The Green Party in Kitchener-Centre is getting ready for a provincial by-election later this year.

Nearly 100 people showed up on Tuesday May 2 for the nomination event in the pavilion. Members from Kitchener Centre were complemented by small groups from Waterloo, Guelph (including MPP Mike Schreiner), and elsewhere. 

All four candidates had a chance to give a speech while the votes were being tallied online. At the end of the hour, the winner was announced: current city councilor, Aislinn Clancy.

“It takes a lot of juice to win,” she said. Then she implored us to charge our batteries and get ready for a fight. “The climate can’t wait”, and “we can’t leave it to the people that broke it to fix it”… “We have no choice but to act”. Like many of us, the tide turned for her when she saw the scale of the environmental problems our current policies are promoting.

She continued, explaining that Green candidates help us to live our values by allowing us to vote for an outsized voice in parliament. Green political activism is the antidote to our existential angst caused by climate change and urban sprawl, she explained. Helping people to live their values is important. We should all be living our values everyday. 

Aislinn is also strongly rooted in Kitchener. She called out the financial pain that renters are feeling and how some kids are being failed by the education system.

After she spoke, donations to her campaign poured in both from the dozens of Zoom attendees, and clipboards were passed around the pavilion to record pledges. Winning elections takes money, and Aislinn is already on a roll for the bi-election around the corner.

Take action to support Greens in Kitchener: support Aislinn’s campaign: or sign up to volunteer on Aislinn’s campaign. See you out there!

You may have recently seen the CBC article about communities in Arizona losing their water supply. But that’s not likely to happen here, is it? Yes, water supply has been an issue in our region. For example, the demand for water in West Montrose outstripped its supply, requiring water to be shipped in by truck, and the installation of  a new pipeline. And, water from aquifers in Elmira continues to be unsafe to drink due to industrial dumping of NDMA and chlorobenzene from agent orange and DDT production. Although it was identified to be leaking into the watershed 30 years ago, it still has not been completely cleaned up. Currently, there is no technology that can completely clean up this  mess.

I recently attended a talk by Bob Burtt, retired reporter who has written 3 books about the chemicals in Elmira’s water and other issues of water in Waterloo Region. His current book raises alarms about the Ford government rolling back generations of protections on water sources, safety, and flood protections. “Water – Our Sacred Trust” is a great resource for local history and issues surrounding water.

There were times in the past when our water supply was severely stressed. The recent stability has been due to diligent regional planning and management. As our population grows, it’s unclear where we will get enough water. Will we have to build a pipeline from Lake Erie, which has pollution issues of its own?

When I asked Bob why politicians finally started to take action regarding Elmira water, he indicated there had been intense resistance to even acknowledging the problem; he believes it was only due to the efforts of a group of dedicated and persistent individuals that some action was finally taken.

As individuals, we can take steps to conserve water and contribute to addressing this issue. Simple actions like sweeping patios and driveways instead of hosing them off, avoiding using tap water for watering lawns, and collecting rainwater in barrels for gardening and tree care can all make a difference. Additionally, being politically active and advocating for strong water protection measures is an individual action that can help safeguard our precious water resources for future generations.

While the recent article about communities in Arizona losing their water supply may seem distant, water supply challenges are also present in our region. By staying informed, taking action to conserve water, and advocating for robust water protection policies, we can play our part in ensuring that our water resources remain safe and sustainable for years to come.

Meet your Green Candidates in Waterloo Region

Cambridge

Michele Braniff

Kitchener-Centre

Mike Morrice

Waterloo

Karla Villagomez Fajardo

Kitchener-Conestoga

Owen Bradley

Kitchener South-Hespeler

Gabe Rose