For those of you who have already made the journey to warmer climes, welcome to your winter homes. We have had a very busy fall at the Canadian Snowbird Association. Bill and I were fortunate enough to meet many of our Ontario members during our fall round of Snowbird Lifestyle Presentations. This year, we began our tour in Belleville followed quickly by stops in Nepean and Owen Sound. We then headed to St. Catharines, Richmond Hill, Port Hope and Orillia before concluding our tour in Oshawa. We were able to sign up many newmembers and Bill and I would like to thank all of the volunteers who came out to help us put on these great events. As always, thanks to all of our members who took in a show; your continued involvement is what keeps us growing as an association. This year’s Snowbird Extravaganza will be held at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, Florida on Tuesday andWednesday, January 28 and 29, 2020. The Winter Texans’ Snowbird Extravaganza will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 4 and 5 at the Pharr Events Center in Pharr, Texas. Finally, our Canadian Snowbird Celebration will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 11 and 12 at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Arizona. These shows are great opportunities to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. First-rate entertainment and all of the latest information and products are available to help you make the most of your winter in the sun. As always, admission to these shows is free of charge. If you are unable to join us for one of our Extravaganzas, please consider attending one of our annual Winter InformationMeetings. Smaller in scale, these meetings will provide great Canadian entertainment and snowbird lifestyle information. The more intimate setting allows for greater interaction between association representatives and our guests, so it is an ideal time to ask any questions or voice any concerns to CSA representatives. This also makes it easier to interact with the entertainers, so don’t be shy…please attend a show if you are able. This winter travel season, our Winter Information Meeting tour begins in Sun City West, Arizona on Friday, February 14 before heading to Indio, California on Monday, February 17 and on toWinterhaven, California for a show on Tuesday, February 18. From there, we head to Florida with our first stop in Immokalee on Friday, February 21, 2020. We will be in Bradenton on Monday, February 24 and Clearwater on Tuesday, February 25. We conclude this winter’s round of shows in Port Charlotte on Wednesday, February 26, 2020. Once again, admission to these shows is free. Please look elsewhere in this issue of the magazine for specific venue locations and times. CSA members may also book a member of your board of directors this winter, to make an information presentation directly to their local winter community or club. These presentations provide updates on all of the latest initiatives on which the association has been working on your behalf, and we attempt to answer any questions that youmay have about a wide variety of snowbird-related topics. To book a presentation for your local winter community or club, simply contact the CSA office in Toronto. These presentations are open to members and non-members alike. On September 19, 2019, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced the Canadian Snowbirds Act, S. 2507 in the U.S. Senate. This bill would allow eligible Canadian retirees to spend up to eight months vacationing in the United States annually – two months longer than the current six-month limit. This legislation is the companion bill to the Canadian Snowbird Visa Act, H.R. 3241, which was introduced in the House of Representatives in June by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21) and Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL-22). Before this extension can be signed into law, it must first be passed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. CSA representatives will continue to work on growing the number of co-sponsors in both chambers during the current session of Congress. Updates on our progress will be featured in CSANews. As many of you are aware, we have not abandoned our fight to prevent the elimination of the Ontario government’s Out-of-Country Travellers Program. This program provides reimbursement for Ontario travellers who face medical emergencies while travelling outside of the country and is scheduled to cease on January 1, 2020. Please read Ron Steeves’ Government Relations column in this issue of the magazine for more detailed information. Bill and I wish you a safe and relaxing snowbird season in your winter homes. President’s Message Karen Huestis CSA President 12 | www.snowbirds.org
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