GreenSpeak 240125
Local Green Party Welcomes City Council Decision
For immediate release
Local Green Party Welcomes City Council Decision
PETERBOROUGH, January 31, 2022 – The local constituency association of the Green Party of Ontario welcomes the Peterborough City Council’s decision today to participate in the $1.75 million Streamline Development Approval Fund (SDAF) program.
This decision shows a willingness to embrace an opportunity to build an inclusive city that provides everyone a safe and healthy place to call home.
The program enables the city to develop tools that can speed the approval of innovative initiatives for increasing the housing density, thus reducing development costs due to urban sprawl.
“When I read the report presented by City staff today, I was excited to see awareness of several of the solutions that the Green Party is promoting,” commented Pati Beaudoin, President of the local constituency association.
Shortly after the 2018 election, the GPO began an in-depth research project into the causes of the housing crisis and solutions that support both people and the planet. By June 2021, the results had been refined into a comprehensive policy heralded by the Toronto Star as masterclass1. GPO Leader and MPP Mike Schreiner has introduced multiple solutions from the plan at Queen’s Park.
“For example,” explains Beaudoin, “ “missing middle” housing (low-rise multi-unit buildings of a variety of types) will make our neighbourhoods more inclusive and accessible while increasing the supply of less expensive housing. Also, Facilitating the use of modular housing construction will speed up construction, and thus reduce construction costs. Modular construction is also conducive to net-zero and energy plus construction which reduces energy costs.”
“While we are glad that these benefits may now flow more easily to Peterborough”, Beaudoin cautions, “We are also concerned by the way this program has been launched by the provincial government. It was announced on January 19, with a deadline for cities to sign agreements by January 31. 12 days. Having waited until now to take this step, why demand agreement in such a short time? This type of program should be province -wide and inclusive. Some cities should not be left behind because of an arbitrarily short agreement deadline. And we wonder what is in store for all the cities and rural areas that are not covered in this program.”
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https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2021/06/28/housing-needs-a-range-of-solutions-ontarios-greens-prop ose-a-way-forward.html
The solutions to the housing crisis are not only in the realm of provincial and municipal land use planning systems. This is a complex problem which requires investment in non-market models such as co-ops and land trusts, use of provincial land for social housing, better tenant and landlord rights protection and a commitment to Housing First and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness.
“The Peterborough-Kawartha Green Party of Ontario Constituency Association is dedicated to bringing equitable, inclusive, sustainable, and truly affordable housing to our riding.
Nominations for our candidate for the June 2022 election are open for a few more weeks. This is a great opportunity for housing and environment champions,” Beaudoin concludes.
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Background on GPO Housing Strategy: gpo.ca/housing Press contact:
Dr. Pati Beaudoin pati_beaudoin@live.com
(President, Peterborough-Kawartha Green Party of Ontario Constituency Association)
Bio for Dr. Pati Beaudoin:
Dr. Pati Beaudoin was born in Toronto, educated at U of Guelph and U of Toronto, then worked in the United States as a psychologist until 2018, when she returned to Canada, choosing Peterborough as her new home. Pati has been dedicated to environmental issues since her teen years when she was active in the acid rain issue.
While in the US Pati could not hold office or join parties, being Canadian; however, she was active in both the environmental and social justice movements, which she sees as overlapping. She has held executive positions in several professional societies. Since returning to Canada, Pati has been establishing herself professionally; now that the professional task is less demanding she has chosen and has been elected to serve as President of the
Peterborough-Kawartha Green Party.
Backgrounder for Executive Positions
In preparation for Annual General Meetings (AGMs), we have compiled a backgrounder. Every year, nominations are open for all executive positions on both the local provincial constituency association and the federal electoral district association. Members and non-members are welcome, but only members may vote. For Zoom registration links and other event details, please send a request by e-mail infoATptbogreensDOTorg.
Please read this document before applying to stand for election to the Peterborough-Kawartha Green Party of Ontario Constituency Association. It gives background about the association and job descriptions for the positions, which are President, CFO, Secretary, Fundraising Chair, Membership Chair, Messaging Chair and Member at Large.
And this document provides similar information for applying to stand for election to the Peterborough-Kawartha Federal Green Party Association. The positions are CEO, Financial Agent, Secretary, Fundraising Chair, Membership Chair, Communications Chair, Organizing Chair and Member at Large.
William Beauvais Classical Guitarist
Old Wood New Seeds
Winter Longing Music
A solo CD of new music by William Beauvais.
The culmination of two years of creativity, Old Wood – New Seeds presents a collection of wonderful music for classical guitar. It includes the folk inspired suite Appalachian Colours that dazzles and offers music of deep solace. The Ancient Waters looks east to the Balkans and moves from a ravishing prayer – Secret Lake – to a full out Bulgarian romp in Flood Plain. There is music that reflects a renaissance mood and tributes to grey days in November.
The CD is available through the Canadian Music Centre distribution service:
https://www.musiccentre.ca/recordings/distribution
Trent Green Party Club Conference: Putting your degree to action
Feel that breath of fresh air? It’s coming from the Trent Green Party Club!
Not wasting their time on hot air — setting up a very practical mini-conference that includes a litter-pick-up!
March 22, 2019, 9 a.m. til 4:30 p.m. at the Trent University East Bank Campus.
Vice President of the club, Tia Bankosky explains, “This is a conference of speakers who will be discussing how they are putting their degrees to action, whether they have graduated or are still in school. Sam Demma and Dillon Mendes will be speaking as well as running a clean-up of the Wildlife Sanctuary as part of the Social Enterprise, PickWaste. We will be hearing from Robert Kiley, Gianne Broughton and Brock Grills about how they have applied their Trent degrees to make positive differences in their lives after leaving Trent, particularly in the fields of green politics. Victoria Kacer will be discussing how her education and experiences have helped them in activism for environmental and Indigenous rights. A small lunch will be provided, along with snacks, tea
Here is the schedule for the day, with rooms listed, all of which are on the East Bank:
9:00-9:45 Elder Introduction and Land
Acknowledgement in SC 205
10:00-10:45 Sam Demma and Dillon Mendes-Speech in SC 205
11:00-12:00 Sam Demma and Dillon Mendes-Cleanup on Campus at the Wildlife
Sanctuary, meet in SC 205
12:15-1:00 Lunch in GC 111
1:15-2:00 Gianne Broughton Speech and questions in GC 115
2:15-3:00 Victoria Kacer-Speech and questions in GC 115
3:15-4:00 Robert Kiley-Speech and questions in GC 115
4:00-4:15 Closing Words and Thank yous in GC 115
For more information please email trentugreens@gmail.com.
The Environmental Registry: Use it or lose it!
Now’s your first chance to affect Environmental Policy!
Since GreenPeace launched a court challenge against the withdrawal of Cap and Trade, the government has decided to fulfill its legal responsibility to hold an on-line consultation through the Environmental Registry. This is a process for environmental defense that is mandated by the Environmental Bill of Rights.
We need to flood the registry with comments. Just go to https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/013-3738. There is a link to the bill itself, and a “Submit Comment” button
You will be asked to register for an account using your e-mail and a password. You’ll need to access your email and respond to the message and then change your password (one time only).
After that you will be able to make a comment using the simple “Comment” field. Please keep your comments polite.
The Green Party’s recommendation is that Cap and Trade should be replaced by Carbon Fee and Dividend, after being phased out according to the rules that were in the original legislation, in order to maintain business confidence.
Carbon Fee and Dividend treats all carbon fuel producers equally by charging a “dumping fee” per kiloton of carbon in the product. The fees are collected in a separate account and distributed quarterly equally to all adult residents of Ontario automatically. They just divide the fee income by the number of adult residents, and that average amount goes into our bank accounts as a dividend. The government can’t use that income for any other purpose.
The fee does raise the price of fuel, as the producers will have to pass the cost on, but since they are in a competitive market, they may not pass the whole fee on. Since rich people use a lot more carbon fuel than the poor, they pay out more than the poor, but the poor get the same averaged dividend, so they come out ahead. They can use that income for whatever they need. It will help them cover the increased cost of fuel.
By adding a dumping fee to the cost of fuel, we give the market a signal to find ways to use less fuel, and the consumption goes down.
To fully stimulate the move to a low-carbon economy, the Carbon Fee and Dividend policy needs to be accompanied by other policies which stimulate low-carbon innovation.
For more about Carbon Fee and Dividend: https://canada.citizensclimatelobby.org/carbon-fee-and-dividend/
For more about Green Party “Jobs, People, Planet” policy: https://gpo.ca/vision/
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