Cameron Wigmore, Crowfoot Green Party Member Cameron Wigmore, Crowfoot Green Party Member As a Green Party member I am working to spread the message that we are a real viable option for voters with a platform & policies that cover all issues. 
Articles
ID scanning at bars banned but bars continue to violate privacy
2009-08-17 20:35:00 Imagine living in a country where private corporations forced citizens to allow the scanning of their ID as a condition for entry into their businesses. Grocery stores, malls, concerts and festivals might be the sort of places where this ID scanning would occur, and the data collected could be stored by the company for a year or more. It would be simple - and in the company's best interests - to get the ID information they collect synchronized with our medical records, allowing them to prevent anyone with serious health problems from gaining entry. For liability reasons, those businesses could then refuse services to any individuals they wished, based on the criteria they decide, with information gained from our government issued IDs and maybe even medical records.Now imagine a private company starting along this road of ID scanning, even though the provincial government's privacy commissioner has ordered it to stop. This is happening right now in B.C. at some of our local bars, a... More About: Scanning , Privacy , Bars , Banned
Is Canadian Culture Important? Harper Says NO
2008-08-16 18:37:00 Apparently our PM Stephen Harper , who likely enjoys paint by numbers and took lessons as a child to learn how to play the radio, doesn't recognize the economic and other benefits of investing in the arts.I'll tell you what's wrong with cutting funding for Arts and Culture .According to a 2001-02 Statistics Canada report, with an investment of $6.8 billion from three levels of government, the arts and culture sector directly employed 740,000 people and generated $26 billion for the economy.The arts and culture sector employs as many people as the combined sectors of agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, oil, gas and utilities.Green Party: Harper's disrespectful attitude towards cultural expression will damage Canada's reputation "Slashing funds for cultural activities, both domestic and abroad, is damaging to the fabric of our country and further jeopardizes Canada's international reputation," said Ms. May. "This move appears to be more about extending the government's long t... More About: Canadian
Letter - Living Room plans worry south end residents
2008-07-09 00:35:00 The following is a letter I've written to the local papers about VIHAs plan to couple transitional housing with a failed addictions program. I have some experience working in this area.- - -VIHA's Living Room attempts appear disorganized and remind some south end residents of a salesperson trying to remarket the same old failed product. Unfortunately, we are the ones who have been paying for VIHA?s learning curve.The past incarnations of the Living Room , as hard as they were to manage, were in commercial areas. Now they want to put it in the middle of a residential neighborhood, adjacent to transition housing for those trying to get away from the street. Is there some study showing this might actually work, or was this decision simply motivated by dollars and cents?At the south end community meeting, a VIHA spokesperson said, ?we see it as a good thing to have the Living Room coupled with the residence.? No study was offered to back that up. Does the VIHA operate on gut feeling an... More About: Letter , Plans , Worry
Stop Cable Bay boundary extension before Aug 5th
2008-07-07 19:27:00 I recently phoned city hall about this controversial development and ?negative option? approval process being used to bypass voter involvement. To be clear, the actual development isn?t what?s being voted on; the expansion of the city boundary to include this resort and golf course is the subject. It?s the developer who wants the city boundary expanded and our council has basically made sure that the developer will get their way. This is a big deal because it allows further sprawling of the city, and shows that Nanaimo isn?t serious about sustainable development and urban renewal through increasing population density.It will take a decade to get proper transit service (as the RDN suggests) if the city doesn?t invest in building up the residential, commercial and industrial areas that already exist WITHIN the city limits. By expanding city limits and allowing developments to GROW our city, they prevent our central Nanaimo population from being concentrated enough to suppo... More About: Stop , Extension , Cable
Nanaimo Transit Better Service Now
2008-06-20 13:05:00 I recently overheard a young man on the bus speaking with his friend about gas prices. "Well," he said, "I'm taking the bus because it's gotten to the point that I have to choose between feeding my kids or my truck."When we consider this reality, we must ask why our city isn't hurrying to invest in our public transit services.From the citizens point of view, there needs to be a viable alternative to driving our own cars. Currently the bus service is too sparse to properly serve the people of Nanaimo. If our city invests more in this green form of transportation, we will see increased ridership, less congestion on the roads and less pollution. By avoiding the costs of running our own vehicle we can choose how to spend the money saved instead of feeling like a slave to our gas tanks.Upon reviewing the 2008 Nanaimo transit plan I noticed that while the plan seems appropriate, the timeline for implementing service improvements is far too drawn out. On the RDN transit web page it stat... More About: Service , Transit
Decision to Run for Nanaimo City Council
2008-06-12 11:29:00 (this is a copy of a letter to the editor I recently sent to my local papers)It was inspiring to learn that NALT (Nanaimo and Area Land Trust) has made a call for council candidates to address sustainability and environmental issues. After speaking with a number of community members, and with their encouragement and support, I have decided to run for city council. A green development option would be to invest in creating a complete picture for Nanaimo communities, reducing the need for us to go across the city for work or shopping. Devoting lanes to busses and cyclists instead of expanding roads is an effective way to reduce congestion and encourage greener forms of transportation. It?s also less expensive and more sustainable than adding evermore lanes to our roads. I understand that our transit system is considering doubling service within the next decade, but I don?t think we should have to wait that long. The cost savings are considerable for individuals using transit instead o... More About: Council , City , Decision , City Council
Seeing Through Spin and Making Messages Stick
2008-04-04 00:10:00 Framing, messaging, communicating, debating and spinning. Like a trip to the dentist, this is stuff that most of us average everyday cats would rather avoid, but once it's dealt with we become better able to chew up those who would try to use these tools against us.This blog post has been created in an effort to help you to see through the spin; to understand how to communicate purposefully through frames that will help your messages stick.When I first became involved in electoral politics I discovered that one of the things I loathed most about politics and politicians is their use of frames to message. They can do it so effectively that it's difficult to argue against their message, even when you disagree completely. As I learned how they do this, I became better able to spot the spin in daily news. I became more at ease in discussions about subjects and issues with people who disagreed with me. I may not be able to win every debate or convince every person to agree with me, but... More About: Messages , Spin , Stick
2007 Year In Review Environment And More
2007-12-27 23:42:00 This will be my last post of the year.I'm going to share a few news pieces covering environmental stories of 2007, but before I do I'd like to reflect on my own personal experiences this year.The year started with talk of a spring election (much like we're seeing again) and I was hard at work organizing and facilitating Green Party training sessions back in southern Alberta. In the end there was no federal election, but my wife did decide to run for the Green Party of Alberta in a provincial byelection in the late spring. I had started full time work at the Tyrrell museum again, and she resigned so she could stay at home with our son. As soon as the byelection was over Jen wanted to work again, so she got a part time job and we saved up a bit of cash. In September a job opportunity opened up for Jen here on Vancouver Island, and obviously she got the job. We made the move from Drumheller AB to Nanaimo BC in about a month. Her job here is great, our son loves the mild weather and ... More About: Environment , Review , Year , Year in Review
Outdated Nuclear Energy Technology Rest In Peace
2007-12-27 22:09:00 Before the year ends I'd like to post a few links to some information and news on nuclear energy, the outdated technology that won't solve our energy needs, won't lead to sustainability, won't ever be safe, won't solve the climate crisis, and won't ever be fiscally responsible. May it continue its slow disappearing act and rest in peace for the duration of this century and beyond.Oh, we can't just walk away from nuclear energy and be done with it? We still have spend a LOT of money to 'safely' store huge amounts of highly toxic nuclear waste for thousands of years? Hmm... maybe we should ignore that and just keep building more nuclear power plants to meet our rising energy demands.Energy efficiency and consumption reduction measures be damned; forget about renewable energies and green technologies and reinvest heavily in nuclear energy because our energy consumption is going up, up, up, and we're going to need more nuclear energy! Hold on, I see a pattern emerging...Seriou... More About: Peace , Technology , Nuclear , Rest In Peace , Nuclear Energy
Elizabeth May Interview Videos
2007-12-27 21:37:00 Here are some links to videos of Elizabeth May , including some national television interviews.CTV did some year end interviews with federal party leaders. This one's with Elizabeth May.On December 12th, Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada, addressed the Canadian Club of Ottawa. The title of May's speech was "The Climate Crisis: Running out of Time".CPAC video of the eventCTV interviews Elizabeth May on the Chalk River reactor, medical isotopes and Harpers decision to override the nuclear safety regulator.Interview s with the Leaders- December 20, 2007CPAC's Peter Van Dusen conducts a series of interviews with the leaders of Canada's federal political parties. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion, Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe, NDP leader Jack Layton and Green Party leader Elizabeth May speak candidly about their visions for the country.Click here for interview video, and fastforward to the last quarter of the video clip (right af... More About: Videos
Economic policies and overconsumption are chief causes of climate change
2007-12-27 20:36:00 Economic policies and overconsumption are chief causes of climate change, say Canadian Nobel scientistsThis isn't really new news for most of us, but this statement is worth a closer look, as the recommendations are intended to improve the sustainability of our society, among other things. They state that "Individuals, corporations, and all levels of government around the world have a duty to act as global citizens in the face of the danger posed to life on Earth and to the well-being of the human race as whole."Obviously one must already accept that climate change is happening, that it's human caused, that the effects are negative and will continue to get worse. There are mountains of data available to back this up. Governments around the world understand the problem and are taking action. Unfortunately there are still a few people out there who are falling for the disinformation promoted by the climate change deniers. Before they can understand and accept the recommendations for... More About: Climate Change , Climate , Chief , Change , Policies
Continued attention on homelessness, addiction and crime
2007-12-27 09:20:00 ...will help us solve the problems.(this is a letter to the editor I sent to many local papers recently)In nearly every issue of every paper I read something about our efforts to improve upon the issues of homelessness, addiction or crime. Obviously most of us take these issues very seriously. Helping those who?ve lost their way, or who?ve fallen on hard times, to become productive members of society seems to be the goal. This is a year round challenge for everyone.Thank you for your continued demonstration of compassion and willingness to tackle and resolve these issues. I have faith that with our attention and collective efforts we will become a part of the solution, and we will find lasting solutions to these problems. More About: Crime , Addiction , Attention , Mele , Addict
Happiness Is - by Bill McKibben
2007-12-17 21:46:00 Environmentalism begins to transform itself from a fixation on filters and light bulbs to a new fixation ? on human satisfaction. For a very long time, ?happiness? has been considered a soft topic, something that hippies and sandal-wearers bothered themselves with and the actual world ignored as it went about the important business of 'More'.read more | digg story More About: Happiness , Bill
Leadership Meltdown
2007-12-14 23:47:00 See Chris Tindal's blog through the 'read more' link below on the decision by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the rest of parliament to:- allow operation of a nuclear reactor with a lack of safety mechanisms- override the independent federal government agency that regulates the use of nuclear energy and material- ensure solid profits and stock value of Life Sciences firm MDSread more | digg story More About: Leadership
Building the Green Economy
2007-12-14 20:22:00 I will be posting a series here over the next few months covering different parts of the Green Party of Canada's Vision Green document. The first section I'd like to explore is called Building the Green Economy .Economics is a subject that is tied directly into the environment. For many decades the field of economics has failed to recognize that our economy is a subset of global ecological systems. Instead, economists have traditionally looked at the environment as something to be values and consumed in the pursuit of economic prosperity; the environment, along with everything else, has been viewed as a subset of the economy.The logical errors in that outdated model are now becoming readily apparent: as we degrade and consume ecosystems, we pay dearly for the loss of that 'natural capital'. Take the example of how New York City chose to implement a comprehensive watershed protection program to preserve and restore natural filtration services as a more cost effective means of main...
A Carbon Tax, the Arts and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
2007-12-13 23:26:00 There is a point where ideology can exceed common sense, and one might wonder if that is happening with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.One month ago Maureen Bader, BC director of the CTF, came out against arts funding stating that government subsidies to the arts should be abolished. Bader sees the arts as business activity, but it is more appropriate to compare investment in the arts with investment in things like parks and recreation. Perhaps Bader isn't aware of the difference between investments and subsidies.According to a 2001-02 Statistics Canada report, with an investment of $6.8 billion from three levels of government, the arts and culture sector directly employed 740,000 people and generated $26 billion for the economy. I'm sure Bader doesn't want to hurt our economy, so it might be that she just doesn't understand the concept of EROI (economic return on investment).Then Maureen Bader misrepresented carbon taxes while making fun of global warming 'theorists' .Pove... More About: Arts , Carbon , The Arts , Carbon tax
Green Party at 13% - ahead of NDP in polls
2007-11-14 09:32:00 From the new Strategic Council poll, the GPC is at third place with 13%. This is is the first time ever that the Green Party has polled ahead of the NDP.The GPC is trending upwards, with many recent polls putting the Greens in the double digits. See this new Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey that has the Green Party at 12%. More About: Polls , Ahead
Harper not fiscally responsible, yet tax cuts only for show
2007-11-08 19:18:00 In response to the recent announcement on budget surplus and tax cuts by the federal government, I've written the following as a letter to the editor. I grabbed a few points from comments and articles on the internet over the last week. This was printed in at least one local paper, and you may use it or modify it as you see fit.- - -Letter to the Editor: Harper not fiscally responsible, yet tax cuts only for showFor years the Conservatives condemned Liberal surpluses as phony surprises. The irony of Harper bringing in a surprise surplus is not lost on me.I don't disagree with the cuts to income tax and corporate taxes. I actually support a tax shift ? reducing income and business taxes while phasing in a carbon tax to replace lost revenue. Most economist agree with this approach.Unfortunately this ?surprise surplus? means that social and environmental priorities, like fighting poverty and homelessness, or meeting the challenge of climate change, have been left off the table by del... More About: Show , Cuts
Green Party of Canada releases 'Vision Green'
2007-10-15 21:34:00 PDF versionAbout the Green Party of Canada and Vision GreenFrom the GPC website:Vision Green presents leading-edge thinking and rational, realistic solutions for all the issues facing Canadians. It was developed by a 31-member Green Shadow Cabinet and was informed by experts, activists and citizens who participated in policy workshops held across Canada. All the proposals are based on policies approved by the membership of the Green Party . Green Party solutions are rational because the Green Party, unlike other parties, understands the scientifically verified limits to growth set by the carrying capacity of our planet. We must work within these limits. Otherwise, we will exhaust resources, degrade our environment and put our economy, health and children?s future at risk. Our solutions are realistic because they follow ?best practices? already in place in parts of Canada or other countries. These practices are cost-effective, deliver results and benefit people, the economy and the...
Green Party demands federal action on cell phones and wireless networks
2007-10-13 05:03:00 I wish it wasn't so, but the latest research is pointing to a very likely reality that radiation poisoning from cell phones and wireless networks is a serious problem. It is very likely that Canada's government will do little that would be considered significant in the face of mounting evidence that many people are getting sick when exposed to electromagnetic radiation. Some 'official' studies done in the recent past on a link to leukemia or cancer say there's no proof of causation, or even correlation, but newer 'official' studies show that there is a link between electromagnetic radiation and other illnesses. Like most things, it depends on which 'official studies' one wants to believe.I said that I wish it wasn't so. That's because a lot of people are unknowingly exposing themselves to possibly dangerous levels of this type of radiation. It's also because I like my wireless gadgets. Cordless phones & cell phones are obviously very handy, and my recent purchase of ... More About: Demands , Wireless , Party , Action , Cell Phones
Green Economics - Stephen Leahy
2007-10-13 04:15:00 I'd like to share with you a few articles on the economics of going green by Stephen Leah y .Enjoy!Like Enron, Earth Inc. Sliding Into BankruptcyAll economies depend on the natural capital lying within nature?s lands, waters, forests, and reefs, but humans have often treated them as if they had little value or were inexhaustible.Global Warming Is Real But I Didn?t Do ItThe vast majority of North Americans now declare that they want action on climate change. But whether people are truly willing to embrace ?carbon-neutral? lifestyles ? including giving up their gas-guzzling sports utility vehicles ? remains an open question, say experts.How to Kick-Start the 21st Century Eco-EconomyFarming and forestry in nearly all countries is only about maximising food or lumber production, but that has to start including maximising the ecological goods and service those ecosystems also offer. And since they are extremely important services, the stewards of these lands to ought to [be] compensated s... More About: Economics , Green
Harper?s ?war on drugs? regressive and irresponsible: Green Party
2007-10-11 22:20:00 Harper?s ?war on drugs? regressive and irresponsible: Green Party OTTAWA ? The Green Party today denounced Prime Minister Stephen Harper?s proposed drug strategy as an ideologically-driven step in the wrong direction and ignorant of evidence-based research. Last week, Mr. Harper announced his intent to spend $64 million in a war on drugs, focusing on punishment and enforcement ? not prevention. ?Mr. Harper is far too eager to sign Canada on to a Bush-style war on drugs that has spent billions and achieved nothing,? said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. ?An overwhelming body of evidence supports the notion that an effective drug strategy would focus on prevention, treatment facilities and harm reduction programs. ?Mr. Harper preaches prevention, yet spends many times the funds allocated to prevention on enforcing antiquated drug laws and punishing drug users. This approach is akin to simply burning tax dollars and is severely damaging to society. Instead of listening to t... More About: Drugs , War on Drugs
No seats, but Greens up in support
2007-10-11 18:02:00 Last night the Ontario provincial election came to an end, and the Green Party of Ontario made huge gains in support. Shane Jolley finished a very close second, with the highest support for a Green candidate ever in Canada. Here are a few news stories covering the rise in Green Party support.'Part of the landscape,' but not the LegislatureThe Greens did come closer than ever: Their best hope, bike shop owner Shane Jolley in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, finished a strong second behind Conservative Bill Murdoch, a 17-year MPP.Win or lose, "it's a huge victory," Jolley said last night. "This is the strongest Green campaign ever run in Canada."Green's great hopeThe Mark Messier look-a-like ? complete with drop-the-gloves stare ? and former high school star athlete in football and track is now a star on another field, regardless of outcome. In the last federal election, he had the best vote percentage (12.9 per cent) of any Green candidate in the county. In this election, he came within a ... More About: Support
Harpers Drug Policy For Getting Votes
2007-10-09 07:22:00 Harpers Drug Policy For Getting Votes - Not Saving Lives Or Making Canada SaferA friend pointed out this article in Le Devoir by Gil Courtemanche commenting on Harpers doomed War on Drugs. The original publication is in French, and this link will take you to the English translation of the article. Here are a few paragraphs....We also learned Thursday that Stephen Harper will keep his old Beatles records even if his children wonder about certain lyrics that sing the praises of forbidden substances. Here's a wonderful example of the Prime Minister's openness of mind, a tolerance that extends only as far as the words to songs. For the poor teens who might be tempted to follow the smoking trails of the Fab Four, it will be zero tolerance. We're far from the time when the Chrétien and Martin governments pondered decriminalizing the simple possession of marijuana. The times have changed and the police have clearly felt it. In 2006, in Canada's principal cities, including Montréal, arr... More About: Harpers
Green Cat Goes West
2007-09-20 19:33:00 My wife has decided to pursue her career in Theatre Arts Administration, and she's landed a job at the Port Theatre in Nanaimo B.C. This has happened very suddenly, although we've been preparing and planning an eventual move out of Drumheller for a few years now.I'll be staying involved with the Green Party at the Provincial and Federal level. I have found it very rewarding to run as a candidate for the Green Party here in Crowfoot, serve as the Alberta Representative on the GPC Federal Council for the past year, and sit as CEO of the Crowfoot Green Party Association. All of these positions will be filled by other active volunteers, and I'm sure they'll find the experience as wonderful as I did.I'm going to miss the crew at the Tyrrell Museum! What a great place to work. As a Gallery Interpreter & Security staff I was right in the thick of the tourist season there year after year. I had a lot of fun sharing information about palaeontology and the Drumheller Valley with man... More About: West , Goes
GPC Media Release: Labour Rights Are Human Rights
2007-09-03 20:03:00 The following media release is a reminder that the Greens are a Federal Political Party that exists to promote policies regarding social justice, in addition to the obvious focus on the environment and sustainability. The credibility of the GPC in this area has been steadily increasing, with extensive policy on issues related to social justice, the distinction of being the only federal party with a set of key values - one of which is Social Justice - and the recent appointment of John Fryer, an internationally respected former union leader and authority on labour relations and human resource issues, as labour critic on the party's Shadow Cabinet.- - -Labour Rights Are Human Rights 09.02.2007The Green Party today called on the federal government to take immediate action to guarantee that all workers in Canada have the right to organize and participate in the free collective-bargaining process. "On Labour Day and throughout the year, the Green Party supports wor... More About: Media , Human Rights
Update from GPC Alberta Representative
2007-09-03 19:50:00 As your Provincial Representative over the last year I've worked hard to bring your thoughts, opinions and concerns to Federal Council. The other goal of mine has been to make information about the activities of our Federal Council available to GPC members in Albert a .Through email, phone and my blog I've enjoyed regular contact with many members and I want to thank you for making my term as Alberta Representative an exciting and rewarding one. Serving on Federal Council has been a very memorable experience!You're probably aware of the current GPC Federal Council election. We have two great people running for the position of Alberta Representative, and I think either of them would be a great addition to our Federal Council. They are Mark Taylor and Peter Johnston. Don't forget to vote!While I will no longer be serving the party in the role of Provincial Representative, I will continue to stay active in the Crowfoot riding, as CEO of the Electoral District Association and current... More About: Update , Green Party
Albertans Or Industry Alberta Government Must Choose
2007-08-08 17:58:00 In September of '06 I wrote a submission to the Oilsands Consultation Committee and posted it on my blog. Now the committee has released their final report. You can download it as a 2.5 MB PDF file here.Make your way to section 3, starting on page 33, for a list of non-consensus actions that were recommended but will very likely not be implemented. Observe how the industry and government representatives often side against the majority of the other panel members.The general feeling is that we need to slow down. Infrastructure and services are lagging behind the huge increases in population & industrial activity, among other problems, but Premiere Stelmach says that he won't 'tap the brakes'. Yes, Alberta is in a speeding car and the driver won't use the brakes, even when it's apparent that we're heading towards a brick wall.The Council of Canadians suggested a few things to the committee that make sense. The Council of Canadians is demanding a National Energy Se... More About: Government , Industry , Must , Choose
Nuclear Energy Not Needed Not Wanted
2007-07-19 06:56:00 I thought I was done for now with posts on nuclear energy, but before I move on to other subjects on my blog, here are a few more recent news stories and some more thoughts on the subject. I don't have much to add here. I think these stories and the information at the links below speak for themselves.Japanese nuclear leak bigger than first reportedcbc news July 18, 2007A leak of radioactive water from a Japanese nuclear power plant was 50 per cent larger than first reported......The tremor initially triggered a small fire at an electrical transformer in the sprawling plant. It was announced 12 hours later that the quake also caused a leak of water containing radioactive material.The company also said a small amount of the radioactive materials cobalt-60 and chromium-51 had been emitted into the atmosphere from an exhaust stack...More about this here, here and here.Strangely, there are some serious problems with the nuclear energy industry in Germany occurring at about the same time... More About: Nuclear , Nuclear Energy , Energy , Wanted
Fossil Fuel Free in 20 Years
More articles from this author:2007-07-03 06:46:00 Prospects for renewable power are promising. But it means nothing if the public interest is drowned by corporate power...George Monbiot Tuesday July 3, 2007 The Guardian Before I get to the comment piece by George Monbiot, I'd like to reflect on my last few posts about energy.Lately I've been under attack on my blog from a few pro-nuclear folks. They have been trying unsuccessfully to argue that we need nuclear energy, and that it's a good idea. In the end they've all been unable to argue against the many reasons why nuclear is a bad idea, they continually quote biased studies that rely on assumptions that energy demands will definitely rise (not true, if we embark on aggressive conservation and efficiency measures) and there's no other way to meet them, which is also untrue, since along with conservation, renewables can meet our demands.We can meet energy demands by reducing consumption and enforcing energy conservation, while significantly ramping up renewable energies.The pr... More About: Fuel , Free , Years , Fossil Fuel , Year 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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