Democracy – KWPeace

FairvoteWRC Pot Luck Dinner at St. John’s Church at 7pm on Thursday 14 November 2024

What: FairvoteWRC Potluck Dinner
When: 6:30pm to 9:00pm on Thursday 14 November 2024
Where: Civic Hub WR, in the St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church lower parish hall.
Location: 23 Water Street North, Kitchener (but use the Duke Street entrance) Map
Register / Contact: Evan Rosamond erosamond@worldline.ca or +1‑519‑742‑4823

The Waterloo Region Chapter of Fair Vote Canada

cordially invites you, plus guest and/or children, to an evening of Autumn Festivities.

Doors open at 6:30pm.

This is a pot-luck event so please bring something tasty to share with your fellow Fair Voters.

Food and conversation are the major attractions. Therefore, no Zoom.

WARNING

Neither the church nor Fair Vote have a liquor licence for this event, but there are several drinking establishments nearby.

Parking

There is free on-street parking on Duke Street, Water Street, College Street, Frances Street, and other nearby streets. A two-hour limit applies. For a fee, there is City Hall underground parking (off Young Street) and the Duke–Ontario garage (off Duke Street).

Let’s not forget the GRT!

DANGER

People who stay beyond 9 o’clock will be automatically assigned to the clean-up crew!

Sorry, new jokes cost extra!

Please RSVP to Evan Rosamond
erosamond@worldline.ca or +1‑519‑742‑4823
so we can have the correct number of paper plates ready.

Workshop on Election Collaboration by Waterloo Region Climate Collaboration, 7pm on Thursday 14 November 2024 at WLU

What: Workshop on Election Collaboration
When: 7:00pm to 9:00pm, Thursday 14 November 2024
Where: Wilfrid Laurier University, Dr. Alvin Woods Building (DAWB), room 2-104.
Location: 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario Map
Contact for Registration and Parking: Alex Latta alatta@wlu.ca

Dear Waterloo Region Climate Collaborative participants,

With both federal and provincial elections on the horizon, the time for collaboration is now!

Our next WRCC meeting will be a workshop on election collaboration, and we are reaching out to our network members with the message that we need your participation now more than ever.

For regular attendees at monthly meetings: Can you bring along someone new from your organization?
For organizations without regular attendance: We hope you will consider attending this one; the more groups represented, the stronger we all are!

We are aiming for more synergy, not more work! Here are our key questions for the workshop:

What is your organization already doing or planning to do to boost attention on climate policy in the lead-up to elections?
How can we better collaborate across the climate advocacy community to reach new audiences and achieve maximum climate impact on election outcomes?

An aerial photo of the Wilfrid Laurier University campus showing places to park and directions to transit. — Parking and Transit at WLU

Directions: See the map for directions to parking, and from parking to the building.

Parking passes: Please request 2+ business days in advance to receive a pass via email: alatta@wlu.ca

Save the date and let us know you’re planning to attend! Email Alex Latta (alatta@wlu.ca) to confirm plans to attend, to order a parking pass, or if you have any questions.

Fight for Farmland Protest Rally at Wilmot Township Council, 5:30pm on Monday 26 August 2024

What: “We are NOT a Willing Host” Protest Rally
When: 5:30pm on Monday 26 August 2024
Where: Outside, Wilmot Council Meeting at Castle Kilbride
Location: 60 Snyder’s Road West, Baden Map
Contact: wilmotlandowners@gmail.com

The Fight For Farmland Group is asking for support at two particularly important upcoming rallies next week. It is important that the public turn out to show that Wilmot Township “Is NOT a Willing Host”. This is in response to Doug Ford’s comment that they would not force a mega industrial site on an unwilling host. If it’s appropriate, we encourage you to forward this invitation on to your individual group’s contact list.

Wilmot Township Community members will gather for the “We are NOT a Willing Host” protest to stand united against the Wilmot Land Assembly. This rally aims to send a clear and powerful message to the Township that the community is firmly against being designated as a willing host for the proposed development.

This is expected to be our biggest rally yet. We urge everyone in the community to join us and show our collective strength.
The event will feature a live performance by local artist Punkeydoodles Steve, who will perform his hit song “770 Acres.”
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from local farmers and guest speakers who will share their perspectives on the proposed development.
We are gratefully accepting donated food items for the Wilmot Family Resource Centre. Your contributions will support local families in need.
Please bring your signs and banners to show that we are NOT willing hosts!

The second rally is being held outside at the Regional District Headquarters, in advance of the Regional Council Meeting at 6:00pm on Wednesday 28 August 2024.

For more information and updates visit http://fightforfarmland.com/

Kitchener Centre By-Election Housing Forum, 6:30pm, Thursday 23 November 2023 at St. John The Evangelist Church

What: Kitchener Centre By-Election Housing Forum
When: Doors open 6:30pm, Forum 7:00pm, Thursday 23 November 2023
Where: St. John The Evangelist Church
Location: 23 Water Street North, Kitchener, Ontario Map
Contact: Text message 519-635-8951

Come ask the candidates how they will tackle housing issues.

Rally Against the Big Sprawl: 2pm Sat 29 July 2023 in Waterloo Park

When: 2:00pm to 4:00pm on Saturday 29 July 2023
Where: Waterloo Park
Rally Location: University Ave between Westmount and Seagram Map 1
Picnic Location: The Bandshell Map 2
Website: https://stopsprawlwr.wixsite.com/rally
Email: nvecoboosters@gmail.com

In the midst of our affordable housing and environmental crises, the Provincial government is removing land protection legislation to enable the construction of inefficient and expensive detached houses on precious farmland, the Greenbelt, and other natural spaces. This housing is not affordable for most people nor is it usually accessible by public transit.

Furthering the devastation of Bill 23, the Ontario government has already overridden the successful and strongly supported sustainable Waterloo Region and Hamilton Official Plans, forcing thousands of acres of additional unnecessary farmland loss. Now the province has proposed allowing every farm and rural property across Ontario three severances with up to 12 building lots and homes on each and every farm — forever devastating our agricultural system, impairing our ability to produce food, and threatening our groundwater aquifers.

The province is proposing full-throttle sprawl that undermines sustainable, transit-supportive, affordable communities. They want to cut policies requiring efficient growth and eliminate policies protecting environmentally sensitive areas and wetlands. The government even wants to delete the Provincial definition of “affordable housing.”

The facts are that municipalities already have enough land allocated to build over 2 million homes.

Focusing only on housing supply without considering affordability or sustainability will not fix the Page 1housing crisis. There is no need to force unsustainable boundary expansions, destroy irreplaceable farmland, remove environmental lands from the Greenbelt, and threaten our water supplies.

Concerned groups and representatives from community, environmental, affordable housing, climate change, and agricultural organizations are planning a community rally this coming Saturday, July 29th starting at 2pm along University Avenue West in Waterloo, followed by speakers and a picnic at the nearby Bandshell in Waterloo Park. Confirmed speakers include Waterloo NDP MPP Catherine Fife, Green Party Candidate Aislinn Clancy, NDP Candidate Debbie Chapman, National Farmers Union President Jenn Pfenning, and representatives from Hold The Line and ACORN.

Citizens are urged to join the rally on Saturday at 2pm with creative signs at the corner of University and Seagram Drive in Waterloo and submit comments to the Environmental Registry of Ontario prior to the August 4th deadline to help ensure numerous improvements to the proposed PPS — most importantly the full and complete removal of any sort of rural severances — upholding the No Rural Severances Policy that the Region of Waterloo and other municipalities have had in place for decades.

In summary, our members and groups want to ensure a future with sustainable, affordable, transit-supported development in complete communities on already approved lands within our current urban boundaries across Ontario.

More Info

Learn more about the event at Stop the Sprawl Rally or www.50by30wr.ca

About:

Grand River Environmental Network (https://www.gren.ca) is a grassroots community group that is a proactive voice for the environment in the Grand River Watershed.

The Nith Valley EcoBoosters (www.nvecoboosters.com) is a not for profit, non-partisan volunteer group committed to achieving and supporting a long-term healthy environment in Wilmot and Wellesley Townships through education, action and collaboration.

Keep the Greenbelt Promise (www.greenbeltpromise.ca) is a network of grassroots organizations working together to stop development in the Greenbelt, on farmland, and in natural areas.

Media Inquiries:

Kevin Thomason, Vice-Chair, Grand River Environmental Network kevinthomason@mac.com, +1‑519‑888‑0519
Lyndsay Dajka, Nith Valley EcoBoosters nvecoboosters@gmail.com
Mike Marcolongo, Greenbelt Promise lizandmichele@yahoo.ca, +1‑519‑731‑8978

Democracy In Action

Democracy In Action | 5 Zoom Town Halls for each riding and its voters | No Party Platforms | Let's elect those who will represent us not toe the party line WE the citizens have an obligation … and A RIGHT to be informed of what OUR representative ‘politicians’ are up to, and are first CONSULTING with the VOTER not toeing the party line

. . in a healthy democracy (where having elections is only the means not the end) voter participation means taking back ownership of the decisions being made

Issues will always be present . . . elections are about sending the right people to parliament

At this event, politics is not a bad word we encourage you to engage and talk and ask questions in order to get to know your candidates

You may be surprised that the party you normally vote for might not have a candidate you would want as an MP.

The right person will properly represent your issues .. because they will listen, respect the community concerns, and try to find ways to get things done

We need MP’s who will stand up for their community’s best interests

Join in the future for yourself and your family!

that is why our virtual town halls may not follow the generic or traditional format

stay tuned…

definition of democracy is:
government by the people, rule of the majority … a government in which
the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly
or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving
periodically held free elections

#Bill66 — @BobJonkmanGPC’s submission to the Environmental Registry of Ontario

Bill 66 was introduced in the Ontario legislature just before the Christmas holidays. The short timeframe for discussion and consultation makes me think the legislators are trying to pass it before people have a chance to understand its effects. It is an omnibus bill, affecting dozens of different pieces of Ontario laws and regulations, many items of which are hidden behind indirect references, and all of which are to be voted on en masse. Omnibus bills tend to carry deleterious clauses which would never stand on their own, but which get passed only because of some other items in the same bill that are perceived to be more beneficial than the rest of the bill is bad.

A summary of Bill 66 is at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario website, called Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018

Commentary on Bill 66 is plentiful:

Bob Jonkman at the podium in the Woolwich Township Council Chamber, with Councillors, the Mayor, and staff in the background — Bob Jonkman Bill 66 delegation to Woolwich Township Council Committee of The Whole, Tuesday January 8th, 2019

Many groups joined together to provide information on Bill 66, and to make a concerted effort to bring our dissatisfaction to local municipal and provincial leaders. I made two delegations to Woolwich Township Council urging them to pass a resolution to reject Bill 66 and to pledge that if passed, not to use this legislation to bypass the environmental regulations currently in place. Woolwich did pass a resolution, but stopped short of adding the pledge not to use it.

The consultation period at the Ontario Environmental Registry ended yesterday, and below are the comments I made.

Bill 66 is a direct affront to the citizens of Ontario. Doug Ford made a pledge in May 2018 that the Green Belt areas would be not be subject to development. Now that Doug Ford is Premier of the Government of Ontario, I expect that pledge to be honoured.

Bill 66 affects existing laws and regulations at many Ministries, not just the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. It detrimentally affects the protections for workers in many separate regulations, detrimentally affects the protections for children in childcare, detrimentally affects seniors and patients in long-term care, and detrimentally affects consumers protections from wireless carriers. This is not an exhaustive list.

Bill 66 detrimentally affects environmental regulations more than any other. Under Schedule 10 municipalities no longer have to follow the regulations under the Clean Water Act, Great Lakes Protection Act, Greenbelt Act, Lake Simcoe Protection Act, and the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act, among many others.

Ontario and its municipalities have experienced the greatest prosperity in the last ten years, without needing to circumvent the environmental protections put in place by previous Conservative and Liberal governments. Removing these protections now will pit one municipality against another — if one municipality allows development in a protected area, it creates pollution for all the downwind and downstream neighbours, both in that municipality as well as surrouding municipalities. There will be increased infrastructure costs for those municipalities that receive the extra traffic from the development, but none of the anticipated revenue. Bill 66 is not something municipalities have asked for for, nor is it something municipalities need.

Speculators may have purchased land in the currently protected areas. Just having Bill 66 on the table has affected land values. Currently permitted uses for protected areas will become unaffordable, and the pressure on local governments to bypass environmental protections will be great. I’m happy to see many municipalities have passed resolutions rejecting Bill 66.

The citizens of Ontario are clear: Bill 66, with all its recissions of existing laws, must not be passed. I hope the elected representatives in the Legislature will fulfill their mandate and represent their constituents’ demands to reject Bill 66.

Have your say in the Region of Waterloo’s Climate Adaptation survey

Feeling the heat? Local climate projections suggest that events like the recent June heat wave, the May wind storm, the April ice storm and the February flooding event could become more common, and in some cases more intense, than the weather we grew up with.

The Region of Waterloo is conducting research to better understand the potential impacts and risks of climate change to Waterloo Region, as part of the development of a Community Climate Adaptation Plan. They are seeking input from residents in the Region, and Divest Waterloo is supporting this effort by reaching out to you.

Please let them know how you feel about climate change and extreme weather events by filling out the Region’s Climate Adaptation Survey.

The Region would like to hear from as many community members as possible. Please share this survey invitation with your friends and other contacts.

Thank you!

Thank you for your ongoing support for Divest Waterloo and for your part in our collective action to raise awareness and engage our community on issues related to climate change, our pursuit of a low carbon economy, and our movement towards a just and sustainable future. We hope to see you soon!

Agenda

Noon to 1:00pm

1:00pm to 3:00pm