I’ve been part of a local Toastmasters club for the last two years. This was my first foray into the Toastmaster’s world. We meet once a week; early morning (6:55-8:15 a.m), at a local community centre. Toastmasters and my experience with Toastmasters Toastmasters focus is to provide a supportive environment to improve public speaking. Toastmasters originated in […]
Foster Civic Collaboration Through the Land-Use Development Approval Process
July 12, 2016 by · Leave a Comment
I recently volunteered to be a co-chair on my neighbourhood land-use committee, that facilitates dialogue between developers and the neighbourhood. In Victoria, most all neighbourhoods and/or communities have their own land-use committee; aka Community Association Land-Use Committee (CALUC). The land-use development approval process is a terrific avenue to involve citizens in a meaningful ways; i.e., […]
Reframing British Columbia
May 16, 2016 by · Leave a Comment
In my mind, I have a picture of the place we call British Columbia, on Canada’s west coast. If I lived here 150+ years ago, I would have a different picture. Though the land is the same, the borders were different; they’ve been re-framed, many times. In a recent series of videos, former Vancouver Mayor, and current MLA […]
Reflecting on my experiences in the BC Court Mediation Program
May 11, 2016 by · 1 Comment
Between 2002 and 2015, I worked as a court-based mediator, usually a couple of days a month, in the BC Court Mediation Program (CMP). The program was administered by Mediate BC and funded by the province of British Columbia. As per this recent Mediate BC tweet, the CMP is closing its’ doors. (In the picture are Lee Turnbull, […]
Restorative Justice: The people are more than ready for it
April 26, 2016 by · 2 Comments
I attended my local Restorative Justice society’s AGM last weekend. It was a full house. My sense is that in my location, and Canada for that matter, the people are more than ready, in a very receptive mood, to an expansion of restorative justice. Restorative Justice Victoria (RJ Victoria) is a small nonprofit organization – staffed by three […]
