[fvc-wat-disc] Fwd: Fair Vote Toronto: New Projects, People, and Priorities

[Cathy Scott]

Hi, All,
I am forwarding John Bauman's response to our request to attend the Toronto
chapter's webinar on Sept.16.  He sent the recent chapter newsletter, which
has a link to the webinar.  Note that there is also a link to their
workshop on writing letters to the editor, which is happening tonight.
Cathy

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: John Baumann <johnbaumann55 at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Aug 27, 2020 at 3:53 PM
Subject: Fwd: Fair Vote Toronto: New Projects, People, and Priorities
To: <cathy.scottfree at gmail.com>




---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Fair Vote Toronto <toronto at fairvote.ca>
Date: Tue, Aug 18, 2020 at 4:38 PM
Subject: Fair Vote Toronto: New Projects, People, and Priorities
To: John Baumann <johnbaumann55 at gmail.com>


Proportional Representation in a Pandemic

Here’s to the essential workers that have helped us survive the past five
months! The brave health care professionals, the underpaid grocery clerks,
the harried civil servants, and...the politicians? Yes, in fact.
Governments have been “essential workers” too. Our elected representatives
have shown more resolve and cooperation than usual in steering us through
this pandemic. But what’s next? Well, other critical issues have waited
years for this kind of urgent attention, and are still waiting.


People calling for a #GreenNewDeal
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225432&qid=16043385>,
a #JustRecovery
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225433&qid=16043385>,
to #BuildBackBetter
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225434&qid=16043385>
and #BetterThanNormal
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225435&qid=16043385>
- to name but a few - are joining with #BlackLivesMatter
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225436&qid=16043385>
and #Indigenous movements
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225437&qid=16043385>
to demand real change. Our message is simple: that lasting improvements
require more democracy, more diverse voices at the table. This requires
proportional representation.
What PR can do for you, AND what you can do for PR!

The nine members of our Fair Vote Toronto Action Team have been busy these
recent months making plans to build our grassroots movement here in
Toronto. We’ll be sending more regular newsletters, improving our presence
on social media, hosting webinars, writing letters, and lobbying
politicians.


Last month we held our first two Virtual Volunteer Rendezvous to welcome
new members. Twenty five volunteers attended, and many have joined our
virtual workspace to begin working together on projects. We look forward to
holding another rendezvous in September!


Writing letters-to-the-editor is one of our key strategies for placing PR
in the media. If you have time to write an occasional letter, join our
writer's group! Our first Letter Writing Workshop is next Thursday, August
27th at 7pm
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225438&qid=16043385>
.


We’re also excited to announce our first in a series of monthly webinars on
Wednesday, September 16th. The guest speaker will be Dennis Pilon, an
Associate Professor of Politics at York University in Toronto,
presenting “Friends
and Enemies: Who Wants Proportional Representation in Canada and Who Does
Not. And Why."
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225439&qid=16043385>


Our activities can only grow as our volunteers do, so we hope that you’ll
join us!
Congratulations!

Two members of our Fair Vote Toronto Action Team, John Baumann and Michelle
Clifford, have just been elected to the National Council
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225440&qid=16043385>
of Fair Vote Canada!

John and Michelle aim to build stronger links between the local and
national organizations, and are working with team members of both groups to
develop new ideas and projects to bring PR to Toronto, Ontario and Canada!
Congrats to both of them and thank you to everyone who voted!

Our electoral system was undemocratic from the very start. A History of the
Vote in Canada
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225441&qid=16043385>
states that voting rights established by the 1885 Electoral Franchise Act
depended on “being male, having reached the age of 21, and being a British
subject”. In most provinces, you also needed to own property or money. In
other words, voting was for a privileged few. By design, women, immigrants,
working-class and Indigenous people were excluded.

*Fair Vote Toronto*

Unsubscribe
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/en/index.php?q=civicrm/mailing/optout&reset=1&jid=34408&qid=16043385&h=7f11ce2e5677ef40>

  [image: Facebook]
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225442&qid=16043385>
  [image: Twitter]
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225443&qid=16043385>
  [image: Web]
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225444&qid=16043385>
  [image: Instagram]
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225445&qid=16043385>
  [image: Youtube]
<https://secure.fairvote.ca/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=225446&qid=16043385>


-- 
John
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.thinkers.org/pipermail/fvc-wat-disc_listserv.thinkers.org/attachments/20200827/5aebd259/attachment-0001.htm>