Guelph city councillor founds Leap chapter

Social justice organization seeks to build a more caring Canada

A new social justice group called Leap is on the horizon in Guelph. Focused on building a sustainable future, Leap is “a call for a Canada based on caring for the Earth and one another.”

Leap began in 2015 with a group of artists, environmentalists, and First Nations Peoples: a broad non-partisan group of people from across Canada. Initiating signatories included David Suzuki, Gord Downie, and Alanis Morissette.

The Leap Manifesto is based on the premise that, for many reasons, we are in a deep crisis, particularly around climate change.

The Leap Manifesto has 15 demands, which include:

• Fully implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• Moving to 100 per cent renewable energy in the next two decades
• Affordable public transit that connects people from across the country

Naomi Klein’s visit to Guelph last fall raised questions about the possibility of a Leap chapter in the Guelph area. Klein recognized the parallels between the Leap values of innovation, creativity, and environmental consciousness, and the values of the greater Guelph community.

An attendee of Naomi Klein’s speaking engagement, Guelph city councillor James Gordon was inspired to bring Leap to Guelph. As a signatory of the Leap Manifesto in 2015, Gordon is now spearheading the new group in Guelph, although he does not intend to lead it himself. Over the past few weeks, Gordon has recruited 35 new members to join the organization; he told The Ontarion he hopes that organic leadership emerges among the group.

Gordon acknowledges, “[Leap] cannot be a universal call to action if there are gaps in people participating.” He says students can support Leap by developing projects and initiatives that align with Leap’s demands on campus. The idea is that each chapter will undertake projects that reflect the Leap Manifesto and benefit their community, but also find ways to nurture the conversation on a national level. Overall, through Leap, Gordon would like to show people the value of getting involved.

Gordon told The Ontarion that he also wants to collaborate and support community groups that align with Leap’s mission, such as Emerge, whose goal is to make Guelph a 100 per cent carbon neutral and renewable energy city.

Gordon believes the most important demand in the Leap Manifesto is equality. He expressed concern that, “Guelph has a lot of statistics like the lowest unemployment in the country and a high standard of living. The statistics don’t bare out if you actually look at the number of homeless people we have and there are a lot of people working in marginal jobs. There’s a lot of income disparity here too.”

The first meeting of the Guelph chapter is set for February.

Art by Barbara Salsberg Mathews