor’s appointments, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and tests, we had not fully comprehended the impact this would have on his and our lives as a family,” said Jodi.

Eventually, Joshua was referred to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) - Halton-Peel, a United Way of Peel Region funded agency. A CNIB Early Intervention Specialist came to the Roul home to evaluate Joshua’s condition.

“Amanda [the Early Intervention Specialist] and I discussed what services she could offer through the CNIB,” said Jodi. “Amanda was always there to ensure that Joshua was getting the services and stimulation he needed to reach his developmental milestones. In June, Joshua had many appointments and tests. Amanda attended Joshua’s visual assessment and his ophthalmologist appointment. Without the help of the people at the CNIB, families and individuals affected by vision loss would have no where to turn for help.”

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Labrecque wins Tribute 2005 Award

Congratulations to former United Way Board member Dan Labrecque, Commissioner of Finance for the Region of Peel. On April 21, Labrecque received the Volunteer Centre of Peel’s Tribute 2005 Award. He was honoured for the outstanding volunteer contribution he has made over many years to United Way of Peel Region.

Labrecque served on the United Way Board of Directors from 1998 to 2005. He was Chair for the 2003-2004 governance year and worked in other roles, including Treasurer, Vice Chair and Past Chair, during his seven-year tenure with United Way of Peel Region. Labrecque has contributed immeasurably to United Way, specifically in helping it to successfully strengthen its leadership, governance, accountability, credibility and vision.

“Dan’s commitment and passion to serve his community are clearly evident to all,” said United Way’s Executive Director Shelley White in a tribute at United Way’s annual general meeting in June. “He believes strongly in United Way’s mission in the community and has given selflessly of himself to make our community a better place.”

In addition to his work with United Way, Labrecque is a volunteer with Scouts Canada and St. Paul’s United Church in Brampton. He has also donated his time to the Brampton Performing Arts Council.

On hand for the award presentation were the Honourable Dr. Marie Bountrogianni, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Minister of Children and Youth Services, and Georgina Steinsky-Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer and President of Imagine Canada.

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Meet Mississauga’s Citizen of the Year: Jake Dheer

	The month of May was a double celebration for United Way volunteer Jake Dheer. The Station Manager for Rogers Community Television Peel celebrated a birthday and was named Mississauga’s Citizen of the Year. Despite his busy full-time job, the father of two young children somehow finds time to volunteer for avariety of good causes in the community. He has
United Way Executive Director Shelley White congratulates Mississauga Citizen of the Year Jake Dheer at the Civic Awards Ceremony in June.

volunteered with United Way since 2001 as a member of the Communications and Marketing Committee and as the Campaign Cabinet’s Media Chair. Other organizations that benefit from Dheer’s volunteer involvement include the Mississauga Chinese Business Association, Carrasauga, Community Living Mississauga and Big Brothers Big Sisters Peel, both United Way-funded agencies. Dheer brings to the table a great deal of media experience and insightful knowledge of Mississauga’s diverse communities, which several organizations, including United Way, have been able to put to good use in their fundraising and volunteer recruitment initiatives.

Voluntarism is nothing new to Dheer. It has been a lifetime commitment. He has been volunteering since childhood when his father headed up the India-Canada Association in Kitchener. In the early 1980s after his family moved to Mississauga, the always humble Dheer began volunteering for the Mississauga Central Lions Club, doing virtually everything asked of him, according to former President Lewis Lawrence.

In an interview with The Mississauga News, Dheer said: “To win makes me feel even more humbled. “I don’t know of any volunteer who does it for recognition. It’s a cliché, but it’s true…you make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.”

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Volunteers roll up their sleeves for United Way’s Day of Caring

More than 130 employees from 18 organizations in Peel Region rolled up their sleeves and picked up their paintbrushes, hammers and shovels on June 17 to demonstrate their support for community agencies. At United Way of Peel Region’s Day of Caring, the employees completed 23 projects at 10 United Way-funded agencies across the region. They also saw first-hand how their contributions to United Way support the community. Activities included helping at the food bank, painting, landscaping, home repairs, and business plan development.

Sponsored by NACAN Products Ltd., Day of Caring is more than simply a chance to demonstrate individual philanthropy: it also provides an invaluable opportunity to see, first-hand, where United Way donations go.

The following companies and organizations offered volunteers: Agilent Technologies, Alcon Canada Inc., ARI Financial, Assured Logistics, AstraZeneca Canada Inc., City of Mississauga, CPL, E.I. DuPont Ltd., Edward Jones, Ingram Micro, MontShip Inc., Nacan Products Ltd., Petro-Canada, Region of Peel, Tech Data, Town of Caledon, University of Toronto at Mississauga, UPS Canada.

“Volunteers who participate in Day of Caring provide a huge boost to our funded agencies,” said United Way’s Executive Director Shelley White at the breakfast rally that kicked off the day. “By giving their time and energy, they are enabling the agencies to focus their resources on providing direct services.”

United Way of Peel Region has had organized Days of Caring for several years. Since 2000, more than 1,000 volunteers have contributed over 7,000 hours to the community through the event. The next Day of Caring is scheduled for September 30. To sign up, please contact Event Specialist Marilyn Caird at 905.602.3625.

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Campaign kicks off September 9

With the theme, “Joining hands, we build community“, United Way’s 2005 campaign kicks off on September 9 with a community breakfast from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at the Mississauga Convention Centre.

This marks the launch of United Way’s public campaign and will feature great food, music and the unveiling of our new 2005 campaign goal. To reserve your seat, call 905.602.3650.

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Upcoming Events

Campaign Kick-Off
September 9, 2005
Mississauga Convention Centre
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Did you Know?

... that children and families in Peel do not have the same access to services as those in other regions?
They wait longer and receive less service. In addition, many people don’t even go on the waiting lists because they realize their needs cannot be met in a timely fashion. Children in particular can be irreparably damaged emotionally and psychologically.