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Spring - Summer 2025
KAIROS Great Lakes-St. Lawrence
NEWSLETTER
2025 KAIROS Great Lakes St. Lawrence Region Fall Conference

Who Owes Whom? Turn OUR Debt into Hope

The bi-annual KAIROS Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Fall Gathering and Network Development Meeting will be held on the morning of Saturday, October 25, 2025. Look forward to an exploration of Canada’s ecological debt to the Global South and Indigenous peoples. The online format enhances accessibility to learning, from the comfort of your couch or desk chair!    

Watch for more information and registration in late August.

Message from the Chair

Within our region we are very appreciative of the work and creativity of the staff of KAIROS. The G7 Jubilee People’s Forum was held in Calgary June 13-15, just before the G7 leaders met in Kananaskis, Alberta. The three days of gathering, learning, worshiping and fun were planned by KAIROS staff and partners and held at Ambrose University.

Several representatives from our region attended, joining other faith groups and civil society organizations to ask for cancellation of unjust and unsustainable debt and for global financial reform.

For those who could not be in Calgary (including me), the Great Lakes- St. Lawrence Region Fall Conference in October offers an opportunity to discuss and learn about the Jubilee year-long campaign: Turn Debt Into Hope.

Cherilyn Spraakman

Chair, Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Coordinating Committee  

The photo below was taken at the G7 Jubilee People's Forum, June 2025. Photo: KAIROS.
Highlights of the Justice Work

Activities continued in Ecological Justice, Migrant Justice and Indigenous Rights – all on-going KAIROS areas of work. The Jubilee campaign to Turn Debt Into Hope began to gear up and election issues were raised by several committees. Conditions in Gaza as well as local poverty issues remain of concern. Several committees reported on their networking with other justice groups.
Ecological Justice

Toronto West and Guelph groups each partnered with local environmental organizations to educate and plan for greater local response toward climate resilience.
Migrant Justice

Toronto West worked with a local church to organize a workshop on migrant worker justice in response to the recent erosion in migrant rights. The event was held on May 3, 2025 at Royal York Road United Church. Speakers included Chris Ramsaroop, author of Canada: Justice for Migrant Workers: Why We Will March; Gabriel Allahdua, from the Association for the Rights of Household and Farm Workers; and Leah Shifferaw, the Migrant Justice Team Lead with KAIROS Canada.
Image from the study guide from the Jesuit Social Forum.
Indigenous Rights

South-West Ontario members arranged tours of area Reserves and are promoting the Jesuit Social Forum’s study guide “Listening to Indigenous Voices”.  Adrian Jacobs, Christian Reform Church Indigenous Ministries Director, spoke at an Ingersoll church. York Region members offer support to the Pikangikum community in northwestern Ontario.  Guelph Indigenous members continued facilitating KAIROS Blanket Exercises under existing contracts as well as working on adjusting to the new organization. Several Guelph members participated in a course on Indigenous issues presented via Wilfrid Laurier University – Brantford.
Turn Debt into Hope Campaign

Several groups reported preparations for gathering signatures on the Turn Debt into Hope petition campaign. The petition calls for canceling unfair Global South debts and creating mechanisms for avoiding and resolving future debts.
Elections

Some Guelph members were involved in a network to host provincial and federal All-Candidates meetings focused on social justice issues. Simcoe County KAIROS members were also part of a coalition preparing questions for provincial candidates. The Dufferin group reviewed the KAIROS 2024 Global Partners Report. London members of South-West Ontario group investigated the social justice positions of several candidates.
Gaza
 

York Region and Simcoe County committees signed as supporters of the “How Can We Be Silent” call to prayer. Several congregations included the prayer in their January 26 services. How Can We Be Silent was initiated by Christians for Just Peace-Barrie and Owen Sound, Mennonite Action-Kitchener and Waterloo and Christians for a Free Palestine: Toronto. York Region KAIROS Group also sent a letter of support to KAIROS partner Wi’am: Palestinian Conflict Transformation Centre in Bethlehem. Toronto West representatives met with local MPs to state their concerns and to request action.

Image on the flyer for this event. 
Combatting Poverty
 

The Simcoe County group has worked extensively on food security, contributing to a breakfast program, advocating for provincial poverty reduction policies and encouraging food bank donations. Simcoe County and Guelph groups’ activities included advocating for a Guaranteed Basic Income. The Dufferin County committee investigated other support alternatives. South-west Ontario members include several who are working on affordable housing projects, refugee assistance, improving health care, and overseas development assistance projects.

Image from the Barrie Food Bank presentation, the basis of KAIROS Simcoe advocacy.
Networking
 

All groups in the region reported some form of networking with other groups working on issues of concern to the KAIROS committee. These include environmental and climate action groups, various churches and other religious groups, food banks, and social justice coalitions. The South-West Ontario committee is itself a network of groups and individuals working on a wide variety of social justice issues. In all cases the cooperation results in more effective outreach and projects.
KAIROS GREAT LAKES-ST LAWRENCE REGION COORDINATING COMMITTEE EXECUTIVE

Chair: Cherilyn Spraakman, Newmarket, Ontario

Regional Representative to the National Network: Elizabeth Snell, Guelph, Ontario

Secretary: Janyce Elser-Ethier, Russell, Ontario

Treasurer and Contact Coordinator: Betty Anne Platt, Whitby, Ontario

Social Media Coordinator: Elaine Gareau, Barrie, Ontario


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