Meeting Notes of 15 February 2018

WR Greens Monthly Meeting

Date: Thursday, 15 February 2018
Location: Re/Max office, 720 Westmount Road, Kitchener
Participants: Laurel Russwurm, David Weber, Matt Piggott, Sam Nabi, Zdravko Gunjevic, David Dolson, Trevor (Meyer?), Marcia Fukudome, Teresa Cornwel, Stacey Danckert, Tess McDonald, Nicole (McCallum?), Bob Jonkman

Meeting started at 7:01

Action items are highlighted

Has chosen affordable housing as their key campaign issue
- Door-to-door, postcards
- Solution: “Unlock the existing housing”
  - rent basements
  - tiny houses
  - use existing spaces
- This is more sustainable than new development
- Legislation will require municipalities to conform
- Provincial governments have downloaded housing onto municipalities
- This is a policy that doesn’t impose new taxes on residents
As a target to build riding, KitCen will get personalized, local postcards from GPO head office for this
2018 election goal: 5,000 votes

Having the CA and EDA Annual General Meeting on 15 March 2018
- Meeting notice on KitCon blog
- Bob: Resign as President of the CA so he can run as a candidate
Nomination meeting to be held early April, pending approval of date from GPO
KitCon has only 18 Green Party members in the riding
- Need to make phone calls to supporters, encourage membership

Cambridge riding not present. Michele Braniff is a nominee for candidate in Cambridge.

Mike Schreiner is coming to town on Thursday, 22 March 2018

Fundraising!
- Donation limits:
  - $1,200 personal donation to the GPO
  - $1,200 personal donation to the Constituents Association
  - $1.200 personal donation to the campaign (but candidates can contribute up to $5,000)
  - Get 75% back on first $400 donated, so $400 for the campaign only costs $100
Events (be cautious about over-planning and return on investment)
- Events with Mike Schreiner for fundraising
Call all Green supporters for a “vote pledge”
Every potential volunteer needs to receive one phone call
- Matt, Kris, Bob, David: Identify all potential volunteer names and work with your exec to call them.
- If you need assistance contact Sam/Julia for volunteers who can help you with phone calls
One personal phone call from the Candidate to every donor
- Matt, Kris, Bob, David: Identify list of donors
During both phone canvasses: ask each person if they would like a sign. That way we’ll be ready on the day the writ drops to flood lawns with signs
- Sam: Find CampaignZone scripts for signs
- Sam: Get in touch with Jesse to see if he want to manage sign logistics
Set up Social Media strategy
- Instagram and Snapchat are preferred by young people
- Twitter and Facebook are used primarily by the over-40 crowd
Earned Media
- The Communications Manager for Mike Schreiner lives in Kitchener
Promote FairDebates.ca in our channels
Send regular newsletter updates

Help with Mike’s campaign: Stacey is spending every weekend in Guelph and can take a carload of people with her
Canvass the top 5 polls in your riding
- Budget ~ 3 hours per poll for this
Be first out of the gate for signs
Keep track of mileage when putting up signs!
- Donate gas money to the campaign, get re-imbursed
Cost-effective advertising
- Princess Cinema / Apollo Cinema advertising
- Radio ads
MARCIA: explore affordable office space options

Provincial changes?
- Paid-at-the-door fundraising cannot have the candidate present
- Better to ask for donations
- Cost recovery is OK, but makes the finances complicated, so don’t do that
- $20 cash donation is the maximum
- $10+ donations need a receipt
Local Beer event
- Addresses the barriers to craft breweries selling product
ION train and Mike Schreiner?
- There are many rules concerning access
- eg. photos at GRT and schools
Other Fundraising ideas
- Get ideas from other successful campaigns
  - Ottawa, Barrie, Muskoka
- Get monthly donations
- Selling plants
- Canoeing down the Grand River
  - Fun, but not lucrative
  - Maybe in September?
- Donated items and sales?
  - Receipts are needed for portion of payment above fair market value
  - Setting values for auctions is tough, recommend to avoid
  - For any auction/sales event, call Elections Ontario first

Waterloo is holding a Board Games night
Ride the transit system, meet people
Befriend other groups
- Alliance Against Poverty (AAP) is organizing a Free Transit campaign, Bob will be involved
- Berlin Cafe owner Graham Roe
Tree planting events around Earth Day (21 April 2018)
Community Gardens?
- They need volunteers
- Meet the Candidate, earned media
- Adopt-A-Garden!
Maple Syrup Festival
- KitCon looking for a vendor spot; GPO button-making activities
- Get Mike Schreiner in the Celebrity Pancake Flipping Contest
Make stickers for laptops, bumper stickers
Province — Green Belt
- Consultation on 22 February 2018
- Kitchener Open House – Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation

Fair Debates
- If Mike Schreiner is in the debates then he gets votes
- Put the https://fairdebates.ca/ links on campaign and CA web sites
- GPO gets per-vote funding, so must be included in debates (otherwise, what are people paying for?)

Fill seats at local debates early
- Other parties will try to occupy front seats to disrupt other candidates

Show up at other events rather than organizing your own
- But be sure to have your own fundraising!

Debate Watching Night
- Everyone gets together to watch the leaders debate
- Builds campaign spirit

Have shared events when possible
- Share costs
- Each CA organizes one large event
  - Kitchener Centre will take the 22 March 2018 event with Mike Schreiner
  - Kitchener Conestoga will look at getting Mike in the Maple Syrup Festival

Pre-roll at Princess Theatre ($300?)
The Record: $1000 for 1/8 page ad (?)
- Lower rates for community papers (Kitchener Post, Wateroo Chronicle)
Facebook ads? Are they effective?
- Get better analytics on digital advertising
570AM: $200/ad?

Signs from GPO?
- Some will be available
- Target-To-Build ridings will get more support (Kitchener Centre)