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 Oostdam
Acting 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 double the 2015 votes received.
We want to double that vote count again!
With Justin Trudeau forcing a confidence vote by proroguing Parliament, we may see a Federal election earlier than expected. If that happens, we will need to be ready to go quickly. Riding associations seldom get money from the Green Party head office, even during an election campaign and running an election campaign in our riding is expensive. There’s no way to soften that hard reality. Our riding is vast, and it has four distinct communities. Putting materials together that speak to those distinct communities, travelling to those communities to meet voters - these things all cost money.
One of the things that served us so well during the 2019 campaign was the ability to have three offices - one in Powell River, one in Comox, and one in Campbell River. In fact, we also had pop-up offices in Port McNeill/Port Hardy! But offices cost money and three offices cost more money! There’s no ability to bulk buy office space.
We’d also like to hire a young person to do social media for us. For the last four years, all NIPR’s social media has been done essentially by one person. We’d like to hire someone to take care of that for us. Especially during COVID, social media is virtually our only vehicle to connect with our supporters as we can’t organize large, in-person gatherings. So we’d like to have the ability to hire a social media person to make sure we don’t drop the ball.
So…we have two asks: Help us hire a staff person for social media, and help us build up a fund for office rental. Having those things ready will give us a tremendous boost when the next election is announced.
The maximum you can donate to the EDA in one year is $1,625. If you haven’t yet donated this year, this is your opportunity to take advantage of the maximum tax credit for your first donation! Monthly donations - no matter how small - are wonderful because they give us a certainty in our ability to make decisions. We have several donors who give $10 or $15 a month. We know Greens aren’t rolling in money. But we know that Greens put their money behind their principles.
Green Party of Canada (GPC) Leadership Race
As of this date, only two contestants are confirmed to be on the ballot, that we know of. Those two are Annamie Paul and Courtney Howard.
It’s coming down to the wire, folks!
Each contestant has to meet a few criteria to get on the ballot. The deadline for meeting these criteria is September 1.
MEMBER NOMINATIONS
Between August 1st and September 1st 2020, each Leadership Contestant must provide an additional 150 signed nominations from members using the form provided by the Leadership Contest Authority. These 150 members must include at least 20 members residing in each of a minimum of five of the six regions of Canada as defined in the GPC bylaws (Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairie, British Columbia and North). These 150 nominations from members may not include the members from the original 100 nominations made at the time of the Contestant’s application. A member may nominate more than one Leadership Contestant.
A nomination is not an endorsement. It is simply an acknowledgement that you believe the person has the right to run in the leadership contest. So, if you haven’t yet nominated anyone, please do so today.
FUNDRAISING
Each contestant must have $20,000 by September 1. If the person you think would make the best leader for the Green Party of Canada (GPC) is someone other than Annamie Paul or Courtney Howard, and if you haven’t yet donated to their campaign, please do so today, if you possibly can. No donation is too small. They all add up.
VOTING
YOU MUST BE A MEMBER OF GPC BY SEPTEMBER 3 IN ORDER TO VOTE FOR THE NEW LEADER. If you’re unsure of your membership status, your best bet at this late date is just to buy a $10 membership fee. That makes you a member for one year. For a 3-year membership, it’s $25. You can become a member here. If it turns out that you’re already a member, they will simply extend your membership by one year, so you won’t have lost anything.
The BC Tour
All the contestants for the position of leader of the Green Party of Canada (GPC) are coming to BC! Well, they’re coming virtually in this case. We are bringing the contestants to BC, one by one, for one-hour Zoom sessions. These sessions might look a little different than the usual, so even if you’ve attended some of the contestants’ other Zoom meetings, you might see a different side of the leadership contestants at these events.
Who are we? Five BC EDAs have collaborated on this project, and three EDAs are each hosting three of the contestants. (See the schedule and registration links below). Kelowna-Lake Country (KLC), North Island-Powell River (NIPR), and Saanich-Gulf Islands (SGI) are the hosts, and members of the Surrey-White Rock EDA and North Vancouver EDA participated in the planning.
Caveat: If a contestant doesn’t make the deadline of September 1 for nominations and fundraising, and thus doesn’t get onto the ballot, their event will be cancelled. In the event that happens, we wish to take this opportunity to give our heartfelt thanks to all of them for putting their names forward and for giving up almost a year of their lives for us, the membership.
Here is the schedule, and the registration links. The first one is September 2, so don’t put off registering!
The BC Tour with Courtney Howard, Wednesday, September 2, 7 pm.
Register in advance for this meeting
(Hosted by NIPR)
The BC Tour with Dimitri Lascaris, Saturday, September 5, 6:30 pm.
Register in advance for this meeting
(Hosted by NIPR)
The BC Tour with Annamie Paul,Sunday, September 6, 2 pm.
Register in advance for this meeting
(Hosted by KLC)
The BC Tour with Judy N Green, Sunday, September 6, 4 pm.
Sadly, Judy N Green announced she was withdrawing from the leadership contest. The announcement came on August 30, 2020. You can read her full announcement here. It was lovely to see all the statements of support in response to her announcement. Judy was a voice from Atlantic Canada, which we sorely need in Canada. And her thoughtful, positive and respectful comments were always well worth listening to.
The BC Tour with Meryam Haddad , Wednesday, September 9, 7 pm.
Register in advance for this meeting
(Hosted by SGI)
The BC Tour with David Merner, Sunday, September 13, 4 pm.
Register in advance for this meeting
(Hosted by SGI)
The BC Tour with Amita Kuttner, Monday, September 14, 7 pm.
Register in advance for this meeting
(Hosted by NIPR)
The BC Tour with Andrew West,Wednesday, September 16, 7 pm.
Register in advance for this meeting
(Hosted by KLC)
The BC Tour with Glen Murray, Thursday, September 17, 7 pm.
Register in advance for this meeting
(Hosted by SGI)
The Leadership Vote Ballot
The Green Party of Canada uses the Single Transferable Vote, apparently. Here’s a very short video explaining how that works.
Points about the ballot and why it’s important to rank your choices
With ranked choice voting (RCV) or STV, voters can honestly rank candidates in order of choice. And voters know that if their first choice doesn’t win, their vote automatically counts for their next choice instead. This frees voters from worrying about how others will vote and which candidates are more or less likely to win. This method avoids the tendency of some voters to vote strategically.
The ballot is required to contain a NOTA (None of the Above) entry which can also be ranked. If there is a contestant you definitely DON’T WANT you can either not rank them at all, or rank them below NOTA.
No matter who wins, the ranked ballot provides very valuable information to the new leader and party membership about the party membership values beyond the first choice preferences. This gives the leader an idea of what kind of support there is for certain messages and approaches when they unite the party and reach out to different camps after the election.
Parliamentary Petition Opportunity
Divesting Canadians’ pensions from open-net pen aquaculture operations is one important step in protecting our wild salmon.
Sign & share the petition that calls on the Government to request the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) to divest from fish farms. Remember, signing Parliamentary petitions is a two-step process. Once you click Submit on the petition site, you will receive an email. You have to open that email and click on the link provided to confirm/verify that you are the person who signed the petition.
Courtenay-Comox (CRC) Riding Association Update Zoom Meeting
Join the Courtenay-Comox Riding Association for a virtual get-together on September 23 from 7:00 - 8:00 PM.
This is an opportunity to share your reactions to the Leadership election, and to generate ideas about building our team and enlarging our Green presence in the time of COVID-19.
Members, volunteers and supporters will receive an invite closer to the date.
Here is where you can sign up to receive the invite or to hear from the CRC Riding Association.
Here is where you can sign up to receive information from the Powell River-Sunshine Coast (POR) Riding Association, or you can email them at por@bcgreens.ca.
BC Greens Leadership Race
BC Greens Youth Advisory Council’s Leadership Debate
When: September 2nd, 7:00 to 8:30 PM
Where: Zoom Webinar
Register here
Please submit any questions to youthcouncil@bcgreens.ca. Please include your name, where in BC you live, and your age. We want to highlight questions from young British Columbians. We’re looking forward to co-moderating the debate and will be asking the contestants your questions.
The official leadership debate
The official leadership debate is on September 1 from 7:30–8:45 PM Pacific Time. The debate will be broadcast live online so that voters can watch wherever they are in the province. You can watch it on the BC Greens social media platforms.
Other important dates
- Deadline to become a member or supporter for online voting: September 2, 2020
- Leadership vote: September 5, 1:00 PM–September 13, 2020, 11:59 PM
- Leader announced: September 14, 2020
Sisters Unite!
This month our member-submitted article is from Pat Carl. She explores the question of donating to political groups versus donating to other worthy causes.
When I decide how much money I can float to various causes and charities in a given year, I remind myself that money spent in support of political parties and ethical politicians are what I need to fund even before I float monies to charities. Why? Because political parties and ethical politicians are capable of making lasting change, at least between elections, while charities, however valiantly, band-aid the decisions made by privileged, self-centred parties and politicians in the pockets of corporations.
But she doesn’t stop there. She goes on to talk about the importance of women voting for women leaders…the importance of having a seat at the table. The same applies to people of colour, and to the queer/trans community.
This is not identity politics; it is an ideology. I want women to vote for women because they are women, at least those who place a premium on women’s matters. This is no different than an environmentalist voting Green, a union activist voting NDP, a humanist voting Liberal, or a fiscal traditionalist voting Conservative. In fact, women of all persuasions can join me in the women’s big tent. Read more.
North Van writer explores stories of resiliency during devastating wildfire season
Claudia Cornwall Gives a Virtual Presentation of “British Columbia in Flames: Stories of a Blazing Summer”
Award winning non-fiction author Claudia Cornwall will discuss a moving personal and journalistic account of wildfire season in British Columbia.
WHEN: Saturday September 26, 3:30pm via Zoom
For information or to Register mmerlino@prpl.ca
Read more about Claudia’s story.
Here is a clip from an interview on CTV.
…and what’s going on in BC’s forests? Old-growth defenders ramp it up in August
From a hunger strike and rally in Nanaimo, to physical distanced events in Campbell River and Courtenay to a blockade at Fairy Creek, catch up on all the news here.
In Profiles in Green, we will showcase individuals (or businesses) who are leaders in the personal or economic changes needed to ensure a livable future for the next seven generations. If you know of individuals (or businesses) who may be candidates for Profiles in Green, write to us at northislandgreens@gmail.com. We’d love to profile individuals and businesses from throughout the riding.
This month our Profiles in Green is spotlighting “Power to the People,” a series the APTN has been airing.
“Power to the People is a weekly television documentary that explores the renewable energy revolution empowering indigenous communities across Canada and around the world. Each week host, Melina Laboucan Massimo, uncovers fascinating renewable energy or sustainable living projects. From revolutionary wind farms, solar power plants, run of river hydroelectric projects and tidal energy initiatives, Melina explores the challenges, simplifies the science, and showcases the benefit for the community and for humanity.”
What is so timely about this APTN series is that many of these green energy projects are in British Columbia, and the BC NDP have recently introduced Bill 17, which is “leaving First Nations that have planned and invested in clean energy projects deeply concerned.” John Horgan and the BC NDP campaigned on creating jobs in the clean energy sector but, once elected, seem to have switched focus almost entirely to LNG. To learn more about BC’s Clean Energy Act and the changes proposed by Bill 17, read this article in The Narwhal.
“The NDP’s proposed amendments to the Clean Energy Act open the door for B.C. to import more gas and coal-fired electricity. Observers say it could also likely be the nail in the coffin for independent power production, including projects that First Nations lead or in which they are involved. “
Check out NIPR’s calendar of events on a regular basis. You may see upcoming events there before a newsletter goes out.
We’re always looking for events happening in our riding of interest to Greens wherever they live. They don’t have to be Green events. As you’ll see from the calendar, many of the events showcased here have to do with issues that matter to us as citizens, no matter what our political party of choice. And many are events being put on my groups whose work we as Greens support. If you know of events in your community that you think might interest Green supporters, write to the NIPR Greens and let us know. Please provide as much information as possible, with links to the relevant Facebook or event page.
Of course, the coronavirus, COVID-19, is wreaking havoc with so many plans. All in-person events are cancelled for the time being. But that doesn’t mean your local Greens are going to be slacking off. And check out the Green Party of Canada’s Events calendar for GPC webinars that are coming up,
Join communities across BC as we march for the forests.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020
It’s time to build a new forest framework that respects nature and gives power back to communities. There is no time to waste and the BC government must be pressed into taking immediate action. Organizers and volunteers are needed in all towns, cities and watersheds in BC. If you can help, email forestmarchbc@gmail.com.
NOTE: There will be events in the Comox Valley for sure. If you’d like to be connected to the organizer, or be notified when plans are made, email saveourforeststeamcomoxvalley@gmail.com.
Greens are defined by a personal responsibility to the community, the quality of decisions we make, and our ability to defend those decisions. We are not responsible for the success or failure of other political entities, and Greens are committed to earning the respect of voters.
Official NIPR email:
northislandgreens@gmail.com
Your NPR Executive:
Megan Ardyche, Comox
Mark de Bruijn, Courtenay
Susan Holvenstot, Courtenay
Susan Short, Powell River
Carol Thatcher, Courtenay
Chris Tithecott, Campbell River
Jay Van Oostdam, Comox
© 2020 Greens of North Island - Powell River Approved by the official agent.
