Tuesday night at the Jazz Room was a unique event inviting Waterloo Region Greens to “sing your politics”, and they did. We had nearly three hours of performances by fifteen talented local musicians.
The show started with a performance of an indigenous song about the land—a musical land acknowledgement. Jesse’s drumming and vocals send chills down our spines, followed by some a cappella vocals later in the evening.
The unifying theme was “songs of protest”, with renditions of many of the classics, including Joni Mitchel’s Big Yellow Taxi, “Glassworks” by Philip Glass, “Things Can Only Get Better” by Howard Jones, “What in the World” by Rory Gallagher, “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan, and the “The Trees” by Rush performed by YYZ. We even heard a rendition of “5 Years” by David Bowie by Electoral District CEO Dave Dolson.
There were several original songs performed too, with local musicians creating their own heart-wrenching and emotionally charged lyrics, like Jakki Annerino’s “Peace on Earth” and “A Safe & Welcome Land” and Wayne Cheater’s “Oh Great Earth” and “Let’s Work Together”. We also heard Noah Stolee’s “Amsterdam”, as well a some of Andrew Mac’s latest songs, which really set the vibe.
We heard from Shefaza Esmail, candidate of record for the provincial Waterloo Greens with a background in environmental engineering and who teaches at the UofW. She helped shed some light on some of the many cultural and religious traditions experienced by our residents.
His turn at the mic, Nick Rollick introduced himself as a candidate for the federal Greens’ nomination. He’s knocked on 1,500 doors and talked to 700 Waterloo residents and reports that around a third of those he spoke to are leaning Green—that’s plenty to win in 2025!
All of the performers were warmly received by a friendly and encouraging audience.
Between the many songs and few speeches, petitions were signed, donations were made, volunteers were signed up, and plans were brainstormed.
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.
“For the past month I’ve been traveling across Canada hearing from Canadians directly on the values and expectations they feel should be reflected in Canada’s electoral system.
At every stop, it is clear; Canadians expect greater inclusion, transparency, engagement and modernization from their public institutions.”
— The Hon. Maryam Monsef,
Minister of Democratic Institutions ~ Ottawa, ON, Sept. 15, 2016
Hundreds of Waterloo Region residents crowded into the Stanley Park Community Centre on Wednesday night for a chance to participate in the Federal Electoral Reform Consultation with the the Honourable Maryam Monsef, the Minister of Democratic Institutions. Ms. Monsef shared the stage with local LPC Mps, the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Bryan May, Marwan Tabbara and Kitchener Centre host, Raj Saini, But the evening’s main course was the small group dialogues where participants considered issues and shared their views. Each group came up with a series of conclusions, all of which were duly passed along for consideration in Ottawa. The Record‘s Luisa D’amato reports:
As I felt the unmistakable sense of optimism that comes when a powerful person asks your opinion, it occurred to me that we might have got it wrong all this time.
We’ve asked young people to vote, and shook our heads when they didn’t. “Don’t complain if you don’t vote,” we said.
Yet the rules by which we held the elections seemed designed to silence their choices.
Julia and Sam (Kitchener Centre Greens) are passionate about meaningful electoral reform. The shape of their future depends on it. They’re the driving force behind our Canada’s Voting System Is Changing event at Kitchener City Hall tomorrow.
Canada’s Voting System Is Changing poster ~ click to download larger size
The main goal of tomorrow’s event is to provide public information about our options.
Every MP in Canada has been asked to consult with their constituents about what they would like to see in terms of electoral reform. Although our evening with Ms. Monsef was excellent, it would have been nice to see 4 Liberal Town Halls. Knowing how long it took me to get my head around electoral reform, more events might make it easier for many citizens.
Sadly Kitchener-Conestoga residents don’t get any Town Hall at all. Our Conservative MP Harold Albrecht has declined to conduct a consultation. Fair Vote Waterloo will be putting on 3 more Library Information nights at Elmira Library, New Hamburg and the Ayr Public Libraries.
Earlier in the year the Waterloo NDP put on an information event with Fair Vote Waterloo, but now it’s our turn.
Proportional Representation is not a partisan issue; it is simply a way to better represent citizens in Parliament. This isn’t about parties, but about what is best for all of us, the voters. That’s why each of these events have worked hard to put partisanship aside in order to both inform and converse with the public.
The Hon. Maryam Monsef, Minister of Democratic Institutions speaks to a packed house in Waterloo Region. September 14th, 2016
So many other countries have adopted meaningful electoral reform that there’s a lot of information out there. And yet, Canadians have heard almost nothing about the alternatives before us.
That’s why Fair Vote Waterloo co-chair Sharon Sommerville will give an introductory talk about Proportional Representation. Then we’ll break into small group discussions, much like Maryam Monsef’s National Electoral Reform Community Dialogue Tour the other night. We have decided to have two kinds of groups; one to help those of us just beginning to learn about Proportional Representation, and another for those who have an idea of what kind of reform they would like to see. The latter will be able to discuss the issue as a group in order to make a group submission we can forward on to the ERRE Committee.
Even if you have a pretty good handle on Electoral Reform, we look forward to seeing you in Carl Zehr Square. It is always a lot more fun to work on a submission together, and it is amazing how much discussion can help clarify the things we’re fuzzy on. The more Canadians participate in this electoral reform process, the better the outcome will be.
This is a perfect opportunity to help your friends and neighbors get the facts about electoral reform. We hope to see you there!
Canada’s Voting System Is Changing: Community Dialogue
Saturday September 17th, 2016
3:00pm – 4:30pm
Carl Zehr Square, in front of Kitchener City Hall
200 King St W, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada map
“For the past month I’ve been traveling across Canada hearing from Canadians directly on the values and expectations they feel should be reflected in Canada’s electoral system.
Julia and Sam (Kitchener Centre Greens) are passionate about meaningful electoral reform. The shape of their future depends on it. They’re the driving force behind our Canada’s Voting System Is Changing event at Kitchener City Hall tomorrow.
wrgreens 