Increasingly and inevitably telephone service is moving to inexpensive VoIP protocols. $500,000 custom hardware is frequently being replaced with inexpensive commodity servers running Open Source software at a small percentage of the cost. Asterisk PBX software is among the key technologies enabling this transition. It allows you to easily and inexpensively develop advanced telephony services for your enterprise or your home. 
The Toronto Asterisk Users Group (TAUG) is a community organization which brings together Asterisk users, both commercial and hobbyist, to share knowledge and experiences.
Whether you are a telecom engineer looking to take advantage of the newest developments in VoIP to "fill in the cracks" of your commercial package or an entrepreneur with an idea for a telephony application, you will probably need to know Asterisk to make your projects cost-effective. 
TAUG brings together an enthusiastic collection of individuals who have experience in many disciplines, including Residential, Small-Medium Business, Large Enterprise, Call-Centre, Carrier and ISP (to name a few). You can talk face-to-face with the people who are doing exactly the kinds of things you need to do.