Hello everyone,

Its time for another update on all the recent and upcoming Green Party activities in Ottawa Centre!  The pace of activity has certainly picked up with Spring’s arrival and there are lots of projects afoot both provincially and federally.  Thanks again for all your support!

Over the last few months the executives of the federal and provincial Green Party riding associations in Ottawa Centre have met and agreed to cooperate in the areas where it makes sense.  This newsletter is one of them - it is now being sent out to supporters, federal members and provincial members.  Obviously some things will always remain separate (donations!) but otherwise we will combine our efforts whenever possible.

So read on for news about the “Green Party” in Ottawa Centre.

We intend to adopt the eastern half of Central Park (between Bank and Clemow) as part of the City of Ottawa’s Adopt-A-Park program.  Once it’s official we’ll put a call out for volunteers to come out and help tidy up one of the nicest parks in Ottawa.  The city provides all the materials, including gloves, we just need to supply the labour.

You can sign up to help right now (http://ottawagreens.ca/volunteer.html) or keep an eye out for an email when we get it all confirmed.  The event will definitely be kid friendly and we expect to serve snacks and refreshments.

Elizabeth May Fundraiser

There is a tentative fundraiser for the next federal campaign with Elizabeth May on June 8, 6-9pm. She will also be there to promote her new book: Losing Confidence: Power, Politics And The Crisis In Canadian Democracy. Stay tuned for ticket details.

Green Party of Ontario Annual General Meeting

The Green Party of Ontario is holding an AGM on May 16/17 in Toronto.  Check the GPO website, http://www.gpo.ca/agm_09, for all the details.  If you’re going to make the trip, contact Julien Lamarche, julien.lamarche@gmail.com, for ride sharing info.

Federal Nomination Race

Just a quick reminder that there is a nomination meeting to select the next federal candidate on June 1st, 2009.  If you want to vote at the meeting you need to join the Green Party of Canada by May 1st (http://greenparty.ca/join).  After the nomination race itself we’re going to have a round-table discussion on how to prepare for the next election.  Your views and ideas on how to get a Green MP elected in Ottawa Centre are important!

Past Events Recap

Earth Hour Candlelight Vigil — For an hour on March 28th over 150 people marked Earth Hour by coming down to Parliament Hill for a candlelight vigil, showing their support for ending climate change.  Like other Earth Hour events around the world, attendance compared to last year was WAY up.  Next year will be even bigger - planning starts in January!

Provincial and Local Politics Panel — Thursday, April 2nd was a night for quiet but earnest discussion about the future of our country - one of those small gatherings, a meeting of minds that, in past history, have brought about so much progress in our society. With two distinguished political science professors from the University of Ottawa in attendance, namely Dr Patrick Fafard and Dr Gilles Paquet (of TVO renown), the talk centered around the organization of our Canadian institutions, and the push towards either centralization or de-centralization of our government.

Did You Know: Ontario’s Green Energy Act

The Ontario Government’s proposed “Green Energy Act” (Bill 150) will mandate that all buildings and real estate receive an energy audit prior to being sold.  By providing consumers with the ability to compare the energy efficiency of homes, they could make smarter buying decisions.

Much like high efficiency furnaces a high energy efficiency home would cost more.  But it would also cost less to own over time.  The Green Energy Act would expose the hidden operating costs of some homes and enable consumers to make smart market decisions, and encourage investment in energy efficiency across Ontario.
Unfortunately the Ontario Real Estate Association has launched an aggressive campaign designed to remove home energy audits from the Act.  Please show the Government of Ontario there is also strong support for the Act by logging onto www.supportgreenenergyact.ca and supporting the provisions for home energy audits.

Contact & Links

Kevin O’Donnell
(613) 203-2620
www.ottawagreens.ca
kevin.odonnell@ottawagreens.ca

Join the Green Party of Canada: www.greenparty.ca/join
Join the Green Party of Ontario: www.gpo.ca
Volunteer with the Ottawa Centre Greens: ottawagreens.ca/volunteer.html