Arrival in Toronto

Well – I’ve successfully crossed the Atlantic and I’m here! I left Manchester at 11.15am - after checking in my average sized but VERY heavy suitcase - and following a brief (but slightly fraught) change in Philadelphia, arrived in Toronto at 6pm (11pm UK time) so am struggling to keep my eyes open a little…!

View from my room!

A dodgy in flight ‘entertainment system’ (I saw the first 10 minutes of 3 different movies before the system crashed…again!) – meant that I managed to read Jim Dier’s excellent book
‘Neighbor Power: Building Community the Seattle Way’ which provided much food for thought and generated a greater sense of excitement about my visit to Seattle (though I won’t be there until mid-July – I have Canada to ‘do’ first!). Jim has been a great help in connecting me to people and projects in the Seattle area so it was good to read more about the history of the work he has been involved in. Jim was the first Director of the Dept of Neighborhoods in Seattle whose mission is focused on:

“preserving and enhancing Seattle’s diverse neighborhoods, empowering people to make positive contributions in their communities, and bring Government closer to all people, ensuring it is responsive” (Diers, p 30)

Jim's book assures me that there's lots to learn from the Seattle experience.

So...I have a Toronto room with a view (CN tower one way, Lake Ontario the other) and my first week is all set. After a weekend of jetlag recovery and  Toronto orientation, on Monday I head out to Hamilton (about an hour by bus) to visit the North Hamilton Community Health Center, Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction and Hamilton Community Foundation to learn more about their work snd will be sure to report back. Am looking forward to a busy old week Canadian style!

Now - to bed!