BOREAL ACTION CENTRE
Tips & Info to Help You Take Action
Write Letters to the Editor
News travels fast these days, so it is important to respond quickly to news stories, other letters to the editor or news events in your local newspaper (try to send your response the same day the issue or story you are writing about appears).
Try as much as possible to tie your letter to a news story or comment piece that has appeared in the paper (eg., “The troubling story on the decline of woodland caribou reminds us of the need to find a better balance between our demand for resources and the needs of wild species . . ..”) – you have a much better chance of having your letter accepted if it makes reference to some issue or event that is in the news.
Keep your letter short (no more than 150 words), make one clear point, and, if you are disagreeing with something that has been written, be polite – personal ranting will not get your letter published.
Finally, be sure to include a phone number where you can be reached during the day, so that your letter can be authenticated before publication. You can find instructions for sending letters either on the newspaper’s letters page or on their website.
Write Opinion pieces
Many papers (although not all) carry a number of opinion pieces each day (or each week). These are much longer (500-800 words) and more in-depth than a letter to the editor, but still need to be topical. You can either contact the opinion page editor (not the letters page editor) to ask if s/he would be interested in the subject you want to address or you can write your piece and submit it with the hope that it will be accepted.
Even though these opinion pieces (often called “op/eds”) are meant to reflect a point of view, it is still important to make plenty of fact-based statements and to present a solid argument in support of your position. Opinion based on nothing more than your own personal feelings will not make for a publishable piece. Again, a news “hook” – some reference to an issue in the news – will increase the odds of your piece being published.
Need to find contact information for your daily or weekly newspaper? Try these search sites.
Daily newspapers:
Community (weekly or biweekly) newspapers:
Contacting Political Leaders
Write them
In our political systems, mail counts. Literally. Politicians often count up correspondence received on an issue to try to gage interest and opinion on an issue . Up until recently, letters that were delivered by post or fax were treated more seriously than email messages by political staff, although this is now changing. However, if you are going to correspond by email, be sure to include your full name and postal mailing address in your message or it will likely not be seriously considered.
The second thing that counts with political correspondence is personalization. If you send a letter written in your own words, it will be given more weight than a form letter or a signature on a petition or postcard. You can still do these latter things, but always follow-up with a personal letter or modify a form letter before sending it. (If you are sending your letter to the Premier, Prime Minister or a minister, always send a copy to your MP or MPP / MLA as well.)
Don’t write five pages of closely argued text. Instead, try to keep your letter to one page and state your position clearly and directly (while remaining polite). Explain how this issue may affect your vote. If you can, also suggest specific actions you would like to see your representative take or ask them to explain their position on an issue.
Finally, always ask for a reply, e.g., “I look forward to your response to my concerns.” You may get nothing more than a form letter, but you will know your letter has been read (or at least counted).
Call them
If you know a decision on an important issue is about to be made, this is a great time to pick up the phone and call the Premier’s or Minister’s office or your representative (particularly if they belong to the governing party).
You won’t actually get to speak to the Premier or Minister (or even, likely, your MP or MPP), but you can leave a message with their office staff stating your position. Prepare a one to two line statement before you call and then read it to the person taking the message. Be as specific as possible, e.g., “I support the creation of a new park . . .” or “I am opposed to issuing exploration leases in this sensitive area . . .” Again, be polite and be clear. Phone calls are treated very seriously by politicians.
Meet with them
MPs and MPPs / MLAs usually have regularly scheduled “constituency days” when they are available in their constituency office to meet with local citizens. Your issue doesn’t have to be specific to the constituency for you to book a meeting – your representative should be willing to meet with you to discuss any of your concerns.
You will probably have to book such a meeting (by calling either their constituency or legislature office) well ahead and will have limited time to make your case, so use the time to prepare. Bring along some background materials to leave with your representative at the end of your meeting. Again, have a specific action request for them if possible. And remember, your representative works for you, so don’t be nervous – it is their job to listen to your concerns.
Government of Saskatchewan Legislative Links
Using Your Green Buying Power
These days one of the most powerful conservation tools that most average citizens own is their wallet. Your buying power is increasingly important in a marketplace where this is often very little to differentiate one 2x4 or litre of gasoline from another.
Of course, reducing consumption is also an important way to address environmental concerns – it would require the resources of four Earths to support the lifestyle of most Canadians. So keep all three Rs in mind (and in order) when making purchasing decisions – Reduce, Reuse and only then Recycle.
If you do need to make a purchase, look for goods that carry credible environmental certification, such as EcoLogo-marked products, or goods that are energy efficient (look for the ENERGY STAR label). If you can’t find such products in stores, write to the places where you shop and ask why they are not available (or better yet, seek out the store manager and ask why they are not stocking such products).
Sometimes, you may have to pay a premium for environmentally certified products (but not always) because many of the environmental and health costs of non-certified products are not included in the product purchase price. This is an issue you may want to raise with your political representatives – why do we continue to subsidize things like the destruction of wild habitat and water and air pollution?
For more information on making good purchasing decisions, see:
Certified Wood
EcoLogo program
Ecobuyer – (This site is designed more for professional buyers, but does have information for consumers as well)
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