Ontario – Russwurm Family Blogs

1 January 2019

Bill 66 Community Group Meeting

This is not a WR Greens event, but may be of interest to environmentally conscientious members.

From Kevin Thomason of GREN:

Happy New Year!

While the holidays have been a wonderful break from Bill 66, we don’t have much time to send a strong, clear message to Premier Ford about our concerns this Bill could have on our community, farmland, green space, and natural resources.

I’d like to remind you of the upcoming meeting this Thursday at the same room at CIGI as our initial community meeting. Details are as follows:

Date: Thursday, January 3, 2019
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Room A142, CIGI – Centre for International Governance and Innovation – 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo Map
Access: Through main West doors (facing Erb St) near Caroline St. Intersection

A tentative agenda for the meeting is as follows:

update/status of groups working to book Council delegation appearances at municipal and regional councils
update/status of groups working to book MPP meetings in local ridings
time for groups to meet in breakout sessions and figure out next steps/activities
planning/discussion of January 12th Bill 66 training event/protest in Ajax
planning/preparations for January 15th event at Kitchener City Hall with ECO Dianne Saxe and other speakers
other business

We had a tremendous turnout at our initial meeting and It will be important to have at least one delegate from each community group at this next meeting to help ensure a strong, co-ordinated response to Bill 66.

Please share any questions or ideas and I hope to see you on Thursday evening.

Cheers,
Kevin.

P.S. There is a draft Citizens Toolkit for Bill 66 that is coming together as groups across the province aggregate their materials and efforts. It is evolving daily and contains some good background and supporting material against Bill 66.

P.P.S Also attached below are some initial social media images and video that are under development provincially:

Stop Bill 66 | They say it's red tape. | To us, it's our drinking water

Stop Bill 66 | They say it's red tape. | To us, it's home.

Stop Bill 66 | They say it's red tape. | To us, it's precious farmland.

Bill 66 Social Media Video:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQS01jTaPdY?feature=oembed&w=840&h=473]
YouTube: Save The Greenbelt – Stop Bill 66

————————————-

Kevin Thomason
Vice-Chair, Grand River Environmental Network

Phone: +1–519–888–0519
Mobile Phone/WhatsApp: +1–519–240–1648
Twitter: @kthomason
E-mail: kevinthomason@mac.com

6 June 2018

#ONelxn: There is another Choice

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 Mary Henein 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.

YouTube: Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner talks to the Star and answers your questions

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.

May 23, 2018
Finding a Home in Ontario

YouTube: Finding a Home in Ontario

May 25
Analyzing The Green Party Platform

YouTube: Analysing the Green Party Platform

May 25
The Green Party Leader

YouTube: Ontario Election 2018: The Green Party Leader

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.

25 April 2018

Earth Day was a Blast!

[republished from the KitCon blog]

David Weber (Kitchener South—Hespeler), Stacey Danckert (Kitchener-Centre) and Bob Jonkman (Kitchener—Conestoga)

This year three of our WRGreens Candidates joined GPO leader Mike Schreiner in Guelph for a spectacular Earth Day Celebration.

Joni NehRita performed on acoustic guitar

Joni NehRita opened the Earth Day Event with some of her sustainable music.

2018 Juno Award Nominated singer/songwriter Alysha Brilla

Kevin Sutton’s spoken word performance.

Mike Schreiner

David Suzuki

Listening to David Suzuki

Elizabeth May

Bob Jonkman, David Weber and Mike Schreiner

As the event drew to a close we had more music, this time from singer-songwriters Sara Harmer

…culminating in a good old fashioned sing-along.

[More photographs available on Flickr]

25 April 2018

Developmental Services Sector: Election 2018 Panel Discussion

This discussion is centred around the issues facing people with developmental disabilities and their families in Waterloo Region. It will provide an opportunity for members and organizations involved in the developmental services sector to hear learn about the policies offered by local politicians and their parties over the next four years.

Care has been taken to ensure this is not a debate. The panel of participants represent the four major parties in the 5 Waterloo Region constituencies with no candidate running against each other in the upcoming election.

CATHERINE FIFE, MPP Candidate
Ontario New Democratic Party ~ Waterloo
KATHRYN MCGARRY, MPP Candidate
Ontario Liberal Party ~ Cambridge
DAIENE VERNILE, MPP Candidate
Ontario Liberal Party ~ Kitchener Centre
BOB JONKMAN, Candidate
Green Party of Ontario ~ Kitchener—Conestoga
AMY FEE, Candidate
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario ~ Kitchener South—Hespeler

The audience will be individuals with an interest in the Developmental Sector, primarily family, self-advocates and persons supported by the Sector and people volunteering or working in the Sector or related Sectors. The purpose of the evening is for candidates to outline their Parties Platform related to the Developmental Sector and to speak to the issues related to the Sector.

This event is being jointly hosted by:

If possible, the organizers would appreciate an RSVP indicating the number of people who will attend:
by email info@wrfn.info, or
by phone 519-886-9150;ext=1

Thu, 26 April 2018, 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Holiday Inn Kitchener Waterloo
30 Fairway Rd S, Kitchener
ON N2A 2N2, Canada (map)

Come out to support Bob Jonkman, Kitchener–Conestoga’s 2018 GPO candidate in this pre-election Panel Discussion.

13 March 2018

Waterloo Region Greens support #DoneWaiting campaign

The Green Party is committed to being honest about the problems we face and always acting with integrity. We work across party lines and with advocacy groups to achieve common goals.

Screen Shot 2018-03-13 at 09.03.23 — Screenshot of the #DoneWaiting campaign’s website, donewaiting.ca

In this spirit, Waterloo Region Greens fully supports the goals of the #DoneWaiting campaign. We commend the Canadian Labour Congress for pushing for an end to wage discrimination, sexual harassment and violence, and the chronic underfunding of child care.

Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner has called for a reform of our justice system to better serve survivors of sexual violence.

“Our party is committed to amplifying the voices of women and pressing for progress on these critical issues in the upcoming provincial election,” said Schreiner.

The Ontario Green Party has committed to running a full and gender-balanced slate of candidates in the 2018 election.

Greens are also calling for additional funding for reproductive health and women’s shelters.

Our plan for a provincial child care strategy in Ontario builds on the 2015 federal Green platform for high-quality affordable child care for all Canadians.

Greens understand that we need strong legislation to shrink the inexcusable wage gap, and to deliver a living wage for all workers. At the same time, we will help small businesses shoulder these costs by doubling the Employer Health Tax exemption limit.

Greens support a basic income guarantee that will provide stability for workers who are moving between jobs or starting a family.

These policies are not only a response to current events; they have been part of our platform in election after election.

Greens have always been committed to doing politics differently, and we’re happy to re-affirm that we’re done waiting, too.

—

Waterloo Region Greens represents the provincial and federal Green Party riding associations for Waterloo, Kitchener Centre, Kitchener South-Hespeler, Kitchener-Conestoga, and Cambridge.

16 October 2017