2025 has been a wild ride—not only for NIPR, but for the entire globe. War, environmental devastation, political and economic instability have all contributed to the deep uncertainty we all feel. Tensions with our U.S. neighbours have had an immense impact on Canadians, and here in British Columbia we are facing yet another potential blow to our environment. As we continue the fight to protect our old growth forests and wild salmon, we are now confronted with the threat of a pipeline from Alberta to our pristine coastline—along with the possibility of an exemption to the 1972 restrictions on tanker traffic through Hecate Straight and Queen Charlotte Sound.  At the end of my letter please see links to two articles from Cortes Currents regarding Canada’s MOU with Alberta.

The year began with the resignation of Prime Minister Trudeau, triggering a leadership race. Mark Carney became the new leader of the Liberal Party and quickly called a federal election for April 28. Rumours of an early election had been circulating for some time, leaving political parties scrambling to secure candidates. Fortunately, NIPR was already well prepared, with Jessica Wegg confirmed as our candidate. In fact, we were the first GPC riding in Canada to officially announce a candidate.

For the Green Party, the election results were disappointing, to say the very least. Fear proved to be a dominant force, and reacting from fear is never a good thing. It is far better to remain grounded in our principles—and to vote accordingly.

While NIPR planned and took part in a number of events during the course of the year, the highlight was the planning and successful execution of the David Suzuki fundraising event in Courtenay at the Florence Filberg Centre. Our team had been working toward an event with Dr. Suzuki, in various forms, for over a year. When it finally came together, the result was a sold-out crowd of more than four hundred attendees. Thanks to the dedication of our ten board members and an exceptional group of volunteers, the event was a resounding success.

EDA executive members and family got together for an “in person” social on Dec. 7. Given the size of our riding and the regular use of Zoom, it is a rare treat to get together like this.

Looking Ahead to 2026

We are always looking for new members to join the team of dedicated individuals who make up the NIPR Board. If you are interested in becoming involved, please reach out to either myself or any of the other board members.

Strengthening our social media presence is also a priority, and we are fortunate to have the support of our new Board member, Katy Lepine. Katy is a Communications Specialist and played a key role in the online promotion of our candidate, Jessica Wegg during her election campaign, as well as in the lead-up to the David Suzuki event.

Lastly one of the most important goals of our EDA is advancing Electoral Reform. As a team, we have committed to moving forward with a strategy that builds public understanding of what Electoral Reform truly looks like. In the new year, you will see many events across our NIPR communities focused on promoting proportional representation. As I have stated before, without proportional representation, our democracy cannot fully reflect the will of the people. The electoral system we currently use is not truly democratic.

We will continue to participate in community initiatives such as movie nights, festival days, and special event presentations. However, within the framework of all these events, we will be working deliberately to promote Electoral Reform. No matter the initiative, ER will be part of the conversation—what it means and how we can achieve it. This is not solely a Green idea; it is one that requires broad support across political affiliations. Meaningful reform will only happen if we work together across party lines.

On behalf of the entire NIPR Board of Directors, thank you for your continued support and engagement. We remain committed—both as a board and as individuals—to working for the good of our planet, our communities, and our democracy.

As we begin the Christmas season, we wish you and your loved ones a joyful and peaceful holiday, and a hopeful start to the New Year. We look forward to continuing this important work together in 2026.

Linda Ash
CEO
North Island Powell River EDA
linda.ash@greenparty.ca

From Cortes Currents:
https://cortescurrents.ca/four-local-leaders-react-to-canadas-mou-with-alberta/
https://cortescurrents.ca/mou-with-alberta-the-poll-pipeline-tanker-traffic-and-global-temperature-rise/