It’s the first of three times I’ll be hitting the polls this fall and even though I didn’t receive my voter card, I called to make sure a) I’m registered b) I know where I need to go.
In case you’re looking to find out where to go, what you need to bring to vote etc. here’s some information that might help since the Elections Canada website has been getting a little overloaded.
Polls are open 7:00am to 7:00pm
Electoral Districts in Vancouver: Vancouver Centre, Vancouver East, Vancouver Kingsway, Vancouver Quadra, Vancouver South
Call 1-800-463-6868 if you require urgent information
Bring ID: Option 1, Provide one original piece of identification issued by a government or government agency containing your photo, name and address (e.g. driver’s licence). Option 2, Provide two original pieces of identification authorized by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada. Both pieces must contain your name, and one must also contain your address (e.g. health card and hydro bill). Option 3, Swear an oath and be vouched for by an elector who is on the list of electors in the same polling division and who has an acceptable piece or pieces of identification (e.g. a neighbour, your roommate).
Although there is an embargo on results coverage in the media out West (since polls will be closing in the East before we’re done over here) I assume the internet – blogs, Twitter – will host discussions tonight. Watching Global News this morning they’ve also been advertising a live blog this evening on their site, which I’ve noticed will be conducted using Cover It Live, liveblogging tool starting at 5:30pm PT.
At any rate, check the elections Canada website to make sure where you need to be and most importantly, get out there and exercise your democratic right to have a voice in shaping your country.
Update: I have now cast my vote. Since I didn’t receive my voter card I had to go to the “Voter Registration” table and show them my license (which is sufficient for ID since it has your name, photo, address). They will then assign you a station where you can go get your ballot and vote – not as scary a process as some may think although make sure you call or check the website if you have any questions or unusual circumstances.
Update: If you’re looking for results the CBC has an interactive map that is being updated every few seconds.
The CBC is also going to Twitter spikes in discussions (#canadavotes) by the hour although some of the tweets noted were longer than 130 characters hmmm. If you want to get your thoughts on Harper, Dion or others on the CBC’s live “Twitter” coverage, use hashtag #ormistonvote.
Update: The top topics on Twitter right now 1) #Canadavotes 2) #gno 3) #ormistonvote 4) #Obama 5)#redsox. You can follow along (without an account) on Summize or follow me @miss604.
Update: Quick stats – we could have 70 women elected to seats in the house, the highest number in history. On the flip side – possibly the lowest voter turnout, missing 10 million Canadians at the polls. Do you think we’ve been too busy telling Americans to vote in their election, that we forgot about our own?
Stephane Dion isn’t too happy with CTV (apparently they aired outtakes of an interview with him that didn’t make him look very good) but it’s been a pretty long night, and a tough one for him.
The map of Canada is becoming increasingly blue (which stands for the Conservative Party) and although they still have a minority government, most people I’m talking to on Twitter are not too happy about a) the outcome b) the entire election itself (thinking it was a waste of time at this point).
My 23rd blogger profile in the series features Stephen Rees – who is much more than a transit and eco-blogger. He’s someone that I would suggest everyone in the region (not just Vancouver) put on their list of regular reads.
Who are you?
I am a 59 year old divorced, semi-retired economist and planner. I used to work for Translink but I am pleased to say they got rid of me, so that has left me more time to be a blogger, photographer, swing bridge operator, cyclist, anti-freeway campaigner who sometimes gets paid to speak to people about sustainability. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩
With the way last season ended, many had lost faith in the Canucks and with so many changes over the summer no one really knew what to expect when the puck dropped for 2008-2009.
There are those who wanted to sell off their season tickets as soon as they got them, and those who have been plotting the parade route downtown after the Canucks achieved the best pre-season record. As DaveO always says, there’s room on the Canucks fan bus for all. For better or for worse, this is our city’s (and our province’s) team.
There was no better example of how our region rallies for our team, and its players, than the touching tribute the Canucks organization put together for our boy, Luc Bourdon, who lost his life earlier this summer. Having also lost someone special this August, also to a motorcycle accident, it was an even more emotional evening for me – and I’m sure for many, many others.
It was only fitting that the current Canuck that was closest to our young defencemen, Alex Burrows, scored two goals in our 6-0 opening night victory against Calgary.
Luc’s legacy for young hockey players everywhere has also been commemorated at GM Place with the Wall of Dreams.
We’ll take the wins and the losses (preferably more in the “W” column though) but we’re always behind our team. The puck drops tonight at 7:00pm PST and I’m hoping that even if Calgary steps up, our city will not be quick to drop our promising team this season – I’m certain the best is only to come.
The final day of the Vancouver International Film Festival was cause for celebration. Over the course of about two weeks, 140,000 people sat in on screenings, took part in discussions and enjoyed cinematic masterpieces from around the world.
Thanks to the fine people at Hbc (otherwise known as Th Bay) I was set up with a personal shopper who was kind enough to find me a dress for the VIFF Closing Gala Party. There’s nothing like walking into a store and having someone hand-pick items for you to try – there’s also nothing like them telling you exactly when something doesn’t work at all for you. Thanks to Sarah (at the downtown location) and Neesha, we were able to find a garment that was a deep greenish-blue (“peacock feather” colour), figure-flattering, and that I was totally comfortable wearing.
I’ve always been a huge fan of The Bay, usually because when you grab a designer item (like my Nine West tunic) off the 30% clearance rack and take it to the till, it’s marked down an additional 10-15%. Not sure how that always seem to happen to me but I’m not going to complain.
Full disclosure: The dress is going back today (no, I didn’t purchase it, keep the tags on, etc.), it was just a loaner from Hbc, but thanks to this experience I’ll probably head back to The Bay for my holiday dress needs (there was an amazing black dress number JS Collections that I fell in love with but just wasn’t right for last night).
More disclosure: The gala was great, the food was amazing, however the best part was spending time with my lovely sister. We caught up on her trip to Germany, ranted about strata councils, and enjoyed a nice healthy helping of the Wild Horse Canyon red that kept magically appearing in our wine glasses.
Thanksgiving is usually a time of reflection on my blog; memories of heading to my Oma and Opa’s house for a big turkey dinner, raking the leaves in the front yard and then riding the BMX straight through the pile. Eating so much at supper time as Oma tells you to keep going, “you’re too skinny!” meanwhile you just know the next time she sees you she’ll comment on how she thinks you’ve gained weight.
There’s a lot going on around town this weekend and while memories like these make me smile, I’m also reminded of those who probably won’t be able to enjoy a warm meal come Monday (or any day next week). Here are a few events and details about how you can help out this season:
John Chow, our local, infamous, million dollar blogger, is encouraging his readers to donate to the Union Gospel Mission. He’s even offering to match every donation up to $1,000. “All readers making donations will be recognized in a blog post this Friday. If you have a website or blog, I will link to it. If you think about it, this is a pretty inexpensive way to get a link on this blog.”
The UGM also had a radiothon with JRfm yesterday and even though country ain’t my thing, the listeners of that station raised enough to supply 7,416 meals. “Our goal is to raise enough to server 10,600 meals: about 3000 of those meals will be served this Monday for Thanksgiving, and the rest will be served to Vancouver’s hungriest people throughout the fall season.” Donations are still being accepted and the cost of a UGM turkey dinner is only $2.59 (less than a Grande Mocha at Starbucks)
I would also like to note that the Surrey Food Bank operates separately from the GVFBS and that donations and contributions are also being accepted in preparation for the season ahead. “1 in 4 children in Surrey live below the poverty line and 45% of our clients are children and babies.” [AboutSFB]
Update: A few hours after writing this post I received a reminder from the Blog Action Day team (and a few other bloggers as well). October 15th is “Blog Action Day” which is, “an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.” This year’s theme is poverty.
Although their website is fantastic, you can’t easily search the list of participating bloggers, and sifting through the 350 pages of listings might be a bit daunting. As such, I’ll try to have some coverage up here – highlighting some regional bloggers that are spreading awareness about these issues on Blog Action Day.
I have also signed up for a Change.org profile, that connects bloggers with non-profits for fundraising and look forward to trying out the service in the future.
It’s the first of three times I’ll be hitting the polls this fall and even though I didn’t receive my voter card, I called to make sure a) I’m registered b) I know where I need to go.
Update: I have now cast my vote. Since I didn’t receive my voter card I had to go to the “Voter Registration” table and show them my license (which is sufficient for ID since it has your name, photo, address). They will then assign you a station where you can go get your ballot and vote – not as scary a process as some may think although make sure you call or check the website if you have any questions or unusual circumstances.
