Joyce
Mitchell, as convention convener, and her committee
did a great job. Joyce never seems to lose her "cool"
and manages to solve big and little problems with
grace and humour. Ruth Peters and her committee made
the resolutions process go forward in an orderly and
efficient manner.
We
discussed, debated, carried or defeated 78 resolutions
in the allotted time - I hope everyone took advantage
of the opportunity to make comments on any resolution.
For
first time delegates, it gave you a chance to see,
hear and offer your suggestions on the operation of
the U.S.C.O. The input from all delegates on resolutions
and other business gives the executive the direction
in which you want to U.S.C.O. to go.
Thank
you for allowing me to continue to represent the U.S.C.O.
Thanks on behalf of the executive as well. We are
proud and honoured to have you put your trust in us
again. This is a hard-working group of people who
do all they can to further your interests.
To
Joyce Turner, support staff at the Voice, thank you
for all the help and encouragement.
Last, but by no means least, thank you, Beverly, for
all the extra time, effort and patience (especially
patience) that you put into making the 2005 Conference
a success. Both you ladies make coming into the office
a pleasure.
The
resolutions committee will meet shortly to prepare
the brief for the provincial government. All federal
resolutions that were carried will be forwarded to
the National Pensioners and Senior Citizens for their
annual conference in October.
The U.S.C.O. is the largest grass-roots organization
in Ontario, and, as such, we can offer the government
and other stakeholders current, first-hand information
from Ontario seniors. This is a kind of "gentle"
advocacy, where our concerns and issues are taken
into consideration during policy discussions and,
as you know, all concerns voiced at the liaison meetings
go directly to the Minister.
The
U.S.C.O. has always kept the lines of communication
open through reason, persistence, and courtesy. We
know where we're going because we know where we've
been. We are all optimistic about the future and,
with your help, we can anticipate and frequently overcome
obstacles that affect our quality of life.
Keep
your interest and awareness high and share your concerns
so that we can all work together to impact legislation
and defeat "ageism." The U.S.C.O. has worked
hard to make changes for senior well-being and, in
many cases, the government has done so.
