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Happy New Year to all Fair Voters!<BR>
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While there was not much activity for our chapter in 2009, the Fair Vote Canada office continues to work on all aspects of Electoral Reform. Working in conjunction with Vote Toronto, there was a major electoral<BR>reform victory in Toronto in December, when the Toronto city council voted to ban corporate and union campaign contributions. <BR>
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Fair Vote Canada is planning an informal followup meeting with Vote Toronto to discuss how to further advance this and possibly other campaign finance reforms for all municipal and provincial elections in Ontario. Queen’s Park is now surrounded on this issue – the ban is in<BR>place federally, to the west in Manitoba, to the east in Quebec, and now in the province’s largest city. More info on "Funding City Politics" can be found at <A href="http://votetoronto.ca/">http://votetoronto.ca/</A><BR>
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There have been a few changes on the FVC Waterloo Regional Chapter executive: In November Neil Dietrich stepped down as Co-Chair due to work committments. In his place Member-at-Large Shannon Adshade took up<BR>the Co-Chair position for the remainder of the term. Elections for the Chapter executive will take place again in April or May. Nominations can be made at any time; if you're interested it's OK to nominate yourself.<BR>
<BR>The Internet has come to FVC-WRC: We now have Identi.ca and Twitter accounts, <A href="http://identi.ca/fairvotewrc">http://identi.ca/fairvotewrc</A> and<BR><A href="http://twitter.com/fairvotewrc">http://twitter.com/fairvotewrc</A> Links to news and opinions are posted every week or so; follow fairvotewrc to get the latest. And FVC-WRC has come to the Internet: We also have a Facebook page:<BR>
<A href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fair-Vote-Canada-Waterloo-Region-Chapter/272005040345">http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fair-Vote-Canada-Waterloo-Region-Chapter/272005040345</A><BR>
<BR>Finally, if you have not yet signed the Declaration of Voter's Rights you can do so at <A href="http://www.fairvote.ca/en/declaration-of-voters-rights">http://www.fairvote.ca/en/declaration-of-voters-rights</A><BR>
<BR>Happy New Year from the Fair Vote Canada Waterloo Region Chapter!<BR>
* Anita Nickerson — Co-Chair<BR> * Shannon Adshade — Co-Chair<BR> * Bob Jonkman — Secretary<BR> * Angela Yenssen — Treasurer<BR> * Donna Reid — Member at Large<BR>
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