604-939-8070 2322 St. John's Street, Port Moody, V3H 2A9

Opinion – Disability Rights are Human Rights

A great article in the Montreal Gazette that discusses The Accessible Canada Act that came into force a couple of months ago.

The article discusses how the Act is being implemented and put into practice across the country.

Until now, the rights of people with disabilities have been mostly disregarded. And not only by mainstream media, but by policy makers, governments and frankly by the broader human rights community. This despite all the evidence: statistical data, years of documented human rights complaints at alarmingly high rates, decades of reports and studies from disability organizations. It is unfortunate that even the passing of this historic legislation received very little attention outside of the disability and human rights community.

The fact is that disability is something that every Canadian may experience at some point in their lives, regardless of any other factor, and it goes beyond gender, race, class, sexual orientation or geography. In fact, according to Statistics Canada  24% of all women and 21% of all men in Canada already live with a disability. This legislation is very likely to have an impact on the lives of all Canadians.

CVS is so pleased that this Act has been developed by the Federal government. Now it\’s up to the community at large to adhere to this Act and ensure that it is being enforced in practice.

To read more of the article, visit the original story on the Montreal Gazette website.

Owning a Diagnosis

CBC released an interesting article that tells the story of Courtney Weaver, a young woman who was diagnosed with Asperger\’s Syndrome when she was 4 years old. It\’s a wonderful story of a woman who has really owned the diagnosis and used it to help her navigate the world around her.

It is truly an inspirational story – to read more about Courtney\’s story, check out the full article on the CBC website by clicking here.

Welcome to Melda Our New Finance Manager

Please join me in welcoming Melda Okucu as our new Finance Manager. Melda has over 20 years of international experience in tax consulting & compliance, audit and finance in public accounting and consulting firms. She has worked in Canada, Switzerland, Romania and Turkey as the global lead at a senior management level, managing major global accounts related to tax and HR programs. She has extensive experience in international taxes, and bi-lateral tax agreements. Melda was involved in mergers & acquisitions, due-diligence projects, cost management projects, performed tax audits, led financial reporting, executed budgets & salary review processes for the staff.

 In the last 3 years, Melda took volunteer positions as Treasurer and Chair in the School District 43 PAC\’s. The Treasury position required monthly financial reporting, yearly Government reporting, grant applications and she also worked in the team reviewing and updating PAC Bylaws.

Melda\’s Bachelor\’s Degree is in Finance and Accounting and worked on Graduate studies in Finance and Law. She holds a Certified Public Accountant Designation in Europe since 2000.

 Melda enjoys skiing with her family and all outdoor activities.

I know that she will be a tremendous asset to CVS as Finance Manager.

Pub Night a Success

CVS hosted a pub night on Thursday, June 6th. It was a fun night for all with good food and lots of laughs. Thanks for everyone who made the effort to come out & stay tuned for information on our next Pub Night event.

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Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce Kickstart at CVS

Last week, CVS was incredibly proud to host the May Kickstart for the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce. We welcomed 70 members of our business community to check out our building in Port Moody. Everyone got a chance to meet our staff, learn a bit more about CVS and get a first-hand opportunity to see some of the individuals we serve in action. They also got a live performance from one of the individuals we serve in our day program, Ayat.

We look forward to more opportunities in the future to partner with the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce.

Here are some pictures from the evening –

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Claudia Cota

Please join me in thanking Claudia Cota for her work at Community Ventures Society over the past few years. Unfortunately, Claudia will be leaving CVS due to a personal move that will take her family out of the province. Claudia\’s final day at CVS will be on Monday, June 24th, 2019.

Claudia initially came to CVS in 2014 as our Finance and Administrative Coordinator. After leaving in 2016 to work in public practice, she returned to CVS in 2018 in the role of Manager of Finance. Since assuming this position, her efforts and commitment have made a significant impact on the Community Ventures Society and she will be missed by us all.

 

We want to take this opportunity to wish Claudia and her family good luck in their new adventure!

Notification of CVS Annual General Meeting (June 24th)

We wanted to inform you of the date for the 2019 Community Ventures Society Annual General Meeting. Our 2019 AGM will be held on June 24th at 4:00 PM at 2322 St. Johns Street.

CVS is interested in growing our membership base to strengthen our network. Membership enables individuals to participate in our AGM and other events and only costs $5. We have included a membership form with this message – please complete the form with your membership fee to the AGM or send it back to us.

The agenda for the AGM on June 24th is as follows:

  1. Welcome and Introductions
  2. Approval of the Minutes of Annual General Meeting June 25, 2018
  3. Auditors Report
  4. Appointment of Auditors for Fiscal Year 2019/2020
  5. Nominations Report
  6. Election of Directors
  7. Appointment of Signing Officers of the Society
  8. Set Membership fee for the coming year
  9. Executive Director’s Report
  10. Program Reports
  11. Adjournment and Refreshments

We look forward to seeing you at the Annual General Meeting. If you have any questions about the AGM or membership, please contact Kevin Lusignan at your convenience.

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