Ontario looks to its future (Ontario 2020)

Alway's a good thing when a city or region is prepared to look ahead and manage proactively. The second day of a 2-day Ontario 2020 conference is under way. More at www.ontario2020conference.ca

"This conference is a great opportunity to rise above the latest crises, visualize some of our possible futures, and imagine what we can do today to build the Ontario we want tomorrow," said Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union in his opening address.

Roger Martin, Dean of the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, spoke on: "Who killed Canada's education advantage? Thomas Homer-Dixon, Chair of Global Systems at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, University of Waterloo, discussed "Building resilience and strategies for coping with an uncertain future." Mary Robinson former president of Ireland and current Chair of The Ethical Globalization Initiative, will spoke on "prosperity and compassion."

The two-day conference will build and discuss possible scenarios of the future in four key areas: the economy, community, health care, and education. Ontario 2020 is chaired by noted Canadian journalist Wendy Mesley.