Welcome to the Local Global Advocacy Network information site. This site is the gathering spot for the many aspects of the justice work of the Saskatchewan Conference of the United Church of Canada.
You may be interested in visiting the United Network for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel
Canada Without Poverty banner.
On July 16, an anti-poverty charity, Canada Without Poverty, won a landmark court challenge against the Canada Revenue Agency regarding political activity audits. An Ontario Superior Court judge ruled that the Income Tax Act infringes on charities’ constitutional right to free expression. In other words, the rule that limits charities’ ability to speak out on behalf of Canadians has been overturned. This is definitely a big step in the right direction, but concerns remain.
The federal government can appeal the ruling and if this happens, it would be a clear signal that the Prime Minister has abandoned his promise to “allow charities to do their work on behalf of Canadians free from political harassment, and modernize the rules governing the charitable and not-for-profit sectors.”
Continue reading
No Justice, No Adaptation: Climate Change and Palestine
Local groups in Regina and Saskatoon and SK Conference join with Just Peace Advocates to present:
Suha Jarrar, researcher at respected Palestinian human rights group Al Haq, discussing justice and adaptation in relation to the politics of climate change in Palestine.
Everyone is welcome to three opportunities, September 12 in Regina and September 15 and 16 in Saskatoon. Continue reading
We all want refugees to settle well in Canada. That’s why many SK congregations and communities have sponsored so often over the years. But Canada currently asks refugees to pay back the money that the government spent on their travel to Canada.
The evidence shows that these immigration travel loans have a negative impact on refugees’ ability to settle well. The pressure to pay them back can make it difficult to pay for necessities, push refugees to find jobs before they’ve completed their language training, and add unneeded stress to already stressful transitions.
The government knows this–which is why they just stopped charging interest on the loans. But it would cost just 40 cents per Canadian to stop asking refugees to repay these loans entirely. Please join ecumenical partners in asking the government to end the loan system. Please read more here.
A year ago, the Saskatchewan government introduced a budget that continues to have enormous social impact on our communities.
A citizen’s group called SaskCrowns has contacted the Local Global Advocacy Network to ask for United Church assistance in circulating a formal petition calling on the government to respect its own legislation regarding public input in the sale of Crowns. Conference Executive has approved this request. This letter is your invitation to consider whether (and how) you might promote and distribute this petition. Continue reading
This is your invitation to What Makes Food Good?, an open gathering on May 23 2018, 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM near Cochin, SK. All ages and people of all backgrounds welcome! We’ll share in a hands-on day focused on ecumenical theological and spiritual reflection on sustainable food; a look at the food systems that feed and employ us; workshops; and farm work tailored to your abilities. Farm lunch included! Please note: you will need to bring your own drinking water, and ride sharing is encouraged. And we’ll post more info right here as plans progress. 
Where: Largo Farm on Treaty Six territory, next to Moosomin First Nation; near Cochin and Murray Lake, a half hour north of the Battlefords.
Registration: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VXGQ6RP Registering well in advance helps us plan the workshops! Cost: $25, waived if cost is any barrier. More info: contact Julie Graham at the Conference office.
Download the PDF flyer here. Or, right click on the photo and save/ share. And check out our Facebook event here.
This event is organized by the Sustainable Food group of the Local Global Advocacy Network (SK Conference) and by the Largo Farm community, with help from Nettie Wiebe. It’s one contribution to a conversation on how we in SK can grow sustainable food and create sustainable food systems.
River Bend Presbytery, the United Church of Canada, sent the following proposal to Conference Executive in January 2018, where it was passed with concurrence. The Local Global Advocacy Network of SK Conference includes it here for the information and inspiration of other presbyteries, and presbyters who wish to raise this concern with the province, including their own MLA. More background on the sweeping March 2017 provincial budget cuts, their impacts, and LGA Network perspectives, is available here. Continue reading
It’s time for step three of our home auditing. But first, how did your draft audit go? At our house, we had to replace the sweep on the side door. The sweep is the weather stripping at the bottom of the door.
In this issue, let’s look at electricity use in our houses. Our goal will be to find out how many electrical devices we have and how many of them have phantom load. Then we’ll work on reducing.
To start, get a pencil and paper and make a list of everything you have that plugs in. (For now, we’ll skip things that are wired-in like ceiling lights, and furnace fans). Then, note beside each item if you think it might have a phantom load. (Phantom load is the power something uses when it’s turned off. Things that have a light, clock, program, or are Wi-Fi connected, or are instant-on, will have a phantom load.)
Once you have that list, try to estimate how many hours/day you use it. For example, one light in our living room is on from when the living room starts to get dark until 10pm. In the winter, that is five hours but in summer it’s about two. So, on average, it would be three and a half hours/day. We watch more TV on the weekend but almost none throughout the week, so we average about one
hour/day. The chart for our living room is below.
If you want to take it a step further, you can use a Watt meter (also called a Power or Energy meter) to measure the phantom load and the energy consumed when something is running. SES has a couple of Watt meters we can loan out, as does Saskatoon Light and Power. Contact me if you want to get your hands on one.
Now, the important part. What have you found out and what will you do about it?
Phantom load can be up to 1/10th of the energy consumed in our homes. I read an article recently about someone who discovered that his TV, with all its attachments, was using 7% of his household electricity. You can use a power bar, or a smart or timed power bar to cut off the phantom load.
Should some electrical items be replaced with more efficient versions? If there are things on your list that you never, or rarely use, maybe you could unplug them to get rid of the phantom load. Maybe you could give some of them away to get rid of the clutter.
If you learn something you want to share, or if you have questions, you can always contact me at angieb@environmentalsociety.ca. I’d love to hear about your successes and challenges.
Angie Bugg manages energy conservation projects for the Saskatchewan Environmental Society, and is an active member of McClure United Church. You can contact her at angieb@environmentalsociety.ca “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1)
