Ontario’s snap election has us all reeling so FOPL and OLA have partnered to help take the stress off, at least when it comes to libraries.
The Elections Toolkit has been revised so that IF you have the opportunity to engage with your local candidates, you have some items in your back pocket to fall back on. Our elections strategy is a little different this time around as there really isn’t any time for us to seek out individual meetings with candidates in our ridings and send out letters or requests as we usually do. However, if you happen to get some face time with a candidate, the toolkit can provide you with some items to have in your back pocket. There is a section on page 9 titled “Making the most of informal meetings and encounters”. These encounters can be at community events, in the library, or at town halls.
TOOLKIT HERE: OLA-FOPL-Election-Toolkit-Feb-2025
We have crafted key questions that you can ask when at town halls or all-candidate debates (page 11). As an individual, you can engage candidates on social media (we even have some sample posts), at your door when they come knocking, or during these informal encounters. Feel free to ask these questions to learn how your local candidates plan to support public libraries so you can be an informed voter!
FOPL and OLA have sent out a questionnaire to all parties to better understand how those parties plan to support public libraries when it comes time to make decisions in cabinet. We will share the results with the library community as soon as we hear back from them (but there is no guarantee they will respond, unfortunately).
FOPL and OLA are also hosting an information session right before advanced polling is set to begin. This session is open to anyone interested in supporting libraries this election . (Spoiler: We’re not going to tell you who to vote for!) Registration is free and is being captured by the OLA. Please share this with your staff and board.
Event Overview
The OLA and FOPL are hosting an information session for everyone in the library sector to gather and learn how to best advocate for libraries during the Ontario snap elections. Learn how to best engage candidates and make an informed vote to support libraries ahead of the polls on February 27. You’ll leave the session with key messages, advocacy tools, and renewed confidence!
Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Time: 1:00pm to 2:00pm EST
OLA has also invited me to be a guest on their Library Land Loves podcast where we will be covering some of the same content as the information session. The conversation will be all things election and libraries. The info sessions offers a dynamic format where we can have a conversation with attendees and answer their questions. The LLL podcast will be recorded and is a more intimate conversation with Michelle and myself. I will share the podcast once it’s out in the world, likely Thursday or Friday.
A couple of other relevant documents:
2025 – Pre-Budget Submission – OLA & FOPL
2025 – ODPL Ontario Digital Public Library Brief
Dina
—
Dina Stevens, MLIS
Executive Director