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Council of Canadians to recognize St. John’s community organizers with tree planting and awards

Groundswell 2016: Toward a Healthy Economy for People and the Planet is taking place in St. John’s next week. To celebrate the work being done in St. John’s, the Council of Canadians will be holding several events recognizing the leadership of local community organizers and organizations, as well as leaving a legacy of support for their continuing efforts.

Awards will be presented to community activists and organizations in St. John’s in recognition of their outstanding efforts to build a better world.

TREE PLANTING CEREMONY

WHO: Guests include Mayor of St. John’s Dennis O’Keefe, City Councillor Dave Lane, and Council of Canadians board member and Groundswell 2016 Co-Chair Andrea Furlong.

WHAT: The Council of Canadians is presenting the people of St. John’s with a young maple tree and an engraved stone as a legacy gift to the community, symbolizing both the fragility and resiliency of our environment, our inter-generational duty to respect and care for it, and expressing gratitude to the city and people of St. John’s for hosting Groundswell 2016.

WHEN: 10:00 a.m., Thursday, October 13, 2016

WHERE: Garden of Memories, Bannerman Park (Military Road), St. John’s, NL.

The Council of Canadians would like to thank Parks Canada staff in St. John’s for the continued care of the tree.

SYSTEM CHANGE LEGACY AWARD

WHAT: Presentation of the Council of Canadians System Change Legacy Award to Iron and Earth. The award will be presented by Andrea Furlong. Adam Cormier will accept the legacy award on behalf of the organization.

WHEN: 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., Saturday, October 15, 2016

WHERE: The Atrium, Sheraton Hotel, 115 Cavendish Square, St. John’s, NL.

DETAILS:

In order to highlight the Council of Canadians’ commitment to “System Change, Not Climate Change” the organization launched a program in 2012 to support local initiatives in host communities that demonstrate real alternatives to the fossil fuel economy and what a better world will look like.

Iron and Earth is an example of the exciting community initiatives multiplying across the country and around the world that offer real change and hope for the future. Iron and Earth gives workers a platform to engage in renewable energy development issues and empowers them to advocate for a better energy future.

CONFERENCE RECEPTION AND AWARDS PRESENTATION

WHAT: The Maude Barlow Founder’s Award will be presented to Council of Canadians Board Members and chapter activists Andrea Furlong and Ken Kavanagh. Activists of the Year Award will be presented to the Newfoundland and Labrador – Fracking Awareness Network. Raymond Cusson from the Gros Morne region on the West Coast of Newfoundland will accept the award on behalf of the network. The reception and awards presentation will be hosted by Leo Broderick, Vice Chair of the Council of Canadians.

WHEN: 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturday, October 15, 2016.

WHERE: The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Ave, St. John’s, NL.

DETAILS: Andrea Furlong presently works with Waypoints in St. John’s as a Family Support Worker, has two decades of experience with community development programs, and has been a member of the board of directors of the Council of Canadians since 2004. Ken Kavanagh is a community activist, retired high school teacher, an outspoken social justice advocate, and is also a Council of Canadians board member.

SPONSORS: Groundswell 2016 is sponsored by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Unifor, Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE), Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation, PSAC Atlantic, Union of Postal Communications Employees (UPCE), the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), CFS Local 35 – MUN Student Union (MUNSU), the NL Teachers’ Association, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, Canadian Region of the Communications Workers of America (CWA/SCA Canada), the Canadian Federation of Students, the City of St. John’s, the Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Association (MUNFA), the National Pensioners Federation (NPF), the Newfoundland & Labrador Public Sector Pensioners’ Association (NLPSPA), Development and Peace, and  the Registered Nurses’ Union Newfoundland and Labrador (RNUNL).

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