Posted by admin on 22 Mar 2011 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
Opera star/radio personality Jean Stilwell and Ellen are co-emcees.
Co-emcee Ellen with Maestro Nurhan Arman, Sinfonia Toronto Green Gala, March 26, 2011
Posted by admin on 26 Jan 2011 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
UPDATE: We’ve been asked to leave the show up till the end of March. We’re so pleased – people have said they like the quality and variety of the photos, and the reasonable prices. We’ve sold 9 photos so far. There are still about two dozen on display. Please stop by to see which might enhance your walls.
The show opening was Tuesday, February 1, 6 p.m.
Here’s information about the project’s parent organization:
The Equality Effect.
At the opening, we learned a little about The Equality Effect from Flora Terah, here from Kenya.
And we heard from our special guest, Glenys Babcock, founder of Pragmora, working to build peace around the world.
We had some free and delicious nibbles; as well, Eugene Johnson of Java Jive generously offered his coffees, teas, and juices for only $1 each.
Eugene supports Adopt A Village in Laos. There’s a donation box on his counter.
Our photographers:
Mark Daye is an executive member of both the Green Party of Canada and the Green Party of Ontario for Toronto Centre. Photos by Mark of Ontario nature, and of Paris, are featured in the show.
Bill Michelson is our Toronto Centre EDA’s financial agent. An urban sociologist, he has had many of his photos published. This show features his photos of Africa and India.
Ellen Michelson is proud to be included, pleased and emboldened by the sale of her work to benefit Elizabeth May’s campaign in B.C. Some of her photos are of places she’s worked abroad.
The full price of all photos will be donated to The Equality Effect.
Posted by admin on 16 Nov 2010 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
Toronto Centre's new executive, elected at our March 2, 2011 AGM (l to r): Mike Singer, , Ellen Michelson, Mark Daye, Bill Michelson
Toronto Centre Federal Green Party AGM
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The 519 Community Centre, 519 Church Street
6:30-8 p.m.
Please plan to attend.
We will be presenting a new constitution for membership approval,
and
electing our executive for the coming year.
Click Continue Reading to see our constitution draft. Please post comments. Continue Reading »
Posted by admin on 31 Oct 2010 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
Ellen will be one of the ‘human books’ available at five Toronto Public Library branches on Saturday, November 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 50 ‘human books’ will be available. You can reserve a half-hour, on-the-spot chat with one in advance, by contacting the library by telephone or on line. You can come to a participating branch on Saturday to sign out others for dialogues. And through the TPL website, you can apply to be a 2011 human book.
Ellen will be at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street, a block north of Bloor. The library has chosen to focus on her membership in the Raging Grannies, her time working in Greenland, and her participation in the first Canada Corps mission to Ukraine’s Orange Revolution presidential election in 2004. She’ll talk about any of that with you, or just about anything else you’d like to discuss.
Posted by admin on 27 Oct 2010 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
United Mothers Opposing Violence Everywhere
Walk to Dundas Square begins at Queen’s Park, 1pm.
This year’s theme is “Who will fill these shoes?” so please bring along a pair of running shoes to honour loved ones lost to violence. (You may donate the shoes or take them home again.)
UMOVE rally, Oct. 31, 2010, Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto
Posted by admin on 30 Aug 2010 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
The parade is Saturday morning, Sep. 11.
All are welcome to come walk with us.
Meet on Parliament, between Howard (1 s. of Bloor) & Wellesley, in Section C (look for the sign/ask a marshall), 9:15/9:30 a.m. If you wish, you can pedal your bicycle in the parade.
We’ll have a booth in front of #548 Parliament Street, Saturday & Sunday afternoons, Sep. 11 & 12.
Come early for your own personalized made-while-you-wait Green Party button.
We’ll have Green Party info to share. There’ll be plenty of time for good conversation.
Memberships will be available: $10/year, $25 for 3 years.
We’re eager to meet you and learn what’s on your mind.
GreatGreenGroup, Cabbagetown Parade, Sep. 11, 2010
Cabbagetown Festival Parade, Sep. 12, 2009
Posted by admin on 12 Jul 2010 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
Green Party of Canada
National Convention and Pre-Convention Events, Toronto
Everyone is welcome.
Convention:
August 20-22, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front Street West
Welcome opening: First Nations Elder Ernie Sandy
Featuring: Elizabeth May, national leader, Green Party of Canada
Ilona Dougherty, co-founder, Apathy is Boring
Don Drummond, TD Bank: the green economy
Community outreach panelists from around the world
Rob Faust, Faustwork Mask Theatre
Green Lifestyle Show
Young Greens
Ralph Benmergui, MC, and Adriane Carr, Green Party of Canada Deputy Leader: fundraiser
Pre-convention events, Hart House, University of Toronto
Climate Change Green Summit, August 13-15
International Affairs/Peacekeeping, August 16
Democracy & Women Leaders, August 18
Green Economy with Frank De Jong, August 19
More info: greenparty.ca
Group rate reduction available.
Posted by admin on 26 May 2010 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
Forsythia Festival, Wellesley Park, May 2, 2010
St. James Town Parade, Saturday, June 5, starts at 10 a.m.!
See you there!
Posted by admin on 21 Feb 2010 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
Black Daddies Club is hosting The Importance of Fathers Parenting
(open to the public and free)
at the Onyx Barbershop, 219A Yonge St. (near Shuter), noon to 3:30 p.m.
screening of 2 films: Forgotten and More Than A Haircut
Brandon Hay, Executive Director, Black Daddies Club, notes,
“BDC feels the community needs to start knowing what our constituents stand for and also for these constituents to find out the needs of the community. Ellen has told BDC that the Green Party of Canada has some interesting developments that she would like to share with the community in terms of parenting. BDC does not endorse the Green Party; however, BDC believes in the power of voting. Unfortunately not enough of the black community is exercising their right to vote and BDC wants to change that.”
Ellen with Brandon Hay, E.D., Black Daddies Club, & Nigel Barriffe, Green Party of Canada nominated candidate, Etobicoke North, Feb. 28, 2010
Posted by admin on 21 Feb 2010 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
Click on the above image to read the details.
Posted by admin on 06 Jan 2010 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
What: Toronto Centre Federal Green Party Electoral District Association AGM
When: Friday, February 5, 2010 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: The 519 Church Street Community Centre
Please come help us review our 2009 successes, and plan for our future.
All members are encouraged to consider volunteering to fill one of our association’s executive positions. They include the following.
Chief Executive Officer
Financial Agent
Membership Chair
Fundraising Chair
Organizing Chair
Communications Chair
up to 5 Members at Large
If you are interested in volunteering, please email one of the following.
miller.cameron@rogers.com (our current Financial Agent)
rebecca.harrison@greenparty.ca (Ontario Organizer, Southwest Region)
voteellen@greenparty.ca (Ellen Michelson, our current nominated candidate)
Anyone is welcome to attend; you must be a paid-up member of the Green Party of Canada, and a Toronto Centre resident, to run for a position or to vote. If you are a lapsed member, you are welcome to renew at the meeting to re-acquire voting privileges.
We’re hoping to see you on Friday, February 5!
Posted by admin on 29 Nov 2009 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
I’m glad I did this. Meeting people who are experiencing the downside of wind power has taught me some important points which will help me direct my enthusiasm for wind energy in future.
What I did for my time in Clear Creek was in fact a respected form of research. I did not ask a large group of people the same questions and then crunch the numbers representing their answers. Nor was I a participant-observer, because I did not keep track of what I learned while simultaneously living as the local residents do. I’m not employed in Norfolk County, nor was I living there as, for example, a stay-at-home parent or a retiree. I didn’t shop locally – my hostess cooked up a storm every day. What I did was qualitative, contextual research.
Here are some highlights of what I learned.
Local control and local benefit are missing. The Clear Creek residents I met explained that a multinational corporation owns the turbines, which are controlled remotely in the U.S.; 75% of the profits leave Canada. A believer in local community resiliency, I find this tough to take. And in this context, it would be interesting to know the nature and extent of any Canadian federal, provincial and/or local subsidies and/or grants that have been provided, and to whom.
People’s lives have been changed in a number of ways. Just one example: the immediate area has long been known as a route for migratory birds. Sometimes, huge numbers have settled briefly on the cropped corn stubble, picking over kernels left behind. Now, residents who say watching the birds fly over had long been a personal pleasure report that they see birds approach overhead, then turn back to fly elsewhere.
Area residents have formed a group, Norfolk Victims of Industrial Wind Turbines; members communicate with Wind Concerns Ontario, which connects similar groups in other areas of the province. Some area residents don’t participate because they approve of the turbines, or have no opinion, as they feel no ill effects personally. Others refuse to participate even though, privately, they cite negative experiences since the turbines began rotating a year ago, in November, 2008.
These ill effects include headaches, dizziness (in some cases leading to falling), impaired hearing, a feeling of stuffy ears and/or pressure, sleep disturbances, feeling tired, and difficulty concentrating and maintaining one’s train of thought. How did I feel? I slept wonderfully, never felt dizzy. Forthcoming residents noted that their problems did not develop immediately after the turbines were turned on last year, and that it took each of them a while to wonder whether the turbines might be causing their problems. We all realized that the day mid-week when the turbines were still, because there wasn’t any noticeable wind, meant whatever I might be experiencing would be perforce less cumulative.
For some of yesterday, I had a headache. That highlighted the research challenge. Was it a low pressure weather system? Or was I a little carsick? Might I be reacting to a visit to a neighbour who lives in a lovely hollow, where the turbine effect is said to be different? Or had the low-frequency vibrations started affecting me? Without proper measurement and recording, we can’t know the answer.
And then there’s the power of suggestion. Both yesterday and today, a few times my ears felt plugged up, briefly. Ordinarily, if that happened (and it has), I’d think, “Hmmm … it’ll likely go away in a minute,” (and it has). There, I thought, “Hmmm … the turbines?”
Some research has been done. Careful, thorough research on specific concerns that have developed in areas with industrial turbines installed is needed, and designing reliable studies that will be useful in making public policy decisions will not be easy. One particular challenge, one that public policy-makers don’t often deal with well, is evaluating and coping fairly and responsibly with unintended consequences.
We were all up plenty close and personal with these behemoths. Someone asked me if I’d touched one. That had never occurred to me. On the way home, I got out of the car and did so, noticing that I heard the rhythmic whooshing everywhere nearby, but not directly under the turning blades. Through my hand on the column, I definitely felt small, rapid vibrations, not at all the same speed as the blades.
Finally, just one of my hostess’s delicious recipes: mix plain yogurt with cut-up seasonal fruit (unpeeled apples and pears, halved fresh mandarin orange sections, banana chunks); top with large-flake oats and dried cranberries.
Posted by admin on 27 Nov 2009 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
Clear Creek: not a beaver dam, a collection made by erosion
at a Lakeshore Road home, Lake Erie behind me, showing one of the Vestas turbines between the buildings
