Waterloo Region Greens are working hard to make sure they have the candidates and volunteers they need to mount winning campaigns in the upcoming federal election.

As winter seems to be rolling out early, so are Nick’s Rollick’s canvassing efforts in Waterloo. Nick has put his name forward as a contestant to be the Waterloo Green Party’s federal MP nominee. But he’s not waiting until the nomination contest is over to shake the trees for the Waterloo Greens. The math genius-turned sustainability advocate has been pounding the snowy pavement all January, talking to hundreds of voters at their door. Things are picking up for spring! As volunteers door-knock with Nick and help recruit even more volunteers, Nick is skiing the green wave from Kitchener-Centre into Waterloo.

Nick answered a few questions about his goals and experiences.

Why did you decide to run for the nomination?

Up to now, I’ve tried to “live my values”, hoping it would set a positive example for others and inspire them to take action.  I switched to a vegan diet in 2015 for sustainability reasons, went without owning a car for five years, and then finally bought an EV when I could afford it.  While these actions align with the kind of world I’d like to see, I’ve realized that these actions don’t change the world around me on a large scale.  Through helping with Mike Morrice’s two campaigns and my wife’s provincial campaign in Waterloo, I saw the power of community organizing: uniting people around common values and issues.  I’m running because I want to build community, and show Waterloo that we can organize and mobilize to fight for the hopeful changes we want to see.

Why are you the right person to be the nominee?

I have been extremely active in most of Waterloo Region’s Green success stories.  I was a regular canvasser with both of Mike Morrice’s campaigns right from the beginning, and we built up a good enough relationship that he would attend my wedding in 2022.  Following Mike’s victory, I now volunteer with his constituency office, where I’ve gathered first-hand experience of the issues residents face when navigating federal government services.  When my wife Shefaza Esmail ran provincially in Waterloo in 2022, I became one of the chief strategists for that campaign, directing canvassing operations and leading Waterloo Greens to their best provincial election result in over a decade.  Adding to this, I am now halfway through a Master’s degree in Social Justice and Community Engagement at Laurier, where I’ve gathered a much better picture of the issues facing the country and some possible policy solutions.

Also, from a practical point of view, I have a lot of time I can spend on canvassing and attending community events right now, since I’m on parental leave with our first child until July, and intend to take time off to campaign full-time when September comes around.

What are you doing to make sure that you are abreast of Waterloo voter’s issues?

I strongly support local journalism, and subscribe to the Waterloo Region Record in order to keep on top of the decisions being made in the Region and province.  Beyond that, since I have been officially approved as a nomination contestant, I have been knocking on doors, often with my daughter along for the ride!  In a month, I’ve knocked on nearly 500 doors throughout the city, talking with over 200 people, enough to realize some common concerns are coming up again and again.

Tell us about the canvassing activities you’ve been involved in and what progress you are making? What are you learning?

This month has been a great one for canvassing.  I’ve been out anywhere from three to six times per week, weather permitting, and I’ve already been joined by seven others at various points throughout the month.  I’ve been particularly inspired by the youth that want to get involved.  The most dedicated volunteers this month have been university students and middle school students.

Conversations at the door have been very interesting!  For one, Mike Morrice has left a real impact even on residents of Waterloo.  Many people are giving the Greens a real look for the first time because Mike has been such an effective advocate for the community.  I’ve also spoken to many traditional NDP voters and even some Conservative voters who are not happy with the direction those parties have taken recently, leading them to look at the Greens as the only trusted alternative.   As mentioned above, we’ve reached almost 500 doors in January, with just this small canvassing team.  So far, about one in four people we talk to is thinking of voting Green, so I think there’s a real opportunity for Waterloo to go Green federally.

What do you see as the key issues that voters care about in Waterloo’s next federal election?

So far, most people at the door are sharing the same three issues.  The biggest one we hear about is worry over the cost of housing.  Even if someone isn’t directly affected, they usually have someone in their life that is.  The second one is that people are tired of politicians fighting with each other, and putting party first over policy.  They would like to see more collaboration, so that we can work together to solve the issues we’re facing.  Finally, many people are sharing that they’re worried about climate change and how we will adapt to it.  They want to see Canada take action, but I’m also hearing that people think the Trudeau government has been a bit heavy-handed in their messaging around the fight against climate change.  They want to see a kinder approach, where we make sure people and provinces make a smooth transition to renewable energy.

What is the most important issue and what is your view on it?

Without a doubt, the cost of housing is the biggest issue on everyone’s mind right now.  Home ownership is no longer attainable for many, and rents are eating up more and more of a person’s monthly income.  Our province has talked a lot about the lack of housing supply, and many folks are sharing their frustrations that Canada is admitting so many immigrants and international students when we don’t have affordable places to house everyone.  I think this is a very complex issue, and no single solution will fix it.  However, there are two things I would fight for to address the housing situation:

    Get the federal government involved in building homes again. I think it’s pretty clear that the private sector is not going to solve the housing supply issue by themselves.  Left to their own devices, developers would build the housing that makes them the most money, which is not usually the type of housing that families need or can afford.  The federal government used to be very active in building housing, and this could be a great opportunity to change the direction that future housing takes in Canada.  I’d like to see federally supported housing follow the model proposed by the Canadian Cohousing Network, which emphasizes the construction of private dwellings within a shared space to build community and overcome feelings of alienation.  The federally-driven housing projects could also be legislated to enforce state-of-the-art sustainable building standards, contributing to Canada’s fight against climate change.

    Tax investment properties as personal income, not capital gains. Ontario-wide, investors own 42% of all condos, and in the city of Toronto, over 20% of homes are also investor-owned.  While this is not a problem if these properties are leased long-term, about 5% of all rental properties in Canada are now short-term, such as AirBnB rentals.  With investors accounting for so much of the housing market, private builders are incentivized to build to suit the needs of investors, rather than families looking for a place to live.  I would propose to tax income from investment properties more aggressively, as personal income, to decrease the fraction of the housing market held by investors and get properties back into the hands of homeowners again.

What is your key message for WRGreen party members, volunteers, and voters who aren’t sure that Waterloo can turn Green?

I was right there with Mike Morrice when many skeptical voters expressed concern that a vote for him would be a wasted vote, and that the Greens could never win in Kitchener.  And yet, it happened!  The federal and provincial Green victories in Kitchener Centre have proved to Waterloo Region that Greens can win here.  All it takes is running a serious, empowering campaign.  The formula for a successful Green campaign is well-known: knock on every door twice, raise over $100,000, and recruit 500 volunteers by election day.  I intend to do all those things, and by the time we’re finished, Waterloo will see the impact of a people-powered movement for positive change.