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Monthly meeting for the constituency association (CA) of Nanaimo-North Cowichan.
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Provincial Council
The Provincial Council is the governing body of the Green Party of British Columbia (GPBC), and is composed of 17 members who hold the following positions plus 15 regional & youth representatives who guarantee geographical diversity on the council. Members in good standing may apply to provincial council to fill a vacancy between annual general meetings, and may run for any position up for election at each AGM. Most positions are held for 2 years with staggered renewal dates so that there is continuity on the council from year to year. If you are interested in joining the leadership team of the Green Party of BC, please contact chair@greenparty.bc.ca. Check out Provincial Council for information on available positions.
Our People
Treasurer/Financial Agent
David R. Pearce BA (UBC:1965) MA (SFU:1969), MBA (Alberta:1974), CFA (1989) was born in Vancouver, raised in Chilliwack and is married with one son. David worked for nine years in investments. He was a faculty member at School of Business, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON from 1976 to 1979; a lecturer at the Alberta School of Business (U of A) from 1991 to 2006; and he has been an instructor at University Canada West and Camosun College in Victoria since 2006. David's interests include languages, economics, history, finance and politics. He speaks Spanish and some German. David joined the Green Party of BC because he is convinced that two of the most harmful policy failures of the postwar period are urban sprawl and the failure to achieve the leisure society. The Green Party’s ideas are in sync with his, particularly the emphasis on the sustainable economy, the taxation of waste and the elimination of subsidies for many counterproductive activities. David also likes the party's commitment to social justice, the use of the market mechanism to achieve change and the fact that it is not beholden to the union movement or to the business sector.
Regional Rep - Vancouver
Drina Read was proud to represent the BC Green Party as the candidate in the provincial Vancouver-Burrard by-election in October, 2008 and the May, 2009 general election for Vancouver-West End. She has been an active volunteer with the BC Green Party since 2001. Drina has held various positions on the Green Party of BC Provincial Council including Vancouver Regional Representative, Policy Chair and more recently Administration Chair and Vice Chair. Each year, Drina organizes the BC Green Party’s entry in the Vancouver Pride Parade and Festival. She volunteers for the Car Free Vancouver Festival in the West End and belongs to GE Free BC (concerning Genetically Engineered food). Drina is currently working with Vancouver-Quilchena Green Party candidate Laura-Leah Shaw to rescue the abandoned feral rabbits from the University of Victoria. Drina's hope is that all British Columbians, human and non-human, will have a better quality of life. Drina is studying at UBC to become a French teacher. Her goal is to instill civic responsibility in her students to encourage them to become involved in their communities and, especially, to participate in the electoral process as active voters.
Leader
Jane Sterk brings a wealth of experience, commitment and understanding to her position as leader, thanks in large part to her success in business, politics, government, and education. She has the innate ability to identify and address the issues that affect individuals, families and communities, and the determination to work toward the transitions we all must make if we’re to prosper and thrive in the future. Long an advocate for environmental responsibility and sustainability, social justice and fair trade, Jane served a term as an elected councillor in the Township of Esquimalt, on Vancouver Island, where she topped the polls. Her term was from 2005 to 2008. She ran an effective campaign in the 2005 Provincial election under the Green Party banner. In the 2004 Federal election, Jane had the distinction of garnering the 5th highest number of Green votes out of 308 Canadian ridings. Jane was an adjunct professor at University Canada West from 2006 to 2009 where she taught MBA and BComm courses in Business Environment and Organizational Behaviour. She owned a retail business in the computer industry which created 60 full time positions. Jane Sterk has a Ph.D. in Counselling Psychology and a Masters in Education. She worked as a psychologist in private practice and in the public health system, and as a public school teacher.
Regional Representative - Surrey
Joseph Kwan joined Provincial Council in May of 2010. He has a B.Sc. degree in Accounting from California State University. He moved to BC in 1982. After working for a big dairy co-op for five years, Joseph went into business as a working shareholder. His business experience includes operating a 400-seat restaurant, a 15-employee factory, a wholesale business and a four-store retail business. Currently Joseph is a working partner of a retail store. Joseph knows first hand the challenges faced by most small business owners. He has tried to live as environmentally friendly a lifestyle as possible and encourages people around him to do the same. Joseph's partners and he were the first retailers to incorporate a collection box for used batteries in their store back in 1990. Joseph believes in going green. He is married and has 2 children.
Secretary
Michael Jessen has resided in Nelson for 40 years. Michael served as the BC president of the Society Promoting Environmental Conservation (SPEC) for eight years during the 1970’s and 80’s. He is a founding member of the Recycling Council of BC. Michael served two years on Nelson City Council in 1973-74. A graduate of the University of BC, Michael trained as a journalist with the Vancouver Sun and has written more than 700 articles on climate change, recycling, sustainability, and green living, many of which are archived on his Zero Waste Solutions website at www.zerowaste.ca. Michael operated a popular restaurant in Nelson for 10 years and also worked as the recycling coordinator for the Regional District of Central Kootenay for 10 years. He has been a member of the Green Party since 1993.
Party Chair
Murray Weisenberger, Chair of the Green Party of BC, invites you to join with the rising tide of British Columbians who demand a change. Please support sensible and sustainable policies by donating, or becoming a member and helping to lead the way.
Murray came to the Green Party ten years ago and has never looked back. He has been active in civic politics in Surrey for many years, running as an independent for Mayor twice and as a Green once. Murray also ran for the BC Green Party provincially in his home riding of Surrey-Panorama in 2009.
Policy & Research Chair
Roland Wahlgren is a Physical Geographer. He has been self-employed for the past dozen years as a scientific and technical consultant. Roland's work has involved mainly the fields of climatology and innovative drinking water resources. Earlier, he was a Managing Director of his family-owned industrial distribution firm for about fifteen years. Previous volunteer work was with Nature Vancouver and included roles as Secretary of their Conservation Committee and as Contents Editor of their journal. As Research & Policy Chair, Roland is keen on building a substantial team of volunteers capable of formulating thoroughly researched policies that adhere to the Ten Green Principles and have had their costs quantified. He believes this is the best way to support our leadership so that Greens can gain the trust of BC's voters, leading to successful outcomes for our candidates in the 2013 election.
Organizing Chair
Tom joined the Green Party of BC in 1995. He ran twice as the GPBC North Burnaby candidate in 1996 and 2001. He was interim party leader in 1999-2000 and the Burnaby/New Westminster Regional Representative from 1997 to 2002. He ran for the federal party in 1996 and for Burnaby City Council three times. He currently lives in Vancouver. Professionally, Tom has thirty years of experience in addiction and social services. Tom received his BSW from the University of Victoria in 1981 and his MSW from the University of BC in 1992. Tom has been a street worker, a foster home support worker, a probation officer, a child protection worker, and a family counselor. Until May 2010, Tom managed Pacific Community Resources Society’s Addiction Services for 20 years where he gained the reputation of being a leader in the addictions field. In 2010, he started as the Addiction Knowledge Exchange Leader with Provincial Health Services. He is the past President of the Association of Substance Abuse programs of BC, a sessional instructor at the University of the Fraser Valley, teaches in the Justice Institute of BC Substance Use Certificate program and is a Core Addictions Practice trainer.
Director at Large
Walter Meyer zu Erpen has extensive knowledge and experience of Green Party governance. He ran for Victoria municipal council in November 1999, missing a seat on Council by just 180 votes. He ran as a provincial candidate in 2001 in Victoria-Beacon Hill, placing third with 21.7% of the vote and receiving the third highest number of green votes provincially. In the summer of 2002, Walter coordinated the Proportional Representation, Free Your Vote campaign for the southern Vancouver Island constituencies. Walter was GPBC Fund-Raising Chair, 2003 - 2005 and temporarily Organizing Chair in 2004 - 2005. He supported Andrew Lewis' campaign in Saanich–Gulf Islands in 2004. Walter was GPBC Provincial Campaign Manager for the May 2005 campaign and co-managed the 2009 campaign. He was party chair from October 2007 to September 2009.