Open Streets – Russwurm Family Blogs

15 September 2017

Upcoming @WR_Greens Events in September

Hello WR Green Party members, supporters and friends!

There are a number of events coming up in the (very) near future.

Green Party of Canada

What: GPC Policy Meeting
When: Friday, 15 September 2017 from 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Where: Kitchener Downtown Community Centre, 35 Weber St. W, Kitchener Map

The December SGM in Calgary tasked federal council to strike a committee of members from across the country to devise changes to how we develop policy in the party. Friday, September 15, we’re meeting in Kitchener to discuss the work of this group, and hear from you, the members, on how you feel we should proceed. (My apologies for the extremely short notice on this one! –Bob)

What: Open Streets info table
When: Sunday, 17 September 2017 from Noon to 5:00pm
Where: Waterloo Public Square Map

We’ve been inspired by the Brantford-Brant Greens to try out a WRGreens button making set up where kids of all ages can create their own buttons. Come on out and give it a try!

What: IPM poster International Plowing Match
When: Tuesday, 19 September 2017 from 9:00am to 4:00pm
Where: Walton, Ontario Map

Every year the IPM is kicked off by a parade through the IPM grounds, and so the Green Party of Ontario attends and proudly shows its colours! The parade starts at 10:00am, we’re meeting at 9:00am in the parade assembly area. The parade takes about an hour, but there’s lots of other stuff to do!

What: “Beyond Crisis” film
When: Thursday, 21 September from 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Where: Princess Twin Cinema, 46 King Street North, Waterloo Map
Tickets: $15, Eventbrite

“Beyond Crisis” is the sharing of a handcrafted story featuring over fifty voices from across the spectrum of climate engagement, with notable speakers including Dr. James Hansen, Naomi Klein, and many other thought leaders from across southern Ontario, Canada and the U.S. Meet the director Kai Reimer-Watts! (This is not a Green Party event)

What: KWPeace Perspectives on Peace: Peace In Our Community Perspectives on Peace: Peace In Our Community
When: Saturday, 30 September 2017 from 4:30pm to 9:00pm
Where: St. John the Evangelist Church, 23 Water Street, Kitchener Map
Register: KWPeace.ca

Join us for an evening of discussion and networking on the theme of building peace in Kitchener-Waterloo. Program includes a panel discussion, dinner (suggested donation is $10), and a chance to speak with organizers of the various Peace and Social Justice organizations in Waterloo Region. Richard Walsh is on the discussion panel, and WR Greens will have an information table.

The five Waterloo Region provincial Constituents Associations will be having nomination meetings in the next few weeks to select candidates to run in the June 2018 provincial election. Interested in running, or meeting the nominees? Contact your local CA executives, or send a message to executives@wrgreens.ca to get more information.

Finally, we’re planning our (not so) regular WR Greens meeting. Help us choose a date and location at Poll: Fall 2017 Meeting

Remember, you can always see the WR Greens events on our calendar. Hope to see you at these events!

–Bob.

Bob Jonkman mailto:bob.jonkman@greenparty.ca
Green Party member in Kitchener–Conestoga +1-226-476-4529
Web: https://bobjonkman.ca Twitter: @BobJonkmanGPC
Vote for the person who will best represent you in your riding!

Subscribe to the WR Greens Mailing List to get event announcements like these, and participate in discussion.

15 July 2017

Discover the Fun at Open Streets Sunday!

There’s always lots to see and do at Open Streets Uptown Waterloo.

Look For the Waterloo Greens booth at the Open Streets Marketplace in Waterloo Public Square!

Drop by the WRGreens Booth chat about green issues, find out more about the local green goings on, or just to say “hi.”

Draw!!! We’ll be drawing for free Parks Canada Discovery Passes throughout the afternoon. The Discovery Pass is good for free admission to these Parks Canada Sites throughout this year.

Waterloo Region sites include WoodsideWoodside National Historic Site and Waterloo Pioneers Memorial Tower. Some of the other Ontario sites include HMCS Haida National Historic Site, Point Clark Lighthouse National Historic Site, Queenston Heights National Historic Site, and my own favourite, Bruce Peninsula National Park. And there are other National Parks spread across Canada.

Because of the ongoing LRT construction disruption, Open Streets has taken to the trails for this year. Here’s the map:

Hope to see you there!

[reblogged from Kitchener—Conestoga Greens]

14 June 2017

The Shape of Green Things To Come

WRGreens Meetup — WRGreens monthly Regional Meetup at the Queen Street Commons Cafe

If you’re new here, the WRGreens is an umbrella group formed by all the Green Party associations ~ federal EDAs and Provincial CAs ~ for the five ridings in Waterloo Region.

Green Party of Ontario Leader **Mike Schreiner**

In my experience, Greens are truly grass roots people who tend to be more interested in getting green things accomplished than seeking careers in politics. And because we’re the smallest of the major parties, (and the inequity of our electoral system makes it extraordinarily difficult to get Greens elected) we have to work much harder than the big parties to be heard.

The largest barrier to electing Greens has traditionally been our unfair winner-take-all electoral system that makes people feel they need to vote strategically for other parties because they are afraid Greens can’t get elected. It’s been an ongoing Catch-22 scenario: the reason Green candidates “can’t” get elected is because too many supporters don’t vote Green because they’re afraid Green candidates can’t get elected. Fortunately that is all changing as Canadians are finally starting to realize that not only can Canadian Greens get elected, even a single Green MP can make a huge difference.

Even without an elected Green MP in Ontario, provincial leader Mike Schreiner has worked hard and had an amazing influence on the provincial legislature in lobbying for campaign finance reform, emancipating local craft beer and working tirelessly to protect local water from multinational bottlers. Our work depends on people power, and by working together we can do a much better job of spreading green thoughts.

One way to do that is by getting together to discuss the things we want to do and work out strategies to make that happen. Sometimes we have planning events, sometimes social events, and sometimes organizational events. Very often they are all of the above, like last week’s excellent monthly Regional Meeting at the Queen Street Commons Cafe where four of our five Waterloo Region ridings had representation.

Everyone from long time organizers to anyone curious about what Green means in Waterloo Region is welcome to attend WRGreens Regional meetings. Come out to find out what’s coming up, to volunteer or even just to share green thoughts. We had a report from the 2017 Green Party of Ontario AGM (Annual General Meeting) and discussed plans for upcoming events– like the one coming up this Sunday!

**Bob Jonkman** discusses green issues at the WRGreens Open Streets Booth in 2016

Storyteller, artist, graphic recorder **Michele Braniff**

WRGreens will again be at Uptown Waterloo’s Open Streets. The @OSWaterloo‏ organizers have been fantastically inventive in meeting the massive challenge of LRT roadworks and keeping the awesome summer festival vibrant. This year they’ve chosen to incorporate the Uptown Waterloo trails as the “street” venues, which will be seriously awesome.

They’ve also given each of the four festival dates a theme, and the first theme for Sunday June 18th (Father’s Day) the theme is “Word.”

Naturally, there can only be one word for us: Green! So in addition to our usual information booth in the Waterloo Public Square Marketplace, our own Cambridge Green storyteller Michele Braniff will be telling Tales of Green on the Main Stage beside Laurel Creek!

We hope to see you there!

WRGreens Open Streets UpTownWaterloo Map based on **OpenStreetMap ~ click for full map**

23 July 2016

Open Streets ~ July 24, 2016

OpenStreets June 2016-1

OpenStreets June 2016-2
Open Streets Table June 2016
Even with the LRT construction, OPEN STREETS Waterloo is going ahead! And we’re glad, too, because we had a great time at our first Open Streets in June!

AND we’re expecting an even better time tomorrow in July (July 24th, 2016).

Drop by and say “hi,” sign the petition, and talk to us about Green issues, including electoral reform!

It’s going to be a hot day so dress appropriately, wear sunscreen and bring a refillable water bottle!

Open Streets_2nd