WR Greens Meeting Notes 2018-11-07

When

Wednesday, 7 November 2018 from 6:00pm to 7:00pm

Where

Abe Erb Brewery and Restaurant, 151 Charles Street West, Kitchener, Ontario Map

Who

Theo, Ian McGregor, Cathy Scott, Laurel Russwurm, Stacey Danckert, David Weber, Kris Braun, David Dolson, Tori Mikhnovsky, Trevor Pollitt, Stephanie Jantzen-Martin, Collan Simmons, Tyler Rouse, Teresa Cornwell, Sam Nabi

Riding Updates

• There should be a meeting of Financial Agents for EDAs and CAs from all ridings

Kitchener South -- Hespeler

• KitSHesp will be having its inaugural AGM

When: Wednesday, 28 November 2018 at 7:00pm

Where: Borealis Grille and Bar

Location: 4336 King Street East, Kitchener , Ontario Map

• Several volunteers and members have indicated interest
• This meeting is open to visitors!

Kitchener Centre

• The EDA is without a President!
  • Matt Piggott has moved to Toronto
  • The role of President is largely symbolic:
    • Arrange the AGM
    • Sign documents for the CFO and Elections Canada/Ontario
  • Who would like to be the Kitchener Centre President?

Kitchener -- Conestoga

• Had meeting on 18 October 2018
  • Mostly to discuss closing down election campaign finances

• Events should include Fundraising

• Want a better understanding of money flow amongst the 5 EDAs and 5 CAs in WRGreens
  • Is there / Should there be equalization payments between EDAs / CAs?
  • Financial stuff should go through one riding, the one most likely to get its campaign expenses reimbursed
  • Not suggesting a "Finance Committee", but a procedure

Committee Reports

Nominations Committee

• Kris Braun has a spreadsheet of potential nominees
  • https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IdPdcqD9jpOc89blp6W5h_cBGx1ppJstf_gQv79XGJ8/edit?usp=sharing
  • Contains names of candidates from municipal election
  • Please add new names if you have them!
  • Talk to other potential candidates; Kris Braun will reach out to them
  • Need to focus on joining the Green Party, coming out to meetings and events, and working with us

• Nomination Meetings?
  • Do we have one meeting for everyone?
    • Talk to the individual EDA Executives (who will hold their own nomination meetings)
  • Timing? Still to early...
  • But Kitchener South -- Hespeler will set a Nomination Meeting date at their AGM (Nomination Meeting in February)

• There is still the possibility of an early election, perhaps as early as April
  • But maybe not -- there would be a lot of political fallout for the ruling party if an early election is called

• Get media to cover the nomination meetings!

• Get candidates nominated early, so they're available for Summer Festivals, door knocking, &c.

• Things have changed for the Greens with Mike Schreiner's election

• Funds? EDAs no longer have funds in the bank after the removal of federal per-vote subsidy
  • A Fundraising Committee is needed!

Communications Committee

• Need a Mission Statement for WRGreens
  • What are we trying to achieve?

• Web site needs streamlining

• https://wrgreens.ca/ is the touchstone

• Google Suites?
  • Green Party of Canada already has Google Suites
  • Used by WRGreens in the last two campaigns
  • Creating yet another separate suite will only fragment things even more

• Tori Mikhnovsky and Bob Jonkman will meet to sort things out

Events Committee

• Trashion Show' https://www.projecttrashion.com/ (Tori Mikhnovsky)
  • Had volunteers (from the Green Party?) staff WRGreens Info Table
  • University of Waterloo fashion show with clothes made of trash
  • 220 people in 2 shows; 500 through
  • Students signed up
  • Offers to volunteer
  • Need something for new volunteers to do right away

• Perspectives On Peace http://kwpeace.ca/pictures-perspectives-on-peace-2018/ (Laurel Russwurm)
  • Had info table
  • No new signups, but there was general interest
  • Good visibility for WRGreens (held in Kitchener City Hall Rotunda)

• Three environmental events
  • 16 Oct: Partnering with Nature To Heal The Biosphere (Micheal Purves-Smith and WREN) http://kwpeace.ca/event/partnering-with-nature-to-heal-the-biosphere-2/
  • 4 Nov: Faith and Climate Transformation: A presentation with Dr. Sailesh Rao (Climate Save & Grand River Unitarian Social Action Committee) http://kwpeace.ca/event/faith-and-climate-transformation-a-presentation-with-dr-sailesh-rao/
  • 6 Nov: Warmer Wetter Wilder (Nith Valley Ecoboosters) http://kwpeace.ca/event/warmer-wetter-and-wilder-with-dr-blair-feltmate-hosted-by-nithvalleyecoboosters/
• Green Party people attended these events, but there was no WRGreens Info Table

Meeting Notes

General notes

• People wanting to get involved have found it difficult to get information about the Waterloo Region Green Parties
  • Sent e-mails, but they "went into a black hole"
  • (what e-mail address were they sent to?)

• Stacey gives overview of WRGreens history:
  • There are enough of us together to overcome the problems of a single riding association

• Explanation of Committees:
  • Events
    • includes both non-Green events where we have info tables (eg. Open Streets) and our own Green Party events (eg. Fundraising event, social events)
  • Communications and Outreach
    • includes Membership
  • Volunteers
  • Nominations

• Discussion List e-mails need to be made easily accessible
  • There is an archive, but it is difficult to use
  • Bob Jonkman to fix, will meet with Tori Mikhnovsky about web stuff

• GPO did a survey one year ago
  • "People like Greens, but Greens aren't electable."
  • This has changed with the election of Mike Schreiner

• Fundraising Committee needed
  • For now, the role of a Fundraising Committee will be left empty until we can find a volunteer who is good at it

• Debate Rules
  • There is now a Leaders Debates Commission, headed up by former Governor General David Johnston
  • The current rules should ensure that Elizabeth May will be included
  • https://www.canada.ca/en/democratic-institutions/news/2018/10/government-of-canada-announces-the-creation-of-an-independent-leaders-debates-commission.html

Ian McGregor's idea

• Ideas on voting?
  • People are not voting Green, but voting strategically
• Everyone needs to tell 5 other people to vote Green
  • Go for a walk?
  • It would take only 6 generations of conversations to get 20,000 voters
  • One-on-one contacts are easy and community-building
  • Going for a walk is also exercise-making!
• Website with tally of people who pledge to vote Green?
• When successful, if we can say "There's 20,000 other people voting Green" then others are more likely to vote Green
• Should this go to the Events Committee? "Green Walk"
• Wording for a vote pledge? Collect e-mail addresses?
  • What is the "soft ask"? "Vote for the Green Party if we get 20,000 people"?
  • It's marketing...
  • "We can show you there's enough people voting Green" (to make a difference in the election's outcome)
• Even Mike Schreiner was not thought to be able to win on 1 May 2018
  • but once the media got hold of it, things changed
• Need to start soon!
• "Latent desire to vote Green"

• But achieving Proportional Representation is better, this is just a stopgap.

Perth -- Wellington

• We welcomed Collan Simmons and Tyler Rouse from the Perth -- Wellington electoral district!
  • Perth -- Wellington is welcome to join the WRGreens federated ridings

• There's no formal Perth -- Wellington EDA; the riding association is just starting out
  • Need an EDA to raise funds and find a candidate

• WRGreens has pooled resources, eg. to attend Waterloo Region festivals (but they're all in downtown Kitchener or Waterloo)
  • But each electoral district is on its own for campaigns
  • Getting volunteers is tough (but helped by pooling resources)
  • Federal Green Party of Canada will offer some support to EDAs
  • Randi Ramdeen is the Ontario contact person for the Green Party of Canada

• WRGreens can share volunteer help with Perth -- Wellington
  • Need to address how well volunteers can join (see General Meeting Notes)
  • WRGreens will provide assistance in info table material
  • But get banners with local branding
  • Put events on WRGreen Calendar
  • WRGreens will share a centralized (KW) campaign office with Perth -- Wellington
  • If that doesn't work out, fallback is to do it on their own

• Make phoning people a first priority!
  • "Ask!"
  • Call people for donations
  • Get an EDA, people will join...
  • Perth -- Wellington is giving people a place to put their passions

• Start up a Green Drinks to engage people

Next Meeting

• Perhaps we can use Tori Mikhnovsky's office
  • This would be a potluck event!
  • This location should be made accessible by January

• Next meeting to be held on second Wednesday in January to avoid the holiday rush

What: WRGreens Regional Meeting, followed by Social Night

When: Wednesday, 9 January 2018 from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, Social Night goes later!

Where: Innovation42

Location: 2nd Floor, 283 Duke Street West, Kitchener, Ontario Map

• Holiday Party!
  • Events Committee to organize a Party before the end of the year!

Acronym Expansion

• AGM - Annual General Meeting
• CA - Constituents Association (provincial riding)
• EDA - Electoral District Association (federal riding)
• GPO - Green Party of Ontario
• GPC - Green Party of Canada
• CFO - Chief Financial Officer (for EDAs, CAs and campaigns)