Photo collage by pk mutch. From the Publisher: Feminist entrepreneur Shauna Rae, founder of Radar Media, recently attended a public library hosted drag story time protest in Ingersoll, Ontario and wrote about her experience.  We are republishing the article as written to elevate awareness that although trans hate speech is illegal in Canada, these protests, often led by outsiders, continue.  In his post-event letter to the public the Mayor of Ingersoll, Brian Petrie, thanked the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) for working to de-escalate the situation multiple times. Reports say a ..read more

Coalition Building? Forming coalitions with other groups of similar values, interests, and goals allows members to combine their resources and become more powerful than when they each acted alone. Over my 50-year experience as an activist, I have found that the most effective way to win a battle is by making connections across differences. We are doing that less and less these days in a time of polarized, denunciating politics but we have never needed it more. One of the most successful coalitions that I was part of was the National Action Committee (NAC) on the Status of Women, the la ..read more

CEO and co-founder, Kristine Beese, Untangle Money | Photo Supplied Women don’t make as much money as men. Full stop. That’s true in a very short-term, dollars-to-donuts way– in Canada, as of 2021, a woman makes 89 cents for every one dollar a man makes. In real world terms, this means that if a man has to work 1,000 hours to make enough money to pay for something–a car, a piece of clothing, rent–a woman has to work 1,110 hours to purchase the same item, an amount that comes out to an extra 2.75 40 hour work weeks.  The matter only compounds when you account for other intersections: a ..read more

Ruth Wylie (left) and Melanie Grad (right), cofounders, Perspective Squared. When she was head of production at Variprix, Grad says she tried to lead with flexibility, because caregiving extends to many people. “There was a man who lived in Newmarket (ON) who would drive downtown to Liberty Village everyday,” she says. “He had basketball with his boys twice a week and I said, ‘You better get your ass up there. Those are the important things.’ “Men and women – we all have other priorities. That opportunity really taught me that’s not something to compromise on when we’re running our bus ..read more

The number of freelancers is growing. But are freelance unions growing? If not, why not? And what would happen if freelance unions worked together? Freelance writer Toni Main (not their real name) landed a new $6,000 gig. There was no formal contract–just a series of emails and mutual trust about what was expected, what they would deliver and how much they would make. Several months later, Main remained unpaid. As a last resort, they turned to the Canadian Freelance Union for help.  “And that’s why we’re here, says” Nora Loreto, new President of the Canadian Freelance Union ..read more

Keda Edwards Pierre, Founder of True2Soul | Photo by David Leyes As a child, Toronto-born Keda Edwards Pierre wanted to do something many intelligent, artistic kids dream of doing; create buildings. “In elementary school, I wanted to be an architect. I was recognized to be very creative. My grandfather was an architect,” says Edwards Pierre. “Plus, lines and structure really attracted me.” However, the universe had other plans. Instead, Edwards Pierre a childhood trauma survivor, navigated a career path that met her profound needs for safety, structure, answers, voice and ability to advoca ..read more

Jenn Hazel, founder of Curate Concierge. Photo by Emily Doukogiannis @emilydphotography As an entrepreneur, what’s your time worth to you?  Now, what’s having control of your time worth?  For most people who own their own business–especially small businesses owned by women–the answer is a lot. Studies show small business owners regularly work more than 50 hours a week, with 68 percent of those hours spent just managing daily tasks, such as emails or phone calls, and only 31 percent of that time spent actively growing their business. Moreover, in a 2021 survey, 41 percent of small ..read more

Christy Pettit, founder of Pollinate Christy Pettit thinks of bees pollinating a field of flowers when she thinks about the name of her company.  “Pollen does not rampantly go everywhere,” she explained during a Zoom call. “There’s a strategy.” Launched in 2008, the Guelph, Ontario based Pollinate Networks doesn’t match bees and flowers but mentors and mentees. Its technology predicts a high degree of compatibility among people, and their online education resources ensure mentees and mentors get the most out of their time together. Mentorship Benefits Employees and Enterprise Leaders P ..read more

Photo: Composite Image featuring Lightspring Studios and Callum Shaw On November 3, 2022, the Equal Futures Network in partnership with the Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CanWCC), hosted an interactive incubator discussion examining the key challenges facing women, gender-diverse, Indigenous and racialized communities when it comes to advancing economic justice. This was the first Equal Futures Network incubator session dedicated to examining the intersection of economic equity and gender equality in Canada. A total of 35 participants attended the session and engaged in the ..read more

Photo collage: pk mutch with a mix of photos from Dreamstime. At this time of year, media becomes preoccupied with predictions for 2023.  But why stop at 2023? Especially given economic and political forecasts for those working for a better world look especially gloomy.  Instead, why not feast hopefully on what the world could look like in 2060 and note the events that took us there? After all, in the present, we can fight to accelerate the change for good, or equally as important, work to derail those leading to frightening outcomes. Enter the art and value of the long view: Scie ..read more