Thanks for your support

UPDATE  (April 11) • Good news, in regards to this story.  The National Council of Fair Vote Canada has voted to reinstate Desmond Cole and Katherine Skene on the Toronto Chapter Executive. Also, they have accepted the nominations (previously rejected) for National Council, for Sarah Lambert, Gautam Lamba, and others.

There is also now a comprehensive agreement in place that allows both RaBIT and Fair Vote to work collaboratively. (Details to come shortly…)

I want to personally thank Jim Harris who has been working tirelessly to forge a consensus and encourage a healthy dialogue and required compromise on all sides. He is truly a master of mediation.

As someone who is a committed volunteer for both RaBIT and Fair Vote, I’m thrilled to see everyone on the same page. Thanks Jim, and also thanks to our Executive Director, Wayne Smith. And thanks to all members of National Council who supported this positive step forward.

Now, let’s get to work. If you support proportional representation, and you’re not a member of Fair Vote… join today! It’s only $10:

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Original post:

A couple of weeks ago, three members of Fair Vote Canada were expelled from their elected positions on the Toronto Chapter Executive (myself, Desmond Cole and Katherine Skene).  One week later, three members were told that their nominations for the Fair Vote National Council had been rejected (Sarah Lambert, Gautam Lamba and Katherine) – simply because they had volunteered with an external group.

I’ve been involved with community organising for 15 years.  I’ve volunteered for dozens of groups in Toronto, I’ve been employed by about 15 non-profits, I’ve served as a Director on boards such as the Mayworks Arts Festival, and I’ve been a member of two political parties.  I’ve seen my share of conflict.  But in all that time, I can say that I’ve never experienced this kind of exclusionary, top-down, anti-democratic behaviour.  It’s stunning, and the worst part is that it’s happening within an organisation called “Fair Vote”.

Attack of the Three-Storey Podium!

Have you ever wondered how your neighbourhood would look with a brand new three-storey podium?  I have.  I think it would look really weird.  I have serious concerns about the practicality of such a podium, the inevitable noise pollution, and the lack of integration with the surrounding architecture – not to mention a complete lack of retail space.

City Hall: Now Welcoming Women

About a year ago, I wrote a blog post about the lack of gender balance at City Hall.  I included a group photo of City Council’s Committee Chairs:

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Yes, they’re all men.

But, since that blog post, things have changed at City Hall.  As of this month, there will now be one female Committee Chair at City Hall.  Jaye Robinson has been appointed chair of the Community Development and Recreation Committee, bringing the number of female Chairs on the Executive Committee up from 0% to 14%.

In honour of this breakthrough, I thought I’d reappropriate a recent (odd) marketing campaign from Mark’s Work Warehouse and design our own ad for Toronto:

click for full-size image

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PS: If you’re interested in boosting representation at City Hall, here are some groups working on democratic renewal and political accessibility:

 

All the Council Ladies • Gender at City Hall

In 2010, forty Torontonians ran for mayor.  The media selected six candidates as frontrunners, and only one of them was a woman.  By election day, Sarah Thomson had dropped out of the race, along with Rocco Rossi and Giorgio Mammoliti.  The remaining frontrunners were all men.

Sadly, this isn’t surprising in a political world where the last three leaders of our three levels of governments have the following names: Stephen, Paul, Jean, Dalton, Ernie, Mike, Rob, David & Mel.

Let’s get City Hall online • Recommendation # 35

(The Fourth Wall exhibit has 36 recommendations.  Over the next few weeks, I’ll highlight a few of them….)

Recommendation # 35: Free and open Wi-fi should be immediately installed at City Hall and all Civic Centres.

Location, location, location!! Strategic Placement of LED Bilboards

I’ve written a couple of of blog posts recently that are critical of the Monster LED Billboards that have been proposed for Toronto’s highways and residential neighbourhoods.

I don’t like to always be negative, so I’m going to write something positive today:

(annual re-post) Black Sheep of the White Nights

I’m excited about Nuit Blanche tonight.  It’s a really fun concept, and that’s why so many cities around the world have duplicated the dusk-to-dawn festival.  There many different names for it, like “La Noche En Blanco” or “Balta Nakts”, but they all have one thing in common:  None of these cities have named their arts festival after a corporate sponsor.  Oh, except Toronto.

STAR: Why fair debates matter in Ontario

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This is an op-ed I wrote for the Toronto Star.  Read the original version here.
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As a teenager, I would occasionally become enthralled by televised sports. I wasn’t particularly interested in wrestling matches or hockey playoffs, but my eyes would be glued to the screen for hours as I watched a true blood sport: elections.

I remember watching poll results late into the evening with my father and I recall being particularly fascinated by leadership conventions. It was amazing to me that political control was decided not in a backroom, but live on TV.

During one of those conventions I became so impressed with a particular candidate that I pinned his election sign to my bedroom wall, hanging between posters of Pink Floyd and Def Leppard.

I tend to lean to the left side of the political spectrum but this election sign did not belong to Broadbent, Clinton or Rae. My political hero was Garth Turner, a leadership candidate for the Tories in 1993 – my last year of high school.

Mike at the Mic: Seeking true democrats

Over the next couple of months, you’re going to hear a lot about what is different between Ontario’s major parties.  In this blog post, I’d like to introduce you to something that many Tories, Liberals and New Democrats actually agree on: fair debates.

There aren’t many things that could bring together such a disparate crew of politically-minded Ontarians.  But in the spirit of democracy and respect for voters, there are many voices who are standing up and saying that the Green Party of Ontario should be included in the provincial Leaders’ Debates.

So, I’m launching a non-partisan Facebook group called “Mike at the Mic”, where people of all political stripes can express support for Mike Schreiner‘s full participation alongside Dalton McGuinty, Andrea Horwarth and Tim Hudak.

I’ve drafted a statement that people can sign on to.

Dissecting Mayor Ford’s Jarvis letter

Hundreds of cyclists, concerned about their personal safety, have been  e-mailing their Councillors and the Mayor about the looming removal of bike lanes on Jarvis Street.  The Mayor’s office is responding to each message, with a form letter explaining his position. While the Mayor deserves credit for being responsive, most of the information in the letter is questionable and perhaps misleading. Let’s take a look: