Greetings
The transition from one year to the next is a good time for reflection, gratitude and sharing. We Greens in Saanich-Gulf Islands have much to look back on with quiet satisfaction, and we look forward to sharing the delights and challenges that 2024 is sure to bring. We give you our best wishes for the season and a bright New Year.
Notes from Elizabeth
Hi all, and a small addition to this SGI newsletter. Pretty blunt but honesty is the best policy. Our Executive Director has set a fundraising target of $600,000 for December. This is about $100,000 more than we raised in December 2022. The target is not wishful thinking, but is absolutely needed to ensure we finish the year without a deficit.
If you are like me, you have likely donated a bit here and there already. I am a monthly donor and then give at events, and I am never quite sure if there is any more “room” to donate a bit more.
The legal upper limit for 2023 is $1700. so if you know you have given $1000, you have room to send $700 more before December 31st.
Please send me an email if you want to verify how much room you have to “top up” to the maximum. I really do need the help to be ready for the next election. JP and I are planning a cross country tour this spring, promoting Green solutions to the climate crisis, the challenges around affordability, to peace and justice.. So I am counting on ending 2023 in the black so 2024 can be GREEN!
Many thanks!
Love,
Elizabeth
PS: Our non-partisan community meetings have been scheduled in January. Please see the attached poster for details, and I really hope to see you there!!
SGI Greens Electoral District Association Report
We had another lively year in 2023 here in Saanich and the Gulf Islands!
Several activities raised the profile of the Green Party in the community:
- “Fracking the Peace” – We showed this informative film at the Star Cinema on Earth Day, followed by a panel discussion chaired by MLA Adam Olsen.
- Volunteers on Salt Spring Island organized a display about sustainability for Earth Day.
- Student Scholarships – Students in seven schools were awarded for their green work.
- Old Growth March – We showed our support along with several other groups.
- Saanich Fall Fair – Our booth alongside the BC Greens booth attracted supporters and enabled discussions with our MP, Elizabeth May.
We also enjoyed some good times specifically for party members:
- The SGI Summer Picnic in July was well attended on a lovely day.
- The Green Party of Canada 40th Birthday Bash in November included co-founder Dr. Trevor Hancock’s humorous reminiscing, a rousing speech by Elizabeth May, foot-stomping good music by Bob Bossin and Calvin Cairns, and a fundraising “Dutch Auction” that raised over $30,000!
And we took care of business:
- At the Annual General Meeting in October we gave thanks to Dan Kells, our CEO for the last 3 years, as well as Mona Donovan and Pieta VanDyke for their service on our Executive Committee. We also voted in three new Executive Committee members: Jim Deas, Debra Kelly, and Shelagh Levey.
- At its first meeting in November, the new Executive Committee chose Tom Niemann as your new CEO and began thinking about how to work effectively in the year ahead.
- Nominations were opened for our Candidate in the next election. Elizabeth May expressed her ongoing interest and was confirmed as our Candidate by a vote of the members attending the AGM.
- A year ago, in December, the SGI EDA transferred $80,000 to the national office of the Green Party of Canada to help it overcome its financial difficulties of the last few years. This was a carefully considered decision rooted in the firm belief that the SGI EDA can only be effective if we also have a strong national Party.
- At our AGM in October, Kevin Dunbar, the national Executive Director assured us that the Green Party has indeed turned the corner on organizational issues and, while much remains to be done, the focus will increasingly be on increasing the profile and membership of the Party.
- The SGI EDA is in a strong financial position with over $120,000 in the bank. We are ready.
Are you ready? Canada’s wildfires in 2023 provided a stark reminder that we have work to do! The Green Party has consistently raised the need to address climate change, and promoted change on several social justice issues. Will you join us in taking action where it is needed?
Many people are talking about “dark times” globally and even “despair” in the face of multiple overlapping crises. This is understandable, but not particularly helpful. Action is the best antidote – the adage that “Hope is an active verb” challenges us. Whatever your concerns, you will feel better if you take action and work with others to address them.
That is what the Greens are all about – volunteers that collectively create a vision of a better world and set about to make it happen. “We can do this!”
I sincerely hope that you will engage with your new Executive Committee, as we seek to engage with you. Together we can make 2024 a memorable year and feel better about this wonderful planet we call home.
Tom Niemann
CEO & Secretary
Your Donations to Saanich-Gulf Islands Greens and the Green Party of Canada
Your generosity supports the Green Party of Canada in making progress on the climate emergency and social justice issues. Any amount you wish to give is greatly appreciated. We couldn’t do our work without you.
Donating to Saanich-Gulf Islands Greens is easy with a credit card online here. You will receive a generous tax credit of 75% on donations up to $400 (so a $400 donation costs you only $100 after tax). To view all tax credit percentages, please read our FAQs page.
You may be wondering:
- Are there other ways to donate? (Yes)
- Can I set up automatic monthly payments? (Yes)
- Is there a limit to how much I can donate? (Yes)
- Can I donate to both SGI and the national Green Party? (Yes)
- What will be my tax credit? (You can calculate it or use the table in our FAQs.)
- When is my tax receipt mailed? (In February)
- Should partners take care to maximize their donations? (Yes)
- How are donations used? (With care and gratitude)
More complete answers to these and other Frequently Asked Questions are on the SGI website.
PLEASE NOTE: Making a donation does NOT automatically make you a member of the Green Party of Canada. You must fill in the membership request when you donate online to SGI, or use the following online form, or complete and return this paper form. If you wish to check your membership status, log in here (or create a login) or email saanichgulfislands@greenparty.ca and ask us.
BC Greens News and Events
There are four local BC ridings within or near the federal electoral boundaries of SGI: Saanich North and the Islands, Saanich South, Oak Bay-Gordon Head and Victoria-Swan Lake. All four have nominated candidates in place for the upcoming provincial election in 2024! Some riding names and boundaries will change for the next election, and they can be viewed here. Currently scheduled for October 19th but possible at any point in 2024, the next election promises to be an important one with several opportunities to elect more Greens to the BC Legislature.
Key issues related to housing, health care, affordability, and of course the climate emergency have generated numerous speeches and hard work from Adam Olsen and Sonia Furstenau in the BC Legislature. They have definitely made an impact, and more Greens will only amplify these crucial messages and further their ability to make a real difference.
This link will lead you to the local candidates’s websites (and others), including their bios, volunteer and donation information. All interest, enthusiasm and financial gifts are received with gratitude. The four local candidates in the SGI area are:
Adam Olsen MLA, Saanich North and the Islands
Ned Taylor, Saanich South
Dr. Lisa Gunderson, Oak Bay-Gordon Head
Christina Winter, Victoria-Swan Lake
Saanich North and the Islands: January 2024 – Stay tuned for the next Voices of Saanich & the Islands – on housing! If you live in the riding but don’t receive our local emails about events such as this – please email san@bcgreens.ca to get connected.
Seasons greetings and all the best for 2024 from your local BC Greens!
Book Corner
Both books this month are novels about wealth. One is escapist reading, and the other is challenging.
PINEAPPLE STREET, by Jenny Jackson.
Some time ago, the New York Times wrote an article about the new phenomenon of progressive millennials giving away their trust funds. Aware of the inequities in society and embarrassed by how their families have accumulated extreme wealth, they seek to divest their wealth for constructive social and global impact.
Drawing from the New York Times article Jenny Jackson, a well regarded publishing executive, wrote Pineapple Street, a novel about an ultra rich family in Brooklyn. It opens a window into the daily lives of the one-percenters who educate their offspring to protect the ‘old money’ that has passed from generation to generation. It is not literature, but I have to admit I found it an enjoyable, entertaining, and witty read.
TRUST, by Hernan Diaz
If you want a more serious book I would recommend Trust by Hernan Diaz. It is a complicated novel that is also about the accumulation of wealth.
In the early twentieth century, a fictional financial investor actually benefited from the downturn in the market and the crash of 1929. The novel is based on power, how it is gained and how it is maintained. The socially inept protagonist is married to an introvert who is also a brilliant investor, but not given credit for it by her husband. It is a multi-layered book that examines truth as well as the disparities in society.
Shelagh
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Questions? Comments? Feedback?