Introduction

The Whole Village newsletter is published on line to keep our friends, near and far, informed on how our project is progressing. For background information and previous issues, please visit our website at: http://www.wholevillage.org

Changes

After going through a major re-adjustment in the spring of 2000, the Whole Village initiative is once again moving rapidly ahead. Many of the original members of the Whole Village were unable to accommodate the move to Caledon and have moved on to other interests. The core group that remained spent the whole summer tidying up old business and, more importantly, laying the groundwork for continued progress. The incorporation of Whole Village Ltd. (note the name change from The Whole Village King Limited) has been completed, along with a comprehensive Community Members' Agreement and a set of By-Laws based on Keith McMillan's excellent work. And most significantly, we have signed a formal offer of purchase to acquire Karalane Farm, a 190-acre property in the Town of Caledon, where we will build the community.

New Site

Karalane Farm, the site of the Whole Village, is in the northwest corner of the Town of Caledon, Peel Region, just 10 minutes south of Orangeville. The property has a pond, a year round stream, gravel resources, bank barn and equipment sheds, a maple sugar bush, arable land and good building sites. While very rural and quiet, the farm is still only 60 minutes from Toronto.

Membership

Membership now stands at six families with several others expected to join in the near future. We held orientation meetings at the site for potential new members and other interested friends, on August 20, September17, and October 15. If you are interested in attending our next Orientation Meeting, November 19, 2000, contact Jeff Gold at 519-941-1099, email <jgold@netrover.com>. While aimed primarily at friends, prospective members and new members, these orientation events are useful for any member who wants to know more about the history and organization of the Whole Village. WV members can also conduct their own orientation sessions for potential members.
We have also adopted a new process for integration of new members into our community. We hope that this will make it easier for those who are considering joining to make an informed decision and for those who join to participate effectively. One aspect of the new process is that a mentor is assigned to each prospective member.

Outreach

In partnership with Cohousing Ontario, we manned a table and gave a presentation at the Natural Life Festival, August 5-7, in St. George, Ontario. This was a great opportunity to promote the Whole Village. We met a number of people who have since attended orientations and meetings. Jeff, Mary and Bev also spent several days at the CNE in Toronto, in the Environmental section, talking to people and passing out information.

Networking

In the last six months, members of the Whole Village have attended the following conferences and public meetings: "Getting It Built", sponsored by Cohousing Ontario, June 2-4; the Planners' Network Conference, June 23; the Town of Caledon Round Table on Agricultural Planning, May 11 and July 6 and the Environmental Advisory Committees of Ontario Conference in Alton, September 30 - October 1. All of these venues are great places to meet people and spread the news.
We have also met with the Ian Sinclair and Richard Paterak, town councilors for Ward 1 and carried on informal discussions with the Planning Department.

Jason Whitfield, a graduate student in Planning at the U of Waterloo, is researching the WV as part of his thesis on the planning issues surrounding ecovillage development. Jason is also studying Ecovillage at Ithaca and Cob Hill Ecovillage in Vermont. He has attended many meetings and events and is a great source of information on how other groups have dealt with the many problems and obstacles on the road to building their dreams.

Another student, Phillip Dunn at the School of Landscape Architecture, U of Guelph, is using the WV as a model for his masters' thesis. Phillip will produce a detailed site plan as part of his work.

Mandate groups

Much of the organizing and development work of the Whole Village resides with our mandate groups. Some recent progress:

Planning
Although we have had several fruitful and encouraging conversations with several planners in the Town of Caledon, and supplied them with detailed background information on the WV project, our first official meeting will not take place until November 16, 2000. So far our discussions have been very positive.

Design Group
Denis Bowman has been selected as the official architect for the Whole Village. A detailed topographical survey of the site has been completed and compiled by Denis Bowman and his associates. Our first site design workshop was held at Karalane on September 23. The next one will be held November 12, when we will finalize the location for the homes, common house and other facilities. Denis has been meeting with individual members to help them visualize their housing needs and design their future homes.

Financial/Legal
This group has spent numberless hours completing our incorporation documents, including the Community Members' Agreement and the Bylaws. Now they are hard at work on a budget for the project and an examination of the various ownership options available to WVK.

Communications
The Communications Mandate Group is preparing a new brochure and working on the presentation that we will make to our neighbours at the end of November. After that, the WV will be able to develop a higher public profile in the area.

For more information, please contact us at:

Whole Village Ltd.
20725 Shaws Creek Road
RR 1 Alton
ON, L0N 1A0

Phone: (519) 941-1099 Fax: (905) 833-2813

E-mail: <jgold@netrover.com>
Website: http://www.wholevillage.org