[All] Election Follow-Up, Wilmot Speculation, Schneider's Lands Parking, Housing Starts Continue To Plummet, Greenbelt Removed From Curriculum, Join Us Friday At 5:30pm To Discuss
Kevin Thomason
kevinthomason at mac.com
Thu Mar 6 21:38:50 EST 2025
Good Day,
The provincial election has wrapped up leaving things not much different than before, media coverage regarding destroying our agricultural industry for Toyota continues, Wilmot finally approves some roadside parking for the Schneider’s Lands with rare and the community expected to pay for it, housing starts and sales continue to plummet, the Ford government has removed learning about the Greenbelt from school curriculum along with other troubling changes, and lots more happening around the Grand River watershed. Join us at 5:30pm tomorrow (Friday) to learn more and discuss:
Join us Friday, March 7th (tomorrow) at 5:30pm:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz0 <https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz09>
Here’s the latest:
1) Election Follow-Up - Despite Doug Ford's dreams of an unprecedented landslide and hopes of opposition collaboration working together in unprecedented ways, the election has left things pretty much unchanged across the province. Within the Grand River watershed every party retained every seat they had previously though we did see Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott’s retirement allow 23 year old Joseph Racinsky to retain his seat for the Conservatives. In the end, we have the same mix of Conservative, NDP, Green Party, and Independent MPPs representing our ridings at Queen’s Park.
We will have four more years of Doug Ford’s Conservative majority to contend with though it is a big weaker than prior to the election as the Conservatives lost three seats falling from 83 to 80 much to Doug Ford’s dismay. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie did not win her riding and will continue as party leader without a presence in the Legislature. We will have to continue to work hard to defend our communities and environment though we have a good idea what to expect. Here’s the latest media coverage:
The Trillium - Premier Forever: Ford’s PC’s Wrap Re-Election Effort With A Big Question Still Looming:
https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/politics/premier-forever-fords-pcs-wrap-re-election-effort-with-a-big-question-still-looming-10292499
The Record - Kitchener-Conestoga Re-Elects Mike Harris Jr.:
https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/kitchener-conestoga-re-elects-mike-harris-jr/article_55a8ea07-f49b-5f25-85f0-e25aa848e8fb.html
The Record - Ontario’s Election Is Over. Here’s Why All The Leaders Are Licking Their Wounds:
https://www.therecord.com/politics/political-opinion/ontario-s-election-is-over-here-s-why-all-the-leaders-are-licking-their-wounds/article_b8dc84f3-34cd-5e4d-ab7b-1313db56bd97.html
The Toronto Star - The Biggest Winners And Losers From the 2025 Ontario Election:
https://www.therecord.com/thestar/politics/provincial/the-biggest-winners-and-losers-from-the-2025-ontario-election/article_1b665e6d-c7a6-5ef4-85f8-da56e4fcadf8.html
The Coast Reporter - Independent Ontario Candidate Wins Rare And Resounding Second Election Victory:
https://www.coastreporter.net/politics/independent-ontario-candidate-wins-rare-and-resounding-second-election-victory-10303927
Bobbi Ann Brady scores a resounding win with the second-larges margin in the province.
Global News - Elections Ontario Applies For Official Recounts Of 2 Tightest Races:
https://globalnews.ca/news/11068124/ontario-recount-request-close-races/
A reminder that every single vote is important.
The Trillium - How 23 Year Old Joseph Racinsky Became One Of Ontario’s Youngest MPPs:
https://www.thetrillium.ca/news/politics/how-23-year-old-joseph-racinsky-became-one-of-ontarios-youngest-mpps-10327208
Kudo’s to Dorothy Wilson for such an excellent Letter To The Editor calling out MPP Mike Harris Jr:
The Record - Letters - Mike Harris Jr. Should Be A More Responsive MPP:
https://www.therecord.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/march-5-waterloo-should-do-a-better-job-for-pedestrians-in-winter-mike-harris-jr/article_1476ddf7-071c-58cc-a8fc-179c2e9a9a5a.html
Here’s a great analysis of the voting and what new trends are emerging:
ResearchCo - How Ontario Voted: A Provincial Exit Poll:
https://researchco.ca/2025/03/03/ontario-exit-poll-2025/
And here’s an excellent article from GREN’s Susan Koswan that reminded voters of just what is at stake in elections now as climate challenges increase:
The Record - Vote For A Liveable Future:
https://www.therecord.com/politics/provincial-elections/vote-for-a-livable-future/article_950e79a1-ad72-5ab6-9311-cd9749180f8f.html
2) Wilmot Mega-Industrial Land Assembly - Not surprisingly, the very concerning Wilmot land assembly continues to make media headlines as Toyota denies that it is involved in any land assembly efforts anywhere in Ontario, proponents try to claim the election was a referendum on the farmland destruction despite the opposition still got more votes combined than the proponents for the bungled fiasco, and WilmotCAN’s John Jordan gave an impressive delegation at Regional Council despite Chair Redman’s efforts to thwart his presentation.
Watch John’s Regional delegation online at around the 2:38 mark as once again Regional Council had a lengthy closed in-camera session prior to the meeting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkoxSWy8svk
Here’s recent media coverage stating as we have suspected from the onset that Toyota was a likely customer for this site. The brutal process to date with out a single public meeting and contrary to all previous planning/protections certainly doesn’t fit their high standards in addition to the fact that this absurd site seems to only meet 7 of 44 criteria. We need to continue to advocate for a far better location so that Toyota or whoever may be involved can actually have a much stronger site that is globally competitive:
CityNews - Speculation Swirling That Wilmot Land Could Be For Future Toyota Plant:
https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2025/03/03/regions-wilmot-land-grab-could-be-for-future-toyota-plant/
The Record Letters - Food And Water Are More Important Than Anything Else:
https://www.therecord.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/march-4-fifes-proposal-to-unite-centre-left-parties-deserves-serious-dialogue-local-residents-should/article_3d1ba36d-5700-5807-9522-c97b43ead0ce.html
The Record - A Giant Step Forward For The Wilmot Land Assembly Project:
https://www.therecord.com/opinion/columnists/a-giant-step-forward-for-the-wilmot-land-assembly-project/article_23296e3e-ae5f-54ba-907e-78259d54efb3.html
WilmotCAN has drafted an Op-Ed response making clear that the election certainly wasn’t a referendum on the land assembly as many voters felt tariffs or other issues were paramount. The Op-Ed also points to the fact that he opposition parties in Kitchener-Conestoga still got more votes combined than Mike Harris Jr. as the Liberals, NDP, Green, and Ontario Party’s were very clearly outspoken against this Wilmot Land assembly. Please read the PDF of the Op-Ed in Appendix B) below or online at:
The Record - Not A Giant Step For Bungled Wilmot Land Grab: Only 20% Of Eligible Voters In Kitchener-Conestoga Voted For Mike Harris Jr:
https://www.therecord.com/not-a-giant-step-for-bungled-wilmot-land-grab-only-20-of-eligible-voters-in/article_708d1388-f949-11ef-bcb7-d32e879f56b2.html
We Are Not Willing Letters - Thanks to everyone who has been writing letters to our elected officials. It has been great to see letters in recent Council packages. If you haven’t written yet, learn how simple it can be using the Communication Guide on the WilmotCAN website:
https://wilmotcan.com/communication-guide/
Fundraising - WilmotCAN wants to thank the all of the people who have donated so far to protecting Waterloo farmland. This fundraising will help to organize future events, help with communication costs, produce additional videos, and undertake legal action. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation. Learn more at:
https://smallchangefund.ca/project/protect-waterloo-farmland-now/
Action Required - Continue to speak up, write elected officials, and make it clear that we are not a willing host.
3) Cooperate For Canada and Vote Splitting - The provincial election showed firsthand just how broken our current electoral system is as:
2.4 million votes for Liberals and NDP earned 41 seats
2.1 million votes for Conservatives earned 80 seats
Thus, Doug Ford has returned to Queen’s Park with 100% of the power after having only 19.35% of the citizens actually vote Conservative.
Voting splitting won the Conservatives seats in Kitchener-Conestoga, Brantford-Brant, Parry Sound Muskoka, and elsewhere. There were some ridings where electoral co-operation made the difference such as Etobicoke-Lakeshore where Liberal Lee Fairclough was able to defeat Conservative incumbent Christine Hogarth. Other successful campaigns are listed in Appendix C) below.
It was great to see the amazing efforts of the Cooperate for Canada team who worked so hard to help people vote strategically, determine Unity Candidates who were best poised to win in key ridings, engaged the media, and made sure that the need for better outcomes more in the best public interest is a future priority. It was good to see a lot of strategic voting and opposition parties winning in numerous ridings and close races. Doug Ford was denied the massive landslide he had hoped and that could have been so damaging to Ontario.
It is also good to see the recognition of the need for dialog between parties and finding ways to better stop splitting the vote in the future in places like Kitchener-Conestoga where once again parties with almost identical platforms divided the vote allowing Mike Harris Jr. to be re-elected. Kudos to NDP MPP Catherine Fife and Liberal Party President Kathryn McGarry for their discussions and plans to discuss ideas despite considerable internal party push-back.
Here’s some of the recent media coverage:
The Record - Fife Asks Liberals, NDP To Stop Splitting Anti-Ford Vote After The Latest Election Setback:
https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/fife-asks-liberals-ndp-to-stop-splitting-anti-ford-vote-after-latest-election-setback/article_ffc05f5e-1275-5e37-a107-6c71731a2a7a.html
The Record - NDP, Liberal And Green Parties Need To Merge:
https://www.therecord.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/march-1-ndp-liberal-and-green-parties-need-to-merge-health-care-workers-deserve-our/article_7d94847a-12da-5a3f-97e6-f9e1a1dd4499.html
The Trillium - To Continue As Liberal Leader, Bonnie Crombie Needs A New Mandate:
https://www.thetrillium.ca/opinion/to-continue-as-liberal-leader-bonnie-crombie-needs-a-new-mandate-10321315
The Record Letters - Fife’s Proposal To Unite Centre-Left Parties Deserves Serious Dialogue:
https://www.therecord.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/march-4-fifes-proposal-to-unite-centre-left-parties-deserves-serious-dialogue-local-residents-should/article_3d1ba36d-5700-5807-9522-c97b43ead0ce.html
The Trillium - NDP. Liberals Pour Cold Water On Idea Of Formal Co-Operation:
https://www.thetrillium.ca/insider-news/politics/ndp-liberals-pour-cold-water-on-idea-of-formal-co-operation-10326170
As MPP Catherine Fife and Ontario Liberal Party President Kathryn McGarry prepare to meet, their parties suggest they may have an uphill battle.
It was also great to Sonal Champsee from Not One Seat on The Agenda With Steve Paikin on TVO talking about the need for cooperation:
https://www.tvo.org/video/does-voting-matter-in-ontario
Cooperate for Canada thanks everyone who helped in a swing riding campaign, shared voting information, reached out to candidates, and who voted strategically for a better Ontario. We all lost as a result of the opposition parties choosing not to work together and putting their own self-interests ahead of the greater public good.
Hopefully, important discussions and education will continue. We could be only a few weeks away from critical federal elections.
Action Required - Offer to volunteer with Cooperate For Canada, help to educate others, and do all you can to ensure better election outcomes.
4) Rare Provides $70,000 For Wilmot Parking - It was good to finally see Wilmot Council vote to approve parking within Wilmot Township for one of the largest donations to the community in Wilmot and Region of Waterloo history. After denying any parking for this winter and making all area roads no parking zones to prevent public access to this incredible natural area and cross-country ski trails, Wilmot Township staff presented their access plan again to Wilmot Council. It was nice to see the Staff trying again and they had even increased the number of parking spaces from 8 to 20 although they had also dramatically increased the financial demands on rare to $70,000.
There could be a concerning precedent being set here to have a non-profit organization holding bake sales and other fundraising efforts to fund basic municipal infrastructure on the township’s own land. And it would have been nice to see Wilmot Township do more to try to facilitate rather than inhibit this incredible land donation for several years. This current agreement at least provides a path forward and facilitates public access without having to destroy large tracts of the environmentally sensitive property for the parking lots that Wilmot Township had been demanding:
The Record - Rare Providing $70K For Schneider’s Trail Parking In Wilmot:
https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/rare-providing-70k-for-schneiders-trail-parking-in-wilmot/article_30545c0f-87af-5cbc-ac5a-e65d50f336f4.html
Action Required - Hopefully, the community will step up to help rare fundraise, steward this amazing property and help to find ways to sustainably balance the use and protection of this amazing natural read in the years ahead.
5) Greenbelt Removed From Geography And Ontario School Curriculum - It has been troubling to see the provincial Conservative government remove the Greenbelt, climate change and other environmental topics from the Ontario school curriculum. Gone too are sustainable resource use, decarbonization, and net zero. The changes are so significant that even the Auditor General has spoken up::
The Hamilton Spectator - Greenbelt Scrubbed From Grade 8 Curriculum A Troubling Trend:
https://www.therecord.com/opinion/contributors/greenbelt-scrubbed-from-grade-9-curriculum-a-troubling-trend/article_2a91524b-e714-542a-b19d-d7b2df3094f5.html
Action Required - Voice your concerns to the provincial government and do what you can to help educate our youth on the topics they are going to need to understand for the decades ahead.
6) Councillor Rob Deutschman’s Seat To Be Filled By Next Place Candidate - Kitchener lawyer and Regional Councillor Rob Deutschmann took the unusual move of resigning from Regional Council to run as a Liberal Candidate in the provincial election rather than taking a leave of absence. While he wasn’t successful in the provincial election, coming in a strong second place, his Regional seat is now vacant and rather than holding an by-election that could cost upwards of $800,000, Regional Council has decided to fill it by appointing the candidate Matt Rodrigues who scored the second most votes in the last municipal election. It will be interesting to see what Rob Deutschmann plans to do next in the community and we will have a new Regional Councillor soon to work with on numerous important issues:
The Record - “Next Place Candidate” To Fill Vacant Waterloo Region Council Seat:
https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/next-place-candidate-to-fill-vacant-waterloo-region-council-seat/article_914a0a5b-14c8-5e59-9e9c-e873e8f4ef73.html
Action Required - Thank Rob Deutschmann for his years of efforts and reach out to Matt Rodrigues to ensure that he knows the issues that matter to our communities.
7) Highway #413 - A new habitat protection order has been issued issues for the Redside Dace that could significantly impair highway construction:
https://environmentaldefence.ca/2025/03/05/new-habitat-protection-order-spells-trouble-for-sprawl-developers-and-highway-413/
There is also a great new Op-Ed article from National Farmers Union, David Suzuki Foundation, and Environmental Defence with concerns about Highway #413 and how it has never been the answer to Ontario’s transportation woes:
The Record - No Farms, No Food: The Hidden Toll Of Highway #413:
https://www.therecord.com/opinion/contributors/no-farms-no-food-the-hidden-toll-of-highway-413/article_ad6bb186-d10f-535b-bdb9-ff226122ada3.html
8) Province Overrides Oakville For Well Connected Developers - The provincial government has overridden the Town of Oakville to approve a massive development where densities for the eleven proposed 60 storey condos are completely out of context in a suburban community. The developments would see densities of 2,400 people and jobs per hectare - more than 20x the provincial requirement and rivalling Hong Kong, New York, and some of the densest cities in the world with no planned community ammenties, services, or transportation being required by the province:
The Toronto Star - Oakville Councillors Blindsided As Ford Government Steps In With Plan For Developer’s Stalled Condo Project.
https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/oakville-councillors-blindsided-as-ford-government-steps-in-with-plan-for-developers-stalled-condo-project/article_e13de1ce-f3a0-11ef-8c02-d7f4c6a16606.html
9) Deadline Approaching For WRCE High Performance Development Standards Feedback - Waterloo Region Community Energy (WRCE) has been holding pubic information sessions on their proposed new building standards. Speak up now and share your thoughts on building better buildings and more resilient, efficient communities. Given that more than 40% of our carbon footprint comes from buildings and design of our communities, making significant improvements will be essential in addressing climate change. These standards have been years in the making and could help influence energy use, building construction, new EV adoption, tree planing, water efficiency and much more.
There is an online survey that you can fill out as well as lots of other ways to submit feedback. Learn more and engage online at:
https://www.engagewr.ca/high-performance-development-standards
Action Required - Speak up now for better building and development standards that are more efficient, cheaper to run, more resilient, and will help to address the climate crisis. Deadline is March 17th.
10) Ontario Can’t Cut Off Energy To US As Ford Threatens - Doug Ford has made Ontario dependent on US fracked methane gas to power our gas plants for increasing amounts of our electricity usage while going to great lengths and expense to cancel renewable energy contracts using free energy sources such as wind and solar. While US liquour sales and Starlink contracts cancelled could be as much as $1 billion in the new trade war, Ontario is currently purchasing as much as $2 billion in gas now from fracking operations in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Cutting off electricity to the US could backfire if they cut off the gas that we have become increasingly dependent on during the Ford government.
The Toronto Star - Why Doug Ford’s Decisions Mean Ontario Can’t Cut Off Energy To The US As Threatened:
https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2025/03/06/23-million-put-in-place-to-kickstart-housing-construction-in-northwest-waterloo/?
Action Required - Speak up for better energy solutions for Ontairo including more renewables, storage, and clean energy along with less reliance on fossil fuels and expensive nuclear projects.
11) Huge Price Hikes For Fossil Gas - Enbridge has applied for a significant consumer charge increase to the Ontario Energy Board. Gas ratepayers will be asked to an additional 21% to 47% more in the coming year:
The Toronto Star - Enbridge Says Our Natural Gas Bills Are About To Increase. Here’s What The Large Hike Will Look Like:
https://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/enbridge-says-our-natural-gas-bills-are-about-to-increase-heres-what-the-large-hike/article_6f6d07e0-f86f-11ef-be55-efb248cb28a8.html
Now would be a good time to take advantage of the recently announced provincial Home Renovation Saving Program to switch your gas furnace to a cold climate Air Source Heat Pump:
https://www.saveonenergy.ca/homerenovationsavings
Action Required - Take advantage of provincial subsidies to save money and help the environment with an Air Source Heat Pump.
12) Speak Up About Energy - Clean Air Alliance has organized an easy to use tool to send a letter to request that Doug Ford end the GE-Hitachi nuclear contract and invest in lower cost, made in Canada solutions here:
https://www.cleanairalliance.org/CANCEL-GE/
Learn more about this American energy contract Doug Ford has locked us into here:
https://www.cleanairalliance.org/rip-up-the-ge-hitachi-contract/
Action Required - Speak up for energy independence and more clean renewable energy instead.
13) Recent Articles - Include denied developments, MPP pay raises, Puslinch community groups protecting rural lands, and City of Waterloo borrowing to facilitate new housing:
CityNews - High Rise Condo Development In Kitchener Denied By Council:
https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2025/03/04/high-rise-condo-development-in-kitchener-denied-by-council/?
The Record - Cambridge Falling Behind In Filling Housing Gaps, Consultants Show:
https://www.therecord.com/news/council/cambridge-falling-behind-in-filling-housing-gaps-consultants-show/article_ba96b398-9963-50fd-a2ab-fd0d2838543d.html
The Toronto Star - Doug Ford Plans To End MPP’s 16 Year Pay Freeze:
https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/doug-ford-plans-to-end-mpps-16-year-pay-freeze/article_bc65df34-f7d1-11ef-b648-372697b63e81.html
GuelphToday.com <http://guelphtoday.com/> - Puslinch Group Working To Preserve Rural Lands From Development:
https://www.guelphtoday.com/wellington-county/puslinch-group-working-to-preserve-rural-lands-from-development-10314579
The Record - New Housing A Casualty In Trump’s Trade War:
https://www.therecord.com/business/new-housing-a-casualty-in-trumps-trade-war/article_2a907d2d-7040-5d81-8822-9ffd13eabb70.html
CityNews - $23 Million Put In Place To KickStart Housing Construction In Northwest Waterloo:
https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2025/03/06/23-million-put-in-place-to-kickstart-housing-construction-in-northwest-waterloo/?
The Record - Waterloo Borrowing $23M To Help Launch Suburbs At Edge Of Town:
https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/waterloo-borrowing-23m-to-help-launch-suburbs-at-the-edge-of-town/article_170411bf-e8bd-57e6-8d95-a7a5a2060699.html
14) Greenpeace Urges Taxing The Super-Rich - With the world’s richest 1% being responsible for more emissions than 66% of the world’s population Greenpeace has launched a campaign to encourage governments to tax the super-rich to better address inequality and better protect the planet:
https://www.greenpeace.org/international/act/tax-the-super-rich/#form
15) Reconnect Waterloo Region Coordinator Job Role Posted - Environmental Defence’s Yours To Protect Reconnect Program is looking to expand to Waterloo Region and has posted an ad seeking someone for this paid position. It is a great initiative they are rolling out in-conjunction with area community and environmental groups. Learn more at:
https://edc-careers.applytojobs.ca/reconnection%20project/36488 <https://edc-careers.applytojobs.ca/reconnection%20project/36488>
16) Rescheduled! - One Million Neighbours Round Tables - There is still a final Round Table session for the One Million Neighbours initiative. This multisolving session is focussed on Cambridge and rural communities and will be hosted at the rare Charitable Research Reserve. Details are as follows:
Date: Thursday, March 27th, 2025
Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Location - rare Administrative Centre - 1679 Blair Road, Cambridge
Register and learn more at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/multisolving-roundtable-cambridge-rural-focus-tickets-1088360799449
17) What Do We Do Now? - Here’s an excellent article from Jordan Roberts on how we take better care of ourselves and accomplish great things in the coming years:
https://www.corruptario.ca/what-do-we-do-now/?ref=corruptario-newsletter
18) Carol Walthers Art Show - Carol is an artist living in Cambridge advocating against gravel pits through artwork. She is having an exhibition of her work called “An Application Has Been Made” at the Cambridge Centre For The Arts starting February 22nd until March 22nd. Learn more in the poster below in Appendix E) or online at:
https://www.carolwalthers.com/
19) Some Good News! How Much Progress Have We Made On Climate Change? - With to much depressing news recently here’s an excellent short video presenting just how much progress we have already made on climate change. There are lots of great things happening that we often don’t hear much about:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1jOqyjcO4g
20) Reminder - Next Meeting - Join us tomorrow Friday, March 7th at 5:30pm online at the Zoom link below to discuss the latest:
Topic: Grand River Watershed Bill 23 Bi-Weekly Zoom Meeting
Time: Every Other Friday at 5:30pm EST
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz09
Meeting ID: 826 4469 5701
Passcode: 713374
Thanks for all the great efforts so far - please share any questions or ideas.
Cheers,
Kevin Thomason, Mike Marcolongo, and Joan Faux on behalf of all our community groups.
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A) Upcoming Events - Get out and get involved! And keep us posted on your events so we can share them:
Friday, March 7th - 5:30pm - Next group update meeting on Zoom - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82644695701?pwd=bnRsUGtWSUcrRnFWR21uYVBISG9jZz09
Friday, March 14th - 10am to 2pm - Highway #413 Planning Session near the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre -https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeRB_goO-XHtohKAaBqdDqyb5hMdT8uxt_7HL_oGEjUovc-aw/viewform
Monday, March 17th - Deadline to provide feedback on WRCE High Performance Development Standards - https://www.engagewr.ca/high-performance-development-standards
Wednesday, March 19th - 7pm to 8:30pm - Fighting Floods: Climate Strategies for Insurance, Individuals and Communities - A webinar by Hamilton 350. Sign up here for the Zoom link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIrceyrpzMiHNaXB7jVwRCnlCykveD1iH_V#/registration
Thursday, March 20th - 9:00am - Ontario Farmland Trust Farmland Forum - Elora, Ontario - See Poster Below in Appendix H)
Thursday, March 27th - 6:00pm to 8:00pm - One Million Neighbours Round Table - rare. 1679 Blair Road, Cambridge - https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/multisolving-roundtable-cambridge-rural-focus-tickets-1088360799449
Tuesday, April 1st - 7:00pm - Getting Off Gas - Electrify Your Home - Nith Valley Ecoboosters/REAP - https://bit.ly/gettingoffgas
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B) WilmotCAN Op-Ed - Not A Giant Step For Bungled Wilmot Land Grab:

The Record - Not A Giant Step For Bungled Wilmot Land Grab: Only 20% Of Eligible Voters In Kitchener-Conestoga Voted For Mike Harris Jr:
https://www.therecord.com/not-a-giant-step-for-bungled-wilmot-land-grab-only-20-of-eligible-voters-in/article_708d1388-f949-11ef-bcb7-d32e879f56b2.html
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C) Cooperate For Canada Results:
Vote splitting won the Conservatives seats in Kitchener-Conestoga, Brantford-Brant, and in Parry Sound-Muskoka. Despite the vote split in many ridings there were some ridings where the message of electoral cooperation made the difference. Etobicoke-Lakeshore was one of those ridings. An influx of donor dollars (lots of $200 cheques) and new volunteers propelled Liberal Lee Fairclough to victory over the incumbent Conservative Christine Hogarth. The NDP vote was cut in half from 15% in 2022 to 7% this time with this shift in voting giving Fairclough a solid win.
These successful campaigns were supported by Not One Seat:
Lee Fairclough won in Etobicoke-Lakeshore
Tom Rakocevic retained his seat in Humber River-Black Creek by 198 votes
Jonathan Tsao won Don Valley North by 1891 votes.
Cooperate for Canada supported the following winning campaigns:
In Ajax, Liberal Rob Cerjanec won by 331 votes
Catherine Fife won in Waterloo; she was endorsed by the Green candidate Shefaza Esmail
Aislinn Clancy won in Kitchener Centre
Candidates across Ottawa won:
Tyler Watt in Nepean,
Catherine McKenney in Ottawa Centre
Catherine McCrimmon
Pasma Chandra.
Independent Bobbi Ann Brady won in Haldimand Norfolk
The Unity candidates <https://click.actionnetwork.org/ss/c/u001.EtNV8HBC60Tl7UuGmXS3sRD3KFWTLB4ijJQyEBDMEL7fF1SyxMocvBqy34Wcl7xF94SuMcqzUhH1MFqPwj5s3oIPSxK_76Td_0zoFXPQBJDEUjdVbuTCcvHDOpG-AcbFMU-jwKvk5kMhEiMC6DqC_0rlY1M1B1tIKCzoPifrIPuqjdBh2_8krs0-qRXcoqrZ1rbcFX2Sr5xGbz7arZalLWEz5A4Cx-rdgsN8U0QuR_9SGDfVtLEgvGWC9NB1WtUGu5vOPs1g9y45FRqswuBul9zzTGQa76IkSf9L7VcAJQyTW6iDHBPAYJ4TEhG3O6LdvdA7v3AsqlmpnsWmNipHxm2x8CXWUQSLp4ojkqN_nKsb4_sLugTg5MMKGlLkF06x3mJy-yuYyKitY3lxyWSN5A/4eh/WlgsjlheTkGF3XjqoV12eA/h2/h001.VA8e06ECwXjp_yAoKSfzSYQG-kpyuw-ZGU3eXmT1f7M> in three London ridings defended their seats (Peggy Sattler, Teresa Armstrong, Terence Kernaghan)
Lisa Gretzky won in Windsor West
Ted Hsu won in Kingston
One thing is for sure, this election shows how important your vote is. It may just seem like one vote - but the results may be very very close indeed. The NDP won in Mushkegowuk-James Bay by just 4 votes. And in Humber River Black Creek the NDP won by 198 votes (after a night where the lead see-sawed back and forth). So our votes and our volunteer contributions matter, and would matter even more if we could get the party leaders to consider supporting a win-win-win approach, rather than the current lose-lose-lose.
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D) Carol Walthers Art Show - An Application Has Been Made - Aggregate Pit Activism Through Artwork - February 22nd to March 22nd, Cambridge Centre For The Arts:

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E) Ontario Farmland Trust Farmland Forum - March 20, 2025:

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F) Getting Off Gas Event - Tuesday April 1st, 7pm:

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H) Provincial Energy:
The Toronto Star - Why Doug Ford’s Decisions Mean Ontario Can’t Cut Off Energy To The US As Threatened:
https://kitchener.citynews.ca/2025/03/06/23-million-put-in-place-to-kickstart-housing-construction-in-northwest-waterloo/?
Opinion | Why Doug Ford’s decisions mean Ontario can’t cut off energy to the U.S. as threatened
Updated 47 mins ago
March 6, 2025
2 min read
Save
<https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/why-doug-fords-decisions-mean-ontario-cant-cut-off-energy-to-the-u-s-as/article_5529c004-fa03-11ef-8558-eb8a8f7e06a9.html?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=email&utm_email=2DF5A405D6082D2C0C4FDB5202BCAE69&utm_campaign=frst_10483&utm_campaign_id=sub#>

Ontario Premier Doug Ford holds a press conference regarding the new tariffs that the United States has placed on Canada, at Queen’s Park in Toronto on Tuesday.
Nathan Denette THE CANADIAN PRES
By Taylor C. NoakesContributing Columnist <https://www.thestar.com/users/profile/Taylor-C-Noakes>
Taylor C. Noakes is an independent journalist and public historian. He is a freelance contributor for the Star. Follow him on Blue Sky: @taylornoakes.bsky.social <https://bsky.app/profile/taylornoakes.bsky.social>
Doug Ford may talk tough about “shutting the tap” on Canadian energy exports in response to Trump’s trade war, but what he neglects to mention is that he’s chiefly to blame for Ontario’s newfound dependency on American fossil fuel imports.
According to expert analysis from the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, while 4 per cent of Ontario’s electricity came from natural gas in 2017 — the year before Ford became premier — it is now above 16 per cent and rising rapidly. The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) forecasts it will be 25 per cent by the end of this decade.
Approximately 70 per cent of the natural gas Ontario imports is fracked gas from Ohio and Pennsylvania. Fracked gas is among the very worst forms of energy <https://www.desmog.com/2019/09/23/us-exporting-fracking-oil-gas-climate-catastrophe/>, namely because of high amounts of methane — a greenhouse gas considerably more potent than carbon dioxide <https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/what-makes-methane-more-potent-greenhouse-gas-carbon-dioxide> — that gets released into the atmosphere.
Not only has gas plant use tripled <https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/ontario-had-almost-eliminated-electricity-emissions-since-doug-ford-came-to-power-gas-plant-use/article_cac90930-e6e7-11ee-8e6f-9b810be4bf43.html> since Ford took office, the premier has also interfered with and overrode a decision by the Ontario Energy Board that would limit Enbridge’s ability to pass gas infrastructure expansion costs <https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/05/16/news/ontario-passes-bill-lend-enbridge-helping-hand> on to ratepayers.
Though Ford said this was being done to make life more affordable for Ontarians and Enbridge claimed it was good for the environment, experts consistently disputed both points as incontrovertibly false. Natural gas use is accelerating the climate crisis <https://environmentaldefence.ca/2023/02/10/five-reasons-natural-gas-is-bad-for-you-and-the-environment/> and is far more expensive <https://climateinstitute.ca/news/heat-pumps-lowest-cost-option-for-most-households/> than heat pumps for home heating.
It didn’t have to be this way and before Ford came to office, it wasn’t looking like it was going to be. But it was Ford who cancelled nearly 800 renewable <https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/ford-government-s-cancellation-of-renewable-energy-projects-to-cost-at-least-231m/article_bc719cdf-0928-5c93-9216-aaae4ce42844.html>energy projects shortly after taking office, costing Ontario about $231 million and severely weakening the province as a consequence.
Renewable energy isn’t just good for the environment, but good for the economy because it doesn’t need to be imported.
And a self-sufficient economy is a sovereign economy.
Ford’s tough talk borders on gimmicky (let’s wait to see shreds of paper before we believe the Starlink deal has actually been ripped up) and it’s unclear what political advantage may be earned from cutting Ontario electricity supplies to New York, Michigan and Minnesota — three states whose populations may actually be sympathetic to Canada and critical of Trump.
And while the Starlink deal, coupled with annual alcohol imports from the U.S., may be worth about $1 billion, the rough estimate is that Ontario is probably importing between $1.5 and $2 billion worth of natural gas from the United States per annum for electricity and home heating.
Booze and satellites we can buy elsewhere, but Ford has made Ontario particularly dependent on fossil fuel imports while going out of his way to ensure we don’t have any alternatives.
Even though environmentalists as much as economists argue Ontario should be guaranteeing its own energy security with comparatively inexpensive solar panels and wind turbines, the only alternative Ford is even willing to consider are massive nuclear plants that will take tens of billions of dollars and decades to complete.
Going this route, incidentally, is that which is preferred by the oil and gas sector, because it essentially guarantees the continued use of fossil fuels for decades to come and sucks up all the public funds that could otherwise be dedicated to decarbonization today.
Just how vulnerable Ontario really is may be demonstrated sooner than we think if the United States responds to Ford’s energy threats by shutting off their gas exports. They can arguably absorb this far better than Ontario can, and hold out longer too. Given that most of Canada’s natural gas resources are used in the production of crude oil, it’s unlikely Ford could quickly find a Canadian alternative.
“Buy Canadian” campaigns are ultimately worthless if our own politicians have guaranteed our dependence on foreign fossil fuel imports for electricity and home heating, and deliberately sabotaged efforts to make us energy independent. Ford must be held accountable for this.
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I) Speak Up and Ensure Your Voice is Heard:
Wilmot Township Council
Natasha Salonen, Mayor, Wilmot, natasha.salonen at wilmot.ca <mailto:natasha.salonen at wilmot.ca> or 519-634-8519 x 9351
Stewart Cressman, Councillor Ward 1, Wilmot, stewart.cressman at wilmot.ca <mailto:stewart.cressman at wilmot.ca> or 519-807-1496
Kris Wilkinson, Councillor Ward 2, Wilmot, kris.wilkinson at wilmot.ca <mailto:kris.wilkinson at wilmot.ca> or 519-807-4173
Harvir Sidhu, Councillor Ward 3, Wilmot, harvir.sidhu at wilmot.ca <mailto:harvir.sidhu at wilmot.ca> or 519-807-2521
Lillianne Dunstall, Councillor Ward 4, Wilmot, lillianne.dunstall at wilmot.ca <mailto:lillianne.dunstall at wilmot.ca> or 519-807-4975
Steven Martin, Councillor Ward 4, Wilmot, steven.martin at wilmot.ca <mailto:steven.martin at wilmot.ca> or 519-807-5214
Region of Waterloo Council
Karen Redman, Regional Chair, kredman at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:kredman at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor, Kitchener, berryv at kitchener.ca <mailto:berryv at kitchener.ca>
Dorothy McCabe, Mayor, City of Waterloo, dorothy.mccabe at waterloo.ca <mailto:dorothy.mccabe at waterloo.ca>
Jan Liggett, Cambridge Mayor, Cambridge, liggettj at cambridge.ca <mailto:liggettj at cambridge.ca>
Sue Foxton, Mayor, North Dumfries, sfoxton at northdumfries.ca <mailto:sfoxton at northdumfries.ca>
Natasha Salonen, Mayor, Wilmot, natasha.salonen at wilmot.ca <mailto:natasha.salonen at wilmot.ca>
Joe Nowak, Mayor, Wellesley, jnowak at wellesley.ca <mailto:jnowak at wellesley.ca>
Sandy Shantz, Mayor, Woolwich, sshantz at woolwich.ca <mailto:sshantz at woolwich.ca>
Doug Craig, Regional Councillor, Cambridge, dougcraig at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:dougcraig at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Pam Wolf, Regional Councillor, Cambridge, pwolf at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:pwolf at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Colleen James, Regional Councillor, Kitchener, CJames at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:CJames at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Michael Harris, Regional Councillor, Kitchener, MHarris at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:MHarris at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Kari Williams, Regional Councillor, Kitchener, KariWilliams at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:KariWilliams at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Rob Deutschmann, Regional Councillor, Kitchener, RDeutschmann at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:RDeutschmann at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Jim Erb, Regional Councillor, Waterloo, JErb at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:JErb at regionofwaterloo.ca>
Chantal Huinink, Regional Councillor, Waterloo, CHuinink at regionofwaterloo.ca <mailto:CHuinink at regionofwaterloo.ca>
County of Brant Contact list:
Mayor David Bailey david.bailey at brant.ca <mailto:david.bailey at brant.ca> 226-387-2490
Councillor Ward 1 Jennifer Kyle jennifer.kyle at brant.ca <mailto:jennifer.kyle at brant.ca> 519-242-0898
Councillor Ward 1 John MacAlpine john.macalpine at brant.ca <mailto:john.macalpine at brant.ca> 519-757-9359
Councillor Ward 2 Steve Howes steve.howes at brant.ca <mailto:steve.howes at brant.ca> 519-442-4955
Councillor Ward 2 Lukas Oakley lukas.oakley at brant.ca <mailto:lukas.oakley at brant.ca> 226-216-3037
Councillor Ward 3 John Bell john.bell at brant.ca <mailto:john.bell at brant.ca> 519-209-2277
Councillor Ward 3 John Peirce john.peirce at brant.ca <mailto:john.peirce at brant.ca> 519-442-7134
Councillor Ward 4 Robert Chambers robert.chambers at brant.ca <mailto:robert.chambers at brant.ca> 519-449-2633
Councillor Ward 4 David Miller jedamiller at sympatico.ca <mailto:jedamiller at sympatico.ca> 519-449-1240
Councillor Ward 5 Brian Coleman brianatbridgeview at gmail.com <mailto:brianatbridgeview at gmail.com> 519-753-2798
Councillor Ward 5 Christine Garneau christinegarneau at brant.ca <mailto:christinegarneau at brant.ca> 226-802-1217
Province of Ontario
Premier Doug Ford - doug.fordco at pc.ola.org <mailto:doug.fordco at pc.ola.org> or 416-325-1941 - available 24/7 - all calls confidential
Or cal or text Doug Ford’s Personal Cell Phone - 647-612-3673
Paul Calandra - Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing - paul.calandra at pc.ola.org <mailto:steve.clark at pc.ola.org> or 416-585-7000
Andrea Khanjin - Minster of Environment, Conservation and Parks - andrea.khanjin at pc.ola.org <mailto:andrea.khanjin at pc.ola.org> or 705-722-0575
Vic Fedeli - Minister of Economic Development- vic.fedeli at pc.ola.org <mailto:vic.fedeli at pc.ola.org> or 416-326-8475
Rob Flack - Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness - rob.flack at pc.ola.org <mailto:rob.flack at pc.ola.org> or 416-326-3074
Michael Parsa - Associate Minister of Housing - michael.parsaco at pc.ola.org <mailto:michael.parsaco at pc.ola.org>
Local Conservative MPPs:
Mike Harris Jr - Minister of Red Tape Reduction, MPP Kitchener-Conestoga - mike.harris at pc.ola.org <mailto:mike.harris at pc.ola.org> or 519-669-2090
Brian Riddell - MPP Cambridge - brian.riddell at pc.ola.org <mailto:brian.riddell at pc.ola.org> or 519-650-2770
Jess Dixon - MPP Kitchener South - jess.dixon at pc.ola.org <mailto:jess.dixon at pc.ola.org> or 519-650-9413
Will Bouma - MPP Brantford-Brant - will.bouma at pc.ola.org <mailto:will.bouma at pc.ola.org> or (519) 759-0361
Ted Arnott - MPP Wellington-Halton Hills - ted.arnott at pc.ola.org <mailto:ted.arnott at pc.ola.org> or (519) 787-5247
Ernie Hardeman - MPP Oxford - ernie.hardeman at pc.ola.org <mailto:ernie.hardeman at pc.ola.org> or (519) 537-5222
Matthew Rae - MPP Perth-Wellington - matthew.rae at pc.ola.org <mailto:matthew.rae at pc.ola.org> or (519) 272-0660
Local NDP MPPs:
Catherine Fife - MPP Waterloo - cfife-qp at ndp.on.ca <mailto:cfife-qp at ndp.on.ca> or 519-725-3477
Local Green Party MPPs:
Mike Schreiner - MPP Guelph - mschreiner at ola.or <mailto:mschreiner at ola.org>g or (519) 836-4190
Aislinn Clancy - MPP Kitchener Centre - aclancy-co at ola.org <mailto:aclancy-co at ola.org> or 519-579-5460
Independent MPPs:
Bobbi Ann Brady - MPP Haldimand-Norfolk - babrady-co at ola.org <mailto:babrady-co at ola.org> or (519) 428-0446
Federal Members of Parliament
Local Liberal MPs:
Bryan May - MP Cambridge - bryan.may at parl.gc.ca <mailto:bryan.may at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 624-7440
Tim Louis - MP Kitchener-Conestoga - tim.louis at parl.gc.ca <mailto:tim.louis at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 578-3777
Valerie Bradford - MP Kitchener-South Hespeler - valerie.bradford at parl.gc.ca <mailto:valerie.bradford at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 571-5509
Bardish Chagger - MP Waterloo - bardish.chagger at parl.gc.ca <mailto:bardish.chagger at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 746-1573
Lloyd Longfield - MP Guelph - lloyd.longfield at parl.gc.ca <mailto:lloyd.longfield at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 837-8276
Local Conservative MPs:
Michael Chong - MP Wellington-Halton Hills - michael.chong at parl.gc.ca <mailto:michael.chong at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 843-7344
Larry Brock - MP Brantford-Brant - larry.brock at parl.gc.ca <mailto:larry.brock at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 754-4300
John Nater - MP Perth-Wellington - john.nater at parl.gc.ca <mailto:john.nater at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 273-1400
Local Green Party MPs:
Mike Morrice - MP Kitchener - mike.morrice at parl.gc.ca <mailto:mike.morrice at parl.gc.ca> or (519) 741-2001
-----------------------------------
Kevin Thomason
Vice-Chair, Grand River Environmental Network
www.gren.ca <http://www.gren.ca/>
Phone: (519) 888-0519
Mobile Phone/WhatsApp: (519) 240-1648
Twitter: @kthomason
E-mail: kevinthomason at mac.com <mailto:kevinthomason at mac.com>
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