<html><head></head><body dir="auto" data-blackberry-caret-color="#00a8df" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: initial;"><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I agree Brian.</div> <div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="display:initial"></div> <div style="font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.</div> <table width="100%" style="background-color:white;border-spacing:0px;"> <tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: initial; text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <div id="_persistentHeader" style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(181, 196, 223); border-top-width: 1pt; padding: 3pt 0in 0in; font-family: Tahoma, 'BB Alpha Sans', 'Slate Pro'; font-size: 10pt;"> <div><b>From: </b>Brian Beaton</div><div><b>Sent: </b>Friday, January 23, 2015 4:48 PM</div><div><b>To: </b>James Van Leeuwen</div><div><b>Cc: </b>TC Advisors</div><div><b>Subject: </b>Re: [Advisors] TC -- moving ahead in 2015</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(186, 188, 209); border-top-width: 1pt; font-size: initial; text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><br><div id="_originalContent" style=""><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div>Thanks for this update James ... On one hand I like what you are writing and advocate but on the other hand I am feeling very cautious with some parts of what you write ...</div><div><br></div><div>It is the greed of the telecom giants that continue to create the inequities with witness across the country ... Their so-called business case works great in urban environments but to provide these same services in rural and remote communities only happens when the public resources are made available to them by their government buddies. And they want ALL the dollars and everyone to be good little consumers of their monopoly service .... This is the capitalist model that creates wealth and work as long as the resources exist to support and subsidize it. Alberta continues to champion this one along with the rest of Canada and the U.S.</div><div><br></div><div>So ... Until that really is confronted and changed everything else you write about is a pipe dream IMHO ... The First Nations have always known this reality and have paid a heavy price in so many ways for this corrupt and greedy capitalist system. The earth and Canada is dealing with the destruction produced by this selfish and ignorant system.</div><div><br></div><div>Until people and groups like TC start creating the changes in government then I fear everything you write about will simply be another colonial effort to exploit and grab what few resources the First Nations are accessing to build their own communities ... If TC is going to do what you suggest then I hope everyone will work with the First Nations so the poorest and most underserved Canada are served using public dollars instead of the near urban centers like Olds ...<br><br>Brian Beaton<div>Researcher, First Nations Innovation project</div><div>Grad Student, Faculty of Education, Critical Studies, University of New Brunswick</div><div>Box 104, Fredericton, NB, E3B 4Y2</div></div><div><br>On Jan 23, 2015, at 5:57 PM, James Van Leeuwen <<a href="mailto:jvl@ventus.ca">jvl@ventus.ca</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=iso-8859-1"><div class="">Kristina Verner brought me up to speed this afternoon on the relationship between iCANADA and the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF). </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">My perceptions were inaccurate... there is no working relationship between the two. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="">There is uncertainty around where iCANADA is headed, and I will do a bit more homework on this... technically, I think I'm still on their Advisory Board. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Kristina is now helping to establish a Canadian chapter of the ICF, which will have a strong emphasis on smaller communities.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">She tells me that ICF has recognized that digital inclusion and rural broadband development are principally an issue of leadership and community development. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">These are the areas where public policy and investment could have the greatest impact, and I see strong alignment with the interests and advocacy of TC. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I trust that Kristina will keep us in the loop as the Canadian version of ICF takes shape.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I will bring 'ICF Canada' to the attention of the people I referred to in my previous email, who have begun crafting a framework for a nationwide initiative to focus on the same topics. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The last thing we need are competing initiatives, unless it takes the form of friendly but serious competition between regional initiatives. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Canada's traditional east-west rivalry could be a healthy one, if the purpose and spirit of competition were healthy.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">By this I mean competition for the expressed purpose of improving competence on the part of all competitors... which is the original meaning of the Latin word 'competere' (to come together to strive, make better). </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">This is all good news, with the possible exception of iCANADA's future... I will keep you all in the loop as I learn. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">For now, I have only one concern about a Canadian version of ICF, which is the ICF brand itself. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">It is neither an aspiration nor a statement of intention. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">It may be of no consequence whether a community is intelligent or not if the community has not defined and embraced a meaningful purpose for itself.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">This, I believe, is the essence of the challenge we face across Canada at this point in our history... defining a clear and meaningful sense of purpose for ourselves that is relevant to the future rather than the past. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The aspirations that make the most sense to me are to produce more intelligent people, and to become the world's best stewards of natural, social and financial capital.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">This is the example - the leadership - that the world needs for the future, and Canada is uniquely positioned to provide it. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="">Technology and intelligence are merely means to this end... they are not the end in themselves.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div class="">I also firmly believe that the key determinant of our success will be our effectiveness in engaging and collaborating honourably and effectively with our First Nations, and learning from the leadership that they are already providing (KNet, FNTC, and related initiatives coast-to-coast). </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The people on this forum already bring a wealth of experience in this regard, and I see this as another key area where TC can add value. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">JvL</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Jan 22, 2015, at 11:04 AM, Marita Moll <<a href="mailto:mmoll@ca.inter.net" class="">mmoll@ca.inter.net</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class="">
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Well, when the CAP organization came along looking for an umbrella
under which to promote its common interests, TC was a natural home for
such activity. I think promoting community broadband has always been
part of our mandate as a space for people concerned about the uses of
ICTs for community development in Canada. Sounds like a pretty natural
fit. Let the discussions begin.<br class="">
<br class="">
Marita<br class="">
<br class="">
On 1/22/2015 12:28 AM, James Van Leeuwen wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:AFAA7998-9897-4061-B275-88298B04BC27@ventus.ca" type="cite" class="">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" class="">
<div class="">I've spent most of the last year at the working face of
Canada's nascent community broadband 'movement'.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Interest is growing rapidly, and there is now a
sufficiently strong footprint of initiative across Canada to get the
attention of senior government and the regulator.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Regional initiatives are making the biggest waves,
especially the SWIFT network initiative in southwestern Ontario:</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">That said, there is still a serious lack of advocacy
for community broadband in Canada, compared to the United States:</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.bbcmag.com/" class="">www.bbcmag.com</a></div>
<div class=""><a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.ftthcouncil.org/" class="">www.ftthcouncil.org</a></div>
<div class=""><a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.muninetworks.org/" class="">www.muninetworks.org</a> </div>
<div class=""><a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.ruraltelecon.org/" class="">www.ruraltelecon.org</a></div>
<div class=""><a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.ntca.org/" class="">www.ntca.org</a></div>
<div class="">
<div class=""><a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.ilsr.org/" class="">www.ilsr.org</a></div>
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">An American firm, Magellan Advisers, just won the bid
to conduct a broadband feasibility study for Strathcona County, a rural
local government here in Alberta in immediate proximity to Edmonton.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Several Canadian firms responded to the RFP, including
a colleague I've been partnering with on a regional broadband strategy
for the Alberta SouthWest Regional Economic Development Alliance. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">My colleague previously developed the business case,
business model and business plan for the FTTH deployment in Olds, and
now sits on the governance board of Olds Fibre Ltd. (a.k.a. O-Net, <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.o-net.ca/" class="">www.o-net.ca</a>). </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">He was unquestionably the most qualified bidder for the
specified scope of work, and also had the advantage of actually living
in Strathcona County - he was highly accessible. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">We think he was overlooked because the U.S. has a much
stronger footprint in community broadband, and Magellan is the heaviest
hitter in the U.S. service sector for community broadband. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Magellan doesn't know a damned thing about Canada, but
nobody ever got fired for hiring a strong brand name.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">I expect this will be costly for Strathcona County, and
I don't mean higher mobilization costs.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">If Canadian firms are to compete effectively in the
emerging community/municipal broadband market, they will need advocacy
as well. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">There is a pressing need for an agency to provide
exposure, advocacy and guidance for community broadband in Canada, for
the benefit of smaller communities first and foremost, but also for the
growing service sector that communities and regional collaborations
will require in order to establish and advance initiatives most
effectively. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">I had hoped that iCANADA would evolve into this agency,
but the lure of branding and consulting dollars seems to have pulled
the initiative strongly towards the supply side of Canada's tech and
telecom industries (incumbents).</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">iCANADA now appears to be a Canadian extension of the
Intelligent Community Forum, which is based in New York City (<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.intelligentcommunity.org/" class="">www.intelligentcommunity.org</a>).</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">The ICF is naturally biased towards the interests of
larger urban centers, which are already far better served with
broadband and also with advocacy (votes), thank you very much. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">
<div class="">For smaller communities across North America, the
Intelligent Community brand is generally a marketing liability.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Efforts are now underway to frame an initiative that
would effectively advance the interests of Canadian communities large
AND small. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">I'm presently on the outside looking in, but I will
jump at the opportunity to get involved as the initiative unfolds.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
</div>
<div class="">As a policy shop with a Canadian focus, TC could bring
relevant and immediate capacity to this proposed agency. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">You can see where I'm headed with this, but I'm already
getting ahead of myself.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">For now, the only opportunity may be for TC to become
involved in the framing discussion. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">If the TC Board and membership are amenable, I would
like to explore this possibility and report back.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">JvL</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<br class="">
<div class="">
<blockquote type="cite" class="">
<div class="">On Jan 21, 2015, at 3:52 PM, Peter Frampton <<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:pframpton@lefca.org" class="">pframpton@lefca.org</a>>
wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<div class="">
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<div style="word-wrap: break-word;" class="">I think your
suggestions are good ones.
<div class="">Wondering also if we could see if the members might
be traveling to a conference or whatever - to arrange a face to face.</div>
<div class="">The National Social Enterprise Conference will be
held in London Ontario in April.</div>
<div class="">Is anyone planning to attend</div>
<div class="">could we piggy back something</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">if so - I can reach out to friends/partners there and
find some free space</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
<div apple-content-edited="true" class=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Helvetica; border-spacing: 0px; font-size: inherit;">
<div style="word-wrap: break-word;" class="">
<div class="">Peter Frampton</div>
<div class="">Executive Director</div>
<div class="">The Learning Enrichment Foundation</div>
<div class="">116 Industry St</div>
<div class="">Toronto, Ontario</div>
<div class="">M6M 4L8</div>
<div class="">P: 416-769-0830</div>
<div class="">F: 416-769-9912</div>
<div class="">E: <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:pframpton@lefca.org" class="">pframpton@lefca.org</a></div>
<div class=""><a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.lefca.org/" class="">www.lefca.org</a></div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
</div>
</span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
</div>
<br class="">
<div class="">
<div class="">On 2015-01-20, at 8:16 PM, Marita Moll <<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:mmoll@ca.inter.net" class="">mmoll@ca.inter.net</a>>
wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<blockquote type="cite" class=""><br class="">
Hello advisors. As we are still in January, I don't think it is too
late to wish all of you the best for 2015. It may be cold and still
pretty dark outside most of our windows, but at least we are moving
toward those precious long warm summer days we are all waiting for.
The TC list has been very quiet for the last couple of months. I
think we all took some time to recover from the sadness of losing
Gareth last year. But, it is time now to think about how to move
forward with TC.<br class="">
<br class="">
In the final months of 2014 and with the help of John Wilkinson, a
Toronto lawyer who came to our assistance thanks to miracle worker
Peter Frampton, TC is once again on solid ground with respect to NGO
status.<br class="">
<br class="">
TC is still the only organization of its kind in Canada, with a 20 year
history of connections into community networking sites around the
country, with the potential to reach some of that elusive grassroots
constituency that politicians, pollsters and lobbyists crave for. We
have had success in the past, sharing strategies to keep CAP going for
longer than it would have otherwise and contributing to research and
policy on digital strategies. We are still very involved in national
(CIRA, ISOC) and international organizations (ICANN, NARALO). Needs
and priorities have changed and strategies need to change as well. But
there is still a lot of value in this organization if we figure out how
to use it.<br class="">
<br class="">
A current urgent need is find a way to begin holding regular meetings
again. The teleconferencing service that we were using is no longer
available to us. In the past we used a service called <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://freeconferencecall.com/" class="">Freeconferencecall.com</a>
(<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="https://www.freeconferencecall.com/" class="">https://www.freeconferencecall.com</a>). It worked pretty
well but did entail long distance charges for those calling in, which
generally does not amount to a lot these days, but could still be a
deterrent for some. I am looking for suggestions re: other options.<br class="">
<br class="">
Once we resolve the communication issue, we need to set up a meeting to
address some issues relating to the executive, review our mandate and
set some goals and objectives for 2015.<br class="">
<br class="">
Looking forward to hearing from you.<br class="">
<br class="">
Marita<br class="">
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</blockquote>
</div>
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