blogUT Featured Club
blogUT featured U of T Greens as a campus club on their website recently. Check it out here.
Let’s Get Political
Our first event of the school year is fast approaching! U of T Greens will be hosting a political discussion forum called ‘Let’s Get Political’ in a couple of weeks, on the evening of Thursday, September 29th. You may already have a postcard:
We’ll be getting together (and political!) in the Arbor Room at Hart House, the dining and lounge area beside Sammy’s Student Exchange. The space is on the lower level but it is accessible.
The purpose of the event is to allow students to discuss questions and concerns about how the upcoming provincial election will affect us. Though federal and municipal elections may receive a higher profile in Toronto’s media outlets, the provincial election will arguably affect students far more largely because it is the province of Ontario that is responsible for administering post-secondary education.
This responsibility means that the elected provincial government helps control tuition fees, possessing the power to raise them, freeze them, or even cut them. They can create grants to ease the strain on student budgets, like the former Textbook and Technology Grant that was created and then taken away by the Liberals. It’s important to ask which political parties prioritize the quality and accessibility of education so that you can elect the government that best serves you.
Several guests will be present at the event to help answer your questions and provide information on the Green Party of Ontario’s platform, which you can find here. These include Tim Grant, the candidate for Trinity-Spadina and Transportation Critic for the GPO, Frank de Jong, the candidate for Davenport and former leader of the GPO, and Judith Van Veldhuysen, the candidate for St. Paul’s and GPO Women’s Issues critic.
You don’t need to be a die-hard Green to come out to this event – we encourage students of all political backgrounds and beliefs to join us. Bring your friends, your questions, and your opinion and we’ll see you there!
Fundraising dinner with Elizabeth May
Some of the members of U of T Greens had the privilege of meeting Elizabeth May, the first elected Green MP and leader of the Green Party of Canada, at a fundraising dinner on the evening of September 8th.
The dinner was held to raise funds for the campaign of Tim Grant, the Green Party of Ontario candidate for the riding of Trinity-Spadina. You can read more about the event at Tim’s website here.
Elizabeth gave an inspiring speech focusing on the theme of the power of one – what a single individual can accomplish backed by hard work and determination. Given the great start that Tim is off to in his efforts to become the first elected Green MPP here in Ontario, we are confident that he will carry the power of one (backed by many, of course) all the way to Queen’s Park.
If you would like to get involved in Tim’s campaign, you can sign up online here, or visit his campaign office at 85 Harbord Street, just west of Spadina. If you live outside of Trinity-Spadina and would like to volunteer for the candidate in your riding, you can find them listed on the Green Party of Ontario website here.
Stay tuned for more news and events as we lead up to the provincial election on October 6th!
Youth focus groups with Trinity-Spadina GPO
The following comes courtesy of Tim Grant, the provincial Green Party candidate for Trinity Spadina:
Share your views: the food is on us!
If you are 18-30, and care about your future, the environment and/or politics in Ontario, we’d love to hear from you. Tim Grant is is the Green Party candidate in this riding of Trinity-Spadina for the October 6th provincial election. He wants to make sure he knows what’s important to you. As a small token of thanks, beverages and a meal will be provided to all those who can participate in a two hour discussion at any one of the times listed below.
If this interests you, please contact Tim at tim@greenteacher.com or 416-960-1244 to let him which of the following two times work for you:
Sunday May 29, 4-6 p.m.
Sunday May 29, 7:30-9:30 p.m
Once again, the purpose of these meetings is to get your input. It is NOT to promote the Green party’s platform. Instead, it is your candid comments that we are seeking.
Thanks for considering this invitation. The meetings will be held at locations near Bloor and Spadina.
We will look forward to hearing from you.
Tim Grant, www.tsgpo.ca
Green Party of Ontario candidate, Trinity-Spadina
95 Robert Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 2K5, (416) 960-1244
tim@greenteacher.com
This is your chance to express any thoughts, comments, suggestions, and frustrations with government in general to people who are highly interested in what you have to say – check it out!
Election 2011: Employment and Education Initiative for Youth
“Surely all the parties can agree that providing employment and education for youth need to be a priority. Recessions hit youth the hardest. They are continually caught in a cycle of not yet having the skills or experience to be competitive but not being able to gain these skills and experience without a job. It is a critical phase of their lives and it is a worthwhile investment to create a generation that is fully participating and contributing both economically and socially.”
- Green Party of Canada Leader Elizabeth May
To kick off the 41st federal election, the Green Party is proposing an important idea or initiative that they believe all parties can find common ground on for every day of the first week of the campaign. The first big proposal is to create nation-wide employment and education initiative for youth.
Check out Elizabeth’s video statement here and the press release here, and spread the word about Green views on youth employment!
