How to write a letter about land issues.

What's new? Questions, letters, initiatives.

Have you written a letter to your MLA telling them how you value the ability to random camp and ride your dirt bike on crown land and forestry reserves ?

Yes
14
64%
No
5
23%
This article has convinced me to write.
3
14%
 
Total votes: 22

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dirtyboy
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How to write a letter about land issues.

Post by dirtyboy »

Contacting your political representatives
Political leaders are greatly influenced by public opinion. In fact, politicians keep close tabs on the issues constituents raise in letters, meetings, phone calls and editorial pages of local papers.

Encourage change by contacting your elected representative. How do you find out who your elected representative is? Find your MLA

Letters to Politicians

One letter represents more than a 1,000 opinions at the federal level. The ratio declines as you move down the levels of government. Generally, the more time and thought involved in communicating to a politician, the greater your opinion is valued.

* Letters are better mailed than faxed
* Faxes are better than email
* Writing is generally better than phoning
* Something is better than nothing!

TIPS You do not need a long, detailed letter.

* You do not have to be an "expert".
* Tell them what is important to you.
* Request a specific action as well as expressing a concern.
* If you don't have time to write out your full position, attach an article or short summary of a study that makes your point.
* Point out that the priorities the politician has expressed about job creation, human health, a healthy economy, etcetera are not at odds with protecting the environment.
* Commend politicians for any good work and statements they make.
* Have fun! Get together with friends and food for a letter writing fest.
* Letters to federal politicians can be sent postage free to the House of Commons.
* Carbon copy (cc) the letter to other relevant people (the Prime Minister, relevant ministers, your MPs, or provincial or municipal politician, journalists, etc). This means you can write only one letter with the same important message and send it to everyone.

Phone Calls

You don't write to your sister, you call her. You can phone your politician, too. While you may not get through to your elected representative, you can talk to the office staff. Ask that your position and specific request for action is forwarded to the politician.

Meetings

Face-to-face encounters with your elected officials can move him or her from taking a passive to an active interest.

* Share new information with them.
* Go with another informed person. If possible, a person who is particularly relevant for the discussion or an unexpected ally: a local business person, economist, scientist, doctor, religious or community leader.
* Be specific about what you want that politician to do.
* Make sure your request is within the jurisdiction of whatever level of government the politician is capable of influencing.
* Take accurate notes of what they say and commit to, and if they're really meaningful share them with other people and organizations, such as the RMDRA, and AOHVA, that would find them useful.
* Narrow your discussion an stick to your point.
* Leave brief, well-selected back ground material (articles, a report, polling results).
* If you can't meet with your elected official, meet with his or her assistant.
* Follow up with a letter restating your position and his/her commitments (or lack thereof).

How to Contact Your Elected Officials
Federal

To find contact information for your federal representative, follow this link and enter your postal code in the space provided.

Provincial

Follow these links to find the contact information for your provincial representatives.

British Columbia
Alberta
Saskatchewan
Last edited by dirtyboy on Sun Feb 06, 2005 4:42 pm, edited 3 times in total.

kroeker999

letter

Post by kroeker999 »

Hey,

I'm going to write a letter to Mr. Ronald Liepert...has anyone written to him? If so, what did you say? I want to make sure and write something positive that will have a positive impact. Do any of you have suggestions???


Darren :awww:

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dirtyboy
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Post by dirtyboy »

Mikey_likes_it wrote:this is awesome people ...keep it up
Mikey, thanks for the greetz..... :canada:

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dirtyboy
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Post by dirtyboy »

I'm just the web guy but here are some of the other things.

Stewardship
Public Education
Events that follow the rules

Please come to the next meeting, (listed on the main web page) you will learn first hand what we are all about. :banana:

The agenda and more info about the next meeting is currently in the works. You'll see it fairly soon on the web page. :banana:

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thumper-darryl
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update

Post by thumper-darryl »

At the next RMDRA meeting we should have a fairly good update on what is up with access plans. At this time the RMDRA is the only club/org. in the Calgary area that holds meetings where access info. can be presented to people, so we will take advantage of it.
2008 KTM 300XC-W
2001 Sherco
2007 KTM 640 Adventurer
1977 Husky 250 Cross counrty

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cladoo
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Post by cladoo »

I received my reply back today from the Minister of SRD in regards to my letter I sent him. It seems like a form letter. I can scan it and send it to be posted if you want it to be.

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dirtyboy
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Post by dirtyboy »

cladoo wrote:I received my reply back today from the Minister of SRD in regards to my letter I sent him. It seems like a form letter. I can scan it and send it to be posted if you want it to be.
That would be great. It might help others that may feel that the government doesn't listen or reply.

Did you want it posted on the web site or in this thread? I'd like to see it on the Land Advocacy page of the web site.

Whould you like to put the original letter up also?

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thumper-darryl
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letter

Post by thumper-darryl »

Yes post away, the more info the better.
2008 KTM 300XC-W
2001 Sherco
2007 KTM 640 Adventurer
1977 Husky 250 Cross counrty

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dirtyboy
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Post by dirtyboy »

I was just writing a letter and noticed that many of the government links didn't work when trying to find out who your MLA is. The way I found mine was to look at the electoral maps to determine what riding I live in. Link: http://www.electionsalberta.ab.ca/welcome.html

Next look up the MLA by riding. http://www.assembly.ab.ca/adr/adr_templ ... x?type=mla

At the Feb.2 meeting we had some off line discussion about where to send the letter, the constituants office or the legislature office? The answer was both.

I addressed my letter to:

Honourable David Coutts
Minister of Sustainable Resource Development
#420 Legislature Building
10800 - 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 415-4815
Fax: (780) 415-4818

And then cc to:

cc: Honourable David Coutts
Minister of Sustainable Resource Development
P.O. Box 69
2115 - 2nd Avenue
Fort Macleod, AB T0L 0Z0

cc: Honourable Gary Mar
MLA for Calgary-Mackay
Minister of Community Development
#320 Legislature Building
10800 - 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6

cc: Honourable Gary Mar
MLA for Calgary-Mackay
Minister of Community Development
584 - 64 Avenue N.E
Calgary, AB T2K 6H9

cc: Honourable Clint Dunford
Minister of Economic Development
#103 Legislature Building
10800 - 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6

cc: Honourable Clint Dunford
Minister of Economic Development
404 - 8 Street South
Lethbridge, AB T1J 2J7

cc: Premier Ralph Klein
#307 Legislature Building
10800 - 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6

cc: Premier Ralph Klein
#128, 6707 Elbow Drive S.W.
Calgary, AB
T2V 0E3

So I sent it to minister of SRD because they currently are the land managers, the minister of CD because they are my MLA and CD is rumoured to have something to do with land management, the minister of ED because I sited the economic study http://altasnowmobile.ab.ca/news/economic_impact.php in my letter, and to the Premier because he is the boss.

And it only took about 40 minutes. :cheers:

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Post by dirtyboy »

Are you trying to write a letter but can't seem to get started or don't know what to write about? I was too. I posted a good handout that short pages the topics that you might want to write about. I stuffed one in my pocket at the Calgary motorcycle show. I got a soft copy from the author.

Page 2 contains the issue topics.

AOHVA handout

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New Voter Writes Letter

Post by Rockhound »

Letter writing is effective at voicing the opinions of our riding group and its not that hard to do. I found that trying to put words to my emotions caused me to research the issues a lot more. It was a great learning experience.

My 18 yr old son wrote a fabulous letter to Mr. Coutts after talking to people involved with land advocacy and doing a little research. General concept is that Mr. Coutts predecessor did a horrible job with GAMP and now he has an opportunity to set things right. Severely damaging a $1 billion/yr Alberta industry (i.e. OHV's and spin-offs) for the sake of promoting a few million dollar industry (i.e. the outfitters) does not make good sense for Alberta tax payers.

It's effective and easy to write a letter. Get to it!
Dean
2006 RMDRA Land Advocacy Director
2007 250 XC - Orange Power!

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New Gov't

Post by giantjoe »

Now may be a good time to prepare a letter campaign for when the cabinet positions are announced. So when they get to their desks there is an immediate presence of our concerns. I can think of a couple things we would like changed immediately; better enforcement and ditching our license plates for a trail pass...
----------------->just some guy<-----------------

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dirtyboy
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Re: New Gov't

Post by dirtyboy »

giantjoe wrote:Now may be a good time to prepare a letter campaign for when the cabinet positions are announced. So when they get to their desks there is an immediate presence of our concerns. I can think of a couple things we would like changed immediately; better enforcement and ditching our license plates for a trail pass...
More trails? The ones we have are over-used since the Ghost trails were closed.

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Re: How to write a letter about land issues.

Post by giantjoe »

I figured that one was pretty obvious, and in motion...
----------------->just some guy<-----------------

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Re: How to write a letter about land issues.

Post by Dobi »

I for one am already drafting my letter to my new MLA. I hope to get more traction with this one, than I have in previous years...

Keep in mind that most of these MLA's have no idea what we do or why our sport is sustainable and an economic benefit to the province. The first people to make contact with these new MLA's are going to have the most influence.

Joe, is the RMDRA going to submit a letter to the premier as well as local MLA's in the areas that we recreate?

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