Tuesday, Nov 14, 2023
1:30pm - 3:00pm
Lecture by:
Mike Morrice
Mike will speak about why before being elected he made the commitment to do things differently, what that means to him, and how he’s been able to use that mentality to make more progress on the priorities of his neighbours than he would have been able otherwise. This includes his commitment to science-based action on the climate crisis, to racial justice, to completing the country’s social safety net through programs like a Guaranteed Livable Income, and to electoral reform.
Mike will talk about how his focus is to work on behalf of his community rather than his party, listening first, then collaborating to find and promote solutions, and will share examples of work he’s been able to fast-track by using his unique approach. From the Canada Disability Benefit to Electoral Reform, Mike has chosen to find common ground across party lines in order to tackle some of the issues impacting Waterloo Region, without worrying about who gets credit as long as the work gets done.
MP Mike Morrice has spent his career bringing people together. Whether working with different levels of government or not for profit organizations, Mike has introduced ambitious ideas, along with finding the funds to pay for them. He is the founder of Sustainable Waterloo Region, co-creator of ClimateActionWR, and piloted Canada’s first Green Economy Hub. This later led to Green Economy Canada and eight Green Economy Hubs across the country, which have enabled hundreds of organizations to both lower their carbon footprint and increase their profitability. He also initiated evolv1, Canada’s first net-positive energy multi-tenant building, which an ambitious group of individuals later brought to fruition.
Mike fell in love with the spirit of Waterloo Region while completing a double degree in business and computer electronics at Wilfrid Laurier University. Today, Mike lives on block 2 of the Haldimand Tract, in the Cherry Park neighbourhood of Kitchener. He is an active community volunteer and has served on multiple local boards and committees, including Kitchener Housing, Women’s Crisis Services, and the KW Awesome Foundation, while also working as Wilfrid Laurier’s first Social Entrepreneur in Residence.
In 2021, Mike was elected as Kitchener Centre’s Green Party Member of Parliament, winning the riding along with the title of Ontario’s first elected Green MP. Since being elected, Mike has worked to address wealth inequality through dedicated advocacy for the Canada Disability Benefit, and to improve housing affordability through his Private Members Motion 71, which would end tax exemptions enjoyed by corporate investors.
Mike was named Young Alumnus of the Year by Laurier (2011), Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the KW Chamber of Commerce (2012), given a Special Citation for Social Entrepreneurship by EY Canada (2018), and has been an Ashoka Fellow since 2012.
Third Age Learning Kitchener Waterloo