EVENT: 2024 Derrell Dular Memorial School

Posted: March 6, 2024

(March 6, 2024)

Where: UNIFOR Family Education Center, 115 Shipley Ave, Port Elgin

When: Friday June 21 –  Sunday June 23, Check in: 3 pm (Friday), Check out: 11 am (Sunday)

A weekend educational to be held in the beautiful town of Port Elgin on the shore of Lake Huron, it is an exciting opportunity for Health Coalition members and supporters to come together, discuss the threat to our public health care system & how we can safeguard & improve it. The weekend includes guest speakers, education, opportunities to network, share and strategize, and have fun!

Derrell Dular was on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Health Coalition for over twenty years. He was the Managing Director of the Alliance of Seniors to Protect Canada’s Social Programs. He dedicated his life to improving the lives of the less fortunate. His extraordinary passion, dedication, and endeavors to the cause will be memorialized with this school.

Register online here: https://forms.gle/DwiWsT2isBJFejoC7

This school will be an exciting opportunity for Health Coalition members and supporters to come together and discuss the challenges facing our public health care system and how we can advocate to protect and improve it.

This school will include guest speakers along with opportunities to network, educate, share and strategize with other public health care supporters in different courses.

Together we can work towards developing strong Health Coalitions in every community in Ontario to protect and improve our public health care. We hope to see you there!

Courses

Choose one of the following classes which will run for the day on Saturday:

1. Building a Social Movement & Community Organizing

These skills are transferable to all kinds of organizations & local unions. We will cover how to do community outreach and organizing, how to recruit more people, how to engage volunteers, and ultimately how to build the movement to safeguard & expand Public Medicare that cannot be ignored.

2. Privatization 101

A primer on health care privatization. What is public & what is privatization? Who benefits? Who is pushing it? Who is harmed? Why do we oppose it? Everything you need to know to be comfortable talking about public health care & privatization.

3. Taxes and Public Service

We pay for health & public services through taxes and cuts are threatening all of them. Taxes actually create equity. This course covers the growing gap in wages, income & wealth. How bad is it? What do tax cuts mean? Who benefits? Everything you need to know about fair taxes, growing inequality & cuts to our public services.

4. Train the Trainer 101

A primer for those who want to hold your own local educational & instruct the courses.

5. Media & Social Media for Social Change

Tools and techniques to use for traditional & social media.

Accommodation packages: There are 2 accommodation packages available – double occupancy at $890/person and single occupancy at $990/person. All packages include room, board, classes, and meals.

There are a limited number of single occupancy rooms available – this is a first come first served situation – so please register early for your room.

If you want to room with another person who is attending the school, please indicate that on your registration form.

All meals are included in the weekend rate for all guests and will be served cafeteria style, starting with supper on the day of check-in and end with lunch on the day of check-out.

Make sure to register before spots run out by filling in the registration form and making a payment as soon as possible! The registration form can be found here: https://forms.gle/DwiWsT2isBJFejoC7

Arrangement Assistance: If you require any assistance, please contact Deb Tveit at tveitdebbie@gmail.com or 519-673-2656

Facilities:

The Family Education Centre at Port Elgin is a beautiful facility: light and airy, filled with art and surrounded by the natural beauty of Port Elgin. The food is plentiful and delicious. Every day there is a full salad bar, hot food and cold food, vegetarian options and yummy desserts. There is a gym and a pub onsite. Each room has an outdoor patio. The facility is on the shore of Lake Huron and it is a 2-minute walk to the beach. Here are some photos of the facility.

Our heartfelt thank you to the Alliance of Seniors/Older Canadians Network, Cher Richards- wife of Derrell Dular, Jack Pinkus, former president of the Alliance of Seniors to save Canada’s social programs, and the Family Education Centre & Unifor for making this weekend educational possible.