I'm in Toronto for a couple of days attending the Canadian Community for Dialogue and Deliberation (C2D2) conference. I've served on the board of C2D2 since early 2008, and its been an incredible experience to meet very committed and talented public engagement / public participant practioners from across Canada, the US, and even a few from overseas.
The Mayor of Toronto gave a speech last night about the important of listening to citizens, and forming plans and policies from there. A Toronto Councillor talked about the importance of conflicting points of view, coupled with a committment to "stay in the room" until agreements can be reached.
Pretty cool stuff. Here is the conference page on the C2D2 web site.
