Spend time with family and friends. Write a poem. Share the love. Have a glass of wine. See a movie. Get some rest. Take a walk. Listen to music. Hug a friend. Read a book.
Do whatever it is you need to do to relax and have a happy holiday!
Ontario’s new “Climate Policy” is passing the buck to us. As with the previous government, ordinary people are encouraged to renovate our homes and buy more fuel efficient cars. But now, the program subsidies that would help us do these things are gone. Even worse, our tax dollars will go into a fund to reward industries who pollute now.
So. People get no help to do our part. Instead, our tax dollars will go to fuel big businesses.
“We were promised a climate strategy, but were given a litter reduction plan.
If this is the government’s response to the dire warnings from the IPCC about the impending climate catastrophe, then they clearly were not listening.
Instead of showing leadership, the government is weakening Ontario’s previous targets and adopting an unproven carbon trust model that is unlikely to reduce emissions. The new Trudeau/Harper targets mean that we will fail to meet the goals set under Paris Climate Agreement.
More importantly we will not meet our obligations to leave a livable planet for our children and grandchildren.
Asking citizens to pay polluters and setting up burdensome new regulations will only cost more and delay action. These will do little to put Ontario on a pathway to being carbon neutral by 2050. Instead, they signal that Ontario is throwing in the towel.
And asking Ontarians to reduce litter in the face a climate crisis is like the US President asking Californians to rake leaves to prevent forest fires.
We should expect better. We must demand a real plan.
Pollution pricing is basic economics. But this government continues to ignore the consensus from scientists, experts and even conservative economists who agree on it. The Premier could embrace the $26 trillion clean economy and put money directly in people’s pockets by adopting the Green Party’s carbon fee and dividend solution.
At the end of the day, we will all pay the price for this irresponsible plan. But in the face of evidence and real solutions, this government has chosen to be on the wrong side of history.”
Although I have issues with the colonial origins of our “Thanksgiving” tradition, the idea of expressing public thanks for that for which we are truly thankful is a good one. It is especially easy to forget such things when so many negative things are ongoing, but to be able to continue to work for a sustainable workable future, it is important not to allow despair to prevail. We can draw strength from reminding ourselves that there is still plenty of good in the world, and by harnessing that good, we can build the future we need for our children, and generations to follow.
In 2018 Canada, I am thankful so many of us have come to understand the necessity of adopting a proportional representation voting system, in spite of Mr. Trudeaus’s attempt to shut the idea of a truly representative democracy back in the closet, as his predecessors have done throughout Canadian history.
So I am very thankful that, instead of allowing this to happen:
the Provinces of BC and PEI are holding electoral reform referenda
the Yukon Territory has undertaken a study of electoral reform
a new government has been elected in Quebec after all opposition parties made a public pact to enact Proportional Representation no matter which formed new government
Ontario struggles under an FPTP extremist government which strips its most populous city in the country of almost half its (already) inadequate municipal representation
New Brunswick again suffers an electoral outcome like that which triggered its previous electoral reform process
Alberta looks down the barrel at the prospect of right wing populism in its already toxic atmosphere of polarization
Canadian provinces are pitted against each other by the federal government
PEI political polling suggests the PEI Greens may form the first Green led government in Canada
As an Ontarian, I don’t care who’s first but we can’t afford not to change. Defenders Of The Status Quo fight so hard because once any jurisdiction in Canada adopts Proportional Representation and the sky doesn’t fall, the rest of us will be able to see with our own eyes that the myths they’ve frightened generations of Canadians with have always been pure misinformation. Once that happens, the rest of the country will fall into Proportional Representation like dominoes. We are surely at a Proportional Representation tipping point.
Even in the unlikely event PR is staved off a little longer, at least Canadians are beginning to understand that even with our existing grotesquely inequitable voting system, we need to stop being bullied into voting ‘strategically’ for lesser evils but instead vote for what we want.
I am thankful that all five Waterloo Region Greens ranked in the top 20% of Ontario Green Party candidates in the 2018 provincial election.
I am thankful that, in spite of staggering odds against, and in the face of the Broadcast Consortium’s exclusion from the Ontario Leadership debates, Mike Schreiner made history this year by winning election as our first Ontario Greens Member of Provincial Parliament.
Bravo Mike!
WRGreens are thankful for our estimable federal and provincial representatives: Mike Schreiner and Elizabeth May.
And so I would like to wish us all a Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at WRgreens!
This year we’re looking forward to having our very first Waterloo Region Greens information booth at KULTRÚN.
The local World Music festival created by Neruda Arts began in Waterloo Square but quickly outgrew the space so they moved to Victoria Park. Kultrún always has a stunning mix of great music from around the world. (That’s where I became a fan of the Jerry Cans last year). Victoria Park has room for two full size stages, one by the Clocktower and the other down by the water. This lets them squeeze in even more music, with stage crews setting up one stage while the music flows on the other. It also keeps the audience moving back and forth, handy for an event dubbed “KW’s largest outdoor dance party.”
Pictured on my mini poster are Eliana Cuevas from the 2014 Jazz Festival and Alysha Brilla performing at this year’s Multicultural Festival. If you haven’t yet been, here’s a taste of what’s in store for you this year:
Cannabis should never have been made illegal, but since it was, the Green Party supports good public policy to rectify the mistakes of the past.
GPO Leader Mike Schreiner talks about Cannabis in Kitchener
The Green Party is pleased that Canadians will soon be able to access marijuana openly and safely — free from the threat of being criminally charged.
However, many thousands of Canadians who previously smoked or possessed cannabis, but were caught by police, will remain criminals in the eyes of the law. A disproportionate number of racialized Canadians have been charged, and all those convicted face serious obstacles applying for jobs and travelling abroad.
Join us in demanding the Liberal government provide amnesty for all Canadians convicted solely on charges of marijuana possession.
Come out to Victoria Park in Kitchener next weekend and soak up a wide assortment of traditional music and dance,
Afro-Tribal Dancers * Arta- The Romanian Association * COCCC Lion Dance Group * Ensemble Topaz * Filcan Association Of KW * Freedubstar * Gerima Harvey * Grand River Chinese School * Hopa-Tropa, E-Ha-Ha! * Infinite Harmonix * Intensely Irish * Junior Folk Dance Team Of KW Chinese School * Kitchener Musical Band Society * Kw Royal Scottish Country Dance Society * Limelight Dance Crew * Maria Wu Music Education Centre * Martisor * Najda Now Dabke Group * Nepalese Canadian Association Of Waterloo Region * Notbadniks * Rozmaj Ukrainian Dancing * Ruben And Friends * Sakhi Group * Shreya Prasad And Fizaa Luthra * Sombrero Azul, Danzas Y Culturas * Sri Abiramy Dance Academy * Starlite Steelband * Strathyre Highland Dancers * The Imbayakunas * University Of Waterloo Indian Cultural Association (UWICA) * VJ Inamdar * Zespol Goralskie Harnasie
check out the artisans and awesome vendors
7 Rutas * African Craft & Jewelry * Anmol Fashion Inc * Asiri’s Treasures * Beads Plu$ Accessories (Gift Heaven) * Blue Dream- Tie Dye Girl * El Tambache * Fashionable Jewels * Feng’s Creations * Goodview Fashion * Haven Furnishings Ltd. * Henna By Mehdiya * Henna4You * J&T Shades * Jawara Import * Kamila’s Amber * K-W Flags * Los Mayas * Mama Mombasa * Maya Collection * Origins * Portrait For You * Sumak Arts * Tibetan Arts * Treasure Of Tibet
wander through information booths that run the gamut from the arts through philosophy, spirituality, self help, community service, politics and social justice
artist george abraham * City of Kitchener – 2018 Artist in Residence: Sumaira Tazeen * Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region * Waterloo Central Railway * Amnesty International Group 9 * Assaulted Women’s Helpline * Bring on the Sunshine * Buddhist Light Internation Association – Waterloo Subchapter * Casa Relief International * Dianetics Foundation *Cameron Cultural Association of Kitchener-Waterloo(CCAKW) * Canadian Blood Services * Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington * Carizon Family and Community Services * VRTUCAR * Community Support Connections – Meals on Wheels and More * Conestoga College LINC * Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region * FairVoteCanada -Waterloo Region * Interfaith Grand River * Kitchener Public Library * Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery * KW Chapter, Council of Canadians * KW Counselling Services * LINK Picnic Festival * Living Wage Waterloo Region * Lotus Meditation * Save on Energy (IESO) * Shatitsirotha Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre * Society of Ontario Freethinkers * Solidarity Alliance * SPECTRUM – Waterloo Region’s Rainbow Community Space * The AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Area ( ACCKWA) * The Spinal Garage Wellness Centre * Waterloo Public Library * YMCA * Kitchener Centre Conservative E.D.A. * Kitchener Centre Federal Liberal Association * Waterloo Region Green Party * BFM Foundation * Calvary en Espanol * Scientology Volunteer Minister * Christian Arabic Church of Kitchener * Evangel Community Ministries/ Bibles Blessings and Prayer * Falun Dafa Association of Waterloo Region * Gayatri Pariwar Western Ontario * Infinite Light Amitabha Organization of Canada * Islamic Information Center of University of Waterloo (IICUW) * St. Mary Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church
and of course don’t forget to sample glorious food from around the world at the annual Multicultural Festival.
The Saturday Night concert features three time Juno nominated Canadian musician with Indo-Tanzanian and European roots. ALYSHA BRILLA & THE BRILLTONES
SATURDAY JUNE 23, 7PM
Sunday afternoon check out the folkie-country JESSIE T
At the end of the day, it’s hard to get the big picture. So for my own interest, I decided to check out Elections Ontario (unofficial results) to get an idea how our Green Candidates did overall. Although I did this for my own interest, Bob pointed out this might be of interest to others, so here it is.
(note: the above all candidates image is actually in three pieces, part 1 is the first 6 rows, part 2 the next 5 rows, and part 3 the last 5 rows. Click on the section you want to see the segment at full size.)
All five of our Waterloo Region Greens candidates did very well overall.
Kitchener South—Hespeler candidate David Weber‘s 7.53 riding vote percentage was the 6th highest in Ontario (up from 7th in 2014). Kitchener Centre‘s candidate Stacey Danckert ranked 9th with 6.84%, Kitchener—Conestoga candidate Bob Jonkman ranked 11th with 6.51%, Cambridge candidate Michele Braniff ranked 14th with 6.27%, and first time candidate Zdravko Gunjevic ranked 24th with 4.83% in Waterloo.
And while I know from personal experience how lucky Waterloo Region has been to have such an excellent roster of WRGreens candidates, I have met enough other Green Party Candidates to know this isn’t really unusual. Frankly, I am continually stunned by the calibre of Green Party Candidates in general. Although the Green Party has far and away the best policy of any of the top four parties, putting your hat in the ring requires a great deal of time, money and effort for any candidate. It’s a big personal investment no matter which party a candidate is running for, and Greens are faced with additional handicaps:
an electoral system that discriminates egregiously against the Greens,
unrelenting propaganda that insists majority government is a good thing,
the exclusion of the Green Party Leader in televised Leaders Debates
the MSM agenda to keep us perpetually cycling between red and blue parties,
the never ending push for strategic voting,
the catch 22 perception that no seats in the legislature means Greens are unelectable, and
the low probability of winning, even when you are the best candidate in your riding.
Green Candidates are well aware of how little chance they have of being elected, but in spite of everything, excellent Green Party Candidates keep stepping up.
Working together is the WRGreens superpower.
Stacey Danckert brought us all together under the unofficial WRGreens umbrella during the 2015 federal election, and our regional cooperation is paying off. Cooperating, sharing our experience and resources has been incredibly helpful for us here in Waterloo Region.
And not just during elections. We’ve been actively working to raise the Green profile between elections, by hosting information tables at local summer festivals where we can, hosting our own events and participating in others as appropriate, and building our online presence on the WRGreens blog. We’re always learning, and we’ll do it even better next time. Especially now that Mike Schreiner has won that so important first seat.
Strategic Voting is a only a good strategy for the candidate who gets the vote we would rather cast elsewhere.
I know how hard it can be to stay positive, and to keep focus on the campaign. But after media suppression, I think our worst threat is falling prey to propaganda.
The strategic voting narrative continues to be powerful, and it is always the worst when it strikes from within.
In many ways I think this is especially difficult for Greens, because Greens are the unparty party, the party that applauds other parties when they appropriate our ideas, even when implemented badly, because it’s a start.
The stakes are so high that sometimes a candidate falls victim to strategic voting propaganda, and suggests their supporters vote instead for a competitor who might win against a greater evil. This really isn’t surprising in a party that understands the importance of working together for the common good. Green Candidates aren’t professional politicians, they’re people from all walks of life who get involved because they understand our future is at stake and change is no longer optional. They’re in this because serious issues that need to be addressed, not for the greater glory of the party.
One of the reasons strategic voting is wrong is that it is always built on the faulty premise that old statistics— whether gleaned from past elections or recent opinion polls— can accurately predict who might win. If this were true, there would be no need for the trouble and expense of elections.
In this campaign, I was particularly unhappy to see a terrible strategic voting meme initiated by Meanwhile In Canada. The post in question actually told voters to vote NDP except in 5 cases, where it said voters should vote Green because Green candidates could win in those 5 ridings. Some Green folk helped spread this meme thinking it might help change the perception that Green candidates couldn’t win.
I don’t know what exactly that prediction was based on, but two of the candidates who went on to rank in the top 5 percentages in their ridings were excluded from the 5 supposedly winnable ridings. We will never know how many more votes those candidates (or all the Green candidates MiC strategically dismissed) might have won if that social media maven hadn’t been telling voters to vote against Greens in the last week of the campaign.
Although there are no scientific studies of which I am aware, I think Strategic Voting is the most powerful vote suppression tool going. When people are convinced their vote won’t have any effect, or worse, that it will help elect the boogeyman provided by our FPTP system, many feel the only responsible choice is not voting.
We only get one vote. That’s not a vote for a party. It’s not a vote for a party leader. It’s a vote for our local representative. I have to wonder how much better Greens would do in elections if they didn’t have to spend half the election explaining what’s wrong with Strategic Voting.
Since I’m sharing rankings, here are the GPO Top 5:
Green Party of Ontario Leader, and Guelph MPP candidate Mike Schreiner‘s 45.04% riding vote percentage was the highest in Ontario. This resulted in the first seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario won by an Ontario Green Party Candidate. Parry Sound—Muskoka‘s candidate Matt Richter ranks 2nd with 20.02%. Laura Campbell ‘s 12.53% of the vote won in Dufferin—Caledon placed her in 3rd position; Barrie—Springwater—Oro—Medonte candidate Keenan Aylwin’s 11.72% of the vote ranks him 4th, and Dave Rodgers 8.64% in Wellington—Halton Hills makes him the 5th highest ranking Ontario Green candidate by percentage.
The Green Party of Ontario is making history, and these five candidates are leading the way forward. Onward!
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner made history last night in Guelph, winning the first Green Party seat in Ontario
We’re all very excited that Mike Schreiner won last night. Finally a Green has broken through in Ontario.
The Green PartyGrowing a party2015 Waterloo candidate Richard Walsh joined the party.Candidates Bob Jonkman (Kitchener—Conestoga) and Zdravko Gunjevic (Waterloo)
What I have to say here is how proud I am of the hard work and dedication put in by all the WRGreens Candidates and volunteers. Our work certainly paid off in the votes our candidates earned.
First time candidate Zdravko Gunjevic earned a whopping 4.83% of the vote in Waterloo.
Bob Jonkman won 6.51% of the vote in Kitchener—Conestoga.
Candidate David Weber (Kitchener South—Hespeler) and his team
David Weber won 7.35% of the vote in Kitchener South—Hespeler.
Cambridge Candidate Michele Braniff (at the TIE debate) and Kitchener Centre Candidate Stacey Danckert (at the African-Canadian Debate) were in Guelph to support Mike Schreiner representing the WRGreens.
Michele Braniff won 6.27% of the vote in Cambridge.
Stacey Danckert won 6.84% of the vote in her new riding, Kitchener Centre.
At its peak, I couldn’t get all the Green Partiers in a single photograph!
Well done WRGreens!
But this is just the beginning of our story. Onward!
Our ad in Saturday’s Local Section of The Record (June 2, 2018)
In spite of a groundswell of public opinion, spurred by the non-partisan fairdebates.ca petition, the TV broadcasting Consortium refused to allow Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner into the televised Ontario Leader Debates.
Both Liberal Leader Premier Kathleen Wynne and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath expressed public support for Mike’s inclusion. The double barrelled argument was that not only does the Green Party of Ontario field candidates in every riding across the province, the GPO exceeded the 2% Elections Ontario threshold (earning nearly 5% of the vote).
Alas, the unaccountable Broadcast Consortium refused to bow to public opinion and excluded him anyway.
Locally CBCKW rigorously supported the Consortium’s GPO censorship by refusing to allow local Green candidates to be included in its riding specific local broadcast, unless one of the “big 3” candidates declined to attend. Stacey was invited to the Kitchener Centre broadcast, but was explicitly informed she had only been included because they only had 3 microphones, and PC candidate MaryHenein Thorn declined. Zdravko was excluded on Tuesday, Bob on Wednesday. Mr Norris neglected to inform his listeners he was excluding our candidates, so at the CNIB’s ReVision All Candidate’s Meeting, someone asked why Bob decided not to appear on CBC. It’s bad enough excluding us, but making it look as though some of our candidates chose not to show up is much worse.
But we have received some coverage. The Toronto Star Editorial Board endorsed Mike Schreiner for Guelph MPP. and hosted a video Q&A with the Green Party Leader.
The Agenda has given the GPO some excellent coverage as well, inviting our shadow cabinet members to participate, as well as analyzing the GPO Platform.
The biggest problem faced by Greens isn’t coming up with great policy, it’s getting it out there so people know about it. That is why this is such an important issue.
In spite of everything, I am convinced Ontario is going to join the Green Wave and send Mike Schreiner along with a healthy complement of Green MPPs to Queen’s Park. Like an opinion poll, that’s just a guess, but what I’m seeing and hearing suggests this will come to pass. Even in our Kitchener-Conestoga riding, a traditional Conservative stronghold, the turmoil within the PC Party could very well provide an opportunity in what should have been a safe seat. With the added bonus of the Liberal leader’s concession, our chances are even better.
What we do know for sure is that the addition of even a single Green voice in the legislature will be a game changer. And that can only be a good thing; not just for Greens, but for Ontarians. More and more people are starting to realize there is another choice. It really is time to start doing politics differently. If you haven’t yet voted, tomorrow ~ June 7th, 2018 ~ is the day.
As GPO candidate Andrew West says,
“If everyone…who ever thought about voting Green DID vote Green. we would win!”
~ @greenAndrewWest
If you need help getting to the polls, give us a call at 226-476-4529 and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
the Provinces of BC and PEI are holding electoral reform referenda
I am thankful that all five Waterloo Region Greens ranked in the top 20% of Ontario Green Party candidates in the 2018 provincial election.
(note: the above all candidates image is actually in three pieces, part 1 is the first 6 rows, part 2 the next 5 rows, and part 3 the last 5 rows. Click on the section you want to see the segment at full size.)
Both Liberal Leader Premier Kathleen Wynne and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath expressed public support for Mike’s inclusion. The double barrelled argument was that not only does the Green Party of Ontario field candidates in every riding across the province, the GPO exceeded the 2% Elections Ontario threshold (earning nearly 5% of the vote).