Comment on #Bill66 ~ DEADLINE Sunday!

Laurel L. Russwurm democracy, environment, Waterloo Region , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

During the election, Mr Ford categorically promised not to touch the Greenbelt.

Not only is the Greenbelt home to 5,500 farms, 78 species at risk and 102 million tonnes of carbon storage, the reason it was protected in the first place was to protect a great deal of Ontario’s water.

But now Mr Ford’s majority government has introduced Bill 66, The Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018, legislation. This will indeed open Ontario’s Greenbelt up to development.

Because it was introduced quietly going into Christmas, and the Ford Government has since made no secret of its intention to push Bill 66 through quickly, I don’t know if anyone has yet managed a thorough examination of all the ramifications of Bill 66.

It may only be 35 pages long, but it’s an omnibus bill, which means everything you need to know isn’t contained in this draft legislation.  You’d have to read through every one of the 22 laws it will change:

Some of the changes it makes may be good things, but  bad things thoroughly outweigh any good that might be there.  That’s the thing about Omnibus Bills: many different things are bundled together in a package too big to be adequately considered in a democracy.

There is no reason Bill 66 couldn’t be stopped, and the good parts could be reintroduced as ordinary laws that can be properly understood and debated in the Legislature. 

Our unrepresentative voting system has gifted Mr Ford’s government with 100% power to pass any law it wants, even though it was elected by only 40% of the votes cast  (a mere twentysomething percent of eligible votes).

So what’s the rush?

There is nothing stopping them from allowing citizens and the MPPs in the legislature to know what it is they are passing, and allow adequate parliamentary debate of all aspects.  That’s how our system is supposed to work.  In a majority government, even though the party with all the power can pass any law it wants, the reason we have an opposition parties is to ensure that our legislators make sure the laws they pass stand up to scrutiny.  If there are bad unintended consequences, or even if the legislation is too broad or unclear, the opposition parties can be trusted to point these things out so they can be dealt with before they become law.

The only reason for pushing something like this through fast is to keep us from knowing what they’re doing until it’s too late.  Keeping the people in the dark is not how a Government for the people would operate.

In the Region of Waterloo discussion of Bill 66, Waterloo Mayor Jaworsky said, “No one asked for this.”  Mr Ford keeps talking about making Ontario “Open For Business.”  But what does that mean?  They say this law is supposed to “cut red tape” that prevents development.

But the fact is that development isn’t being prevented.  There is plenty of room in Ontario, plenty of land available and open for development without going anywhere near the protected lands of the Green Belt.  There is no need to endanger our water or anything else.  That’s why municipalities across Ontario are passing resolutions saying they don’t want or need this.

Why is this happening?

When the laws protecting Ontario’s water and the Greenbelt were put in place, land prices in the Greenbelt stayed low.  When farmland can’t be turned into a factory or subdivision, it stays viable as farmland.  But because of the low prices, some developers bought land in the Greenbelt, speculating that in time they would elect a government willing to undo the Greenbelt protections.  And so they did.

In spite of all-party approved changes to Ontario’s election financing law preventing political parties from accepting corporate donations, the changes didn’t go far enough.  To skirt the law, developers like Mattamy Homes were allowed to contribute ridiculous sums of money to Partisan third party advertiser Ontario Proud, specializing in attack ads against Mr Ford’s opponents.  (And Mr Ford is undoing that election financing law because the people he is for have lots of money to spend to ensure the governments they want get elected.   But that’s another story.)

The only reason the Ford Government is trying so hard to carve up the green spaces of our province with factories and subdivisions is because their rich supporters want to make a profit.

Ontario has been doing a pretty good job of long term planning, protecting sensitive environments, our water and our food supplies. Once farmland is paved, its gone.

Once farmland is developed, it’s not farm land anymore.

The best we can hope for from Bill 66 is that decades of careful land management will be messed up.  Much of the law protecting our water dates back to the previous PC Government, and were put in place to protect Ontario from another  Walkerton.  Or another Elmira.

If that’s not bad enough, Bill 66 does away with any requirement for public notice or consultation or meetings, and no matter what problems are caused, we won’t even be able to appeal to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.  So called “Open For Business” by-laws passed behind closed doors will trump laws, policies and municipal official plans developed through extensive and open public consultation.  Communities would have no recourse to influence or challenge them.

And even if your Council doesn’t do any of these things, the Council next door might, and endanger the environment we all share.

What Can We Do?

We have until January 20, 2019, to formally tell the Ford Government consultation what we think about Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018 on the province’s website.

January 20th is the deadline for comments to Bill 66 on the Environmental Registry of Ontario (EBR).

Be sure that you and others that you know speak up and let your concerns be known.  It would be fantastic if your group or organization can make an official response or submission.  There is plenty of information in the Bill 66 Recent Articles linked below.  There are a myriad of issues and concerns, but you can say as little or as much as you like in your comment.   Don’t be shy about making comments personally – even if it is just a short sentence or two.  I would suggest making it clear right at the top that you don’t want Bill 66.  I am afraid to say that at this point they are not likely to listen to what we say, but they will certainly tally up how many comments support or oppose the bill.

Please take two minutes to send a message to the Ontario Government to stop Bill 66:

COMMENT ON Omnibus Bill 66 HERE

DEADLINE SUNDAY: January 20th, 2019

You can also visit the Green Party of Ontario’s Defend The Greenbelt website.  If you feel you need assistance in using the comment process, the GPO advises you to Click here for step-by-step instructions to participate in the government consultation.

You can still use Hold The Line tool to send email to local politicians.

And of course we can always contact our Member of Provincial Parliament:

Michael Harris Jr, Kitchener-Conestoga, Progressive Conservative Party

Rm 434, Main Legislative Bldg,
Queen’s Park M7A 1A8
Toronto:  tel 416 326-6945, fax 416 326-6942

Constituency office:
Unit 3 and 4, 63 Arthur St. S., Elmira, N3B 2M6
Mike.harrisco@pc.ola.org
Tel 519 669-2090, fax 519 669-0476

Amy Fee, Kitchener South – Hespeler, Progressive Conservative Party

Hepburn Block, 6th floor, 80 Grosvenor,
Toronto, M7A 1E9
Tel:  416 325-1128

Constituency office:
Unit 4, 4281 King St. E., Kitchener N2P 2E9
Amy.fee@pc.ola.org
Tel 519 650-9413, fax 519 650-7006

Belinda Karahalios, Cambridge, Progressive Conservative

Hepburn Block, 6th floor, 80 Grosvenor St.,
Toronto, M7A 1E9
Tel. 416 325-1793

Constituency Office:
498 Eagle St. N., Cambridge N3H 1C2
Belinda.karahalios@pc.ola.org
Tel 519 650-2770, fax 519 650-3918

And you can also call the Premier’s Office directly!

Call 416 325-1941 and leave a short message for Premier Doug Ford re your concerns about Bill 66

Catherine Fife, Waterloo, New Democratic Party

Room 154, Main Legislative Building,
Queen’s Park, Toronto M7A 1A5
Tel 416 325-6913, fax 416 325-6942

Constituency Office:
Suite 220 100 Regina St. S, Waterloo N2J 4P9 (office is in City Hall Bldg)
For legislative issues: Cfife-QP@ndp.on.ca
For community issues: cfife-co@ndp.on.ca
Tel 519 725-3477, fax 519 725-3667

Laura Mae Lindo, Kitchener Centre, New Democratic Party

Room 170, Main Legislative Building,
Queen’s Park, Toronto, M7A 1A5
Tel 416 326-7221, fax 416 326-7217

Constituency Office:
Suite 212, 25 Frederick St.,  Kitchener, N2H 6M8
For legislative issues:  LLindo-QP@ndp.on.ca
For community issues: LLindo@ndp.on.ca
Tel 519 579-5460, fax 519 579-2121

Mike Schreiner, Guelph, Green Party

Room 451, Main Legislative Building,
Queen’s Park, Toronto M7A 1A2
Tel 416 325-4664, fax 416 325-4666    Mschreiner@ola.org

Constituency Office:
173 Woolwich St., Guelph N1H 3V4
Mschreiner-co@ola.org
Tel 519 836-4190, fax 519 836-4191

Bill 66 Recent Articles and Background:

Stewards of Our Future: Protecting What We Love

Laurel L. Russwurm event, Waterloo Region

Although this is not a Green Party event, it is sure to be of interest, not just to Greens, but every Ontarian interested in the health of our environment. It’s sure to be a lively discussion you won’t want to miss.

Poster: How can we reduce our personal carbon footprint, engage with elected officials about our concerns, and prepare for a world unlike the one we currently live in? Event Title: Stewards of Our Future: Protecting What We Love featuring Dianne Saxe, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario Tuesday January 15, 2019 7:00pm at Kitchener City Hall Rotunda Join Dr Saxe and local environmental leaders for a conversation about climate change and how each of us can play a role in creating a safer environment. Presented by Divest Waterloo http://divestwaterloo.ca/ The Centre for Public Ethics - Martin Luther University College https://luther.wlu.ca/centres/centre-for-public-ethics.html Grand River Environmental Network (GREN) http://gren.ca/ Faith & the Common Good https://www.faithcommongood.org/

Please REGISTER (admission is free)
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/stewards-of-our-future-protecting-what-we-love-tickets-54268453405

Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1971464856263536/

Before or after the event, drop by the WRGreens information table 🙂

*NOTE: There won’t be a Green Party info table at this event after all: we’ll be at Woolwich Township where Council will be voting on Bill 66.

More To Do in Waterloo Region #FridaysforFuture

Laurel L. Russwurm Waterloo Region

There’s a lot more happening than municipal council meetings!

Friday January 11th, 2019

SCHOOL STRIKE FOR CLIMATE

Waterloo City Hall 12:30 – 2:00pm

This event is dedicated to building a youth voice to speak up for climate action in solidarity with inspired by Greta Thunberg and other young people across the world.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1163394617169359/

Join us on Friday, January 11th from 12.30 to 2pm outside of MP Bardish Chagger’s office / Waterloo City Hall at 100 Regina Street in Uptown Waterloo.The focus will be on youth, but all are welcome.

Kitchener-Waterloo Climate Save, RISE for Climate Waterloo, Divest Waterloo, and the local chapters of Citizens’ Climate Lobby and 350.org would like to facilitate and support youth climate strikes in our region … for their future. We hope to have youth climate strikes on the 1st Friday of every month after this.

#FridaysforFuture
#climatestrike

DOUG FORD FUNDRAISER PROTEST AT BINGEMANS

Bingemans 5:30pm
425 Shirley Ave. Kitchener

Doug Ford is coming to town for a fundraising dinner tomorrow Friday, January 11th, with local Conservative MPP’s.  Join with others from across our community to protest and let them know your thoughts about Bill 66.  Bring a banner or a sign to explain that you value protecting our water, land and air and that public consultation is core to our democracy.

Bring some friends and join the fun.

We will meet at the main entrance to Bingemans at 425 Shirley Ave around 5:30pm for about an hour while they all arrive.  If you are driving please try to find a place to park at other businesses along Shirley Ave.  Grand River Transit Bus #34 runs every half hour out to Bingemans leaving the Charles Street terminal and returning every 30 minutes.

https://www.facebook.com/events/535908943571780/

Lets see if we can have some fun and send a direct message to the Premier on the need to kill Bill 66!

Tuesday, January 15th, 2019

7:00pm – Stewards of our Future – ECO Dianne Saxe Event, Kitchener City Hall

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/stewards-of-our-future-protecting-what-we-love-tickets-54268453405

Although none of these events are officially Green Party Green, all are certainly of interest to Greens.

Just a reminder: this is why it’s important to be able to elect candidates who will actually represent us. 

Regards,
Laurel

Omnibus #Bill66 meets Municipal Councils

Laurel L. Russwurm event
Bob Jonkman’s Bill 66 delegation to Woolwich Township’s Committee of The Whole. (Tuesday Jan. 8th, 2019)

Since Premier Ford wants to quickly push Omnibus Bill 66 though the Legislative Assembly of Ontario quickly, things are moving very fast.

On Tuesday morning Bob Jonkman was among the WRGreens attending the Region of Waterloo’s tabling of the staff report on Bill 66.   GREN’s Kevin Thomason made a presentation on behalf of the ad hoc coalition of Waterloo Region groups mobilizing against Bill 66 which was very well received, and two motions were adopted by the Region then and there.

On Tuesday night, Sam Nabi (Hold The Line WR) made a presentation to Wellesley Township, while a simultaneous delegation was made to Woolwich Township’s Committee of the Whole by Bob Jonkman, representing KWPeace.  Woolwich Council will be putting together a resolution to be tabled at next week’s Woolwich Township Council Meeting.

If you can come out to any of these Municipal Council Meetings (and bring your friends), it will send a string message to our local councils that this is very important to us.  With the Provincial Government  listening to the developers who elected them, the more seats we can fill, the better.  We need to exercise our grass roots, because that’s the only power we’ve got.

Monday, January 14th, 2019

David Weber, Shannon Purves-Smith and Mo Markham

3:00pm City of Waterloo Council Presentation
4:00pm City of Kitchener Council Presentation
7:00pm – Wilmot Township Council Presentation

Tuesday, January  15th, 2019

7:00pm  City of Cambridge Council Presentation
7:00pm  Woolwich Township Council Presentation #2

Monday, Jan 21st, 2019

7:00pm – North Dumfries Township Presentation

Part of the urgency is the upcoming deadline for the Ontario Bill of Rights.

Bill 66 Community Group Meeting

Bob Jonkman environment ,

This is not a WR Greens event, but may be of interest to environmentally conscientious members.

From Kevin Thomason of GREN:

Happy New Year!

While the holidays have been a wonderful break from Bill 66, we don’t have much time to send a strong, clear message to Premier Ford about our concerns this Bill could have on our community, farmland, green space, and natural resources.

I’d like to remind you of the upcoming meeting this Thursday at the same room at CIGI as our initial community meeting. Details are as follows:

Date: Thursday, January 3, 2019
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Room A142, CIGI – Centre for International Governance and Innovation – 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo Map
Access: Through main West doors (facing Erb St) near Caroline St. Intersection

A tentative agenda for the meeting is as follows:

  • update/status of groups working to book Council delegation appearances at municipal and regional councils
  • update/status of groups working to book MPP meetings in local ridings
  • time for groups to meet in breakout sessions and figure out next steps/activities
  • planning/discussion of January 12th Bill 66 training event/protest in Ajax
  • planning/preparations for January 15th event at Kitchener City Hall with ECO Dianne Saxe and other speakers
  • other business

We had a tremendous turnout at our initial meeting and It will be important to have at least one delegate from each community group at this next meeting to help ensure a strong, co-ordinated response to Bill 66.

Please share any questions or ideas and I hope to see you on Thursday evening.

Cheers,
Kevin.

P.S. There is a draft Citizens Toolkit for Bill 66 that is coming together as groups across the province aggregate their materials and efforts. It is evolving daily and contains some good background and supporting material against Bill 66.

P.P.S Also attached below are some initial social media images and video that are under development provincially:

Bill 66 Social Media Video:


YouTube: Save The Greenbelt – Stop Bill 66

————————————-

Kevin Thomason
Vice-Chair, Grand River Environmental Network

Phone: +1–519–888–0519
Mobile Phone/WhatsApp: +1–519–240–1648
Twitter: @kthomason
E-mail: kevinthomason@mac.com

Get Ready for 2019!

Laurel L. Russwurm Cambridge, Canada, Climate Change, Elizabeth May, Green Party of Canada, Kitchener Centre, Kitchener South-Hespeler, Kitchener-Conestoga, Mike Schreiner, Waterloo, Waterloo Region , , , ,

Most critical election in Canadian History?

We need 2019 to be the year Canadians fill Parliament with MPs with both the political will and commitment to make effective Climate policy.   The climate change clock is ticking, and we can no longer afford to hope protests will mobilize the Canadian government against Climate Change.

We can’t keep waiting for other political  parties to do what needs doing.

We don’t have the luxury of time in which we help elect other party MPs in hopes they will do the right thing, only to watch as they do what the party tells them to do instead.

We have no choice but to elect more Green MPs to send to Parliament to ensure that we have a Parliament prepared to meet Climate Change head on.

We need all the help we can get to send Greens to Ottawa to work with Elizabeth May.  We all know what an amazing job Elizabeth May is doing now… just imagine how much more effective she’ll be with more MPs to help!

And with an unfair political system in which most voters aren’t engaged, the sad fact is financial donations are incredibly important.  Donations allow us to reach out beyond you– and the Green community of Canadians who understand what is happening– and help reach new voters we can encourage to vote.

Donations allow us to afford information tables at local festivals and fairs, which help raise the Green profile enormously.  They can help pay for our own events, like film screenings or education nights, as well as buying the materials to make buttons at our button making events, as well as paying for literature to hand out at them. 

And, if we’ve got money in the bank, our candidates can have their election signs in in hand when the writ is drawn, so we can hit the ground running.  During the election, donations can buy election signs and literature and ads in our local newspapers. Most people have no idea how much Greens manage on a shoestring budget.  And every little bit helps.

We have been lucky to be able to attract and field an excellent slate of Candidates here in Waterloo Region, and we’re planning on doing it again in the New Year.  (Watch this space for information about the 2019 nominations.

If you can afford to make a donation to the Green Party, now is the time.  Any donation made before December 31st will count as a 2018 donation.  Then, if you’re able to donate again in 2019 you’ll be donating under the 2019 donation limit.

2018 FEDERAL GREEN PARTY CONTRIBUTION LIMITS

Effective January 1, 2018

The following limits apply to the total amount of Green Party of Canada donations you will make in 2018.  (If you’ve already donated, be sure you don’t exceed your allowed limit.)

Only Canadian citizens or permanent residents may make political contributions, donating up to:

$1,575 per year, to the Green Party of Canada, and another
$1,575 per year in total between your local Green Electoral District Association(s), Nomination Contestant(s) and Candidate campaigns
$3,150 total maximum allowed contribution

(Note: anything you donated to the Green Party of Ontario does not apply here.)

TAX CREDITS

All Canadians with a taxable income will receive a generous tax credit when they donate to the Green Party.
The sum of all your political contributions determines the size of your reduction in taxes payable.

Donations

between     $     0   and   $400    75% cent refund
between     $400   and   $750    $300 plus 50 per cent of any amount over $400
more than $750      gives you    $475 plus 33 1/3 per cent of any amount over $750 up to a maximum of $650 per year

If you make a $400 donation today, you’ll get a $300 tax credit when you file your income tax next year.  

Donate to your local Green Party of Canada Electoral District Association:

You can also make a matching donation to the The Green Party of Canada !

Canada Revenue Agency website has more information about tax credits.
Elections Canada website has more information about contribution limits.

CANCELLED: Post-Holiday Event with @WR_Greens

Bob Jonkman event , , , , ,

CANCELLED: Tonight’s Post-Holiday Event

Bad news, our Post-Holiday Event for tonight needs to be cancelled.

An unfortunate combination of last-minute cancellations, car troubles, and unavailability means that expected attendance is down to a handful of people. Rather than having a few people bring potato salad for dozens and having it go to waste, it’s better to cancel now, and have another event later in the spring when more of us can meet each other.

My apologies for the late notice; these things sneak up on you and then explode.

–Bob Jonkman
Event Planning Committee Chair

Christmas decorations, ornaments, and cookies Hello Waterloo Region Greens! Merry Belated Christmas and Happy Upcoming New Year!

The holidays are half over, and in the usual Christmas madness we’ve only now been able to get ourselves coordinated for our Holiday Event. Bryan Izzard has offered to host at his farmhouse in Baden on Saturday, 5 January 2019, starting at 6:00pm. I guess that makes it a Post-Holiday Event!

Join all your friends of the Waterloo Region Greens for a final celebration of the holidays and 2018’s accomplishments — and since it was an election year, there were many accomplishments!

It’s a potluck event, so bring an appetizer, sweet or savoury snacks, salad, fancy beverages, dinner entree, or dessert. And when you come, please label your dish if it contains wheat, nuts, eggs, dairy, meat, &c.

What: WR Greens Post-Holiday Event
When: Saturday, 5 January 2019 at 6:00pm
Where: Bryan Izzard’s house
Location: 3876 Sandhills Road, Baden, Ontario
Map: https://osm.org/go/ZXnSv4rx-?m=

If anyone needs a ride you can ask your fellow WR Greens on this Discussion List, or send me an e-mail to say whether you need a ride or can offer one, and I’ll sort ride-givers and ride-takers, make a list (and check it twice). Don’t forget to include your address!

And shortly after our Post-Holiday Event we’ll have another regular WR Greens meeting on Wednesday, 9 January 2019. We need to set up candidate nomination dates for the EDAs (there’s a federal election in 2019!), and start planning for the summer’s festival events and other political happenings.

What: WR Greens Regular Meeting
When: Wednesday, 9 January 2018 from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, followed by Social Night
Where: Innovation42 Co-Working Space (tentative)
Location: 2nd Floor, 283 Duke Street West, Kitchener, Ontario
Map: https://osm.org/go/ZXnwU_oa?m=

I’ll send out a reminder early that week with confirmation of the meeting location.

See you all at Bryan’s house on Saturday, 5 January!

–Bob Jonkman
Event Planning Committee Chair

—-

Bob Jonkman mailto:bob.jonkman@greenparty.ca
Green Party Member in Kitchener — Conestoga +1-226-476-4529
Web: https://bobjonkman.ca/ Twitter: @BobJonkmanGPC
Vote for the person who will best represent you in your riding!

—–

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Christmas Greetings from WRGreens

Laurel L. Russwurm event, Green Lifestyle, Green Party of Canada, Green Party of Ontario, Waterloo Region ,

Spend time with family and friends.   Write a poem.  Share the love.  Have a glass of wine.  See a movie.  Get some rest.  Take a walk.  Listen to music.  Hug a friend.  Read a book.

Do whatever it is you need to do to relax and have a happy holiday!

Mobilize resistance to Bill 66

Bob Jonkman Waterloo Region

This is not a WR Greens event, but may be of interest to environmentally conscientious members.

Laura Hamilton from Divest WaterlooDivest Waterloo writes:

I’m writing with some urgency today as we have very little time to mobilize resistance to Bill 66, known as Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act. I have included more information about this Bill below.

Grand River Environmental Network | www.gren.caGREN is planning a preliminary meeting next Tuesday December 18th at 7pm at CIGI (67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, Ontario Map) in room A-142 to discuss the environmental implications of this legislation and to plan next steps for January.

Please extend this invitation to others whom you feel would be interested and able to support our efforts.

I apologize for the short notice and appreciate the difficulty of this request coming so close to the holidays. Our next meeting in January will be on Thursday the 3rd. Consultation closes on January 28th, so we really cannot delay.

Background on Bill 66

Last week, the Doug Ford government introduced Bill 66, known as “Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act.” Among its targets is the Greenbelt Act. Bill 66 would allow municipalities to circumvent Greenbelt protections by enacting “Open for Business” bylaws under which they could approve factories and business parks within the Greenbelt. Smaller municipalities (under 250,000) would simply need to show the Ford government that their Greenbelt development would create 50 jobs. For larger cities the requirement would be 100 jobs.

Related measures in Bill 66 would empower municipalities to exempt developers rules designed to protect wildlife and municipal water supplies, including the Clean Water Act, which was enacted following the Walkerton water tragedy in 2000 when seven people died after drinking the town’s contaminated water.

–Geoffrey Stevens, The Record Dec 10/18: Doug Ford’s hypocrisy on the Greenbelt

Other Acts targeted by the Ford government in the astonishing broad scope of Bill 66 include:

and * numerous other protections.

Bill 66 if approved could destroy our environmental regulations, contaminate our drinking water and circumvent good planning by haphazardly opening up farmland and natural areas for development with no requirement for public meetings or communications and no opportunity for appeal to any decisions.

It is a reckless bill to enhance the profits of only a few large businesses and corporations who would bypass important rules and safely regulations at a huge cost to every Ontarian.

We have just 42 days to stop this major threat to public safety, our environment, and natural resources we all depend on before the Ford government will attempt to approve this Bill. It is been called the biggest and most significant environmental rollback in a generation and we need to act now to mobilize as a community and kill Bill 66.

* Other Laws impacted by Bill 66

  • Agricultural Employees Protection Act, 2002
  • Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014
  • Education Act
  • Employment Standards Act, 2000
  • Farm Registration and Farm Organizations Funding Act, 1993
  • Highway Traffic Act
  • Labour Relations Act, 1995
  • Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007
  • Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Act
  • Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998
  • Pawnbrokers Act
  • Pension Benefits Act
  • Personal Property Security Act
  • Planning Act
  • Private Career Colleges Act, 2005
  • Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000
  • Wireless Services Agreements Act, 2013

Waterloo Region Free Christmas Dinners (2018)

Laurel L. Russwurm event, Green Lifestyle, Waterloo Region , , ,

Even if Mr Ford hadn’t decided to put a stop to the $15 dollar minimum wage, it wouldn’t have raised minimum wage earners above the Low Income Cutoff (LICO) for Waterloo Region. Although we’re told we ‘recovered’ from the recession of 2008, Canadians earning minimum wage nearly doubled (from 6% – 10%) between 2017 and 2018.  Minimum wage jobs don’t just have low pay, very often they are for precarious work.

Although Waterloo Region is a rich community, many members of our community are financially strained during the holiday season.  (And for the rest of the year, too.)

MYTH: Poverty is not an issue in Waterloo Region. More than 1 in 10 people in Waterloo Region live in poverty. REALITY: Although Waterloo Region is a great place to work, live and play, poverty is an issue in our community. In 2006, approximately 10.2 per cent of residents (48,000 people) in Waterloo Region were living with low income. Imagine - you could fill the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium seven times with this many people! Did you know... • 12.2% or 13,750 children 0 to 17 years in Waterloo Region are living in low income.2 • 451,411 meals were served in 2011 through meal programs throughout Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo.3 • In May 2013, there were 8,727 cases on the Ontario Works (OW) caseload. This is a 39% increase in the caseload from September 2008.
2013 Poverty Myth Busters for Waterloo Region (page 3)
Download the PDF

That’s why the Green Party supports raising the minimum wage to a living wage, and implementing a Guaranteed Livable Income (universal basic income set at 10% above LICO).    You can find out more about Basic Income from our friends at Basic Income Waterloo.

Unfortunately that’s not going to happen until we start electing more Greens.  In the meantime, people are living in poverty and Christmas is coming.

UPDATE: The KitCon Greens Blog has added the following to their Resources section:

The following is a list of free Waterloo Region Christmas Dinner options for people in need.  If you (or anyone you know) is in need of a good dinner over the holidays, please share.  (And if you’re able I imagine these organizations would welcome volunteers.)

I’m not sure who originated this list (I received as a paper handout), but most of the dinner locations listed here are for the City of Kitchener.  If you know of any others in the rest of the region– Cambridge, Waterloo or the Townships, please share and I’ll add them to the list.

Friday December 14th, 2018

Trinity United Church – Christmas Dinner Community Can Dine – Elmira, Ontario
6:00pm-7:30pm
21 Arthur St. N., Elmira Ontario

Saturday, December 15th, 2018

Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church – Regular Saturday Supper
open 5:00pm-8:00pm – Supper served 5:30-7:30pm
57 Stirling Avenue North, Kitchener

Sunday, December 16th, 2018

KCI Christmas Dinner
10:45am – 1:30pm
787 King Street W., Kitchener (enter off King Street)
Tickets available at St. John’s Kitchen or St Mark’s Church
(Limited tickets available last week of November and first week of December)

Thursday December 20th, 2018

St. John’s Kitchen – Festive Dinner
11:30am to 1:00pm
97 Victoria Street North, Kitchener

Friday December 21st, 2018

St. John’s Kitchen – Regular Hours
11:30am to 1:00pm
97 Victoria Street North, Kitchener

Saturday December 22nd, 2018

Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church – Regular Saturday Supper – open 5:00pm-8:00pm
Supper served 5:30-7:30pm
57 Stirling Avenue North, Kitchener

Sunday December 23rd, 2018

Caper’s Sports Bar – Christmas Dinner
Noon – 3:00pm
1 Queen Street North, Kitchener
*Toy and Clothing giveaway

Monday December 24th, 2018

St. John’s Kitchen – Festive Dinner
11:30am to 1:00pm
Meal by St Vincent de Paul
97 Victoria Street North, Kitchener

Ray of Hope – Festive Dinner
7:00pm-8:30pm
659 King Street East, (Back Door) Kitchener

Tuesday December 25th, 2018

St. John’s Kitchen – Christmas Dinner by Friends of St John’s Kitchen
11:30am to 1:00pm
97 Victoria Street North, Kitchener

Ray of Hope – Regular Dinner
7:00pm-8:30pm
659 King Street East, (Back Door) Kitchener

Wednesday, December 26th, 2018

First United Church Christmas Buffet
11:30am-1pm
16 William Street, Waterloo

Thursday, December 27th, 2018

St. John’s Kitchen – Festive Dinner
11:30am to 1:00pm
97 Victoria Street North, Kitchener

Friday, December 28th, 2018

St. John’s Kitchen – Festive Dinner
11:30am to 1:00pm
97 Victoria Street North, Kitchener

Saturday, December 29th, 2018

Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church – Regular Saturday Supper
open 5:00pm-8:00pm – Supper served 5:30-7:30pm
57 Stirling Avenue North, Kitchener

Sunday December 30th, 2018

Ray of Hope – Lunch
Noon-1:30pm
659 King Street East, (Back Door) Kitchener

Monday, December 31, 2018

St. John’s Kitchen – Regular Hours
11:30am to 1:00pm
97 Victoria Street North, Kitchener

Tuesday, January 1st, 2018

St. John’s Kitchen CLOSED

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2018

St. John’s Kitchen – Regular Hours
11:30am to 1:00pm
97 Victoria Street North, Kitchener

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[republished from the KitConGreens Blog]