Janine G. Gibson lives supporting collective values as co-founder (1984) of her solar powered co-op farm south of Steinbach. Living on the land and working with healing ecosystems, has led her to activism protecting bioregional health, for local and national communities. The reward from this service inspires her to invite others to the empowerment of living from core values. Values of Health, Ecology, Fairness, and Care are the foundation of her dedication to the Green Party of Manitoba’s policies and platform.

Janine has a lifelong dedication to living and promoting diverse team approaches to the problem-solving and planning life requires, relishing the respectful teambuilding of the Green Parties of both Canada and Manitoba. Janine has served as the Green Candidate for the federal riding of Provencher 9 times and this will be her fourth run provincially, this year in the Central Winnipeg riding of Wolseley.

Life-long learning

Janine studied Psychology at the U of Wpg and Family Studies, Human Ecology at the University of Manitoba, with guest lecturing in plant science with Dr. Martin Entz. One of her life long passions is studying the human mind and how we learn and grow. Her roles with the International Organic Inspectors Association include serving as (current) Vice President, president, peer evaluator and trainer. Janine’s many years of working in teams developing and interpreting organic standards, transfers to practical policy development and implementation skills. She is prepared to offer practical alternatives to the extractive capitalism and industrial agriculture methods which need to evolve now. Her contracts have included Organic Verification Officer, Inspector trainer, seminars on the Canadian Organic Standards, Comparative Analysis of Conformity Verification Bodies for Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada and distance organic crop and livestock production training via Assiniboine Community College. For 5 years Janine served in the inner city of Winnipeg as a Skills Instructor with young woman leaving street sex work. She also served with the Manitoba Action Committee on the Status of Women.

Promoting, collaborating, and nurturing high quality teams

Building organic agriculture teams in Manitoba through her 30-year business Creative Health Consulting, includes service as the national president of Canadian Organic Growers (COG) currently Executive Secretary, co founder (1998) of COG’s local chapter, the Organic Food Council of MB(OFCM) and member and past co-president of the Manitoba Organic Alliance. She represents Manitoba on the Organic Federation of Canada and on the Organic Standards Technical Committee, with standard writing expertise and knowledge of restoring prairie ecosystems. She founded the Pansy Groundwater Committee of OFCM out of concern for the rapid increase in industrial hog production around her co-op and in the Hanover/LA Broquerie region, serving on the Southeast Regional Groundwater Management Working Group from 2007 to 2009.

Currently on the Executive of Hogwatch Manitoba and Our Line in the Sand, MB, she strives to hold business and government accountable for the pollution they cause and plan to cause.

Janine is a proud mother of Arel (Troy) and Andrew (Molly), and grandmother to Saige (Quinn) all of the west coast. She is a loving Auntie and Gramma to several generations of her co-op neighbour’s children. She believes all life is sacred and a miraculous gift. She loves to cook, mend, sing, dance and garden.