Gordon Head Rec Centre, Bert Richman Pavilion (Red Barn near rec centre off Feltham)

Sunday May 6th
1:30 pm: Registration
2:00 pm: AGM (committee reports and election of new Executive)
3:00 pm: Mix & Mingle Social (stay and chat with fellow members)

With Guest Speaker Carole James, MLA
Our buddy MLA Rob Fleming will chair the elections

All elected Executive positions are available.

We look forward to seeing you!

  ]]> http://www.obghnewdemocrats.ca/2012/04/28/oak-bay-gordon-head-annual-general-meeting/feed/ 0 http://www.obghnewdemocrats.ca/2012/03/13/obgh-march-newsletter/ http://www.obghnewdemocrats.ca/2012/03/13/obgh-march-newsletter/#comments Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:13:44 +0000 content http://obghnewdemocrats.ca/?p=158  

Dear Constituents,

Since I was nominated to be your NDP candidate for Oak Bay Gordon Head in the next provincial election I have been busy attending meetings and rallies, and knocking on doors in our constituency.  As well, I joined the rainy but lively and very well organized annual Chinese New Year parade.  Thank you to the Chinese community for their warm hospitality!

Post-secondary education must be more affordable
In early February I spoke in opposition to the crushing burden of student debt at the student rally at Camosun College.  Students in B.C. have the highest student loan interest rate in the country, on top of rising tuition and an average student debt load of $27,000.  It is clear that many students are discouraged from even beginning a program because of the prospect of carrying so much debt.

We need to encourage students and reduce barriers to post-secondary education.  Adrian Dix and the New Democrats have promised to reinstate needs-based student grants – eliminated by the Liberals in 2004 – to improve accessibility, support young people and build a more prosperous economic future.

Helping out at the Community Services Fair
Recently I volunteered to help out at the Services Fair at Monterey Centre and met many wonderful people who provide an enormous range of services to the Oak Bay and Victoria community.

Hosted by Victoria NDP MP Denise Savoie, many community organizations were in attendance such as Oak Bay Sea Rescue, Oak Bay Volunteer Services, the Community Association of Oak Bay, CRD water staff, the Rotary Club, UVic Continuing Education and the Mary Manning Centre which provides child abuse counselling services.  I had a wonderful day and learned a great deal!

Addressing environmental concerns
I have been out door-knocking in Gordon Head these last few weeks, and enjoying the opportunity to meet my fellow constituents.  There is no question that many of you share my concern about environmental issues, such as the proposed Enbridge pipeline and the threat that tankers pose to our fragile shoreline.  And I am discovering there is strong support of Adrian Dix’s decision to use the Carbon Tax money to strengthen BC’s transit services.

Health Care and Seniors
Health care comes up on our doorsteps often, and people are particularly concerned for our seniors.  Many are caring for a loved one at home and although they rarely complain, the wear and tear on the caregivers is evident.

Creating stronger supports for carers and spouses is a critical issue. I attended a recent meeting of the South Island Health Coalition and was brought up to speed on their responses to the Ombudsperson’s Report on Seniors.  The need for meaningful action on seniors is urgent.

Looking ahead
There are community events and wonderful theatre, music and sports events to attend at the schools, college and university in Oak Bay Gordon Head.  Please let me know if you have an event you’d like me to attend and I’ll be delighted to join you!

Finally, I will continue walking through the neighbourhoods of Oak Bay Gordon Head, door-knocking several times a week.  It is great to meet citizens personally and hear your thoughts on public policies

If you’d like to volunteer to join me for a couple of canvassing shifts, please contact me.  All you need is warm feet, comfy shoes and the ability to walk up and down many streets and a few stairs.  Oh yes, and a smile.

Many have volunteered to get involved with our Constituency Association, and the timing for this is excellent, because the more people who are up to speed before the election, the better!  Don’t hesitate to call – hosting a coffee party or helping out a few hours a month is a big contribution.

Sincerely,

Jessica Van der Veen

Community Events

Join Oak Bay Gordon Head New Democrats in the Times Colonist 10K
Run or walk with us in the Times Colonist 10K. Mark Sunday, April 29th in your calendar and join fellow Oak Bay Gordon Head NDP members for a morning of fresh air and exercise. We’d love the company of other members – especially those wearing orange!

Meeting place: Legislature Lawn in front of building by the East entrance driveway. Look for our banner.
Date: Sunday, April 29, 2012
Time: 7:45 am sharp for the 8 am start.
To Register: http://www.tc10k.ca/registration

Get involved in your constituency. Come out to the Oak bay Gordon Head AGM
Date: Sunday, May 6
Time: 1 pm
Location: Bert Richmond Pavilion at the Gordon Head Rec Centre
4100 Lambrick Way

Update on NDP MLAs in the legislature

The focus in the legislature at the moment is debating the BC Liberals’ legislation forcing BC teachers back to work and the 2012 budget.

Debate on teachers back-to-work legislation
The back-to-work legislation, Bill 22, makes things worse for students, parents and teachers. It increases class size, weakens protections for special needs students and hurts the quality of the education our children receive.

The two parties asked for the help of a mediator – and the Liberals rejected this. Instead, they chose to impose legislation that will hurt students and parents and further alienate teachers. Instead Bill 22 imposes a contract on teachers. It does not fix the problems created by the Liberals’ illegal contract stripping in 2002.

The NDP will be voting against Bill 22. Our MLAs will put forward amendments to improve education for students, and they will raise their concerns and hold the Liberals to account.

Budget 2012 Not Families First
New Democrat leader Adrian Dix and finance critic Bruce Ralston said the budget showed just more of the same from a tired Liberal government. Premier Christy Clark’s claims that she represents change for the Liberals proved empty as her first budget set a course of continuing down the Liberal path of hurting working families and the middle class.

New Democrats were looking for investments in education and training, in our forest resource, in our justice system, and in reversing growing inequality. Instead, we saw a tax increase, in the form of Medical Service Plan premiums, that disproportionately affects middle income families and a public asset fire sale in the Liberals’ cynical attempt to claim a balanced budget going into next year’s election.

Minding the Gap
The government issued a report recently showing that British Columbia ranked “dead last” among the provinces in disparity between the highest and lowest income earners. New Democrat leader Adrian Dix has stressed the importance of fighting inequality, saying it hurts our society and it hurts our economy, and the economic policies of the Liberals are making it worse in B.C.

Supporting our Forest Industry
The New Democrat Forestry Committee began a tour of the province recently, with stops on Vancouver Island. The beginning of the tour came on the heels of the recent Auditor General’s report on forest health, which was extremely critical of the BC Liberal government. The report and others point out that the Liberals don’t have long-term objectives for the forest industry and don’t know the true state of the forested land base.

Despite increased levels of cutting over the past decade – due in part to the outbreak of the pine beetle in the Interior – tree planting has actually declined. A healthy forest industry cannot survive without a healthy forest.

MLAs Norm Macdonald, Bill Routley, Claire Trevena and Harry Lali will be meeting with industry, labour, local government representatives and other stakeholders to discuss what is needed to reduce raw log exports and create a forest strategy that respects First Nations, environmental and local needs and ensures that B.C. resources create jobs in BC.

http://www.jessicavanderveen.bcndp.ca/home

Our luncheon will be held once again at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre on Bee Street, and will take place on Dec 18th from 12:30pm to 2:30 pm.  Please join us for what promises to be a wonderful and festive occasion.  (Possible details to come re: special guest) Tickets are $25 and they always sell quickly, so if you plan to attend, please call Jamie Dopp at 250-598-1524 to reserve yours.  I look forward to seeing you there.

The meeting closed with great camaraderie as friends lingered, enjoying the spirit and atmosphere of such a positive event.  Special thanks to President Keith Todd and his wife Jennifer for the outstanding flowers!

OBGH Executive

Sunday, October 2, at 2 pm, upstairs at the Oak Bay Rec Centre, 1975 Bee Street, Oak Bay

Do you have a resolution you’d like to have considered at the provincial NDP convention in December?

Would you like to be a delegate to the convention?

Then come join other Oak Bay–Gordon Head New Democrats at a meeting to select local delegates and debate potential resolutions for the 2011 provincial convention of the BC NDP.

Provincial convention will take place in Vancouver from December 9–11, 2011.

For more information, please call Keith Todd at 250 598-8039 or check out http://obghnewdemocrats.ca/.  See you October 2!

­— Your Oak Bay–Gordon Head Constituency Executive

***********************************************

*********Ps.  We will also be voting to approve the attached set of by-laws for use in the future by OBGH NDP.*******

IMPORTANT DATES (Bracketed text refers to BC NDP Constitution)

September 9, 2011 Formal Convention Call (Article 10.04)

September 9, 2011 Delegate entitlement calculated (Article 10.11)

September 16, 2011 Delegate entitlement distributed

September 26, 2011 Honorary Lifetime Member nomination deadline

October 2^nd, 2011 Delegate Selection and Resolutions meeting.

October 10, 2011 Deadline for submission of resolutions (Article 10.06)

November 7, 2011 Early Bird Registration Deadline

If you have any questions regarding Convention, please email convention@bcndp.ca.

Everyone is welcome – feel free to invite friends and family, whether they are NDP members or not, as it promises to be an exciting evening and a great opportunity to meet New Democrats from all over the South Island.

Whether an election is held this fall, or next spring, or even in 2013, we must be ready! Join us to launch our campaign on a positive NDP platform and elect an NDP MLA in Oak Bay Gordon Head!

Potential candidates must file paperwork by Tuesday, August 2nd at 5 pm.  For more information on this, please contact Election Planning Committee chair Terry Wickstrom at 250-595-5450 or by email twickstr@shaw.ca. In order to be eligible to vote at the meeting, you must be a member in good standing for at least 90 days prior to the meeting.

We hope you can join us as we nominate our candidate and work towards defeating the BC Liberals in the next election!

A of couple dates I would like you to put aside are Sunday June 12 for our Annual General Meeting. We will be at the Gordon Head Recreation Center, Bert Richman Pavilion 2 to 4, hope to see you there. If you are interested in joining the Executive that would be the time, contact Michael Hayes Executive search committee chair at mhayes1@shaw.ca, guest speaker will be Rob Fleming, MLA, Victoria-Swan Lake.

As well on Sunday July 10 please join the Executive and myself for a BQ at the annual Presidents Open House 3236 Carman Street between 2 to 5 rain or shine and I know it will shine.

The push is on for us here in OBGH to hold a nomination meeting. Our Election Planning Committee is seeking out potential candidates for our riding if interested or you know someone who is please contact us. One of the requirements from Provincial Office is a minimum of $10,000 we are close to the goal and your contributions have/will help us reach that requirement.

Winning back OBGH is critical to the NDP to form Government to do so we will need your help in so many ways; if you would like to volunteer in any way please contact us for more information.

Of course a winning campaign is going to require the funds to do so. I thank you for your contributions. We will all be part of taking OBGH back if you are not a PAC member I encourage you to do so as this helps with budget planning.

We are a strong riding with a membership of over 500 members. But no need to stop there! Talk to your neighbors talk to your colleagues together we can hit the 1000 mark!!

Keith Todd

President Oak Bay Gordon Head New Democrats