About Leadnow

In March 2011 a group of young Canadians launched Leadnow.ca to help Canadians take action together for the fair, responsible and democratic Canada that we believe in.

A year later, more than 100,000 Canadians of all ages and across the entire country have joined the Leadnow.ca community. Our members include NDP, Liberal, Green and Conservative supporters. Many of us do not belong to any political party. All of us want change.

Through local gatherings and online voting we have found that our community values deep democracy, equity and climate justice. As we organize campaigns on a range of issues, they will always work towards these larger goals.

Leadnow currently has two full time staff, a few part time staff, as well as some amazing volunteers and advisors who support our work...

Campaigns Director

Matthew Carroll is Leadnow's Campaigns Director. He trained as an atmospheric scientist, and has a decade of experience as an organizer, facilitator and campaign strategist, working with a variety of non-profits, public institutions and governments. Originally from England, he now lives in Grimsby, Ontario, where his wife's family have been farming for seven generations.

Executive Director

Jamie Biggar is Leadnow's Exective Director. He has a background in large-scale online and offline collaboration to develop policy and campaigns. He has co-led online campaigns, such as Canadians for a Progressive Coalition and It’s Time to Listen, that involved tens of thousands of Canadians from across party lines. He began organizing in the youth climate movement, co-founding Common Energy and goBeyond to bring university communities across British Columbia together to catalyze regional climate action. Jamie’s academic research has focused on the need for institutional and governance innovation to address seemingly intractable social, ecological and economic problems. He has served on the boards of multiple environmental, social justice, and educational organizations, including his service as Chairman of the Sierra Club of BC.

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Digital Strategy

Ryan Baillargeon is Leadnow's Online Director. He specializes in using technology as a tool to help the Leadnow community take easy, effective action on a range of important issues. He runs his own design and strategy consultancy, Grassriots.

Local Organizing

Anna McClean is Leadnow's local organizing coordinator. She helps the Leadnow community build local connections, organize events and actions, and come together to discuss the issues that matter to Canadians.

Research

Emma Pullman is Leadnow's volunteer research director. She is a passionate independent investigative journalist and writes for the Vancouver Observer and DeSmogBlog.

Board

Leadnow.ca is a registered Canadian non-profit. Our current board includes:

• Adam Shedletzky – Adam played the role of interim executive director from Leadnow’s inception to August 2010, and is currently in law school. After beginning his career as a management consultant with Oliver Wyman in Washington, New York and New Delhi, Adam began to focus on his passions - politics and the environment. He helped to organize Power Shift Canada 2009, which united over 1,000 young leaders from across Canada to learn leadership skills and be trained in the tools necessary to effectively mobilize communities for climate action, and C-Day: Fill the Hill, which brought thousands of Canadians to Parliament Hill on 350.org’s International Climate Day.
• Alexandre Vigneault – PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering at the University of British Columbia, specialist in clean energy, consultant with 3eyond.com
• Spencer Rasmussen – Student senator at large, UBC Senate & Go Beyond board member.

Advisors

Leadnow.ca has a growing network of advisers who help us better understand politics, policy and movement building on a case-by-case basis. We are working to expand our advisory network to represent a broad range of Canada's political spectrum. Our advisers do not make decisions about what campaigns we run, nor do they (or the organizations they are associated with) necessarily endorse the positions we take on issues. They have kindly offered to give us some of their time occasionally, and for that we are extremely grateful.

• Alex Michalos – Emeritus Professor (Political Science), University of Northern British Columbia; Author of 22 books; Editor in Chief for the Journal of Business Ethics; Director of Research for the Canadian Index of Well-Being; Member of the Order of Canada
• Alnoor Ladha – Director of Strategy, Purpose.com (building 21st century movements); Formerly at Ogilvy & Mather, J. Walter Thompson and Mother
• Ben Brandzel – International practitioner & trainer in online organizing, Former Director of New Media for Barack Obama, Founding Adviser/Board Member of 38Degrees.org.uk and Avaaz.org, Advocacy Director for MoveOn.org
• Jim Stanford – Economist, Canadian Auto Workers; Frequent Media Commentator
• Judy Rebick – Journalist, author, political activist and feminist; Founding Publisher Rabble.ca, Former Chair in Social Justice and Democracy at Ryerson University
• Julia Pope – Communications consultant and campaigner with a background in journalism, electoral politics and community organizing, currently working on patient safety and health care quality improvement initiatives in BC; Participant in the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives’ 2012 NextUp leadership program.
• Susan McLennan – President & Founder, Babble On Communications
• Vicky Husband – Long-time Environmental Activist; Former Conservation Chair, Sierra Club of BC; Member of the Order of Canada & Order of BC