BS: Calling All Canucks

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: maeve
Date: 25 Jul 11 - 07:43 PM

This is wonderful news! Congratulations to Canadians who participated, and to those for whom the services will have an impact.

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: gnu
Date: 25 Jul 11 - 04:39 PM

Indeed... more importantly, we have to continue to think that way and to use the internut as a convenient tool to hound the politicians on every issue we care about.. $7M is the cost of launching 5 cruise missiles. Google it... the blind have trouble doing that because cruise missiles are more important than blind people.

Sorry for that but it pisses me off.

If I had a rocket launcher, eh? (Bruce Cockburn song.)

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: frogprince
Date: 25 Jul 11 - 04:33 PM

Not that it's important, but as a south-of-the-borderer who happened to peek at this, I'm proud of you guys.

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: bobad
Date: 25 Jul 11 - 04:09 PM

Yeah I got that today too, it's nice to think that our small effort may have helped.

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: gnu
Date: 25 Jul 11 - 03:20 PM

YEEHAWWW!! Thanks to everyone who helped!

Dear Mr. Owens:

I am following up on your previous correspondence, which was forwarded to me by the Office of the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, regarding your support of federal funding for accessible library services for Canadians with vision loss or other print disability.

The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that all Canadians have the opportunity to participate fully in their communities and recognizes the importance of the provision of accessible library services to people with print disabilities, including people who are blind, deaf-blind, and who have vision loss.

In order to provide access to published material for people with print disabilities, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) provided a grant of $6 million to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) Library to digitize its collection and extend its library services across the country.

On February 23, 2011 , the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, announced on my behalf that HRSDC was providing a one-time grant of just over $7 million to the CNIB to ensure its ability to continue producing library materials in alternative formats, such as braille, audio, large print, and electronic text. This grant will also fund the replacement of the CNIB's outdated electronic storage systems for its digital collection. To view the news release, please visit http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?m=/index&nid=590979.

The CNIB is a key service provider for many public libraries and for people with print disabilities. This funding will allow the Institute to maintain the viability of its library asset while the organization explores long-term funding and service arrangements with the provinces and territories for the provision of accessible library services for people with print disabilities.

Thank you for brining your views to my attention.

Yours sincerely,

The Hon. Diane Finley, P.C., M.P.

Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: GUEST,999
Date: 18 Mar 11 - 03:59 PM

I hear that.

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: bobad
Date: 18 Mar 11 - 03:50 PM

Received the same yesterday. It's nice to know that our small effort may have played some part in the acquisition of the funding for this project.

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: jeffp
Date: 18 Mar 11 - 03:46 PM

Pretty cool!

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: gnu
Date: 18 Mar 11 - 03:23 PM

Thanks to all who contributed their time and effort....

Dear Gary,

This is a one time follow up email to all Canadians who participated in the 2010 Right to Read campaign.

On behalf of all of us at CNIB, I wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you for adding your voice to our call to Canadian governments to provide immediate and fair funding for accessible library services for all Canadians with print disabilities.

We're pleased to report that in addition to garnering interim funding from governments in five provinces and territories (NorthWest Territories, Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick and PEI), we've also received a one-time grant of $7 million from the Government of Canada that will ensure our library collection and current infrastructure will be maintained in the short term.

These developments are key milestones in our journey to protect the right to read of blind and partially sighted Canadians – and we couldn't have achieved them without your support.

So what's next?

With interim funding in place and our current operations secure for the short term, we can sharpen our focus on the larger goal: a sustainable, equitable, nationwide library service for all Canadians with print disabilities – one that is not reliant on charitable dollars.

To reach this goal, we'll continue to advocate with all levels of government and foster dialogue among other relevant organizations including public libraries, publishers, end users and national organizations representing people with print disabilities. Thanks again for your support.

Sincerely,

John M. Rafferty
President and CEO
CNIB

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: bobad
Date: 11 May 10 - 06:20 PM

I did too.

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: GUEST,999
Date: 11 May 10 - 05:55 PM

I received the same e-mail as gnu, today.

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: Little Hawk
Date: 11 May 10 - 05:03 PM

Very good.

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: gnu
Date: 11 May 10 - 04:22 PM

Thank you so much for participating in Right to Read - CNIB's urgent campaign asking Canada's governments to fund vital library services for people with vision loss.

Right to Read has now come to an end. It resulted in 18,213 letters received by provincial and territorial premiers, and another 15,269 received by the Prime Minister of Canada.

Thanks to the participation of friends like you, we were able to garner support from governments in five Canadian provinces and territories! That means thousands of blind and partially sighted Canadians will continue to have access to the services of the CNIB Library - and in these jurisdictions, their basic right to literature and information has been preserved.

Our commitment to literacy for people with vision loss doesn't end here. CNIB continues to advocate with the federal, provincial and territorial governments to invest in accessible library materials for the more than 800,000 Canadians who need them. We'll keep you updated on our progress as news arises.

Once again, thank you for participating in Right to Read! You have made a significant difference for blind and partially sighted Canadians of all ages.

Sincerely,

John M. Rafferty
President and CEO
CNIB

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: gnu
Date: 13 Feb 10 - 11:12 AM

DMD and WMD run in Mum's family and I have noticed changes over the last couple of years... I am 52. I used to have only one charity
(that I told anyone about, as I am such a devout Cat'lic). After seeing the impact of WMD on Mum and on her quality of life, I now openly support the CNIB as well as The IWK Children's Hospital in Halifax.

I urge everyone to read the CNIB literature regarding care and prevention. Just like you you should for heart & stroke... etc.
CNIB

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Feb 10 - 10:58 AM

Bump, too.

I was born with severe amblyopia (crossed eye) that was never corrected, and am consequently blind in that eye. In June 2004, I suffered a retinal tear in the eye that works -- which, by the way, is very myopic and astigmatic so it never worked particularly well. If I had not been aware of the signs of retinal damage, and a resident of a city with a world-class eye clinic, I would be blind today.

When I look (!) at my tax return every year, I am reminded of how self-serving my charitable efforts are. CNIB, Lung Association, United Way -- I'm just making a down-payment on the services I hope to live long enough to need.

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: Mooh
Date: 13 Feb 10 - 07:49 AM

Bump.

Fuchs' dystrophy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuchs%27_dystrophy) was common in my family and may still be but maybe won't be revealed until we are older.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: gnu
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 11:09 AM

Everyone is subject to macular degeneration (and lots more)... some faster than others, of course.

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: Mooh
Date: 12 Feb 10 - 09:19 AM

My family has had some weird vision issues so this is a worthy cause for us.

Thanks for the link gnu!

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: GUEST,999
Date: 11 Feb 10 - 09:10 PM

I received a heart-felt e-mail from the Prime Minister's office which I'd like to share with y'all.


"On behalf of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, I would like to acknowledge your e-mail regarding an issue which falls within the responsibilities of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.

Please be assured that your comments have been carefully noted. I have taken the liberty of forwarding a copy of your e-mail to the Minister, so that she may be made aware of your views.

Thank you for writing to the Prime Minister. For more information on the Government's initiatives, you may wish to visit the Prime Minister's Web site, at www.pm.gc.ca.

L.A. Lavell
Executive Correspondence Officer
for the Prime Minister's Office"

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: ragdall
Date: 11 Feb 10 - 07:41 PM

gnu,
It didn't take a minute to do it. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

   rags

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: bobad
Date: 11 Feb 10 - 02:24 PM

I received this email in response from my local MPP:

Good Evening *** *********

Thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts on this important topic. I am a strong advocate for the right to read, and I strongly endorse your email to Premier McGuinty.

Jim Brownell, MPP
Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry
--------------------------
Sent using BlackBerry

Subject: RE: BS: Calling All Canucks
From: gnu
Date: 11 Feb 10 - 01:58 PM

Daily refresh... until Monday.

Subject: RE: BS: CALLING ALL CANUCKS
From: Beer
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 07:04 PM

Done.
Beer (adrien)

Subject: RE: BS: CALLING ALL CANUCKS
From: GUEST,999
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 07:02 PM

Done!

I don't know if my Premiere can read. Hope so.

I feel as does LH, but imo a trebuchet might have been more effective.

Subject: RE: BS: CALLING ALL CANUCKS
From: Little Hawk
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 06:46 PM

Okay, I sent my letters. The one to Harper, I'd like to send with a catapult (and a large rock)... ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: CALLING ALL CANUCKS
From: gnu
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 06:11 PM

Good oh, Rap!

Subject: RE: BS: CALLING ALL CANUCKS
From: Rapparee
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 05:57 PM

The US has a similar thing.

Subject: RE: BS: CALLING ALL CANUCKS
From: gnu
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 04:42 PM

I am gonna refresh this regularly for days, maybe weeks so get used to it. My sight impaired buddies and relatives mean a lot to me.

Subject: RE: BS: CALLING ALL CANUCKS
From: gnu
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 01:29 PM

Indeed, SINS. And, our bas... ah.. politicians don't care about peeps who don't vote here (besides not caring about the peeps here that do vote here).

Subject: RE: BS: CALLING ALL CANUCKS
From: maeve
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 10:59 AM

Ah. I hadn't planned to participate.

m

Subject: RE: BS: CALLING ALL CANUCKS
From: SINSULL
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 10:58 AM

A province is required in the address section ruling out US participants.
Gnu probably means that US letters would skew the numbers and the politicians would claim that outside influences are trying to change Canadian policy.

Subject: RE: BS: CALLING ALL CANUCKS
From: maeve
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 10:54 AM

I'm slow today, gnu. What would give the politicians ammo?

m

Subject: RE: BS: CALLING ALL CANUCKS
From: gnu
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 10:52 AM

m... I think that would skew the interpretation of the numbers and give the politicians ammo.

Subject: RE: BS: CALLING ALL CANUCKS
From: maeve
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 10:32 AM

It is an important issue, gnu. Only Canucks can participate?

Go get 'em!

maeve

Subject: BS: CALLING ALL CANUCKS
From: gnu
Date: 10 Feb 10 - 10:29 AM

Just got an email from CNIB. Took less than 2 minutes to send a letter composed by the CNIB in support of the "Right to Read" campaign.

Please click here.