GREEN PARTY LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN OFFICE IN VANCOUVER-QUADRA GREEN PARTY LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN OFFICE IN VANCOUVER-QUADRA

Contest expected to be a close, three-way race

Vancouver, B.C. (September 22, 2008) - Dan Grice, the Green Party of Canada's candidate in Vancouver-Quadra, and his team have broken ground by launching the Green Party's first campaign office in Vancouver-Quadra, in a high-traffic area of Vancouver's Dunbar neighbourhood, close to the University of British Columbia.

"We are thrilled to open our Green campaign headquarters up the hill from the Conservatives and Liberals," said Grice. "Our office is just up the road on West 16th Avenue, so you could say that the Greens are taking the high ground in this campaign. The location and choice of neighbourhood is a clear signal of our intentions to win in Vancouver-Quadra."

Dan Grice, the Green Party candidate, had a bitter-sweet moment on Friday when he learned that Kirk Tousaw, the NDP candidate and a popular civil rights activist, was forced to resign. "Tousaw was supposed to participate with me in a forum about the genocide in Darfur," said Grice. "Unfortunately the forum organizers received a note that he was forced out for smoking cannabis. I feel horrible for Mr. Tousaw, but this now turns the riding into a close three-way race, as many of his supporters will likely turn to the Green Party."

Grice has already built upon his earlier success in the March by-election by recently opening a campaign office overlooking his Conservative and Liberal opponents on West 16th Avenue. The campaign office is located at a major intersection linking the Dunbar Heights with the University of British Columbia, where Grice won a number of polls this the spring. Despite being one of the top Green ridings in Canada, the Green Party had never previously opened a riding office in Vancouver-Quadra.

"Having a local office allows us to run a full campaign," said Devon Rowcliffe, communications coordinator for Dan Grice's campaign. "We won polls in Kitsilano and UBC in the by-election last spring, and feel that we are in a close, three-way race this time."

"We have already campaigned in every neighbourhood of Quadra," noted Grice, "and are receiving an unprecedented level of support. Vancouver voters have clearly grown wary from the three old-line parties, and want a new voice in the House of Commons."

The Vancouver-Quadra Greens have a plan to target soft conservative voters in the south of the riding, details of which will be revealed later this week.

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Dan Grice will be available for interview at his new campaign office (3626 West 16th Avenue, at Dunbar) on Monday, September 22nd, as of 2:00pm. An RSVP is requested (please see contact details below).

The official campaign office launch party will be held on Thursday, September 25th, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Members of the media are welcome to attend this excellent photo opportunity.

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Dan Grice is the Green Party of Canada's candidate in Vancouver-Quadra for the Canadian federal election on October 14, 2008. He earned 13.5 per cent in the Vancouver-Quadra by-election this past March, increasing the Green Party's support in the riding by more than 160 per cent.

Grice is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, and has played a leadership role in British Columbia's electoral reform movement.

For more information:
Dan Grice, Green Party candidate in Vancouver-Quadra
t: (604) 725-8913
e: dan@votegrice.com
w: www.votegrice.com

Media backgrounder:

"Conservative Party First, Greens Reach 10% and Overtake Bloc"
Angus Reid Strategies
September 13, 2008
http://angusreidstrategies.com/uploads/pages/pdfs/2008.09.13_ARPW.pdf
* The Green Party of Canada is now polling at 26% in BC, ahead of the Liberals and the NDP.
* In the 2006 federal election, the Liberals won 27.6% of the vote in BC, winning nine seats. The NDP won 28.6% of the vote in BC, winning 10 seats.
* With the Greens currently polling at 26%, the party is on course to elect several MPs here in BC.

"Conservative Stable, Liberals Sliding, NDP and Green Party Strengthening"
Harris/Decima
September 20, 2008
http://www.harrisdecima.com/en/downloads/pdf/news_releases/080920E.pdf
* The Green Party of Canada is polling nationally at 11 to 12 per cent.