President’s Message Garry McDonald CSA President It is an honour for me to accept the office of president of the Canadian Snowbird Association. For more than 32 years, the association has remained steadfast in its commitment to actively defending the rights and privileges of travelling Canadians. As your new president, I am committed to carrying on with that challenge on behalf of all of our members. We have accomplished many things together in our past and yet, many challenges remain. I am confident that our new board of directors, together with CSA staff and our benefit partners at Medipac, will meet those challenges as we continue to build on our achievements. My first stop as president was at the annual Snowbird Extravaganza in Lakeland, Florida. After a four-year absence, it was encouraging to see so many snowbirds gathered together again. From there, my wife Mary Ellen and I headed to Mesa, Arizona for the Arizona Snowbird Extravaganza and McAllen, Texas for the Winter Texans’ Snowbird Extravaganza. We welcomed enthusiastic crowds and we were again fortunate to sign up many new members. From there, we embarked on our 2024 Winter Information Meeting tour. This year, we made stops in Indio and Winterhaven, California, before travelling to Florida for shows in Bradenton, Port Charlotte and Clearwater. I would like to thank all of the volunteers and all those who attended any of these shows; there is simply no way that we could bring these events to you without your support. Thanks also to our partners at Medipac for all that they do to assist in the organization of these first-class events. After so many years of partnership, I am continually impressed by how Medipac International and Medipac Communications support CSA and our membership annually and provide positive reinforcement to all of our efforts. In April, I travelled to Washington, D.C. with CSA representatives in an effort to secure passage of our Canadian Retiree Visa legislation. Please see Johanne Blain’s Government Relations report elsewhere in this issue for a more comprehensive update regarding this initiative. Recently, your board of directors discussed four critical policy questions of importance to our members. We examined what we are most proud of… what we as an organization do better than anyone else. Replies included successful lobbying for a 10-year Canadian passport, director presentations, our legal victory against the Ontario government and our currency exchange program. We also took a hard look at things which we could have done better. Answers to that question revolved around our Retiree Visa initiative, increased political engagement with Quebec and a more robust internet and social media presence. Suggested goals for the next 12-18 months included passage of the Retiree Visa, increasing membership, increasing out-of-country emergency health-care reimbursement rates and an increased focus on alternative winter destinations in addition to the United States. We concluded our analysis with an examination of some of the things that might present obstacles to achieving these goals. Understandably, our success depends on government willingness to negotiate on both sides of the border and the increased competition that exists among third-party stakeholders all vying for government attention. I was encouraged to see such consensus and agreement emerge between board members in their responses during our discussion. Coming out of the Covid years, I feel that the CSA is entering a period of renewal. Our engagement with the aforementioned topics and goal-setting means an opportunity for a strong agenda of renewed advocacy. As your new president, I will form a President’s Renewal Council of board members, staff and advisors to engage and improve advocacy and membership. In closing, I would like to thank our outgoing president Karen Huestis. During the seven years for which she has served as our president, many significant improvements benefiting travelling Canadians have been made. Karen will continue to be an asset to the association and our incoming board in her capacity as immediate past-president during this new term. Thanks also to our outgoing and returning directors who have worked diligently with government officials at all levels. Without these efforts, changes would not have taken place. Of course, none of this would have been possible without you, our members, thank you. I look forward to working with our new board of directors and staff as we continue to pursue the goals of the Canadian Snowbird Association. Welcome home. 10 | www.snowbirds.org
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