Green Party of Saskatchewan

Community Development Policy

• Community Development policy from the 2007 Green Book
• Community Development Resolutions 1998-2011
• Platform 2003: Community Development

Community Development policy from the 2007 Green Book:

• Tie the minimum wage to the minimum housing wage for the province (the wage required so than an employee doesn’t spend more than 30% of income on housing). The wage would be indexed every year based on rental prices.
• Reinvest in sports, leisure, and cultural centers.
• Leave more tax revenue in communities to help with:
  
  • maintenance and expansion of local infrastructure
  • the ability to provide increased social services
  • investment into local arts and cultural events that showcase the community
• Work with urban and rural child care providers to develop a made-in-Saskatchewan solution to the current child care crisis that meets the needs of all of Saskatchewan’s diverse communities.
• Increase support for community arts programs and facilities across Saskatchewan by establishing stable base-funding at a set percentage of the provincial budget.

Community Development Resolutions 1998-2011:

2011.49  Support for Seniors

Be it resolved that a Green Party of Saskatchewan government will study the future housing requirements of seniors and have plans in place to build housing units that are energy efficient, affordable, meet the needs of seniors and are compatible with the specific needs of individual communities.

Be it further resolved that a GPS government will provide core funding to seniors centres.

2005.9  Support for local access to good food

Be it resolved that a Green Party of Saskatchewan Government would support the achievement of the goals of the Food Charter Movement in Saskatchewan by actively encouraging and supporting community-based groups or individuals who are working to provide retail access to affordable, safe and nutritious food in urban and rural areas not effectively served by the current food retail system.

Be it further resolved that if community groups or private individuals or companies are unable or unwilling to provide this appropriate and affordable food access, that a food retail system be undertaken by the Government of Saskatchewan similar to the system of Government run liquor sales outlets, to meet the basic nutrition access needs of all Saskatchewan citizens.

2004.1  Childrens’ right to equal shared parenting

Be It Resolved that the Green Party of Saskatchewan adopt a publicly displayed platform position at the Annual General Meeting Conference of 2004 which fully endorses the establishment of legislation which provides for equality for both children and parents by ensuring that children have the right, through Equal Shared Parenting legislation, to be parented by both parents on a fully equal basis, and by ensuring that both parents have the right, through legislation, to parent their own children on a fully equal basis unless agreed upon in writing by both parents.

Be it further resolved, that this position be fully adopted and publicly presented in the Green Party of Saskatchewan election platform for the next Saskatchewan provincial election;

And be it further resolved, that should the Green Party of Saskatchewan form government after the next provincial election, that this position be fully supported and that such legislation be passed within the first year of forming government.

2003.1  Support for a “Quality Saskatchewan” Program

BE IT RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan supports a series of initiatives which would result in the creation of a Quality Saskatchewan program which would promote Saskatchewan agriculture, industry, products, institutions and communities nationally and internationally as being certified high quality, environmentally responsible and economically sustainable products, institutions and communities.

2003.2  Taxation Reform

BE IT RESOLVED that a Green Party of Saskatchewan Government would reform Saskatchewan’s taxation system so that it is more just and that it more effectively supports local communities, and a sustainable and self sufficient community-based economy. These reforms would include:

1. Taxes would be imposed or raised on environmentally destructive practices, with any additional revenues realized by these tax increases, to be directed to environmental cleanup, reclamation of ecologically damaged areas, and for the support of community efforts that support environmentally friendly and sustainable economic developments under a Quality Saskatchewan program, and would include a reduction of taxes on environmentally friendly purchases.
2. The taxation rules would be changed to shift the tax burden from regressive taxes such as property taxes and PST to a larger number of progressive income tax brackets, to a new luxury taxes and greater resource extraction and resource development taxes.
3. The establishment of a “Community Development Tax Return” plan whereby a percentage of the PST, a commerce-based taxation revenue generated within a designated community area, would be returned to local communities and community groups which undertake to provide local services to citizens according to locally determined needs and priorities. As communities and community organizations develop greater capacity and efficiency in providing local governance and in supporting local community needs, a greater percentage of Community Development Tax Return would be provided along with the delegation of greater community services currently being controlled and financed by the provincial government.
4. The establishment of a scaled (graduated) revenue tax that would apply above a given threshold to replace the current municipal business tax system.

2003.6  Create a provincial Food Charter

BE IT RESOLVED that a Green Party of Saskatchewan Government will immediately engage all levels and sectors of the Saskatchewan Community in a dialogue aimed at creating a Food Charter that would apply to all Saskatchewan people, and furthermore, that once such a charter has been adopted, to engage all levels of government and all local community organizations in a common effort to apply those Food Charter rights to all its citizens.

2003.7  Strategies for meeting food needs of Saskatchewan people

BE IT RESOLVED that a Green Party of Saskatchewan Government will immediately declare its intention to eliminate the need for community food banks, and will seek to meet on-going food and nutrition needs of disadvantaged citizens through new initiatives that arise from a province-wide food charter, and from the devolution of existing food banks into community kitchen and community nutrition education programs,

and furthermore, a Green Party of Saskatchewan Government would support local community initiatives to create community food production cooperatives or cooperative ventures with local farmers to grow, store and distribute organically produced vegetable crops, and also support organic dairy and meat products.

2003.26  Support public day care expansion

BE IT RESOLVED that a Green Party of Saskatchewan Government will provide free, publicly funded childcare, with fairly paid and competent staff, and increase the number of spaces in day care centres to at least the Canadian average.

2003.33  Better support for families with children living with disabilities

BE IT RESOLVED that a Green Party of Saskatchewan government will

1. broaden the mandate of the Department of Social Services Community Living Division to include programs, supports and services to parents who have children with physical and /or intellectual disabilities, so that children are supported in the home and can remain in a healthy home environment, and that other supports, programs, and services will include community group homes for children with disabilities, more education resources, recreational opportunities, and other services to address the needs of children and families
2. increase funding to Social Services Community Living Division to ensure that effective programs, services, and trained staff are addressing the needs of families with children with disabilities, and
3. fund, support, and respond to research that indicates the environmental and social factors relating to the cause and/or development of physical or intellectual disabilities in children.

2000.4  Unemployment

RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan will work with other organizations to pressure governments at all levels to divert funds presently used to subsidize private business and commit those funds to:

1. improve and increase the level of government services to the public
2. educate those interested in learning cooperative philosophy and administration subsidize start-up costs for groups (that have demonstrated the necessary skills) interested in organizing non-profit worker cooperatives.

2000.7  Pension Review

RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan will work with other interested organizations to pressure the federal government to change the Canada Pension Plan so that any Canadian citizen over the age of twenty-one could elect to receive two years of Canada Pension Plan benefits in advance. To recompense the Canada Pension Plan for the early use of these benefits, a person who chooses to take advantage of this arrangement would have to wait an additional two years before qualifying for Canada Pension Plan benefits in their later years.

2000.10  Affordable Housing

RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan support the establishment and development of Saskatchewan housing cooperatives, alternative housing initiatives, community organizations, community-based businesses, local food supply and life-long education centres.

2000.13  Increase in Social Assistance

RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan support and work with other organizations to put more resources and money into the social infrastructure of this province.

2000.16  Political Alliances in Municipal Elections

RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan set the following principles when setting up local municipal alliances or working with local organizations on municipal elections:

1. Where the Green Party of Saskatchewan as a party involves itself in local municipal elections, it should run on a platform that is consistent with the party principles. The platform should emphasize green issues and social justice positions.
2. Where the Green Party of Saskatchewan engages in the formation of political alliances, it should be with progressive political forces. Such alliances should be firm and made in advance of an election, specifying who will be candidates, the alliance platform and priorities given to key issues. The Green Party of Saskatchewan and its members should be prepared to withdraw from an alliance if these agreements are violated.
3. If individual members of the Green Party of Saskatchewan run for office as individuals, it is expected that they will advocate policies that are consistent with the principles of the Green Party of Saskatchewan.

2000.17  Assessment of Land and Built on Property

RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan supports the principle of market value assessment of land and built on property.

2000.21  Guaranteed Annual Income

RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan supports the idea of implementing a liveable guaranteed annual income.

2000.22  Rural Amalgamation

RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan opposes forced amalgamation of rural municipalities; that the Green Party of Saskatchewan communicate this position to affected parties, and

That the Green Party of Saskatchewan support negotiation with, rather than legislation against the affected rural municipalities.

1999.7  Social Services

The Green Party of Saskatchewan believes that the Social Assistance Program should be more than a market support for private free market business. It should also be used to build up public sector assets to supply basic human needs. The Green Party of Saskatchewan supports the following policy proposals:

• Along with supporting private landlords, SAP money should be used to build up publicly controlled, not-for-profit rental units, and to encourage co-operative efforts for SAP recipients to make down payments on their own homes.
• SAP money should be targeted towards supporting Saskatchewan based private landlords.
• Along with supporting retail food outlets, SAP money should be used to develop not-for-profit food production and wholesale distribution systems.
• SAP money should be targeted to supporting Saskatchewan based food retailers.

1998.11  Anti-poverty measures

Be it resolved that the Green Party of Saskatchewan support raising social assistance rates by twenty-five percent toward meeting basic needs; and

Be it further resolved that the Green Party of Saskatchewan support raising the minimum wage to seven dollars an hour and index the minimum wage to the cost of living.