First and foremost, I would like to express to all of you that I appreciate every current and past member of this executive and member of this party. I’m so proud of how much we do with the few resources we have. Being part of a team of such resilience and having your trust as Leader has been the centre of my life since February 29, 2020.

I have considered this decision carefully because I take the leadership of this party and our Green Values very seriously. Although our bylaws (B3.1.2) state that the Leader has the option of a four-year term after winning 3/4 of the votes submitted (i.e., 75% in favour) through a Leadership Review, I would like to reassure everyone that this does not exclude my entering a leadership race within that four-year term should party members request it and likely candidates emerge.

Today, February 2nd, is World Wetlands Day and people around the world celebrate this to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands. This year’s theme, “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future,” reminds us that we must take care of these ecosystems for the benefit of future generations.  Sadly, Saskatchewan continues to be the only province in Canada without a wetland policy, and we have lost an estimated 85% of our wetlands. 

The University Bridge is closed in Saskatoon today (Monday, January 20). A fire got out of control under the bridge and damaged a sewage pipe under the bridge's supports. Raw sewage is now leaking down into the river. Tuesday morning it was -37 in Saskatoon. Closer to -49 with the wind chill. 

There has been a lot of talk about traffic flow and delays. However, there were human beings trying to stay alive out there last night. It's painful to imagine the struggle and suffering these community members must be experiencing. Maybe the Saskatoon University Bridge should stay closed until the homelessness crisis in our province has been attended to?

Dear Fellow Greens,

As the old year draws to an end and a new one begins, so many of us take this as a time of personal reflection. As political, social and environmental activists, those of us in the Green Party also use this time for broader reflection upon our part in creating meaningful change in our society. We can feel determined and hopeful as a community, working in groups in our local areas and across the province, building a greener and kinder future together.

Fellow Greens,

This election has heightened even further the urgent need for Green legislation and Green legislators for Saskatchewan. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986, terrible as it was, could have been much, much worse. Remarkably, despite this event as well as the Fukushima and Three Mile Island accidents, the pro-nuclear SaskParty is following the lead of those who would say that it’s possible to guarantee that these types of accidents (and worse) will never happen again. The truth of the matter is that it’s pretty much guaranteed that worse will come to pass, especially when dealing with waste products that remain toxic for tens of thousands of years, products whose long-term storage problems are far from sorting out.

Dear Saskatchewan Greens,

The day after the 2024 election, first and foremost, thank you to every candidate, without whom this campaign would have been impossible. Thank you to our members and supporters who volunteered and donated. Thank you as well to every single person who voted Green.

I’m reflecting back to when we suddenly needed to fundraise as a focus and raise a significantly higher nomination fee for our candidates. This arbitrary dictate by Elections Saskatchewan immediately impacted our organizing ability. But we made it through. One strength moving forward is that candidates are reaching out today expressing their eagerness to run again – and now they are bringing up the need to fundraise for their own campaigns between elections. 

Dear fellow Greens,

First and foremost, thank you so much to all of you who have stepped up to help this election effort with time and donations. Despite some very difficult new challenges to getting our candidates onto the ballot, we ended up fielding 58 out of a possible 61 candidates for MLA.  Daymion Tyndale for Last Mountain Touchwood, Herb Bellrose for White City-Qu’Appelle and Clayton Cave for Cypress Hills were incredible candidates and their input is still needed in the party. I sincerely hope they will run again. Their courage in stepping up is very much appreciated.

Secondly, so much gratitude to our wonderful group of candidates! We haven’t collected all the debates and interviews they have been featured in, so I’m sure we will be seeing more in the post-election Weaver. Hopefully, some of us will be in the Legislature by then.

When I talk to Greens across the country and they reminisce about “the good old days” and what they miss, they always list off things we still do as Greens in Saskatchewan. Things you might take for granted. We are a living culture of grassroots democracy. We get to know one another and check on each other’s well-being, and enjoy a non-status camaraderie among candidates and volunteers. Being “ordinary people” is what makes us so relatable to voters on our doorsteps. We, as Greens, revive people’s faith in democracy and their confidence to try something different when it comes time to cast their ballot.

Dear Saskatchewan Greens,

I’m finally done harvest at the family orchard. That was a long one this year!

The winds of change are blowing in this province! I’m travelling the width and length of Saskatchewan again, helping Greens organize for the upcoming election. Everywhere I go, I hear the same thing: “We are ready for something new!” We in the SGP are the refreshing breeze that this province needs to restore voters’ belief in the integrity of our political system.

Dear Saskatchewan Greens,

Globally, the world is experiencing exponential growth of solar power with storage. Saskatchewan is an excellent place to employ solar, wind and other renewables, and the Saskatchewan Green Party is prepared to incentivize the rapid transition to clean energy in our province. The economics of energy production clearly favours renewables, and our province needs politicians who are prepared to do the work to bring our province within climate goals that look after future generations.