Canadian Democracy

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/canada-watches-its-democracy-erode/story-e6frg6ux-1226030310248

This is what Australians are reading about Canadian politics.

Liberals are disguising job cuts

Dwight Duncan is privatizing ServiceOntario. The only way this saves money is by slashing wages and benefits for those who work there. This is not fiscal responsability, this is passing the buck - the Liberals will not have to take responsability for the lower quality jobs this creates.

Twitter

I will be tweeting euring the election season (which will be the rest of the year by the looks of it). You can follow me @jaywstapleton

Seeking the Nomination for Thunder Bay - Superior North

My name is Jay Stapleton, and I want to represent the NDP in the next Ontario election.

Having recently been approved by the party as a candidate for the provincial nomination, I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself, and let you know a bit about my background before the nomination meeting. If there's any further information you would like, or if you have any comments, please email me back, or call me at 629-2412.

I have a broad background, with many areas of experience. I am currently working as an Environmental/Program Officer with the Ministry of the Environment. During the summers, I am an organic vegetable farmer, working at North-Western Ontario’s largest vegetable producer - Boreal Edge Farm.

I hold a degree in Political Science, which I obtained from Lakehead University in 2010. I returned to school after working in the Information Technology field for 12 years. I am currently completing a second degree in Natural Sciences.

In my spare time, I enjoy acting and working backstage with Cambrian Players, where I have served on the Board of Directors for the last 5 years. I also sit on the board of the Thunder Bay Public Library, and the EarthWise Advisory Committee. I have previously sat on the board of directors for the Arrow River Forest Hermitage in Devon township.


The thought of pursuing a career in politics drew me in during the municipal election of 2010, when I ran for councillor of Red River Ward. I was led to run because there are many disturbing trends which are occurring in Thunder Bay politics which I see mirrored in other jurisdictions.

There is a rightward shift in many recent election results. The conservative elements in society have convinced working people that societies prosper when the rich are allowed to run freely, without regulation or appropriate taxation. The reality speaks for itself. When we look at the world today, those societies which are weathering the stresses of our globalized market are those who focus on social democracy - protecting people ahead of corporations and ensuring a reasonable standard of living for everyone.

This truth is mired by the lies of a well oiled and funded machine which calls for austerity and the easing of the burdens on our corporate citizens as a path towards recovery. The progressive elements in our society need to shout loudly to be heard over the din of misinformation. I believe that I can be an effective voice for this cause.

Our local concerns are not being well managed by the existing provincial authority. When elected, I intend to focus on several regional issues: We are paying too much for Hydro. Everyone knows this, and I intend to push for a rationalised pricing model, allowing us to benefit from our inexpensive and relatively environmentally friendly hydro electricity resources.

We need good jobs in the region. Not only are there fewer jobs, but those which remain are increasingly menial. We can not expect our youth to take pride in their community when they don’t have a career which they can take pride in.

Stable, well-paying, unionized jobs are necessary. Recent policy has been to centralize the public service jobs in the South. Harris removed five thousand good jobs from our area, and I want to see them restored - along with our Northern perspective’s contribution to the administration. We also have a great opportunity to develop a larger value-added sector which can cooperate with our extractive industries to bring wealth to the region. It should be the government’s responsibility to coordinate and facilitate these efforts.

I believe that I have the voice, the vision, and the drive to win this election. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to fight for it.

-Jay Stapleton.

Honesty in Journalism

Please take the time to read and sign this petition.

The political dialog in Canada is already less honest and respectful than I would want. Giving media outlets license to lie will not help improve the state of affairs.

In other news, today I file my nomination papers for the Ontario NDP Thunder Bay - Superior North riding. If you would like to support my nomination, now would be a great time to join the NDP, so you can come out to the Nomination meeting in March and vote for the candidate.

The Spirit Level

My review of The Spirit Level has been published by The Argus:
Read it here.

Unitarian Fellowship

I would like to thank the Unitarian Fellowship for allowing me to speak at the service this morning, "Moving from Cynicism to Hope". It was a wonderful experience, and I was happy to meet such a great group.

I believe that a few dedicated individuals can make significant change for the better in our society. This group seems to be a wonderful incubator for this type of change.

Unitarian Fellowship

I have been invited to speak at the Unitarian Fellowship service this Sunday (the 16th). My topic is "From Cynicism to Hope", how I have maintained (and restored) my idealism in the face of a cynical age. There will also be poetry and music, and the service is open to all.

The Unitarian Fellowship is at 129 South Algoma, and the service starts at 10:30am.

Next week gets me in to the swing of things, my classes have started up for my "victory lap" semester. I have returned to LU to complete the 3 half-courses required to get "Honours" attached to my existing BA in Political Science.

Next week also has me in meetings for the Cambrian Players Board, the Public Library Board, and the Earthwise Advisory Committee. I am looking forward to the new challenges these groups will offer me.

Appointments

I would like to thank City Council and Administration for appointing me to the Thunder Bay Public Library board of directors and the EarthWise Advisory committee.

I appreciate the opportunity to get involved in these important groups, and I look forward to participating.

Another short-sighted blunder by the Conservative senate: They have quashed a bill which would protect former Nortel workers' disability benefits. The neoconservative attack on our social safety net marches on.

Remember the main tenet of neocon ideology: Lie to the sheep, because they don't know what's good for them. Give the power to the elite, because they know how to use it. Don't help those who fall behind, because they are just drains on our society.

Look around and see how well that is working in the US - poverty, ignorance, violence. This is not a coincidence.

The political culture in Canada is largely based upon short-term problems and solutions. Elections are won and lost on the issue of taxes. Taxes are slashed by one party, and debts soar, social programs crumble, and the costs of society go up. Taxes are raised by other parties, and the holes are plugged, but there is no real progress.

We need a generation of politicians and administrators who are willing to look at the long-term health of the economy. It will be unpopular amoung people who are socialized to expect rapid "solutions" from government which only lead to more long-term problems. There are no simple issues - anyone who tells you differently is either lying or foolish. The economy of our society is a hugely complex dynamic system, being managed by people who either do not understand it, or wish to turn it into something else.

This year, we will likely see a federal election, and will certainly see a provincial one. As you are entertaining door-knocking hopefuls, be wary of those who try and sell you simple ideas and quick fixes. I believe it is time to make some progress.

-Jay Stapleton

Setting my sights on the provincial seat.

I am going to be seeking the provincial NDP nomination for Thunder Bay - Superior North. I am looking to put together a team to help me manage the nomination campaign. If you are interested, please send me an email to jstaplet@lakeheadu.ca

This is an exciting decision for me, I thank all of you who approached me and suggested it. I will work hard to get our voices heard down in Queen's Park!

Keep the little brats off the streets until they're 17.

Keith Hobbs comes out of the gate quickly with the announcement that he will be pushing for a curfew for kids out past midnight. I am more than a little disappointed to hear this.

He argues that youth who are out will either be victims or accused. I would add "except those who aren't". Much like adults who are out at night will either be victims, or accused, or not. The Chronicle quotes him as saying that there is "no viable excuse, reasonable excuse" for youth to be on the streets at night. What viable excuse does an adult have to be out? What excuse more than "I want to be" should be necessary.

Thunder Bay has a crime problem, some of this crime is caused by youth. Restricting the movements of an entire demographic is a blunt tool to tackle this issue, like driving a nail with a bulldozer. It may be effective, but at what cost?

My formative years involved a lot of roaming the streets at all hours with my friends, talking, dreaming, and creating visions of the world we wanted to see happen. When the city sleeps there is an inspirational air, especially for kids.

At best, this will be a tool for police to shoo kids home who they see to be a problem. If someone is performing an illegal act, then let the police respond. If someone may potentially perform an illegal act, then we must as a society give them the benefit of the doubt. Demographic profiling is not an acceptable prevention strategy.

I strongly urge Mr. Hobbs to reconsider this strategy. I also encourage the rest of council to educate themselves on this issue before it comes to debate. Remember that many of those who are affected by this will be of voting age by the next municipal election, and this sort of insult will not be easily forgotten.

At the next council meeting, they will decide if they should live stream City Council meetings on the Internet.

I believe this is an essential element to the transparency and accountability. Not only can people watch the meetings, but will be able to search archived videos based upon subject, meaning that interested parties can view subjects of interest to them without having to sit through the entire (interminable) meeting.

If you support this, please take the time to contact your councillor and ask them to approve the initiative.

*EDIT*
The initiative was approved, I look forward to seeing it implemented.

City Committees

Though I am not siting on City Council, I am committed to getting more involved in the workings of the city which I feel are important.

Further to this, I am putting my name forward for the Public Library Board and the Earthwise Advisory Committee.

If you're interested in supporting my bid for these positions, you may send a letter of recommendation to:

The Office of the City Clerk
City of Thunder Bay
500 Donald St. E.
Thunder Bay, Ontario
P7E 5V3

Thank you again for your support.

A Cure for Cynicism

I am a bit surprised at the "Incumbent Sweep" result of this election.

I am a bit disappointed at the low voter turnout - especially in Red River Ward (Roughly 44% of registered electors based on early numbers).

I am not cynical about the political process in Thunder Bay. In fact, I am more hopeful than ever that our city will evolve into an even more wonderful, beautiful, and successful place. Not because of our leaders, or even in spite of them. Because of the passionate, active, and interested people I met in my weeks of knocking on doors around my neighbourhood.

The majority of people who I have had the opportunity to speak with during my election campaign have inspired me to keep working hard to improve this city. The long, hard work of running an election is behind me, but I will be back to run again. I have learned a lot about the campaigning process, and what you can do on a low budget. I know how to organize myself and my team to make a better showing in my next attempt.

I love this city, and while I don't have the opportunity to shape the future of our community in the manner I had hoped, I will be very active in getting my ideas out there.

I am filled with gratitude for the people who have supported me, helped out, and donated to my campaign. I hope that you also see this as a positive step forward. I will be seeing you all again soon, I'm sure.

-Jay Stapleton.

I have put photos up from my "Intersection Blitz" here.

Election Day

Please remember to get out and vote Monday. It will be a close race from what I hear, so every vote counts! Bring a friend, bring a dozen, and let's bury the low voter turnout stats from last time.

Thank you to everyone for your support!

If you need a ride to the polling station, please give me a call - 629-2412. They are open from 10am-8pm tomorrow.

People in Red River ward can vote at the 55+ Center on River St., St. Michael's Church on Red River and Rockwood, or the Italian Cultural Center on Algoma.

My Dream Team

Because I've been asked many times, here are some candidates who I hope to work with on the next city council.
At large: Gerald Graham, Norman Sponchia, Cindy Crowe
Mayor: Keith Hobbs
Current River: Andrew Foulds
McKellar: Paul Pugh

Remember to vote on Monday - between 10am and 8pm.

City Administration

There has been much discussion during this race on the relationship between administration and council. Some candidates must recognize that there can't be a functional municipality without a cooperative relationship between the council and the administration. I wanted to take this time at the close of the race to thank the city employees for keeping the machine running.

An adversarial relationship here is a sign of a dysfunctional government. I will encourage all members of our new council to form and maintain a good working relationship with those people who will be actually implementing all of our great ideas - they're the ones whose hard work is necessary for the success of the council's programs.

New ideas for prioritizing resources

I put up a brief article on NetNewsLedger on the benefits of intox shelters.

With four days to the election, please remind your friends and neighbours to get out and vote! There are so many good ideas out there that I want to have a chance to get moving.