It has been a profound privilege to serve KAIROS in the role of Interim Executive Director for the first five months of 2021. Even before joining the staff, I understood the special place KAIROS occupies among organizations committed to social and ecological justice in Canada.

I am grateful for this opportunity to provide leadership to KAIROS. I humbly acknowledge that I do not stand alone. I am surrounded by and shoulder-to-shoulder with you, brilliant leaders, our staff and members, of KAIROS.

KAIROS is adding airport support services to its Empowering Temporary Foreign Workers during COVID-19 project to welcome, inform and assist arriving migrant workers on COVID-19 quarantine measures, vaccinations, and additional supports.

KAIROS’ MERE Hub is now available in Portuguese with content on the gendered impacts of resource extraction in Brazil. This phase launched on May 31 at an online panel event, Women Defending Land and Water in Brazil.

We invite you to reflect on 20 years of KAIROS. Contribute by sending photos or video clips of your fondest KAIROS memories, a brief statement of gratitude, and/or a long-form spiritual reflection or essay. Please send submissions by June 30. Thank you!

KAIROS applauds the Government of Canada for recently opening permanent residency applications to 50,000 temporary foreign workers (TFWs) with status in health care and other essential sectors. KAIROS, however, recognizing the urgent need to broaden the scope of this opportunity to include non‐status TFWs, appeals to the government to re-establish a regularization program. 

KAIROS is encouraged to see the House of Commons once again adopt UNDRIP legislation. Bill C-15, An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, passed third reading in the House of Commons on May 25. Please send an email to Senator Dan Christmas, Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples, to show your support for Bill C-15. 

KAIROS has joined 25 churches, faith-based organizations and others, all participants in the Love My Neighbour project, in sending a letter to the Prime Minister about Canada’s  role in increasing access to COVID-19 vaccines in lower income countries.  

Mark your calendars - September is Climate Action Month! Join us for 30 days of learning, reflection, community-building, and advocacy on climate change.

As part of the season of rogation, For the Love of Creation (FLC) invites you into a time of “planting and asking” by participating in its Letter of the Faithful initiative. Between now and the end of June, FLC encourages you to gather with friends, family, colleagues, and members of your faith community for a time of collaborative theological reflection on creation care and climate justice. 

In response to the political situation and resulting violence and repression unfolding in Colombia since April 28, the Organización Femenina Popular — a KAIROS Women, Peace, and Security partner — released an appeal to the international community. KAIROS also calls on Canada to advocate for the implementation of Colombia’s peace accords, including its 130 gender-based commitments, and be an unwavering exponent of corporate accountability.  

In the midst of a climate crisis, Canadian company ReconAfrica plans to drill for oil in the ecologically sensitive Okavango Delta in Namibia and Botswana. Learn more about this potentially disastrous project from voices in the region and actions we can all take to help stop it.  

Join a free training session for volunteers and advocates working on corporate accountability offered by the Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability, of which KAIROS is an active member. Be part of a new campaign for human rights and environmental due diligence legislation. The session will take place via Zoom at 8 pm EST on Wednesday, June 9. 

KAIROS actions to build a better world, such as e-petitions, letters to elected officials, and advocacy events are housed on the KAIROS Advocacy page. Take action today!

Register Today – June is National Indigenous History Month 

This National Indigenous History month you can help to build bridges of reconciliation! Register today for a KBE Teaching & Sharing Circle – Indigenous-led, interactive online sessions that help to foster right relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people through truth, sharing, and open dialogue. 

June sessions:

• The Impacts of Residential Schools, Tuesday, June 1, 7pm-9pm EDT
• Métis Teachings, Tuesday, June 15, 7pm-9pm EDT
• We are All Treaty People, Monday, June 21 (National Indigenous Day), 7pm-9pm EDT
• Social Injustice in the Court System, Tuesday, June 29, 7pm-9pm EDT

The Summer sessions are now open for registration ($25).

vKBE (virtual KAIROS Blanket Exercise)

The first round of facilitator training for each of the three vKBE roles – lead facilitator, co-facilitator & chat moderator – began in May. Additional trainings, including for sector partners, are planned for the summer and fall. We want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we work through the training plan.

H-KBEFT (Hybrid KAIROS Blanket Exercise Facilitator Training)

In the same way that the suspension of in-person programming due to pandemic restrictions inspired development of the vKBE, the KAIROS Blanket Exercise Facilitator Training (KBEFT) process was also adapted to allow for the training of KBE facilitators during COVID-19. Hybrid KBE Facilitator Training (H-KBEFT) sessions are blended experiences that include online modules and incorporate strict COVID-19 safety protocols during the in-person components.

The H-KBEFT was piloted recently in British Columbia with the Okanagan Nation Alliance with great success and will be piloted again in June with The Circle of Turtle Lodge, an organization dedicated to reviving, promoting, and restoring the traditional culture and teachings of the Indigenous people of the Ottawa Valley.