Projects

The eLab was created in 1997 by Dr. Liss Jeffrey and her team in association with the McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology. Now independent, the eLab is a public interest think tank and new media and policy incubator. eLab projects meet a public interest mission and are based on a philosophy of access, techno-cultural innovation (visionary pragmatism), and participant design.

Please visit our past and current projects by clicking on the hot links featured below.

Email us to find out about our latest projects in development.

• Northern Lights (northernlights.ecommons.net). A site commemorating the death of our friend and colleague Elizabeth Hoffman, first chair of the board of the eCommons/agora.
• The McLuhan global research network web site - the site of sites for all things McLuhan. Watch for the new Toronto School site launch. For invitations please email us elab@mcluhan.org (2000-now) Developed by the eCommons, yDesign-eLab, and members of the McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology Jeffrey seminar Understanding McLuhan and Media at the University of Toronto.
• The Electronic Commons: A public community learning network / Agora Électronique: Un réseau public. A pilot project with HRDC, Community Learning Network, to shift the eLab's work on the Electronic Commons from experiment to sustainable development of public space. (1997-current)
• Survival to Sustainability project. Called From Survival to Sustainability (S2S): CLN Ontario Working Forum 2001, this workshop both gave us an opportunity to network with our fellow Ontario-based CLNs, discussing common challenges and opportunities, and address our very real needs with respect to understanding and creating sustainability in our particular projects. Expert presenters and invited observers also participated in this highly focused session.
• A Dialogue on Foreign Policy / Dialogue sur la politique étrangère: working in partnership with Steve Lee and the Canadian Centre for Foreign Policy Development at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the byDesign-eLab took the lead in a civil society partnership to develop this, a world first for Canada: the first national online consultation to involve citizens in shaping foreign policy. ( 2002-3)

Archive of Foreign Policy development projects:

• Canadian Centre for Foreign Policy Development Roundtables on US Foreign Policy on New Directions in U.S. foreign policy. Our goal in this series of discussions is to survey the latest thinking about U.S. foreign policy and to reflect on those views and possible implications for Canadian foreign policy. This will provide an opportunity for analysis of key foreign policy issues as well as an opportunity to build capacity in Canada and the U.S. for informed and active public engagement in foreign policy development.
• National Forum on Africa. This web site features resources and netcasts from Canada's National Forum on Africa, a dialogue sponsored by the Canadian Centre for Foreign Policy Development, at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and partners at universities across the country.
• Future of Europe - Canada Relations. This web site features netcasts from the Roundtable on the Future of Canada-Europe Relations, a dialogue sponsored by the Canadian Centre for Foreign Policy Development of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, in partnership with the European Union Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (Ottawa), the Centre international de formation européene (Nice), The Canadian Centre for German and European Studies, York University / Université de Montréal and the Foreign Policy Centre (London).
• "Clash of Civilizations?" - Thinkers' Retreat. This Thinkers2002 event was convened to survey the existing and conflicting perspectives and analyses of the international environment in light of September 11th, and, in particular, to explore and better comprehend differing world views about the nature of global divisions, the causes of terrorism and alienation, sentiments about the United States and Western society and the thesis that democracy is a useful tool in overcoming these divisions.
• Beginning with a speech by Professor Benjamin Barber, author of Jihad vs McWorld, the event took the form of a retreat-style discussion, addressing the following issues: the nature of global divisions; The "Clash of Civilizations" thesis; The roots of the Muslim rage; perspectives on Western society; and finally whether democracy can be used as a tool in overcoming global divisions.
  Canada's role in this dialogue will figure prominently in the discussions.
  This web site contains netcast speeches, papers, and resources.
• "Clash of Civilizations?" - Thinkers' Retreat. This Thinkers2002 event was convened to survey the existing and conflicting perspectives and analyses of the international environment in light of September 11th, and, in particular, to explore and better comprehend differing world views about the nature of global divisions, the causes of terrorism and alienation, sentiments about the United States and Western society and the thesis that democracy is a useful tool in overcoming these divisions.
  Beginning with a speech by Professor Benjamin Barber, author of Jihad vs McWorld, the event took the form of a retreat-style discussion, addressing the following issues: the nature of global divisions; The "Clash of Civilizations" thesis; The roots of the Muslim rage; perspectives on Western society; and finally whether democracy can be used as a tool in overcoming global divisions.
  Canada's role in this dialogue will figure prominently in the discussions.
  This web site contains netcast speeches, papers, and resources.

Archive of selected previous projects

	The Association of Internet Researchers 2003 conference came to Toronto October 16 - 19th, 2003. The theme was "Broadening the Band." eLab joined with the McLuhan global research network, ecommons/agora project, to ensure that French language contributions were part of this conference. www.ecommons.net/aoir We are pro-active now in advising future local organizers of Aoir of the problems that non English speaking, bi or multi-lingual countries will encounter. It's all positive, and we have the scars and evidence to prove our points (despite blustering from the usual local suspects), but our team learned the hard way.
	Aboriginal Voices Festival eLab members provided web-streaming & network/multimedia support. Aboriginal Voices Magazine and Radio are significant partners for the eCommons/Agora Electronique.
	Alt-Culture.Net a pilot project designed to assist independent artists use new media effectively to reach audiences and each other.
	Arts in a Pluralist Society Web-streaming support for this project on cultural diversity in the arts, based at Scarborough College University of Toronto.
	Canada byDesign The first Visionary Speakers Series and electronic commons web site in 1997-8.
	Food For Chiapas Web-streaming and network support for Biting the Back of the Feathered Serpent event at Ryerson University.
	Human Security and Civil Society Workshop (Calgary) produced a web streamed event for the Canadian Centre for Foreign Policy Development, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
	Human Rights and New Media one day workshop and visionary speaker event produced for the Canadian Centre for Foreign Policy Development, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, in association with the PanAm byDesign Visionary Speaker series, and the McLuhan Program.
	New Media Forum The CRTC's public consultation site on the question of new media policies. The first online citizen consultation to form part of the official federal public record.
	PanAm byDesign The second Visionary Speaker series and Electronic Commons web site in 1998-9.
	reboot web streaming in support of Toronto-based community computer aid.
	VitalSpace.ca a pilot project building online resources for global civil society. The Universal Access to Public Space database features links to online resources.
	World Culture Network / Reseau Culture Monde / Red Cultura Mundo a new ngo site on cultural diversity resources, designed to ensure that culture is not treated as a simple trade commodity. Initiated by the Canadian Conference on the Arts