John Sewell administers several websites that produce electronic bulletins, as follows:

1. Local Government Bulletin

   This website contains information to focus debate on the need to increase local self-government in Canada, and to help local communities achieve more autonomy. The monthly bulletin is sent to about 1500 addresses across Canada and is available at no charge.

   Bulletins from the founding of the site in November 1999 are available on the website. Various background documents which may be found in the site’s library.

   The website is www.localgovernment.ca

2. Police Accountability Bulletin

   This bulletin has been published since June 2003 on a monthly basis, and may be subscribed to at no charge. The purpose of this bulletin is to openly discuss police policies and procedures that help to make police more accountable to the community they are committed to serve.

   The website is www.tpac.ca

3. Maple Leaf Gardens

    

   John helped pull a group together in early 2004 to bring pressure to bear on Council to retain Maple Leaf Gardens as an ice hockey rink. Maple Leaf Gardens , the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey team from 1931, had been empty since the Leafs moved to the new Air Canada Centre in 1999. Both buildings are owned by the same group of companies, and the Gardens had been put on the market.

    

   The group, Friends of Maple Leaf Gardens, argued that since the Gardens was probably the most famous building in Canada, its major claim to fame – hockey - should be a part of any future use. A campaign was mounted including several public meetings and an electronic bulletin, but City Council was almost entirely unreceptive – only one of the 45 members of council expressed any interest in retaining hockey in the Gardens. With that one exception, Council voted unanimously to endorse the conversion of the Gardens to a grocery store.

   The website regarding Maple Leaf Gardens is: www.friendsofmapleleafgardens.ca . The site has been inactive since City Council's decision.

4. Union Station

   The extraordinary saga of Union Station – a flawed bidding process, a great lack of transparency, secret decisions in closed meetings, attempts by staff to disguise their actions, and more – lead to Toronto City Council deciding in 2004 to lease the station to private interests for 100 years. John was part of the Save Union Station group and prepared regular bulletins which recount this history over the last few years. The website is www.saveunionstation.ca . The site has been inactive swicne Council;s decision in December 2004.

5. Direct City Action: This group is concerned about current city issues, 2005 - 2006, includign governance, structural reform of the Ontario Municpal Board, and financial assisatnce form seniro governments. The web site is www.directcityaction.ca .