October 2020 Newsletter

by | Nov 2, 2020 | News and Events, Newsletters

Message from the NIPR Greens It’s hard to believe it’s November. We’ve been dealing with COVID-19 for what feels like a very long time, and we’re all weary of it. One of the main effects for groups like ours is the inability to have in-person meetings and events. I think it’s safe to say many of us now know more about Zoom than we ever thought possible. And speaking of Zoom, it’s time for our … This year the AGM has to be virtual. The good news is that this means people can join us electronically who wouldn’t be able to make the journey to attend in person. Our meeting will be in two parts. Well, it will be two Zoom meetings, actually.  The first part will be the business portion of the AGM, which will be open only to voting members of the Green Party of Canada. A voting member is one who has been a member in good standing for 30 days. So, you must have gotten your membership by October 15 in order to attend. Normally our AGMs are open to anyone interested with only members allowed to vote. In an in-person AGM, members have to sign in, so that we can verify they are members, and voting members get voting cards. Because we have to do this on Zoom, we have no way of verifying the people who vote are actually voting members, so we are having to restrict attendance to verified members.  WHEN:    Saturday, November 14, 2-3 pm. (We are going to open the meeting at 1:30 if anyone wants to join us...

September 2020 Newsletter

by | Oct 4, 2020 | News and Events, Newsletters

The North Island-Powell River (NIPR) Electoral District Association (EDA)   Mark your calendars for November 14, 2-4 pm.  The North Island-Powell River (NIPR) Electoral District Association (EDA) is holding our Annual General Meeting (AGM) to elect the Executive Committee for the next year. Due to the BC Provincial election being called by Premier Horgan, we are moving our AGM from Saturday, October 24 to Saturday, November 14, 2-4 p.m. This AGM will be a virtual (meaning a Zoom video call) meeting. But the good news about having it on Zoom is that people from all over the riding will be able to attend. We’re very excited about that, so we’ve decided to open up the Zoom call at 1:30 for those members who would like to meet other people from around the EDA – bring your tea or coffee and come visit with old friends and meet some new ones. This half-hour meet-and-greet will be hosted by Mark de Bruijn, our 2019 candidate. At 2 o’clock, we will start the business portion of the meeting (register here). The business meeting is restricted to members only as it involves voting. At 3 o’clock, we will go into a second Zoom meeting (register here) as there is a lot to talk about. For example, the Green Party of Canada has a new leader who is already running in a by-election in Toronto Centre. The BC Green Party also has a new leader and BC has had a snap election called. Register now for the AGM (members only) AND also register for the discussion session (members and non-members). As soon as you...

August 2020 Newsletter

by | Aug 30, 2020 | News and Events, Newsletters

The North Island-Powell River (NIPR) Electoral District Association (EDA) Message from the (Acting) CEO, Jay Van Oostdam This is an interesting time to be organizing as a Green in North Island-Powell River. The Green Party of Canada (GPC) has a new Executive Director, a new Federal Green Council, and we are in the middle of a leadership race for a federal leader. Added to that, the provincial party is also electing a new leader. Our GPC EDA (Electoral District Association) executive team has been meeting regularly by Zoom. Our Communications Director and her team have been busy organizing Zoom events for the GPC Council election and leadership candidates, and now more Zoom events for the Federal leadership candidates. Your North Island-Powell River Executive are working to keep the Green Party relevant in our community during these challenging times.  We will likely be having a virtual EDA AGM (Zoom) in late October and we are looking for more new members on the Executive. We need a new Membership Director, a Volunteer Director and a new CEO (Chief Executive Officer). If you are interested in any of these positions or just participating in the EDA Executive, please let me know and I would be happy to provide you with more information. (jvanoostdam@gmail.com, 250-650-5859). Jay Van OostdamActing CEO We need your help Last year, Mark de Bruijn’s campaign was so blessed by the many friends who gave what they could - whether that was small amounts or large amounts.  The donations you gave us helped us run a campaign that got over 14% of the vote in our riding. That was almost...

July 2020 Newsletter

by | Jul 31, 2020 | News and Events, Newsletters

Green Party of Canada (GPC) Leadership Race BREAKING NEWS: The NIPR EDA is going to be hosting one-on-one Zoom sessions with the leadership contestants in September! Some dates have been confirmed; others have yet to be. Stay tuned to the NIPR website or Facebook page for updates. Mark Your Calendars for this debate coming up in September The Canadian Foreign Policy Institute is pleased to announce they and @rabbleca are co-hosting a @CanadianGreens leadership debate on foreign policy. Moderated by journalist @judyrebick. Join them for “Canada’s Place in the World.” Thursday, September 10 at 4 PM PDT. Register now! https://bit.ly/3fpzXND There are nine approved candidates. Have a look at the GPC website for information on leadership race.   You must be a GPC member by September 3, 2010, in order to vote for your leadership choice. Online voting will be open from September 26, 2020 to October 3, 2020 and will be available to all eligible voting members. Dave Hunter, from the North Vancouver EDA, has created a very useful document to help you with all kinds of information about the leadership contestants and their campaigns. Dave has made a commitment to keep the information as up-to-date as he can. If you like one-stop shopping, check it out. PORTAL to GPC Leadership Information July 15, 2020 You can also follow the contestants directly by signing up to their mailing lists. It’s the best way to follow their campaigns and get the info you need to cast your vote this fall.   SIGN ME UP FOR THEIR MAILING LISTS! Want to directly support your favourite contestant’s campaign? You can make a donation to the...

June 2020 Newsletter

by | Jun 30, 2020 | News and Events, Newsletters

What’s happening with NIPR? Welcome to the June North Island-Powell River Electoral District Association (NIPR EDA) Newsletter. As the pandemic continues and BC moves into Phase Three of response, politics at the local and federal levels has never been more important.  Our Green MPs continue to press the government to improve social and environmental accountability every day and crowds of people are protesting inequalities with greater zeal. Message from Elizabeth May: We are at a hinge moment in history. They come along rarely. These moments in time – Kairos moments – change everything. This is an end to incrementalism. It is time to sweep away the remnants of an unjust, unsustainable world. It is too early to use the past tense to describe the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is not too soon to begin learning from it. The unprecedented events of the past months have reminded us that we value one another and that we are stronger, united. They have also taught us that: In an emergency, governments can move – fast! In an emergency, we can put aside our differences and work together. In an emergency, our heroes are front-line workers, people who have been earning too little for too long. Women, in particular, perform vital tasks and have been underpaid and undervalued for too long. The globalization of everything allowed the virus to spread. The globalization of supply chains made it harder to access what we need. What we thought was normal and acceptable is no longer acceptable – a world of deep inequality and unacceptable levels of pollution. Billions of people around the world can all...

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