For citizens to increase their familiarity with issues by engaging in public deliberation; by voicing their opinions, to develope those opinions and clarify their thinking; by expressing their interests, to establish ever-more substantial bases for their arguments
- for individuals to discover supports for their views and, by the process of discourse and exchange, encounter others who share them
- for people to come together as a community exploring its values and concerns
- for citizens to participate in making decisons concerning public policy.

To make discoverable the vaste and growing body of issue-based documents - policy briefs, research reports, academic papers, publically funded studies.

To bring together the various modes of discussion: wiki, forums, news-groups, chat rooms, and blogs (So much heat! So little light!) ... these will be streamed together and aggregated to serve as the matrix of an issues portal.

To produce a readily accessible set of concept maps that present these many sources in a cohesive manner as a coherent set.

For more information and to signify interest or support please contact Bernard D. Tremblay | ab006 AT chebucto.ns.ca