[Sust-mar] NSEN Special Announcement: Upcoming Events & Eco-Hero Award Announcement

[NSEN]

NSEN Special Announcement:

UPCOMING NSEN EVENTS & ECO-HERO AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT
Congratulations to our winners!

(1)
Public presentation: The Environmental Petition Process - A tool to bring
about positive environmental changes 
Roger Hillier, Petition Manager, Office of the Auditor General of Canada
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Monday, January 21
Nova Scotia Public Archives, 6016 University Avenue, Halifax
Tel: (902) 424-6060
(Brown brick building located on the corner of Robie St. and University
Ave.)
Wheelchair accessible.
*This event is free and open to the public. This event takes place at the
end of our ENGO Annual Roundtable - please see full details of roundtable
and presentation abstract below.

(2)
(NSEN Members Only) Meeting with the Nova Scotia Liberal Party
Meeting with Environment Critic Keith Colwell, Energy Critic Michel Samson,
and Natural Resources Critic Leo Glavine
Wednesday, January 23 
3:00 - 4:00 PM
Liberal Party Caucus Office in Halifax
A chance for us to pose our environmental questions to the Liberal Party. 
To attend, please be sure your NSEN membership is paid up-to-date and please
RSVP to Tamara at NSEN nsen at cen-rce.org  

(3)
(NSEN Members Only) Meeting with Nova Scotia NDP Party
Meeting with Environment Critic Graham Steele
Monday, January 28
2:00 - 4:00 PM
Graham Steele's Constituency Office in Halifax
A chance for us to pose our environmental questions to the NDP Party. 
To attend, please be sure your NSEN membership is paid up-to-date and please
RSVP RSVP to Tamara at NSEN nsen at cen-rce.org  

(4) 
Environmental Education Caucus (EEC) Public Meeting
Friday, February 22, 2008
10:00am to 12:00pm,
1593 Barrington Street, Discovery Centre, Halifax.  
Host:  Brad Tucker, btucker at discoverycentre.ns.ca
Chair of the EEC Daisy Kidston, Programs Coordinator
Climate Change Centre, Clean Nova Scotia
902-420-6684
kidston at clean.ns.ca
www.clean.ns.ca/ccc

(5) 
Sustainability in Nova Scotia for Everyone (SENSE) Public Meeting
Wednesday, February 20
12:00-4:00pm
Canadian Centre for Ethics in Public Affairs
630 Francklyn Street, Atlantic School of Theology, Halifax
Lunch provided. Free and open to the public. Please RSVP to Tamara at NSEN
nsen at cen-rce.org to ensure enough seats and catering. Travel subsidies
provided. 

(6)
NOVA SCOTIA ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK

ANNUAL ENGO ROUNDTABLE

Election Readiness, Eco-Hero Awards & Environmental Petitions

Monday, January 21 (Storm date Friday, January 25) 2008 *Martin Luther King
Jr. Day.


AGENDA

8:30-9:00 AM - Registration and Coffee & Welcome Snack

9:00-9:30 AM - Welcome and Introductions (Daisy Kidson, Clean Nova Scotia
and Chair of NSEN)

9:30-10:00 AM - Nova Scotia Environmental Network, Canadian Environmental
Network and Caucus Updates (Tamara Lorincz, Executive Director of NSEN,
Gretchen Fitzgerald, Director Sierra Club of Canada-Atlantic Chapter, and
Anna McCarron Shubenacadie Watershed Environmental Protection Society)

10:00-10:45 AM - Lessons from Labour: Effective Mobilizing forElections
(Tony Tracy, Canadian Labour Congress)

10:45-11:00 AM - Sunshine Break

11:00-11:15 AM - Election Readiness: Case Study "ENGOs and the Ontario
Election 2007"
(Gretchen Fitzgerald, Director Sierra Club of Canada-Atlantic Chapter and
Tamara Lorincz, Executive Director of NSEN)

11:15-11:45 AM - Brainstorm on ENGO election readiness & Dotmocracy: What
are the Environmental Priorities for Nova Scotia?
(Tamara Lorincz, Executive Director of NSEN and Daisy Kidson, Clean Nova
Scotia and Chair of NSEN)

11:45-12:00 AM - Nova Forest Alliance & Voluntary Planning Update
(Joanne Cook, Standing Tall - Ecology Action Centre)

12:00-12:45 PM - Lunch (Gourmet, vegetarian and vegan lunch)

12:45-1:30 PM - NSEN Awards and Cake Celebration (THIS IS OPEN TO THE
PUBLIC)

1. Nickerson Lifetime Achievement 
Walter Regan, Sackville Rivers Association 

2. Eco-Heroes Group of the Year 
Partnership for the Sustainable Development of Digby Neck and Islands
Society

3. Eco-Hero Environmentalist of the Year 
Lydia and Allan Sorflaten, Citizens Against the Burning of Tires

4. Cole Award in Excellence in Environment and Health (Group or Individual)
Karen Robinson, Citizens for A Safe Learning Environment

5. Youth Environmental Leadership Award
Karen McKendry, Young Naturalists Club

6. Award for Environmental Political Will
Member of Parliament Bill Casey (nominated by Citizens Against the Burning
of Tires)

1:30 - 2:45 PM - What are the Environmental Priorities for Nova Scotia? Next
Steps for Election Readiness 
(Tamara Lorincz, Executive Director of NSEN and Daisy Kidson, Clean Nova
Scotia and Chair of NSEN)

2:45-3:00 PM - Sunshine Break 

3:00 - 4:00 PM - The Environmental Petition Process - A tool to bring about
positive environmental changes presentation by Roger Hillier, Petition
Manager, Office of the Auditor General of Canada *(See abstract below) THIS
IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

4:00-4:15 PM - Draw Prizes and Closing

Purpose:
The purpose of the NSEN annual roundtable is to bring representatives of
environmental and health groups across Nova Scotia together to strategize,
share resources and to network. The theme of this year's roundtable is
Election Readiness. This year, we are expecting muncipal, provincial and
federal elections to take place. The environment is the top priority of
Canadians and a priority for many political parties, so ENGOs must
strategically and effectively mobilize before the elections to advance their
environmental agendas. 

Participants & Costs:
NSEN Group Members can attend the roundtable for free (Representatives of
environmental/health groups only). One or two representatives of a member
group can come for free. NSEN members are especially encouraged to attend to
vote on NSEN matters. Limited travel subsidies will be available. A copy of
the Nova Scotia Policy Review will be available to all participants. 

Non-members (representatives of environmental/health groups) must pay $45
(includes cost of membership). Individual NSEN members can attend as
observers but must pay $20 for catering. Non-members can attend as observers
but must pay $30 for catering and individual membership. (Storm date Friday,
January 25).

Free public sessions in the roundtable agenda - the award ceremony at 12:45
PM and the environmental petition process at 3:00 PM are free and open to
the public. Catering and refreshments are not provided. 

Participants must also RSVP to ensure a seat and lunch by Friday, January
18. Please let us know of any special needs. Space limited. To attend,
please RSVP to Tamara at nsen at cen-rce.org

What to Bring: 
For networking purposes, please bring your business cards and copies of your
organization's material to distribute.

Location: 
Nova Scotia Public Archives, 6016 University Avenue, Halifax
Tel: (902) 424-6060
(Brown brick building located on the corner of Robie St. and University
Ave.)
Wheelchair accessible.

Getting to the Nova Scotia Public Archives:
Participants are encouraged to walk, bus, bike or carpool to the event. 

By Bus:
Within the Halifax Regional Municipality, there are many buses to get you to
this location. For more information about bus service, please call Metro
Transit Information line at (902) 490-4000.

Carpooling:
Please call NSEN if you can offer carpooling or if you need a ride. 

Driving:
The Nova Scotia Public Archives is a brick building located on the corner of
Robie St. and University Ave. on the Dalhousie Campus and across the street
from the IWK Grace Hospital. Please see Map Quest for the exact location of
the Nova Scotia Public Archives: http://www.mapquest.com

Parking: 
Hourly parking is available at the IWK Grace Hospital located across the
street from the Archives. The IWK Grace parking garage uses an automated
parking system. When you enter into the garage you will receive an Entry
Ticket. PLEASE TAKE THIS TICKET WITH YOU. You are required to pay your
parking fee at an automated pay station located in the IWK Gallery (which
looks like a banking machine) before returning to your car to leave the
garage. Once your Entry Ticket is validated by the pay station as paid, you
simply place the paid ticket on the ticket reader at the exit and the gate
will rise automatically. Once you pay for parking, you have 20 minutes to
exit the parking lot. All day parking costs approximately $9 (We may be able
to subsidize this cost).

Travel Subsidies: 
NSEN can help offset travel costs for members. 

"The Environmental Petition Process - A tool to bring about positive
environmental changes" Roger Hillier, Petition Manager, Office of the
Auditor General of Canada"

Abstract: 
The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development is
responsible for the administration of the environmental petitions process
within the Office of the Auditor General. The environmental petitions
process allows any resident or organization within Canada to submit a
petition to Ministers of 28 Federal departments or agencies to obtain a
formal written response to their questions or concerns relating to the
Federal government's management of the environment. Though the process does
not guarantee the Federal Government will take action to address the issue
raised in a petition, it does require each minister of a petitioned
department to personally respond to the questions. Furthermore, our 2007
survey of past petitioners' has confirmed the fact that petitioners' do
believe the petitions process has had an impact on the government's
management of environmental issues. The environmental petitions process may
help NSEN members to receive answers to their environmental questions
relating to Federal environmental issues and help raise the profile of their
environmental issues. Relevant Links: 
 
2007 Retrospective Study of the Petitions Process:
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/reports.nsf/html/c20071002c_e.html
 
Information relating to the Environmental Petitions Process:
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/cesd_cedd.nsf/html/petitions_e.html
 
Environmental Petitions Catalogue of prior petitions and government
responses:
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/petitions.nsf/viewE1.0?openview&count=1000


For more information or to RSVP, please contact: 

Tamara Lorincz
Executive Director (NSEN)
Nova Scotia Environmental Network 
55 Willowbend Ct. 
Halifax, NS Canada B3M 3L3
Phone: 902-454-6846
Fax: 902-454-6841
Email: nsen at web.ca
Web Site: www.nsen.ca