Date: Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Location: In-person 215 Huron St, 6th floor; joining the session virtually is possible – please email Natasja VanderBerg to indicate you need to join online

This discussion is an opportunity for members of the U of T community who are currently on a journey using assisted reproductive technology or considering one. We come together to share and create connections. Three members of the U of T community will share their experience using third party gametes (eggs or sperm) and surrogacy journeys. Please join us to learn more from those who have generously offered to share their experience and to meet others on fertility/family planning journeys. All genders and sexual orientations are welcome!

The event is primarily in-person, but an option is available to join online. For those joining in person, light refreshments will be available. Feel welcome to bring your lunch. The session is meant to be casual and social. Please email Natasja VanderBerg with any questions you hope will be addressed during the discussion at least one week in advance.

Date: Tuesday, December 13
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Location: The webinar link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

Learn the basics of Family Law and what is involved in:

• Child decision-making responsibility and parenting time
• Child and spousal support
• Separation agreements
• General overview of the family court process

Presenter: Downtown Legal Services

Registration required. University of Toronto students, staff, postdoctoral fellows and faculty are welcome. Partners and family members (including chosen family members) who are co-caregivers with U of T students, staff, postdoctoral fellows and faculty are also welcome to attend. If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this in-person event, please contact the Family Care Office and we will try our best to work with you and make appropriate arrangements.

Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Location: The Zoom link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

1+1 = 2. Most of the time. Sometimes it equals -3. Come to our webinar, Budgeting 101 and learn that math is the easy part of budgeting. The tough part is understanding your relationship with money (and acknowledging that you even have a relationship with money!). Like all relationships, some parts of it need work. Learn to identify those aspects of your money relationship that need improvement, how to make those improvements and to better understand your patterns of behaviour around money. Oh, and we will show you how to make a budget too, using a nifty easy to use excel file!

Facilitator: Tim St. Vincent is the Credit Counselling Society’s Financial Educator for Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the GTA, he is based out of Winnipeg. Tim has over 25 years experience in Financial Services and is a retired Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Tim has also completed the Canadian Securities Course (Hons.) has achieved his Certificate in Management (C.I.M.) Hons. and is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance. Tim believes strongly in the power of education, planning and acting on your plan.

Registration required. University of Toronto students, staff, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and their family members – including children of appropriate ages – are welcome. If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this event, please contact the Family Care Office and we will try our best to work with you and make appropriate arrangements.

Date: Saturday, October 1, 2022
Time: 11:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.
Location: Ramsden Park (Yonge Street, across from the Rosedale Subway Station)

The Family Care Office is hosting a family picnic! Come out with your family to meet other students and their families. Bring a blanket (if you can) and lunch for your family. The FCO will provide snacks and drinks, and arrange for fun activities for the children!

To register, email family.care@utoronto.ca and include your name, U of T status and ages of your participating children.

Date: Thursday, July 7, 2022
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Location: The webinar link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

This webinar (hosted by a family lawyer) is a must-attend event for anyone with questions about Family Law in Ontario. Whether you are separated from your spouse and seeking a divorce, or entering into a common-law relationship and considering getting a domestic contract, this webinar will answer your questions.

Participants will learn about the 5 main topics in family law: decision-making (“custody”), parenting schedule (“access”), property division, child support and spousal support. Alternatives to court will also be discussed (e.g. separation agreements, mediation, collaborative practice, mediation-arbitration, court).

Below are some common topics that will be covered:

• How long do you have to live with someone before you are considered common-law partners?
• How long do separated parents need to pay child support?
• Am I guaranteed spousal support if I leave my spouse?
• Do married persons and common-law partners have the same rights?

After the presentation, participants will be able to ask anything they want to know about family law. Participants can use the MS Teams chat box during the webinar and/or send in their questions in advance to the host: sasha@kpalawyers.ca.

Facilitator: An associate at KPA Lawyers, Sasha Faraone practises exclusively in the area of family law.

Sasha earned her law degree from the University of Ottawa. Prior to law school, she earned a Bachelor of Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (O.I.S.E.) at the University of Toronto. She also holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Western Ontario in Management and Organisational Studies, with a specialization in Human Resources. Sasha also received a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from York University and aspires to be a mediator and educator in the not-so-distant future.

Sasha is passionate about family law and is known for her settlement-oriented approach to files. She is keen on resolving as many issues as possible out of court; which reduces both stress and costs for her clients.

Registration required. Current University of Toronto students, staff, faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and their partners are welcome. If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this event, please contact the Family Care Office and we will try our best to work with you and make appropriate arrangements.

Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Location: The webinar link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

This webinar is not about numbers.  Most people can do the math around a budget and come up with 1+1=2.  Unless you don’t understand your relationship with money, then often you will find that 1+1= -3 (if you have problems with math there are calculators and friends who can help). This webinar focuses on understanding your relationship with money, finding the problems with that relationship and working to fix them.

Do you ever wonder why you run out of money before the month is over?  You know how much you make, how much you spend, yet the money never seems to last as long as you think it should.  You have a budget of sorts, but do you track your expenses?  If not then you don’t have a budget, you have a wish list, and wishing doesn’t help pay the bills. It may be time to look at your relationship with money.  Yes, you have one.  Like all relationships there are good parts and not so good parts.  Come to our Budgeting 101 webinar and learn how to examine your patterns of behaviour around money and how to get  back in control of your finances.

Facilitator: Tim is the Credit Counselling Society’s Financial Educator for Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the GTA, he is based out of Winnipeg. Tim has over 25 years experience in Financial Services and is a retired Certified Financial Planner (CFP). Tim has also completed the Canadian Securities Course (Hons.) has achieved his Certificate In Management (C.I.M.) Hons. and is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance.  Tim believes strongly in the power of education, planning and acting on your plan.

Registration required. Current University of Toronto students, staff, faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and their partners are welcome. If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this event, please contact the Family Care Office and we will try our best to work with you and make appropriate arrangements.

Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Location: The webinar link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

The last thing caregivers need is another item to add to the to-do list and another thing to feel guilty about. In this interactive session, we will consider the complex experience of caregiving and all the feelings that come with that. Together we will discuss and practice simple strategies that don’t take much time at all and that can be easily incorporated into everyday life. We will reframe self-care and affirm what participants are already doing to cope with caregiving, already a uniquely difficult journey, now made even harder by the pandemic.

Facilitator: For two decades, Rebecca Higgins has worked in community and social services in a variety of capacities. Since 2010, she has specialized in mental health education. Rebecca has designed and facilitated workshops and webinars for a wide range of groups, including library staff, helping professionals, security guards, customer service professionals, children, youth, educators, and parents.

Rebecca has served as a panelist and presenter at many conferences and has provided consultation support to various community mental health initiatives. She worked for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Canadian Mental Health Association in both Ottawa and Toronto before starting her own business in 2018.

Rebecca has a Master’s degree in Social Work and a BA in English. Her first book, a collection of short stories called The Colours of Birds, was published by Tightrope Books in 2018 and re-released by Iguana Books in 2020.

Find Rebecca at www.mentalhealthworkshopstoronto.com.

Date: Friday, April 23, 2021
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Location: The webinar link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

What happens when the pressures of life seem to come from every direction?  Let’s talk about some strategies for caring for the relationships that matter most in the midst of the stresses life brings. This session will discuss:

• Understanding our values
• Living within our priorities
• Developing stress management habits

Facilitator: Brian Russell is a marriage and family therapist focusing on men’s and couple’s issues, as well as, the Provincial Coordinator for Dad Central Ontario.

Registration required. University of Toronto students, staff, faculty, postdoctoral fellows and their families are welcome.

If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this event, please contact the Family Care Office and we will try our best to work with you and make appropriate arrangements.

Date: Friday, February 12, 2021
Time: 3:00 – 4:00 pm
Location: The webinar link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

During this one-hour webinar children and their parents will spend time together thinking about what makes someone a hero.  They will explore the hero-like characteristics of imaginary and real-life heroes while thinking about their strengths and personal power to make a difference in the lives of others. Children and parents will become heroes by engaging in an act of kindness whereby and will make a card for somebody they feel needs encouragement or support. For this activity, participants will need a piece of paper (A4 format, regular or construction), a pencil/pen and markers/crayons/coloured pencils. Participants can also prepare any other optional materials they might want to use to create a card they design.

Recommended for children 6 to 10 year and an adult family member.

Facilitator:  Nana Gulic is an Education Doctorate student at OISE’s Social Justice Education Department. She is a Child and Youth Worker with 16 years of experience in working with youth in Canada and internationally. With youth empowerment and engagement as the guiding premise, she worked in residential group homes, community development programs, elementary schools and international organizations. Her academic and professional passions are social and emotional skill development and democratic education. Nana is also a mother to a 9-year old boy for whom she wishes to become a caring, empathic and engaged citizen.

Registration required. The child(ren) and a current University of Toronto student, staff, faculty, postdoctoral fellow, or their partners are welcome. If you have any access needs to ensure your full participation in this event, please contact the Family Care Office and we will try our best to work with you and make appropriate arrangements.

Date:  Friday, April 17, 2020
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Location: The webinar link will be shared with you via email prior to the session start time.

The job of a parent is to help our children figure out how to live productive lives as they grow.  Too often we fall into the trap of focusing on behaviour and we miss the opportunity to encourage and teach them to build good character.  This workshop will give us some ideas of the importance of character over behaviour and how to instill good character as a pattern for our children’s growth.

Facilitator: Brian Russell is a marriage and family therapist focusing on men’s and couple’s issues, as well as, the Provincial Coordinator for Dad Central Ontario.