Archive for 2011 May

Thursday, 2011 May 19, 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Evergreen Brickworks, 550 Bayview Ave

How can cities tackle the energy challenges of the 21st century?

Powering The Future, a lively panel discussion featuring some of Canada’s leading energy experts, will explore these energy concerns, with a special focus on how we can all best respond in our own communities and backyards.

Join moderator and award-winning CBC host Bob McDonald, TREC and Evergreen, as we kick off the Kids’ World of Energy Festival, and be a part of the conversation. Panelists include Tom Rand, Judith Lipp, Mary Pickering, and Elizabeth McDonald.

For more information or to buy tickets, visit Powering The Future.

I’ve cleaned out the office (though I still need to fetch the signs), I’ve spent most of yesterday sleeping.  Yesterday, I also canvassed again for the first time since the election.  I will have to develop new strategies but reaching out to constituents will remain an important part of what I do.  But today, I just want to wish all mothers out there a joyous day with their children.  It is children who drive me.  It is children whose eyes and smiles invariably make me think that I must work harder.  And it is my protective mothering instinct that motivates my energies.  So this day is very special, for all of us Greens.     Read more »

This note was written on May 1 by Sarah Kitai, the daughter of one of our exceptional, dedicated candidates, Georgina Wilcock from Don Valley West, and reflects a lot of the feelings many of us have felt.  Election battles seem to be all about soundbites and jabs and media attention.  Unsatisfying results affect all parties but it is particularly hard on Greens, because what we’re fighting for is not just seats or even a political vision – we’re fighting for a Parliament that supports humanity.  The stakes really are that high, and it really is true that every other party is fundamentally compromised.  Georgina, wrap Sarah in your arms and tell her you will never stop fighting for her future.

So, as our 41st federal election nears its inevitable conclusion, it seems appropriate to reflect on the highs and lows of the campaign. It has certainly been a long five weeks.

I’ll start with the positives. I have not yet heard a single constituent deny the existence of climate change, or dismiss the environment as an issue not worthy of our attention. While rarely discussed in the media, these are nevertheless serious concerns on the minds of most Canadians. At the door, I’ve met intelligent, upstanding citizens with an appreciation of democracy and well-informed political opinions.     Read more »

Elizabeth May did get elected.

International Energy Agency Chief Fatih Birol has stated that the IEA now believes that global crude oil production peaked in 2006.  It’s all downhill from now.  We can expect the kinds of supply discontinuities and price rises that led up to the 2008 economic downturn with regularity from now on.

So what is the US response?  Shoot the messenger.  They have cut funding to their own national energy agency and specifically ordered that agency not to prepare data on oil and gas reserves.  Keep us in the dark, that’s the ticket.  I expect the Harper government to follow suit shortly.     Read more »