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Contents:
1. ACTO and the R2H Coalition speak up for housing as a human right at the United Nations
2. Join us on March 7th at 2pm: Housing Advocates Deliver New UN Report on Canada's Human Rights Record to Finance Minister
3.
Registration is now open for the LIEN annual conference
4. ACTO has a new address - we've moved!
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The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario and the Right to Housing Coalition speak up for housing as a human right at the United Nations


We sent in a written submission on the Right to Adequate Housing to the United Nations’ Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) for Canada’s Sixth Periodic Review which took place from February 24th-25th. We also sent two people to Geneva, Switzerland to make sure they heard us!

Read the recommendations we made in the submission here.
Download our full written submission here.

Read what ACTO's Director of Advocacy and Legal Services, Kenn Hale (pictured above), had to say to the UN committee here.

Read what R2H Coalition member, Mike Creek, had to say to the UN committee here.

 

Recent media:
February 18, Canadian Press: Coalition to urge UN committee to press Canada on affordable housing
February 20, Toronto Star: Advocates taking housing policy to UN
February 26, The Tyee: In Canada, Housing is a Right. Right?
February 29, 2016: rabble.ca: The 'right' time to act on poverty

Join us on March 7th at 2pm: Housing Advocates Deliver New UN Report on Canada's Human Rights Record to Finance Minister

Toronto (March 4, 2016) - The United Nations conducted a 10 year review of Canada in February on its compliance as a signatory to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and will be releasing its concluding observations to the Canadian government on Monday, March 7th at 12:00pm ET. After the Supreme Court ruled that homeless Canadians could not present their evidence in court, a group of affordable housing advocates recently took their concerns about Canada's failed housing policies to the United Nations for the review and will be making comments about the UN's concluding observations at a media event the day it is released.

What:
The Right to Housing Coalition and other advocates will be hand delivering the concluding observations of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) to the office of Finance Minister Bill Morneau, two weeks ahead of the federal budget. Representatives from groups that had made written submissions and advocated in Geneva in front of the CESCR on Canada's housing and homelessness crisis will give statements to the media and answer questions.

Who:
Kenneth Hale, Right to Housing Coalition / Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario
Michael Creek, Right to Housing Coalition / Working for Change
Mercy Okalowe, ODSP Action Coalition
Renee Griffin, Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation
A representative from Chiefs of Ontario

Where:
Outside Finance Minister Bill Morneau's office, 430 Parliament Street, Toronto

When:
Monday, March 7th at 2:00pm

Why:
To provide an expert overview of the CESCR's concluding observations about Canada's housing and homelessness crisis.


Registration is now open for the LIEN annual conference, “Meeting the challenges of energy affordability”


Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Time: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Location: 63 Gould Street, Thomas Lounge (ground floor), Oakham House, Ryerson University, Toronto

What:
A gathering for social service agencies, low-income and affordable housing advocates, environmental organizations, anti-poverty groups, community legal clinics, and representatives from government agencies and utility companies, to share information and updates on current low-income energy programs, such as:

• The new Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP)
• Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA)
• saveONenergy HOME ASSISTANCE PROGRAM offered by electric utilities
• Low-income weatherization retrofit programs offered by gas utilities
 
There is no registration fee for this conference and lunch will be provided, but we ask that you register as soon as possible so that we can order the right amount of food. If, after registering, you are unable to attend, please let us know immediately so that we may cancel your food order without charge (especially if you have dietary restrictions, for which we are being charged extra).

Space is limited. Preference will be given to those who register here by March 15, 2016.


We've moved!


Our new mailing address is:

55 University Ave.
Suite 1500
Toronto, Ontario 
M5J 2H7


If you are visiting in person, we are located on the 14th floor.
All of our phone and fax numbers remain unchanged.
Copyright © 2016 Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, All rights reserved.


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