Why is the Green Party of Ontario the best party to improve our economy? It’s a matter of economic focus:
Libs & Cons: Big Business NDP: Big Labour GPO: Small and Medium Business
Here’s a little Statscan fact I read last Tuesday in the Globe:
99.7 per cent of all Canadians work for companies with 500 or fewer employees, and of those, 80 per cent are employeed by firms with 20 people or fewer†[1]
and here’s another:
According to Statscan, 67 per cent of the jobs created last year were by firms with fewer than 500 employees.†[2]
EcoCare 2010 was held in London earlier this week, drawing a direct line from the environment to health-care. They are “the only conference in Canada to speak directly to the link between health-care, healthy communities, and the environment†and only the Green Party is in a position to champion the policy solutions that develop from it.
EcoCare represents a shift, a growing understanding that old-line party process of developing policies for individual government silos will not work. Not only does the Green Party of Ontario share values with EcoCare, we share our attitude towards public policy. While the other parties address health-care, the environment and food as separate walled off issues, we address the interconnections and develop policies that seek to address root causes and not simply symptoms.
Over the last few months there has been a great discussion about governance in Ottawa. The candidates for mayor and city councillor have taken positions on budget processes, burrough councils, transit commissions and even mobile council committees. None of that happens in a vacuum. Candidates are coming up with these ideas because voters are getting frustrated. We want City Hall to work better and it's becoming clear that how we govern ourselves is as important as our vision for Ottawa's future.
It is unfortunate then that local decision making powers are continually thwarted by appeals to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). It would fine if the OMB were only called upon when the City makes a real error in judgement but too often that is not the case. As David Reevely of the Ottawa Citizen points out, developers regularly use the OMB as a tool to force the City to accommodate their overall business strategy. In effect we are not masters of our own house. Reevely cites Walton International's intention to use the OMB to force the City of Ottawa to expand the urban boundary:
"So the story Walton tells is that they've bought a bunch of land south of Kanata that's outside the urban boundary and is hoping to use the Ontario Municipal Board to punch holes in the city's official urban plan, which was approved by a city council that specifically does not want companies like Walton to do what Walton wants to do."
We cannot allow that to continue.
The OMB was created in 1897 (when Canada was still building railways) to assist fledgling communities to develop properly. I don't doubt it was needed then but today Ottawa is a mature and responsible city with a multi-billion dollar budget. Having the OMB continually at the beck and call of developers who are openly flouting the City's Official Plan simply isn't acceptable. The twenty-four local representatives we will elect on October 25th can be entrusted with planning decisions. After all - we're already going to trust them with billions of dollars of our money.
In a democracy there must always be some form of appeal in order to protect all of us from politically influenced or just plain wrong decisions by City Council. But right now the system is out of balance - the OMB needs to be reformed to strengthen the ability of local governments to plan for the future.
Extending the urban boundary indefinitely is not an option. Building twenty story condominiums and over intensifying residential communities is also not an option. For Ottawa to succeed we need to contain costs to the taxpayer (expansion is expensive) and intensify our existing communities properly.
Until the OMB is rebalanced developers will continue to have too much incentive to appeal for the urban boundary to be expanded (profitable, but unnecessary for new home buyers). Developers will also have too much incentive to build too high, too fast, in our existing communities (profitable, but undesirable to the wider community). Ottawa will be even more successful and beautiful to live in when developers, communities and City Hall are all rowing in the same direction.
Right now we're voting municipally. Next year we'll be voting provincially and as the Green Party of Ontario candidate in Ottawa Centre I'm looking forward to having a great discussion with voters and about your vision for the future.
If you've got an opinion, or have had dealings with the OMB, I'd be interested in hearing your story.
Kevin O'Donnell Green Party of Ontario Candidate, Ottawa Centre
Today we’re one year away from the next Ontario general election. Since being nominated as the Green Party of Ontario candidate for Ottawa-Vanier, I have been busy preparing to hit the pavement as soon as the municipal elections are over.
It’s going to be an exciting year for Greens in the province. You can just feel a sense of dissatisfaction with the Liberals and let’s face the NDP and the Conservatives have acted more like brake pedals than alternatives.
We’re not headed for a 1990 style breakthrough but “the Greens don’t have a seat†is a line that expires on October 6th 2011.
The Green Party’s vision is in sync with the values of Ontarians. We will continue to advocate for strong and safe communities, Ontario farms and small business, and investments in preventative frontline care.
OTTAWA - The next provincial election is one year away and the Green Party of Ontario has already selected their candidate.
Green Party members selected Dave Bagler, a local software developer and Sandy Hill Volunteer of the Year. Bagler has been an active member of both the Green Party of Canada and Ontario since the 2006 by-election in London North Centre and has set some ambitious goals for the campaign.
“The campaign starts now with the goal of delivering the Green vision and values to every voter in Ottawa-Vanier,†said Dave. “I look forward to working with each of you to make the most of this tremendous opportunity.â€
Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner was in attendance and spoke about how the Green Party’s values resonate with Ontarians.
“People in Ottawa-Vanier, like those in the rest of Ontario, are working hard to live green, and I look forward to working with Dave Bagler to share ideas and policies to help them,†said Mike.
Computer programmer Kevin O’Donnell will be the Green party candidate for Ottawa-Centre in the next provincial election, after winning an uncontested ballot Wednesday night.
While O’Donnell was the only candidate to run, a ballot still had to be held according to party rules. The alternative for voters was “None of the above.”
Green Party of Ontario leader Mike Schreiner attended the packed nomination meeting at the Blue Nile restaurant on Gladstone Avenue at Percy Street, and endorsed O’Donnell as a driver in the campaign against the Liberal proposal to cut the solar microFit program.
“He was willing to stand out there, stand up for people, and fight for what was right,” said Schreiner.
I generally read the news online. I have set up a few news alerts that I check with google reader. When it comes to coverage of the Green Party of Ontario, I see lots of coverage in smaller local and regional papers around the province. These stories are generally of the Mike will be here / Mike was here variety.
Unfortunately I don’t see much coverage in larger papers, at least not in Ontario. It’s funny but I’m pretty sure we get more coverage in the Winnipeg Free Press than in the Toronto Star. It’s as if the larger Ontario papers go out of their way to scrub articles of any mention of the party. Its annoying to see the coverage of events where all four leaders attended and only have three of them mentioned.
OTTAWA — “The decision made by the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario to harmonize the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has created an unnecessary burden on some of the poorest people in Canada,” said Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada.
“The government promised First Nations in Ontario that they would continue to be exempt from the PST at the point of sale beginning September 1st, 2010, however many retailers are currently not honouring that agreement,” said Lorraine Rekmans, Aboriginal Affairs Critic of the Green Party of Canada.
“I have spoken to many retailers who said they haven’t received any direction from either the federal or provincial Minister of Finance to provide a point of sale exemption for First Nations people who present the Indian Status card issued by the Department of Indian Affairs. There seems to be a lot of confusion and the government needs to set the record straight,” said Rekmans.
“First Nations have been exempted from the PST and Indian Status cards were honoured at the cash register up until July 1st, when the taxes were harmonized. Both Ontario and Canada implemented the harmonized tax without consultation with First Nations and this confusion is the result. They have to clear it up,” said Rekmans.
First Nations in Ontario, through various political organizations such as the Chiefs of Ontario and the Union of Ontario Indians pressured the government to ensure the exemptions were provided after harmonization. The governments promised to ensure the Indian Status card was honoured at the cash register beginning September 1st, 2010.
OTTAWA - Members of the Green Party of Ontario Constituency Association in Ottawa-Vanier will meet Thursday to nominate their candidate for next year’s provincial election. Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario will deliver the keynote address.
Seeking the nomination is local software developer and Sandy Hill Volunteer of the Year, Dave Bagler. Dave has been an active member of the Green Party since 2006 and in 2008 started the Annual Sandy Hill Holiday Food Drive. Visit www.davebagler.ca for more information.
What: Ottawa-Vanier Greens Provincial Nomination Meeting When: Sept 23, 7:30 to 9:00pm Where: The Conservation Co-op, 140 Mann Ave.
After the meeting everyone is invited to the Sandy Hill Lounge and Grill to meet with the newly selected candidate.
Why is the Green Party of Ontario the best party to improve our economy? It’s a matter of economic focus:
