The weather was rainy and blustery, but inside St John’s Church Hall on October 22, the environment was welcoming and convivial as we gathered with more than 50 representatives from CFUW clubs in Eastern Ontario. The day-long conference was informative and inspiring as our guest speakers explained their 23-year quest to get a cruel social injustice – non state torture – recognized as a human rights crime in Canada.

We owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who participated in the event including our M.P Karen MacCrimmon, Mayor Jim Watson, and Councillor Marianne Wilkinson. In addition, special mention must be made of local organizations who generously supported us with donations of goods and services. Special thanks are due to

• Margaret Dennis, Chartwell Retirement Residences (lunch contributions)
• Dave Fowler, General Manager, Marriot Hotels, Kanata (hotel accommodations for speakers)
• Juan Carlos, Tim Horton’s, March Road, Kanata (morning coffee)
• Congregation of St. John’s Anglican Church, Kanata (hall and kitchen facilities)

Ontario Council President Sandra Thomson spent the day with us and summed up the many positive responses we received from participants at the end of the day with this message:

CFUW Kanata held a very impressive Fall Gathering!

I received such a warm welcome from yourself Wende and all of your Kanata members. I so much appreciated the opportunity to meet many of the Ontario East members! The Kanata ladies worked very hard to achieve a successful day. This was evident by the well-constructed & timely program , the beautiful table decorations, the delicious food, the unique crafted gift bags and the church setting - all made for a truly inspirational and thought provoking day. Jeanne & Linda’s dedication to educating us on NST [Non State Torture] shows how CFUW women can be “bigger than ourselves to make the difference.”

Sandy Thomson

OC [Ontario Council] President