News

A 30 minute documentary film has been released about the global polycrisis facing humanity today.

Civilizations and ecosystems as we know them are destabilizing.  Critical thresholds are being crossed, moving us all into a Great Unraveling.  Yet, there are seeds being sown for a Great Turning. 

For more information about this high-impact film, visit: towardsagreatturning.ca.

Watch the Trailer

Step into the deep and brave discussions, thoughts and feelings of Thinkers from all parts of the globe. Including Mi’kmaq Elders Joseph Michael and Albert Marshall.  Filmed at the Thinkers Lodge, Pugwash, Nova Scotia in October 2023.

It is highly recommended that this critical film be shown as a group or public screening.  For details on hosting a group screening contact info@centreforlocalprosperity.ca.

A reunion of all past Centre for Local Prosperity (CLP) Climate and Nuclear Crises Thinkers was held at Thinkers Lodge and related venues from October 19-22, 2023.

Since 2017, CLP has conducted eleven retreats at the historic Thinkers Lodge with invited groups of Thinkers from around the world to engage in deep and brave conversations about both the climate and nuclear crises.  Content from these past retreats can be viewed under the Climate Change tab at www.centreforlocalprosperity.ca.

The discussion framing for this Thinkers Reunion cut to the quick:  Civilizations and ecosystems as we know them are destabilizing.  Critical thresholds are being crossed, moving us all into a Great Unraveling.  Yet, there are seeds being sown for a Great Turning. 

This gathering activated this global network of Thinkers who understand and will undertake the type of transformative and regenerative work critically needed for humanity in these times. If you are interested in learning more about these Thinkers, please contact us at: info@centreforlocalprosperity.ca.

Dig In: The Atlantic Canada Food Systems Summit was a huge success! It was held at the Debert Hospitality Centre from November 17-19, 2022, and offered the opportunity to network with 200 delegates including 45 speakers involved in all aspects of our food systems from across Atlantic Canada.

The themes of food security and food sovereignty were explored from the perspectives of producers, processors, distributors, consumers and policy makers. Keynote speakers brought international and national hands-on experience to re-building regional food systems. Breakout sessions highlighted best case successes across all aspects of our food systems. An ongoing regional working alliance is being created coming out of this Summit. Contact CLP for more information about this alliance.

The Centre for Local Prosperity has partnered with the Discovery Centre and Thinkers Lodge to bring together student representatives from Nova Scotia High Schools to an intensive two-day climate change retreat at the historic Thinkers Lodge, Pugwash, NS.

From June 29 to 30, 2022, up to 20 students selected from high schools across Nova Scotia will attend this gathering focused on climate change education, networking, and communication planning.

See our event page and please complete the application form, which needs to be completed by a school representative with the input from the two students that would like to attend.  The deadline is March 20, 2022. 

Summit Thinkers came together at the Historic Thinkers Lodge in Pugwash Nova Scotia, and from around the globe via video conference, to foster both visionary and immediate actions to address the dual existential threats of climate change and the dangers of nuclear weapons. This is their Call to Action.

MEDIA RELEASE (August 19, 2021): From September 19^th to October 3^rd, The Centre for Local Prosperity (CLP), in partnership with Thinkers Lodge, Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Canada has invited 24 Thinkers to enter deep and brave conversations on these topics at the Thinkers Lodge Summit on Nuclear and Climate Crises.

The Centre for Local Prosperity released a report studying the potential for local procurement by Atlantic Canada public sector anchor institutions as an economic development strategy. There could be a significant economic impact to our regional economies if more educational institutions, municipalities and other public sector anchors adopted a strategy for a small local shift in their procurement practices. 

Non-confidential aggregated data from four institutions is presented, which shows a significant potential economic stimulus from a 10% shift in their procurement to local suppliers. Examples are given in the report on how institutions can build responsive, local supply chains.

Many rural communities in Canada have dangerous trade imbalances, thanks to decades of emphasis on export-led growth and relatively little attention to the importance of meeting local demand with local production. As global markets fluctuate dramatically, communities watch their export income disappear and face acute shortages of goods and services they normally import. The conventional approach to fixing trade imbalances is to increase exports, but it leaves communities with a mismatch between what they produce and what they need. A underutilized approach to fixing trade imbalances is to decrease imports through ‘import replacement’, with an eye to meeting local needs with local production, keeping money circulating locally and creating good, stable, long-term jobs in the local economy.

Today, citizens and scientists alike are saying that humanity has missed the window for avoiding climate extremes and ecosystem decay.  Our world has become an increasingly damaged habitat that threatens our civilization as we know it.

How can we grapple with—and talk about—the reality that our ecological, economic, and social systems may unravel in some frightening ways beyond our control?  How could communities be disrupted due to an increasingly fragile civilization? What should we do in our families, our communities, and our region of Atlantic Canada?

“We find ourselves living on unstable ground. It is time to give up the notion of experts and people in power leading the way.  We need to follow our own noses. This report encourages us to find stability in clean air, local food, sane politics, and fair and just communities. I encourage you to read it, roll it up, put it under your arm, carry it with you to your next community gathering and roll it out for others to share,” said Gregory Heming, Senior Advisor to the Centre for Local Prosperity. 

This report captures the essence of twelve virtual discussion sessions from May 12 to June 17, 2020, convened by the Centre for Local Prosperity, with an invited group of delegates from across the region and internationally at Thinkers Lodge, Pugwash, Nova Scotia.  The deep and brave discussions captured in this report shows how communities in our region, and globally, can best prepare and manage through potential collapse.  These deliberations have sought to apply the many large-scale global changes now underway to local readiness solutions that are applicable for Atlantic Canadian communities.

A new economic vision for Prince Edward Island and Atlantic Canada is proposed by CLP Advisor Phil Ferraro.

During May and June, 2020, the Centre for Local Prosperity conducted its fifth Thinkers Lodge Retreat (virtually) on Pandemic, Climate Crisis and the Uncertain Future of Local Community. These discussions generated short videos on many essential topics. Please visit the Centre’s Youtube channel for all posted videos. A resource guide for communities in Atlantic Canada is being prepared based on this retreat, and will be available later in 2020.