Greetings Mayor Bob Chiarelli

Greetings Mayor Bob Chiarelli & Ottawa Councillors:

It has now been 16 months since my first email to you about the Proposal to implement a beta program involving a 'usury-free' community currency. I recommend that you re-read (or read for the fist time) that Proposal which has been posted at The LETS/Barter Cyberclassroom since November 30th, 2000. The URL is: www.cyberclass.net/chiarelli.htm

This communication will give you an update of what is happening nationally and internationally. All that is missing is some local LETS action in the Ottawa area. Salt Spring Island, www.cyberclass.net/saltpsring.htm off the coast of British Columbia has taken the lead in Canada. Ithaca, New York www.ithacahours.org leads the way in the United States and Argentina www.cyberclass.net/argentina.htm leads the way on the global map. The latest entries to the 'usuryfree' community currency movement are Grand Forks, British Columbia www.sunshinecable.com/~eisehan/gogo.htm and in Yamato, Japan www.cyberclass.net/yamato.htm the people are using smart cards to exchange their 'usuryfree' community currency electronically.

You are invited to review what all of these communities are doing and understand that John C. 'The Engineer' Turmel and myself can offer some 'bells' and 'whistles' that will improve on the 'usuryfree' community currency models already in place. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada could still develop the optimal 'usuryfree' community currency system using a time currency that could be the global model - if action is taken NOW!! You are invited to visit the UsuryFree Time Currency Cyberclassroom at this URL: www.cyberclass.net/ufoh.htm

So far, only one Ottawa Councillor, Rainer Bloess has responded. That was on January 30, 2001. Details at the LETS/Barter Cyberclassroom at this URL: www.cyberclass.net/rainer.htm It's time now to follow up and pursue some research and take action. Are we waiting for 25% unemployment to be our motivator? We have so many models to draw from. It's time for action NOW!

I look forward to action on this proposal early in 2002.

Salt Spring Island is a small island off the coast of Vancouver Island. The concept of Salt Spring Island Dollars was the result of roundtable discussions of the Sustainable Salt Spring Island Coalition.

In the fall of 2000, the group was looking at different island nations around the world (Isle of Man, Jersey, Cayman Islands, etc.) examining how their governments and economies functioned.

One of the common factors of these islands was that they each had their own local currency.

Two questions arose – would it be possible to establish a local currency for Salt Spring, and if so, how could it benefit the community?