Bike 2 Ballots Nov 19

Bike2Ballots, Saturday, Nov 19 – Get Your Vote On and @ridings4ridings are teaming up to provide passionate cyclists awesome opportunities to pedal people to the polls. GYVO will be hosting “bike stops” on Davie St., Commercial Drive, and possible Main St. The shift is 11am-4pm at one of the bike . (If you can’t make it for the full five hours, let us know and we’ll plan around that.)

Email Andrea Curtis at contact@AT@getyourvoteon.ca, 778|549 = 7874
Viva!
ac

Get Your Vote On and @ridings4ridings are teaming up to provide expert tandem bike riders to pick you up and take you to the polls! In addition to four bike stops in Davie Village, Commercial Drive, Main & 49th, and Kitsilano on election day, we will also be able to pick up a limited number of voters from their homes!

The City of Vancouver will be one big election day party on Nov 19!

Here is some Riding for Ridings info as well:

“EXERCISE” YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE!

SAT NOV. 19th 2011!

What if Voting was made more accessible?

What if Democracy was people powered?

Transformation Projects and GetYourVoteOn Present:

#BIKES2BALLOTS

Where you get a to the voting booth.

The idea is simple. We have collected a fleet of tandem bicycles from local businesses and we have recruited a safety conscious bunch of cyclists. And now we want to give you a ride to the polls.

Canada has lost a giant today.

Sorry this is a bit late notice but I wish I were there. I got this message from an NDP email list. Perhaps there will be other memorial/events from different groups in the future. Please leave info in the comments if you know of any.
~rusl

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Friends -

Canada has lost a giant today.

Jack Layton was a friend, a leader, and an inspiration to Canadians from coast to coast.

He was a fighter. He stood up for Canadians every day in public life. And he fought until the end to overcome his cancer. He will be missed.

Members of the community have come together to organize an impromptu gathering tonight to remember Jack.

The candle light vigil is taking place tonight at the Vancouver Art Gallery beginning at 8:00 PM. I invite you to attend to remember Jack.

What: Candlelight Vigil for Jack Layton
When: Tonight (Monday, August 22) at 8:00 PM
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery (map)
Bring a candle.

On Saturday, Jack prepared a letter to Canadians encouraging us all to continue fighting for a better country. I encourage you to read his last words if you have not yet had a chance.

If you wish, you can also leave a message of condolence via the NDP website.

You can read BC NDP Leader Adrian Dix’s statement on Jack Layton’s death.

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world."
- Jack Layton (1950-2011)

In solidarity,

-Jan

JAN O'BRIEN
PROVINCIAL SECRETARY, BC NDP

Fake car survey on Dunsmuir Viaduct?

(the part about the survey may have been debunked... stay tuned)

The people who oppose bike lanes are doing a bit of a dirty tricks campaign... maybe.



These folks in the video were out pretending to be working for the city, acted a little shady when questioned, and yesterday were suggesting that "the city is thinking of getting rid of the bike lanes."
Read more »

Critical Mass Ride for Electoral Reform

ELECTORAL REFORM - REFERENDUM MAY 12, 2009

On Friday, March 27, a group of supporters of BC-STV will participate in the regular Critical Mass ride. Just as Critical Mass empowers cyclists to take back the road, BC-STV empowers citizens to take back our democracy.

Did you know that under our current voting system, approximately half of all votes are wasted (meaning that half of votes cast don't elect an MLA)? Is it any wonder that so many people don't vote? If BC-STV becomes our new electoral system, 80-90% of votes cast will go towards electing an MLA.

BC-STV was chosen by the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. They chose BC-STV because it produces fair results, offers greater voter choice and encourages cooperation amongst political parties. Isn't it time for an end to swing politics in BC?

If you support electoral reform, please join us on March 27!

For more information, visit www.stv.ca.

Last Minute Vision Vancouver Nomination

Hey, if you have a Vision Membership you should go Vote Today at Tupper School before 7 pm.

I'm not going to get into all the politics -- except I'm very glad to say that COPE/Green/Vision formed an alliance. CM is of course not a formal organisation and these recommendations are in no way representative of anything but my own (Rusl's) opinion. If people have voting recommendations for COPE or Green or even the NPA please write comments or possibly submit a whole post. I'm not really up to date on everything around the city but I have been following the Vision race a bit through some people I know. Also if you have more Vision suggestions/disagreements please make them in the comments. Politics is messy business, and it requires lots of discussion/being wrong/mess!

OK, apparently you have to vote for an entire Vision Slate otherwise your ballot (for the nomination) is considered spoiled. I disagree with that policy but anyway...

I don't know enough about everyone to make a full slate recommendation. If you do - make it!

OK finally: I've got 4 specific recommendations to make and will let you choose the rest. These are all based on bike/car-free thinking:


Rusl thinks it would behoove you to vote for (nominate) these people:

City Council:
David Eby - PIVOT Legal (Homelessness, DTES issues) guy, he helped arrange our use of their space for the Bicycle Bee event and also has publically said he thinks that things like CM are good and important for our city.
Andrea Reimer - famously Green, and Carmen Mills, the queen of Vancouver Car-Free Commercial Drive festival/ Momentum founder/ longtime bike community engine, is her campaign manager.

Parks Board:
Rob Wynen - longtime CM activist (since the 90s) and solid car-free advocate as part of West End Residence Association.
Sarah Blyth - Skateboard advocate and Momentum Magazine contributer.

Of course there are tons of good people I've missed including also in other parties, please write comments if you have ideas.