The exhibit’s focus is soaring crime in North America, the illiteracy and drug abuse that most often lead to it, and the declining moral standards it imposes on communities across the continent. Joining Ms. Elfman to help officially launch the three-day World Solutions exhibition and social betterment seminars was federal MP Derek Lee (Scarborough-Rouge River); Access and Diversity Manager for Parks, Forestry & Recreation Parks and Recreation Director Ken Jeffries; Urban Alliance on Racial Relations President Zanana Akani; the first Black woman elected to parliament, and many guests.

The Toronto-based ABLE Canada is part of a worldwide network of continental and national organizations that promote the use of humanitarian

L. Ron Hubbard’s social betterment methodologies for purely secular charitable and educational activities. ABLE oversees the activities and administration of the Narconon drug rehabilitation program, Criminon criminal reform courses, Applied Scholastics International’s education and literacy programs, and The Way To Happiness Foundation for reversing the decline of moral standards.

Ms. Elfman, a trained Criminon correspondence course instructor, helps inmates regain their self-esteem and worth to society through Criminon’s prisoner extension courses. Through her volunteer efforts, she assists sheriffs of Los Angeles and Orange Counties in California to effectively rehabilitate offenders. As well, she has toured state and federal prisons to get a first-hand understanding of the penal systems from the viewpoints of both authorities and inmates. In the process, she has taken an active role over the past four years in pushing for reforms in California’s prison system, the largest in the U.S. Her push for effective state criminal rehab programs has been duly noted by, among others, the California Youth and Adult Corrections Agency, which recently changed its official name to "the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation."

"Through Criminon’s curriculum, men and women who have submerged themselves into a life of crime are given the opportunity to gain back their self-respect," said Ms. Elfman. "They are able to learn to read, learn basic life skills they may never have had in the first place, free themselves of drug addiction, begin reaching out to others in the same condition, and start helping their fellows, rather than stealing from them or harming them.

"Man is basically good. Some have never had the value system or life tools/skills to exercise this basic goodness. Now they do. As a supervisor who sees changes with each letter and correspondence course lesson I receive, I know that Criminon is the answer," she said.

According to ABLE International President Rena Weinberg, this week’s World Solutions Exhibition offers not only workshops and training sessions as an orientation to the Hubbard-based social betterment programs but also a needs assessment service to help local, province and federal officials tailor the ABLE-backed programs to suit their specific needs. "ABLE staff and its worldwide network of volunteers all share a hands-on mentality," said Ms. Weinberg. "Whether we’re dealing with an addict with a history of rehab failures, a student that everyone else has decided is hopeless, or public servants who genuinely want to make a difference but are unsure how they can, we know we can empower them with effective solutions they can use to make that difference."