Visitors join in singing Christmas carols Dec. 12 inside Christ Church in Upper Canada Village, a heritage site on the banks of the St. Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ont. The financial support for the construction of the church, built in 1837, and the land where it was originally located, were given to the local Anglican congregation by Adam Dixson, a wealthy mill owner. Each winter for about a month through the holiday season, over a quarter of a million lights adorn the heritage buildings, trees and fences of the village. The interior of the church has plain wooden box pews that were rented by parishioners in its early days.

As above

Lights from atop a horse-drawn wagon at Upper Canada Village on the banks of the St. Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ont., Dec. 12 appear as streaks in a photo taken with a long exposure. Each winter for about a month through the holiday season over a quarter of a million lights adorn the many heritage site buildings, trees and fences in the village.

Juanita Snelgrove, 93, a parishioner of St. Mary's Anglican Church in Dunrobin, near Ottawa, is all smiles as she serves dessert to needy people at the annual Christmas party in Ottawa Dec. 10 for Centre 454, a ministry sponsored by the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Her optimistic outlook could be the secret to her longevity. When asked her age, Ms. Snelgrove replied, "I'll be 94 in May."

Another torch is ignited as the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay makes its way through Ottawa Dec. 13. The Olympic  Flame was  lit in Olympia, Greece, on Oct. 22.  Over 12,000 torchbearers will carry the flame across Canada until it arrives in Vancouver on Feb. 12.

(As above)

Anglican Bishop Philip Poole of the Diocese of Toronto says, "Canadians have a unique opportunity and I would argue a moral imperative to defend the human rights of others." He was speaking at a news conference in Ottawa December 8 that called on the government to renew $7-million in funding for KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) had informally assured the funding but suddenly announced that it would not be forthcoming.  "Make no mistake, said Poole. "Lives will be seriously affected and possibly lost if some of the groups KAIROS supports does not receive its assistance."

"God calls us to help the most disadvanteged," says Roman Catholic Archbishop Roger Ebacher of the Archdiocese of Gatineau-Hull. "We are in common purpose with the KAIROS in this work. We want to be in common purpose with the government of Canada as well." He took part in the news conference in Ottawa December 8 that called on the government to renew $7-million in funding for KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) had informally assured the funding, but suddenly announced that no funding would be forthcoming.

Frontline activists who are affecting real change in their communities are the ones who will bear the brunt of the government's decision not to renew funding of $7 million for KAIROS, says Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada."The news that this support will not be forthcoming will be devastating to these groups of individuals and will dramatically set back their valuable efforts to better protect human rights in their communities and it will lead them exposed and in peril, he said.  "Canada and Canadians want and need to stand beside these brave, unwavering human rights defenders - we do not want to and cannot abandon them."  

Deborah Kitumaini, whose husband was murdered in 2006 for allegedly speaking out about the human rights situation in the Congo, spoke at the KAIROS news conference on Parliament Hill Dec. 8 "CIDA's decision will hurt the women and children of the Congo who daily suffer abuses from armed groups on all sides," she said, speaking through a translator. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has  said it would not renew funding of $7-million for KAIROS.

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff unveiled proposals at a news conference on Parliament Hill Dec. 8 that if approved would provide urgent help to people left in "catastrophic" financial straits due to the "crisis" in Canada's pension plans. The measures would include giving employees with stranded pensions following the bankruptcy of their company the option of having the CPP handle their pension assets.

A Senate report tabled Dec. 8 declares that Canada’s system for lifting people out of poverty is substantially broken and must be overhauled. Senator Art Eggleton, Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology’s Subcommittee on Cities, said that “As our research evolved, so too did our frustration and concern as we repeatedly heard accounts of policies and programs only making living in poverty more manageable – which essentially entraps people." The recommendations in the report, In From the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness, are the summation of a two-year cross-country study. Committee members heard testimony from more than 170 witnesses, including people living in poverty, several of them homeless, as well as universities, think tanks, provincial and local governments and community organizations.

KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives is urging that supporters send a message to the federal government including  Bev Oda, the Minister of International Cooperation: Oda.B@parl.gc.ca to reverse its decision to cut $7 million in funding to KAIROS. KAIROS says the cut will have a devastating impact on its overseas partners and the thousands of marginalized people in local communities they support. The CIDA-funded overseas program received matching financial support from KAIROS' member churches, church-related organizations and other donors.

Canadian actor Shirley Douglas, seen here with her actor son, Kiefer Sutherland, after receiving the Order of Canada in 2003, has signed an affidavit asking the federal government to release secret RCMP files on her and her father, former Saskatchewan Premier Tommy Douglas. Three years ago, Library and Archives Canada handed over material that revealed the RCMP had kept an eye on the family patriarch, CNEWS reported Dec. 4. Some files still remain secret, but a new application seeks to have those files opened. Douglas was active in the anti-war movement in the U.S. in the 1960s. She later obtained FBI files the agency had about her activities but the report was highly censored preventing her from reading much of what was reported, "I didn't want them to use our family or the right to privacy as an excuse not to release those files," Douglas said in a recent interview. 

Peg Herbert, founder of Help Lesotho,  explains the work of the organization at its 5th anniversary celebration and fundraiser. Among the over 200 guests was King Letsie III of Lesotho, who thanked Canadians for their support for the thousands of orphans and youth in Lesotho who have been infected and affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in his country, which has the world’s 3rd highest incidence of HIV and AIDS per capita.