From desk of: Mitchell Gold International Association of Educators for World Peace Vice President North American Affairs (IAEWP) 2 Bloor Street West Suite 100-209 Toronto, Ontario M4W 3E2 Telephone: 416-924-4449 Email: mgold@homeplanet.org

 

Vision for Toronto 2015

It is the year 2015 and it is the third Tuesday in September.

The gathering of the Indigenous Elders from around the world has come together for its tenth annual meeting here in Toronto. The tenth meeting was important as it was deemed the necessary requirement before the decisions of the United Nations Indigenous Forum would approve of the budgets of the United Nations. Also this is the first time that such approval went through this formal process. The United Nations is no longer funded through charges to Nation State Governments - but rather the United Nations is Funded through the action and activity of the TOPS program applied world wide. The One Percent Solution.

At this time there was no inter state wars going on. Peace activity was encouraged around the world and Toronto was the leading example. This day exemplified our world programs.

Our streets were clean and the smells of flowers, perfumes and foods from around the world wafting in the air. . Music was heard on virtually every corner as artists were encouraged to share their songs in the local neighborhoods. All large walls in the City were painted or decorated in artistic expression - food vendors were busy with their unique presentations from around the world.

Of course this was an important day and every one acknowledged the importance at 11 AM when a common prayer was said. This prayer was said all around the world at the same time on this same day.

"We the people of earth of one heart and mind joining together open ourselves to the power of love and truth"

This was the "earth Prayer" that is said every day in every school at 11 AM. It is a daily ritual that encouraged all people to understand their relationship to each other and was a sign that the fear paradigm on planet earth had shifted.

Toronto is the focal point for this activity this day as it is also the day that the Secretary General of the United Nations has come to Toronto to acknowledge the "meeting place" and to open the United Nations General Assembly building on the Portlands of the City.

The Portlands of Toronto have been completely developed by this time. I t consists of mixture of parks, housing and buildings identifying a new aesthetic - functional buildings that are environmentally friendly - each with their own roof gardens. A new community of people living in and with the environment. The United Nations has built its new General Assembly here on the Lands and special housing for all the people that work at the United Nations - reminiscent of Habitat 1967 in Montreal. On the Southern most corner of the parklands is a system of wind turbines that generate sufficient electricity for this community. Not seen, but most definitely present are the huge turbines under the water that are driven by the constant water current (6mph) of Lake Ontario generating sufficient electricity to cover any shortfall when the winds are idle.

Toronto calls this area the "heart" of Toronto. It is this heart that pumps the blood for the rest of Toronto. The blood is the metaphor for the tourists that come from around the world to visit - to see what a sustainable community might be like.

What was the rest of Toronto like? Following the example of the Portlands all parts of the community learned to work together - not by pure desire but because of necessity. Those areas that chose to support their artists and cultural activities were supported by other aspects of the economic mosaic.

The terminology of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle was increased by the word Rethink. There were composting programs throughout the city. The actual garbage created became minimal. Bottles were recycled instead of reclaimed. Liquor bottles were reused. Packaging became minimalised. Electricity co-generation became the rule not the exception. The community was achieving a level of sustainability.

It should be noted that there was no begging in the streets any more. Also there were no homeless. All people were looked after in the community - not by social institutions, but rather by the people themselves. People were rewarded for taking in people from the streets. These systems were easy to implement as for some uncertain reason there was a plethora of empty apartments that occurred in the early 2000's. . Some said it was because of the low interest rates. Some said it was because of the war. Others say it was because of the number of condominiums being built. Whatever the real reason it did not matter. People found ways to utilize the empty apartments that worked for every body - it was not by a legislative act - it was out of economic necessity. The old economic models of the social welfare state were not applicable and new methods were found.

And transportation? There are now two fixed link trains to the airport. One from Union Station and one across Sheppard Avenue. Many argued that two were not necessary. But the economic development of the City required this as Toronto became the hub for many more such transit lines. The automobile still dominated the economy in a strange way. One could never overcome the sense of freedom that the automobile provided. But many automobiles were shared. Every household that shared an automobile with another received a financial benefit. The mathematics of the process was simple to discern. The budget to meet our Kyoto goals supported the cost allocations. Electric automobiles and alternatives to the internal combustion engines are everywhere. It was amazing to watch how this 'need " moved from absolute necessity - to shared need. People learned to cooperate just from the way automobiles were shared. The true impact of this has never been fully understood and analysts will have stories as to what really happened for the next hundred years.

A similar benefit of shared experience occurred with bicycles - although on quite a different level. There were bicycle depots all around town. One just took one when they wanted it, and they treated it as their own (golden rule in effect) - used it and left it at an assigned depot. ( the "enforcers' (see below) looked after these as well)

In the major area of transportation - the subway - there were three kinds of fares - there were long term buy uses that were tied into the shared car ownership program and bicycle use. These made it inexpensive to use the subway, share the car, and use the bicycle. And then there was a discounted fare that was available during off hour subway use. The two alternatives enabled the subways to serve the community in an efficient way into the future.

Housing - the shared housing concept eliminated people from the streets and developed a new sense of community throughout the city. Business people looked at a variety of ways to benefit from this new opportunity - but it was really the existing homeowner who benefited - merely by developing new apartments within their own facility. All major streets were allowed to build up one additional story to accommodate this process. A simple benefit without an increase in taxes to the landowner. A true win/win proposition.

Poverty no longer existed in the community as there was more than enough for all that came to Toronto - as long as they chose to participate in the community. Those that participated lived well. Those that chose not to - were found to be unwelcome and moved on.

Policing - the role of policing had shifted. There was no longer violence in the streets - guns were frowned upon. Perhaps it was due to the big event in the year 2007. It was a great event. It was amazing - even the TV critics agreed - and without the anticipated bloodshed they were hoping for. . All the most dangerous criminals were invited to a meeting - of course they had all agreed in advance to a form of training. And they had all been through a process of teaching by the Peacemaker. The alternatives were made very clear. Those that chose to come to the big event could come and be as bad as they wanted to be. . No holds barred. Killing acceptable. The event was strange indeed. There were 500 people in the building. It was a big warehouse styled building with TV cameras floating from the ceiling all around. Along the walls of the building were the famous 500. These guys that were costing society tens of millions of dollars in policing. This was the time for them to either come together or ... eliminate each other. In the middle of the room were a number of guns. "Enough" guns one was heard to say. With "enough" bullets.

The stage was set and when the time arrived - 11 AM the participants chose to make peace with each other. They broke into groups and organized themselves into a process for their own social change. They were allowed to develop a program and processes for themselves to participate in society under its rules and with its benefits. The guns went unused. It was an amazing exploration into human consciousness. Those that were leaders led. Those that were followers - followed. Peace reigned with the "baddest" guys in the city. They decided to call themselves "the enforcers". And this name stuck.

It should be noted that our city now had many water fountains and the "enforcers" took on the responsibility for the running of the fountains around the City. This was the most efficient use of negative energy in history that anyone could remember - analogies to the Dirty Dozen Movie came to mind. But no one messed with these Fountains. And the "enforcers " were always looking to develop new fountains for the community. Toronto was now world famous for its Fountains and its bicycle program.

Business process:
A hidden construct to all this activity was the effective use of a Vendor Policy Code for the City of Toronto. This program enabled the City to do Business only with Corporations that signed on to the Vendor Policy Code as defined by the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) movement - built on the back of the United Nations Global Compact and the Millennium Development Goals of the Secretary General of the United Nations. The Toronto Standard became a world standard!.

Day to day life in Toronto was much as before - but there was no undercurrent of fear. It was indeed a transformed city.

All enunciated in the Great Proclamation of 2003. May peace Prevail on Earth!.

Epilogue:
From where we are today not much be done in order to actualize this vision. Every thing is in place to do the process in the right way. One major step that may need be done in order to actualize the basic funding - is to bring the First Nations peoples together - the Chiefs from all the tribes engaged in Land Claims against the Federal Government ( located in the Toronto area). . Bring City Council together with the FN peoples and agree to go to Ottawa together - to claim 1% of the Capital value of the lands under dispute as a real capital payment - NOW - and to take all the existing institutions that are pretending to serve the FN people and to fund them properly within the context of a New Toronto - a Toronto of the 21st Century - the meeting Place - where First Nations peoples from around the world come to meet, and to learn a process of how to live together in harmony. Honoring all the good - and exorcising the bad.

We can do it. We just need the Will power to do it.
The story of the Peacemaker has worked in the past for bringing forth the Great Mind and today it can be done again. After all - history does repeat itself. Even the good things.

(2015 words)
Written by Mitch Gold Peacemaker - Candidate for Mayor - but voting for David Miller.
Mitch only wants one vote - David Millers - to endorse the ideas that make this vision a Reality..

For more information: www.homeplanet.org/mayorgold

Or details of TOPS: http://hpa.ccjclearline.com/hpa_reviews.asp?SpecificDocumentID=20
Or article on UN Global Compact in UNNEWS
http://unnews.co.kr/technote/read.cgi?board=art&y_number=10&nnew=1

Photo below Courtesy of Martin Onrot - Toronto