Get Out and Vote!

It sometimes can be tough to make up your mind about who to vote for and to decide who will be the best person to represent and GET THINGS DONE for your community!

No one wants to enter the voting booth and make a snap decision when so much is at stake. Voting is an important part of becoming part of the growth and change you want to see in your local community, so it is best to make an informed decision and get out and vote for the person/party that best matches what you feel is best for your community.

I have found a few things that I like to go through in order to make the best choice to represent me.

Do an Internet search of each candidate and look at how they feel about the issues that matter to you. How do they stand on Health, Job Creation, Supporting local economies, or what are they going to do in terms of supporting initiatives for a healthy eco-system. Who is going to challenge Bruce Power and the storage and movement of nuclear waste? These are a few of the issues that I looked at, so you would adjust your search to look at the issues that matter to you.

Talk to the people in your life on what needs to be done to make Grey-Bruce-Owen Sound a better place to live. Talk about the debates, both of the local candidates and of the national leaders. Talk to people you disagree with as well , expand and challenge the way you think on things, and get the answers you need to fill out where your knowledge of where the candidates stand on the issues.

Use a ranking system of pluses and minuses - how does each candidate make you feel in your gut?

The biggest thing though is to make sure you have a say in who is representing YOU in our federal government. Who matches what you want?

Decide that and then go out and Vote!

All Candidate's Meeting

Last night at the Owen Sound Public Library an All-Candidates meeting was held- except one candidate did NOT show up even though multiple dates were given just after the election was called.

It seems Larry Miller was busy with other things and could not make the time to talk about the issues important to a wide range of social organizations who organized the event.

Entirely disappointing and a true look at how unimportant these issues are to the 'Harper Government'. I personally want a Member of Parliament who is working for the people who live in Grey-Bruce-Owen Sound and not for the corporations who despite ridiculously low tax rates keep pulling jobs from the area.

SO the meeting last night really highlighted something for me. I think it was Emma who said it but it could have come from Kimberly or Karen as well because they all demonstrated it. The thought is why can we not cooperate to make the changes that will make our community better? The candidates differed on some issues but often you would hear, ditto, as an answer. It seems that 3/4 of the people running for MP agree on a good 75% of how to get it done.

Why then do polls say that the one person who did not show up has 51% of the vote according to a recent poll?

What do we do?

As one candidate advised - go out and talk to your neighbors, your friends, your co-workers - hell even strangers. Talk about the issues, and get the spin and rhetoric out of the way. How can we make Grey-Bruce-Owen Sound better for all of us. How do we revitalize and clean up? How do  we cooperate and work together so me make sure that ALL of us have the essentials of life and are safe and happy? 

This is a fabulous community and I have been blessed in the two years since I moved here. How can I make it better? I try to incorporate my suggested 10 things into my life and do what I can. I listened to the candidates last night and wondered who would work for this community. Not for their party, not as a politico, but as a person who wants to make our home a better place. I am still distilling last nights meeting, but by his absence I am left to wonder what our incumbents stand on these issues are.

Did you go to last night? What are your impressions? If not, why?

Be an Informed Voter

I was forwarded and email by a friend from the Grey Bruce Coalition for Peace and Justice that listed all candidates meetings and debates. Here is the list:

Monday April 18th, 6:30pm - Owen Sound Public Library, 824 1st Ave W, Owen Sound. Owen Sound Women's Center presents - All-Candidate Debate, exercise your right to know.

Wednesday April 20th 7-9pm, Keady. Ontario Federation of Agriculture presents - All-Candidates Meeting, exercise your right to know.

Friday, April 22nd, Owen Sound. Earth Day - Let's Clean Up 1st Ave East on Earth Day, Check out the Facebook page or start your own group in Grey/Bruce.

Wednesday, April 26th 7-9pm - Meaford Community Center, 151 Collingwood St West. Meaford All-Candidates Meeting, exercise your right to know. (to be confirmed)

Wednesday, April 27th 6pm doors open - Bay Rm, Bayshore Community Centre, 1900 3rd Ave E, Owen Sound. OS Chamber of Commerce presents All-Candidates Meeting, exercise your right to know.

Thursday, April 28th 8-11pm, Woodford Hall, Woodford Crescent

All-Candidates Meeting, exercise your right to know.

Monday, May 2 - Election Day in Canada

If you haven't voted already, check here for your location to vote.

So go out and find out which of the candidates will work for YOU and OUR community. Find out the details and don't just listen to the sound bytes or the pundits!