Abbey North, completed in June 2006, was designed as a family home but with the idea of providing meeting space for local and international groups to gather for conversation, discussion and working sessions pertaining to “the world as it could be”, with accommodations available for a few overnight guests. People from far and near have come together and many exciting projects have been launched from within the walls of Abbey North.

Abbey North gatherings centre on catalyzing efforts in three domains:

HIV/AIDS in Africa – On returning to Canada, we had the opportunity to hear Stephen Lewis speak of the work of the Stephen Lewis Foundation in response to the terrible devastation caused by the AIDS pandemic, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. We were inspired to focus on the underlying systemic causes of this terrible plague, and have since, together with colleagues in ICA Canada and other organizations, initiated and supported a number of ongoing projects in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. » More…

Caring for the Environment – Building our home in Haliburton County brought into clearer focus issues relating to our local environment, and we took care to keep our carbon footprint as small as possible. Yet we know we must do more. Recognizing that attending to ecological issues requires both global focus and local action, through Abbey Gardens we are actively encouraging and intensifying local initiatives to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of Haliburton County. » More…

Delegitimize War – The idea of delegitimizing war is perhaps the most challenging yet compelling element of our vision. It has a different flavor than efforts to engineer peace or control arms, which of course we also support. But the concept of making war illegal, seeing it as an unacceptable way of resolving human conflict, forces us to consider new and more creative ways to disentangle the systemic war machinery across the globe and seek other means to resolve our differences. » More…

Abbey North was built by:

• Chuck Hewson - Highlands Plumbing
• Cordell Carpet and Interiors
• Dan Loukras – The Outdoor Design Company Ltd.
• Dave Hollows - wrought iron fencing and trim
• Ed Burke and team – master stone mason
• Jason Brownell – property manager, trail blazer
• Larry Hewitt and team – excavation, road builder
• Paul Patterson – designer, builder
• Rex Miller - artist
• Shane Sisson and team – contractor and builder
• Steve Churko and team – electrical contractor
• Ted Radema – architect, designer, artist