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Maurice Strong, Sustainable Urban Leadership Summit

Digging for sustainable Mo

By Judi McLeod
Thursday, april 27, 2006

Gaining Ground is the title of the latest Sustainable Urban Leadership Summit coming your way. The conference is to take place June 15-17 in Victoria, B.C.–immediately prior to the UN Habitat World Urban Forum 3 in Vancouver.

The Government of Canada is hosting the third session of the World Urban Forum (WUF111). Vancouver was the birthplace of UN-HaBITaT in 1976.

Former Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev starred in 2004's World Urban Forum 2 in Barcelona Spain.

The Sustainable Urban Leader Summit will showcase Gorbachev's elusive Earth Charter partner, Canadian Maurice Strong.

That's the same Maurice Strong, who just a little over a year ago, ostensibly stepped down as a UN envoy to North Korea and from other UN duties when his ties to Oil-for-Food-disgraced Tongsun Park were made public.

That's been Strong's story, but he's not quite sticking to it.

Strong is coming to the Sustainable Urban Leader Summit fresh from the Peoples Republic of China where he's been active in China's environmental protection spin department.

"China is showing its commitment to the challenge," Strong attested only last week.

"Gaining Ground is conceived as a series of keynote speeches, showcase presentations and themed salons." (Canadian architect).

"Showcase focus in on three major North american developments. Victoria's own Dockside Green, the Noisette Project in North Carolina and Loreta Bay Village in Baja, Mexico."

The most recent salon theme announced is `Finance Digging for Dollars'. This theme will cover the "real" cost, finance and value issues associated with sustainable development.

In short, "Industry leaders want to know how to make green development profitable. "Governments need to know how to support innovative development through policy and tax credits. Developers want to identify what institutions and organizations will support their projects,"

Greening things for profits of green money is a siren call.

Canadian architect reports, "the response to Gaining Ground has been overwhelming.

"The President of the Centre for Urban Innovation (CUI) Gene Miller is overjoyed with the enthusiasm of the development industry. as host sponsor of the event, he is encouraged by the support of organizations such as Canada Green Building Council, Smartgrowth BC, and most recently Urban Land Institute (ULI).

"Gaining Ground promises to be a satisfying, inimitable event that will provide leaders in the sustainable urban development field with the knowledge, tools and resources they require in creating innovative projects that are truly sustainable. The intention of this summit is to shift policy, regulation, and outlook concerning the built environment."

While the sustainable crowd is busy "Digging for Dollars", members of the US House International Relations subcommittee, who stated last December "Maurice Strong should be examined for his role in OFFP", should be doing a little digging of their own.

Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com


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