NationBuilder

It is impossible to begin this greeting without acknowledging the way in which our world has been turned upside down in the past few weeks, and that just days after the photo to the right was taken at the Stratford Regional Association founding meeting, standing in such close proximity to each other would become taboo.

Islanders can be proud of how we have adapted, pulled together, adhered to the advice of Dr Heather Morrison, and become inventive in such a short time. We will need to do much more of all of those things before this is over. This crisis is revealing things about both the strengths and weaknesses of our society, institutions and systems that cannot be un-revealed; let us work together to make our Island even more compassionate and more resilient not only now, but once things start returning to "normal", too.

In this newsletter, you will find a link to a new collection of COVID-19 resources that we are curating on our website - one of the small ways we would like to help our community during this time. The list is amazingly long, although there are still gaps in supports that will hopefully be added soon.

Take good care of yourself and your family and neighbours! To echo Peter Bevan-Baker, "I believe we're going to emerge from this into a better and a healthier and a more caring world".

The impact of COVID-19 on our lives has been staggering - and so too has been the government and community response. So many new programs and resources have been rolled out in the past 2-3 weeks that it can be difficult to keep track!

That's why we've launched our COVID-19 Resources page on our website to help Islanders. This is a continuously updated list of resources arranged in categories including:

Access the COVID-19 Resources list at peigreens.ca/covid19

On Saturday, March 28th, the Green Party of PEI held an Online Annual General Meeting, as the COVID-19 situation required postponing our in-person convention (in Summerside) until September.

The online meeting was successful with more than 60 members participating via Zoom videoconferencing software. In addition to delivering the 2019 Annual Report, 2019 Financial Highlights and the results of our 2019/2020 Membership Survey, leader Peter Bevan-Baker addressed members from his kitchen table, encouraging Islanders to be hopeful about the future after COVID-19:

"I see trees awakening. I see birds singing. I see the land thawing. I know that those predictable cycles of life will continue. I believe we're going to emerge from this into a better and a healthier and a more caring world," he said.

Saturday was also the conclusion of the Provincial Council and Ombuds Committee elections AND of the Leadership Review vote - a mandatory vote that must take place within a year of a general election for members to decide whether to renew the party leader's mandate.

A full recording of the online AGM, as well as written meeting minutes and all presentations, are available to members on the Members' Area of our website (please note that you must have or create a website login to access the Members' Area - please let us know if you have any difficulty with it).

We are very happy to report the results and to welcome the newly elected Councillors and Ombudspeople:

Vice President: Susan Hartley (until 2022)
Secretary-Treasurer: Maureen Blake (until 2022)
Membership & Volunteering Chair: Amandah Turner (until 2022)
Fundraising Chair: Maria Rodriguez (until 2021)
Western Rep: Eddie Childs (until 2022)
Central Rep: Margot Maddison-MacFadyen (until 2021)
Charlottetown Rep: Adina Nault (until 2022)
Eastern Rep: Boyd Leard (until 2021)

Female-Ombudsperson: Sarah Charette (until 2022)
Male Ombudsperson: Kyle MacDonald (until 2021)

Leadership Review: Peter Bevan-Baker was endorsed by 228 or total 231 votes cast (98.7%) to remain as Leader of the Green Party of Prince Edward Island. Peter Bevan-Baker has served as leader of the Green Party of PEI since 2012 - thank you Peter!

Congratulations and welcome to all those elected and re-elected to Provincial Council and the Ombuds Committee!

We also want to take this opportunity to thank those departing from their Provincial Council and Ombuds Committee roles: Sue Whitaker, Matt MacFarlane and Patrick Brothers. Sue Whitaker has served as Treasurer and Secretary-Treasurer of the Green Party of PEI since 2017, and played an instrumental role in steering the Party through the 2019 election debt-free, among many other contributions. Matt MacFarlane has served as interim Central Representative since June 2019 (after running as the Green Party candidate in District 19). Patrick Brothers has served as interim Male Ombudsperson since June 2019. Thank you all for your service during this pivotal time for the Green Party of PEI!

A virtual hug from Peter Bevan-Baker

Those who know Peter Bevan-Baker know that he's a hugger - so this whole physical distancing thing has not been easy for him, or indeed for most of us. He recently recorded a "virtual hug" for us all instead.

From the desks of Green MLAs

Here are recent blog posts, statements and media releases by our Green Official Opposition Caucus:

When the foreseeable future goes blurry - Peter Bevan-Baker, March 26, 2020

Peter writes about the massive uncertainty thrust upon us my COVID-19, and the importance of political collaboration in a crisis like this one.

Help! I’m a homeschool teacher! - Karla Bernard, March 26, 2020

Karla is a mother of two young children, and a former teacher. She has a few tips for parents who suddenly find themselves as their kids' principal educators during COVID-19. Her top tip? Don't stress, keep it fun!

Government’s failure to plan early childhood programming to meet actual needs is jeopardizing Island children - March 10, 2020

Statement from Hannah Bell on impacts of STRs on local communities - March 10, 2020

Statement by Hon. Peter Bevan-Baker on release of Auditor General's report - March 17, 2020

Official Opposition calls for moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rent - March 27, 2020

Statement from Hannah Bell on provincial Temporary Rental Assistance Benefit - April 2, 2020

Peter Bevan-Baker on the Annual Trans Day of Visibility - March 31, 2020

The Green Caucus has been hard at work to improve the lives of Islanders. If you haven't already, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And check out their new website at www.peigreencaucus.ca for blogs, videos and more!

The Green Virtual Gathering - April 14, 2020 at 7pm

This is an open virtual gathering and discussion through Zoom for Island community members.

Meeting over video chat can be a great way to stay in touch, and feel like you aren't alone in your isolation. We all want to find a way to stay connected during this period of uncertainty, and are trying to find a good means to keep in touch with our communities.

Drop in anytime you like, stay for as long or as little as you'd like. We are looking forward to seeing you there on Zoom!

Please register here to get your Zoom link!

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