Dear Friend,

Green Party of PEI leader Peter Bevan-Baker and his wife Ann joined many others at a rally on June 14th in support of the rights of LGBTQ2S+ youth to feel safe, respected and loved no matter where they are, following disturbing reports of anti-LGBTQ2S+ incidents at East Wiltshire School on Pride Day.

We hope you are having a good "Canada Day" long (at least for some) weekend! 

Canada Day looked and felt a bit different this year, of course - and not just because of the pandemic. This year, Canada Day was more a day of reflection and healing than of celebration for many. Both Peter Bevan-Baker and Deputy Leader Lynne Lund have shared some perspectives on what it means to reconcile our love for this country with the dark chapters of our past, which you may find helpful.

There is much to look forward to this summer, and already you can find a number of upcoming events in this newsletter and on our online Events Calendar. 

PEI Greens are also gearing up for an expected provincial by-election in Cornwall-Meadowbank this fall. Learn more about it and how you can help below!

We're excited to announce that the Green Party of PEI is hiring! We're looking for someone to work with me part-time as part of the administrative and operational core of the party. This is an opportunity for the right person to help grow the party's capacity while learning and earning, too. Read on for the details!

Finally, while it may be summer, our MLAs are still hard at work in their committees, working on their critic portfolios, holding office hours with constituents, preparing legislation for the fall sitting, and in some cases, even going door to door to talk to their constituents. Green MLAs truly are the hardest-working MLAs! Catch up on some they've been putting out recently in this newsletter.

Until next time, 

Jordan Bober
Executive Director 

In this newsletter:

• Upcoming events
  • Meet the new Critics with Karla Bernard, Michele Beaton & Trish Altass
  • Sounds of Summer - Summerside fundraising dinner
  • Eastern Greens Belfast Zero-Waste Cookout
• Cornwall by-election
• We're hiring!
• Green Caucus updates

Meet the new Critics - Coming up next week

Thanks to everyone who has participated in these one-hour conversations so far, which have generated dozens of suggestions for our new Opposition Critics! We still have three more coming up in the next couple of weeks, and you can also watch the ones you missed on our YouTube channel.

Tuesday, July 6th @ 7pm: Karla Bernard on Social Development, Housing & the Status of Women   REGISTER	Tuesday, July 6th @ 7pm: Michele Beaton on Health & Wellness   REGISTER

July 15th - Trish Altass on Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture

Join the Districts 21 & 23 (Summerside-Wilmot and Tyne Valley-Sherbrooke) Greens for their next event, Sounds of Summer, on July 20th! These folks are earning a fantastic reputation for their always fun, always classy events, so you won't want to miss this summer-themed, musical supper at Z&G's Fusion Cuisine in Summerside. Tickets $50 with tax receipt.

Calling all Greens in Eastern PEI! New PEI Greens Eastern Representative Omair Imtiaz is bringing the party to his home in beautiful Belfast with the First Zero Waste Belfast Cookout on Sunday, July 25th at from 3-6pm! This is an invitation to members and friends to join other Greens from Eastern PEI for fun, food and fellowship with an outdoor cookout that will hopefully become an annual tradition! All are welcome (kids too!).

Thanks so much to everyone who attended the Summerside BBQ on June 26th! It was fantastic to be able to reconnect in person!

Click here to view a map of the D16 Cornwall-Meadowbank district boundaries.

With Liberal MLA Heath MacDonald announcing his intention last month to seek the federal Liberal nomination for Malpeque, and with speculation rife that a federal election could be called within months, the Green Party of PEI is preparing for the very real possibility of a provincial by-election in District 16, Cornwall-Meadowbank, this fall. 

In 2019, Green candidate Ellen Jones placed a strong second place to the Liberals' MacDonald with more than 33% of the vote in this district. 

Do you want a ninth Green MLA working for us all in the Legislature? Here's how you can help:

Candidate search: The Green Party of PEI is currently seeking expressions of interest from (and suggestions for) prospective candidates in Cornwall-Meadowbank. If you would like to explore the idea of seeking the Green nomination for a potential by-election, or if you have suggestions of people you think we should ask, please write to us at [email protected].

Volunteers: Would you like to get involved in campaign preparations, and/or in the by-election campaign itself if and when it is called? Please sign up here, or write to us: [email protected].

The Green Party of Prince Edward Island is hiring! We are looking to add an Administrative & Operational Support Associate to our team.

The person in this part-time, contract role will play an important part in the small but mighty operational core of the Green Party of Prince Edward Island, which includes a contracted Executive Director supported by volunteers on the Party’s Provincial Council, Committees, Working Groups, and District Associations, and working closely with our elected Caucus of MLAs. This operational core keeps the Party humming between elections and actively prepares for election campaigns.

For more information, please see our website: www.peigreens.ca/workwithus.

The application deadline is July 18th, 2021.

Michele Beaton - Health & Wellness

What is government's plan to deal with increasing ER wait times? (June 14, 2021)

Government should have a well thought-out and clear plan for how they will address this. I am calling on government to release that plan immediately. I am also asking the Minister to consider offering additional clinics throughout the week nights and weekends. People need somewhere to go. We need government to address this immediately.

The King government abandoning Islanders in need of access to primary care (June 16, 2021)

It is becoming increasingly clear that Premier King has abandoned Islanders hoping for and needing a family doctor. In fact, last spring the Premier said in the House that it was unrealistic for Islanders to expect to have access to a family doctor. We are now seeing the effects of this terrible plan of the King government.

Hemlibra must urgently be added to the provincial formulary (June 23, 2021)

When we have the ability to change peoples lives for the better, we must do what we can to make that happen. This is why the Official Opposition requested additional funding to the PEI Drug Formulary in its most recent budget submission. We want to make sure more life changing treatments are available to Islanders.

This is no time to abandon sound hiring practices for health workers (June 28, 2021)

I was completely taken aback to hear the Minister on Friday contemplate abandoning the practice of conducting interviews for healthcare jobs. I do not and cannot support this in any way, shape, or form.

Peter Bevan-Baker - Dental Care

Where is the promised dental program for seniors and low-income Islanders? (June 25, 2021)

This government has a consistent pattern of failure to deliver on promised programs and services. This has been distressing for Islanders who are counting on the critical care those promises are meant to meet.

Steve Howard - School Bus Safety

Better School Bus Safety Needed (June 14, 2021)

Our bus drivers already have a significant responsibility that they are diligently carrying out and cannot be expected to capture plate numbers of individuals who choose to break the law. If we were able to capture plate numbers in situations like this one, we could take more action towards helping our drivers as they care for our children’s safety.

Hannah Bell - Finance & Environment

What it means for Islanders that PEI has the highest inflation in Canada (June 22, 2021)

Islanders are paying a higher percentage per month every month for their housing, leaving less disposable income in their pocket. And, surprising no one, the rise in inflation is tied to one of the wicked problems this government has been absolutely reluctant to tackle - short term rentals and their effect on the PEI housing market.

Don't lift the moratorium on high capacity wells before a sustainable irrigation strategy is in place (June 10, 2021)

Government announced today that it intends to make changes to water withdrawal regulations as it develops a sustainable irrigation strategy. What is notably absent from government’s press release is that these changes would include lifting the moratorium on high-capacity wells for irrigation that has protected PEI waterways for nearly two decades. This is a monumental decision that will affect future Islanders for generations to come.

Karla Bernard - Housing

Why won't the King government enforce its own laws on short-term rentals? (June 22, 2021)

PEI is in a housing crisis. This crisis has only grown in the last number of years and the King government has done almost nothing to address it. In fact, the King government seems unable or unwilling to fulfill its duties as a responsible government that makes the hard decisions.

Ole Hammarlund - Sustainable local lumber

Local wood is the most sustainable option (June 23, 2021)

How we harvest and use our forests makes all the difference for our climate crisis. Harvesting wood sustainably means leaving many of the trees intact, allowing existing woods to grow and continue storing CO2.

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 website at www.peigreencaucus.ca for blogs, videos and more!

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