Archive for Participatory democracy

In clear pre-election mode, this last Wednesday evening, Jack Layton held a live over-the-phone “town hall” meeting, where he answered questions in real time and polled listeners on their priorities.  It was a great way to outreach to the community and worked quite well.  If elected, I’ll keep that in mind as a way to engage people who prefer the comfort of their own home.  But I’d also like to have in-person town halls and simply attend meetings with local groups.     Read more »

Elizabeth May calls on the Canadian Government to urge Hosni Mubarak to resign as President of Egypt.

سياسات حزب الخضر من كندا هي ترتكز على ستة مبادئ اساسية هي …

GPO Annual General Meeting
Friday – Sunday, 2011 April 15 – 17
Huntsville, Ontario     Read more »

Wednesday, 2011 January 26, 7 to 9 pm
Trinity St Paul’s United Church
427 Bloor St West — Free

Join JustEarth for an exciting talk by political experts on political solutions to a climate in crisis.

Speakers:

• Glen Murray — Liberal MPP, Minister of Research and Innovation, former chair of the National Roundtable on Environment and Economy, and former mayor of Winnipeg.
• Lynn McDonald — Professor Emerita, former MP, sociologist and author.
• Peter H. Russell — Constitutional Expert, Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, and author.
• Moderator: David Neelands — Dean of Divinity at Trinity College, University of Toronto.

Monday, 2011 January 17, 6 to 8 pm
U of T Koffler House, room KP108
569 Spadina Ave (enter by the east side doors) — Free

Join Canadians Advocating Political Participation (CAPP) Toronto for a talk with Carolyn Bennett on the view of democracy from Ottawa.  A PowerPoint presentation will be included.  Unfortunately, Ms. Bennett can only stay until 7 pm, but there will be a discussion afterward.

There is a lot of noise being made today about the Pembina Institute’s comparison of the Metrolinx and Mayor Rob Ford’s transit expansion plans.  The Toronto Star reported on it and the Toronto Environmental Alliance has been alerting its members to it as well.  Whether you prefer subways or light rail, you still have to conclude that Mayor Ford’s plan is inconsistent with his stand on reducing waste.  If you want subways to deliver anywhere close to the kind of service you can get from surface transit, you better be prepared for substantially higher taxes.

Meanwhile, George Monbiot in the United Kingdom is facing the identical nonsensical rhetoric of “ending the war against the car”, and writes as only he can:     Read more »

COP 16 President Patricia Espinosa just received a prolonged standing ovation simply for announcing 10 hours late that negotiations were still ongoing and a deal was still possible.  I am in tears.

The youth action outside this building was forcibly stopped.

The best analysis I’ve seen of the new text is offered by BBC.  It is better than nothing.

A ceremony announcing the Colossal Fossil was widely expected to award Canada for the fourth year in a row, given the large number of fossils accumulated during this year’s negotiations.  But in the confusion outside, the announcement has been put off.  I’m proud of the young Canadians for their courage, and disgusted by our leaders for their lack of it.

[Adriana is blogging from the UN climate change negotiations in Cancun, in an attempt to keep the Canadian delegation honest.]

Patricia is going to get the President’s new text, just available hot off the press in the Azteca building here at the Moon Palace in Cancun.

Outside, some 50 young people are counting in unison.  Some are crying.  They are counting the dead.  21,000 annual deaths from climate change now, a number destined to climb right along with the temperatures.  We desperately, desperately need some good news.

[Adriana is blogging from the UN climate change negotiations in Cancun, in an attempt to keep the Canadian delegation honest.]

The open meetings have all been delayed as last-minute negotiations continue behind closed doors.  I’m sitting in the Cancunmesse area where displays are being taken down and people are tense and bored.  For anyone following in Canada, now would be a good time to call the Prime Minister’s Office and tell him you want Canada to show some leadership in breaking the logjam by going along with the majority of countries and supporting a second Kyoto period, and urging Japan and Russia to do the same.

[Adriana is blogging from the UN climate change negotiations in Cancun, in an attempt to keep the Canadian delegation honest.]

At this morning’s meeting with Canada’s chief negotiator, the first question of the day was taken by a representative of Canada’s youth delegation.  He delivered a strongly worded rebuke to Canada for failing to show any leadership, for insisting on weak targets and extensive loopholes, for failing to work constructively with countries that took the problem seriously, and for failing to recognize and address the terrible pain they were imposing on succeeding generations who would never benefit from the advantages that Canadian government choices made today.  They demanded that Canada stop kowtowing to the oil industry and take a stand for Canadians and the world.  And then they walked out, all 15 or so of them.     Read more »

I’ve had a hard time connecting the last few days.  It’s been busy.  A whole lot of nothing is happening in Cancun.  There are moments of inspiration amid days of information overload, but the negotiations are slow and it’s very unclear what they will lead to.  Canada is being quiet but unhelpful, and all indications are that when push comes to shove, Canada will stand in the way of any real progress.     Read more »

I’ve never been to a COP before, but I’ve been involved in climate change issues long enough to recognize a very sad trend from fighting to prevent it to squabbling over the money to deal with it.  Far more energy is being spent today to discuss the costs of adaptation, primarily for countries that have had very little to do with causing it.  More and more effort is spent by scientists not in evaluating the broad implications of a warming planet, but in evaluating the much more narrow human-scale impacts it will cause.     Read more »

A couple of weeks ago, I personally endorsed Andrew James’s municipal campaign in Ward 30 on the strength of his platform, which courageously called for road tolls and a rapid phaseout of fossil fuels in buildings across the city.  Today, Andrew dropped out of the race and endorsed Liz West.  I cannot endorse Liz West myself.  She seems to be a nice, approachable lady who may be a reasonable voice for the ward, but I can detect no policy commitment that would inspire confidence in the direction she will take at City Hall.

Thursday, 2010 October 14, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
St. Lawrence Hall, The Great Hall, 157 King St East
For more info: info@waterfrontoronto.ca or 416-214-1344

Waterfront Toronto will host a community update meeting on the West Don Lands.  From their announcement:

The meeting will feature an open house and variety of short presentations on projects underway in the area. Community members will also have an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.     Read more »

I just attended the depressing mayoral debate on the environment, sponsored by the Toronto Environmental Alliance.     Read more »

Come out and join the Green contingent marching in Pride this Sunday.  Celebrate the Green Party’s long support for gay rights.  We were the first party to support same-sex marriage and the first to have an openly gay leader.  We continue to advocate for gay rights and equal treatment.  Meet us by 12 noon at the latest on Bloor Street at Ted Rogers way.  We will have new campaign t-shirts available to wear or purchase.  Bring water, comfortable walking shoes, skimpy clothes, green body paint, water guns and noisemakers.  Be prepared to get wet.   Have fun!

Pride Parade 2010
Sunday, 2010 July 4, 11:45 am
Bloor Street at Ted Rogers Way

If you arrive late or cannot find us, call Rebecca at 905-999-5479

I was locked inside College Park for an hour this afternoon after rioters smashed the windows there.  There were about 200 frustrated and fearful people with me, including some cranky children and a tearful young teen who just wanted to get home.  What the perpetrators accomplished was to anger a lot of people and justify the massive police presence that until this point had just seemed like an embarrassing exaggeration.     Read more »