President’s Message Bob Slack CSA President Once again, Lois and I have safely arrived in Florida and are looking forward to another winter in the sun. In September, we were fortunate to meet many of you at our annual round of fall Snowbird Lifestyle Presentations. This year, we toured Ontario with stops in Orillia, Belleville, Nepean, Burlington and St. Catharines. I’m happy to report that we signed up many newmembers and I would like to thank all of the volunteers who came out to help us put on these productions. Thanks to all of you, the membership of the Canadian Snowbird Association continues to grow. For those of you who didn’t have an opportunity to join us, we do our best to visit different regions of the country every fall so that, hopefully, you will find us a little closer to home next September. If you can’t wait to see us in the fall, the good news is that there will be plenty of opportunities to attend one of our shows this winter. This year’s Snowbird Extravaganza will be held at the Lakeland Center in Lakeland, Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 24 and 25, 2017. Our Winter Texans’ Snowbird Extravaganza will be held on Tuesday andWednesday, January 31 and February 1, 2017 at the McAllen Convention Center in McAllen, Texas. Finally, our Canadian Snowbird Celebration will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 7 and 8, 2017 at the Mesa Convention Center inMesa, Arizona. If you still can’t make it to one of these events, please don’t forget about our popular Winter Information Meetings. These meetings are smaller in size than our other winter shows, but they provide us with a greater opportunity to interact with our members and spend more time answering your snowbird lifestyle questions. In addition to the important information available, the shows that I’ve mentioned above will have all of the great entertainment which you’ve come to expect over the years. A number of members from Atlantic Canada who travel to Florida by car have notified us about a recent change regarding the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). As of October 28, those travelling on the Massachusetts Turnpike will no longer be able to pay their toll fees by cash. Motorists who take this route will now have two options: 1) establish a prepaid account with E-Z Pass (www.e-zpassiag.com) and attach an electronic transponder to the inside of the windshield of their vehicle or, 2) their licence plate will be photographed and a bill will be sent to the address of the registered owner of the vehicle. It should be noted that, with the second option, an additional fee will be assessed for non-E-Z Pass users. The transition to a cashless toll system is eventually expected to replace every toll booth in Massachusetts. Additional states, including New York, have announced similar plans. In January 2017, my term as president of the Canadian Snowbird Association will come to an end. During the seven years for which I have been fortunate enough to serve as your president, we have made many significant improvements benefitting the travelling Canadian. Our board of directors, past and present, has worked diligently with government officials at all levels both in Canada and the United States. Without these efforts, changes would not have taken place. These achievements will continue to benefit present and future members and none of this would have been possible without you. We find that our strength as an association is found in our numbers. We are nowmore than 100,000 strong. As we continue to grow in membership, the greater our voice will be in issues that affect not only snowbirds, but all travelling Canadians. I amnot planning on abandoning my duties in the near future and I look forward to working with your new board in my capacity as past-president during the next term. The directors and their spouses have been most supportive, encouraging and hard-working during my term as president. The staff of the Canadian Snowbird Association have supported your board over and above what was called for. I would be remiss if I did not thank Medipac International and Medipac Communications for all of their help and reinforcement. Lois and I truly enjoyed the time which we have spent with all of you. As CSA representatives, we have made many friends across Canada and the U.S. Sunbelt states. We wish everyone happiness and good health as you enjoy the snowbird lifestyle. Have a safe and wonderful winter in the sun. 10 | www.snowbirds.org
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzMzNzMx