I’m Trevor Pinsonneault, the recently-elected President of the Green Party of New Brunswick. First, I want to say a huge thank you to outgoing President, Nicolas Jelic, for his outstanding dedication to our party. Nicolas has gone above and beyond to help grow our party into the organization it is today, and I am so grateful for all his hard work and building on his accomplishments.

Last month was a big month for us. Not only did we hold our first in-person AGM since before the Covid pandemic, we also ran three very successful by-election campaigns. Serge Brideau, Rachel Boudreau, and Chantal Landry all came in a strong second place in their ridings, growing the Green vote to 35%, 32%, and 19%, respectively. 

I have served on the provincial council as a councilor at large for the last 2 years. During that time, I have enjoyed working with like-minded Greens and watching our party grow. I hope to continue working with our caucus, members, staff, and of course our new provincial council to strengthen our engagement and set us up for success in 2024 and beyond. 

Enjoy the newsletter!

 

Trevor Pinsonneault,

President of the Green Party of New Brunswick

 

In This Issue:

• Volunteer Spotlight: By-election Volunteers
• Staff Appreciation Spotlight: Claire Kelly-Orozco
• Upcoming Events
  
  • Run for Women - Moncton
  • Green Your Spring - Sussex
• Provincial Council Corner
  • Thank you to outgoing members
  • Congratulations to newly-elected members
• Get Involved
  • Donate
  • Volunteer
  • Become a member
• MLAs in Action
  
  • David's Earth Day Blog Post
  • Megan Mitton asks government to clarify stance on fracking
  • Kevin Arseneau discusses food security for families
• Press Releases
  
  • By-election results

Volunteer Spotlight 

There are so many volunteers to thank this month. We pulled together to run three very successful by-election campaigns in a very short time. There is no way we could have done it without a network of dedicated and passionate volunteers. Serge, Rachel, and Chantal surrounded themselves with excellent teams who ran competitive campaigns that demonstrated Greens are a force to be reckoned with. 

Thank you to everyone for your time spent door knocking, putting up signs, making phone calls, delivering flyings, translating content, and being there to show your support to our amazing candidates every step of the way! The work you’ve put in has significantly grown our support and set us up for success in the next general election.

 

Staff Appreciation Spotlight 

Claire Kelly-Orozco

Claire hit the ground running when she started the job as the new Executive Director of the Green Party of New Brunswick. Claire not only organized our first in-person AGM since 2019, she also helped coordinate 3 by-elections at the same time. On top of that, Claire has attended several other RDA meetings and helped fundraise thousands of dollars towards election expenses and staff. Our mantra in the office this past month has been “everything, everywhere, all at once”, and in April that was certainly true! 

Despite an exceptionally busy month, Claire has inspired and motivated our staff, members, candidates, and volunteers with her determined optimism and unrelentingly positive attitude. 

Claire, we all owe you a big thanks for all you have done and continue to do to make our party what it is. We hope you get some well-deserved rest this week.

 

Upcoming Events

Run for Women - Moncton

Sunday, May 7, 2023

Shoppers Drug Mart is holding its Run for Women in Moncton this Sunday at Centennial Park. 

This fundraiser will support the Beausejour Family Crisis Resource Centre, a registered charity that offers counseling, housing and support to victims of family violence, sexual assault, and mental health difficulties, including their children. 

The Green Party of New Brunswick is proud to have a team of runners representing our organization at this event. Thank you to Myriam Cormier for organizing our running team.

To see how you can support this very worthy cause, read more here.

 

Green Your Spring - Sussex

Saturday, May 13, 2023

11:00am to 1:00pm

The Sussex-Fundy-St Martins Green Party RDA is hosting an EV car show, an educational bio-blitz scavenger hunt for kids, and a Q&A with David Coon. Free hot dogs and coffee will be provided. 

The event will be at Leonard’s Gate, next to 600 Main Street, Sussex, NB. More details will be posted on the Sussex-Fundy-St Martins facebook page. Or, for more information please contact the regional mobilizer, Addison Fach at [email protected].

Thank you to the organizers working hard to make this event happen! We look forward to celebrating spring with you this Mothers Day weekend!

 

Provincial Council Corner

We want to thank the outgoing members of the Provincial Council for their dedication to helping organize and grow our party. The following members are retiring from their positions:

Nicolas Jelic - President

Christelle Léger - Vice President Francophone

Emerald Gibson - Secretary

Anthony Martin - Youth Representative

Tim Thompson - Member at large

Diani Blanco - Regional Councilor: South East

Beth McCann - Regional Councilor: Fundy

Delphine Ditlecadet - Policy Working Group Chair

 

Congratulations to the newly-elected Council members, and thank you to all members who voted! We look forward to the new ideas and experience you will bring to Provincial Council. The following successful candidates were elected to the positions listed below:

Trevor Pinsonneault - President

Jean Claude Bourque - Vice President Francophone

Burt Folkins - Secretary

Kaely Scott - Regional Councilor: Capital Region 

Thomas Ross - Regional Councilor: Capital Region

Eric Allain - Regional Councillor: Northern Region

Camille Arseneau - Regional Councillor: Northern Region

Brent Harris - Policy Working Group Chair

 

Get Involved

We are building our party brick-by-brick in every corner of the province. Now is the time to get involved and get organized so that we can win seats in the next provincial election. Our priority over the next 6 months is to activate local registered district associations (RDAs) to continue building and strengthening out on-the-ground teams.

Consider making a monthly donation to help us hire more staff. Did you know we only have one full-time staff and two part-time staff at our office? Monthly donations give us the financial stability to hire a core team of employees to support our RDAs, candidates, and volunteers to give them the resources they need to run successful campaigns. 

Volunteer your time and skills in any number ways! Sign up to volunteer on our website and we will connect you with someone from your local riding so that you can transform your ideas and talents into real action.

Become a member or renew your membership to the Green Party of New Brunswick. A membership allows you to participate in your local RDA, vote on resolutions, choose the candidate for your riding, and be a part of our team!

 

MLAs in Action

“There is only one world. What we do to the Earth, we do to ourselves.” Read David Coon’s Earth Day Message on the limits of our planet and the issues we need to address if we are to live within our ecological means. David traveled to Bathurst last Monday night to support the by-election candidates and watch the results with supporters. 

 

MLA Megan Mitton continues to push for accountability from the government on the lack of regulation of PFAS “forever chemicals” and their impacts on human health. Megan also asked the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to clarify the government’s stance on fracking considering the International Energy Agency has clearly said that we cannot have any new fossil fuel development if we want to reach net zero by 2050.

 

In addition to singing a fantastic rendition of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” with by-election candidate Serge Brideau, MLA Kevin Arseneau continues to advocate for food security in New Brunswick. Last week, Kevin attended an event hosted by the Association francophone des parents du Nouveau-Brunswick to discuss what actions can be taken to improve food security in our communities.

 

Press Releases

Greens come in a strong second place in all three by-elections - April 25