University of Toronto Greens

blogUT Featured Club

U of T Greens — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:05:10 +0000

blogUT featured U of T Greens as a campus club on their website recently. Check it out here.

Let’s Get Political

U of T Greens — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:43:26 +0000

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

U of T Greens — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 17:25:49 +0000

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

U of T Greens — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:51:56 +0000

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

U of T Greens — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:31:51 +0000

“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!

GPO: Mark Daye elected as candidate for Toronto Centre

U of T Greens — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 02:15:16 +0000

U of T Greens attended a candidate election meeting on March 5th at the 519 Church Community Centre, for the riding of Toronto Centre. Mark Daye was unanimously elected and will be running in the upcoming provincial election – check out his acceptance speech here.

As Daye notes in his speech, “From sustainability to social justice, diversity, gender equality, non-violence, and community-based economics, the Green Party of Ontario offers practical solutions to the challenges facing all Ontarians today. The Green Party stands for comprehensive energy solutions, and smart affordable public transportation while taking responsibility for ourselves, our province, and our world.”

You can read more about Green Party of Ontario (GPO) on their website. Support Green policies and vote Mark Daye on October 6th, 2011!

U of T Greens leader Kara Naklicki and Toronto Centre provincial candidate Mark Daye

Mark Daye and his campaign team

Join the phone mob! Tell Stephen Harper to quit giving $1.4 billion to oil companies every year

U of T Greens — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:57:09 +0000

U of T Greens supports The Canadian Youth Climate Coalition, the Canadian Federation of Students and the Climate Action Network Canada in their phone mob campaign to reduce oil subsidies and reduce student debt.

To join in, follow their four-step plan below:

✔ STEP ONE

Watch this eye-opening video and read the action alert below.

✔ STEP TWO

Forward the video to your friends / invite them to this Facebook event.

✔ STEP THREE

Join thousands of students in calling Prime Minister Harper today at (613) 992-4211, or call 1.866.599.4999 and ask to be transfered to the Prime Minister’s office – let him know that we have better things to do with $1.4 billion than giving it to the wealthiest oil companies on the planet.

✔ STEP FOUR

After you call the PM, post on the event wall and share what you said!

ACTION ALERT:

Did you know that each and every year, the Canadian federal government gives away over $1.4 billion in subsidies to oil companies like Suncor and Shell? That is $1.4 billion a year that is not going towards creating good, green jobs – it is another dollar taken out of public services like health care and education, and another dollar that isn’t going into making post-secondary education affordable. In fact, $1.4 billion could pay off two-thirds of all students’ loans taken out last year.

In 2009, our government pledged to end these oil subsidies. Unfortunately, they seem to have forgotten that promise. Help us remind the Prime Minister about his pledge today. On March 3rd and March 4th join thousands of students from across Canada to call Stephen Harper’s office at (613) 992-4211, or call 1.866.599.4999 and ask to be transferred to the PMO – let him know that we have better things to do with $1.4 billion than give it to oil companies!

Do you have your own student debt? When you give Harper a call, let him know how much, and then let him know why you would rather see $1.4 billion dollars a year going towards accessible education. The federal budget comes out on March 22. Let’s make sure that the right people are getting funding, because who needs money more, students or oil executives?

Climate Change Conference 2010, Aug 13-15

U of T Greens — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 06:17:27 +0000

U of T Greens is proud to be a sponsor of Climate Change Conference 2010, a non-partisan, non-profit event open to all.

Spaces are limited, so you should register now.

Want to take an unflinching look at the world’s climate challenges as explained by climate scientists? Find out about the boldest initiatives to meet our emissions targets. Hear the latest directions in global negotiations. Explore some ethically challenging solutions with potentially extreme side effects.

Climate Change Conference 2010 is three full days (August 13-15) of climate challenges, questions and solutions, with no spin and no sugar-coating.

Our Friday night reception outlining The Challenges features Bill McKibben, Andrew Weaver and Elizabeth May.

The Friday afternoon forum, Across Borders and Generations, is youth-oriented and free to all.

Saturday evening’s panel on Working Together is devoted to bridging divides between various groups working on the issue.

And throughout Saturday and Sunday, we’ll have scientists and experts speaking on specific challenges, impacts, and solutions.

Climate Change Conference 2010 is presented jointly by University of Toronto Greens and the Toronto-Danforth Federal Green Party. The conference is non-profit, non-partisan and open to all.

UTM/TV Political PSA

U of T Greens — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 02:19:31 +0000

The U of T Green Party, along with UTM/TV and the UTM Conservatives, Liberals and NDP present this important message to get involved in politics, both on campus and off campus.

Toronto Centre Byelection Meet-and-Greet

U of T Greens — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 06:57:18 +0000

Hope you’ve all enjoyed your first few weeks of spring term.
We have a very exciting event coming up on Monday, February 1st that
you should all attend!

Victoria College will be hosting an informal meet-and-greet with the
Toronto Centre by-election candidates. Event details as follows:

Monday February 1st at 7 pm
Alumni Hall, Victoria College Building.
The Green candidate, Stefan Premdas, and his campaign has confirmed
that he will be able to attend.