In 2017 four awards were awarded:Group Excellence Award: a group award of up to $8,000. Excellence in Elementary Teaching Award: an individual award of $5,000. Excellence in Secondary Teaching Award: an individual award of $5,000. Excellence in the Teaching of Creative and Performing Arts: an individual award of $5,000.ElementaryDunnville Christian School - Winner Margaret KampingTimothy Christian School, Etobicoke Barbara UbbensSecondaryChatham Christian School - Winner Anneke GrettonHamilton District Christian High Owen WebbGroupUnity Christian High School - Winner Jeff Weening and Kim FurtneyOrillia Christian School Marianne Frielink, Curtis Dulmage, Yvonne Buck, Kathy Brown, Rhonda Dykxhoorn, and Danae YeboahStrathroy Community Christian School Joan Alexander, Shelley Berg, Natalie DeSchiffert, Jeanette Dykstra, Stephanie Gowan, Julie Reitsma, Susan Noordermeer, Diane Schelhaas, Stephanie Tiffin, Jennifer VanMinnen, Jean Verburg, and Kim WiniaArtsSmithville Christian High School - Winner Gord ParkKing's Christian Collegiate Timothy VeenstraKingston Christian School Ruth GiffinSarnia Christian School Mary AbmaToronto District Christian High Richard PetersTrinity Christian School Leanne BulthuisWoodland Christian High School David Graham

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BURLINGTON, ON – Five Ontario teachers are the latest recipients of the John Rozema Awards for Teacher Excellence. Now in their second year, the Rozema Awards recognize teachers who surpass expectations in their work at Christian schools in Ontario. Michael Van Pelt, President and CEO of Cardus, and Dr. Beth Green, Education Program Director at Cardus, along with John and Stephen Rozema, presented the awards at a gala June 8, 2017 at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, ON in partnership with the Christian School Foundation. The awards went to five teachers in four categories: EXCELLENCE IN ELEMENTARY TEACHING Margaret Kamping, a Grade 3 & 4 teacher at Dunnville Christian School, takes home a $5,000 prize. She got her students involved in helping to spur the restoration of Hamilton sculptor Elizabeth Bradford Holbrook's work at a local fountain. EXCELLENCE IN SECONDARY TEACHING Anneke Gretton, a math teacher at Chatham Christian School, takes home a $5,000 prize. Her Grade 11 students used their mathematical skills to research poverty in their community and to develop realistic financial plans for a young person living on their own. GROUP EXCELLENCE Kim Furtney and Jeff Weening, who teach history and English respectively at Unity Christian High School in Barrie, ON, split an $8,000 prize. Their students developed a Canadian history exhibit at the Simcoe County Museum. EXCELLENCE IN THE TEACHING OF CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS Gordon Park, an English and drama teacher at Smithville Christian High School, takes home a $5,000 prize. Known for instilling creativity in his students, Gordon runs the school's theatre program, which produced Woody Allen's play "Don't Drink the Water" last month."I'm thrilled with the caliber of teachers we've seen win the Rozema Awards this year," said Dr. Beth Green. "Clearly their passion for teaching drives them to bring learning to life for their students, creating memories and lessons that will last a lifetime." Michael Van Pelt notes that the Rozema Awards have added a new category this year. "This is the first time we've included an award for a teacher involved in the arts," said Van Pelt. "That's an important step forward because it's an area where the seeds of culture are planted, the results of which we'll see in the lives of their students." The John Rozema Teaching Excellence Awards recognise excellence as an ongoing investment into the life of a Christian school community and a positive public contribution to the common good. The awards are named for and sponsored by Sarnia business leader John Rozema, esteemed for his commitment to both local and global issues, and for his support of institutions such as Sarnia Christian School. The Awards are presented in partnership with the Christian School Foundation.www.cardus.ca/excellence-30-MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus - Director of Communications 613.899.5174 dproussalidis@cardus.ca

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOTTAWA – For the first time in Canada, cities, towns, and villages are able to estimate how much of a social contribution – or “HALO Effect” – their religious congregations have. What’s the HALO Effect? Put simply, it’s the dollar value of everything that congregations do for their neighbourhoods, including providing space for community events, childcare, suicide and crime prevention, and housing, among a long list of other things. City councillors, researchers, and residents can simply go online to use the HALO Calculator to find out what the HALO Effect is for their community. Looking at just 15 urban centres in Canada, their total HALO Effect is worth almost $20 billion dollars!St. John’s, NFLD: $96.4 million Winnipeg, MB: $1.5 billionSaint John, NB: $151.4 million Regina, SK: $387.4 millionHalifax, NS: $334.5 million Saskatoon, SK: $489.2 millionMontreal, QC: $2.1 billion Edmonton, AB: $2 billionOttawa, ON: $1 billion Calgary, AB: $2.2 billionToronto, ON: $6.7 billion Vancouver, BC: $1.6 billionLondon, ON: $811 million Victoria, BC: $304.3 millionWindsor, ON: $270 million TOTAL: $19.9 billion“Imagine what it would cost for cities to replace the value of what churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and other places of worship are providing,” said Milton Friesen, Social Cities Program Director at Cardus. “They could never afford it.” Canadian pioneering work on this began in late 2015 with the HALO Project in Toronto, which examined 10 religious congregations. What researchers found was that every dollar those congregations spent produced a conservatively estimated $4.77 in value to the community. The new HALO Calculator taps into Canada Revenue Agency financial data (vetted by McMaster University’s Public Economics Data Analysis Lab) for every registered charitable congregation or place of worship in about 5,000 different communities across Canada. With that information, and the multiplier effect established through the HALO Project, the HALO Calculator is able to estimate the total HALO Effect in thousands of communities nation-wide. “This is ground-breaking work about just how socially and economically productive places of worship are in Canada,” said Friesen. “My hope is that the HALO Calculator will spark discussion, exploration, and further research, which will in turn prompt even greater awareness of the value of religious congregations in their communities.” -30- MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus - Director of Communications 613-241-4500 x508 dproussalidis@cardus.ca

INTERNAL DOCUMENTS DETAIL TORONTO’S DAYCARE SURPLUS Freedom of information request uncovers 89% increase in city’s institutional daycare vacancy rate. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 26, 2017 OTTAWA – Internal City of Toronto documents accessed through a Freedom of Information request indicate that the city has a growing daycare surplus. In fact, between 2009 and 2017, average daycare vacancies jumped 89%. Even if we remove the first three months of 2017 from consideration, there is still a 45% increase in the average number of vacant spaces between 2009 and 2016. This means that right now in Toronto, the average vacancy rate of daycare spaces is in excess of 4,600. The City of Toronto recently put forward a plan to create 30,000 more institutional daycare spaces over the next decade. The funding requirements for the new vision could run as high as $2.6 billion, 80 per cent of which city officials expect provincial and the federal taxpayers to cover. To help develop better policy on this issue, Cardus has released a new report outlining Toronto’s institutional daycare surplus and various options to help meet families’ real needs for childcare. Two policy options can most quickly offer help to those with the greatest need:Offer daycare subsidies directly to families in need to help them use already available spaces. Subsidize various forms of care – not just institutional spaces – allowing families to choose the most appropriate type of care for their own needs.“It is clear that the City of Toronto has been unable to meet parents’ needs with its current approach, so expanding a broken system won’t help,” says Mrozek. “There is room to try some different solutions.” -30-MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus – Director of Communications 613.241.4500 x.508 dproussalidis@cardus.ca

NEW POLL CONFIRMS FAITH’S ROLE IN BUILDING UP CANADA People with the strongest religious faith are generally happier, more generous, and more engaged in their communities FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 13, 2017 OTTAWA—Almost 150 years following Confederation, faith continues to play a significant and positive role in Canada’s civic life. Faith was a central part of the Canadian project in 1867, be it through recognition of religious freedom for Quebec’s Roman Catholics, the principles enshrined in Common Law, or by borrowing from the Book of Psalms for Canada’s official motto “From Sea to Sea.” Today, new polling by the Angus Reid Institute conducted in partnership with Faith in Canada 150 finds that 21 per cent of Canadians are religiously committed – mostly certain of what they believe and most likely to attend religious services, pray to God, and read the Bible or other sacred text regularly. Another 60% of Canadians are either privately faithful or spiritually uncertain, meaning they’re neither strong believers, nor rejecters of faith. “Just more than 80% of Canadians report that faith and spirituality play a role in their lives,” says Cardus Executive Vice-President Ray Pennings. “While government is quite properly secular in Canada, society is not.” Asked what’s most important in life, Canadians who are religiously committed were most likely to prioritize family life, honesty and concern for others. Conversely, concern for others was a lower priority for the 19% of Canadians who identify as non-believers – rejecting religious faith. Instead, they were more likely to select a comfortable life, self-reliance and good times with friends as important. “Clearly religious faith impels Canadians to be focused outward and to prioritize others before self,” says Pennings. “If increasing numbers of Canadians embrace secularism, an important part of our national character could be lost.” When it comes to community engagement and charitable giving, it’s the religiously committed who report the strongest involvement. Slightly more than half of non-believers say they are uninvolved in community groups or activities. That percentage drops to 17 per cent of the religiously committed. In fact, 41 per cent of the religiously committed have at least some involvement in their community, with another 42 per cent reporting heavy involvement. Almost a third of the religiously committed say they regularly volunteer compared with 13 per cent of non-believers. Meanwhile, only 12 per cent of non-believers say they try to donate to whatever charities they can. That jumps to 43 per cent among the religiously committed. The religiously committed are also the happiest amongst us. Fully 47 per cent of them say they’re very happy or extremely happy overall, compared with 35 per cent of non-believers. They also report the highest levels of happiness among friends and in their communities. It makes sense, then, that the religiously committed are also more likely to be “very optimistic” about the future. Despite these findings, the same polling indicates a significant disconnect between the perception and reality of faith’s role in today’s Canada. The word “religion” is more likely to be seen negatively than positively, according to this new poll. Moreover, just over half of Canadians say they disagree with the claim that religion’s overall impact on the world is positive. And about half of Canadians polled say they’re uncomfortable around those who are religiously devout. Throw in terms like born-again, theology and evangelism, and just 15 per cent of respondents associate those words with a positive meaning. “Arguably, the story of faith in Canada is not being well told,” says Pennings. “The narrative around faith is often negative. Religion is frequently presented as something that divides rather than unites people within communities.” That is part of the reason why Faith in Canada 150 exists, to showcase the role of faith in making Canada the country that it is. If this is a country of compassion, freedom, and fairness, a large measure of the credit goes to those people of faith who embrace those values. And insofar as non-believers embrace such values, perhaps unknowingly, they embrace a legacy of faith in Canada. That legacy is a story worth telling. For full poll results and methodology, please, click here.-30- About Faith in Canada 150 Faith in Canada 150 is a program of Cardus that exists to celebrate the role of faith in our life together during Canada’s anniversary celebrations in 2017. For more than 450 years, faith has shaped the human landscape of Canada. It has shaped how we live our lives, how we see our neighbours, how we fulfill our social responsibilities, and how we imagine our life together. To learn more, visit: faithincanada150.ca/about MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus - Director of Communications 613.899.5174 dproussalidis@cardus.ca

NEW POLL: CANADIANS TOLERANT OF RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION Cardus comments on aspects of new Angus Reid Institute poll to be released at Ottawa multi-faith event. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 4, 2017 OTTAWA—As Canada prepares to celebrate 150 years since Confederation, a new poll finds Canadians largely accept the country’s religious diversity. The Angus Reid Institute (ARI) will present its new poll at noon today at a multi-faith luncheon at the Ottawa offices of public policy think tank Cardus. Among its key findings, the poll of more than 1,500 people suggests that Canadians express a high tolerance for religious symbols or clothing being worn in public, including turbans, hijabs, and crucifixes:At the same time, Canadians have mixed opinions of the various religions followed in Canada:Canadians also take a nuanced view on whether it would be acceptable to them if one of their children married someone from a different faith:Dr. Andrew Bennett, Chair of the Cabinet of Canadians and Canada’s former Ambassador for Religious Freedom, says the findings are understandable. “Even when Canadians don’t have the highest opinion of any particular religion – perhaps because they disagree with its tenets – we see that tolerance for religious expression through clothing or symbols is quite high in most cases,” said Bennett. “That’s a good thing. We don’t all need to agree on everything. But as we approach Canada’s 150th anniversary, it’s important to live peacefully with each other amid our differences.” Bennett adds that the poll is a further indication that Canada is not a secular society. “We live in a secular state, thankfully, but our society is religious and Canadians have little problem with letting people of faith be themselves in public,” he said. “Faith matters in Canada. It always has.” The poll results will be presented at the Spirited Citizenship Luncheon in Ottawa – part of a series of Faith in Canada 150 (FC150) multi-faith events taking place across Canada. The luncheons provide a space where Canadians can gather in true friendship while acknowledging and accepting deep differences in religious outlook. FC150 aims to bring together Canada’s various religious communities for a common celebration of faith in public life while marking the 150th anniversary of Confederation. 2017 Poll Methodology The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from February 16 – 22, 2017, among a representative randomized sample of 1,515 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI. Full poll results are available here.-30- About Faith in Canada 150 Faith in Canada 150 is a program of Cardus that exists to celebrate the role of faith in our life together during Canada’s anniversary celebrations in 2017. For more than 450 years, faith has shaped the human landscape of Canada. It has shaped how we live our lives, how we see our neighbours, how we fulfill our social responsibilities, and how we imagine our life together. To learn more, visit: faithincanada150.ca/about MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus - Director of Communications 613.899.5174 dproussalidis@cardus.ca

BUDGET 2017 AND “CHILD CARE” FUNDING $7 billion allotted to daycare spaces is not about the care of Canada’s children or helping parents. March 22, 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OTTAWA – Today’s federal budget earmarks $7 billion for daycare spaces in the government’s 10-year social infrastructure fund. Of that total, “a portion” is expressly for Indigenous daycare. The government is allocating $7 billion to child care over the next ten years starting in 2018-19. Next steps include the creation of a framework. But does that match what parents themselves have said they want or need? “When subsidies go to child care spaces or centres, rather than directly to parents, these act as a form of soft coercion,” said Andrea Mrozek, program director for Cardus Family. “Rather than expanding options that increase the good for particular families, the government paints families into a corner by favouring one particular option.” After the 2015 federal election, the Liberals followed through on their election promise of money for parents when they created the Canada Child Benefit, a $22 billion dollar commitment to Canadian families below particular income thresholds. So why $7 billion for a child care framework the Liberals did not campaign on and Canadians did not ask for? A report published by the Advisory Council on Economic Growth on February 6, 2017, explains. It identifies four target demographic groups for increased labour force participation. Two of the four target demographics are Indigenous Peoples and mothers of young children. Today’s budget reflects the priority of increasing labour force participation in these demographics in order to increase the GDP. As stated in Budget 2017, the government’s aim is “greater career flexibility for parents of young children.” In short, this “child care measure” is about getting parents of young children—the time when children need their parents most—into the paid labour force. So what have parents said they want? When surveyed, seven in ten Canadian parents of children under six say having one parent at home to care for their child is the best option when contrasted with a competent caregiver. As for child care funding preferences, even in Quebec, where the beleaguered provincially-funded daycare system remains in place, 65% of Quebeckers believe child care funding should go directly to parents. Across Canada, an average of six in ten Canadians believe child care funding should go directly to parents. This funding puts parents, who have their children’s best interests at heart, in the driver’s seat. And what does the social research tell us is best for children? The Canadian desire to choose a parent or family member over institutional daycare for children under age six reflects best practices for children. Dr. Gordon Neufeld, pre-eminent Vancouver-based developmental psychologist, says this about the first six years of life for children: “By the fifth year of life, if everything is continuous and safe, then emotional intimacy begins…The first issue is always to establish strong, deep emotional connections with those who are raising you. And that should be our emphasis in society. If we did this, we would send our children to school late, not early.” The $7 billion announced today is money Canadian parents, who choose not to use institutional daycare, will never see. This attempt to coax the mothers of young children into the labour force also helps us to understand why one in two Canadian women feel that motherhood is not valued enough. “Many Canadian parents of young children deliberately make tough choices so as to ensure that a parent can be home with young children,” said Mrozek. “This child care funding is an attempt to increase labour force participation. Canadian parents need to be aware of that.” -30-MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus – Director of Communications 613.241.4500 x.508 dproussalidis@cardus.ca

Radio host Tasha Kheiriddin will moderate March 8th women’s panel in Ottawa to celebrate women and discuss poll findings. March 7, 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OTTAWA – The idea of having the same number of men and women sitting in the federal cabinet or Parliament isn’t an automatic winner with Canadian women, according to a new poll for public policy think tank Cardus. A plurality of women (45%) said having that form of simple gender parity in politics did not matter to them, while 40% of women said it did. That compares with almost seven in 10 men who said it didn’t matter and only 23% who said it did. Overall, 57% of Canadians tell Angus Reid Forum that having the same number of men and women sitting in the federal cabinet or Parliament did not matter to them. Andrea Mrozek, program director for Cardus Family, says she sees a need for new thinking on women’s equality. “I think this is one indicator that many people – including many women – feel simple numerical equality in Parliament or federal cabinet isn’t a magic bullet,” said Mrozek. Dr. Beth Green, program director for Cardus Education, says the poll’s findings are thought provoking. “I’m keen to hear from our panel on Wednesday about what they think about gender parity, and how it fits in with broader efforts to value and honour women’s contributions to public life,” said Dr. Green. Dr. Green and Andrea Mrozek will co-host an International Women’s Day event taking place at the Ottawa offices of Cardus on the evening of March 8, 2017. Tasha Kheiriddin, a Toronto radio host named one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2016 by the Women’s Executive Network, will serve as moderator for a panel of four women from diverse backgrounds who will discuss the poll’s findings and other issues regarding women’s flourishing in Canada. The poll asked several additional questions, finding that that Canadians don’t fit easily into clear ideological categories on women’s issues: Feminist Diversity Canadians told the pollster that feminism needed to be open to a diversity of views – even on controversial issues. When asked whether one could “be a feminist and pro-life” 57% of women said yes. That contrasts with 47% of men who agreed. “Clearly there is no cardboard cut-out position on women’s issues,” said Mrozek. “International Women’s Day is the perfect time to underline that Canadian women, in particular, believe mainstream feminism is a big enough tent to include those who are pro-life.” Women’s Advancement Do Canadians believe women are held back because they are women? 44% of Canadians answered that question with a yes. On this question, however, there was a clearer divide between the sexes with 57% of women agreeing that women are held back, while only 31% of men said the same. Motherhood Men and women are also divided on the question of whether mothers and motherhood are valued highly enough in Canada today. When asked, 52% of women said motherhood was not valued highly enough, while only 39% of men said the same. “It’s troubling that a majority of women feel that they are held back because they are women and that motherhood is not valued highly enough in Canada,” said Dr. Green. “I think it’s worth exploring whether valuing motherhood more highly could lead to women feeling less marginalized.” Sisterhood Clear majorities of both men and women agree that there isn’t one person or organization that can credibly claim to represent Canadian women. Sixty percent of Canadian women and 61% of Canadian men said no one person or organization could speak on Canadian women’s behalf. Complete poll results are available for download here. Poll Methodology From February 24th to February 26th 2017 an online survey was conducted among 1,025 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error, which measures sampling variability, is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to education, age, gender and region (and in Quebec, language) Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. -30- MEDIA INQUIRIES Daniel Proussalidis Cardus – Director of Communications 613.241.4500 x.508 dproussalidis@cardus.ca