Convention 2022

We’re excited to welcome Greens from across the province to join us for our 2022 Annual General Meeting.

Online registration is now closed. Please call 416-977-7476 if you’re interested in attending.

Join Us Oct 28-29

Chelsea Hotel (33 Gerrard St. West, Toronto)

Friday
Saturday

Friday, October 28, 2022
3:00 PM	Registration opens
4:00 PM	Tour of Queen’s Park
5:00 PM	Caucus meetings
6:00 PM	Opening and Municipal Candidate Panel	Matt Rodrigues, Waterloo Region Councillor candidate; Kris Rivard, West Nipissing Town Councillor & GPO ’22 candidate;
6:45 PM	Social – Ice Breaker Game	Sean Manners, President, Beaches-East York Riding Association
7:15 PM	Dinner
8:25 PM	Volunteer awards
8:50 PM	Provincial Candidate Panel	Matt Richter, Parry Sound – Muskoka candidate; Laura Campbell, Dufferin-Caledon candidate Carla Johnson, Cambridge, candidate
9:40 PM	Hospitality suite

Saturday October 29, 2022
7:30 AM	Breakfast
8:30 AM	AGM Plenary Opening	Ard Van Leeuwen, GPO President and Mike Bumby, GPO CFO
9:15 AM	2022 Campaign Report	Becky Smit, GPO Campaign Chair
9:30 AM	4 Year Strategic Plan: Moving into the next election cycle	Jaymini Bhikha, GPO Executive Director
10:30 AM	Workshops: Session 1	Conflict Resolution: Tips and Techniques, CultureAlly, a diversity, equity, and inclusion organization; Building your Local Media Presence, Darren Elias, Communications Specialist; Secrets to Attracting Young Volunteers to your Campaign, Daniella Mikanovsky, Field Manager, University Rosedale 2022 Campaign; Stories from Parry Sound – Muskoka, Maureen Balsillie, Campaign Manager, & Linda Mathers, Volunteer Co-ordinator, PSM 2022 Campaign; Tackling the Housing Crisis, Host: Jackie DaSilva, GPO Director of Mobilizing, Resource people: Sam Bird, GPO Policy Director; Alena Parkinson, More Neighbours and Mark Richardson, HousingNowTO
11:30 AM	Leader’s Address	Mike Schreiner, Leader, Green Party of Ontario
12:05 PM	Lunch
12:55 PM	2026 Starts Now!	Dave Meslin, Community Organizer
1:15 PM	Getting from Zero to 600	Jackie DaSilva, GPO Director of Mobilizing
1:40 PM	Workshops: Session 2	Generating Local Democracy, Dave Meslin, Community Organizer; Building the bank: fundraising that works, Rob Ramage, Campaign Manager, University Rosedale 2022 Campaign; Youth: Long-term Engagement Strategies, Dr. Joseph Smith, Executive Director, Generation Chosen The local social media advantage: Nuts n bolts, Jess Tan, GPO Digital Communications Specialist; Ontario’s Energy Future, Host: Becky Smit, 2022 Campaign Chair, Speaker: Mike Schreiner, GPO Leader
2:35 PM	AGM Plenary, continued
5:05 PM	PE election and leadership announcement
5:10 PM	Closing remarks
5:15 PM	PE Meeting

Registration Prices/Deadlines

Reminder: Registration fees for attending annual general meetings will count towards an individual’s contribution limit for 2022 and is eligible for a tax receipt.

Online registration is now closed.
Please call 416-977-7476 if you’re interested in attending.

Important dates

Policy Resolutions
Draft deadline August 12, 2022. Final version must be submitted before Friday September 9, 2022 at 5pm.
Provincial Executive (PE)
PE Nominations close September 9, 2022. Voting starts September 30, 2022. Mail in and online voting closes Oct. 24, 2022 at 5pm. In person voting at the AGM ends Oct. 29, 2022 at 11am.
Volunteer Awards
Send your nominations to volunteerawards@gpo.ca by September 30, 2022.
Last day to become a member to rank policy and vote for PE by mail or online: October 10th, 2022.
Last day to become a member to vote in person on PE and participate at convention: October 14th, 2022.

These are the minutes from the 2020 convention. Members will need to approve these minutes at this year’s convention.

Hotel rooms and Parking

The hotel has provided a private web link to reserve rooms at our special group rate. Register for the AGM to receive the link and be sure to book by Sept. 30th to secure this deal!
50% discount on day parking at the hotel for meeting attendees. Daytime parking is valid from 6am-6pm.

Do you have an idea that you want our elected MPPs and candidates fighting for?

There are many ways you can participate in our 2022 convention.
As a GPO member, you can

share your ideas
give meaningful feedback on submitted policies
help choose which Policy Statements matter most
discuss, learn and vote at the 2022 GPO Convention

Plenary and Voting

Plenary is the part of the convention that is attended by all participants (as opposed to the other breakout sessions throughout the weekend). In the GPO, we use the term plenary to refer to the parts of our convention where we consider and vote on constitutional, policy and directive resolutions.

To learn more about how we vote on the policies during the convention, please read our Plenary and Voting information.

Provincial Executive

Every year the party holds internal elections for our governing board, called the Provincial Executive (PE). The PE is responsible for the governance of the Green Party of Ontario and sets the strategic goals, annual plan and budget for the party.

Open positions for 2022/2023:

Secretary (1 position)
Central (2 gender diverse positions)
Northern (2 gender diverse positions)
Horseshoe (2 gender diverse positions)
Young Greens (2 gender diverse positions)

How do I run for the PE?

Members wishing to stand for election to any position on the Provincial Executive must:

be nominated in writing to the Party office by 5pm Eastern Time on September 9th, 2022
be nominated by at least 5 members eligible to vote for the nominee and in good standing.
Candidates for Regional Representative positions (Central, Northern, Horseshoe) may only stand for election in the region where they maintain their principal residence.
Members wishing to stand for election for province-wide positions (Secretary, Young Greens) and voted on by the entire membership must be nominated by an additional 10 members, and those members must come from 3 of the 6 geographical regions recognized by the Party.

If you are interested in running for the PE, email pe_elections@gpo.ca indicating the position that you are running for, the names of your sponsors, and their emails.

READ ABOUT THE CANDIDATES

Leadership Confidence Vote

As this will be the first AGM following a provincial general election (where the Party did not form the government of Ontario or a part of a coalition government) we will hold a leadership confidence vote. A Leadership Confidence Vote is conducted in the same manner as elections for Provincial Executive members and will pass if more than two thirds (2/3) of ballots cast are in favour of the Party Leader.

Volunteer Awards

The Lois James Legacy Award recognizes volunteers who have demonstrated exceptional service and commitment building the Green Party of Ontario (GPO). Lois was a decades-long volunteer with the GPO, and was an integral part of the creation of the Rouge National Park.

The Community Involvement Award recognizes volunteers with a proven track record of engaging citizens in the promotion of Green values such as building strong communities, fostering local economies and promoting health & well-being in Ontario.

The Rising Star Award will recognize a newcomer (3 years or less) to the GPO who has shown enthusiasm and ability in volunteering for their Constituency Association (CA), a campus group, or the GPO office and have demonstrated a positive, motivating spirit.

Nominate a volunteer for one of these awards by emailing volunteerawards@gpo.ca by 5pm on September 30th, 2022.

Equity Policy

Promotion and Protection of Diverse, Equitable, and Safe Spaces

(13.1) The Green Party of Ontario (the Party) is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination and harassment, where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully, and have equal opportunities. (13.2) Under the Ontario Human Rights Code, every person has the right to be free from harassment and discrimination. Harassment and discrimination will not be tolerated, condoned or ignored at the GPO. (13.3) The Party also recognizes that harassment and discrimination limit the ability of people to participate fully in organizations such as ours and therefore in the practice of the democratic values that our organization endorses. Concomitant with its mission to elect Members of Provincial Parliament and impact Ontario politics, then, the GPO pro-actively supports building awareness of harassment and discrimination and providing for the equitable participation of all Ontarians in the political process. (13.4) The Party is committed to a comprehensive strategy to address harassment and discrimination in the organization, including: (13.4.1) Establishing, publicizing, and regularly revisiting this article; (13.4.2) Providing training and education to ensure that all Party members and staff know the rights that are provided to them and to visitors at GPO events, the responsibilities they have under this article and Human Rights legislation, and the processes and procedures to follow in the event of a complaint; (13.4.3) Monitoring organizational systems to help ensure their design and function minimizes opportunities for harassment or discrimination and maximizes safety and inclusivity; (13.4.4) Providing an effective, accessible, and fair complaints procedure for both complainant and respondent; (13.4.5) Promoting appropriate standards of conduct at all times; (13.4.6) Ensuring that disciplinary or restorative measures are imposed, as necessary and as determined by process; (13.4.7) Promoting diversity on all committees and in all decision-making bodies. (13.5) To achieve the goals and commitments in this Article of the Party’s Constitution, the Party shall have: (13.5.1)The Safe Spaces Committee which shall be responsible for addressing institutional matters as they relate to this Article (13.5.2)The Conduct Committee which shall be responsible for investigative processes, disciplinary matters and enforcement of this Constitution, Party Bylaws, Member Code of Conduct, and the Ontario Human Rights Code.