Protect People, Planet & Communities

Protect & Cherish

We know that money does not buy happiness and yet, western society tries to measure everything with only one tool: money. There are other more sophisticated tools to supplement our assessments.

The Canadian Index of Wellbeing evaluates the wellness of populations based on community vitality, democratic engagement, the environment, healthy populations, living standards and education.

Internationally, Canada ranks 18th of 193 countries according to the Human Development Index.

There are disparities in well-being acorss Canada, with Indigenous communities scoring lower nationally and there are gaps for some sectors of the community within Waterloo Region.

Exercise your demographic right & responsiblity to vote, write letters, sign petitions, peaceful demonstrations, run for office or support a candidate. Make an informed decision! Hold elected officials and candidates accountable to make decisisons based on evidence and research; that is the standard expected for professionals in medicine, business, science, technology and social services. Look for laws and policies that prioritize food security, affordable housing, a living wage, clean water and fresh air.

No one person can do it all but we can all find our passion to protect people, planet and communities!

People Before Profit

Be kind. Buy local. Support farmers, artists, artisans and community businesses.

As a voter, employee, business owner, shareholder or stakeholder, seek to avoid crisis-management for problem-solving. A more effective response is upstream thinking, which is about exploring the cause of the problem and putting in place preventative measures, such as early childhood education, youth programs or age-friendly design features. It is much more effective and in fact, cheaper, to fund resources such as sports, guaranteed living wage, affordable housing and mental health and addiction counselling than paying the cumulative costs of supporting victims of violent crime;  repairing  property damage; policing, imprisoning and rehabilitating offenders.

There is No Planet B

I have a native plant garden which provides sanctuary and food for pollinators and other small animals. Loving the land where we live is the beginning of a spiritual relationship with the planet. Enjoy nature! Walk, ride a bike or take transit.

Other ways to protect the planet include: mending, thrifting or otherwise celebrating “slow fashion”; intentionally making vegan and / or local food choices; avoid single-use plastics; look at the full life cycle before you purchase anything; upcycle; repair……

Exercise your democratic responsibility to persuade, convince or corner decision-makers into laws and policies that protect the planet

Safe(r) Communities

Let’s all do our share to nuture resilient children and families and neighbourhoods that are welcoming and safe.

Whether it is a rural community, a village, town or city; we all want to live in a place that is safe, sustainable, walkable and friendly.

Mahatma Gandhi is widely quoted for these words: “the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” The most vulnerable members in Canadian society today are: children, BIPOC, people in long term care facilities, people with disabilities, people who are homeless, inmates of prisons. We need people-friendly communities that welcome and provide sanctuary for each person.