Winnipeg Green Party

The Winnipeg Green Party is a municipal political party in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The party has been inactive recently and is possibly defunct.

2006 campaign

The party was created in 2006, and fielded six candidates in the 2006 municipal election, none of whom were elected.

As of 2006, the Winnipeg Greens are the only municipal party in Winnipeg.^[1] The City of Winnipeg does not officially recognize political parties, and all six candidates appeared on the ballot without party affiliation. The party is not formally affiliated with the Green Party of Canada or the Green Party of Manitoba, although many of its members also belong to these parties.^[2]

The Winnipeg Greens campaigned on a six-point platform in 2006. The party supported reinvestment in existing neighbourhoods, rather than the pursuit of developer-friendly policies in new urban extensions. It also called for improved public transit, greater accountability in public works, a ban on cosmetic pesticides, and the removal of Video Lottery Terminals from the city.^[3] All six candidates opposed the OlyWest slaughterhouse planned for the St. Boniface/Transcona area.^[4]

The party does not have an official leader, although former Green Party of Manitoba leader Markus Buchart has been its primary representative at public events. Elizabeth Fleming is the party's president.^[5]

The WGP should not be confused with an earlier municipal Green Party, organized by social justice activist Nick Ternette for the 1989 municipal election.

2006 candidates

David J. Danyluk (Elmwood-East Kildonan)

Danyluk was raised in northern Manitoba, where his father worked as a firefighter.^[6] He himself worked as a realtor before earning a Bachelor's Degree in Politics and Administrative Studies from the University of Winnipeg.^[7] As of 2007, he is completing a Master's Degree in city planning at the University of Manitoba.^[8]

Danyluk became co-ordinator of Save Our Seine, a group encouraging the protection of an urban forest area along the Seine River, in the early 2000s.^[9] In 2006, he strongly criticized the municipal government's decision to introduce a moratorium on new Seine River trails.^[10]

Danyluk endorsed Winnipeg Centre Liberal candidate David Northcott in the 2004 federal election.^[11] In 2007, he wrote an editorial piece in the Winnipeg Free Press that was strongly critical of the provincial government's increasing reliance on Video Lottery Terminals as a source of revenue.^[8]

Danyluk was a founding member of the Winnipeg Green Party, and was the first person to hold the position of party secretary.^[12] He was 33 years old during the 2006 election.^[13] He received 1,657 votes (19.32%), finishing second against incumbent councillor Lillian Thomas.

Markus Buchart (St. Vital)

Buchart, the party leader, received 1,049 votes (7.35%) for a third-place finish against incumbent councillor Gord Steeves.

Stephen Smith (Transcona)

Stephen Smith was raised in the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews, and was a 28-year old student at the time of the election. He already held a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, and was seeking a Master's Degree in Natural Resource Management. During the campaign, he said he was running to ensure that voters had a democratic choice.^[14] He opposed construction of an OlyWest hog processing plant near his ward.^[15] He received 581 votes (6.28%), finishing third against incumbent councillor Russ Wyatt.

See also

• List of Green politicians who have held office in Canada

Footnotes

1. ^ Nick Ternette, Winnipeg Green Party brings slate politics back to civic elections, Uptown Magazine Online, 1 June 2006, accessed 11 November 2006.
2. ^ "New 'Green party' to run in Winnipeg civic election", Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 8 September 2006, 5:57 report, accessed 11 November 2006.
3. ^ Winnipeg Green Party: Platform, Winnipeg Green Party, accessed 11 November 2006.
4. ^ All six Green Party candidates oppose OlyWest (press release), Winnipeg Green Party, 6 October 2006, accessed 11 November 2006.
5. ^ Elizabeth Fleming, Letter to the Editor, Winnipeg Free Press, 8 August 2006, A12.
6. ^ David Danyluk, "Winnipeg Mourns Firefighters" [letter to the editor], Winnipeg Free Press, 7 February 2007, A10.
7. ^ Contact Us, Winnipeg Green Party, accessed 30 November 2007.
8. ^ ^{a b} David Danyluk, "Terminals of temptation", Winnipeg Free Press, 19 February 2007, A11.
9. ^ Mary Agnes Welch, "Proposal for seniors complex sparks fears for Riel mill site", Winnipeg Free Press, 8 October 2003, A9; Paul Turenne, "Old man of woods released by carvers", Winnipeg Free Press, 18 August 2004, 1. In 2005, SOS undertook a project to complete a detailed map of the Seine River region. See Gabrielle Giroday, "Group maps region around Seine River", Winnipeg Free Press, 28 November 2005, B3.
10. ^ Bartley Kives, "City ends group's plans to put trails along Seine River", Winnipeg Free Press, 15 February 2006, A8.
11. ^ David Danyluk, "Northcott is man for the job", [letter to the editor], Winnipeg Free Press, 1 April 2004, A13.
12. ^ Bartley Kives, "Civic Green party to field slate in this fall's vote", Winnipeg Free Press, 13 May 2006, B2.
13. ^ Mary Agnes Welch, "It's a low-key race east of Red River", Winnipeg Free Press, 24 October 2006, A2.
14. ^ "Transcona", Winnipeg Votes 2006, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, accessed 8 February 2008.
15. ^ Bartley Kives, "Transcona candidates flare nostrils over hog plant", Winnipeg Free Press, 20 October 2006, B2.

External links

• Winnipeg's Green Party Website