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Public Forum: help non-profits the "community way"
Could this proposal be a way to help our communities survive further cuts
to social services?
Forum on "community way"
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Sunday 6 June 1999, 2:30
Centretown Community Health Centre
420 Cooper St. between Bank and Kent
Ottawa LETS (Local Employment and Trading System) is holding a forum to
consider a proposal called "community way" (cw) by several Ottawa LETS
members, a concept which has been developed for several years by LETS
inventor Michael Linton.
Non-profit groups would receive donations in community currencies. Local
currencies stay put and create more local jobs because, unlike federal
currencies, they have no value outside the community. Since they pay or
charge no interest, they cannot be used to concentrate wealth in tax havens
or the money markets.
Under cw, many businesses and several non-profit groups join at the same
time. They trade "community way dollars" through one or more new
currencies. We might have, for instance, "Ottawa Centre Dollars," "Ottawa
Valley Dollars" or both. The aim is to assist different community service
organizations with different coverage areas. They would accept cw$
donations from businesses. The total proposed fundraising objective for
non-profits in Ottawa and the Valley is cw$1,000,000, or cw$1 for every
resident in our urban region.
Community way would be launched by a new group, created by several LETS
traders, called the Ottawa Valley community currency development initiative
(oval ccdi). We plan to adopt a new technology, cc smart cards, as a
convenient way to encourage fair trade locally. The new community
currencies would become viable on their own after several months.
All are welcome to join the ccdi or help out. All assistance would be
compensated through a concept called LETShare.
If you know of any non-profit groups who might be interested in receiving
such donations, if you wish to discuss this proposal, please join us at the
"cw forum" this Sunday. We will talk with Ernie Yacub by phone in Comox
Valley B.C. Ernie codeveloped cw and the cc smart cards with LETS inventor
Michael Linton. He will be flying into Ottawa for one week to help us
explain cw to potential business and non-profit account and cardholders.
To learn more, feel free to:
* read the "community way FAQ" on our new website: http://cw.inode.org
* Come to our display at the Social Action Walk on Saturday June 5th,
10am, Patterson Creek Park, on Bank St. just North of Clemow.
At the Great Glebe Garage Sale we demonstrated the new "cc smart cards" and
talked about our new proposal. Reception was very supportive. With the
Harris cuts and increasingly unstable global economy, more people are
concerned about keeping money in the community. Community way is already
starting in several other places such as Santa Cruz, California.
Is this what we want for Ottawa? What are your questions or concerns?
Please let us know at the cw forum. The Ottawa LETS Council will also be
there asking questions, and will decide whether to support it at the next
Council meeting, Thursday, June 10th. This decision will be of interest to
local community development agencies, and to LETS systems across Ontario.
FORUM SCHEDULE
2:30 demo cc smart cards
3:00 Summary of proposal
3:15 Take questions
3:30 Phone link to Ernie Yacub in B.C., answer questions
4:00 Invitation to join oval ccdi, social break, snacks
Ernie will be coming to Ottawa for one week on June 8th to help us launch
cw. If you would like to schedule an appointment with him and your
organization, or wish any other information, please contact:
Terry Cottam, 236-6433, di238@ncf.ca
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