The Evolution of Community Currency - A local currency workshop

Last year the Toronto Dollar and Transition Toronto hosted a talk by Thomas H. Greco on his vision for community currencies.  Greco demonstrated that alternative currencies not only improve community resilience and self-determination, but can also ameliorate the negative impacts that government and bank policies are having on people, communities and the environment.  We were inspired.

The Toronto Dollar, founded in 1998, is one of the more established community currencies in North America. To date the Toronto Dollar has donated over $150,000 dollars to the community and over 1.5 million Toronto Dollars have been purchased and put into circulation.  Join Glen Alan, President of the Toronto Dollar, in looking at ways to build on that success and develop the TO dollar into a currency that can do even more for our local communities.  Glen will introduce some of the basics of where we are and where we can aim to be, and then we will open the floor in an effort to "unlock the creative genius of the community" and get the ideas flowing on where to go with the Toronto Dollar.

The Schedule is as follows:

1. Cracks In The System: The Present Fractional Banking System and Why It Needs To Change - Glen Alan (Toronto Dollar President) & Andrew Knox (Transition Toronto Steering Committee Member)
Duration: 5 minutes

2. The Impacts of Unsustainable Growth: How the Economy has been and continues to be adversely affected the Environment and Human Activity - Glen Alan & Andrew Knox
Duration: 5 minutes

3. Presentation on Alternative Currency Systems - Glen Alan
Duration: 30 minutes

Glen Alan President of the Toronto Dollar discusses:
- Benefits of creating Local Sustainable Economies
- Community Currency examples including the Toronto Dollar
- Mutual Credit Clearing - an introduction
- Next steps for Local Currency and Mutual Credit Clearing in Toronto

4. Transition Town Presentation - Andrew Knox
Duration: 10-15 minutes

5. Break-Out Session using Open Space Technology - Group Participation - Facilitated by Andrew, Glen, Joy Jolie and Paul Fettes  

Going forward from this, Transition Toronto and the Toronto Dollar would like to form a working group focused on further  development of the Toronto Dollar. 

Admission is $10 or $7 for seniors and students.   Purchase tickets by phone at 416-707-1077.