by Pieter Vorster | Apr 28, 2018 | News and Events, Newsletters
Must Reads from Last Week BC Electoral Reform Referendum Fair Vote Comox Valley Day of Action (Photos by Sam Patterson, Comox Valley Record). What turned Rachel Notley into an advocate for big oil? In this article, Kevin Taft explores how Notley switched from being an effective critic of big oil to a proponent, and he brings proportional representation into the analysis. Read more. Excerpt: “The easy answer is that it improves her chances in next year’s election, but that glosses over this much deeper reality: Rachel Notley may be in office but the oil industry is in power. Wherever its interests are concerned the oil industry runs Alberta. To a lesser but significant degree the same thing applies in Ottawa.” How does that relate to the BC referendum? As Taft says, “It’s a deliberate short-circuiting of democracy. BC’s NDP government may be no more immune than Notley’s government. In fact, with the decision to promote LNG, we would have to wonder if Horgan is already showing us who is really in power in BC. With all the crises Greens attempt to address globally, and each crisis is urgent, getting to a Yes vote on the BC referendum is a small step to getting power back in the hands of people and out of the hands of corporations. Proportional representation isn’t going to solve all our problems, but it will give us a tool whereby MLAs of good intent can start to address those problems. Let’s POWER UP our democracy! Locally Infinite Earth Radio If you are engaged in local issues or in local government, Infinite Earth Radio is a great...
by Pieter Vorster | Apr 21, 2018 | News and Events, Newsletters
Must Reads from Last Week BC Electoral Reform Referendum An Alternate Reality: Christy Clark in 2009 Read this article by two local Fair Vote Comox Valley members, on just how tied many politicians’ stances for or against proportional representation are to their political fortunes of the moment. Read more. Locally Campbell River City Council is considering becoming a “Blue Community” The Council of Canadians made a presentation to Campbell River City Council on becoming part of the Blue Communities Project. Read more. Campbell River to study future impacts of sea level rise Interestingly, the article focuses almost entirely on the money the study will cost and not at all on the issue of sea level rise and its potential impacts on the community. Read more. Merville Water Guardians There is now a group which is taking up the issue of the water license to a Merville landowner who wants to draw, bottle and sell water. Read more. Mack Laing vs Town of Comox in BC Supreme Court, or perhaps David and Goliath by another name? The story and saga of the Shakesides House and the legacy of Hamilton Mack Laing will now move to a courtroom. After playing out for 36 years, it is time for the Court system to decide if saving a historical building on the waterfront in the estuary at Comox, BC will continue or forever be terminated. Mack Laing was a naturalist of some significance, and he built the house in 1950/51. He moved into the house when it was completed and lived out his life in “Shakesides” until his death in February 1982. He left the...
by Pieter Vorster | Apr 14, 2018 | News and Events, Newsletters
Must Reads from Last Week BC Electoral Reform Referendum Part 1: April 21 – Day of Action on proportional representation. We’ll be on the 17th Street Bridge waving signs and banners from 10-12 Saturday morning. We will have a table at the outdoor Farmer’s Market, AND we’ll be canvassing later that afternoon! It’s going to be a full day. Come on out to the bridge in the morning and show your support. Check us out on Facebook. Part 2: The New Zealand government has just announced it is banning all future oil exploration. If you have concerns that a proportional system of government would not be able to get anything done, watch this video. The three parties are all on the same page, and so the government is able to bring about a massive shift, whereas our Prime Minister talks a lot all over the world about Canada’s dedication to climate change but is doing virtually nothing and is now possibly considering using the military to force the Kinder Morgan pipeline through First Nations lands to the BC coast. Locally Indspire Indigenous Awards Dr. Evelyn Voyageur, one of the Elders in Residence at North Island College and part of the Nursing program, will be awarded the Indspire Award for Health. 2018 is the 25th year for the Awards. Read more. Indspire is led by Indigenous people, investing in education for Indigenous people. Aquifer and local rezoning request for water bottling Check out the Canadian Freshwater Alliance’s action on the license granted to the Merville property owner who wants to tap into the aquifer. Read more. Greens of Courtenay-Alberni Fireside chats...
by Pieter Vorster | Apr 9, 2018 | News and Events, Newsletters
Must Reads from Last Week BC Electoral Reform Referendum Part 1: Unifor has joined the BC campaign for electoral reform. Read more. Part 2: If you would like to get involved, or just feel more comfortable talking to people about proportional representation and the campaign, join us for a session on Sunday, April 15, 3-5 p.m. It’ll be fun and informative. No stress, no fuss, no pressure. Address is on the Doodle poll. Locally Recycling and Waste Part 1: Comox Strathcona regional districts are looking at alternatives to landfills. Excerpt: “Using valuable land to bury our garbage is 17th century thinking.” Read more. Part 2: Meanwhile in Campbell River, Uplands Excavating wants to expand its operations and accept contaminated soil at a landfill in the city’s watershed. Read more on this four-year long fight. And here is Damien Gillis giving his presentation at a hearing on behalf of the Campbell River Environmental Committee (CREC) recently. Greens of Courtenay-Alberni Fireside chats The Courtenay-Alberni EDA are holding a series of Fireside chats at the Westerly Hotel during April. The second one is April 12, 5-7 p.m. and the topic is “How to Reduce Human-Wildlife Conflicts.” Invitation to groundwater licensing workshops and information session, April 16, 2018 Excerpt: The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) and the Province of BC are hosting “existing use” groundwater licensing workshops and a public information session on Monday, April 16th. Anyone interested in water management is welcome to attend the information session, to be held at the Lower Native Sons Hall from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Farmers and other non-domestic well users are invited to register for one of...
by Pieter Vorster | Mar 31, 2018 | News and Events, Newsletters
Must Reads from Last Week BC Electoral Reform Referendum Part 1: The Make Every Voter Count (MEVC) is getting its campaign together. Their website has options to Join the Campaign, Spread the Word, and Take the Survey. Part 2: Fair Vote Comox Valley (FVCV) has been out canvassing a number of times now, and the canvassers are finding that more than 50% of people talked to don’t yet know about the referendum. This represents a HUGE opportunity for the Yes to PR side. We have the opportunity to set the narrative, to make sure people hear how a proportional voting system would benefit them, would give them a greater voice in government. CALL TO ACTION: This referendum campaign needs many “boots on the ground” to get the word out before the No side starts spending thousands of dollars on TV and newspaper ads. Foot canvassing, phone canvassing and tabling are all opportunities to inform people. Contact a Fair Vote chapter near you, or form a chapter. There is a Fair Vote Powell River chapter, a Fair Vote Sunshine Coast chapter, and a Fair Vote Canada-Mid Vancouver Island chapter. FVCV is offering fun, safe, non-threatening training sessions on talking about PR, focusing on questions canvassers may be faced with. The focus of the canvassing right now is to inform people of the referendum and let them know that a vote for Yes to PR will benefit all voters, not parties. Liberal, Conservative, NDP and Green voters alike will benefit from a more proportional system. If you’d like to attend one of the FVCV training sessions, contact Megan Ardyche, FVCV Volunteer...
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