A University of Windsor professor is applauding a move by Ontario's premier to change the venue of an upcoming town hall appearance.
Premier Kathleen Wynne was scheduled to attend the town hall meeting at the Caboto Club on Thursday, February 15, 2018 which has a men's only policy for board members.
A spokesperson in Wynne's office tells AM800 News that the premier will still come to Windsor, but the search is on for a new location.
"We will not be holding the Premier's Town Hall at this venue. As soon as we learned of the issues with the Caboto Club we began to look for an alternate venue to host the event and will provide that information to you when it is confirmed. Women make up an integral part of our economy and society and, as you know, Premier Wynne is committed to supporting a fair, competitive and prosperous Ontario for everyone. That commitment extends to working with partners who reflect these values of equality and inclusiveness."
Speaking on AM800's the Lynn Martin Show, Kinesiology Professor Dr. Vicky Paraschak says she admires the premier for making the right decision.
"She wants a province where men and women are treated equally and have equal opportunity to all the positions that are available in society and she is making the correct call."
Paraschak says it is up to the Caboto Club to make its own policies.
"Private clubs have the ability to make their own rules and so absolutely, it is their right to hold to their policies that is their right in our society but it is our right to make choices if we are going to support them," she says. "It is her right as a representative of watching over our taxpayer's dollars to make sure we don't spend our money at organizations where they have inequitable policies."
AM800 News has a call out to the Caboto Club.
In a release issued by the Ontario PC, MPP Lisa MacLeod stated, "what kind of message does this send to little girls that the Premier of Ontario is speaking at a club where woman are viewed as second-rate."